Through the Grapevine #57
Wine media review and just a smidge of commentary for April 30, 2025
Life Among the Vines
I moved to California just over a year ago so that I could be immersed in the entire culture of wine, but at the time I mostly meant close proximity to wineries, tasting rooms, and other wine people who were similarly obsessed. Those things have certainly been part of my life here, to the point where I have begun to realize how it is that locals take for granted the ease of access to beautiful environments in which to try great wines. It’s me, I’m the local now. I’m not out tasting every week the way I thought I would be - although no one should be concerned that I’m suffering any shortage of wine, in quantity or variety.
The surprise of this move, especially in my new job, has been how much I love being out in the vineyard. I’ve never been particularly drawn to farming, I accidentally kill every plant that comes my way, and I’m certainly not going to become a viticulturist, but seeing the vines up close every day changes how I experience this place and how I think about the wine that eventually emerges from particular land and plants. Through the winter, the vineyard was asleep, but now it is wide awake and changing each day. And while my drive home takes me past flocks and herds booming with a sudden influx of lambs and calves, in the vineyard we have baby Cabernet being planted.
Lest you worry that I’ll now be satisfied to prattle on about vines, I did also manage to get out and do a bit of tasting last week, including a long-awaited visit to Williams Selyem, as well as MacRostie and Bacigalupi. After some time on a waiting list (although their wait time was rumored to be 4-5 years and I didn’t wait nearly that long), this was my first allocation from Williams Selyem, and although they don’t do tastings for the plebeians, they were pouring a number of wines during order pick-up. Active members of The List are allowed private tastings, but I suspect I will need to purchase more than a half case to be extended this privilege.
MacRostie was an unplanned stop right down Westside Road, and I highly commend it as a place with very good wine, wine educators who were among the friendliest and most knowledgeable I’ve encountered (and to find both qualities in the same person is somewhat rare), and beautiful views, which you may or may not choose to enhance with a sunbathing Labrador. I was very impressed by the level of detail I received about the vineyards, and the degree to which I could taste the differences between their sources.
Baciagalupi is a historic vineyard that I knew well for their legacy of grape growing, as it was the source for the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the Judgment of Paris. I had never thought about whether they might also produce their own wines. They do! The Renouveau Chardonnay, exclusively from the Paris Block of their vineyard, is particularly tasty, although completely different from the current Montelena Chardonnay, leaning into riper stone fruit and tropical fruit flavors and a more round and plush mouthfeel, without being heavy or suggestive of movie theater popcorn.
The Grape News
Earlier this month, I had another opportunity to contribute to Wine Conversations, a series in which Substack wine writers share our perspectives on a topic one of us has chosen. April’s topic was the expectations and needs of wine drinkers in service situations like restaurants and wine bars. The final post came from Chasity Cooper, and she linked to the rest of the conversation so you can go back and follow the previous posts if you missed them.
In February I did a brief and simplified post on aging wine, but here’s a much more detailed explanation by George Nordahl:
The BMO Wine Market report is out, and the good news, such as it is, is that the industry isn’t declining as fast as it was last year. But it’s still declining.
This SF Chronicle article echoes some industry chatter I’ve been hearing about Lawrence Wine Estates lately. I apologize for the paywall here, but I see some interesting points here about the difficulty of trying to respond to the aforementioned wine decline, and while I’m not sure excessive restrictions in Napa were at the root of this particular problem, it’s certainly a hot topic among struggling wineries in the area who are trying to find new streams of revenue but finding themselves thwarted by regulations.
Letters from Southold on the death - and hopefully birth - of wine, through connection:
Wine clubs have been one of the common revenue streams for wineries, but even those are challenging amid the deluge of subscriptions that now run our lives. Just this morning I was surprised yet again by a forgotten annual subscription, and went on a rampage of cancelling everything because it is all just TOO MUCH. I know, I know, I just signed up for the Williams Selyem club, or as close to a club as they have, but here are some things I like about that model:
- I’m never automatically charged. I have to actually opt into purchasing product, not just take the risk that I’ll miss the renewal email (or they won’t send one).
- I get to choose exactly what I want.
- If I ever want to leave The List, I just have to stop buying things.
I’m also a member of a more conventional wine club that curates a selection of wines each quarter, which I’m at liberty to customize, and I get to buy their wine at a discount as well as complimentary tastings. If I don’t do anything, I am automatically charged, which again I don’t love but recognize as a necessary part of the deal, and they give me plenty of warning and opportunity to opt out.
Anyway, Nate Westfall mentions subscription fatigue as one of the contributing factors to the decline of wine clubs, and suggests some alternatives that might appeal more to contemporary wine drinkers. Related to the previous link, this is also about interpersonal connection.Upon the passing of Pope Francis, a few words about his support of the Italian wine industry and his love for wine, and Maria Banson’s personal essay on his legacy.
The Wine Makers podcast with Cathy and Grace Corison on organic farming, transitioning a family winery across generations, and more.
Jason Wilson on a grape nearly as maligned as Merlot: Viognier.
Mark Spivak on Madeira, something I’ve also come to love in the last year:
Vineyard Maintenance
Work and life have been a bit unpredictable lately and have thrown off my writing schedule, so I appreciate you all hanging in there as I aspire - but often fail - to post twice a week. If you have questions or topics you’d like to see me cover here, please drop them in the comments or email me, as having a prompt is often half the battle of writing. Thank you for all your likes, shares, comments, and subscriptions, and a special thanks to paid subscribers who help support the education and experiences that make it possible for me to write here. The features below the paywall are my small gesture of appreciation to you. Cheers!
The Best Thing I Drank This Week
Shout out to two very different wines this week.
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