Alto Adige: Terlano

Whether you use the Italian name Cantina Terlano, or the German name Kellerai Terlan, there’s no difference in the way the wine tastes. Founded in 1893, the cooperative is one of the oldest in Südtirol/Alto Adige that features 143 different growers working together with about 190 hectares of mountain vineyards. One taste of any wine from this portfolio is enough to take your breath away. But what makes Terlano one of the most prestigious producers in the region isn’t just the quality of its wines, it’s also the longevity of them. Some of Terlano’s top white cuvées can last decades in the cellar, the acidity and minerality helping to sustain and bolster the wines as the years go by. Nestled into volcanic rock, the mineral rich soils (full of quartz) produce some of the most expressive grapes in the region.

All the wines of Terlano are incredible, but here’s what always grabs peoples’ attention: they have a $250 bottle of white wine called the Primo Grande Cuvee that gets monster scores every year and can age gracefully for a decade or more. The average wine drinker rarely thinks to mature white wine in general, let alone alpine wine from the Alto Adige. But when a white cuvée from Südtirol costs the same as a Grand Cru Burgundy, it raises a few eyebrows.

The Burgundy comparison is apt, however. Not only are the soils near Terlano capable of producing white wines of astounding complexity, the wine’s age-worthy potential is again a direct parallel to the great Chardonnays of the Côte d’Or. Eric Guido from Vinous writes, the Primo Grande Cuvée “can compete with some of the top white wines around the world. How do they age, you might ask? These wines were vinified and refined for one year in large oak before being placed into a steel tank and allowed to mature on the lees for ten years or more. In fact, drinking their top wines young is a total disservice to what winemaker Rudi Kofler and his team have created at this bastion of tradition. If there was one stop to make while visiting the region that could give you a real sense of the Alto Adige experience, Terlano is it.”

Check out the scores for the Primo as well:

97 POINTS: ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE - This is the top-shelf wine from Cantina Terlano, to say the least. It's a careful blend of 65% Pinot Bianco, 32% Chardonnay and 3% Sauvignon Blanc. The 2018 Alto Adige Terlaner Grand Cuvée Primo shows ripeness, but the fruit is plush, rich and beautiful. It's an intricate portrait of these three grapes, with brushes of grapefruit and Indian jasmine, or Turkish soap you might buy at an Istanbul bazaar. There is a very citrusy side to the wine with that grapefruit note and the perfumed skin of the citron fruit they call "cedro" in Italian. All in all, this wine is super rich with generous fruit weight and concentration. Cantina Terlano does its best work in terms of texture, mouthfeel and richness, and this release of 3,330 bottles is their masterpiece. 

95 POINTS: VINOUS - A compelling mix of dusty dried flowers, crushed stone, lemon oils and freshly sliced pear wafts up from the 2018 Terlaner Grande Cuvée Primo. Its textures are like pure silk, elegant and medium in weight, guided by saline-infused acids that give way to ripe orchard fruits and the slightest hint of vanilla bean. This lingers incredibly long, while tapering off perfectly balanced and perfumed with nuanced tannins and hints of tropical citrus. The Cuvée Primo is a blend of 70% Pinot Bianco, 28% Chardonnay and 2% Sauvignon Blanc. Thereʼs a balanced opulence here thatʼs not always present at this young age, which makes the 2018 impossible to ignore.

-David Driscoll

Alto Adige: Köfererhof

We’re back to the subject of alpine wines from the Alto Adige again, so I thought I’d post the above photo of the Köferehof vineyards in winter because it really hammers home the idea of wine from the Alps! If you’re thinking to yourself: “If the Alto Adige is an Italian wine region, then why is the winery’s name German?” I’ve got the answer for you. Because the Alto Adige is Italy’s northern-most province, sitting along the Austrian border, it has a large German population. You might hear it referred to as South Tyrol in English, which harkens back to when Tyrol was a German-speaking region that was eventually annexed by Italy in 1919, but in most wine circles you’ll see it referenced as Südtirol. Today, we’re going to talk about one of Südtirol’s top wineries, if not the top winery: Köfererhof.

First acquired by the Kerschbaumer family in 1940, the Kofererhof estate dates back more than 850 years, but only started bottling its own wines within the last thirty. With a few hectares of vines at the base of the Dolomite mountains, their fruit creates wines that are intensely fragrant, concentrated and well-balanced. They were also one of the first organic farmers in the region. All in all, the total production for the estate is only around 3,500 cases of wine per year, so what’s made available to us at Mission is always limited in supply. Whereas most of the wines from Köfererhof are crisp and clean due to their maturation in stainless steel, the one I’m going to tell you about today is an exception: an exquisite Sylvaner aged in acacia wood casks.

Rather than give you my two cents (which is highly biased because I’m completely smitten with these wines), I’m going to let you read the gushing press below.

2019 Köfererhof “R” Valle Isarco Sylvaner $39.99

94+ POINTS: VINOUS - The 2019 Sylvaner R is deeper and richer than the 2020 beside it, with nuances of vanilla bean and dusty white flowers blossoming into crushed pears and hints of sweet spice. This impresses with the silkiest of textures that are cut by a laser-like core of bright acids and penetrating citrus tones. It all results in a long and stimulating finale with a salty flourish that goes on and on, further complemented by hints of candied lime that linger. Hold onto your seat when tasting because this is one of the top wines being made in Alto Adige today!

93 POINTS: ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE - The Köfererhof 2019 Alto Adige Valle Isarco Sylvaner R is sharp and bright and held tightly together by a pretty limestone note of crushed stone. In addition to that mineral definition, you also get hints of tropical fruit, white peach and Golden Delicious apple. You might try this white with a bouillabaisse, from the South of France, or some other fish-stew recipe in your Rolodex.

VINOUS Continued: Frankly stated, Günther Kerschbaumer of Köfererhof is currently making some of the best wines in Alto Adige today. Located in the Isarco River valley, this family-run operation is considered one of the smaller growers in the region, even with their 80,000-bottle production. While Kerschbaumer is fully aware of just how well his wines are being received, he remains completely humble. In fact, you're more likely to find him working in the vineyard before anywhere else. He oversees all practices throughout their six hectares of estate vines and five hectares of long-held, contracted parcels throughout the valley. All practices have been organic since before 1995, when the winery began bottling. Elevations range from 650 to 850 meters above sea level and all on steep, well-draining slopes. Kerschbaumer firmly believes that itʼs the terroir that matters most, and as such the wines go through spontaneous fermentations, and nearly all of them are refined in stainless steel, with the exception of the Sylvaner R, where the wine matures in acacia wood casks. When tasting the Sylvaner R, you really taste the potential of this producer and the region as a whole. Check in on the wines of Köfererhof sooner rather than later because while thereʼs no talk of prices going up at this time, itʼs only so long before this producer is truly discovered.

-David Driscoll

Burgundy Comes To Oregon

For years, we were told that Pinot Gris was going to be Oregon's great white varietal, as more and more winemakers began adding the expression into their repertoire. In 2006, however, the team behind Evening Land had other ideas. They pitched the idea of Oregon Chardonnay to a group of Burgundian winemakers, including the legendary Dominique Lafon, whose curiosity was piqued. When Lafon came over the next year to begin consulting, he told the growers to pick their grapes earlier, noting that Chardonnay shouldn't be overripe or flabby.

That was the first real change for Oregon: higher acidity. Seven years later, the dynamic duo of Raj Parr and Sashi Moorman (the brains behind Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte in the Sta. Rita Hills) took over the winemaking and began shaping the vineyards there. Taking inspiration from Burgundy's hill of Corton, they began planting more Chardonnay, determined to prove that their Seven Springs site had the best terroir for the varietal in the state, let alone the Eola-Amity Hills. With the 2019 vintage, they may have finally made the case. The wine is simply stunning.

2019 Evening Land Seven Springs Chardonnay $29.95

93 POINTS: WINE SPECTATOR: A Chardonnay that's all about structure and minerality, with notes of apple, apricot and spice that build richness on the savory finish. Drink now. 660 cases made.

If you've tasted the white wines of Sandhi, then you know how obsessed with Burgundian style, mineral-driven whites Raj Parr and Sashi Moorman are. Yet, one can only make wines of this nature by finding the right spot of earth. As Parr wrote himself: "We are, first and foremost, faithful stewards of the historic Seven Springs vineyard, planted by Oregon wine pioneer Al MacDonald in 1984. On this dramatic east-facing slope, in the iron-rich and rocky, volcanic soils of the Eola-Amity Hills, Al MacDonald undertook what would become one of Oregon’s most recognized vineyards. Nestled against a forest of Douglas fir with views eastward to Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson, it is immediately evident to any visitor why Al chose this site." One sip of the 2019 vintage is all you'll need to understand as well. Clean, mineral-driven, and fresh on the palate, the 2019 Seven Springs is simply outstanding Chardonnay on any level.

-David Driscoll

Alto Adige: Erste + Neue

What is an “alpine wine,” you might ask? Literally, that term refers to wines from the French, Swiss, and Italian wine regions that hug the Alps mountain range, but stylistically it refers to wines that are brighter and generally lower in alcohol than warmer climate and lower altitude wines. Crisp and clean Pinot Grigios, racy and aromatic Pinot Blancs, and lighter-bodied Pinot Noirs are all examples of alpine-grown varietals, many of which reflect the freshness of the cool mountain air in the glass. If I had to choose a single word to describe them, it would be “elegant.” The cool nights and longer growing season along the alpine peaks and valleys result in wines with more vibrance and acidity.

The Vinous article I referenced in yesterday’s post describes the Alto Adige as a region of cooperatives and growers, which is an important point to understanding today’s featured producer: Erste + Neue. The name comes from the 1986 merger of the first co-op cellar in Caldaro (Erste), founded in 1900, and the newest (Neue) co-op cellar after the Alto Adige founded in 1925. Cooperatives are winemaking facilities that are co-owned by growers and vineyard owners in the region, allowing them to share production costs and pool resources to create greater scale. They account for a gigantic percentage of old world wines, and as much as half of the wine made in France. Whereas in the past, cooperatives were perhaps focused more on volume than a unique and terroir-driven character, today that’s changing. Erste + Neue is exhibit A.

Erste + Neue’s enologist Gerhard Sanin favors the bright and restrained winemaking style that shows the true character of Alto Adige alpine fruit, allowing the varieties to shine. Their white wines include Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, an excellent Müller Thurgau, and a number of reds, but it’s the inexpensive White Peak field blend that really rocked my world this year. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, and Chardonnay, each of which is fermented individually, then blended together for a fresh, racy, and refreshing Italian white, it’s hard to believe we can charge just $13.99 for something so delicious. The team from Vinous agrees:

90 POINTS: VINOUS - The 2020 White Peak lifts from the glass like a burst of alpine air, with a display of savory herbs, crushed rocks and hints of lime. This is soft textured yet wickedly fresh, focused on citrus and mineral tones but with a pleasant inner sweetness to balance. The White Peak finishes finessed with a lingering twang of tart lemon. This is a zesty blend of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Sauvignon that ferments with whole bunches and then refines on the lees for four months in stainless steel tanks. - Eric Guido

If you need an intro to both the alpine style and the Alto Adige as a region, this is where you start.

-David Driscoll

Focus On Alto Adige

There’s a certain sense of pride we feel when our favorite new band or hole-in-the-wall restaurant gets the critical reception we feel it deserves. As painful as it can be to watch something you love explode into the mainstream, no longer an insider secret for just you and a handful of admirers, there’s a validation that comes from wider recognition—a stamp of approval that you have good taste! While I dread the price increases that come from greater competition in the market for my favorite wines, I’m simultaneously thrilled for their success.

Let’s use the latest Vinous exposé on Italy’s Alto Adige as an example. As a longtime lover of fresh and food-friendly Italian wines, I’ve been turning to Italy’s alpine vineyards for more than a decade, crushing sub-$20 bottles of deliciousness with everything from pizza to pasta to charcuterie platters for most of my career. So when one of the best wine publications around hints that the Alto Adige’s time to shine may well be nigh, it gives me goosebumps and gets me all fired up. Nothing brings me more pleasure than shining a spotlight on under-appreciated bottles, and if I have the boys from Vinous as backup, it makes that conversation all the more compelling.

I’ll be beefing up our selection just a bit today as I want to take advantage of the additional press, and I’ll be posting some special highlights throughout the week. Check back daily for an in-depth profile into some of the can’t-miss selections.

-David Driscoll

This Generation's Black Maple Hill

When I first started in retail (circa 2007), there was a whiskey called Black Maple Hill Kentucky Bourbon that sold for about $35. The quality was always pretty good—bottled by Willett for an operation out of San Carlos, CA called CVI that now purchases whiskey from Oregon—but it wasn’t so much the quality of the juice that connected with consumers as much as it was the bottle. In an era where budding Bourbon drinkers were inspired by history, prohibition, and the idea of bootlegging, the vintage-looking BMH label captured that drinking ideal perfectly. It encapsulated the romance of everything whiskey drinkers wanted, even if the eventual hype surrounding the brand didn’t equate to the whiskey itself.

Last month, when I met with the team from Frank August Bourbon, I knew I had just uncovered this era’s version of Black Maple Hill. There's a generational divide that has taken place over the last few years that really separates the whiskey lovers from 10-15 years ago from the newer aficionados who are driving the business today; namely, their obsession with authenticity and the association of Kentucky Bourbon as a quintessentially blue collar drink. By design and intent, Frank August is a modern interpretation of what today’s newer Bourbon drinkers are looking for: a super classy bottle, a heavy stopper, even a back label that peels off cleanly so that the text doesn't disrupt the architecture and look of the decanter. It speaks clearly to the more prestige-driven intentions of today’s Instagram-friendly consumer.

The new Frank August 100 Proof Small Batch Bourbon is a ten-plus barrel marriage of Kentucky-distilled juice that does not come from Castle & Key or the Bardstown Bourbon Company. As their CEO and co-founder Johnathan Crocker said to me a few weeks back: "It's also not Willett-distilled,” in response to my question on the source, ”but my first call on this project was to my longtime friend Drew Kulsveen, so that should give you an idea as to the quality of our distilling partner," hinting at Willett’s sourcing connections in Kentucky. The juice is about four and a half years old, and from my limited tasting experience I thought it was delicious. Far, far better than the old Black Maple Hill.

That being said, I've been looking forward to writing about the Frank August whiskey more so because of the dichotomy in what it represents, and its presage as to where we're headed. Napa and Bordeaux have stood on this same precipice: trapped between a desire to hold onto humble roots, yet understanding the life-changing potential of premium-ization and an economic boom. Having Drew Kulsveen as a friend and advisor is a huge advantage because if there's one company out there that knows how to navigate that treacherous chasm, it's Willett. Their track record with premium releases over the last two years is spotless, easily raking in $300+ from purple top fanboys who can't wait to hand over their money, despite the price increases.

The Frank August bottle is gorgeous. It makes for a beautiful sight on top of any bar. The whiskey is inarguably good. However, the potential for this whiskey as a conversation piece is far more interesting to me than any of those factors. Bourbon has become America's national drink of choice for more than just working class Kentuckians. From Silicon Valley, to Hollywood, to Wall Street, to five star resorts in just about any city between our coasts, there's a fever for high-end Bourbon that never ceases. It's that same fever that drove the team from Frank August to create the brand in the first place.

Much like the Black Maple Hill bottle captured the romance of the last generation's whiskey ideals, I think the Frank August bottle does the same for the modern drinker. Like I said before, I'd drink the Frank August over the old Black Maple Hill recipe any day of the week and twice on Sundays. It's rich, integrated, and seamless on the palate, polished in a way that few new NDP products are. More importantly, like Black Maple once did, I think Frank August is poised to become a bellwether; a changing of the guard in terms of customer desires. Are we ready to trade in the old timey Kentucky label for the sleek, polished, and modern interpretation of that same small batch ideal? The team at Frank August is betting that plenty of Bourbon-loving Americans are ready to do just that.

The first batch is here at Mission. Will it become this generation's Black Maple Hill? I'm curious to find out.

-David Driscoll

Know Your Growers, Know Your Vineyards

In his gigantic tome The Wines of Burgundy, Clive Coates writes succinctly about how to buy good wine: “Rating the vintages, rating the vineyards, and rating the growers. You may assume that each of these is of equal importance. Not so. The name of the grower on the label is paramount. The climat (or vineyard) is of marginally less precedence, and the vintage very much the least. What are you looking for? In a word: elegance.”

In America, we’re often trained to think about wine in terms of flavor, and to then attach that flavor to the varietal. Cabernet is full-bodied and dark fruited. Pinot Noir is lighter-bodied and bright. But for those of us who work in the industry (and those who put Burgundy at the center of the wine universe), the grower and the vineyard are everything. Think of it like your favorite chef at your favorite restaurant: it’s less about any singular dish at that point. The potential for exhilaration is what drives us, so we open ourselves up to new opportunities.

“Terroir” is a loaded and rather hackneyed word at the moment, so I’m going to shy away from using it. What I will say, however, is that certain vineyards have a unique ability to produce greatness, and certain growers know exactly how to coax those flavors out of the grapes. It’s less about winemaking and more about farming. Knowing where to plant, how to prune, when to pick, and when not to pick: it’s the wisdom of a grower that separates a great wine from a mediocre wine. Just like a skilled photographer knows how to capture the potential beauty in an image, the seasoned grower knows what to do in the vineyard.

So the million dollar question, of course: how do I know which growers and which vineyards to buy from? You don’t; and you won’t until you start tasting all sorts of different wines. I can, however, tell you how the rabbit hole begins. To use myself as an example, I tried a Chardonnay from The Hilt last year that completely blew my mind. It was fiercely acidic, almost salty, and had so much electricity. I met with the grower at the vineyard sites and learned that the Chardonnay being grown by The Hilt at the Radian and Bentrock vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills region near Santa Barbara had a very unique soil type (diatomaceous earth) that lended itself to mineral-driven whites.

From there, I began purchasing wines from other producers using Radian and Bentrock fruit, comparing and contrasting the styles. Then I expanded out to the nearby Sanford & Benedict, La Rinconada, and La Encantada vineyards to see what the differences were. Not only were these wines completely rocking my world, they were piquing my curiosity, enlivening my sense of adventure, and increasing my enjoyment of drinking on the whole. I began taking more trips out to the Sta. Rita Hills, meeting more of the winemakers and growers in the region, and expanding my horizons. At this point, I probably have seven to eight cases of various Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from the Sta. Rita Hills waiting to be opened and enjoyed.

Granted, not everyone has the same level of interest, commitment, or enthusiasm when it comes to wine. For plenty of people out there, a nice silky Cabernet or creamy Chardonnay is more than sufficient for their personal enjoyment. But when you’re spending serious cash for a “nice” bottle of wine, the vineyard and the grower are what (should) determine the price. Personally, I would never drop more than $20 for a generic “Napa blend” or a “French red” because I have no idea what I’m paying for. For those of us in the biz, it starts with the place. Which places are making the most exciting wines and—from there—which sites specifically. Then, which growers/winemakers are creating the best expressions of those vineyards.

Whether you’re buying German Riesling from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr vineyard along the Mosel, a Bordeaux blend from the Médoc, or Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, the location almost always dictates the wine’s potential character. Once you know from whom and where your wine comes from, and how those specifics affect flavor, you can make a decision about what’s worth buying.

-David Driscoll

Private Rooftop Party

There is no better way to get to know your customers than a big rooftop party with food, cigars, and Scotch whisky. So after two years of sitting at home, communicating via email, and doing everything remotely, we decided to throw a private celebration atop the Glenmark Hotel in Glendale with our friends La Palina and Balvenie on hand to join the festivities. Getting to shake hands, light up sticks, and share a few drinks with so many familiar names, yet unfamiliar faces, was a real treat—especially at sunset with some of the best weather in Los Angeles so far this year.

We had the entire roof to ourselves, so everyone found a comfortable seat, caught up with old friends, met some new ones, and indulged in some of life’s finer pleasures. The best part for me: you get to see who your real customers are in situations like this. You get to have real conversations with people who really drink, and enjoy the social nature of alcohol. You make lasting relationships based on a shared camaraderie, rather than a shared OCD for allocated bottles.

A big thank you to everyone who came out! I can’t wait to do it again soon!

-David Driscoll