A Last Waltz in La Chenaie (and other vineyards that talk)
12/8/21 -
As we lurch towards the holidays, I wanted to put a spotlight on some domestic wines that are in stock that we typically get just a few bottles of (and in one case, that we won't be able to purchase ever again). Each of these wines is defined by its vineyard site, made by people who care deeply about exploring terroir.
We have always been huge fans of Bow & Arrow at CSW. Since 2010, Scott Frank has been crafting truly memorable wines from fruit farmed by some of Oregon's best and most serious organic and biodynamic growers. His devotion to Loire varieties has always appealed to us and the wines are invariably full of personality and character. One real staff favorite has always been his Sauvignon Blanc from the Chenaie vineyard in Eola-Amity, a wine that has always been been a lighthouse in a sea of underripe and anodyne Sauvignon. So today is bittersweet. We recently learned that the 2019 release will be the last iteration of this vineyard from Bow & Arrow - today's bottles are the last available (at least as far as we can find). So grab them while you can. Limit six per customer, please.
For fifteen years, Phoebe & John Raytek at Ceritas have been making some of my favorite California wines. They have made a living working with a handful of the most challenging vineyard sites in the state, from Mendocino down to the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the wines they produce are intensely focused and brimming with soil and stone. I had a chance a few summers back to spend several days with John and some of his Sonoma Coast colleagues and he was generous enough to share some older wines that I had not tasted since their release years back. If you can squirrel these away, you will be richly rewarded down the road.
The last producer on the docket today likely needs no introduction—at Sandlands, Tegan Passalaqua has been making some of the most soulful and affordable California wines of the last ten years. He has been doing this by relentless exploration of the state's viticultural landscape, finding old vineyards and working with growers to improve soil health and reduce reliance on irrigation. These are consistently delicious wines that drink well in their youth but still show potential for cellaring.
Everything on offer today would make a marvelous gift for any wine lover, or a great partner for a holiday meal (and when something is gone, it's gone...)
Sam Ehrlich
