Pollux Membership November 2023: The Culmination and Saint Lawrence
Late afternoon in the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont at Barboursville.
“The Culmination”
Barboursville White Blend “Nascent”, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA 2021
The math is in our favor. When I moved to Washington, DC fifteen years ago, there were seventy-something wineries in Virginia; today, there are over 300. So, by proxy, some of this wine has to be delicious…doesn’t it?
Yes, we are in the middle of some amazing times here in the Old Dominion’s evolution of wine culture. From Old Guard to vanguard, there is something for virtually every palate and level of persnickety. Wineries such as King Family, Early Mountain, and RdV are pushing the envelope of how Bordeaux-varietal reds express themselves here. New talents such as Matthieu Finot (King Family and his own wines made with Burgundy varietals) and Sebastian Zutant’s Lightwell Survey are creating excellent wines that show both innovation and a beautiful understanding and acceptance of the region’s strengths and weaknesses. And grizzled veterans such as Jim Law, Jeff White, Claude Thibaut, and Jennifer McCloud continue to be both acclaimed for their wines and revered for their mentorship. ‘
But no serious conversation about Virginia wine can be had without mentioning the winery that really started it all-Barboursville.
The current Barboursville estate, with James Barbour’s ruined home in the background.
The history of Barboursville as both an estate and a winery is well-documented, so I’ll give a Cliffs’ Notes (are they still a thing?) version of the tale: a friend of Thomas Jefferson who shared his passion for agriculture and giving back to the land, James Barbour was a lifelong politician who served as Virginia’s governor during the war of 1812, along with several other federal appointments. His home, designed by his friend Jefferson, was constructed on a rolling hill near the Southwest Mountain range, which run parallel to the more famous Blue Ridge, and the ruins of his mansion can still be seen on the property today.
Thomas Jefferson’s passion for bringing viticulture to Virginia was legendary; unfortunately, his failures at Monticello and elsewhere are likewise part of the state’s wine lore. In 1976, the year California winery Chateau Montelena was shocking Bordeaux-favoring connoisseurs at the Judgment of Paris, Jefferson’s vision was reborn with the founding of Barboursville Vineyards by Italian Gianni Zonin, who by all accounts was beset with advice, pleas, threats, etc. to turn James Barbour’s historic property into virtually ANYTHING but a winery, and systematically ignored them all, using the experience of his family (a winemaking dynasty dating back to the 1820s) to create a winery that would not only function but thrive in the hot, humid southern Virginia summers. In 1990, Luca Paschina, a native of Italy’s Piedmont, arrived to the “other” Piedmont and began a career as winemaker that has seen him become the most awarded winemaker in the state and one of the ambassadors of the region’s potential. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Barboursville found success with Italian varietals, and their bottlings of Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Fiano, and Vermentino continue to be stalwarts amongst their offerings. The winery’s flagship red, the Bordeaux blend Octagon, is remarkable in its straddling the fence between New World structure and Old World sensibility. Whereas some of the Virginia wineries that have since impressed with Bordeaux blends lean stylistically towards the West Coast, Octagon has always been impressive in its restraint, never underripe but neither overwrought.
In speaking with Luca Paschina, most recently at an industry tasting earlier this year at Falls Church’s 2941 Restaurant, I am continually appreciative of his honesty and earnestness; Luca is one of the few winemakers I’ve ever met who readily acknowledges what many a vigneron already knows-sometimes you have to make the wines the customers want in order to make the wines that you want. As I tasted through the Barboursville lineup, I admit that I wanted very much to be more excited about the “entry-level” wines; the Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon all were well-made but, for me, unmemorable. Once we went into the Reserve wines, the Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and, of course, the Octagon all made impressions, and Barboursville’s dried-grape dessert wine, Paxxito, was delicious and has since pleasantly surprised many GWC clients. But the one wine that I kept coming back to was a white, a newer offering I’d never tried before. When I had a chance to speak to Luca briefly, I mentioned this blend straight away, and he smiled: “David, this wine is the reason I make the other whites-I’ve been searching for years to understand these grape varieties to the point where I could make a blend that was a prestige white, the partner to the Octagon. This is it; this is the culmination.” Fittingly, he named the wine Nascent.
From vanguard to Old Guard: Barboursville’s winemaker Luca Paschina celebrated his 33rd harvest at the winery this fall.
Nascent is based on Viognier, a grape which has been adopted by Virginia winemakers for its resistance to humidity but in many examples the varietal’s lower acidity can be accentuated in our climate, resulting in a languid, bloated mess of aggressive floral notes and fatiguing, candied fruit. This wine in my glass, however, offered none of that: the lilies and acacia blossoms of Viognier were present but muted, and the wine had real acidity, no doubt buttressed by the presence of the Italian grapes Vermentino and Falanghina, which collectively make up about a quarter of the blend. The resulting alchemy was unlike any white wine from Virginia that I had tried before-from Jim Law’s amazing “Hardscrabble” Chardonnay (still my favorite VA white overall) to newer examples of Petit Manseng, I could always see the challenge in bringing both juicy ripeness and acidity’s balance to a wine in our region-it seemed as if the best winemakers knew this and consciously chose one or the other. Nascent finally seemed to represent the apex of Viognier in our state, with great choices such as barrel aging in larger or neutral oak, and a longer period back in stainless steel prior to bottling that for me completely revitalizes the wine’s texture, the Nascent is Luca Paschina and Barboursville’s white wine showpiece-not of ego, but experience. A winery that is nearing five decades of existence and a winemaker who has been there for the past 33 years of that journey have authored another superb example of the fact that we live in a fine wine-producing region-one that, hopefully, has many more culminations to come-D.
Barboursville White Blend “Nascent”, Charlottesville, Virginia 2021
Country of Origin: United States.
Places and People: Barboursville Vineyards has been crafting wines in Virginia’s Piedmont just northeast of Charlottesville since 1976; now one of the elder statesmen of VA winemaking, Luca Paschina has been at the winery’s helm since 1990. The “Nascent” blend is a product of Luca’s wish to have a white counterpart to Barboursville’s award-winning Bordeaux red blend, Octagon. Taking the varieties that have seen the most success during his tenure, he has crafted “Nascent” with the ambition of making a world-class, ageworthy wine that leaves the caveat “…for a Virginia wine” in the dust.
Soil: Sedimentary rock of volcanic origin.
Grape Varieties: 76% Viognier, 18% Vermentino, 6% Falanghina.
Winemaking: The Viognier is harvested and fermented in large Austrian oak casks-these barrels are low-porous and have been minimally toasted, providing subtle aeration and little influence as far as flavor. The Vermentino and Falanghina, in contrast to their “entry-level” versions, are fermented in French barriques (60 gallon size, all neutral wood).
Aging: After fermentation, the “Nascent” spends 12 months in these same barrels, before spending a further 20 months in stainless steel tanks, enlivening the end result with a freshness of fruit and acidic verve. After bottling, the wine is held for a further four months to coalesce before release. All told, Nascent’s journey from vine to bottle is a span of three years.
Flavors and Foods: The 2019 Barboursville “Nascent” is a well-balanced study in contrasts; from an earth-driven nose of stony mineral and white flowers to a spectrum-spanning palate of tropical melon, papaya, and even a hint of lime, all of the wine’s elements work in cohesion. The texture is weighty and the body full, but always with an acidity that keeps the Viognier from becoming heavy or fatiguing on the palate. No wine this big could be described as crisp, but the finish is brimming with refreshment and the alcohol kept at bay. The “Nascent” would be an excellent Thanksgiving companion, particularly if you’re serving an alternative protein to turkey (glazed ham, anyone?) but the wine will be a great accompaniment to your bird, also, with its fuller body and regal texture able to match the richness of your side dishes. Outside of the holiday, pair “Nascent” with both bloomy rind or nutty, Tomme-style cheeses (depending on whether you want to reinforce or contrast), or serve alongside a seafood with buttery, sweet characteristics such as lobster, scallops, or crab.
Service and Cellar: Normally, I’d advocate for a Viognier-based wine to be served on the upper end of the white wine cellar temperature to ensure its aromatics are fully enjoyed, but I actually like the “Nascent” more on medium level (48-50 degrees). The stony secondary notes provided by the Vermentino and Falanghina are better served with this slightly cooler temp. I think the 2019 “Nascent” has a decade-long life span, and here at the end of year 4 after harvest we are just entering its ideal drinking window.
A nineteenth-century rendering of the still-quaint village of Tattendorf, Thermenregion, east of Vienna.
“Saint Lawrence”
Johanneshof Reinisch St. Laurent “Ried Frauenfelder”,
Thermenregion, Austria 2020
I know this may come as quite a shock, but a place called “Thermenregion” is famous for hot springs. Home to the world-renowned spa town of Baden, Thermenregion is a center of wellness, but a centuries-old viticultural history keeps the detox/retox cycle in play.
A mostly north-south area that runs from the outskirts of the forests outside of Austria’s capital Vienna to the border of the Rosalia appellation, marking the point where the Niederösterreich (“Lower Austria”) region meets Burgenland (which, confusingly, is south of that and…still Austria), Thermenregion has developed into a tale of two halves: the northern end of the appellation, closer to Vienna, has become a home for white wine production that focuses on native Austrian varieties, while the southern stretch lends itself well to the cultivation of red grapes, principally the recognizable Pinot Noir, and the (likely for most of us who aren’t complete wine geeks) equally unfamiliar native Austrian grape, St. Laurent. Which is convenient, because these two varietals were once thought to be genetically related, and although research has proven this to be false (Pinot Noir, in fact, counts among its descendants the other main indigenous grape of Austria, Blaufrankisch), Pinot Noir and St. Laurent do indeed share some similarities in terms of body weight, but beyond that…I can’t do it.
Most of you know by now that I detest endlessly comparing one grape to another for the sake of sales (“it’s a baby this, like the little sister with thick glasses to that”), so I’ll let my cranky pining for grape independence take over. St. Laurent needs (and deserves) to shine on its own.
“In the Wine Garden, #1)”: the literal translation of the winery address that has been Johanneshof Reinisch’s home since 1995.
First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way. The full name of the grape is not “Saint Laurent”, but actually “Sankt Laurent”. Thankfully, the abbreviation “St.” is almost always used, and just as thankfully, the meaning is the same: this tightly clustered, small-berried grape variety is most likely named after Saint Laurentius, the patron saint of chefs. Saint Laurentius’ feast day is August 10th, which coincidentally is usually about the time that St. Laurent begins its ripening, lending credence to this historical theory. Although grown elsewhere (Germany, Czech Republic), St. Laurent’s homeland is Austria, and specifically in the Thermenregion, Austria’s sunniest and driest area.
Extending along the lime-rich, calcareous Alps, the vineyard sites that can claim this lime-rich, glacial soil are rare-most plantings are atop sedimentary deposits. One of these predominantly stony alluvial sites is a low-lying, lush spot in the foothills of the mountains to the north; the constant air movement between the two elevations ensures quick drying after what little precipitation the area receives, and that plus the sunshine gives optimal ripeness and the opportunity to bring St. Laurent to its full potential. A single plot of 40-year old vines that is one of the world’s greatest locations for St. Laurent, the vineyard called Ried Frauenfeld is principally held by a 4th-generation family that has called the area around the village of Tattendorf home for over a century: Johanneshof Reinisch. An estate of 40 hectares, Reinisch moved into a new, modern winery in 1995 and has since continued to strive for modern advances and ecologically-made wines; their vineyards are now certified organic.
The compact, small-berried bunches of St. Laurent.
So, what does St. Laurent actually taste like? Well, um…alright, I give in. St. Laurent is like Pinot Noir and Italy’s high-acid Barbera grape had a love child. There, are you happy now?
Seriously though, the initial attack of St. Laurent is very Pinot-like: medium-bodied, red fruit-driven, and full of tart cherries, pomegranate, and fresh cranberries. It’s acidity reaches even higher, however, inviting the comparisons to the aforementioned Barbera, but St. Laurent’s texure is silkier than the Piemontese grape, and its tannins both higher and more lush than Pinot Noir’s. Fittingly, the grape named after the patron saint of chefs is absolutely at home alongside cuisine, where its acid and warmth can cut through rich textures, while its tannins and smoky secondary notes cozy up to gamey meats and rustic preparations-in short, if you’ve occasion to serve turkey with savory sides and bright sauces in the near future, St. Laurent stands at the ready. Happy, er, “Sanktsgiving”-D.
Johanneshof Reinisch St. Laurent “Ried Frauenfelder”,Thermenregion 2020
Country of Origin: Austria.
Places and People: The Reinisch family has been cultivating grapes in and around their home village of Tattendorf in Austria’s Thermenregion for four generations. The sunniest and driest area in Austria, Thermenregion (particularly the southern half) is well-suited to red grapes, principally Pinot Noir and St. Laurent. Thermenregion is about to get a boost in visibility, as the area has been awarded DAC appellation status as of the 2023 vintage. The Frauenfeld vineyard is a level plot of 40 year old St. Laurent vines that are certified organic.
Grape Varieties: 100% St. Laurent.
Winemaking: The grapes are harvested for optimum ripeness and electronic sorting equipment is employed to optimize the selection. After pressing via an electronically-regulated press, the fruit is fermented slowly to increase the extraction.
Aging: The 2020 Reinisch “Ried Frauenfeld” is aged for 14-16 months in a combination of French and Austrian barriques, with about 50% of those new barrels.
Flavors and Foods: The “Frauenfeld” has a beautful dark garnet color that portends the deliciousness to come. A nose of tart cherries, pomegranate, fresh cranberries, and rose petals continues the sense of anticipation for the palate (the nose also was surprisingly warm-see my service note below). I write in my Story for the wine that St. Laurent is like Pinot Noir and Barbera had a love child, and although I detest grape comparisons, I’ll admit it’s pretty apt. The above red fruits adorn the palate, and the acidity is generous and wants for a plate of delicious food beside your glass. What sets St. Laurent apart, however, is its texture: a silkier, refined mouthfeel and some equally smooth tannins that are more elevated than either Pinot or Barbera. The Reinisch 2020’s pairing partners read like a list of Thanksgiving menu items: gamey meats such as turkey (particularly smoked instead of oven roasted), rich side dishes such as stuffing and mashed potatoes (the acidity will cut through these wonderfully), and the flavor profile will meld seamlessly with cranberry sauce, particularly if you’ve an ambitious kitchen that whips one up from scratch with fresh cranberries instead of canned.
Service and Cellar: The 2020 Reinisch “Ried Frauenfeld” St. Laurent had a surprising warmth on the nose, so grab your nearest Burgundy or other wide-bowled glass to enjoy optimally-no need to decant, let the wine aerate in the glass. The structure of the St. Laurent, along with the ripeness, suggest that this wine is enjoyable now but will be at its peak with a few years’ cellaring, and capable of approaching a decade of age overall.