Staff Selections

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

Venture off the beaten Loire Valley path to discover the DELICIOUS Sauvignon Blanc. The Coteaux de Giennois appellation is small - under 200 acres in total - and tends to get lost in the shadow of nearby Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume.... Read More

Organic/Bio Most Etna wineries make an “Etna Rosso” from younger vines or barrels not used in their single-contrada bottlings. Not here. Instead Passarosso is a blend from some of the oldest vines in Passopisciaro's... Read More

The guys behind The Dude do it again, this time with a very well-crafted Cabernet from Stags Leap that sells for a LOT less than you'd expect once you taste it. The signature plushness and richness of Stags Leap is here along... Read More

At one time Chenin Blanc was a key grape in Napa, but today only around 16 acres remain. This comes from a tiny plot of heritage vines in St. Helena and the combination of old-vine concentration and Chenin's naturally vivid... 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

This small (20 acre) family-owned estate makes delicious wines that studies the interaction of Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre's diverse soils. Here you’ll taste the impact of Sancerre’s famed “terres blanches,”... 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

Rioja can be lots of different things, including fresh, fruit-filled, and as easy to drink every day as a good Cru Beaujolais. While this blend of Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% white grapes aged in oak, it’s not oaky... Read More

Although the rest of Tuscany leans on Sangiovese as its primary red grape, Tuscany’s western coast along the Tyrrhenian Sea are too loamy and cool and humid for the grape of Chianti and Brunello. In fact, on gravel-dotted... Read More

First created and made by Australia’s Chris Ringland, this is an unabashedly flashy and hedonistic bland of Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon done in new French oak. A tad more structured than the 2018, but the 92 point... 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

From the oldest known planting of Ruche, a wild, almost exotic, wine starting with aromas of violets, rose petal, iris, cardamon, white pepper and dark red fruit. The flavors deliver just-right ripe cherry/dark berry fruit with... 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