A few nice things said by Virginie Boone of Jeb Dunnuck’s wine letter…
You’ve known me long enough to know my anti-pointillist stance. But, you may be amused to note that Virginie Boone of Jeb Dunnuck’s esteemed wine letter had these very nice things to say about the wines.
2022 Popelouchum Blanc (54% Grenache Gris, 46% Grenache Blanc) 92 pts.
Given two hours of skin contact, the trick in making the 2022 Popelouchum Blanc was taming the acidity, so winemaker Randall Grahm picked the grapes a little riper than usual. Medium bodied, it has a lush mouthfeel and is crowd-pleasing in its restrained richness and well-defined salinity-laden flavors of ripe pear. Drink now-2030
2023 Popelouchum Blanc (60% Grenache Blanc, 40% Grenache Gris) 93 pts.
Made in a reductive, Burgundian style by the one and only Randall Grahm, the 2023 Popelouchum Blanc shows the coolness and late ripening of the vintage, with a touch of reduction that works well here. Floral, tightly textured, and tasting of salinity, pear and apple skin, Grahm says that if you like Burgundy, this is your wine. Interesting and creamy on the palate, it was aged in relatively young barrels and integrates the wood well. Enjoyable now, this wine should drink well for another 5-7 years.
2021 Cinsaut, “En Passerillage” 91 pts.
The grapes struggle to ripen in the vineyard, and as a result there is no 2023 counterpart to the 2022 Cinsaut, “En Passerillage.” The abundant clusters require much manicuring to push into total ripeness. But when it works, it works, producing an elegant deliciously spicy, red fruited 2022 with a touch of saline. A vin de soif, as Grahm would say, drink it now.
2022 Pinot Noir, “20,000 pieds/ha.” 94 pts.
With close spacing (as referenced on the label), Grahm believes he can grow grapes with minimal irrigation that need very little else, and the clusters will produce small berries. In the cellar, he tries to avoid astringency by being careful not to over-extract. Closed and brooding in red berry, the wine needs more time to come around. Enjoy 2028-2032
2023 Pinot Noir, “Exuberant,” 96 pts.
Densely planted at 20,000 vines per hectare, with 12 different randomized clones, the 2023 Pinot Noir, “Exuberant” is an elegant, delicate and perfumed wine, slatey in crisp tart red fruit. One hundred percent whole-cluster fermented, the stems were air-dried. The peppery, savory quality of this unfined/unfiltered wine is profound. Drink 2025-2033.
