🍷 Napa's Unlikely Icon, London Wine Clubs and Pubs, Plus Reds from Italy, Rhône, & Bordeaux

Happy (Belated) Independence Day, friends!  

We come bearing stories of independent winemakers, expert advice on white Burgundies for independent thinkers and a grand tour through the poshest wine scene in England, the great nation that unwittingly birthed all of this independence.

CATHY CORISON TOOK THE OTHER PATH

There’s been plenty written about renowned Napa winemaker Cathy Corison, idol to legions of young winemakers seeking a return to a more European-style of place-based winemaking.

What’s not often discussed, says Senior Editor Virginie Boone, is how unusual Corison’s path to success has been given her seeming indifference to the producer blueprint (high critic scores, big boozy wines, lots of ripeness and extraction) that so many successful California winemakers followed in the ‘80s, ‘90s and early ‘00s.

“She just knew what she wanted to do, who she was, and what kind of wines she liked making,” said Annie Favia of Favia Erickson Winegrowers, who worked for Corison early in her own career. “She wasn’t in it for the fame or the money, to be a darling. She loved the work and the wine.”

The love certainly shows in Corison’s (tough to find) 2020 wines, which are each absolutely spectacular.

WHAT THEY’RE DRINKING IN ST. JAMES’S, LONDON

A historic playground for the well-heeled and powerful, St. James’s boasts a stunning array of Georgian mansions, fine dining institutions and exclusive social clubs that line Pall Mall, which locals refer to as “clubland.”

But this classic London district isn’t just for the crusty upper classes.

Hidden deep in the neighborhood’s alleyways and courtyards are bustling dive bars from the 17th century still serving generations of working class and royal clientele alike. Nearby chop houses, once stodgy and predictable, have been revived with fresher takes on British cuisine and an adventurous contemporary wine culture. We talked to the area’s most knowledgeable sommeliers, pub owners and Masters of Wine about what everyone’s drinking in the beating heart of London.

RESTRAINED RHÔNE REDS RETURN

“The 2021 vintage of Rhone reds that’s hitting American shelves right now may look to some like a bust,” according to Regional Editor Anna Lee C. Iijima, “but it might actually be the most interesting group of wines we’ve seen from this region in many years.”  Rising and consistently high temperatures have turned the Rhône (particularly the Southern Rhône) into a wonderland of fruit bombs. But not in 2021. Frost decimated vineyards up and down the Rhône Valley, while the North suffered from hail, rain and rampant vine disease. Most producers saw the lowest yields they’ve had in a decade. Many say it’s the most disastrous vintage they’ve ever experienced.

Yet these leaner 2021 reds are garnering attention from sommeliers and classic wine aficionados that haven’t been drawn to the Rhône in quite a few years. For those who prefer slimmer wines with marked acidity, restrained alcohol and a touch of herbaceous rusticity, 2021 is for you.

ROSSO REPORT

Senior Editor Christy Canterbury MW reviews 71 Italian red wines from up and down the boot in our latest tasting brief.

One of many highlights: the 2022 Mandrarossa Nero D’Avola, at 91 points and just $14, is alluring, vivacious and ready for summer drinking, even (or especially) in its youth.

BUY AMERICAN

Whiskey Editor Susannah Skiver Barton takes a smart look at a raft of American craft whiskies, blends, bourbons and Tennessee whiskies. Among the worthwhile finds is one 96-point stunner from Heaven Hill that’s “symphonic in its texture and harmony.”

HOORAY FOR ALIGOTÉ

The Kir aperitif was known as the blanc-cassis before Félix Kir, WWII resistance leader and mayor of Dijon, made the drink so popular it took on his name. What many forget—or never knew—is that Félix Kir promoted the cocktail to bring attention to Aligoté, the Burgundian white wine that makes a Kir a Kir. Today, Aligoté is steadily generating interest and momentum among young Burgundian winemakers intrigued by the grape’s sensitivity to its terroir, veteran Burgundian winemakers who have quietly made quality Aligoté for years alongside their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and adventurous consumers eager for a different angle on old world white wine. It’s tricky to find and pick your way through the Aligotés that make it to the U.S. Market, but Christy’s great story and extensive reviews of 150 Aligotés show the way.

2022 BORDEAUX INSIGHTS

Our Bordeaux En Primeur coverage continues with a round-up of conversations we’ve had with five different Bordeaux experts, each of whom offered some intriguing takes on the 2022 vintage. We’ve also got a comprehensive tasting brief featuring 67 ratings and reviews of wines from St. Estèphe and Pauillac. And don’t miss our overall guide to understanding the 2022 vintage. Stay tuned for more ratings and expert analysis from Bordeaux next week. 

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING AND LIKING RIGHT NOW

🦕Virginie’s intrigued by the  2022 Yves Leccia Île de Beauté Blanc, made from Corsican grapes once thought to be extinct.

🍾 Gray’s bottle of Paul Launois Champagne is always a winner—and reminds him of his honeymoon.

😎   Christy is working on cornering the U.S. Market for François Chidaine 2008 Brut Nature

🌓   Anna Lee is fascinated by the changing face of California Chardonnay, particularly Sandhi’s 2021 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay.

VALUES, BARGAINS AND FINDS*

• A Sonoma Coast rosé favored by locals and Bay Area restaurants for $27

• An Irish whiskey that punches well above its price for $43 

• A star winemaker’s cult Napa Cab Franc for half off at $85

• A savory, dark-fruited Wahluke Slope Syrah for $30

*NWR is not compensated for the links in this section

AROUND THE WINE (AND WHISKEY) WORLD

🚓  “A crime of impeccable taste.” Half a million dollars worth of wine was lifted from a Venice, CA wine shop by thieves who “knew exactly what they were looking for.”

🦸🏻‍♀️ Maggie Harrison makes one of America’s great wines in a “garbage can of a warehouse of a winery.”  NYT Magazine goes deep on her “War On Wine.” 

🧑🏾‍🚒  Fireproof wineries, smoke taint “wine doctors” and winemakers moonlighting as firefighters in the Napa Valley, where “harvest season is now also fire season.”

AND FINALLY

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Santé!

The NWR Editors

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