Bethel Heights, Pinot Noir 2022 Willamette, Oregon
This winery is the collective dream of two families that wanted to grow, vinify and market wine, hand in hand. And they've been doing just that since 1977. In the heart of Eola Hills in Willamette Valley they have a 50 acre vineyard that produces some of the best wines that come out of the state. Light and lifted raspberry and red plum fruit leads into savory notes of chili powder and earthy green tea, all the while enveloped in the dry embrace of cinnamon and silky smooth tannins. It's Pinot Noir as a tribute to the land it comes from and a true masterclass in what makes Oregonian wines so special!
Casale Del Giglio "Anthium" 2023 Bellone, Lazio
Bellone traces its biological ancestry back to Uva Pantastica, a grape praised by Pliny the Elder himself in his detailed compendium Naturalis Historica back in 77 AD. Highly durable and resistant to drought, it's a grape known for its elongated cone shape and thick, golden skin. This particular vineyard is completely own-rooted and avoided the phylloxera epidemic in the late 19th century due to the coastal soils it is planted in. With rich tropical fruit notes of papaya and mango, it achieves incredible balance between its zesty acidity and its crushed white florality. Although it has the potential to age and develop more tertiary characteristics, it is absolutely enjoyable right now on a warm summer day!
Castello di Bossi Chianti 2020 Berardo Riserva
Sourced from Castello di Bossi's 35-hectarce site, with elevations reaching 350 meters, this luminous red wine will give most Brunello's a run for their money. Notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, sweet tobacco and fresh violets waft upward from the glass. On the palate flavors of dark cherries, plums, black currant and dusty earth provide a dense and full bodied experience. The finish lingers on the palate with smooth, velvety tannins. Give it a little time to breathe and open up and then enjoy it with a great steak, lamb sausage or a mushroom pasta dish!
Luis Perez "El Muelle de Olaso" 2022 Palomino
Long reserved for the production of sherry, the Palomino grape has often been thought of as flavor neutral. Luis Perez has clearly proven all the nay-sayers wrong. Harvested in the middle of the night to prevent oxidation, this wine sports bright stone and tropical fruit notes with a lively chalky minerality. Fermented in both stainless steel and seasoned oak, it also has some limited time with flor contact, giving it a unique herbal tanginess. Vibrant, expressive and fun, this wine shows the global stage that Jerez can not only make incredible sherries but also world class, dry, everyday white wines!
Crotin, Ruche 'Monterosso' 2021, Di Castagnole Monferrato, Piemonte
Ruche (pronounced ROO-Kay) is one of the lowest production varietals in all of Italy. It can only be produced in 7 small villages surrounding the town of Asti in Piedmont. And although it has been produced and consumed in northern Italy for well over a hundred years it has only gained DOCG recognition since the late 80's. With lifted aromas of rose petal, mulberry and fresh tobacco it gives a first impression of being a much fuller bodied wine than it truly is. On the palate it shows its true colors; juicy red fruit, wild blueberries, weightless tannins with a slight hint of cracked white peppercorn. This is a gorgeous light bodied wine that shows the difference grape varietals can have on terroir as it is atypical compared to other, bolder Piedmont reds.
Chateau Pesquie, Syrah blend 'Quintessence' 2020 Cotes du Ventoux, Rhone
Complex and powerful, this southern french wine is the true harmony of Syrah when blended with Grenache. Dark purple in color, it has expressive notes of black cherries and black olive tap[endade. With 40% aged in new french oak it maintains balance between its dense fruit character and playful aromatics of sandalwood, vanilla and smoke. Well structured with rich velvety tannins, this biodynamic masterpiece is perfect to drink now, or in 10 years!