Elegant reds- seeking alternative to Burgundy

+1 for Etna, Kelley Fox, various spatburgunders and Beaujolais.

I’ll add that top Mencia wines from the likes of Raul Perez, Daterra, etc. also fit the bill really well.

I agree with the Goodfellow rec as well, but with the caveat that a number of the bottlings are tough going young, though promise to show elegantly when aged. But some of the bottlings are elegant out of the gates.

IMO, some Chianti bottlings fit the bill here, too. Starting with Isole e Olena.

Valtellina all night long

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Off the top of my head:

Ceritas (Sonoma)
Anthill Farms (Sonoma)
Mount Eden (Santa Cruz)
Thomas (Dundee Hills)
Vacheron (Sancerre)
As per previous posts any number of Loire reds like Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses

Cheers,
Doug

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I don’t think they’re the same types of wines. Also, I don’t think the OP was looking for potential. I’ve had a fair amount of Grisard’s 14s (his last vintage) and they still drink quite young. The 06 a few months ago at a PSC dinner we did was stunning though.

So at about this point we can agree that the answer is “all of them, except the ones that obviously aren’t.” :roll_eyes:

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+3 on Valtellina, and specifically ArPePe (Rocce Rosse is my top recommendation but it’s not inexpensive) and Nino Negri (can’t go wrong with anything in the lineup but the Carlo Negri Sfursat is a great match for kind of experience you describe).

Kelley Fox all day long!

They are also drinking very well young. I just think they also have great potential. But i have enjoyed them young at release so far. The 2016 was WOTN in a big blind tasting i attended around three years back which had much bigger names in the pool.

And on a side note: i have never tasted the “popes” version. So i have no idea how different they are. But i still think Giachino’s version fits the bill for this thread :slightly_smiling_face:

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Another vote for Nerello Mascalese from Mt. Etna. If I were starting out, I’d be buying and cellaring these and well-made Carricantes from the same volcano.
I also love Kelley Fox, but her wines are as much as a ringer as an alternative to Burg.

Cheers,

Warren

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It is funny. When i started out collecting wine like six years ago Etna was my first real discovery and love. But i have since been able to taste different bottles with more age on them (some of the bigger names, 5-10+ years). And i have been disappointed every single time. They do not age as i expected them to do. The fruit profile turns a bit dull without them really adding much interesting. So while i still very much like them, i sold all my Etna wines i had in the cellar and buy them young when i want to drink them.

This…and Oregon

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Lasse,

I can’t say I speak from a lot of experience with aged Etna wines. I’ve been really impressed with them young, and have had some very alive ten year old Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso PrePhylloxera La Vigna di Don Peppino and Calderara Sottana. However, I could very well be wrong about my assessment of ageability.

Cheers,
Warren

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I mean at the end of the day, the answer is burgundy, just the right burgundy.

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Benchmark does have some 2005 arpepe rocce and 2009 ultimi raggi for 85 that seem like good deals.

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Would add Carema as well. Different side of the mountains, but still.

Uh huh. My experience as well. Really uncertain as to what they really age into and not so much a fan of what they end up as.
It’s too bad because the tannins in these would suggest aging until they melt, but - when they do - simply become that day old sandwich that has been laying out on the counter all night long and simply no longer appealing.

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Walter Scott Oregon reds and Chards
-Also, Patricia Green, Lingua Franca, Bethel Heights, Liquid Farm. Many more good ones to explore here, but these are a decent entre’

In California Gavin Chanin is well worth a taste or three imho

Atlanta Steve

What he said

As things get warmer i like loire Pinot, Switzerland zweigelt, Germany Pinot.

See my Kutch thread I just posted