There is Muscadet, and then there is Clisson. I remember when I first started blind tasting, an MS that was blinding our group called on me to run through one white wine. In the end, I decided to call it...
The Smart Way to Drink Margaux If Bordeaux feels a little misunderstood right now, you’re not imagining it. Somewhere along the way, Bordeaux picked up a reputation for being buttoned-up, stodgy, and stuck in the past with the generation just...
Cerbaiona for Today To wine nerds and collectors, Cerbaiona needs no introduction. This tiny estate in Montalcino has long been whispered about in reverent tones, producing some of the most coveted and classical Brunello of the modern era. When Cerbaiona...
A Princess’s Favorite: Fratelli Alessandria Favorita Fratelli Alessandria, established in Verduno in 1830, is one of Barolo’s great traditional estates, known for precision and wines that speak clearly of where they come from. While their Barolo gets the headlines, this...
Julian Schaal, Two Sites, Two Voices of Alsace Julien Schaal’s new releases from Schoenenbourg and Rosacker are exactly the kind of wines that remind us why the region belongs among the great white-wine terroirs of the world. Although official scores...
The Soul of Colli Tortonesi is Walter Massa Long before sommeliers began whispering his name with reverence, before Timorasso became the cult grape of Piemonte, Walter Massa was working in near-obscurity in the forgotten hills of Colli Tortonesi, convinced that...
A Half-Bottle of Liquid Gold I’m a big fan of sweet wines. I know that many people decry this idea, but many of them also drink soda or put sugar in their coffee. Me, I drink my coffee with no...
Chevillon NSG fruit, bargain price Some of the most satisfying bottles in Burgundy are not the grandest or most expensive, but they are the ones that make you want to pour a second glass before you’ve even finished the first....
Vieux Télégraphe quality, Vaucluse Price Best known as the long-time stewards of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Bruniers have been quietly producing some of the most honest and compelling wines of southern France for generations. Their 2023 Famille...
Sancerre’s Sister Appellation, Quincy Quincy is one of the Loire Valley’s great insider appellations. It sits directly across the river from Sancerre and shares the same limestone and clay soils, the same cool continental climate, and the same singular focus...
Aligoté in its finest form by Aubert de Villaine As co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Aubert de Villaine is responsible for some of the most revered wines on earth. Alongside those legendary bottles, he has devoted equal care, precision,...
Old Vine Monastrell, Limestone Soils At first glance, Dolomitas sounds like a reference to the famous mountain range in northern Italy. I know it confused me at first. But in this case, the name of the local mountain tells us...
Four-Year Vertical of Pomerol by Moueix, 2015-2018 Château Chantalouette is the second wine of Château de Sales, the largest estate in Pomerol, and under the guidance of the Moueix family it has become one of the appellation’s great values: true...
Traditional, High Altitude Chianti Rocca di Castagnoli sits high in the southern reaches of Chianti Classico, near Gaiole, where altitude and cooling breezes preserve freshness even in warmer vintages. The estate has roots going back centuries, and today it farms...
Savory Crozes from Domaine Combier Domaine Combier has long been one of the reference producers in Crozes-Hermitage, and critics have consistently rewarded them for it. Vintage after vintage, their wines earn praise for precision, purity, and their unmistakably Northern Rhône...
Our new RM Champagne, #38 on WS top 100 This is a small, quietly meticulous house, producing RM Champagne in limited quantities with an almost old-world sense of care. Nothing about Ployez-Jacquemart is industrial or formulaic. Each bottling is made...
Balanced, Beautiful Ventoux In the foothills of Mont Ventoux, the giant limestone peak that defines the local climate, this family-run domaine has quietly become the reference point for high-quality, affordable Rhône reds. Ventoux sits higher and cooler than the rest...
Classic Crianza by Señorío de Peciña Señorío de Peciña is a family-owned estate based in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, in the heart of Rioja Alta, one of the region’s most respected subzones. This is a part of Rioja known...
NSG fruit, Bourgogne Rouge Price For generations, Domaine Alain Michelot has been rooted in Nuits-Saint-Georges, crafting wines that reflect the character of the region. Even the entry level Bourgogne Rouge is substantially declassified NSG fruit. While Michelot is rightly known...
The 2024 Huet Sec Crus are Brilliant Since its founding in 1928, this legendary estate has been the beating heart of Vouvray, and for nearly a century, the Huet family has proven that Chenin, when grown on the right land...
Altesino Rosso di Montalcino I have worked with these wines for many years, watched their vintages rise and fall, tasted their evolution in real time, and time and again I come back to the same conclusion: Altesino is one of...
