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Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 4:52:34 AM

khmark7

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Mostly out of curiosity. I feel as if we all have a few different producers or styles of wines that would be considered more modern or "New World" that we enjoy in our cellars. I'm not looking for your gloppiest hedonism type wines but rather anything you might actually recommend because it's done well.

I'll start.....

Probably the biggest wines that I enjoy are the California Zins and Petite Sirahs, many from Carlisle and Bedrock, but sometimes from other producers as well. The Infinite Monkey Theorem from Colorado was something that I enjoyed several years ago when I tried them....but not something I can regularly purchase in Chicago.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 8:43:40 AM

daviladc

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I love Ojai Vineyards Roll Ranch Syrah

You can take it down one of two paths.
A. Drink it young and enjoy bacon fat, roasted meat and olives.

B. Get some with bottle age and see the sleeker side with beautiful fruit and all the assertive parts faded into the background.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 9:52:44 AM

ChrisinCowiche

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From: Cowiche, WA
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quote:

I'm not looking for your gloppiest hedonism type wines but rather anything you might actually recommend because it's done well.

Why can't they be both? I wouldn't add "gloppy" but certainly some hedonistic wines are well made.

My list includes Mark Ryan (Lost Soul Syrah is "lightest" red in a big line-up), Herman Story (hides the 15% alcohol well across the board), and Turley (complex and pleasurable Zin, that to me never seem overly extracted), De Ponte (bigger, fruit forward OR Pinot).

I used to drink a lot of Petite Sirah, not so much lately. Those producers that I enjoyed were Stanton, Robert Biale, Tres Sabores, Massett, Thurston Wolfe. I should see what they are offering these days. (and just like that I have 4 Stanton PS pending. Dammit Karl!)

< Message edited by ChrisinCowiche -- 11/13/2023 10:14:24 AM >

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 10:31:39 AM

BRR

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Interesting post. A few came to mind, for no particular reason other than they're not "Old World" and I liked them:

Alban Patrina Syrah Edna Valley - this is a great way to drink that Alban house style, but at around $50.
K Vintners Motor City Kitty Syrah Yakima Valley - another very well-priced Syrah that over delivers.
Long Shadows Vintners Pedestal Merlot - loved this at a recent tasting (the 2018).
Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley - consistently very good.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 12:03:39 PM

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I'll avoid the mailing list only stuff (MAC, 'Crow, K-E)

1. Saxum--These monsters are not for everyone (in fact usually not for me), but when I have a craving, it's nice to know that I have a pretty large stash in the cellar. I know it is mostly a mailing list wine, but they are obtainable at less markup than the ones I listed above.
2. Lewelling--Also big, but they seem to be gradually dialing back the heat.
3. Drinkward-Peschon--Really #1 for us. Modern Napa, but with some restraint.
4. Sandlands--All of them, but esp the Mataro for me.
5. Carlisle/Bedrock/Limerick... The cool kids with the hip vineyards.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 12:14:10 PM

Eduardo787

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Bevan Ontogeny
Carte Blanche
Realm The Bard
Turnbull Oakville reserve and the black label
Melka Metisse Jumping Goat
Backer and Hamilton cab ($125 and 2nd wine of VHR)

Sadly all those are above $150 other than the Ontogeny and Turnbull Reserve. Ontogeny is my all time favourite wine of any region or any grape for $100...period.

I left out the above $200 Napa wines as the sky is the limit, but maybe somthing like VHR is so far my sacred cow with Maybach Materium.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 1:42:12 PM

wine247365

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From: OC, CA
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Schrader, Greenock Creek (Oz), Aubert, Delmas, Andremily, Force Majeure, Justin, Reynvaan, Tablas Creek,

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 2:20:31 PM

KPB

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Interesting! I love a lot of wines but I’m not sure which are modernists. To me that connotes a departure from the historical norm, but a lot of Napa modernists are really reverting to a style that was around before the gloppy syrupy stuff took over. So I’ll leave them out.

How about the Raoul Perez Sketch Albariño, or his other white wines? Those are unique, a revelation, and quite new for the region of Spain where he is based. Amazing, incredible talent.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 3:36:02 PM

Blue Shorts

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I'll give a shoutout to Kosta Browne regional wines...Sonoma, Russia River, Sonoma and Santa Lucia. They are big wines for Pinot Noir....the cabernet of pinots. While they are nothing like the classics from Burgundy, they are all very well made and delicious. I consider them to be more "modern" in style.

< Message edited by Blue Shorts -- 11/13/2023 3:45:16 PM >

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Post #: 9

RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/13/2023 4:28:05 PM

Wine Grove

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Mark
Depends what your price point pain is... Kosta , Andremily, a lot of great recommendations on here are mostly over $100 per, unless you find it on the cheap (Auction)

Alban is a great Syrah recommendation , the Patrina bottle around $55

For Pinot noir you could look to Willams Seylem, or Rochioli, but you are getting into $75 per bottle range

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Post #: 10

RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/14/2023 9:02:54 AM

thesternowl

Posts: 1782
Joined: 2/5/2011
From: Omaha, NE
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quote:

ORIGINAL: S1

I'll avoid the mailing list only stuff (MAC, 'Crow, K-E)

1. Saxum--These monsters are not for everyone (in fact usually not for me), but when I have a craving, it's nice to know that I have a pretty large stash in the cellar. I know it is mostly a mailing list wine, but they are obtainable at less markup than the ones I listed above.
2. Lewelling--Also big, but they seem to be gradually dialing back the heat.
3. Drinkward-Peschon--Really #1 for us. Modern Napa, but with some restraint.
4. Sandlands--All of them, but esp the Mataro for me.
5. Carlisle/Bedrock/Limerick... The cool kids with the hip vineyards.

This...but where are you finding Sandlands outside of mailing list?

(in reply to S1)

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/14/2023 6:26:42 PM

khmark7

Posts: 11444
Joined: 7/6/2008
From: Chicago suburbs
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quote:

ORIGINAL: S1

I'll avoid the mailing list only stuff (MAC, 'Crow, K-E)

1. Saxum--These monsters are not for everyone (in fact usually not for me), but when I have a craving, it's nice to know that I have a pretty large stash in the cellar. I know it is mostly a mailing list wine, but they are obtainable at less markup than the ones I listed above.
2. Lewelling--Also big, but they seem to be gradually dialing back the heat.
3. Drinkward-Peschon--Really #1 for us. Modern Napa, but with some restraint.
4. Sandlands--All of them, but esp the Mataro for me.
5. Carlisle/Bedrock/Limerick... The cool kids with the hip vineyards.

I really enjoy the Sandlands, Carlisle, Bedrock and someone else mentioned the Tablas Creek. All well made and the Sandlands and Tablas Creek wines are very modest and show excellent restraint.

My favorite west coast Pinot Noirs used to be Siduri and Loring, but I really haven't had those in years now and have primarily replaced those with a few Oregon producers and Pinot from Michigan and the NY Finger Lakes.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/14/2023 7:23:14 PM

BenG

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Hunter Valley semillons would be one for me.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/15/2023 3:03:40 AM

Echinosum

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New Zealand and South Africa are hotbeds of modern wine-making. Since both had a terrible traditional sector, just about everything on the export market results from a recent modernisation, presenting clean, fresh, modern styles acceptable to that market. For example, a large part of South African wine used to be sweet wines. Of course, the presence of old vines, previously used to make different things, is valuable to present makers, especially in South Africa which is lucky to have a lot of old chenin and semillon in particular. Australia is similar, but a bit more mixed.

Although NZ is famous for sauvignon blanc, I think it is at chardonnay that NZ excels on the white wine side. Marlborough is the main source of it. But the famous Kumeu River wines come from Auckland. And the Gisborne region is particularly noted as a high quality specialist chardonnay area, because of its limestone. These are mostly made in a very clean, but modern style. Generally a bit less exuberant and tropical-fruited than Californians. Excellent modern pinot noirs are made there too now. The most noted regions for that are central Otago and Martinborough.

I've mentioned South Africa a lot. Most famous are the new wave chenin blancs. But a distinctively South African new wave thing are the weird blends. I'm looking forward to opening a some bottles of Keermont Terrasse, a chenin-sauvignon-chardonnay-viognier-roussanne-marsanne blend. And there's a pile of other interesting stuff. I've been excited by South African semillons, very different from the Hunter ones and French ones. Also red cinsaults, a wine that is a bit like Etna and pinot. And excellent modern takes on the famous international varietals too - I would particularly pick out syrah.

BenG mentioned Hunter Semillon. That style was devised in the 1960s. So arguably that is one of the older-standing wine styles in Australia that remains relevant today. Though you could also call it among the first signs of modernisation in Australian wine. Chardonnay started to be cultivated at scale only about 10 years later. Initially they used the name "Hunter Riesling" for Hunter Semillon, until the EU stopped the misuse of European wine names by other countries if they wished to export it to Europe. Before that, Grange was called Grange Hermitage, there was a lot of "chablis" made from semillon, etc.

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/15/2023 5:02:07 AM

DoubleD1969

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Meomi, Rombauer, 7 Deadly Zins

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/15/2023 8:38:26 AM

KPB

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I have a few more:

Sineann old vines Zinfandel, plus his Yates-Conwill Pinot Noir and the Y'East Pinot Noir
Thomas Pinot Noir

All of these are wines that opt for leaner expressions of the fruit without getting dry and acidic, and they all age quite well (yes, even the Zinfandel).

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/15/2023 8:45:44 AM

sastewart

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From: Greater Nashville
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quote:

ORIGINAL: DoubleD1969

Meomi, Rombauer, 7 Deadly Zins

And what exactly would you recommend them for?

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/15/2023 9:21:15 AM

WineGuyCO

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quote:

ORIGINAL: sastewart

quote:

ORIGINAL: DoubleD1969

Meomi, Rombauer, 7 Deadly Zins

And what exactly would you recommend them for?

Ice cream toppings, using for plugged up drains or cleaning oil off driveways?

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RE: Fans of modern wines give us your recommendations! - 11/16/2023 11:39:30 AM

thesternowl

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