New Zealand native Angela Osborne moved to California in 2006 with a simple dream: to make Grenache. Over the years, she's established herself as one of the few masters of crafting Grenache that's bursting with fruit but... Read More
Organic/BioLower ABV As a staff, we love the wines coming from Antiquum Farm and this wine is no exception! Stephen's Pinot Gris can range in colors all on the same vine and sometimes even the same berries. The resulting... Read More
Organic/Bio Named for Stephen’s skateboarding and sheepherding son, Juel represents this unique winery as a whole. In 2022, it’s one six-ton fermenter filled with fruit picked from all four corners of the vineyard... 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
Jim Clendenen is sadly gone, but his legacy lives on at the winery that more or less put Santa Barbara on the wine map. This is fully ripe at 13.5 alcohol, shaped (but not overwhelmed) by malolactic fermentation and time in French... 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
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
From the tenderloin of Alexander Valley, this has plenty of size but also a bit of grace. Lots of blackberry, raspberry and currant fruit with accents of cedar and baking spice. The French oak shows on the trace of vanilla on... Read More
Gewurztraminer is a tricky grape. Pick it too soon and you won't get the lovely rose petal and lychee flavors we love. Pick it too late and it can get oily, even sweet. In Elkton, Oregon, Brandborg nailed it, bringing in fruit... Read More
From a California Sparkling wine specialist, this is elegant, nicely textured, Chardonnay of fine freshness and length. In 2022, it’s all Russian River fruit from a vineyard next door to Kistler and Ritchie Vineyards and... 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
Darby English calls his 800 case production Purple Haze Cabernet Sauvignon blend a “cult wine” because it sells out so quickly every year. It’s a rich and deep blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah and Merlot... Read More
Jean Case and husband Steve (of AOL fame) keep going from strength to strength at this top Virginia estate. A blend of 46% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 7% Petit Manseng, 3% Cabernet Frac gives a medium-bodied... Read More
Not content to make some of the best wines in the Commonwealth, Early Mountain makes some of the best values, too. Like here in this blend of 57% Petit Manseng, 36% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Chardonnay and 1% Pinot Gris done all in... Read More
Lower ABV Austria's signature white grape Gruner Veltliner doesn't travel well - outside of a few examples from Alto Adige (part of Austria until WWI!), it tends to give wine that's either too lean or too fat. Turns... Read More
Lower ABV From their vines at the west end of the Chehalem Mountains, Elk Cove creates Pinot Gris that reachest towards white Burgundy levels of complexity. There's plenty of ripe pear and stone fruit on the nose and palate,... Read More
Adam Campbell and team put a lot into their “welcome” Pinot Noir. It’s 100% estate fruit from six different vineyards, fermented in steel with twice daily punchdowns and then given 10 months in not-new French... Read More
One of the best values in Willamette Valley Pinot we’ve tasted in a long while, this has enough texture for solo sipping and enough style to shine at table, too. You’ll find rich, dark, black and Bing cherry fruit... Read More
Look, we’ve yet to find a Zin that was both satisfyingly ripe (i.e., not toughly tannic and herbal) and under 14.5% alcohol. The grape needs hang time and that means alcohol. But it turns out you can make 15% abv Zin that... Read More
These guys make just one wine, a Lodi blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah and Merlot brought in rich and ripe at 13.5% alcohol and given plenty of French oak spice and toast. It’s richer and more ripe than the modest... Read More
Calling this the best Sauvignon Blanc ever produced in Virginia is way, way, too modest. This is Sauvingnon that goes toe to toe with the very finest examples from Sancerre, Pessec, or anywhere else you can think of. Stunning... Read More
Lower ABV Winemaker Erin Jordan says this is “akin to the pinot gris imported from Alsace — this is a spiced, textured, and aromatically-driven wine.” The second part I buy, not the first because this is dry... Read More
Hartford Court is easily one of the top “traditional” California Chard houses working today in the <$100 price point and this “village” bottling shows off their skill and ethic to a “T”.... Read More
Sign up for our newsletter to learn about special offers, classes, in-store tastings and more. You’ll receive 2-3 emails per week and never miss out on super savings, unique bottlings, and chances to learn about, taste and enjoy wine more!