Napa’s Robust Mountain Reds, Italy’s Taut Verdicchios and Jim Barry’s Best: Weekly Tasting Report

Dunn Vineyards, situated atop Howell Mountain in Napa Valley, is rich in history. Randy Dunn, who established the estate in 1979, was attracted to this distinctive site because of its volcanic soils and higher elevation. Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery tasted the current-release bottlings with general manager Lily Mirabelle Freedman, who highlighted the winery's commitment to sustainable farming, which include revitalizing vineyards to enhance vine health and maintaining naturally low yields.

Freedman also outlined some winemaking practices that prepare the Dunn wines for a long life in the bottle. During harvest, gentle extraction occurs during fermentation, followed by extended barrel aging for up to 32 months in French oak barrels. This helps build and lengthen the wine’s structure and textural complexity on the palate.

The reasoning behind this lengthy barrel aging is that it encourages an interplay of micro-oxidation on the sometimes coarse mountain phenolics, allowing them to begin polymerizing, which results in smoother, more integrated and softer tannins after aging.

This level of tannin refinement was evident when tasting the Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Howell Mountain 2021, which features robust and brooding aromas, with a full-bodied palate and bright acidity that are all tied together by long, velvet-like tannins that give the wine a generous character that will age gracefully for years to come. The 2021 was tasted alongside the Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Howell Mountain 2019, which has benefited from a few extra years in the bottle to further soften and evolve. It presents savory, soft characteristics with a serious undertone as well as lingering, silky-smooth tannins on the finish.

On the opposite, western side of Napa Valley is Pride Mountain Vineyards, which sits atop the Mayacamas Mountains. The estate spans 235 acres, with 85 under vine, bridging Napa and Sonoma counties. Committed to small-lot winemaking, Pride Mountain creates bold, expressive wines that reflect its unique terroir. Ryan tasted with second-generation owner Steve Pride, who pursues a sustainable farming philosophy, and winemaker Matt Ward, who ensures the preservation of fruit quality in the bottle by employing gentle fermentations and extended aging for elegant wines.

In 2022, Pride Mountain, which is part of the Spring Mountain AVA, experienced generally moderate conditions but faced a notable heatwave in their vineyards above the fog line. The intense warmth and abundant sunshine accelerated the ripening and concentrated the fruit flavors in the resulting wines. Minimal rainfall and moderate yields further shaped the Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Sonoma County Vintners Select Cuvée 2022 into a full-bodied and robust wine with a seamless mouthfeel. It is carried by focused acidity and fine tannins that lead to a balanced finish.

Given the complex geography of this mountaintop estate, the Pride family has continued experimenting with less common varieties planted in Napa Valley. Through countless trials, viognier has found its place here. The Pride Mountain Vineyards Viognier Sonoma County Napa Valley 2023 is an intriguing discovery, showcasing all the hallmarks of a refined and fresh Condrieu-style viognier, with a textured mouthfeel that carries notes of apricots, lanolin, beeswa, and lemon confit. Montgomery noted that this is a wonderful example of a viognier that achieves a great balance between power and finesse while avoiding those soapy characteristics that viognier can produce when picked too ripe.

FLICK RIESLINGS HIT THEIR STRIDE

Senior Editor Stuart Pigott tasted a diverse range of wines from near and far, starting in his home base of Germany. The Flick winery in Wicker, at the eastern end of the Rheingau region, is the closest winery to his home – it's just an 18-kilometer ride on his e-bike. And that's how he visited this underrated producer.

Like the rest of the world, Germany’s wine industry is facing difficult times, but in every crisis there are winners and losers. Reiner Flick's dedication to domestic costumer service has made him remarkably resistant to the downturn, in fact his sales are actually slightly up on a year ago. However, that energy didn’t go into exports, which is why the Flick name is still too little known internationally, considering the quality of the wines.

For Stuart, the pair of 2022 vintage dry riesling GGs make this discrepancy very clear. They also display the skills of Flick’s daughter, Katharina, who took over the winemaking after graduating from the Geisenheim wine university.

The Flick Riesling Rheingau Nonnberg Vier Morgen GG 2022 is an incredibly structured wine for this hot and dry vintage, and the little hint of wood underlines all this beautifully. The wines from this site are like marathon runners that need a while to really get into their stride and reveal their considerable strength.

In contrast, the Flick Riesling Rheingau Königin Victoriaberg GG 2022 is packed with golden fruits (think very ripe pears), has a creamy concentration and a very long, silky finish. The immediate appeal of this wine is typical for the famous vineyard named after Queen Victoria of England.

From the other side of Planet Wine, in Australia, comes the Mitchell Riesling Clare Valley Watervale 2024. It has great concentration, purity and focus, plus the typical sleekness and vibrancy of the most important riesling region in the Southern Hemisphere. The juicy peachy fruit is balanced by samurai-sword acidity at the very long finish.

The Mitchell family releases one of their dry rieslings from the McNicol vineyard a full decade later, and the just-released Mitchell Riesling Clare Valley McNicol 2015 confirms the logic of this strategy. The haunting aromas of flint and smoke plus a glaze of lime marmelade are wrapped around a racy core. It is lively for a 10-year-old, late-release wine and you could mistake this beauty for a four- to five-year-old.

The other wines that caught Stuart’s interest were cabernet franc reds from the little-known Cotes du Lot region in southwestern France. The best of these was the Belmont Côtes du Lot Dolmen 2022. The violet and cassis aromas pour from the glass of this suave cool-climate red that marries fine tannins to generous fruit and chalky minerality.

POLISHED SHIRAZ AND MORE FROM JIM BARRY

Also from the Clare Valley, Jim Barry has added a range of single-block wines to their portfolio of shiraz and riesling. These inaugural releases come from the Spring Farm vineyard, planted by Barry in 1977, and include the 2021 vintages of the Shiraz Block 73, the Malbec Block 81, and the Cabernet Sauvignon Block 74.

Of the three, Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt was most impressed with the Shiraz Block 73 – a polished, velvety and perfumed red, full of dark-fruit notes like blackberries and blue plums, as well as fresh figs and tiramisu, showing formidable tension and length.

“Our 2021s are the best reds that we have made to date,” commercial manager Sam Barry told Claire, adding that they have refined their reds over the past decade with soil and canopy work in the vineyard, as well as using lower-toast French oak barrels, cooler storage, and minimal racking in the winery.

Meanwhile, the Clarevale 2021 is a blend of cabernet and malbec from the Spring Farm vineyard (blocks 75 and 81, respectively), and is only the second release of the wine since the 2018 vintage. The blend is silky and engaging, with creamy, berry-soaked tannins accompanying the sweet fruit.

However, the pinnacle of the range of Jim Barry’s 2021 reds is The Armagh, their iconic single-vineyard shiraz produced from a five-hectare vineyard at 400 meters above sea level. The 2021 is deep and intense, with stacks of black and blue fruits complemented by spice and coffee-bean aromas. 2021 was a stellar growing season, and the flagship wine shows fantastic tension, energy and freshness to the typical rich and ripe fruit.

ITALY'S LEAN AND TAUT VERDICCHIOS

Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli was tasting in the Jesi wine region of Italy, where he found the appellation brimming with ambition and energy. The area, known for the old verdicchio grape variety, is currently grappling with the fallout from the bankruptcy of Moncaro, the largest cooperative winery in the area, leaving many to worry about what will become of the vineyards that supplied grapes to the cooperative, as well as the jobs tied to it. Yet, the same people admit that the crisis could ultimately accelerate the ongoing shift toward higher-quality winemaking and positioning that has been taking shape in the appellation for years.

Gone are the days of amphora-shaped bottles and diluted wines with almond-tinged finishes due to oxidation. Today’s verdicchio wines from Jesi are clean, taut, and brimming with minerality and salinity. Their firm, vibrant, sometimes even aggressive acidity is consistently balanced by the textural weight of carefully managed yields and extended aging on fine lees.

These are wines of complexity, born of several factors. First, the maritime influence, with the sea often just a few kilometers away or always within view, lends a Mediterranean freshness. Second, the soils form a rich, intricate patchwork: sand dominates the lower elevations, clay appears mid-slope and limestone from the Apennines emerges as you climb the hills inland. And then there’s the grape itself – verdicchio, which is celebrated for its structure and aging potential, and is often described as a white wine with the soul of a red.

This complexity often renders oak unnecessary, although when used judiciously in more ambitious examples it can add depth without overwhelming. Verdicchio’s power and structure make it extraordinarily versatile at the table, with its distinct saline, sometimes even briny, character adding a unique edge. The emerging stars in Jesi include Pievalta, whose Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico San Paolo Riserva 2021 stands out for its precision and chalky minerality – a consistent benchmark for Italian whites.

Campanelli impresses with the apparent simplicity of its Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Palombare 2022, built on tension and salinity, while Riccardo Baldi’s La Staffa delivers stunning wines from excellently positioned vineyards, such as the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Rincrocca Riserva 2021, which is marked by seaweed notes and a vibrant, bracing finish.

These rising names join established players like Tenuta Tavignano, led by Ondine de la Feld, and Umani Ronchi, under Michele Bernetti’s guidance. Umani Ronchi is particularly focused on challenging the notion that Italian whites must be consumed young. Their Umani Ronchi Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Historical Vecchie Vigne 2019, produced from old vines and aged for four to five years in cement and steel, showcases elegance with maritime and cedar notes woven into a fine structural framework.

All of this is underpinned by an excellent quality-to-price ratio, drawing not only wine enthusiasts but also those captivated by the sea, seafood and the charm of hillside living in this corner of Italy.

– Ryan Montgomery, Stuart Pigott, Claire Nesbitt and Aldo Fiordelli contributed reporting.

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated during the past week by James Suckling and the other tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. Some will be included in upcoming tasting reports.

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