We hope your holiday season was restful and that the transition back to your virtual office on Monday was a smooth one. Here at Henry’s there is no time to rest as more and more 2020 vintages keep coming in (along with the regular 2018s, 2019s, and older, of course!). This is what we love most about the wine world: that there is never a shortage of wines to try, particularly with the unpredictable nature of recent growing seasons.
For our first week of 2021, we wanted to focus on these newest vintages from 2020. Some bottles, like those from Nestarec, represent our annual favorite nouveaus in three varities. While others, like those from Wildman in Australia, signal the continued influx of Southern Hemisphere wines, which are a growing season ahead of us. Whether you’re enjoying a Cab Franc from the Finger Lakes or getting a taste of the youthful electricity from a unique blend of Czech grapes, there’s sure to be something for you to enjoy.
Milan Nestarec, Youngster White (2020)
No Czech winemaker continually surprises and excites us quite like Milan Nestarec. He does everyday table wines, experimental co-ferments, and, as of the last few years, his annual ‘Youngster’ nouveau series of red, white, and rosé. His latest white nouveau, adorned with the eye-catching ‘Yay!’ label, is as great an aperitif as anyone could hope for, featuring Traminer, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. It verges on cider-like this vintage, but still features aromas of honeydew and pear with generous lime-forward acidity and chalky notes. It is certainly on the sour side, but if you’re not afraid of a little tang, this is the perfect wine for a charcuterie plate or some seafood forward Spanish tapas.
We have a ton of other Nestarec wines in stock, so don’t hesitate to pick some other bottles up and arrange your own Czech wine tasting.
Nathan K. Wines, Cabernet Franc (2020)
Nathan Kendall is a winemaker from the Finger Lakes who not only makes his own wines but also collaborates with Pascaline Lepeltier for the chëpìka sparkling wines. Generally Nathan K. tend to be older vintage releases, 2-3 years after harvest. For the first time, however, he has released a nouveau Cab Franc from 2020, with a completely newly designed label to match. Cab Franc is not typically something we think of when we think nouveau, but the jammy fruit nose, hints of raspberry, green peppers, and gravel make it an approachable everyday sipper. Have roast chicken, porchetta, or duck in the oven? This would pair well.
As it clocks in under $30, this affordable wine would also be interesting to cellar for a few more months to see how the traditional Cab Franc flavors develop.
Wildman Wine, Astro Bunny Pét-Nat Riverland (2020)
Wildman Wines represent the most carefree of Australian wines produced in Victoria, about an hour and a half outside of Melbourne. His Astro Bunny is the ultimate symbol of delicious, summer-oriented pet nats and his new 2020 vintage of 50% Fiano, 15% Arneis, 15% Nero d’Avola, and 20% Zibibbo doesn’t disappoint. Peachy orange in color, the wine radiates sunny energy with aromas of white peach and wildflowers. On the palette, it offers juicy nectarine, hints of watermelon candy, and just the right amount of grapefruit acidity. We love how perfectly balanced and carefree this wine is.
It would surely be the best pairing with some cooler chilled sandwich at the beach but in the absence of 85 degree weather, your favorite escapist movie surely will do.
Until next week, happy sipping!
