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2015 Di Costanzo Cabernet Sauvignon Farella Vineyard
12/29/2023 - msuwine wrote: 95 Points
This is a stunning and pure wine that is every bit as good as it was three years ago, when I tasted it during the early stages of the pandemic (3/20 - 95 points), back when we thought it would all be over by Spring Break (hey, at least I was right about the wine!). Tonight, this Coomsbville Cabernet made me think about how we treat the dichotomy between "Old World" and "New World." To be sure, this wine has a pure, savory, and integrated profile that is entirely of the Old - perhaps with a trace of California sunshine, but none of the woodsy and pushy sweetness that can characterize Napa (especially in 2015).
To explore this point, tonight we opened two other Napa 2015s, and the Di Costanzo wiped the floor with both of them. A Carter Three Kings seemed like a fruity concoction in comparison, and a Blankiet Paradise Hills, even with more glide than the Carter, still had a sugary finish. Sensing a rout, I opened a 2015 Latour Paulliac, which cut through the noise with a Zen-like precision (no sugar, no wood, just peace). Even compared to its (unlikely) brethren, though, the Di Costanzo was a touch more enjoyable, given its buoyancy and depth (without centuries of history, it does have to try harder).
And that brings me back to my original point. There is a real difference between Old World and New, but it's more than just a sum of its parts. Yes, the Old World has its adjectives - and for this wine it would be leather, olives, gravel, and blackberry - but there is something more than the descriptors. And, no, this is not a question of a dot on a map, or an ABV number, or a name on the label. This Old World wine came from the New World. Instead, it’s a matter of integration, purity, and class - things as hard to define as they are to create. And this wine has all those things, and it is exceptional.
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2022 Kinsman Eades Aisana
11/16/2023 - msuwine wrote: 95 Points
Kinsman has done it again. This wine is exceptional: elegant, complex, and delicious. I wasn't entirely sure how Nigel's style would translate to the world of white wines, but it's safe to say that the kids are going to be all right: this wine is both sophisticated and drinkable - nuanced enough to reward attention, but balanced enough not to demand it.
And, now, we interrupt this tasting note for a story about speakers.
Compulsive types migrate to areas that involve lots of precision (along with intricate hierarchies, disposable income, and verbosity, but I digress); safe to say, the worlds of vinofiles and audiophiles overlap. But what makes a speaker good? It's not just the ability to pump up the volume. No, it's the ability to provide clarity and range - to translate the breath in the trumpet, the brush on the drums, and the fingers on the piano. (I'm not listening to Birth of the Cool; you're listening to it.)
For the past few years, I've started to think domestic whites resemble Bose speakers - lots of bass, lots of treble, not much mid-range. This has particularly been true with domestic Sauvignon Blanc, where the extremes seem to rule: either it's a pungent hipster Kiwi-wannabe that takes the enamel off your teeth, or (more likely) it's a blowsy mix of citrus, wet-grass, and wood, with the only question being whether you're tasting cedar, oak, or pine bark. Aside from a few exceptions (e.g., Accendo, Massican, Spottswoode), I've given up on domestic SB. In a sensation familiar to many middle-age wine lovers, I've even started to feel an inner Frenchman coming to the fore, asking me to don a beret and condescend to my country for offering so much noise - and so little nuance.
Enter Aisana. Light yellow in color and medium in body, the wine offers inviting aromas of lemon rind, orange clementine (a/k/a Cuties), and white flowers. The flavors are fresh and integrated, with notes of lime zest, dried mango, and quince, followed by a lively and open-knit finish that glides more than it bites (really, your teeth and esophagus are safe; there are no acidic edges here). The balance is just remarkable: it's hard for any wine to be both understated and original (much less a SB from eastern Oakville), but this is both. 13.7% alcohol.
This wine is an unexpected delight. My only concern is that my bottles may not last through the end of the year, but this (like audio quality) is a first-world problem. Here’s hoping that all our holiday concerns are so enjoyable!
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2016 Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard
6/14/2023 - msuwine wrote: 96 Points
This savory and dense interpretation of this vineyard is incredible, just starting to open up now - but with years to go before it sleeps. To me, you haven't tasted the Sleeping Lady Vineyard until you've tasted this wine. Working with a different clone (22) and more intense and layered than other wines from this site (e.g., Fait-Main, Ad Vivum), the Anjea is just starting to open up - but it's an absolute original.
Dark red in color and full in body, the wine offers enveloping aromas of black cherry, fresh leather, baking spices, eucalyptus, and peppercorn. (And this list is not exhaustive, since the aromas shift and surprise as time goes on.) The flavors are more coiled, with notes of mountain blackberry (read: fruit + seeds), graphite, ground rosemary, and espresso bean, followed by a dusty and dense finish. 14.7% alcohol. Decant 2-3 hours if opening now, but ideally wait until 2025 or later (and open a 2016 Rhad or Accendo in the meantime).
With his work at his namesake label, not to mention Accendo, Bella Oaks, and others, Nigel is among my favorite winemakers working in Napa today. His wines are dense and ripe, but also savory and earthy, creating a tension and depth that are utterly compelling. (They remind me of Brad Grimes' work at Abreu, with perhaps a bit more polish, but that is the loftiest of company in my book.) After a proper decant, 95-96 right now, but the sky is the limit in a few years.
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