2021 Filomena, St. Laurent, Ricci Vineyard, Carneros AVA, Sonoma County.
It was great to catch up with Luke Nio’s Filomena lineup, all of which again was impressive, especially my favorite St. Laurent red that always just hits right with its dark violet/purple color, light florals, snappy spices and plummy fresh dark fruits on the medium bodied palate. As I’ve said before, this has to be one of the best new wines to emerge in the last few years, made from this rare Austrian grape by Luke Nio, who was winemaker at Morgan Twain-Peterson MW’s Bedrock Wine Company and Green & Red Winery, the Filomena St. Laurent is a ridiculously good red wine with Cru Beaujolais like personality, pretty aromatics and some whole bunches vibrancy and lift, this is such tasty medium bodied stuff I can’t imagine not have a few bottles around now! This 2021 leads with black cherry, wild plum, blackberry and a little blood orange fruits, along with shaved cinnamon stick, lilacs, a touch of leafy herbs and wonderfully supple tannins and underlying acidity, making it an easy quaffer and also seriously good with simple cuisine, like burgers and or pasta dishes. Nio, as noted here in my prior reviews, has been into wine throughout his life, being brought up near some 100 year old Alicante Bouschet vines in Sonoma and going to UC Davis, he’s been a wine traveller doing harvests in New Zealand, at Hawkes Bay, where he gained a love and insight into cool climate Syrah as well as doing stints throughout Sonoma, including being mentored by Richard Kasmier of Kaz Winery, who was doing natural wines before it was cool to do so, all of which has paid off now he has his own micro label and hand crafting his delicious Filomena offerings, which he founded in 2014.
The St. Laurent grape, as noted before, is extremely rare here in California with only a few acres planted, but has deep roots in Austria, though it is also found in Germany and in the Czech Republic, it is a highly aromatic dark-skinned variety that has a slightly earthy almost Cabernet Franc like profile at home, Its origins are still uncertain though it is widely believed to be a crossing of Pinot Noir and so far an unknown second parent (grape). In Austria, St. Laurent is the third most popular red grape variety after Blaufrankisch and Zweigelt and is primarily grown in Lower Austria and Burgenland, while in Germany, where it is known as Sankt Laurent, it is extremely rare as a single varietal wine and is commonly used as a blender and or in Rosé. Also, St. Laurent was crossed with Blaufrankisch to create Zweigelt, which has gone on to become much more popular than its parent, though St. Laurent has been making a comeback with a few serious versions turning some heads, like Brundlmayer’s excellent example. Luke has really made St. Laurent his own, it was fermented with about a third whole cluster, using native yeasts with a semi carbonic primary in tank before a gentle foot trod and a a pressing at dryness, after which the wine was racked to a combination of stainless barrels and large French 400L puncheons. The St. Laurent was raised for nine months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered without any additions or as Nio says, no shenanigans, with ultra low sulfites to preserve all of the wine’s natural flavors and freshness. Nic does some other interesting stuff too, including a Rosé of Cabernet Pfeffer, plus a chillable red version, a fine dry Vermentino from Dry Creek Valley, plus a new and deeply flavored Cabernet Sauvignon with Bordeaux like character coming off the historic old Durney Vineyard, AKA the Massa Estate, in Carmel Valley, a wine that has good vibes for a Carmel Valley native like me!
($25 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive