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Ant Moore 2017 Sauvignon Blanc

The name sounds a little like yet another “critter wine’ from down-under, but Ant Moore is actually a real person. Moore moved from Australia to New Zealand in 2002 for a career in wine that has included the launching of several successful wine brands as well as a stint as winemaker of Isabel Estate.

Ant Moore originally thought that an eponymously named winery was a bit egocentric, but came around after realizing that it was his personality that made these wines distinctive. Moore is vitally involved with every aspect of the winemaking process, including vine management and harvesting. Every wine is made to emphasize dryness, balance, and purity.

The wines are made with both traditional and modern techniques. This allows Moore to constantly experiment with with wines to produce the styles that he finds most enjoyable to drink.

This Sauvignon Blanc shows ripe stone fruit and a richness that is uncommon among inexpensive New Zealand wines.

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Brokenwood 2018 Semillon

Founded as a hobby project for a group of lawyers, Brokenwood has become one of the most respected wineries in Australia. The original 10 acres in the Hunter Valley cost $970 per acre in 1970. It was the highest price that had ever been paid for an Australian vineyard.

Jump forward and add superstar winemaker Iain Riggs, and Brokenwood winery has thirty-six acres of vineyards and a global reputation for masterfully age-worthy wines.

A mere one acre is allocated to growing Semillon, but this glorious dry white is arguably the perfect companion to the Hunter Valley wine-growing region. The close proximity to the ocean provides afternoon cloud cover and cool sea breezes that temper the hot Australian sunshine. This produces a wine of warm richness and fresh acids.

Brokenwood Semillon is picked with very low yields, features minimalist ‘hands off’ winemaking, and ages in large American oak barriques.

The resulting wine shows well upon release displaying zesty lemongrass and apple blossom, but don’t miss the tight structure and precision of the citrus finish. These are signs of the pleasure to come as the wine will only improve with up to a decade of cellar age.

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Winemaker Bertrand Sourdais has quite the pedigree with a winemaking career that includes stints at Mouton-Rothschild in Bordeaux, Santa Rita in Chile, and Palacios in Priorat.  Upon the 2003 retirement of his father, Sourdais returned to helm the family estate in France’s Loire Valley.

Domaine du Pallus is at the heart of Chinon - Cravant-les-Côteaux.  Sourdais embraces traditional biodynamic viticulture in these stony, silica-laced soils, but in the cellar he becomes a revolutionary.

He uses extended maceration, sometimes up to thirty days, and a long-slow elevage in Bordeaux barrels to reveal “the true personality of Chinon.”  These wines are handled less and bottled later that most others in that region.

The ‘Messanges’ bottling is made from younger Cabernet Franc vines and is perfect for recreating a French-bistro dinner at home.

The wine is mouthwateringly fresh with high-toned red currant and bitter cherry.  It is vibrantly floral with tiny hints of tobacco spice.

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Calcu is one of those rare wineries that always outperforms its price point by so much that every sip tends to stun you. And the Cabernet Franc may be the most stunning wine in the entire line.

This might be a result of Winemaker Rodrigo Romero’s belief that Cabernet Franc will someday be the signature grape of Chile.

This 100% Cabernet Franc comes from a single vineyard block on the Maquis Estate located between the Chimbarongo Creek and the Tinguiririca River, an ideal site for Cabernet Franc.

“92 points! Crushed stones, slate, lavender and violets. Full body, grainy tannins, so much pretty blue fruit character, vibrant acidity and a subtle, mineral finish. Linear and sexy. Drink now. ”

— James Suckling

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The vineyards of Boeger Winery are on a California Gold Rush homestead, but it wasn’t until 1972 that things finally panned out. That was the year that Greg and Sue Boeger purchased the property and created the first winery since Prohibition in the El Dorado AVA.

These are complex and diverse vineyards.  A dense, steep and maze-like patchwork of foothills host a wide variety of micro-climates.  Five major agricultural soil types are here and vineyard elevation can transition from 1200ft to 3500ft in a very short distance.

 The diversity of soil types, climates and topography enable Boeger to succeed with a multitude of grape varietals, twenty-two in total.   The intense California sun gives generous ripeness and cold mountain breezes preserve acidity.

 Boeger Cabernet Franc is a blend of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  

The wine has aromas of black licorice, plum, Shishito pepper, and slight herbaceousness. It is medium weight, with smoked pepper flavors on the palate and a clean finish with silky tannins.

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Wineries throw around the word Cave to mean wine cellar, but it is rarely as literal as when describing the Loire Valley winery of Yannick Amirault where production takes place entirely within a natural cave.

The winemaking is certified-organic; from hand-picking to natural wooden vat fermentation involving indigenous yeasts and no sulfites.  Amirault is extremely focused on the authentic reflection of both vintage and terroir.

The ‘La Coudraye’ bottling is 100% Cabernet Franc, sourced from a terrace overlooking the  Loire village of Bourgueil.  The vines - which can be as old as 55 years - were certified organic in 2009, but have been farmed organically since 1997.

Flavors in the wine include wonderful acidic fruits such as pomegranates and cranberry complicated by some spice, licorice, and a dash of green pepper.