Food & Wine USA - (10)October 2020

52 OCTOBER 2020

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TREDIBERRI

PIEDMONT, ITALY

The name may not sound Pied-

montese, but when you think of

it as “tre di Berri”—that is, the

trio of father and son Federico

and Nicola Oberto and partner

Vladimiro Rambaldi, all from

near the tiny town of Berri—ah,

then it makes sense. And when

you know that Federico was the

winemaker at Barolo benchmark

Renato Ratti for 40 years, and

that in addition to other vineyards,

the Obertos own a prime slice of

the great Rocche dell’Annunziata

cru—then it really makes sense.

New wineries making top Barolo

out of the gate are rare, but this

is one to seek out (the Obertos’

Dolcetto and Barbera are also

excellent and are bargains, too).

trediberri.com

WINE TO TRY 2019 TREDIBERRI

LANGHE NEBBIOLO ($25)

Until the next vintage of

Trediberri’s Barolo is released,

drink this darkly spicy, complex

red. Langhe Nebbiolo often gets

called “baby Barolo”—this wine

shows exactly why.

MAISON & DOMAINES

LES ALEXANDRINS

RHÔNE VALLEY, FRANCE

The complete genesis of this new

Rhône producer would take a lot

of explaining, but here’s the short

version: Nicolas Jaboulet (sixth

generation of the family that

founded Rhône benchmark Paul

Jaboulet Aîné) plus Guillaume

Sorrel (son of Marc Sorrel, a

winemaker in Hermitage) plus

acclaimed viticulturist Alexandre

Caso. Add background involve-

ment from the Perrin family of

Château de Beaucastel, and the

result is one of the most exciting

new projects in the Rhône. Les

Alexandrins makes wines both

from vineyards in Saint-Joseph

and Crozes-Hermitage and from

purchased fruit in Hermitage,

Condrieu, Cornas, Côte-Rôtie,

and the Côtes du Rhône; all are

excellent. lesalexandrins.com

WINE TO TRY 2016 DOMAINE

LES ALEXANDRINS CROZES-

HERMITAGE ($44)

This powerful Syrah’s peppery,

smoked-meat character is lifted

by a hint of violets.

ALMA DE CATTLEYA

SONOMA COUNTY,

CALIFORNIA

Bibiana González Rave knew

from age 14 that she wanted to

make wine, but, growing up in

Medellín, Colombia, the clos-

est she could get was studying

chemical engineering. Finally,

she left for France, earning a

degree in viticulture and enology

and working at top estates in

Côte-Rôtie and Bordeaux. Fast

forward: After stints at several

Central Coast wineries, she

founded Cattleya Wines (the

cattleya orchid is Colombia’s

national flower). González Rave

makes vivid, soulful wines at all

levels—affordable ones under

Alma de Cattleya and higher-end

bottlings (like her stellar The

Initiation Syrah) simply under

Cattleya. cattleyawines.com

WINE TO TRY 2018 ALMA DE

CATTLEYA CHARDONNAY

($24)

This hard-to-put-down white

manages the ideal California

Chardonnay trick, which is to be

rich in flavor without being heavy.

ASHES & DIAMONDS

NAPA, CALIFORNIA

Is Ashes & Diamonds a style

statement? The winery, with its

retro mid-century modern look,

starkly un-Napa white walls, and

low-key lounging spaces, defi-

nitely says yes. A magnet for mil-

lennial wine lovers, à la Sonoma’s

Scribe Winery? Yes on that, too.

A reference to a Polish art film

from 1958? Hey, why not. But

most importantly, it’s a source

for organically farmed wines that

hark back to the lower-alcohol,

more restrained California style

of the 1960s and 1970s, made

by wine-world stars like Steve

Matthiasson and Diana Snowden

Seysses. Owner Kashy Khaledi

has a rare gift for being as good

at nailing the vibe of the moment

as he is at luring top talent to

make his impressive wines.

ashesdiamonds.com

WINE TO TRY 2017 ASHES &

DIAMONDS MOUNTAIN

CUVÉE NO. 2 ($105)

This brambly, black currant–y red

has spice and elegance from old-

vine Cabernet Franc in the blend.

YOUNG VINES A HARVEST OF GREAT NEW WINERIES

By Ray Isle

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bottle photography by VICTOR PROTASIO