Everything But Red
September 2025

Tenuta Principe Alberico Lazio IGT Semillon 2019

The history of Principe Alberico dates back to the late 1940s, when many of Italy’s wine-growing regions were struggling to survive after being decimated by WWII. In much of southern Italy and Lazio, winemakers were focused on quantity over quality, often over-cropping and using modern chemical treatments to boost production. However, when the Prince Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi was re-planting his vineyard holdings outside Rome, he focused on small production, eschewing chemicals and mechanization whenever possible. Today we would call his methods organic or low-intervention viticulture, but at the time it was simply tradition.

In another unconventional decision, the prince decided to incorporate Bordeaux varieties in the re-planting, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and, most surprisingly, Semillon. The quality and unorthodox nature of the prince’s wines made them popular among Rome’s growing middle class, and winemakers from across Italy took notice. One such winemaker was the legendary Piero Antinori, who would later marry into the family and bring his substantial winemaking knowledge to the table. Today the estate is run by Antinori’s three daughters, who still bottle this wine under their grandfather’s label.

At home in Bordeaux, where the name Semillon appears to come from the name St. Emilion, it is a variety that is often considered heavy and soft due to a lack of acidity. In fact, in Bordeaux it is most often famous as the base for the great dessert wines of Sauternes and Barsac. That magical nectar is possible only when Semillon grapes are attacked by botrytis cinerea, a mold that causes the grapes to lose water but not sugar, yielding a rich, golden wine. Unfortunately, due to the warmer and drier climate of Bordeaux that style of wine is becoming increasing rare, which means that many producers are turning to Sauvignon Blanc to produce dry wines instead.

For this bottling what struck me about this wine on first taste is the acidity, an attribute that is not common in Semillon.  The family believes that it is due to the volcanic soils of Lazio which preserves the natural acidity that is lost in the warmer gravels of Bordeaux. While fermented in stainless steel to capture aromatics and acidity the wine spends 18 months in barrel for aging. Average production of this wine is roughly 3700 bottles per year. Yes, a little more than 300 cases.

We strongly recommend decanting this wine before serving for a half hour and allow it to warm to cellar temperature, 55 degrees. This way the nose will slowly reveal the dimension of this wine with notes of bees wax, dried pear, fresh green figs, and brown butter. On the palate this wine has surprising lift and a nice frame of oak that reminds me, no surprise, of a great Pessac-Leognan Blanc from Bordeaux. Drink 2025-2030 with crab cakes, veal scallopini with lemon or Cacio e Pepe pasta.

Frederic Magnien Marsannay St. Jacques 2020

Wait, isn’t this a White Burgundy? Does this mean Chardonnay is suddenly unfashionable? While that question is up for debate this is a rare White Burgundy that is not produced from Chardonnay but rather Pinot Blanc. While you will often read that Chardonnay is the “official” white grape for Burgundy, Pinot Blanc has been cultivated in the region since at least the 1800s.  Today it still  exists in small holdings, particularly in the Cote de Nuits where it was often blended with Pinot Noir in warm yeas to provide acidity. While not exactly “legal” the wine cops in Burgundy, aka the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB), look the other way with regard to this variety.

Our selection comes from one of the most dynamic producers in the region, Frederic Magnien, who is a 5th generation Burgundian. He took over his family domaine in Morey St. Denis in 1995 from his father, Michel, and the family still produces wines under both labels. The Michel Magnien wines are the estate bottles and Frederic Magnien is best described as a micro-negotiant. Regardless of label these are impressive wines and a fun way to discover Burgundy as they produce many different appellations under both labels.

Before taking the reins of the family estate they primarily sold their grapes to the local cooperative, which they had done since 1947. Their early wines were typical of the style of the 1990s, deeply colored and marked by aging in a high percentage of new oak. After a few years of following the “recipe” Frederic had an epiphany one day while drinking an older bottle of his wine that the sense of terroir was lost behind the veneer of oak. By the early 2010s he began using less new oak and today only ages his wines in older barrels, concrete vats and clay amphora. Along the way he also converted all of the estate vineyards to biodynamic farming, achieving Demeter certification in 2015.

The village of Marsannay is the first you pass through when leaving Dijon and driving to Cote d’Or. Most of the vineyards  lie on the slope to the west of the village which is the beginning of the Cote d’Or. The soils are a diverse mix of clay and limestone which allows the producers to make both white and red wine. Also, this is the only village in Burgundy entitled to make Rosé. The vines for this wine sit at the very top of the slope adjacent to the tree line, on a thin layer of ancient limestone. The combination of elevation and limestone soils gives this wine a focus that is uncommon for the Pinot Blanc variety. To accentuate this Frederic ferments at low temperature in stainless tanks, using native yeast of course, and then ages in neutral barrels.

If I were to describe the perfect example of Pinot Blanc, this would be it. Let this warm to cellar temperature to serve and when pouring the nose practically explodes with notes of jasmine, ripe peach, pineapple, bees wax, lemon curd, and dried straw. Despite a few years in bottle this wine is still quite racy, with lots of acid holding the ample mid-palate fruit in in cheque. Drink 2025-2030 with coquille St. Jacques (no pun intended) or salmon baked in a pastry crust.

Aperture Chenin Blanc 2022

Of all the grapes used to make white wine it is perhaps Chenin Blanc that has moved the most from unfashionable to chic in the past three decades. Not unlike Brussels sprouts who also were decided unfashionable in the 1980s, Chenin Blanc is hot and picking the right version for this lineup was hard because so many good examples exist. Ultimately I chose this one from California because Chenin Blanc is a grape with a long history in the state but always in the shadow of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Thanks to the lack of success for this variety it is possible to find old vine vineyards of Chenin Blanc, which is from where Jesse Katz of Aperture produces this wine.

I first learned of Jesse Katz in 2013 when I was visiting Lancaster Estate in Alexander Valley, where he was winemaker. The property had been purchased by Bill Foley the year before and it was apparent during my vertical tasting of their vintages of the changes Jesse had made since taking the helm in 2010. At the time they announced he was also going to head their new Roth Cellars project, a spin-off from Lancaster, but alas in 2015 he left to launch his own project, The Setting Wines. Jesse’s father is world renowned photographer Andy Katz, hence the Setting and Aperture labels.

The grapes for this wine come from an old vine parcel of Chenin Blanc in the Clarksburg AVA near Sacramento. While the day time temperatures in this area are very warm, each evening there is also a cool breeze that moves down the Sierra Nevada mountains and through this area as it follows the Sacramento River. This allows for the grapes to achieve full ripeness while retaining natural acidity.  Clarksburg was also historically a source for much of the jug wine produced after the war. Chenin Blanc was a favorite of the growers because it produces a high yield, is relatively easy to grow and the grapes can be used for dry or sweet wines. Thankfully the grapes never sold for much so the vines were never replanted in favor of more fashionable varieties. This means there are vast tracks of old vines of both Chenin Blanc and Zinfandel that astute winemakers are taking advantage of now.

To accentuate the fruit components Jesse whole cluster presses the grapes and then ferments and ages this wine in a combination of stainless steel barrels, neutral French oak, and cement. Served at cellar temperature it reveals a complex bouquet of fresh pear, dried apricot, papaya, chamomile, and magnolia blossom. It is dry but not austere on the palate with soft fruit rolling into a modest finish. Drink 2025-2028 with roasted halibut over fennel or chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and herbs.