Other Featured Wines

Winemaker Morgan Lee calls his value line “City Limits” to reflect his deep connection to both Washington vines in the east and his urban community and winery near Seattle. This is a juicy fun realization of that,... Read More

Organic/Bio One of the great wines and finest winemakers of Morgon – really, all of Beaujolais. Born in Morgon, Jean-Marc Burgaud created his domaine in 1989 and now holds 18 hectares of high-density, very old (avg = 50... Read More

Lower ABV The key quote at our tasting table when we tried the 2023 Cuilleron Marsanne: “I’d pay $35 for this.” Just a little bit of over-excitement there for a terrific take on a grape mostly seen blended with... Read More

Grow your classic Port grapes - Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca - in A-rated Port vineyards. Harvest by hand and then toss the grapes in stone lagers - vats - and walk across them and through them until the gentle... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV If you like Gamay, Dolcetto or Pais (Mission), then Prieto Picudo is for you! It's the historic grape of the plains of Leon and Pedro Gonzalez Mittelbrunn is leading the charge to bring it back from near... Read More

Lower ABV This top Cote Rotie and Condrieu producer has crafted a captivating entry-level Northern Rhone Syrah in 2023. It’s delicious and classic, with savory black olive, graphite, campfire and roasted meat aromas and... Read More

Organic/Bio Perhaps the finest vintage ever of this benchmark blend of Nerello from key sites across the north face of Etna. For the first time, Marc de Grazia and team were able to hold this in barrel for around 15 months –... Read More

In a great vintage when the top wines are going to need years to show their very best, winegrower Olga Peluso focused on both capturing the essence of the beautiful growing season and letting us enjoy it now. Big, rich, black... Read More

Running up the lower slopes towards Corton Renardes, the 1er Cru Lolliers vineyard gives dark red fruit with plenty of structure and excellent cellar potential In 2021, Pascal’s rendition is a touch more fresh and bright... Read More

On the lower slopes south of Beaune, Greves gives muscular, sometimes grippy, Pinot Noir with a distinct mineral edge – perhaps all that broken limestone gravel that gives the site its name is at work. Pascal Maillard works... Read More

So much care and effort go into Fontanavecchia's everyday Aglianico that it's hard to believe it sells for such a song! Aglianico is Campania's most important red grape, and it can be used to make dark, powerful, leathery... Read More

Lower ABV Coda di Volpe held a prime place in the Roman vineyard and, after empire, picked up its current name because the long, gangly, grape bunches reminded growers of the tail of a fox. Libero Rillo at Fontanavecchia is helping... 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

Lower ABV This white from Savoie in the French Alps made from Jacquere (don't worry, no one else has heard of it either!) is the perfect springtime white. And a delightfully refreshing summer white. And a satisfying companion... Read More

Lower ABV Although it’s most famous in the village of Avalino, the very old Fiano grape produces snappy, fresh, wines all across Italy’s Campania region, south of Mount Vesuvius and inland from Naples. La Capranera... Read More

Sometimes you want the flavors and a character of Brunello di Montalcino in a more open, easy, style. And at a drink anytime price point. That’s what you get here in a wine made from the Brunello grape – Sangiovese... Read More

This is Libero Rillo's “fresh” Falanghina, going from vine to stainless steel to bottle with no oak and just a touch of time on the lees (spent yeast cells) to amplify the texture without diminishing the wine’s... Read More

This is a fabulous bargain in very high-end Etna red. It's mainly Nerello Mascalese with a smattering of the softer Nerello Cappuccio from sites across the north slopes of the volcano. It’s wonderfully layered and complex,... Read More

With around 3,000 cases made, this is Pascal Maillard’s signature wine. It comes from five plots in the village, all farmed with great care and minimal intervention (although they will use commercial sprays when absolutely... Read More

This just really good Chardonnay and should not be missed. Even though, if you know a bit about Burgundy, you’d be surprised to see “Chorey” and “Blanc” on the same label. Chorey-les-Beaune has always... Read More

Although it comes to the US from Italy (via Austria and Ohio - it's a long story), Zinfandel is very much America's grape. And this robust wine starts with very good grapes indeed, all grown by the unofficial first farming... Read More

Whenever McPrice Myers faced a big challenge, his dad always said, 'Sometimes you have to grab the bull by the horns. And, as Myers says, there's no bigger challenge than answering the question, How do you make great Cabernet... Read More

Organic/Bio A new wine from Terre Nere, this celebrates the first harvest Marc de Grazia took from this Grand Cru vineyard in 2002 by pulling grapes from his first new vine planting there. Planted in 2006 and 2007, these vines... Read More

Organic/Bio Gigondas is always based on Grenache – here around 70% - with that grape’s big fruit and fleshy texture given structure and savory shadings by additions of Syrah (here 20%), Cinsault (here 10%) and other... Read More

There aren’t a lot of “great” California Pinot Noirs at this price point; this is one of them. From a vineyard at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains first planted in 1910 and then replanted with cuttings from... Read More

Lower ABV From sites across Kremstal, across the Danube from Wachau, this sits at the intersection of steely Chablis and salty Albarino in style with a nice does of Grüner Veltliner’s unique white pepper freshness.... 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

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 Organic farming, wonderfully ripe Sangiovese (80%) and other local grapes, and super-clean, low-intervention, winemaking come together here in a great all-purpose Italian red that will move from party to pizza to Turkey... Read More

Mendoza Malbec is a bit all over the place stylistically right now, so it’s a bit of a delight to taste this – what we’d call a “right down the middle” Malbec pretty much anyone can enjoy. The vines... Read More

This wine is terrific both as a genuinely delicious and impeccably balanced expression of New World Cabernet Franc and just as a compelling bottle of red wine. In general, Cabernet Franc is most interesting when it’s grown... Read More

Lower ABV More or less wrapping around Pouilly Fuisse, Saint Veran is the southernmost extension of Burgundy – any further south and you’re in Beaujolais. The mixture of southerly warmth and clay-limestone soils gives... Read More

Chateauneuf du Pape, the greatest red of France’s Southern Rhone Valley, can be a bit TOO “great” – too rich, too alcoholic and too expensive. Not here, where a gutsy 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah delivers... Read More

Topline: This is crazy delicious Pinot Noir and very fine red Burgundy that's seriously under-priced. Grab it before the market catches on. Caroline Fyot and Alexia Russo created this small estate in Mercurey in 2018 and make... Read More

From 30-50 year old vines from one of the Wagram’s most important vineyards, Ried Rosenberg. Like Joe, Florian picks this rich, ripe, fruit later in the harvest and ferments most cool in stainless steel. But he’s also... Read More

Perrine Fresne’s second NV Champagne matches the quality of the first, but is definitely a different wine. In the cooler 2021 harvest, she leaned into the quality of her Chardonnay (42% of the blend) with her best plots... Read More

Sometimes a wine really announces itself, which is what happens here as the first sniff says, Gevrey Chambertin with authority. Autumnal underbrush and iron ore minerality surround the fresh black cherry and berry fruit. On the... Read More

Lower ABV One of the most beautifully delicious Bourgogne Rouge we’ve carried in years, this opens with pretty scents of black and red cherry, fresh raspberry with hints of fresh cranberry and floral potpourri. In the mouth,... Read More

Lower ABV Ninth-generation family member Franz Proidl had eyes on this site for Grüner decades ago, but his dad – the 8th generation steward of the estate – said it was too high and would freeze too often to make... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABVThe small vineyard Laurent Charrier calls “The Wind in the Willows” were well known for giving good wine in the 19th century, so when Laurent’s grandfather was able to buy the abandoned... Read More

I believe the technical tasting note for this wine, as approved by all the most serious wine writers, is: Hubba Hubba. There’s this thing white Burgundy winemakers do where they let the wine sit in the barrel on what’s... Read More

The Verdicchio grape emerged long ago in the Veneto near Verona and moved south into the Marche sometime in the 13th or 14th centuries. Called Trebbiano di Soave in the Veneto, the greenish hue of wines grown in Marche earned... Read More

Organic/Bio As Wine Advocate wrote a few years ago, “Quintodecimo Irpinia Falanghina Via del Campo is the result of 20 years of research and experimentation, I am told.” Like Greco and Fiano, Falanghina came to Italy... 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

Lower ABV This is the current release of Les Lys from Defaix, and that alone should tell you that you’re in for something a little different than the “typical” Chablis. Daniel is the 14th generation of the Defaix... Read More

As always, an utterly delicious blend of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and a splash of Sauvignon Blanc delivers a compelling blend of richness and vivacity, fruit and minerality, and purity and power. Slow fermentation in cool stainless... Read More

Lower ABV Our first thought on tasting this was, “Wow – kind of like a darker and more playful Marcillac!” A better way to say it is that this deliciously captivating red is at once plump, ripe and full of dark... Read More

Lower ABV Mathias Ruttenstock is one of the masters of Röschitz, the coolest portion of Austria’s Weinviertel, the world’s best GV growing area that also includes Kamptal, Wagram and Wachau. Mathias is a 4th generation... Read More

Lower ABV There’s something about the vineyards around Carcassonne in Languedoc that creates wonderfully fresh whites in this sunny, hot, spot. A bit of access to cooling breezes and a lot of limestone, to be specific. A... Read More

Winemaker Neil Koch has worked with superstar Philippe Melka at benchmark Napa Cab houses like Seavey Vineyards, Bryant Family and Vineyard 29 and helped make the bold whites and Chardonnays of Lewis Cellars as assistant winemaker... 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

Lower ABV Since 1949, the Picollo family has grown grapes in just one place - the Piemonte's Gavi region - and made just three wines: Gavi, Gavi di Gavi, and a barrel-aged Gavi di Gavi. With that much practice and focus, it's... Read More

Organic/Bio Here’s a beautiful expression of Barolo from the important commune of Serralunga d’Alba that is already deliciously expressive with a bit of air and will keep on improving for 15 years. Even this young,... Read More

Organic/Bio Crest the top of the warm and sunny Casot hill and you find yourself at the top of Marcarini. With it's northeast aspect, Marcarini gets loads of morning sun but then less of the late afternoon heat. From old vines... Read More

Always one of our favorite Pinot Grigio’s has and even more compelling blend of depth, richness, vibrancy and cut in 2023. It’s grown by the 143 member/farmers of the Terlano cooperative winery (founded 1893!), each... Read More

Organic/Bio Just a really good, all-purpose, house red here with an easy-access screwtop closure and easy on the wallet savings price. The quality here is unsurprising, because the Jaume family consistently puts their name on... Read More

Organic/Bio A fun party and cookout Malbec (80%) with a touch of Syrah spice (20%) and a bit of spice and softening from 8 months in French oak. Good dark fruit, nicely fleshy in feel, with generous blackberry, red plum and dark... Read More

Organic/Bio This is probably the single best Bordeaux value in the shop right now, mainly because the vintage is brilliant and the estate sells all they make without participating in the Bordeaux critics’ circus. From a... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV The most common reason today for not drinking white Bordeaux is just not knowing what the heck it is. This lovely, no oak, example will fix that. From Graves, south of the city of Bordeaux, and the best white... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV If Thibert's 2020 Macon-Verze is full of boundless energy and confidence, his Pouilly-Vinzelles (from next door to Fuisse) has all the same energy but starts off a bit gawky and unsure. Give it a splash... Read More

Organic/Bio With a unique combination of freshness and richness, this wine has been our go-to Thanksgiving white recommendation for 12 consecutive years. And the 2022 release is so very, very, delicious that you’ll want... Read More

Organic/Bio Gregorio Dell’Adami de Tarczal retired from the life of multinational marketing executive in 1988 and purchased the Il Civettaio farm to get closer to the land. It’s located in Tuscany Maremma district,... Read More

Organic/Bio With just 1HA of vines on the 2,800 foot elevation, lava-covered, Contrada Sciaranuova, Passopisciaro made only 165 cases or so of this in 2021. The name translates to new lava flow which covered the site in the 1600s... Read More

I never met Andrea Franchetti, who died in December 2021 at the age of 72. But this wine sums up everything I’ve read and heard from his partners at Passopisciaro. “Poetic” and “wildly visionary”... Read More

Organic/Bio At just 1,800 feet elevation, the lowest of Passopisciaro’s Contrada vines grow on the last edges of Mount Etna lava. The vines push through the lava to limestone and develop more rich, round, textures than the... 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

Very quietly, Two Birds One Stone Rouge has been building an impressive track-record as a terrific all-purpose value red. Selling for $11-$14, vintages 2016-2020 all earned respectable 87-89 point ratings from Wine Enthusiast... Read More

Vines were already planted here in 1466 when Jehan de Las Symas purchased them from a neighbor based in Saint Emilion (just a few miles away). Today Jean de Boigne continues his family's 160+ year stewardship of the grapes... Read More

Organic/Bio Over the years, wine Robert Parker has called the Cotes du Rhone Champauvins a baby Chateauneuf du Pape, a poor person's Chateauneuf, and a serious effort that could easily be mistaken for a Chateauneuf du Pape.... Read More

Organic/Bio American in Paris Tom Calder introduced the USA to the benchmark, handcrafted, Champagnes of Cedric Bouchard. Someday, we think he'll be as well known for introducing us to the very Bouchard-Champagne-like Cavas... 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

Valensac is a thoroughly modern Languedoc winery focused on making rock-solid, all purpose, great value wines from varietals traditional (Grenache, Syrah) and more modern for the region (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet,... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV The old vines planted by Amandine and Richard’s grandfather handled the tough 2021 season with aplomb. As usual, Montmains is the most open and generous of the Malandes 1er Crus with a touch of pear... Read More

The vines Jim Maresh planted on their own roots back in 1970 is today arguably the best, and certainly one of the most important, vineyards in the Dundee Hills. Jim’s grandson uses almost all the fruit for his Arterberry... Read More

Moulinat is a true family estate in Entre Deux Mers, currently run by the 5th generation of the Sage family who have owned the property since the early 1800s. The vineyard is first rate, with calcareous limestone soils leavened... Read More

Sometimes it's all about the feel. This is 100% Tempranillo from the famed vineyards of Ribera del Duero (think Pesquera, Vega Sicilia, etc.). Ripe fruit grown at altitude (3,000 feet) shows classic Tempranillo notes of blackberry,... Read More

Ken’s signature wine and, arguably, Willamette Valley’s signature vineyard. Wine Advocate has suggested that Shea is the Willamette Valley’s one potential “superstar” vineyard and Ken makes the benchmark... Read More

Blending 70% Pinot Meunier, 15% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir, winemaker Gilles Lancelot achieves “major agreement” between Champagne's most important grapes coming from 40 parcels and vines averaging 50 years... Read More

If Sylvain’s other white Burgundies are seriously good, his sparkling Cremant de Bourgogne is seriously fun. It’s a wine Sylvain makes to welcome friends to his home, to celebrate bud break, successful flowering, and... Read More

Simply the most delicious Prosecco we’ve tasted in years – although nothing about this wine is “simple.” Unlike most mass-produced Prosecco, this is made from 100% organic, estate-grown, fruit from vines... Read More

Lower ABV Leo Hillinger created Secco after an employee discovered she was battling breast cancer, and even today - more than 10 years later - a portion of the proceeds of his Secco sales go to breast cancer research. It's... Read More

For the past six years, this has been a terrific Brut Champagne at a crazy good price. It comes from a co-op founded in 1959 to help grape growers in Aube, the southern part of Champagne, get a little better deal from the big... Read More