Team C&J
Wine-Searcher – Putting an End to Perfect Wine Scores
Writer and winemaker Oliver Styles has some thoughts on the subject. It is a great article, but this passage sums it up nicely and cracks us up at the same time:
No more Robert Parker vs. Jancis Robinson slug-fests, no more throwing shade at top wine publications for giving a hitherto underperforming Fifth Growth a top score. All great wines are great, with only fractional wobbles as to how great they are. No whoopsies for when you thought the heavy bottle was a Napa Cabernet but turned out to be a Bonarda from a nouveau-riche estate in Argentina. No red cheeks because you confused finesse with lack of concentration, structure, and flavor and gave a top Burgundy a score in the mid-80s. None of that anymore, and I’d argue it’s a big problem.
WineBusiness Monthly – Wineries Implement Transparency in Labeling to Appeal More Broadly to Consumers
The time has come for wines to clearly state their ingredients. Why this hasn’t come to pass before is beyond us here at C&J.
From the article:
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, as well as government authorities in all major wine-producing countries, approved more than 60 additives for use in winemaking, including Mega Purple, which adds texture, body and color, and Velcorin, used to eliminate Brettanomyces.
“Winemakers are required to disclose the alcohol percentage, the use of sulfites, as well as include a government warning, but there remains a significant gray area when it comes to other additives,” noted Alexandre Remy, managing partner and winemaker at Atlas Wine Company.
SF Chronicle – Why this famed winemaker’s Sonoma County winery suddenly closed
Sbragia Family Vineyards in Sonoma County has closed its tasting room due to low visitor turnout and is now for sale.
Tasting room traffic is down. Community Benchmark, a wine industry data analyst, recently reported that Sonoma County tasting room traffic fell by 5.9% year-over-year from January to June, with sales dropping 2.9%. In Napa Valley, traffic decreased by 5.3%, while sales declined by 4.2%.
Just Drinks – French wine production set for double-digit drop in 2024
French wine production is set for a double-digit decline this year as adverse weather conditions and viticultural challenges affect growers.
France’s ministerial statistical service for agriculture, Agreste, estimates that the 2024 harvest will decrease by 18%, down to 39.3 million hectolitres, which is 11% below the five-year average.
This drop is primarily attributed to adverse climate conditions affecting vineyards, particularly in regions such as Beaujolais-Bourgogne, Jura, Charentes, and the Loire Valley.
Visiting the Lula Cellars’ Anderson Valley tasting room in Philo is an absolute joy. The beautiful, open-air tasting room is nestled among the rolling hills, and the bright blue California skies seem to go on for days.
The Lula Cellars 2019 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir has a refined, silky palate with great length and finish. Red and black cherry, what some critics have called seductive toasty oak, and the slightest hint of clean mint mixed with warm clove make for one memorable wine.
Wine Enthusiast scored this a 94; we think it deserves a 95.
When Chef Philip Tessier took the reins at Press restaurant in Napa Valley, he intended to create California cuisine bold enough to pair with the legendary wine producers in the restaurant’s epic cellar. And now they have a well deserved star and are well worth visitning the next time you are in Napa.
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