Mylonas Assyrtiko

Mylonas' vineyards and winery are located in the Attica region on the east-central side of Greece.  This region is also home to Athens.  The specific region of Attica where the winery sources its grapes features ash-rich volcanic soils containing seven hundred different minerals.  Eighty percent of the wines produced there are white so when you consider the minerality of the vineyards and salinity in the air from the coast, you get a good idea of the flavor profile of the wine.

Mylonas' seventeen hectare vineyards at 200-350m elevation are the highest in Attica.  They are dry farmed for low yields before hand-picking the grapes.  Their modern winery controls temperatures both in its pre-fermentation maceration and in its stainless steel fermentation.  The wine is then aged on the lees with regular stirring for three months.

The result is a full bodied, aromatically complex (citrus, green apple, stone & white flowers) wine with ample acidity and a long satisfying finish.  This wine has concentrated expressive fruit intended to complement Mediterranean cuisine or with grilled fish or shellfish with lemon.

Although blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, this wine is really about the Assyrtiko, one of the oldest varieties on the planet.  It's possible the grape got its start on the island of Santorini 3,500 years ago.  Written documentation of winemaking there from 1600bc means this wine may have been enjoyed by the likes of Plato, Aristotle or Socrates.

Santorini is known for its sandy soils which saved their vineyards from the phylloxera plague of the late 1800's.  Nearly all of the vineyards of Europe were destroyed by the American plant louse that hailed from our own southeastern American states.   Those European vineyards had to be re-planted using American disease-resistant rootstocks, but since the bug didn't like sandy soils, Assyrtiko still has its original roots.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Established in 1973, Joseph Phelps Vineyards is one of California's premier Napa estate wineries.  With winemaker Walter Schug at the helm, Phelps released California's first signature red (Bordeaux) blend, Insignia, in 1974.  Twelve years later in 1986 the Meritage (Bordeaux blend) category would be created by the industry and then in 2005 that same Insignia red blend would be named the Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year".

Insignia currently sells for upwards of three hundred dollars a bottle.  Their regular Napa Cabernet is a hundred dollar bottle.  So when our vendor offered us Phelps' Innisfree Napa Cabernet at a very affordable price we went ahead and picked up a case.  We checked the reviews and they were good, so...what the heck.

Then we read up on Phelps and we learned Joseph Phelps Vineyards was sold in June of 2022.  Uh oh.  Our Innisfree is a 2019 vintage, which is, at the very least, concerning.  Whenever a winery is for sale you have to wonder what the level of care is going into the product.  After all, if you're checking out of the business and you have product in the works, how much care are you going to put into it.  If it isn't up to standards, it's going to be someone else's problem.  We've seen this movie before.

Now we have learned the new ownership of Joseph Phelps is Moet Hennessy, a division of LVMH, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE.  So at the very least it's an industry player and not a Wall Street insurance company wanting to bleed a prominent label.  Then we read what was included in the purchase: the winery itself, the brand name, inventory and 500 acres of vineyards in Napa and Sonoma.  So they really did buy the estate and not just the brand name.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards is now a part of the LVMH portfolio which includes Moet & Chandon (Dom Perignon), Krug, Veuve Cliquot and Dom Ruinart Champagnes, Chateau d'Yquem and Cheval Blanc Bordeaux, Bodega Numanthia in Rioja, Clos des Lamprays in Burgundy, Napa's Domaine Chandon and New Zealand's Cloudy Bay.  Nice company to hang with.

The vineyards included in the purchase are in St. Helena, Oakville, Rutherford, the Stag's Leap District and South Napa.  Once again, nice neighborhood to play in.  From where we sit we think the Phelps future looks pretty good. 

The Paring

We think the easiest way to sell The Paring wines is by selling their provenance.  The wines are from Screaming Eagle, the most expensive wine from California.  From there you can go on to share what prices those wines command in stores and restaurants ($1,000+), consumer demand, points, scarcity and so on, ad nauseum.  This pitch works for me anyway.

Truth is, The Paring Red Blend is probably as good of an example of a Bordeaux Blend at its price point as there is coming out of California.  The Paring Chardonnay likewise is an equally fine example of type.  So the Screaming Eagle hype is just that...hype.  But it's easy to play off of.

Screaming Eagle also markets wines from Jonata Vineyards and The Hilt so The Paring is way down the list from their flagship label.  But that doesn't diminish what's in the bottle.  Screaming Eagle is, of course, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (hence the price).  The other labels are from Santa Barbara County so it's apples and oranges anyway.

Jonata is in the Ballard Canyon AVA within the Santa Ynez Valley AVA and The Paring Red is largely sourced from Jonata's younger vines.  Other vineyards used to support this juice are in Santa Maria Valley and Sta Rita Hills where the Chardonnay is also sourced.

So what makes The Paring Red so good?  In a word, balance.  And structure.  It's not just about jammy forward fruit like so many California wines.  The wine is refined and elegant and features herbal and savory dimensions along with intrinsic dusty tannins and acidity.  

The wine is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot so its inspiration and focus is on Cabernet fruit.  Cassis, tobacco and chocolate are all readily there in this distinctly new world creation.