It is time for another edition of “Random Samples”–I occasionally get samples from marketing agencies and/or producers. These can often be grouped together into some sort of over-arching theme: Drink Them and It Will Come, Summer is Here, So That Means (More) Rosé, If It Doesn’t Sparkle, It Doesn’t Matter.

Other times, I get just a bottle or two that do not have any apparent connection or link. Instead of holding on to those bottles until the “right” combination comes along, I decided to link all these “random” bottles together, making their own category (and, being the math geek that I am, “random sample” has a bit of a double entendre).

2020 Bending Branch Winery Tannat Estate Lost Pirogue Vineyard, Texas High Plains, TX: Retail $65. Extremely Heavy Bottle (871g; 30.7oz). 100% Tannat. Tannat is not the easiest wine in the world; it tends to make heavy, powerful, tannic wines that are not for the faint of heart. I have had several Tannats from Texas now and they all seem to fit that bill. That is not a bad thing, in fact, in Texas it is actually desired since many Texans want their wines to hold up to the beefiest of steaks. And boy does this one. Loaded with black and blue fruit on the nose and the palate, this is a big boy even before the first sip. Dark and brooding in the glass, this makes no attempt to hide what’s in store. That fruit is impressive on the palate as well, but so is the acidity, which tries its darndest to keep up with all of that fruit, and for the most part it does. No, this is not my preferred style of wine, not even close, but for those who want to chew on a wine while chewing on some brisket, this is an Excellent choice. But be careful pouring: the bottle is completely ridiculous. 91 Points.

2015 Pasqua Valpolicella Superiore Mai Dire Mai, Veneto, Italy: Retail $50. Heavy Bottle (624g; 22oz). 50% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 10% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta. Under cork. I don’t have a ton of experience with Valpolicella Superiore, but those I have tried have been stellar. This might be better than that. Medium to dark color in the glass with dark fruit (plum, black cherry), cedar, a hint of menthol, and touches of spice. Yowza. The palate is nicely balanced between the modest fruit, those hints of spice, and a unifying acidity that balances the wine out nicely. Pasqua is representing their 100th year anniversary this year and while I have some familiarity with the brand, I can only imagine that they are quite proud of this wine. Excellent. 92 Points.

2020 Pedernales Cellars Texas Family Reserve, Texas High Plains, TX: Retail: $68. 76% Teroldego, 12% Petite Sirah, 12% Tempranillo. Very Heavy Bottle (706g; 24.9oz). When I first moved to Texas almost nine years ago, I knew nothing about the many wines from the Lone Star State. Nothing. While I am nowhere close to an expert now, I have gleaned a few helpful tidbits. The first is that Texans love their native wines, and they love big reds. This checks both those boxes. I also learned that Pedernales is a leader in quality wine production here, and their wines are usually among my favorite Texan wines. Again, both boxes checked. Big. Dark. Rich. Layered. Big. Fruity. Big. And yes, it is big. Plum, blackberry, vanilla, and violet characterize both the nose and the palate of this muscular beauty. Plenty of acid (although it certainly takes a back seat to all that fruit and power), with some silky tannins on the finish. No, this is not my style of wine, but it is exactly what many Texans are searching for. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2019 Smith-Madrone Riesling, Spring Mountain District Napa Valley, CA: Retail $40. Responsible Bottle (530g; 18.7oz). Under cork. Believe it or not, the 2019 Riesling is the current release from Smith-Madrone. Think about that for a moment; while it is certainly common to see a red wine that has 2-3 years on it, this has six and is a white. Why do I mention that? It’s fairly simple. Stu and Charlie Smith don’t really care about what others do or, worse still, what they might think –they are not going to adapt their winemaking, marketing, or business strategies unless it benefits the wine. Case in point. While this wine is six years old, other than a bit of color (I would call it about halfway between straw and yellow), this wine belies its age. Fresh, fruity, and even exuberant, this Napa Riesling makes even the most casual wino wonder why there isn’t more of the variety in this country’s most renowned region. Rich, racy, and refined, this wine starts with plenty of petrol and pear on the nose along with some kiwi, lemon rid, and minerality. The palate is quite tart initially, close to bracing, but it settles down quickly and all that fruit comes to the fore. Holy cow. By the finish, the wine has come into near-perfect balance and the harmony is glorious. Yes, this is fantastic, but it also could use some time, even a lot of time. Don’t get me wrong, this is fabulous now, but a grain of restraint would pay off as soon as 3-5 years out, or as much as 20 or more. Yowza. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2021 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, Spring Mountain District Napa Valley, CA: Retail $45. Responsible Bottle (519g; 18.3oz). Under cork. This is now the fourth(?) vintage of this wine that I have reviewed and, well, it continues to amaze me. First of all, the wine is stellar with intense citrus and touches of vanilla and oak on the nose, this is pretty remarkable from the jump. The palate is fruity, yes, but also incredibly balanced with oodles of zing and more than a modicum of moxie. It is no surprise that I expected a ton from this wine. Nor is it shocking that this wine delivered, in spades. What I guess is worthy of note? That this wine continues to be one of the best values in Napa Valley. Holy cow. Outstanding. 94 Points.