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 overarching theme: Muret-Gaston is French for Old Friends (not really, but it should be), The Rise of Australian Wine Beyond Shiraz, Some Wines from Victoria, 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).

2023 Starfield Vineyards Mourvèdre, El Dorado, Sierra Foothills, CA: Retail $42. Responsible Bottle (). 99% Mourvèdre, 1% Roussanne. In my experience, the wines from the Sierra Foothills are just different. That is by no means a judgment, it is closer to a compliment. Perhaps the least well-understood appellation in California, if not the entire U.S., the wines from the region run the gamut from rustic, mom & pop producers to larger, better funded operations. I was part of a zoom call to taste these wines back in November and as some of you know, that is basketball season, so I missed a significant part of the history. What I do know is that this wine is delicious. Heavy black fruit on the nose (cassis and plum predominant) with healthy doses of spice (cardamom and cinnamon) and earth. The palate is less brooding than I would have imagined with intense fruit and a driving tartness. Look, Mourvèdre is not my preferred variety–far from it. But this is stellar and might (just might) cause me to rethink my relationship with the variety. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2023 Starfield Vineyards The Miner’s Inch, El Dorado, Sierra Foothills, CA: RRetail $40. 30% Grenache, 17% Aglianico, 14% Tempranillo, 14% Petite Sirah, 9% Mourvèdre, 9% Cinsault, 4% Roussanne. The second wine from this producer in the Sierra Foothills and this is certainly fruitier than the Mourvèdre, but it is also behind its brethren in spice, earth, and verve (but only slightly). Mostly dark fruit on the nose (blackberry, plum, cassis), with an incredibly smoky aspect. The palate has all of the aforementioned, but also introduces a tart, lip-smacking acidity that defines th best of wines. While I am not sure that I would place this in that upper echelons of “legends”, this is certainly Excellent. 90 Points.

2024 Troon Vineyard Grenache Amphora, Applegate Valley, OR: Retail $55. Very Responsible Bottle (). 100% Grenache. From the Troon website: “One component of this wine (clone 362) was fermented in five different amphorae —three with destemmed grapes and two with 50% whole cluster. The other component of this wine (clone 513) was fermented in a large concrete vessel with 50% whole cluster.” Well, I have been sampling Troon wines for close to a decade now and I can say without equivocation, that they continue to improve. Yowza. I have used this space to champion the wines of Troon and their incredibly responsible approach to winemaking and land stewardship. But holy you-know-what, the wines are just stellar. Yes, I love me some Grenache, but this is next level. Fruity (blackberry, cassis), earthy (dark soil), spicy (black pepper), this really explodes on the nose. Given all of those dark notes on the nose, the palate is surprisingly lithe with great fruit, touches of earth, but a fantastically zingy acidity that I consider the hallmark of a stellar Grenache. And this IS a stellar Grenache. Yowza. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2023 Troon Vineyard Vermentino Amphora Amber, Applegate Valley, OR: Retail $55. Responsible Bottle (480g; 16.9oz). 100% Vermentino. Grapes were specially grown for this orange wine, with lower yields and more sun exposure to encourage more tannin development, which is important for an orange wine. 10 months in amphora. This gets better as it approaches cellar or even room temperature, which seems logical since this is made more like a red wine than a white. Amber color (as one would expect) with a slight orange tint and aromas of Asian pear, honeysuckle, and beeswax. Layered and complex on the palate with subtle fruit, toasted nut, honeysuckle, Asian spice, and plenty of weight. Like I said, this shows much better, is much more expressive as it warmed. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV Weingut Georg Schmelzer Dion Pet-Nat, Neusiedlersee, Burgenland, Austria: Retail $25. Very Heavy Bottle (). 80% Welschriesling, 20% Sämling. Natural wine, biodynamic. I have seen some that call Georg Schmelzer “Austria’s Biodynamic Expert” and I have no reason to believe otherwise. I am no fan of Pétillant-Naturel (Pet-Nat), but I have to say this one is not bad at all. Obviously, a bit cloudy, odviously, with intense sour apple aromas and a decided yeasty component. The palate is tart, extremely dry, and, actually quite refreshing. While I doubt I will rush out and buy any bottles of Pet-Nat anytime soon, I did enjoy this one. Excellent. 90 Points.