2023

Nebbiolo from the foothills of the Alps in Lombardy gives a prettier, more accessible, delight than the stern wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. As you’ll taste here in a wonderfully ripe and silky expression of Nebbiolo with... Read More

France Côtes Catalanes in Rousillon has a lot in common with Spain. Including the grape the Spanish call Cariñena and the French Carignan. This is full of rich, dark, blueberry/blackberry cobbler fruit with a nice... Read More

As the winery writes, Andrew Murray has been singularly and nearly maniacally focused on crafting Syrah for 25 years. His Everyday (in French Syrah “Tous les Jours”) Syrah from Santa Ynez gives you a good idea of how... Read More

It's hard to make Garnacha Blanca with verve, freshness and minerality, but Anna Espelt does just that here with 20% Garnacha Gris and vines near the Catalonian coast. Subtle stone fruit and citrus notes are cloaked in notes... Read More

Organic/Bio A tribute from Stephen to his wife and partner, Niki. As he explains, “The night Niki and Stephen met, they half-jokingly agreed to move to Oregon to start a family and farm. Eight weeks later they stood on the... Read More

Organic/Bio There’s something joyfully incongruous about a bearded outdoors guy who wears flannel, farms his vineyard with horses, chickens, sheep, geese and (his own) children, and waxes on passionately about the quality... Read More

Organic/Bio The edges of Antiquum Farm’s “Big Field” vineyard are kind of the far edge of what Pinot Noir can do. The winemaking is simple enough – fully de-stemmed fruit, open top fermenters, a bit of... Read More

Vinous says this is “positively stellar” and we agree! From old vine sites like Bedrock, Lazy Dog, Monte Rosso and Montecillo, this pairs terrific concentration and fruit with outstanding energy and freshness. As Wine... Read More

Pinot Blanc is often the overlooked grape in Alsace, but – especially in these warming times – its ability to hold onto crisp, refreshing, acidity is prized! Done all in tank, this shows pretty scents and flavors of... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV As always, one of the best values in top-notch Willamette Valley Chardonnay. It's from vines planted 1977-1999 on the estate, picked ripe and fresh (13.1% abv), and fermented and aged in French oak. Definitely... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Ben Casteel just keeps cranking out great Chardonnay and Pinot from his family estate in the Eola Hills. As always, this is sleek and darkly fruited with just a touch more body/richness than usual. Delcious... Read More

Bideona's Mayela wine reinterprets Rioja Alavesa's cosechero (grower) wine tradition to allow the character of Alavesa Tempranillo to shine through. Traditionally, grapes from multiple cosechero were tossed into a vat... Read More

Wine Enthusiast captures the fun and tasty personality of this barrel-aged, Oregon, Chardonnay nicely in the 90 point review: “The aromatic set of lemon, lime and lychee is a tropical Chardonnay paradise. A wisp of plumeria... Read More

One of the longest-running high-quality “value” Pinots we know of. As Robert Parker said of the 2013 edition: An authentic tasting Pinot Noir that sells for a song. Aromas of sweet red and black cherry fruit intermixed... Read More

Robert Parker called the 2011 edition of this perennial favorite value red, “Possibly the single greatest dry red wine value in the world.” As usual, it’s a blend of around 85% Garnacha plus Tempranillo and a... Read More

The winery describes this as “Freshness, joy and youth in your glass of wine,” and that pretty much sums up this wine. Perfect for weeknights when you want to enjoy a bottle over a couple of nights. The vibrancy is... Read More

Natural winemaker Chris Brockway and importer Tim Elenteny created Brea to bring low-intervention winemaking to traditional Cabernet grapes, making something authentic (but not weird!). They crush it with this Cabernet from a... Read More

Brick & Mortar is really a California sparkling house, meaning they grow a lot of cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. When Pinot gets a bit too ripe for fizz, it’s perfect for elegant, pure, juicy still wines like this... Read More

If you love California Cab’s rich blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, dash of chocolate, sweet spice, full body and fine and firm tannins that are ready to party with a steak, then you’ll definitely enjoy drinking this.... Read More

Unless you taste a lot of California Chardonnay, it can be hard to realize how big an accomplishment Bartholomew Broadbent has pulled off here. It's 100% Chardonnay, picked ripe and full of pear and stone fruit flavors perfectly... Read More

Smells great, tastes even better, crazy good price for high quality white Burgundy. That’s really what you need to know here, but we’ll try to give you a little more. It’s from vineyards on the Puligny border... Read More

I certainly didn’t expect to write this, but Sylvain Bzikot’s 2023 village Puligny Montrachet is even better than his outstanding 2022 edition. It’s from several plots of vines above the village of Puligny including... Read More

Lower ABV In the 1970's, Arneis almost went extinct despite being the most important white grape in the Langhe. Luckily for us, a resurgence in interest for Piemonte whites saved Arneis and we get this expression from Ca'Viola.... Read More

Coco Chanel used to advise that the last thing a fashionable person should do before walking out the door is take off one accessory - less is more. Here, despite a brief stay in barrel, the winery left the oak at home and lets... Read More

Lower ABV The “Vernaccia” in the winery name is a reference to the traditional wine of this part of Sardinia – a lightly fortified, Sherry-like, wine named for Sardinia’s version of Vernaccia. A small group... Read More