Sonoma’s Quiet Energy Force, the Frey Effect in Rhone and a Barolo Riserva Rebound: Weekly Tasting Report

396 TASTING NOTES
Thursday, Jan 23, 2025

Left: Paul Hobbs holds two of his oustanding 2023 Sonoma offerings | Right: Calendula flowers (which can be used for making flower wine) have emerged in the winter vineyard landscape at the Paul Hobbs Winery, near Sebastopol, California.

As you walk through the cool, minimal, contemporary space of the Paul Hobbs Winery offices in Sonoma County, California, you could be approaching the door of an acclaimed architect or film producer. Everything is wood, glass and neutral colors, says Executive Editor Jim Gordon. The windows look out on precise rows of grapevines climbing undulating slopes in the Sebastopol Hills.

The staff is quietly at work. A sense of calm is matched by an undercurrent of energy and seriousness. And then you meet globetrotting winemaker and entrepreneur Paul Hobbs and you understand where the quiet energy comes from.

Jim first met Hobbs about 20 years ago and says that energy is not only a good description of his demeanor but a pretty good way to capture the character of his California wines, too, from the 2023 chardonnays and pinot noirs that he poured for Jim to layered and velvety Napa cabernet sauvignons. Five of the more than 100 U.S. wines in this report that ranked especially high were made by his team, getting marks in the high 90s.

Two brilliant pinot noirs from 2023 were the real show-stoppers. The Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Fraenkle Cheshier Vineyard 2023 is muscular, intense and laced with black tea nuances, while the Pinot Noir Russian River Valley George Menini Estate 2023 is saturated with dark berries and a smoky, earthy character from the Calera-clone grapes and 15 percent whole-cluster fermentation.

Hobbs ranks 2023 as a very good year for Russian River Valley pinot noir. “I like steady vintages like this one,” he said. “It was a more controlled kind of thing. The weather was often cool and foggy. There was longer hang time than usual and no heat complications.”

Two of Hobbs’ vineyard-designated chardonnays from 2023 are equally brilliant and elegant. The Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley George Menini Estate 2023 shows brilliant acidity and quince and kiwi fruit flavors, but the Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain Richard Dinner Vineyard 2023 gives a different take on the vintage, coming from a different district where a clay-rich soil brings out white peaches, pears and even honey notes in this wine.

From 2022, two cabernet sauvignons from Hobbs are absolute beauties that show how a coolish climate like the Coombsville district in Napa Valley can truly shine in a year challenged by severe heat just as harvest was in full swing. The Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Coombsville Nathan Coombs Estate 2022 is lush, saturated and layered, and the bottling of Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Coombsville 2022 is not far behind.

Executive Editor Jim Gordon (right) tasted through Paul Hobbs' oustanding array of 2023 Sonoma chardonnays and pinot noirs, as well as 2022 Napa cabernet sauvignons.
Adam Lee’s Clarice pinot noirs from the Central Coast are a highlight in the 100-plus California tasting notes this week.

Hobbs acknowledged the difficulty caused by the heat event in the first week of September but said the Coombsville location in south Napa near San Pablo Bay was instrumental in making top-notch cabernet in 2022. “When the heat struck there, if the vineyard was well managed it wasn’t a huge issue,” he said. “You could wait to harvest afterward, but in some places farther up the valley like Calistoga and St. Helena, or Dry Creek in Sonoma County, you had no choice. You had to pick before or during the extreme heat.”

The 2022 vintage of a cabernet sauvignon appreciated by generations of California wine drinkers: the Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve.

On the subject of 2022 Napa Valley reds, Jim also tasted several Beaulieu Vineyard wines including the iconic, ageworthy Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2022. It brings together power and grace, using 80 percent grapes from the winery’s base in Rutherford and incorporating 25 percent barrel fermentation. This is a time-consuming, labor-intensive practice, especially for reds, and one that lends a soft, creamy effect to the texture.

One more California winery really stood out this week, with three wines in the 95-plus range. Clarice Wine Co. is a pinot noir-focused brand made with Central Coast grapes by Adam Lee, best known as the founder and former winemaker for Siduri. In particular, his Clarice Wine Co. Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands Rosella’s Vineyard 2023 deserves special attention for its floral aromas, black-fruit flavors and luscious, elegant texture. 

READ MORE NAPA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014 TASTING: A SEISMIC VINTAGE?

THE FREY EFFECT 

Senior Editor Stuart Pigott traveled to the northern Rhone in France to taste the 2022 vintage wines from Paul Jaboulet Aine and Domaine de la Chapelle with the winemaker for both wineries, Caroline Frey. She described 2022 as “a wonderful vintage" with plenty of power. And after tasting the wines Stuart felt that her words aptly describe the personality of the 2022 wines from these twin producers.

The almost perfect Domaine de la Chapelle Hermitage La Chapelle 2022 is the most extraordinary of these wines, having incredible focus and structure plus a cornucopia of forest berry, wild herb and flower aromas plus notes of licorice, bark and black olive tapenade. The almost endless super-mineral finish seals the deal.

If this is where the separation of these Hermitage vineyards from the broader stable of Paul Jaboulet Aine to create the separate Domaine de la Chapelle leads, then we applaud this development. However, Stuart also found many stunning 2022 vintage wines in the Paul Jaboulet range.

They include the globally distributed and rather moderately priced Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 2022. This bold red has all the black fruit, smoke, pepper and raw meat character we expect from syrah from the northern Rhone. This is the best vintage of Domaine de Thalabert in more than a decade and a rival to the legendary 1978. Fans of this popular wine should rejoice!

Caroline Frey is the brilliant winemaker for Domaine de La Chapelle and Paul Jaboulet in the northern Rhone.

Even better is the Paul Jaboulet Aîné Cornas Domaine de Saint Pierre 2022, which is from the highest-altitude vines in this appellation – more than 400 meters above sea level. The tension between the energetic tannins, the aromas of elderberry, flint and graphite plus the hardcore stony minerality makes it really exciting. Here you really feel the healthy acidity that's an important factor in making the 2022 vintage special.

For those looking for a more silky expression of northern Rhone syrah, the Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côte-Rôtie Domainde de Pierelles 2022 is a magnificent wine from the Cote Blonde section of the appellation. In spite of all the richness and concentration – think blackberry, pomegranates and pepper – it is very suave and elegant.

Sometimes a great vintage pushes the reputation of a winemaker up to the very top and 2022 may well be remembered as the vintage that did this for Frey. Notes for the wines from Domaine Caroline Frey in Burgundy and for a daring new joint venture project will follow during the next weeks. Watch this space!

The four red wine cuvees from the Albrecht Schwegler winery, including the mind blowing Solitär 2015.

Stuart also tasted some remarkable German red wines from producers who are well-known to some insiders but under the radar for the rest of Planet Wine.

Back in 1990, the engineer and winemaker Albrecht Schwegler founded an eponymous garage winery in the village of Korb, close to Stuttgart, and with his first vintage made the best red wine in the Wurttemberg region. The wines are now made by his son, Aaron, who has expanded the vineyard area to 15 hectares and built a new winery.

Their new releases include several wines that should be revelations to the majority of our readers, most spectacularly the Albrecht Schwegler Württemberg Solitär 2015. Like the Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribeiro del Duero in Spain, this tannic red underwent long barrel aging – eight years in barrique oak casks.

The combination of this vinification with climate change, perfectionism in the vineyard and blending wines from a crazy mix of grapes – the Austrian zweigelt grape with Bordeaux merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah from the Rhone and cabertin, a fungal-resistant variety bred in Switzerland – has resulted in a wine with awesome concentration and enormously plush tannins. The aromas of cocoa powder, soy sauce, bark and dried orange are also like nothing else in Germany.

The good and great pinot noir reds from Martin Wassmer in Baden, Germany.

Much less expensive is the Albrecht Schwegler Württemberg Granat 2020, another amazing red cuvee based on zweigelt, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. It has incredible depth of savory, pipe tobacco and bitter chocolate character wrapped around a huge core of plush tannins. The vintages of this wine from the 1990s and the first years of this century turned this winery into a cult, and here you can taste why.

Pinot noir is the most important red grape variety for Germany, and the country’s 12,000 hectares of pinot vineyards are eclipsed only by France and the United States. Stuart tasted the wines from Martin Wassmer in Bad Krozingen in the Baden region several times before and thinks the 2022s are the best so far.

The only problem is to decide if prefer the dense cloud of smoke, cinnamon, dried herbs and flowers of the very sensual Martin Wassmer Pinot Noir Dottinger Castellberg GC 2022, or the more deeply structured Martin Wassmer Pinot Noir Baden Schlatter Maltesergarten GC 2022, with its aromas of red roses, baking spices and forest floor. Stuart gave them the same rating.

Martin Wassmer, who founded his small winery in 1998 also makes some excellent Burgundian style whites. Scroll down to find the tasting notes for them.

Dirk van der Niepoort (right) in the cellar of Quinta da Lomba, where his Conciso and Garrafeira wines are made.

NIEPOORT'S TOUCH OF ELEGANCE

Senior Editor Jacobo Garcia Andrade tasted the latest offerings from the renowned Portuguese producer Dirk van der Niepoort, which showcase his versatility across Portugal’s various wine regions. Niepoort not only crafts his own wines but also preserves the legacy of legendary brands like Bucaco through his partnerships.  

Among the highlights were two exceptional wines from the Dao region. The first, the Niepoort Dão Quinta da Lomba Garrafeira 2016, was aged for four years in a large, restored wooden vat, or foudre, and one year in bottle, while the second, the Niepoort Dão Conciso 2021, was barrel-aged for 30 months. Both reds come from old head-trained vineyards predominantly planted with baga and jaen, two complementary varieties.

An old head-trained Quinta da Lomba vineyard in the Dao's Serra da Estrela.

These wines illustrate the potential of the region’s older, co-planted vineyards to yield elegant wines that are both floral and earthy, accompanied by a very attractive wild berry character. They show refinement with a discreet underlying structure that enhances their longevity and charm. The region excels at producing elegant and charming reds, as well as whites, that age gracefull.

Niepoort’s Douro Branco Redoma Reserva 2023, meanwhile, can be seen as the little sibling to the Niepoort Douro Branco Coche. This white is produced from a meticulously selected group of vineyards planted at approximately 600 meters in altitude, and it consistently delivers exceptional quality. It's a blend of rabigato, codega de larinho, viosinho, arinto and other grapes from old vines in mica-schist soils at elevations between 400 and 600 meters. According to Niepoort, this is where white varieties excel in the Douro.

The wine undergoes fermentation and is aged for nine months in barrel, where it is subject to further malolactic fermentation. The result is a classy white wine that is dense and textured yet balanced with a refreshing spark of acidity.

The 2019 and 2021 Barolos we tasted in Alba, Italy.

RISERVA REBOUND

If nearly everything has already been said about the 2019 vintage in Barolo, one crucial point remains to be highlighted: it is a year made for riservas – indeed, for great riservas. This was evident in the initial tastings conducted over the past two weeks in Alba by Senior Editors Aldo Fiordelli and Jacobo Garcia Andrade.

Truth be told, this category of wine is not experiencing its heyday. Across Italy – not just in Barolo – the riserva label has lost some of the allure it once held at the pinnacle of the wine quality pyramid.

In Barolo, the waning interest in riservas can largely be attributed to the wealth of detail and diversity offered by the Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive (MGAs). MGAs indicate on the label the particular zone of origin within the wider Barolo-producing area, capturing the attention of both producers and Barolo enthusiasts since their first introduction in 2010.

Compounding this shift is the rise of warmer, less austere vintages. These conditions have allowed producers to craft nebbiolos of great complexity that achieve remarkable integration even within the standard aging period for Barolo, eliminating the perceived necessity of the five years required for the riserva designation.

Luca Gagliasso holds his Gagliasso Barolo Riserva 2019.

That said, the 2019 vintage seems tailor-made for riservas. Based on tastings, it is a structured vintage – leaner than lush and often austere, classical and reminiscent of “the way things used to be.” This makes it an ideal candidate for wines that benefit from extended time both in botti grandi (large oak barrels) and in bottle.

Though the current tasting pool is still limited, early impressions, supported by previous reviews of standard 2019 Barolos, point to an exciting synergy between the vintage and the riserva category. Leading the way is one of La Morra’s “grand crus,” Rocche dell’Annunziata. The Paolo Scavino Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva 2019 stands out for its restrained complexity, with dark notes interwoven by hints of bergamot, oak-bark, licorice and dried violets. Full-bodied yet already supple, its condensed, velvety tannins are matched by a vibrant and savory finish.

Another standout is the Mauro Veglio Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Riserva 2019, which exudes depth and elegance. Dark and earthy with notes of forest floor, dried cherries, prunes and blood orange peel, it also boasts a balsamic and mentholated profile. On the palate, it’s concentrated and plush, with resolved tannins and refreshing acidity.The Massolino Barolo Vigna Rionda 2019 presents a slightly different profile than its usual style – more old-fashioned, yet positively so. Aromas of coffee grounds, leather, prunes and licorice are already emerging, underscored by a full-bodied texture, dense concentration, and a velvety, umami-driven finish.

Similarly, Michele Chiarlo’s Barolo Tortoniona Riserva 2019 Tortoniano 2019 strikes a rare balance between grace and power. It carries a mentholated character complemented by sweet spices like cinnamon, wild strawberrie, and Parma violets. The extraction is present but carefully calibrated, lending structure without overwhelming the wine’s fruit-driven density.

Noteworthy as well is the Vietti Barolo Riserva 2017, a late-released wine. It masterfully elevates a challenging hot vintage with flesh, depth, and even elegance – a testament to the producer’s skill in navigating the year’s inherent austerity. Also worth a mention is the Ettore Germano Barolo Lazzarito Riserva 2019, and its stunning, elegant tannins, as well as the Gagliasso Barolo Riserva 2019, which showcases a classic, postmodern style full of detail and complexity.

Despite their robust structure, the 2019 Barolo riservas are already showing signs of accessibility, thanks to the vintage’s inherent balance. However, their freshness, extraction, and fruit concentration also suggest that this is a year destined for long-term cellaring – a vintage to tuck away and savor in the decades to come.

– Jim Gordon, Stuart Pigott, Jacobo García Andrade 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.

Note: You can sort the wines below by country, vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.

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