2021 Nithya, Red Blend, Massa Estate Vineyard, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County.
Made by famous Sommelier Raj Parr, the Nithya Red Blend from the historic old vines at the old Durney Vineyards, now known, still, as the Massa Estate is a unique Loire inspired cuvée of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Côt, better known as Malbec and was a one time effort that has gained a bit of a cult status with those that have had it, as it is one of the most rare and distinctive red wines from Carmel Valley. This wine, maybe influenced by wines like those of Philippe Tessier, not too far away from Anjou in the Loire Valley, has a natural feel to it and some rustic old world charm with a dark garnet hue in the glass and a delicate earthiness, it shows off a medium/full palate of black cherry, plum, cranberry, blueberry and savory currant fruits, along with typically Cab Franc bell pepper (thanks to the pyrazines), subtle dark florals, sage, fennel, loam stones and cedary spices. This was my first time through with the rare Nithya bottling, and while I had some expectations, it was cool experience and being a Carmel Valley native, I had some pride of place at stake and this was tasty enough to satisfy me and thanks to Ryan Cooley of Vin Vivant Wine Bar in Capitola for allowing to take with him, he’d had this wine a few times, and provided good insight. Some of this Parr Collective wines are very limited, as this one was, so they were almost exclusively sold to his wine club and to a select few restaurants, but this one has found its way back to the retail market and available from Farm Wine Imports in California, so keep an eye out! Raj has long been a fan of the Loire and Jura regions of France and originally teamed up with the Stolpman family to produce the Combe line up, which included tasty Chenin Blanc and Trousseau, as well as a delicious Pet-Nat. Parr has long been a thought leader and passionate wine advocate, bringing focus on lower alcohol and more nuanced wines, which has proven to a successful path with modern wine drinkers.
A few years back Ian Brand, the local vineyard whisperer and winemaker, convinced some serious younger wine label to take some Old Durney or Massa fruit in an effort to preserve this legendary vineyard, with Raj getting on board and bring on some other cool kids too and some very interesting wines started showing up from this site, including this one. Brand deserves a lot of credit for bring attention to the Massa Estate and he himself has made some outstanding efforts from here, including his Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc bottlings, which I’ve highlighted here previously. Raj, well known for his stunning selection of Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Sea. Rita Hills Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, under the Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte labels, has his own vineyard in Cambria, at Phelan Farm Winery, where he is exploring some fascinating Jura and Savoie grapes, as well as other rarities, with the likes of Altesse, Gringet, Chardonnay Rose and Poulsard to name a few. But this wine is all about the original Durney Vineyards site, planted back in 1968 in the Cachauga area, on California shales, loam and sandy soil of deep Carmel Valley by Billl Durney, who was a fan of classic Bordeaux and European wine and believed with the marine climate and warm Summers he could produce a wine to rival the best wines of the time. His vision was never completely fulfilled, but they has always been the potential and some of his efforts were glorious and age worthy, as seen by some recent tastings of late 70s and 80s versions of the Durney Cabs! Durney even had a moment of fame, when a Durney Cabernet was served at a state dinner at the White House, can you tell I’m Carmel Valley proud? It was fun to check out some of my local history and at the same time taste one of Raj’s rare bottlings, especially with a bit of age or time to start developing as this one has to intriguing effect.
($40 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive