Centennial Mountain 2022 Carricante Sonoma County ($49)

 

If you're looking for a high-concept winery, you have just found it, and the talented winemaking team from Rhys Vineyards is behind it. The vineyards are on a ridge line on the Sonoma Coast roughly halfway between Geyserville and Fort Ross (pretty far north in Sonoma County) 

This Centennial Mountain project is driven by some arguably conflicting arguments. 

One of the ideas is that some Sicilian varieties might flourish in California (OK, definitely plausible, especially in the face of global warming). Another idea is that while some varieties benefit from big diurnal shifts in temperature between warm days and cool nights, others benefit from steady temperatures (elevated sites like this actually have greater diurnal temperature shifts generally speaking, but if you're high enough above the fog line, maybe that's not the case). 

In addition to the Sicilian varieties Carricante and Nerello Mascalese, they also grow Nebbiolo, which is from Piemonte in northern Italy. Hey, it's an experiment, and it's not my money, so all I can do is applaud the try.

I tasted the Centennial Mountain Nebbiolo. It was not great. Nebbiolo is not an easy grape to grow. Having had the experience of flying over Barolo and Barbaresco in a helicopter, I can tell you that the terroir of those parts of Piemonte cannot be replicated anywhere else. That's another 2,000 word story...

I don't have a lot of experience with Carricante despite two visits to Sicily. I love this wine. It has great acidity, with lime blossom, lemon curd notes, and a bit of a jasmine floral note as it warms up a bit in the glass. It also has good concentration of flavor and is well-balanced. Imagine a Sauvignon Blanc-like white without the grassy, vegetal notes. It's a lovely pool-side sipper or ceviche wine that you probably have never tried before. It's also admittedly pretty pricey, but if you want to try something completely different, well, here it is.

Warm climate whites that retain acidity well have a bright future in California, including in the Central Valley. Look at what Aimee Sunseri is doing at New Clairvaux near Chico, growing Greek grapes like Assyrtiko and Moschofilero - she won best white wine two years running at the California State Fair with those two grapes! California needs more Verdelho, more Verdejo, more Assyrtiko, and apparently more Carricante. 

Sometimes experiments fail. Sometimes they succeed. Eternal thanks to those who do the unsafe thing and try. (92 Points) 

 - Tim Teichgraeber 

 

 

Davis Estates 2025 'Lily Fleur' Private Reserve Rosé Napa Valley ($53)

The color is fairly pale salmon-pink, but this rosé packs a punch, with concentrated cherry, strawberry and orange rind flavors that could stand up to reasonably hearty food. There's a hint of bitterness on the finish (possibly from some Cabernet Sauvignon included) that isn't unpleasant at all. In fact it gives the wine some structure and makes it oddly refreshing as well. Not cheap, but a high quality wine for sure. (90 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber 

2021 Kosta Browne Keefer Ranch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($140)

 

 

It's pretty hard to poke a hole in this seamless, lithe, flavorful Russian River Valley Pinot.It's extraordinarily well-balanced, with ample black cherry, black tea, red currant and tarragon notes. Every aspect of the wine seems to be perfectly placed, from acidity to alcohol to tannin and fruit. At 4 1/2 years old, I think this wine has a very bright future, not that I would dissuade you from drinking it now. (96 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber 

 

Cuvaison 2025 Grenache Rosé Tai Vineyard Los Carneros Napa Valley CA ($45)

 

 

Textbook Provençale-style rosé that would make a perfect poolside sipper. It's light pink in color with a floral nose and tart strawberry and citrus notes. The price is a little high, but this is an estate grown wine and it's considerably better than average to be sure. (90 Points)

Textbook 2025 Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley, CA ($21)

 

There's a lot to like about this Textbook brand from Napa-based Jonathan and Susan Pey. The wines are exactly what the brand suggests: wines that show great typicity of variety and place, and they're made in a very straightforward, direct way. The prices are also pretty damn good. The wine business is tough these days, but that seems like a pretty good formula for success, especially if you're buying grapes in a flooded bulk market. Coming in at a consumer-friendly $20 or so, this is a fine Sauvignon Blanc with the exact grapefruit, grass, and clover notes that you'd expect to get from a coastal California Sauvignon Blanc. The depth of flavor is impressive, and it comes in at a nice, mild 12.8% alcohol. Definitely recommended. (91 Points)

-Tim Teichgraeber 

Rhys 2023 Chenin Blanc Mt. Parajo Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains, CA ($59)

 

 

 Rhys makes wines from 7 estate vineyards, 6 of which are in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, with the remaining property in Anderson Valley. They focus is on elevated vineyards, many or most located near the San Andreas fault. The Mt. Pajaro vineyard is the southernmost of them. This exceptional Chenin Blanc has notes of lemon curd, honeydew melon, papaya, and thyme (or some other mountain herb). It has great acidity, intense, and complex fruit flavors. It is not an oaky wine. I just tasted a LOT of Chenin Blanc from South Africa and California in the last couple of weeks, and this is certainly up there with the very best of them all. (94 Points)

P.S. If you are interested in Chenin Blanc, you should definitely check out "Hella Chenin," an annual Chenin Blanc festival in Berkeley that takes place in May. The event was very well attended by trade members and consumers, and it was a lot of fun!

- Tim Teichgraeber 

Calera 2021 Mills Vineyard Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan, CA ($95)

 

 

 I do not tire of Calera's single vineyard offerings (Calera, Mills and Selleck). They almost never disappoint, and they all have their own distinct flair. This vintage of Mills is really hitting a fine stride, showing brilliant, fresh blueberry, boysenberry and cherry fruit with a hint of minerality and some baking spices on the finish. It's not to hard, not too soft, not too fruity, not too savory - just brilliant. It comes from a site at 2,200 ft. in elevation from Mt. Harlan with 14 1/2 acres planted to the original Calera clone that Josh Jensen brought back from France. The vineyard was first planted in 1984. This is a stunning wine. (97 Points) 

- Tim Teichgraeber