2021 Wine

The best Quality-Price-Ratio (QPR) California Pinot Noir we’ve tasted in years! It’s from one of the Central Coast’s very first Pinot Noir vineyards, Mission Ranch in the Salinas Valley planted in 1961. Fifty-five... 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 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

Wicked good dry Riesling here from a fine single vineyard in the heart of Austria's Wagram region. Smells great and tastes even better, with bold notes of just squeezed lime, ripe peach, crushed slate and a nice sprinkling... Read More

The rare Albillo Real grape is all about richness of texture and salty minerality. Here it shows peach and apricot fruit with wild accents of fennel and seashore saltiness. The creamy apricot finish is a delight.

Rich and creamy Russian River Chardonnay with spiced pear fruit and juicy accents of fresh butter and cream. Hard to resist for fans of more full-bodied Chardonnay!

As always, this is a classic Dolcetto with nice purity and the guts to handle rustic foods like salami and burgers. As Vinous said of the 2020, The Dolcetto d'Alba Bricco dell'Oriolo is a very pretty, gracious wine built... 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

The kind of Merlot that reminds us why Merlot was America’s favorite red (before that stupid Sideways movie). A very long, slow, fermentation and moderate new oak aging brings up lovely and lush black fruit and gives the... Read More

Lower ABV With more than 300 years of history, the Jordan family is one of the most important and influential estates in Germany's Pfalz region. This is a great introduction to their work in the off-dry style. It tastes and... Read More

Organic/Bio A delicious taste of history and place from 40-80 year-old organically farmed vines tended by four generations of the same family. The vineyards at the foot of the Cerro de Guisando and Gredos mountains are a bit warmer... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Ridiculously delicious and our only complaint here is that we couldn't get all we wanted. Brilliant ripeness and fruit bound up in almost steely minearlity and finishing long, ripe, mineral and mouthwatering.... Read More

A delicious super-Tuscan red from Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot with a perfect mix of dark fruit and sweet spice balanced by very Italian flair and zest. A refreshing wine for steak and richer... 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

Lower ABV Back in 1976, when Verdjo was nearly extinct in Rueda, Angel Rodriguez took cuttings from this dying 17th century vineyard and propagated them to keep the varietal alive. This is from those cuttings and if you want to... Read More

Lower ABV In the cooler 2021 vintage, this is a lovely, handcrafted, classically-styled Albarino that will certainly shine with shellfish but is also just delicious to drink. There's a nice sense of fleshiness to the mango... 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.” Having tasted every vintage since then, we think this is one of the best releases... Read More

Lower ABV There's more to Rias Baixas than Albarino: Treixadura shines, too! And this one is yummy with lots of lemon and lemon zest, fresh white flowers and a big does of the stony/salty/mineral flavors you'd expect from... Read More

Lower ABV Juan Antonio Ponce completely fractures any expectations you have for wine made from Bobal (often a dark, dusky, earthy, grape) from Manchuela (blisteringly hot). This is from 40-60 year-old vines, made with 100% whole... Read More

Lower ABV It’s so tempting to call this “baby Puligny Montrachet” that…well, what the heck. It’s baby Puligny Montrachet from a trio of vineyards that all abut the village AOC boundary. Like his... Read More

In this very short harvest, there's a little more oak influence to Sylvain's village Puligny (not more new wood, but more second and third use barrels that needed to be kept full!). It just makes this lovely Chardonnay... Read More

In this very short harvest, there's a little more oak influence to Sylvain's village Puligny (not more new wood, but more second and third use barrels that needed to be kept full!). It just makes this lovely Chardonnay... Read More

Lower ABV From the volcanic soils of Italy’s Campi Flegrei – or, the Phlegraean Fields – where moon-like craters dot the landscape and more than 100 pools bubble and steam away just a few miles from Naples and... Read More

Lower ABV This is really compelling Sicilian white wine and you very much should try it. From an area in Sicily where salt is harvested from the sea and left to dry for months in white hills that dot the landscape, this is - surprise!... Read More