Wine

Organic/Bio From high altitude Tempranillo and aged two years in French oak and concrete eggs, this is Tempranillo with delicious refinement, finesse and attitude. As the folks at JamesSuckling.com say in their 93 point review,... Read More

If you find yourself at café table in Alto Adige around 6pm on a crisp, mountain, summer night, this is what you drink (well, if you’re not having a spritz). Vinous captures it nicely: The 2023 Kerner is delicately... Read More

Lower ABV The Piñeiro Cores has made classic, salty-fruity, Albarino on the green coast of Spain for generations. This is from their own and neighbors’ vineyards and is all lime zest-dusted peach, tangy apricot and... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV The absolute essence of what we expect from Rias Baixas Albarino - but don't always get in these climate change times. This has attractive stone and tropical fruit aromas and flavors, but it really leans... Read More

Owned by Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini since 2003, Altesino has been one of Montalcino’s leaders since the zone exploded into international prominence in the 1970s. The wine style is traditional, with all large, Slavonian oak,... Read More

Lower ABV Savoie's Jacquere grape inclines to salty stone minerality anyway, but in the village of Chignin that's amped up even more. Fourth generation winegrower Guillaume Quenard captures the minerality in spades and... 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

Organic/Bio Ah-so THIS is what Willamette Valley Pinot Gris is supposed to taste like! From an organically farmed vineyard south of Salem, it's fermented and aged 50/50 in stainless steel and older French oak with 5 months... Read More

Organic/Bio While Stephen Hagen and his team are fine winemakers, the real story here is winegrowing. Stephen’s unique “grazing based viticulture” replaces herbicides, mowing, plowing and fertilizers with something... Read More

Organic/Bio There’s something wild going on in Stephen Hagen’s Willamette Valley vineyard, and the 2023 Juel Pinot Noir is a great way to get a taste of what grazing based viticulture delivers. Stephen replaces herbicides,... 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

Antoine Chevalier’s grandfather and father began planting Champagne vines in 1974 but he is the first of the family to start making and bottling wine. This is organically farmed Chardonnay from the lieu-dit Les Bas du Mont... Read More

Organic/Bio Antoine Chevalier is creating magic in the long-forgotten Champagne region of Coteaux Vitryats. Organic farming, base wine made in barrel and sandstone with 10 months on the fine lees and then 36 months in bottle before... Read More

Lower ABV Another winning harvest for Toni Bauer's super-value single-vineyard GV! Aromas and flavors of green pear, crunchy red apple, tangerine, Meyer lemon, and a dash of that white pepper savory note that makes Grüner... Read More

Bartholomew Broadbent created this wine as a tribute to his dad, famed taster Michael, who studied architecture before pivoting to wine. Blending 87 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petite Sirah, 4% Malbec, 2% Merlot from Alexander Valley... Read More

This is terrific, with dark, plummy, fruit and mocha notes building through a firm, dry, finish. Ready to go with lamb or beef roast now and just getting better with air or time in cellar. High-impact Tempranillo that James Suckling... Read More

It was only after the Cowley family purchased their 65 acre vineyard in 1998 that they discovered that it had been the site of the first vinifera grape plantings in all of New Zealand. There's even a tiny winery cellar remaining... Read More

As always, a benchmark interpretation of Virginia's most prominent red wine grape made in a rich but balanced and highly drinkable style. The 92 point review of the 2020 gives you a great idea of what to expect: Charming aromas... Read More

As always, a benchmark in Virginia wine for both immediate enjoyment with food and many years in cellar to come. In 2020, a blend of Merlot 62%, Cabernet Franc 34%, Petit Verdot 4% with the Cab Franc giving extra lift.... Read More

Perhaps the benchmark interpretation of Virginia's most important white grape, the 2022 Viognier from Barboursville is ripe and aromatic and finishes dry and fresh. Suckling's 93 point rave for the 2020 still applies:... Read More

From the only producer with 100% of their vines in the Grand Cru of Montosoli and one of the original 13 Brunello estates, a wine tempting now and drinking through 2040. As Wine Advocate says, Baricci's wines are some of the... Read More

The label is confusing, but this is 100% Columbia Valley fruit that's turned into wine in Paso Robles by Fiction & Field Recordings winemaker Andrew Jones. It's 100% Cabernet aged in a 50/50 blend of new and seasoned French... Read More

Morgan Twain-Peterson crafts this bold, gutsy, California red from a mixture of vines growing in some of the country's most famed old-vine sites. The base is Bedrock Vineyard (planted 1888), Nervo (1896), and Sodini (1905)... Read More

A big snoot- and mouth-ful of crushed berries and cherries with some cocoa dust, a touch of acidic/tannic bite, and a “I dare you to stop drinking me” finish that keeps you coming back for more. Like an Italian Chianti... Read More