Best Wines I Tasted in July 2021

August 12, 2021 0 By Alan Evans

In July 2021, I tasted six wines that I felt were good enough to share with the world. A couple of them I even rated 5 stars on Vivino, which is super rare for me! My favorites included a good mix this month with three red wines and three whites. Pinot was big for me this month with two of my favorites being Pinot Noirs from Santa Barbara and a third was a rare to find Pinot Blanc from Napa. Santa Barbara made up a total of 3 of my top wines including a delicious Syrah to go along with the Pinot Noirs. Finally, two of my other favorites were international white wines: a delicious sparkling wine from Italy and a crazy good value white Burgundy.

1. Au Bon Climat 2018 Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County – Damn was this a great surprise. I knew Au Bon Climat made high quality wines at a fair price point, but this wine is a stand out. I ordered it while out for a friend’s birthday dinner at Opal in Santa Barbara. It was very affordable at around $55 at the restaurant and seems like a good option for our group. Ended up that this wine was perfect, going well with everyone’s meals including steak, chicken and seafood dishes, and being a true crowd pleaser! This great wine inspired me to visit Au Bon Climat’s tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, where I bought a few more bottles direct from the source at steal: $25! A rare 5 star wine.

My Vivino notes: 5 stars – Amazing wine at a great value. Notes of cherry, baking spices and mushroom. Medium acid and medium light tannins. Very well balanced and smooth. Goes with all food with flavors of strawberry, cherry, along with earthy and oak notes.

2. Lafond Vineyard 2017 Clone 777 Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills – I tasted this wine at Lafond’s Funk Zone tasting room in Santa Barbara. The tasting included 4 different 2017 Lafond Pinot Noirs and this one stood out. Priced at $50, it is a superbly crafted pinot noir, that hits all the right flavor notes with amazing balance. It was a delight to sip on and I think would accompany some Moroccan spiced meats very well. I don’t think this wine is widely available, but you can certainly find it here in SB at the Lafond Tasting room.

My Vivino notes: 4.5 Stars – A high quality Pinot at a reasonable price point. Smells of ripe strawberry, bay leaf and burnt sugar. The taste is very fruit forward with notes of sweet cherry, green apple and a hint of forest floor. The finish turns a bit more tart red fruit and light oak flavors. Medium plus acid and medium light tannins. Would pair well with sweeter dishes or meats cooked with baking spices, or even desserts.

3. Etude 2013 Pinot Blanc from Los Carneros – This was an interesting find. A very unique and very delicious wine that has taken to its aging very well. While tasting at Etude’s winery in Napa, our host gave us an off menu taste of this unusual wine. From an estate grown grape that they do not necessarily bottle every year, this Pinot Blanc was a surprise favorite from the tasting, with the whole group enjoying it. The wine was a great deal at around $28 and it seems like you can only find it at the winery, and its not even available on their website. This is a wine to drink with a bread and cheese platter, or with a light pasta dish (think olive oil or pesto based sauce) or a macadamia encrusted white fish.

My Vivino notes: 4 Stars – A good value, rare wine. Honey, stone fruit and cheese on the nose. Medium acid. Light floral flavor with flavors of sweet honeysuckle, buckeye, honey peach and cream. The wine has way more mouth feel than I expected. It was a fun wine to try and not one you see often!

4. Lafond Vineyard 2017 Syrah from Santa Barbara, CA – Another great wine from my tasting at Lafond. This Syrah is a delight and pretty cheap at $38 from the winery. A sweeter syrah that will likely have a wider audience the more traditional super dark, dry and earthy style that you can find from most high quality producers. But this is not some alcohol/sugar bomb that some wineries try to pawn off on their customers, this wine is complex and balanced. Again, it is probably pretty rare to find this wine outside of the Lafond winery, but is definitely worth giving a try if you can get your hands on one.

My Vivino notes: 4.5 Stars – A lighter sweeter style Syrah, with wonderful flavors at a solid price point. Flavors of rose petal, plum, ash and vanilla on the nose. Medium tannins and medium plus acid. Sweet black fruit and vanilla are the main flavors with subtler notes of black olive, black pepper and oak. It has a long, lingering ripe plum and dry oak finish.

5. Bisson 2020 Marca Trevigiana Glera Vino Frizzante from Marca Trevigiana, Italy – A true crowd pleaser. I first tried this wine at the wine bar Satellite in Santa Barbara, where I ordered it for a work happy hour. It is easy to drink and has a delicious crisp flavor profile that everyone enjoyed. I had it again with Alena a few weeks later and again we both loved it. This is a quality, and affordable Italian Sparkling wine, but is not a Prosecco due to have a lower bottle pressure and being capped instead of corked. Otherwise it is the same darn thing. It is very with delicious fruit notes, perfect to sip on its own or with some snacks. You can find this wine distributed fairly widely and usually costs around $25 or less.

My Vivino notes: 4.5 Stars– Delicious sparkling Italian wine. Smells of yeast and apple. Super dry and crisp. Honey, green apple and a hint of citrus. Medium plus acid.

6. Thevenet Quintaine 2015 Cuvée E.J. Thevenet Viré-Clessé from Viré-Clessé, France – I saved the best for last. This was truly one of the best wines I have had all year. It was so intense and complex and balanced at the same time, with delicious fruit, aging and oak notes. Just perfect. And it was so cheap! I think I got it for around $25 from Costco. It was a steal! If they still had it I would buy a case in an instant. Another rare 5 star wine.

My Vivino notes: 5 Stars – A well balanced and complex wine that is drinking in its prime right now. Salty lemon peel, baked apple and a bit of oak on the nose. Medium acid with a slightly sweet profile. Meyer lemon, sweet apple, and a bit of honey at first; then a complex and delicious finish with notes of minerality, cheese and oak on the finish. Great to sip on and pairs well with a variety of dishes given its complexity.

A note to put “BEST” into context: I am judging all the wines I drink based on their quality to value ratio, which is aligned with how I rate wines on Vivino.

Each wine I score is based on a 5 star scoring system, and I take into account the wine’s quality, uniqueness and deliciousness compared to other similar wines within a similar price range.

Only wines for which I have scored 4 stars or greater, and I deem worthy of sharing with others are included in my monthly favorites.

You can find all of my other monthly favorites here.

Cheers!

– Alan Evans