Wines of the Week: Kistler & Triennes

Kistler 2006 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley  94
Triennes 2021 Rosé France   90
by Ian D’Agata

Kistler 2006 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley       94

Bright straw yellow with golden tinges. Captivating aromas of guava, yellow melon, pear, lemon oil and butter, complicated by a subtle undertone of sweet spices and caramel oak. Complex and multifaceted in the mouth, with a very dense, rich core of ripe orchard fruit and oaky spices enlivened by nuances of smoky butter, bananas Foster and ripe papaya, the finish is at once creamy and lifted, not to mention extremely long. From the beginning, every year, the Dutton Ranch has almost always been my favourite of Kistler’s many outstanding Chardonnay wines, and this vintage is a good example as to why that is/was: while it started out life less showy, even leaner and tighter than other more exotic bottlings like stablemates from Durrel and the Vine Hill, the 2006 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay has evolved beautifully and is still relatively youthful while having put on size and texture. Very clearly a California Chardonnay in style, it will appeal more to those who prefer Meursault to Puligny; but any way you slice it, this is one gorgeous Chardonnay wine. This bottle had been kept in an outstanding cellar since I had bought it I don’t know how many years ago now; interestingly, this is not especially golden or amber for a Chardonnay wine that is now almost twenty years old. Though drinking splendidly now (there is nothing to gain by holding on to this beauty any longer, so my suggestion is to drink up and enjoy), but it won’t be falling apart any time soon. Drinking window: 2023-2026.

Triennes 2021 Rosé France                                      90

Vivid, very pretty medium-dark pink hue: this is not at all the watery-pink colour of Provence Rosé wines. It also smells and tastes much deeper and richer than most of those wines, with inviting aromas and flavours of red berries (strawberry, raspberry, cranberry) complemented by a whiplash of pink flowers and delicate herbs. The suave mouthfeel is given a brisk quality by vibrant harmonious acidity that nicely extends the red berry notes on the long, juicy and highly satisfying finish. Knockout Rose wine that has plenty to say, though I think it is best consumed on the young side for maximum enjoyment. Domaine de Triennes was founded in 1989 in Southern France as a collaboration between two of Burgundy’s most famous names, Domaine Dujac’s Seysses family and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Aubert de Villaine. The wine’s names derives from the festivities held every three years (triennium, in Latin) in honour of Bacchus, God of wine. Drinking window: 2023-2024.

 

Ian D'Agata

伊安·达加塔在葡萄酒领域耕耘超过30年,在葡萄酒品评、葡萄酒科研写作和葡萄酒教育等方面,都取得了杰出的成果,在葡萄酒行业和葡萄酒爱好者中,享有世界性声望。作为享誉国际的葡萄酒作家,他最近的两本著作《意大利原生葡萄品种》《意大利原生葡萄品种风土》被公认为意大利葡萄酒领域的权威著作;前者荣获2015年Louis Roederer国际葡萄酒作家大奖赛“年度最佳书籍奖”,他是唯一获此殊荣的意大利葡萄酒作家,并入选《洛杉矶时报》、《金融时报》、《纽约时报》评选的“年度葡萄酒书籍”榜单;后者被《纽约时报》和美国的Food & Wine杂志提名为年度最佳葡萄酒书籍。

Ian D’Agata has been writing and educating about wines for over thirty years. Internationally recognized as an distinguished expert, critic and writer on many wine regions, his two most recent, award winning books Native Wine Grapes of Italy and Italy's Native Wine Grape Terroirs (both published by University of California Press) are widely viewed as the "state of the art" textbooks on the subject. The former book won the Louis Roederer International Wine Awards Book of the Year in 2015 and was ranked as the top wine books of the year for the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times and the New York Times, while the latter was named among the best wine books of the year by Food & Wine Magazine and the NY Times.[:]

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Ian D'Agata