Wine Podcast: The Honest Pour With John Lenart

Philippe Rolet was born into wine in Jura. Following a passion for South American wines he eventually ended up as Estate Manager of Bodegas Caro, a partnership between the legendary Rothschild and Catena houses. Argentina didn't start producing wines until 1850 but in the years since, it has claimed it's space in the international wine market. In fact one of Caro's wines is one of the best in it's category I have ever tasted. Listen to this episode to find out about it.

Among aficionados California sparkling wine has always played a bit of a second fiddle to sparklers from other parts of the world.  While that is changing over the past few years with the emergence of Grower Champagne-like wines coming from the likes of Under the Wire and the cult wine Ultramarine, among others, the one exception to this notion has always been Schramsberg. Gaining prominence going back to 1972, when Nixon used the Blanc de Blanc to toast the Chinese Premier at the White House, wines from this historic estate have been served by every administration since. I met with Hugh Davies to talk about his family's commitment to sparkling wine, why they tore up their historic estate vineyard and replanted with Bordeaux varieties in the late 1990's and of course to taste some delicious wine.

Bordeaux can be expensive. At it's lower price points it can present uninspired wines. But Diane Flamand and Domaines Barons de Rothschild [Lafite] have closed the price and quality gap with their Légende line of wines. These bottles take wine drinkers around Bordeaux, from blanc and rouge wines made from grapes grown throughout the iconic wine region, to bottlings from more specific areas like Medoc and Saint-Emilion and Paulliac. These wines present fantastic value and would be a great jumping off point for your own study of Bordeaux.  I met with winemaker Diane Flamand to talk about what it's like to make these approachable, reasonably priced wines that you don't have to wait decades to drink. all while maintaining the Lafite Spirit.

Way back in episode 7 of The Honest Pour I interviewed Elise Losfelt of Moët & Chandon. In this episode I revisit the wines from this classic Champagne house with her colleague Marie-Christine Osselin. We sat down to discuss the task of creating consistency and quality for Moët & Chandon's Non-vintage Imperial from over a hundred base wines, and expressing the quality of  each vintage Champagne,  while still distinguishing the bright fresh fruity house style of Moët & Chandon.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of visiting a number of producers in Chianti Classico. To hear those shows check back to episodes 61 - 67. Sadly, while there I missed the chance to visit one of the region's most iconic estates, Ricasoli at Castello Brolio in Gaiole. Fortunately, when I returned home, I had the opportunity to meet with Francesco Ricasoli.  During his visit he previewed the release of Raritas, a line of three single vineyard Chianti Classico wines that are the highest most distinguished expressions of wines produced on the Brolio estate. Technically Gran Selezione wines, Francesco calls these "Cru" bottlings.  We met to discuss this project and how it fits into the idea of Gran Selezione, his research from which these wines were born, and of course to taste some delicious wines

Chateau Montelena will forever hold a special place in Napa Valley wine history after famously winning Steven Spurrier's 1976 Paris tasting. In 2014 Matt Crafton was named winemaker there and today he maintains the heritage of this iconic producer. With a strong belief in sustainability Crafton is paving the way to the future while staying true to the legacy of Chateau Montelena. We sat down to discuss this and also to taste some delicious wine.

Cool climate pinot noir is a widely used buzz phrase today. But in the late 80's Marty Bannister was one of the pioneers of the segment. She made these wines for over a decade when health concerns forced her to let the family label go dormant. In the early 2000's her son Brook decided to revive the brand and continue working with these cool climate wines, maintaining his mother's legacy.  So many of the stories told through wine are about, place, history, or farming. This episode is about a son's love of his mother and his dedication to making sure her place in wine history is maintained.

After a short break we return to the U.S. following our Chianti Classico series to visit with a most thoughtful California wine maker. While many interviews are about history, culture or estate terroir, Paul Hobbs is a guy who I can geek out with about wine. And that makes me happy. Despite his impressive resume, talking with him about soil types, climate, and grape variety is something that is really exciting and makes you want to taste and enjoy his wines. What I really loved about talking with Hobbs is that his passion extends beyond California to Argentina, Spain, France, and Armenia, not because he wants to globalize his brand but  in order to hone his craft. I sat down with Paul to talk about this and of course to taste some delicious wines.

We wrap up our visit to Chianti Classico with a visit to Castello Monterinaldi in Radda. Searching for the terroir of each commune of the region has proven to be a challenge as so many microclimates and soil types exist withing each commune. However, matching clones of sangiovese to each microclimate within an estate is an important job at Castello Monterinaldi. This effort leads to some special wine. I met with Fabrizio Benedetti to discuss this and of course to taste some delicious wines.

While some wineries take centuries to figure out which clones or massal selections work best in their vineyards, the brilliant minds of Felsina have accomplished the same in just five decades. Today, third generation winemaker Giovanni Poggiali maintains his family's commitment to producing wines that express the distinct terroir of each of Felsina's vineyards and dedication to purity of sangiovese.

The wines of Badia a Coltibuono are some of the most precise, balanced, and typically Chianti Classico of those produced in the region. While many wineries pay lip service using terms like " we believe wine begins in the vineyard," Roberto Stucchi Prinetti truly follows the axiom. After receiving his degree at UC Davis, and working under Cathy Corison at Chappellet, he returned to take over as the sixth generation of his family running Badia a Coltibuono. He immediately replanted the vineyards to maximize quality and emphasize terroir. Ever since the wines he makes have been met with critical acclaim.

I've traveled throughout the wine world and few places have enchanted me the way Volpaia and the people there have.  The hilltop hamlet is magical. The 11th century piazza is composed of a church, a cafe and a the Castello di Volpaia tasting room which was closed when I arrived. That's it. I wander up the road another 50 or so meters to find a smaller, older piazza consisting of not much more than yet another church, a small ancient well and an iron gate. With no signs, I have no idea where to go so I throw caution to the wind and enter the gate. Sitting in the manicured garden under the warm spring Tuscan sun I meet Giovannella Stianti. Tall, grey haired and elegant Giovannella introduces herself to me and warmly welcomes me into her home. All of the walls inside the ancient building are lined with beautiful books. Gio explains that her father was a book binder and this was his work. After lunch Gio takes me on a wonderful tour of the village and winery within. The modern winery is built into the building o

The sub-region of Barberino Tavarnelle lies in the western part of Chianti Classico. Topping out at about 400 meters above sea-level the vines here flower early and experience a longer growing season than other areas of Chianti Classico. These wines typically express more earth that fruit and are the perfect companions of the region's game focused cuisine. I met with Paolo De Marchi of Isole e Olena, a top producer from Barberino Tavarnelle to talk about these wines and learn about how his farming choices over the past 45 years have allowed him to express its special terroir.

We continue our special series of episodes from Chianti Classico. In this episode we visit Castello di Fonterutoli just south of Chianti Classico. It's on this spot, that the riders of the legend of the black rooster met. The tiny hamlet no loner houses the winery, it is still home to the Mazzei family's agroturismo and osteria (a great place to have a traditional, highly regional dinner!). The new winery is a modern, high tech winemaking facility, built into the hillside that still uses time honored traditions of vinification. The Mazzei family has been involved in the wine business for 24 generation and holds a unique place in U.S. history. It is said that Philip Mazzei inspired Thomas Jefferson to write that "All men are by nature equally free and independent." Today brothers Francesco and Filippo continue the family's legacy of making great wine. I met with Francesco at the winery south of Castellina in Chianti to discuss the family's heritage, the importance of Chianti Classico and of course to taste som

In this episode I meet with Giovanni Manetti, the current President of The Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico and winemaker of Fontodi. The pride he takes in his vineyard is clear when he talks about his farming practices. You can hear the passion in his voice and it's impossible to not be captured by it. And of course you can taste it in his wines too.

Passion only takes winemakers so far. On top of the desire to make great wine a lot of hard work goes into it as well. There are few people in wine who have had to work as hard as Sara Dionisio and her husband Antonio Ribeiro. After mother nature dealt the couple a catastrophic blow in 2017, they have, like a phoenix, literally risen from the ashes and today continue their pursuit of  producing delicious wines.

When I started The Honest Pour there were several winemakers who I really wanted to interview.  The guest of this episode is one who I have tried to book for almost three years. The wines of Muscadet are often over cropped, too linear, and mundane, But the wines made by this episode's guest are different.  Jo Landron makes some of the most dynamic, terroir driven, and delicious wines in the western Loire's Muscadet region. Known as much for his flamboyant mustache as his wines, Landron uses both organic and biodynamic farming to express the special terroir of his vineyards. Next time you want to have some seafood, raw oysters in particular, pick up a bottle of his delicious and crazy good value wine for a match made in heaven.  You can thank me later.

Just over 30 years ago the great Bordeaux house Chateau Lafite Rothschild laid stake in the new world with its purchase of Los Vascos, in the Colchagua province in Chile. To run the business they hired Claudio Naranjo, a young financial consultant who aided them in the purchase, as the General Manager. Decades later, Naranjo still holds that position but with a much deeper understanding of, and more importantly, a passion for wine. Today, Claudio is responsible for maintaining what is referred to as "The Spirit of Lafite" here in the new world. While making some great red wines, headed by Le Dix de, Los Vascos, grand cuvee, one of the wines that most impressed from the Los Vascos portfolio is a $10 sauvignon blanc. This wine is among the best $10 wines I have ever tasted.

Sometimes touring Napa Valley wineries can become a bit repetitive. Cabernet, cabernet and more cabernet. Now, I love Napa cab, but a brief departure from it can offer a palate refreshing break. A great place for this break is Benessere. Founded in 1994 by John and Ellen Benish, they wanted a place to remind them of a beloved trip to Italy they had taken. So, instead of planing more cabernet, they committed to planing Italian varieties like sangiovese, aglianico and even sagrantino.  While John sadly passed away in October of 2018, his family is committed to maintaining his vision of producing wonderful wines using grape varieties from Italy. Benessere's winemaker, Matt Reid says he makes wine because "it makes me happy and I want to share that happiness." His wines convey this happiness. Beautiful Italian-like acidity, balanced by the sun-kissed fruit of Napa make for some very special wines.  I met with Ryan Shenk, DTC Sales and Hospitality Manager at Benessere to walk the vineyards of Benessere and of cour

Stuart Smith founded Smith-Madrone in 1971 on Spring Mountain. Since then  he and his brother have been making some fantastic wines from their self built winery.  If you want to see winemaking that isn't veiled by the branded, retail friendly experience you get at many places along highway 29, head up Spring Mountain and pay a visit to Smith-Madrone. Stu may likely be your host in the barn-like winery/tasting room. You'll find him a gigantic character never short on opinions. More importantly you'll taste some spectacular and insightfully made wines.