Wines (48 View)

This Riesling opens with a vibrant nose of vineyard peaches, citrus, ripe Elstar apple, and hints of fresh pineapple, revealing a dense, mineral-driven character. Delicate floral notes and a subtle hint of anise lend an exotic touch. The palate is spicy and refreshing, balanced by juicy peach, pineapple, and herbal notes, with acidity and sweetness in harmony. Its mineral backbone and long, complex finish capture the essence of the Wrttemberg terroir, offering a Riesling that is as refreshing as it is nuanced.

The Dautel estate, though relatively unknown in the United States, is one of Wrttembergs leading producers. The familys winemaking legacy stretches back 500 years, yet Ernst Dautel, in the 1970s, was the first of his family to attend Geisenheim, Germany's premier winemaking school. Ernst left the local cooperative, embracing estate bottling to pursue quality-focused wine production. His son, Christian, continued this legacy, drawing on experience from iconic wine regions in France, Australia, and South Africa. Christian now oversees the estate, farming Grand and Premier Cru sites across varied soils, from marl to rare Schilfsandstein. With deep respect for his familys work, Christian crafts wines that express the unique characteristics of each vineyard while honoring the Riesling grape's inherent flavors.

This wine is rustic Nebbiolo through and through, that is delightful to drink even in its youth. The body is a very pretty elegant red hue, with traditional notes of smoke, leather and scorched earth. There is a slight note of oak that pairs nicely with some dusty tannins on the finish. It does needs to unwind a bit in the glass, which is typical for the varietal. This is a solid value in traditionally made Nebbiolo.

The De Forville family emigrated to Piedmont from Belgium in 1848 and established themselves in the village of Barbaresco in 1860. Here, the family was instantly engaged in growing the Nebbiolo grape under the direction of Gioachino De Forville. Now, the fifth generation is in place: Valter and Paolo Anfosso, the two sons of Bruno and Mafalda.

In the early part of the twentieth century, the De Forvilles sold their wine in bulk directly to restaurants and to retailers who then bottled the wine. In 1940 the estate bottled its first wine and now virtually their entire production is bottled at the estate

The nearly 11 hectare domaine is divided between holdings in the villages of Barbaresco [4.5 hectare] and Castagnole Lanze [6.5 hectare], a commune that is about four kilometers east of Barbaresco in the direction of Asti.

Their Barbaresco is the standard-bearer for the estate. The vines are planted exclusively within the confines of Barbaresco and are scattered among various “crus”, including Rabaja and Pozzo. The average age of the vines is 35 years. After harvest, the juice is fermented in stainless steel for approximately two weeks; then the wine is racked into large oak “botti” to age at least 18 additional months and frequently longer before being bottled. This wine is emblematic of the work done at the De Forville estate: the wine is rigorously traditional, marrying the finesse of Barbaresco with the alluring aromas and flavors of truffle, earth, berries, rose, tar and leather and carrying, most important of all, a backbone of sweet, dusty tannins that give length and breed.

This vibrant, full-bodied red is a blend of grapes harvested in parcels spread amongst the three communes of Barbaresco, Neive and Alba. Included as the primary source are grapes harvested in the cru “Ga’Grosso” in Barbaresco. The grapes are crushed and are then fermented in stainless steel for almost two weeks after which the wine is racked into oak barrels and “botti” for one year prior to bottling. The average age of the vines is 30 years.

Decoy Featherweight is a refreshing lower-in-calorie and lower-in-alcohol Sauvignon Blanc, delivering delicate citrus notes of Meyer lemon, grapefruit, and lime; complemented by lush, tropical fruit flavors and a long, crisp finish. With uncompromising quality, Decoy Featherweight is crafted from the current vintage of Decoy Sauvignon Blanc, utilizing the same premium California fruit sourcing. 9% abv - Winemaker Notes

#66 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

91 points Wine Spectator
Offers good energy and refined flavors of blackberry, dusky spices and black olive that build structure toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2031.

Organic

40% Malbec, 30% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the one wine in our Mexican wine selection that speaks to the Mexican heat. This is a full-bodied red with a voluptuous presence on the palate and chewy tannins. Reminded me of the wines of Ribera del Duero, decadent but crafted really well.

Organic / Biodynamic

92-93 points Wine Advocate
The sample of the 2022 Pétalos has a fresh twist of watermelon, which is quite remarkable, as the summer torrid and very dry and they expected much riper wines. Some 25% of the grapes used here are from owned vineyards in the village of Corullón and 80% purchased grapes. They used more white grapes this year, more than any other year, to give the wines freshness. The result is much better than expected; there's not much acidity, but using so many different plots allows more room to play with the blend, which is something they can only do here and in Corullón. It's perfumed and quite harmonious, balanced and fresher than expected. They expect to fill some 290,000 bottles. This is the 20th anniversary of Pétalos and the 25th anniversary of the winery

Organic

92 points Wine Enthusiast
Oregon and Washington fruit collide to shout, "gamay, gamay, hey." The wine is a mix of whole cluster carbonic maceration and traditional fermentation done in stainless steel, concrete and neutral oak. It is packed with aromas and flavors of strawberries, dark chocolate, pickled watermelon and cut grass. The acidity will make you feel alive.

Winery: Gamay is simply the most delicious, delightful, versatile grape. It hails from the Beaujolais region and also flourishes in the Loire Valley of France, and has witnessed rapid popularization in growth in the U.S. over recent years.

We fell hard for the carbonic maceration fermentation technique while learning about and making wine in the Beaujolais region. Produced like a traditional Beaujolais-Villages wine, we utilize carbonic and semi-carbonic maceration as the layering components.

Fruit, juice, spice, and everything nice.

Organic / Natural

A fresh and bubbly experience, this Fizzy White lands both crisp and fruity. It’s made up of an easily digestible mix of Trebbiano and Yellow Muscat. Drink it before a big dinner, during those long party nights, on the top of a (reasonably) high mountain, or whenever you feel the call for some celebration bubbles. 10.5% abv. Crafted in Italy from Trebbiano/Yellow muscat.

Organic / Natural

A more quirky experience for the self-proclaimed connoisseurs, but still fun and easy going. The Juicy Orange carries notes of orange blossom and apricot, with a light to medium body. If you’re more into the natty wines of the world, this will probably be your weapon of choice. 12% abv. Crafted in Italy from Grillo/Catarratto/Zibibbo.

Chambertin-Clos-de-Beze is a Grand Cru vineyard and corresponding appellation of the Cote de Nuits. It forms half of a vineyard that is regarded not only as the most prestigious in Gevrey-Chambertin, but arguably the whole of Burgundy. The soils of the Chambertin-Clos-de-Beze vineyard are well drained and stony, with a thin layer of pebble-strewn, chalky topsoil over a deep, rocky base. The percentage of clay in the soil reduces higher up the site, giving way to drier, looser limestone.

Alain was born in 1950 to Yvon Burguet, a tacheron for Domaine Tortochot who also worked his own vines in Gevrey. fter military service, Alain returned to Gevrey and decided to start his own domaine, working exclusively with rented vines until 1974 when the opportunity arose to buy his first 2.10 ha of vines in the village. He bottled his own production from the start, and began to earn a reputation for himself, which was boosted around 1982 when Becky picked up Alain?€?s wines. She brought Jean Troigros to taste, who was utterly impressed with the Gevrey Vieilles Vignes and promptly added them to his restaurant?€?s list. Alain continued to expand his domaine, acquiring 1er Cru Les Champeaux in 1985, inheriting some of his father?€?s 3.5 hectares in 1991, while still working rented vineyards. Well before the more global movement toward sustainability and almost 20 years before Ecocert was created to certify organic agriculture, Alain insisted on organic methods.

Founded in 1820, and today housed in cellars that date from 1619, this small jewel of a company is still owned by the same family, its vineyard holdings built up over time through a series of marriages with other wine-producing families. Displaying a nutty, slightly toasty nose, with flavours of hazelnuts, and orange peel. The high acidity makes the wine taste dry on the palate, with a smooth, long, and memorable finish.

"The wine shows a superb, golden yellow color with a beautiful luminosity and a fine and persistent mousse. The nose is clean and intense with warm, rich notes of brioche, French toast and roasted almonds. On the palate the wine is very supple and harmonious, with notes of honey and minerals on the long, sustained finish. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is produced from a blend of 100% premiers crus Chardonnay grapes from the best of recent vintages. Grapes from the estate vineyards in Sillery and Brimont (ancestral home of the Ruinart family) are joined by carefully selected grapes from other premiers crus vineyards in the Cote de Blancs and the Montagne de Reims." Winemaker notes

Aromas of cherry, strawberry and a hint of toffee are present on the nose. In the mouth, the wine has a delicate floral and berry palate which is nuanced by supple oak and vanilla characteristics.

After strict pruning and a mid-season green harvest to control yields, the grapes are hand-picked in small boxes with hand-sorting at the vineyard and the winery to ensure only the finest grapes. Prefermentation cold maceration is followed by alcoholic fermentation at 82°F, with malolactic fermentation in barrels for 21 to 28 days. Aged 50% in three year old French oak barrels and 50% in steel tanks for 10–12 months.

With 18 wonderfully diverse appellations across the region, 12 of which are Premier and Grand crus, Bertagna is among the top ranking Domaines in Burgundy. A desire for perfection and emphasis on quality, coupled with significant investments in technology and vineyard management, result in some of the region’s most compelling wines.

Organic

93 points Jeb Dunnuck
Not yet bottled, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape is liquid Provence in a bottle, offering a massive nose of mulled red and black cherries, peppery garrigue, leather, and smoked meat-like aromas and flavors. With medium to full-bodied richness on the palate, it has solid overall balance, a meaty, mouth-filling texture, and enough tannins to warrant short-term cellaring. The blend is 70% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest a mix of varieties, and this cuvée will spend two years in foudre before bottling.

Domaine Clos des Rocs Macon-Loche En Pres Foret is characterized by floral and lemony notes on the nose, the attack is fresh supported by a balanced structure enriched with wall fruit aromas.

Organic

Located high in the Pyrenees mountains, 900-1400 feet above sea level. 42% Grenache, 31% Syrah, 16% Carignan, 8% Liedoner Pellut, 3% Maccabeu. A lightly extracted, bright, chillable red. A mountain wine displaying the prettiest fruit. 11.5% abv

In fascinating contrast to “Vaillon”, Defaix’s “Côte de Lechet” is a master class in mineral precision. This remarkably steep site (a 45% gradient) with very poor soil produces a wine that Danny describes as embodying “the real, true mineral expression of Chablis.” Freshly blasted chalk dominates the nose, with notes of lemon, honey, and fresh herbs lurking underneath; still, this is a wine of minerality first and foremost. The family owns a 3.5-hectare parcel of 45-year-old vines in this distinctive cru, most of which are planted within a parcel known as the Clos des Moines.

This cuvee is sourced from vines the age of which is between 45 and 70 years. A wine of exceptional concentration for a village level appellation, this wine is always a true expression of the kimmeridgian soils that make Chablis so distinctive. Aged for thirty months before release, Defaix?????s old vines Chablis is richly dense with a classic "pierre a fusil" bouquet and long mineral-infused finish.

Organic / Biodynamic

The pale yellow robe is very clear. The nose shows a nice expression of freshness, citrus and white flowers. The mouth is fresh with a nice tonic acidity and minimality. 100% Chenin Blanc. Vineyard planted in 1984. Direct pressing. Fermentation and maturing in stainless steel temperature-regulated tanks. Tartaric stabilisation in cold room.

Organic

If we had our way, fish stores would include a bottle of Muscadet with every dozen oysters sold. But barring new regulatory measures of food and drink, picking up a bottle of Muscadet should be as much of a given as dressing for salad; bread for a sandwich; a steak knife for a steak! That's how perfect and an integral this wine is with briny, East Coast oysters (or any shellfish, truly!). Here, Pepiere's version is bright and briny, with a little lemon meringue and lemon verbena on the nose, and that clear, bracing minerality that keeps you coming back for another sip (and another oyster!). -- PJ

Organic / Biodynamic

Can be a bit reductive when first opened. Cool and elegant aromas of lemon rind, white orchard fruit and petrol lead to moderately dense and nicely rich middleweight flavors that display good length on the balanced finale that is supported by citrus-tinged acidity.

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

100% Carignan.
The grapes are hand harvested and destemmed before they are direct pressed to tank. The wine ferments for 2-3 weeks and is then transferred to grolsch-top bottles to finish fermentation in bottle as a rosé pet-nat. The wine is not disgorged and zero sulfur is added.

Being biodynamic, the winery is a diverse farm with many different animals, including of course, donkeys, but also sheep and many other animals. The donkeys are allowed to wonder amongst the vines, where they eat the garrigue and other herbs growing everywhere on this property. When Magali begins to prune in the spring, she often discovers that the donkeys have done a “pre-pruning,” having eaten some of the shoots and canes along with the garrigue. - Jenny & Francois Importer

Organic / Natural

This is PJ Wine's 2024 Wine Of The Year!
Now with a new sale price!

Organically farmed Syrah from the lieu-dit "Les Picheres", less than 2km from the vines of Domaine Alain Graillot in Crozes Hermitage. Vinified with thirty percent whole cluster, semi carbonic maceration, and aged in old neutral barrels from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.

The bouquet is enchanting, a dazzling display of white flowers, bramble fruit, and a slight note of baking spice. The fruit is lush and plush and feels incredible on the palate (semi-carbonic maceration at play). The finish is silky smooth showing great balance and drinkability. Equis is a joyful, playful wine that doesn't take itself too seriously and yet presents enough layers to keep the most classic plates engaged. This is a crowd pleaser for sure!

Maxime Graillot, the son of iconic Crozes-Hermitage producer Alain Grailliot.
100% Syrah
40+ year old vines
From the lieu-dit ?????Les Picheres?????, less than 2km from the vines of Domaine Alain Graillot
Rocky gravel terroir
30% whole cluster
Indigenous yeast
Aged in older barrels

Organic

91 points James Suckling
Strawberries, oranges and nutmeg on the nose, followed by a fresh, fruity and medium-bodied palate. Lots of juicy fruit. Drink now or hold.

Domaine des Marrans is located in Fleurie, in the heart of the northernmost section of Beaujolais. Founded in 1970, the current proprietor is the young and talented Mathieu Mélinand, who joined the family domaine in 2008. With old vines and crystalline granite sites, Mathieu is growing some of the most pristine Gamay we know. The vines are pruned in the traditional Gobelet vinetraining method and the harvest is done only by hand, using small crates to minimize oxidation. In the cellar, vinification is old school, with semi-carbonic maceration using whole clusters, minimal intervention, and only indigenous yeasts used. The wines are then aged in large older barrels for 10 months before bottling. This lineup is remarkably pure and fresh for 2015, with a grain and spice to the old vine Gamay that underlines how Mathieu nailed the harvest date for this vintage. These wines display their terroir with clear definition and racy floral deliciousness.

From four hectares across three plots in Les Marans, Les Ballis, and La Côte. Soil is granite, manganese, and sand. Vines average 40 years-old. Whole cluster fermentation in concrete vats, aged 70% in vat and 30% in used oak barrels.

This deep and rich Hermitage, from a family run operation, displays smoked cherry and berry plus dark roasted coffee, iron and red meat on the nose.? On the palate the wine is exceptionally chewy, with cassis, orange rind, and chocolate notes backed by bacon, iron and smoke tones. Excellent acidity and density make this is well-structured Hermitage worthy of additional aging to fully reveal itself.? Decant for at least an hour to serve now. - PJ

Derived from 100% Pinot Noir from the limestone/clay soils of Sancerre. This wine was vinified in stainless steel and rested on the lees for six months; this adds depth and complexity. This Rose is pale pink in color and is electric on the palate with an almost tonic quality that quenches the thirst and keeps you coming back for more. Aromatically vibrant with elegant notes of wild strawberry and citrus, this is an unbeatable summer sipper.

92+ points Wine Advocate
The 2022 Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes, vinified with 80% whole clusters, is packed with notes of juicy plums, dark cherries, mandarin oil, vine smoke and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, the wine intermingles savory flavors with a velvety concentration of fruit, supported by ripe acids and chalky tannins that daintily impart a youthful grip without any asperity, culminating in a sapid, textural finish. This is a wine to lay down for a few years.

92-94 points Burghound
This is the first wine to exhibit any appreciable reduction and it's enough to overshadow the underlying fruit at present. More interesting are the intense and super-sleek broad-shouldered flavors that exhibit excellent precision on the powerful tautly muscular and strikingly long finale. This is very impressive but also a wine that is very much constituted for the long haul. Patience advised. (Drink starting 2035)

Organic

A dark cherry color implies the fullness that is to come on the palate. Round with a full mouth feel displaying sour cherry and raspberry notes with the subtlest note of garrigue. This is one serious rose. No estate expresses the salt-kissed limestone-driven terroir of the idyllic Provencal seaside village of Cassis like Domaine du Bagnol, and the current generation, Sebastien Genovesi, crafts a rose of scintillating energy, chiseled calcareous musculature, and gleaming red fruits. Comprising 45% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvedre, Bagnol’s Cassis Rose is pressed directly and rapidly (in under two hours) to extract as little color as possible, and the bottled wine (certified organic) contains only 10 milligrams per liter of total sulfur?a factor which contributes to its gorgeous purity of texture and intense evocation of limestone. (Rosenthal Wine Import)

Organic

#99 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2025

93 points Wine Spectator
There’s brilliant freshness to this impressively concentrated, plump Chenin, with apple, pear, peach and star fruit notes showing ripeness yet crunchiness at the edges. Offers just the right hints of toasted, candied almond and pie crust, adding a pleasing element of decadence that’s well-balanced by a well of mineral, saline energy. Stunning. Drink now through 2040.

Natural / No Sulphur Added / Orange Wine

Off dry skin contact white with a natural spritz to it.Delicious!
10.5% abv

92 points Wine & Spirits Magazine
The vláhiko grape gets its name from the Vlach people, a Romance-speaking ethnic minority of the southern Balkans, extending into northern Greece. The grape is one of several indigenous varieties that Thomas Glínavos works with in his family’s vineyards near Lake Ioánnina, in semi-mountainous Epirus. Crunchy acidity points up the herbal and floral notes accenting the red fruit here. Pulsing with energy, this will take a light chill well for your next grilled lamb chop.

Organic / Biodynamic

95 points Wine Spectator
This voluptuous, full-bodied, off-dry white shows a lot of power, offering round pear, mango and honeycomb flavors that take a salty turn on the palate, with notes of brine, crushed flint and bitter almond skin, backed by a subtle hint of brioche on the finish. Opening up in the glass, this gorgeous wine offers loads of immediate charm, but should have a long life ahead in the cellar as well. Drink now through 2035.

Organic / Biodynamic

92+ points Wine Advocate
More introverted and shy in comparison to Haut-Lieu, the 2024 Vouvray Clos du Bourg Sec wafts from the glass with aromas of grapefruit, confit citrus, lime and spring flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and phenolic, it's slightly austere with a tannic mid-palate that leads to a gently bitter finish. This refined yet structured wine needs some time in the cellar to chill out. Residual sugar: eight grams per liter.

Organic / Biodynamic

Notes of lime, herbs and spring flowers preface the 2024 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Sec, a medium- to full-bodied, lively and incisive dry white with a chiseled palate framed by a delicate bitterness and a long, ethereal finish. This is a classic at this address that could gain roundness with time in the bottle. Residual sugar: 7.5 grams per liter.

Organic / Biodynamic

95-97 points Vinous
Pear and pineapple aromas meet fine, floral characters in the 2020 Demi-Sec Le Haut-Lieu. While this wine's edges are rounded, it is refined and elegant. It has a sense of density on the mid-palate, but it's not about weight or richness despite its demi-sec status. The wine has an intensity and a structured core reflecting the naturally low yields here. While there is 20g/L of residual sugar, a sense of freshness and underlying urgency pulls this wine through, leaving an off-dry impression. Unfinished sample.

95-96 points Wine Advocate
The 2020 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec is clear, pure, subtle, deep and fresh, with highly refined chalky/sandy lemon aromas. Rich and intense yet silky textured and refined on the concentrated palate, this is a juicy, highly elegant, perfectly balanced, persistently salty and mouth-salivating Haut-Lieu with very fine tannins and a long, firm and pretty powerful but elegant and complex finish. Still more stringent than the Le Mont Demi-Sec in the beginning, but after aeration, this is not just a greatly finessed Chenin but one of the finest Haut-Lieu's I have tasted from Huet. Tasted as a tank sample in April 2021.

Organic / Natural

The grapes are from old vines (60-90 years old) with granite soils and average altitudes of 400m, ocated in the "La Madone" plot in Villi??-Morgon, Beaujolais, France. The harvest is manual and the
grapes are destemmed and gently pressed. The must ferments in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures and the wine is aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. 13.5% abv

Having lived and worked among the ?????superstars????? of Beaujolais, Joseph Chamonard created a wonderful environment for his vines in Morgon. On the hill of Morgon, his vines stayed healthy without chemical assistance, remaining in their natural living soils alongside the packed earth and starved vines of his neighbors. Sadly, Joseph passed away in 1990, leaving his daughter Genevieve and her husband Jean-Claude Chanudet to carry on the health of his 4 hectare parcels, located in Corcelette, near the town of Ville-Morgon. With each successive vintage the duo has strictly kept to disavowing chemical treatments, in or out of the vineyards. Harvest is done by hand late in the season for full natural ripeness and complexity, with only natural yeasts used for fermentation and little else done outside of patient guidance to its natural end. The wine is made the traditional way with respect to nature. As some of the others of his era passing on as well (Marcel LaPierre in 2010), there is a sense that the pattern set here in Beaujolais will be altered. With so much natural beauty remaining, it will take more than a gang of four to do so, after all, it's now almost tradition.

Organic / Biodynamic