($139, Vintus): 
Bollinger’s 2014 is an outstanding wine, filled with paradoxes. Which, of course, is one reason it’s so wonderful. Its power and simultaneous restraint is perplexing. Tightly wound at this stage, its power is still apparent, like a tiger ready to leap. … Read more
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San Felice, Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione (Tuscany, Italy) “Poggio Rosso” 2016
($70, Vision Wine and Spirits): 
Gran Selezione is a relatively new, not even a decade old, category of Chianti Classico. It sits at the pinnacle of the region’s quality pyramid, which now has the three levels: annata or regular bottling, Riserva, and finally Gran Selezione. … Read more
Campogiovanni, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (Tuscany, Italy) 2016
($63, Vision Wine and Spirits): 
San Felice, a top Chianti Classico producer, also owns the Campogiovanni estate in Montalcino. They produced a stunning Brunello in 2016. The San Felice’s wines always express power, but they manage to modulate it so that the terroir is not overwhelmed. … Read more
Zorutti, Collio DOP (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy) Pinot Grigio 2020
($15): 
Italy produces roughly 40 percent of all Pinot Grigio even though that grape is not native variety to that country, according to Daniele Cernilli, one of the world’s experts on Italian wines. As it has become an extremely popular wine in the U.S.,… Read more
Cobue, Lugana DOC (Lombardy, Italy) “Monte Lupo” 2020
($12): 
Lugana, a DOC on the southern shore of Lake Garda in Northern Italy, is a name to remember for white wines. The primary grape is Turbiana, also known as Trebbiano di Lugana. Locals prefer Turbiana, the historical name, to dissociate it from the mostly down-market family of varieties and grape strains associated with the Trebbiano name. … Read more
Antico Monastero, Moscato d’Asti DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2021
($15): 
This wine is bottled summertime. Spritz balances the healthy amount of residual sugar so it’s not cloying, just refreshing. And all of 5.5 percent stated alcohol means you can drink it all afternoon by the pool this summer. Or use it as a zippy and sweet aperitivo. … Read more
Marchesi di Barolo, Langhe Nebbiolo (Piedmont, Italy) “Sbirolo” 2020
($26, Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd.): 
The name of this wine, Sbirolo, which means someone with an extroverted personality in the local dialect, describes the wine perfectly. A more succinct translation is “rascal.” This Sbirolo is expressive and in-your-face in a very nice way. … Read more
Mauro Veglio, Barolo (Piedmont, Italy) 2018
($45): 
This family-owned firm makes a range of Barolo from four of the important vineyards or cru in the DOCG and this one, made from grapes grown in La Morra and Monforte d’Alba where they also have vineyards. It’s a masterful blend that shows the value of the tradition of blending from throughout the Barolo DOCG versus the more recent trend towards single vineyard bottling. … Read more
Marchesi di Barolo, Barolo (Piedmont, Italy) “Barolo del Comune di Barolo” 2016
($63, Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd.): 
The combination of an outstanding vintage (2016) and an outstanding producer (Marchesi di Barolo) equals an outstanding wine. The wine is a blend from their vineyards within in the municipality of Barolo, one of the 11 villages that comprise the DOCG and the one from which the DOCG takes its name. … Read more
La Casaccia, Barbera del Monferrato DOC (Piedmont, Italy) “Giuanin” 2019
($25): 
La Casaccia, a family-run winery with 20 acres of vines, has always been ahead of the curve. They started farming organically two decades ago, well before it became popular. For those unfamiliar with Barbera, and even for those who know that grape well, this is a beautiful example. … Read more
Marchesi di Barolo, Barbera d’Asti (Piedmont, Italy) “Peiragal” 2018
($27, Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd.): 
In 1980, Ernesto, the patriarch of the family, either foolishly or prophetically planted Barbera in the Paiagallo vineyard, one of Barolo’s top vineyards for Nebbiolo. Valentina, his daughter, recounted that her father replaced the more valuable Nebbiolo vines with Barbera, even though he realized it was not in his economic interest. … Read more
Davis Bynum, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Sauvignon Blanc Virginia’s Block, Jane’s Vineyard 2020
($25): 
This mid-weight Sauvignon Blanc delivers plenty of concentration along with balancing energy. Its 14.5 percent stated alcohol announces itself with a touch of heat in the finish, but the overall effect is not one of heaviness, just intensity. It is a Sauvignon Blanc with power, which makes it a fine choice with tomato-based seafood dishes.… Read more
Dry Creek Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County, California) Sauvignon Blanc “Fumé Blanc” 2020
($20): 
Dry Creek Vineyard has always excelled with Sauvignon Blanc. And the 2020 is no exception. A trio of Sauvignon species, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musqué, and Sauvignon Gris, comprise the blend of this winsome wine. Dry Creek names it Fume Blanc to remind the consumer it’s a Loire style of Sauvignon Blanc — zippy and mineraly — in contrast to those coming from Bordeaux. … Read more
Dry Creek Vineyard, Clarksburg (California) Dry Chenin Blanc 2020
($16): 
If there is a California Chenin Blanc that’s more enjoyable than Dry Creek Vineyard’s, I would like someone to tell me. Crisp and clean, it conveys a delicate fruitiness. Light and airy — only 12 percent stated alcohol — its verve and floral fruitiness are in perfect harmony. … Read more
Roger Goulart, Cava Gran Reserva (Penedès, Spain) Brut 2012
($20, Arano LLC): 
The Cava category, Spain’s unique sparkling wine, has several levels. One level below the pinnacle is Gran Reserva, a wine that must see at least 30 months of aging on the lees. Goulart doubles that and then adds another 12 months for good measure. … Read more
Bodegas Valdesil, Valdeorras (Galicia, Spain) Godello “Montenovo” 2020
($16, Polaner Selections): 
Valdesil, a winery synonymous with top-notch Godello, makes a lovely array of wines from that under-appreciated grape. This fresh and clean one is their “entry-level” wine. And what an entry it is! It’s a splendid introduction to Valdesil’s talents and the beauty of the wines made from this grape. … Read more
Château d’Épiré, Savennières (Loire Valley, France) 2018
($26, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants): 
Chenin Blanc makes a wide range of wine, from this bone-dry version to fruity ones and lusciously sweet examples. Although regulations for Savennières, a small 350-acre appellation on the north side of the Loire River just southwest of Angers, allow for sweet wines, in reality the vast majority of wines from the appellation are dry. … Read more
Lucien Le Moine, Bourgogne Blanc (Burgundy, France) 2019
($62, vintus): 
Like Lucien Le Moine’s Bourgogne Rouge, the white punches far above its weight class. It delivers better concentration and depth than you would reasonably expect from this lowly appellation, especially since it weighs in at a modest 13 percent stated-alcohol. … Read more
Lucien Le Moine, Santenay 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) Clos Rousseau 2019
($100, Vintus): 
The wines from Santenay, an often-overlooked village of the Côte de Beaune, often display a touch of rusticity, charming in good hands, less charming in others. Clos Rousseau sits at the southern end of Santenay on the border with Maranges. … Read more
Lucien Le Moine, Bourgogne Rouge (Burgundy, France) 2019
($62, Vintus): 
Lucien Le Moine, a tiny “boutique” négociant, bottles only about 100 barrels of premier and grand cru red and white Burgundies annually (about 2,500 12-bottle cases). They are of uniformly high-quality, in short supply, and expensive. He also produces a Bourgogne Rouge and Bourgogne Blanc that are more readily available and punch far above their weight class. … Read more
Jacques Lurton, Entre Deux Mers (Bordeaux, France) Sauvignon Blanc “Diane” 2020
($14): 
If there is anyone who can made wine from Sauvignon Blanc, it’s Jacques Lurton, from the family that owns many properties through Bordeaux that produce a consistently stunning array of wines, both red and white. This lean and crisp Sauvignon Blanc conveys an appealing herbaceous aspect. … Read more
The 2017 Brunellos: Like Wagner’s Music-Not as Bad as It Sounds
In the two years of this pandemic, I’ve been reluctant to attend public tastings. I’ve been to exactly two. A group of maskless people—spitting—seems like a very high-risk activity. The two tastings, assessing the 2016 and 2017 vintages of Brunello di Montalcino, indicate of the importance I attach to the wines of that tiny Tuscan town.
… Read more Domaine P-L & J-F Bersan, Cuvée Marianne, Irancy, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
Though they have a hectare of vines in Irancy, their Cuvée Marianne comes from Pinot Noir—and a tiny amount of César—from two lieux-dits, Les Rez and La Grande Côte Est, that they buy from a neighbouring grower.
Christophe Ferrari Domaine St. Germain, Plein Sud, Irancy. Burgundy, 2019
Drinking Window: 2023 – 2029
The Plein Sud designation refers to the origin of the grapes, which come from the three communes, Vincelottes, Cravant, and Irancy itself, that make up the appellation. The cooler nights of the 2019 vintage provided balancing freshness to the wine’s darker fruit flavours.
Irancy: regional profile plus 20 wines to try
The AVAs and Wines of The Willamette Valley
An Early Look at the Excellent 2020 Vintage in Burgundy
The 2020 Burgundies, both reds and whites, are, in short, excellent, making it the the best vintage from that area since 2015. It’s been over a decade—2010—since a vintage has excelled in both colors. Offers for these 2020s as futures are just starting to appear. … Read more
RGNY, North Fork of Long Island (New York) Viognier 2020
($27): 
RGNY stands for Rivero González New York. The family started in the wine business in 1998 in Parras Coahuila Mexico. Two decades later they acquired the Martha Clara Winery on the North Fork of Long Island. They have made a brilliant 2020 Viognier, a difficult grape to turn into an elegant wine because it needs to be fairly ripe to exhibit its charms. … Read more
Paumanok Vineyards, North Fork of Long Island (New York) Chenin Blanc 2020
($26): 
Paumanok Vineyards excels with Chenin Blanc. It’s always a delight. The 2020 is no exception. Crisp with a delicate fruitiness, it conveys the barest hint of sweetness. Its vibrant and balancing acidity, along with a modest 11 percent-stated alcohol, makes it an exciting wine to pair with sushi, spicy Asian fare, BBQ, or just sipping it as an aperitif. … Read more
Lieb Cellars, North Fork of Long Island (New York) Pinot Blanc 2020
($20): 
Engaging hints of white flowers are immediately apparent and predict a lovely wine. That prediction is correct. This Pinot Blanc is charming, crisp and clean. It may be lightweight in alcohol — 11.9 percent stated — but not in flavor or satisfaction. … Read more
Channing Daughters, Long Isand (New York) “Rosso Fresco” 2019
($23): 
Channing Daughters has always been an oddball on Long Island. Firstly, the deceased Walter Channing founded the winery on Long Island’s South Fork, as opposed to the North Fork where 90 percent of Long Island’s wineries are located. Secondly, he planted oddball grapes — at least for Long Island — including Dorfelder and Lagrein, to name just two. … Read more
Moulin de Chauvigné, Coteaux du Layon (Loire Valley, France) 2018
($19, Deprez Wines): 
Looking for a wine with a cheese course? Look no further. Producers in the Coteaux de Layon, a small appellation in the Loire, transform the Chenin Blanc grape into lush sweet wines, such as this one. Dark straw yellow, the wine delivers a honeyed richness first in its aromas and then on the palate. … Read more
Profile: Mazzei Castello di Fonterutoli, Toscana IGT “Siepi” 2019
Siepi, a single vineyard blend of roughly equal amounts of Sangiovese and Merlot, is a true Super Tuscan wine. The vineyard, believed to be one of the oldest in Italy, dates from the 15th century if not earlier, its existence having been noted in a document from 1435. … Read more
Gambal-Work, Sta. Rita Hills (Central Coast, California) Chardonnay Bentrock Vineyard 2018
($45): 
It should come as no surprise that Gambal-Work’s Chardonnay should be outstanding, considering the beauty of Alex Gambal’s white Burgundies. This tightly wound one from the Bentrock vineyard displays a chalky minerality reminiscent of a top Chassagne-Montrachet. Youthful and reticent, it needs time in the glass to express itself. … Read more
Gambal-Work, Sta. Rita Hills (Central Coast, California) Pinot Noir Francesca Vineyard 2018
($65): 
The Gambal is Alex Gambal, an American who moved to Burgundy in 1993, worked for a wine broker in Beaune, attended enology school there, and eventually established his eponymous winery in 1997. Over the ensuing 20+ years, he made an array of excellent Burgundies and established himself as a top small producer. … Read more
Gambal-Work, Sta. Rita Hills (Central Coast, California) Pinot Noir Bentrock Vineyard 2018
($65): 
The darker, more mineral profile of Gambal-Work’s Bentrock Pinot Noir is reminiscent of a Burgundy from the Côtes de Nuits. It has the same splendid duality that the Francesca Pinot Noir conveys, but with more black (rather than red) fruit and a deeper, more tar-like mineral component, reflecting a warmer site. … Read more
Viñedos y Bodegas Garcia Figuero, Ribera del Duero Crianza (Spain) Tempranillo “Tinto Figuero 12” 2017
($31, Quintessential Wines): 
It always amazes me, though it shouldn’t, how different Tempranillo is when planted in Ribera del Duero compared to Rioja. This one conveys a splendid mixture of black fruit and tarry minerality. Moderate tannins and good acidity lend support to this muscular, but not overdone, wine. … Read more
Faustino, Cava Reserva (Penedès, Spain) Brut NV
($19, Pacific Highway Wines & Spirits): 
Cava, as most people know, is a D.O. (Spanish equivalent of an appellation) located in the northeast part of the country that produces sparkling wines using the same secondary in-bottle fermentation used in Champagne. Cava Reserva means that the wine has been aged on the lees for a minimum of 18 months (compared to 9 months for non-reserva), which means they take on additional complexity from contact with the dead yeast (the lees). … Read more
Quinta do Vesuvio, Douro DOC (Portugal) Pombal do Vesuvio 2018
($26, Premium Port Wines, Inc): 
Portugal’s Douro Valley, once known exclusively for Port, is, increasingly, home to dry, non-fortified wines. Symington Family Estate, one of the top Port producers, has fashioned this robust one from the Pombal vineyard located at their Vesuvio estate. … Read more
Maison Anselmet, Vallée d’Aoste DOP (Italy) Pinot Noir “Semel Pater” 2019
($53): 
France meets Italy. Yes, Italy’s Aosta Valley borders France, but it is still a part of Italy. So, why is the appellation for this wine and the name of the producer in French? Shouldn’t it be DOC Valle d’Aosta and Tenuta instead of Maison? … Read more
Benjamin Leroux, Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) La Piece Sous le Bois 2019
($125, Becky Wasserman Selection): 
In a word, wow! Airy and mineraly, this Meursault has an underlying richness. All its glory is amplified by leaving the bottle re-corked in the fridge overnight. It’s like a cross between Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, which given the location of the vineyard, high on the slope (literally, the area under the forest) bordering Puligny, makes sense. … Read more
Benjamin Leroux, Savigny-les-Beaune (Burgundy, France) 2019
($49, Becky Wasserman Selection): 
Benjamin Leroux is a small négociant who shows that, with all the fuss about growers, négociant is not a bad word. I tasted an extensive line-up of his staggeringly good barrel samples of his 2020s in November, which made me open some of the 2019s I had purchased. … Read more
Benjamin Leroux, Blagny 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) La Piece Sous le Bois 2019
($80, Becky Wasserman Selection): 
The hamlet of Blagny sits high on the slope within the limits of Meursault and adjacent to Puligny-Montrachet. Red wines from this terroir carry the Blagny appellation, while whites are labeled Meursault-Blagny. The elevation of the site, which keeps the grapes cool, plus the talent of Benjamin Leroux accounts for the wine’s charm and balance. … Read more
Sequoia Grove Winery, Napa Valley (California) Chardonnay 2020
($20): 
Given the massive character of their Cabernet Sauvignon, I expected Sequoia Grove’s Chardonnay to follow in that style, but it doesn’t. It delivers a balanced package of both richness and restraint. Good acidity keeps it fresh. But it’s not so aggressive that you couldn’t enjoy a glass by itself before dinner. … Read more
Sequoia Grove Winery, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
($46): 
Again, an over-sized bottle accurately predicts the size of the wine. Ripe dark fruit flavors and even a hint of chocolate lead in this robust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. A few savory notes — spice and herbs — peek out as it sits in the glass. … Read more
Sullivan Rutherford Estate, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon “Coeur de Vigne” 2018
($110): 
Sullivan Rutherford Estate has included a splash of Merlot (20 percent) and a seasoning of Petit Verdot (2 percent) in this refined Cabernet Sauvignon bottling. It delivers appealing complexity — a bit of everything and not too much of anything. … Read more
Montecillo, Rioja DOC Reserva (Spain) 2013
($15, Evaton Inc): 
One of the delightful aspects about Rioja is the tradition of making Reserva wines by aging them before release. This practice gives the consumer an opportunity to taste the magical transformation of a simple fruit-driven young wine to one that displays a complexity array of savory nuances and non-fruit flavors. … Read more
Vilarnau, Cava DO (Penedes, Spain) “Barcelona” Reserva Brut, Trencadís Edition NV
($15, Gonzalez Byass): 
Don’t let the atypical packaging — an abstract art mosaic covering the entire bottle — put you off. Nor that a company best known for their Sherry is making Cava. A blend of two traditional grapes used for Cava, Macabeo and Parelleda, along with an atypical one, Chardonnay, Vilarnau provides a creaminess offset by a hint of bitterness. … Read more
Genagricola, Friuli DOC (Venezia Giulia, Italy) Pinot Grigio “Poggiobello” 2020
($25, Montcalm Wine Importers): 
Anyone who wants to know why Pinot Grigio became so popular should taste this wine. And then lament that more PG, as it is sometimes known, doesn’t deliver this much enjoyment. Its fresh and white flower aromas are immediately captivating. … Read more
Livon, Friuli Colli Orientali (Venezia Giulia, Italy) Pinot Grigio 2020
($16, Angelini Wine Company): 
Though an entirely different style of Pinot Grigio from the Poggiobello (also reviewed this week), Livon’s is equally enjoyable. It transmits the barest hint of copper color that comes from normal coloration of the Pinot Grigio grape when there has been some skin contact during fermentation. … Read more