Patagonia’s Purest Pinot Noir: Chacra’s 2024 ‘Barda’ There’s a clarity to great Pinot Noir, a transparency that speaks of soil, air, and the hand of the grower. Few wines achieve it with the poise and vibrancy at this price point...
Sicilian Stone and Sea: The 2023 Mortellito 'Cala Iancu' Bianco The 2023 Mortellito 'Cala Iancu' Bianco is a wine shaped as much by place as by hand — a precise, mineral-driven white that channels the windswept limestone soils of Sicily’s...
Ancient Vines, Burgundian Touch This is a serious, structured, and deeply textural white wine, sourced from a single vineyard planted as far back as 1880—some of the oldest Verdejo vines on the planet. Grown ungrafted in sandy soils that have...
A New Era for Santenay’s Finest Vineyard Once one of Santenay’s crown jewels, Jessiaume had fallen into quiet decline by the end of the 20th century. Despite having an enviable holding of 5 hectares in the prized 1er Cru vineyard...
‘Seven Years of Patience, Precision, and Pedigree Aged an incredible seven years on the lees, this is serious sparkling wine—crafted with patience, precision, and pedigree. ‘Gelida’ is the flagship bottling from one of Cava’s most respected producers, Vins el Cep,...
Estate-Grown Elegance from the Willamette Valley You already know Holloran: quality, integrity, and terroir-driven wines are the core of everything they do. The 2024 ‘North Hill Reserve’ Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley is no exception—but what sets this release...
A True Rioja Classic If you’ve ever asked me for a classic, excellent bottle of red under $25, chances are you’ve heard us say one word: CUNE. The 2018 CUNE Rioja Reserva is not just a staff favorite—it’s a textbook...
Sicily’s Benchmark Red Blend This exquisite red blend, crafted by the visionary team at COS, is a true testament to Sicily’s rich winemaking tradition. I’m a huge fan, and if you’ve had the wine, you probably are too. For years,...
A legendary site in the Eola-Amity Hills I’ve been following these guys for quite some time, at least since the 2012 blew up as the highest rated Oregon Pinot Noir ever made to that time, and made WS top ten...
The Essence of Chablis Billaud-Simon is a benchmark estate in Chablis, founded in 1815 and now owned by the Faiveley family. Known for their crystalline, mineral-driven style and fanatical vineyard management, this domaine captures the essence of Chablis in every...
Bordon Reserva: Textbook Rioja at a Can’t-Miss Price This is textbook Rioja—aged, balanced, elegant—and it’s priced like it missed inflation. As the current release of 2018, this Bodega follows the old Rioja tradition of extended bottle ageing and only releasing...
Old Vines, New Chapter Originally planted in 1910, the estate vineyard was until very recently stewarded by the Bilbro family—Jake Bilbro (of the Marietta family) leading the charge with humility, integrity, and an unshakable respect for the land. Recently sold...
The Original Poolside Sippers As a young somm, I once had a wine director describe the Blanco by Ameztoi as ‘Grown up Sprite’. I giggled at the description—then I tasted the wine, and agreed. The fellow had a college degree...
One of Italy’s Greatest White Wines Yes, I know it’s Pinot Blanc. Champagne’s dirty little secret. The ‘other’ white grape of Alto Adige after Pinot Grigio. But in certain instances, in certain locations, this grape can really sing. Vorberg is...
Bordeaux Value with First Growth Pedigree As Bordeaux goes, this is the class of the crowd. The 2017 Clarendelle Bordeaux Rouge emphasizes balance and elegance over jammy concentration or high alcohol. This red owes its finesse and structure to a...
The Ultimate Summer Red Jean-Michel Dupré’s Beaujolais-Villages “Glou Glou” is what summer red dreams are made of—light on its feet, juicy as can be, and built to be drunk with a slight chill, a hot grill, and a crowd of...
Lake Garda’s Secret White "Le Creete," from a single small parcel, is made with fruit from vines that are more than 50 years old. Grown just south of Lake Garda in the Veneto region, this wine is made from 100%...
Liguria in a Glass The 2024 Bruna ‘Majè’ Pigato tastes like Liguria—like salty wind off the Mediterranean, like lemon groves carved into cliffs, like wild herbs and sun-warmed stones. It’s electric, aromatic, and alive. Bruna is the benchmark producer of...
Northern Burgundy’s Hidden Gem I looked at this bottle as it was offered to me and remarked, candidly, “You don’t see a lot of wine around here from that appellation.” I was assured that it would be the best Irancy...
Summer Red, Reinvented: Sottimano’s Dry Brachetto Here’s a fun one, and perfect for the summer. Sottimano’s 'Maté' is made from Brachetto, a grape most often associated with sweet, fizzy reds—which can be delicious in their own right in the proper...
The Beaujolais Benchmark Is it still good? Better than ever. Do you still want it? You should if you know what’s good for you. We’ll let the wine speak for itself—and use the words we’ve already penned to fill in...
