Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep, asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have arrived recently.

This past week included a zippy Picpoul Blanc from the San Simeon Estate brand run by the folks at Riboli Vineyards. Picpoul Blanc is fairly common in the southern Rhône Valley as well as in Southwest France, but you don’t see it much here in California. Taste this one, and you’ll wonder why that is. It’s a lot of fun to drink and lives up to the literal translation of “lip stinger” in a great way.

If most people haven’t tasted Picpoul Blanc, even fewer have probably tasted the grape known as La Crescent unless they have spent a lot of time in Midwest and Northeast winegrowing regions. Developed only in 2002 as a complex hybrid of a number of different grape varieties, it deals well with the chilly and wet conditions in New York’s Champlain Valley, where Rolling Hills Estate turns it into a pretty and drinkable white wine.

This week I’ve also got two new releases from Two Shepherds Winery to recommend. Their Grenache Blanc starts slightly funky, but ends with pleasing bright tropical melony flavors. Fans of chillable red wines will enjoy their crunchy Ancient Vine Cinsault made from the venerable Bechthold Vineyard in Lodi, whose vines just turned 140 years old this year.

Two more wines from Orr Wines in Washington State are also worth recommending this week. Admirably, the Royal Slope Red channels all proceeds to the Columbia Basin Health Association Othello Clinic, which provides healthcare to vineyard workers in the Columbia Valley. I really enjoyed Orr’s Grenache, which offered a nice balance between fruit and savory tones.

I’ve got three more wines to recommend from the Girard brand to recommend this week, including their Old Vine Zinfandel and their Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. The Aristry red blend is the classiest of the three, with its polished and refined fruit.

Finally, from Clos Pegase (which shares an owner with Girard), I can recommend their Napa Cabernet, as well as their flagship Hommage bottling. The latter is big, bold, and polished, but the folks looking for big reds from Napa won’t be disappointed with this robust mouthful.

Notes on all these wines below.

Tasting Notes

2025 San Simeon Winery “Reserve” Picpoul Blanc, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California
Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of freshly chopped apples and a hint of lemon peel. In the mouth, bright apple and lemon pith flavors mix with a touch of vanilla and pink grapefruit. Bright, juicy acidity keeps the salivary glands working overtime. 13.7% alcohol. Certified sustainable. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $48

2025 Rolling Hills Estate Winery “Old Schoolhouse Vineyard” La Crescent, Champlain Valley, New York
Pale gold in color, this wine smells of candied lemon peel and yellow apples. In the mouth, the wine is bright and juicy with excellent acidity and flavors of Meyer and Eureka lemons, apples and pears, plus a hint of celery. La Crescent is a cold-hardy, hybrid grape developed in Minnesota that contains DNA from several grape species, including vinifera, labrusca, riparia, and rupestris. The wine also contains 15% Frontenac Gris. 12.7% alcohol. 70 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $45.

2022 Two Shepherds “A Tribute to Saralee – Cate’s Corner Vineyard” Grenache Blanc, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
A light hazy greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of struck match, yogurt, and melon. In the mouth, melon and Asian pear flavors mix with jackfruit and a bit of guava. Very good acidity and a faint chalky texture. Fermented with ambient yeasts and minimal sulfur additions. Aged in a combination of stainless steel and neutral oak. 12.9% alcohol. 75 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $28.

2023 Two Shepherds “Ancient Vine – Bechthold Vineyard” Cinsault, Lodi, California
Light ruby in color, this wine smells of cherries, boysenberries, and crushed stones. In the mouth, boysenberry and cherry notes mix with dried and freshly chopped herbs as leathery tannins coat the mouth and stiffen. Excellent acidity combined with the tannins gives this wine a crunchy quality. Floral notes linger in the finish. Fermented with ambient yeasts, 100% whole clusters, and minimal sulfur additions. Aged in neutral oak. Organically farmed vines planted in 1886. 12.6% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $30. click to buy.

2023 Orr Wines “Royal Slope Red” Red Blend, Royal Slope, Columbia Valley, Washington
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of cherries and black plums. In the mouth, black plum, cola, cherry, and earth are wrapped in thick, fleecy tannins that coat the mouth and stiffen with time. Very good acidity. Muscular and perhaps better with some time in the bottle. 14.1% alcohol. All proceeds benefit the Columbia Basin Health Association Mobile Clinic for vineyard workers. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $27.

2024 Orr Wines Grenache, Columbia Valley, Washington
Light ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of strawberries, chopped herbs, and road dust. In the mouth, strawberry and chopped-herb flavors are wrapped in cottony tannins that stiffen with time. Excellent acidity makes for a juicy quality. A hint of something vegetal lingers in the finish. Very tasty. Fermented in open-top bins with punchdowns. Pressed to old oak barrels, then bottled unfiled and unfiltered. 14.42% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $30. click to buy.

2022 Girard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, cola, and mocha. In the mouth, fleecy tannins surround flavors of sweet black cherry, cola, and blackberry. Oak lingers in the finish. Very good acidity. Aged 16 months in 45% new French oak. 14.5% alcohol. 7500 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $36. click to buy.

2022 Girard “Old Vine” Zinfandel, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of crushed blackberries and black licorice. In the mouth, blackberry and black licorice mix with raisins and prunes as fleecy tannins coat the mouth. There’s enough acidity here to keep things fresh, but this is a ripe, dark wine for sure. Notes of black pepper linger in the finish. 15% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $31. click to buy.

2022 Girard “Artistry” Red Blend, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries, blueberries, and blackberries. In the mouth, blueberry and black cherry flavors are bright with juicy acidity and wrapped in a thick, fleecy blanket of tannins that remain supple throughout. Notes of blackberry linger with the black cherry in the finish. A ripe, big-shouldered wine. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 7% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc aged for 18 months in 45% new French oak. 14.5% alcohol. 1010 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.

2022 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherries, tobacco leaf, and cola. In the mouth, cherry, tobacco, cola, and cocoa powder flavors are wrapped in muscular, fleecy tannins that stiffen a bit with time. Decent acidity. Mocha notes of oak linger in the finish. Destemmed and half of the grapes crushed. Fermented with commercial yeasts after a 4-day cold soak. Twice-daily pumpovers. Aged 15 months in 45% new French oak. 14.9% alcohol. 1792 cases made. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $51. click to buy.

2023 Clos Pegase “Hommage” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Napa, California
Very dark, almost opaque garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherries, graphite, mocha, and blueberries. In the mouth, chocolatey flavors of black cherry, blueberry, and graphite mix with cassis and dried herbs. Fleecy tannins coat the mouth and stiffen with time, but very good acidity keeps the wine fresh. Very well balanced for its 15.5% alcohol, though there is a touch of warmth in the finish. A big, brawny, but polished wine for those who want massive Cabernets. Destemmed, cold-soaked for 4 days, and then fermented warm with twice-daily pumpovers. Aged 18 months in 50% new French oak. 15.5% alcohol. 120 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $111. click to buy.