($14, Kobrand Wine & Spirits): 
Barbera is often a “go-to” wine for Italian food because its inherent acidity keeps it juicy and lively throughout the meal. The difficulty is that the spectrum of Barbera is enormous, from astringent and hard to swallow to captivating. … Read more
Category Archives: WRO Reviews
Michele Chiarlo, Barolo (Piedmont, Italy) “Tortoniano” 2013
($51): 
This marvelous Barolo comes from grapes grown in the Cerequio and Sarmassa vineyards. It’s classically proportioned, with a Burgundian-like sensibility of “flavor without weight.” Elegant and refined, it packs plenty of flavor without a trace of heaviness. Substantial, yet not aggressive tannins, in the finish remind you it’s a youthful Barolo. … Read more
Michele Chiarlo, Barolo (Piedmont, Italy) Cerequio 2013
($103, Kobrand Wine & Spirits): 
With the trio of producer, vintage and vineyard going for it, it’s not surprising that Chiarlo’s Cerequio is outstanding. The 2013 vintage in Barolo was very successful. Chiarlo is a top producer and Cerequio is a great vineyard. … Read more
Michele Chiarlo, Barolo (Piedmont, Italy) Cannubi 2013
($100, Kobrand Wine & Spirits): 
OMG, as good as Chiarlo’s 2013 Cerequio is, their Cannubi is just better. It stops you in your tracks. Chiarlo owns about 3 acres of Cannubi, which is Barolo’s most famous vineyard. They are so selective and quality-oriented that they usually wind up using only half of their Cannubi crop for this wine. … Read more
Dutton Estate, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch “Karmen Isabella” 2016
($46): 
There’s plenty going on in the broad-shouldered Pinot Noir. Savory leafy elements and spice complement and offset the ripe black fruit notes. Suave supple tannins lend support without being intrusive. A touch of heat in the finish — from the 14.2 percent stated alcohol — perturbs this otherwise nicely balanced wine.… Read more
Marjan Simcic, Goriska Brda (Slovenia) Rebula Medana Jama “Opoka” 2015
($35): 
Marjan Simcic, one the region’s top producers, has three tiers of wines made from Rebula (aka Ribolla Gialla). This one, from a single vineyard with 62-year old vines, is at the pinnacle. He ferments these white grapes for 16 days with the skins, just as he does for his reds, and then ages the wine in large and small oak barrels for up to two years. … Read more
Mionetto, Prosecco Treviso DOC (Veneto, Italy) Brut NV
($13): 
With a lot of producers taking advantage of the popularity of Prosecco and producing vapid characterless swill, it’s a pleasure to find a bottle of the real thing. Clean and refreshing, this one has a welcome hint of bitterness in the finish that actually amplifies the wine’s fruitiness.… Read more
Jermann, Friuli DOC (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) Pinot Grigio 2017
($23): 
Pinot Grigio has become so popular that, for many, it is a commodity, as in “I’ll have a glass of Pinot Grigio…” with no sense of site or producer. The result is that a bevy of innocuous watery Pinot Grigio have diluted (no pun intended) the wine’s reputation. … Read more
Laherte Frères, Champagne (France) “Ultradition” Rosé NV
($50, Polaner Selections): 
Made entirely from Pinot Meunier, this powerful yet graceful Champagne, shows how that grape, in the right hands, can excel. The Pinot Meunier comes from old vines, which likely explains the wine’s elegance because that grape is more often used to bring fruitiness, not finesse, to the blend. … Read more
Domaine Pinson, Chablis 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) La Forêt 2016
($44): 
Pinson, one of my favorite Chablis producers, makes wines, even their village Chablis, that are focused, precise and well-priced. This one, from a lesser known site, is quintessential Premier Cru Chablis, delivering a fine flinty stony signature that expands in the glass, but never becomes heavy or ripe. … Read more
Dutton Estate, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Chardonnay Dutton Ranch “Kyndall’s Reserve” 2016
($42): 
With its 14.7 percent stated-alcohol, this is a broad-shouldered Chardonnay. Fruit-focused and framed with subtle flavors from oak aging, it is actually balanced considering its size. Its overt, up-front flavors would go well with sautéed veal or a roast chicken.… Read more
La Crema, Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2016
($25): 
La Crema sources the grapes for this Pinot Noir from the potentially better-suited vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. Compared to their Monterey bottling, the sweetness in this one is replaced by bright, ripe red fruit notes mixed with alluring herbal and leafy flavors. … Read more
La Crema, Monterey (Central Coast, California) Pinot Noir 2016
($23): 
It’s difficult to find reasonable Pinot Noir under $25 a bottle because it is a difficult grape to grow and even more difficult to turn into wine, especially if the producer doesn’t limit yield. In this one, La Crema balances a hint of cherry-like sweetness with briary elements. … Read more
Marqués de Murrieta, Rioja Reserva (Spain) 2014
($26): 
This mid-weight red is a spectacular bargain, which should not come as a surprise because Marqués de Murrieta is one of the leaders in the Rioja. A blend of mostly Tempranillo (84%) with Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha, it manages to delivers both fruity and savory elements enrobed by fine tannins. … Read more
Bodegas Terras Gauda, O Rosal, Rias Baixas (Spain) 2017
($21): 
O Rosal, named for a sub-region of Rias Baixas, is the flagship of Bodegas Terras Gauda, one of the region’s top producers, according to their website. The addition of Caiño and Loureiro to the blend adds roundness and complexity to the cutting spiciness that Albariño, the predominant grape of the region, brings to the table. … Read more
Luis Anxo Rodriguez Vázquez, Ribeiro (Galicia, Spain) “Eidos Ermos” 2016
($16, Skurnik Wines): 
Luis Anxo Rodriguez Vázquez has at least two things working against him, his size and location. He has just over 12 acres spread over 100 tiny plots in the rather obscure DO of Ribeiro. What he has going for him is the ability to make excellent wine. … Read more
Llopart, Cava (Spain) Brut Nature Reserva 2015
($23): 
Llopart consistently gets it right because they are one of the oldest producers of Cava. The Brut Nature category requires the best grapes because regulations require that sugar, which could potentially mask flaws, may not be added during dosage. Unsurprisingly, Llopart got it right with this 2015 Reserva. … Read more
Famille Hugel, Alsace (France) Gewurztraminer “Classic” 2014
($23, Frederick Wildman and Sons): 
Gewürztraminer, with its overtly spicy and floral components, is a wine people either love or hate. Although I’m in the “love” category, I still find it frustrating because of the unknown level of sweetness it conveys, from steely dry to rather sweet. … Read more
Grgich Hills Estate, Napa Valley (California) Chardonnay Estate Grown 2015
($43): 
Grgich Hills Estate is certainly among California’s leading producers across the board, and especially for Chardonnay. Indeed, year in and year out, they produce excellent examples. This wonderfully full-bodied wine manages to maintain balance with zippy crisp acidity and whiff of smokiness. … Read more
Grgich Hills Estate, Napa Valley (California) Chardonnay “Legacy Selection: Paris Tasting Commemorative” 2015
($95): 
As much as I love Grgich’s “regular” (though there’s nothing at all regular about it) Chardonnay, this Legacy Selection is just show-stopping. For all its power and intensity, it is amazingly refined and graceful. The phrase, “iron fist in a velvet glove,” is usually reserved for red wines, but it is equally applicable here. … Read more
Eugenio Collavini, Friuli Colli Orientali (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy) Ribolla Gialla Turian 2016
($25): 
I love the sound — ree-bow-la jala — when ordering this wine. The only problem is the plethora or styles — barrel fermented, orange or this beautifully fresh and vibrant version by Collavini. There is no warning on the label alerting the consumer to the style, so once again, it’s producer, producer, producer. … Read more
Eugenio Collavini, Vino Spumante di Qualitá (Friuli, Italy) Ribolla Gialla Brut 2014
($20): 
You’re excused if you’ve never heard of the Ribolla Gialla grape, which is unique to the Fruili region in northeastern Italy and adjacent Slovenia. Even most of those who have heard of the grape don’t realize that it can be used for sparkling wine as well as still. … Read more
Bouvet-Ladubay, Crémant de Loire (Loire Valley, France) “Brut Excellence” 2015
($17, Kobrand Wine & Spirits): 
Taittinger, a top Champagne house, has owned Bovet-Ladubay since the mid-1970s and that likely explains, at least in part, the wine’s elegance and focus. A blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay, this bubbly is steely, crisp, and refreshing. … Read more
Georges Duboeuf, Pays d’Oc (Languedoc, France) Chardonnay 2017
($12, Quintessential): 
Georges DuBoeuf, whose name is synonymous with Beaujolais and Flower Bottles, is expanding yet again to the south of France. He’s no stranger to Chardonnay, bottling some excellent examples from closer to home in the Mâconnais, such as a delightful Mâcon-Villages and an even more up-scale Pouilly Fuissé. … Read more
Lucien Albrecht, Alsace (France) Gewurztraminer Reserve 2016
($22, Foley Family Artisan Imports & Spirits): 
Gewürztraminer, a wine that consumers either love or hate, can be challenging to order because its level of sweetness varies. Fortunately, Albrecht has placed a sweetness scale used by many Riesling producers on the back label to guide consumers. … Read more
Léon Beyer, Alsace (France) Gewurztraminer 2015
($28, Banville Wine Merchants): 
Léon Beyer is a good name to remember when buying Alsace wines because theirs are always precise and excellent. This Gewürztraminer, for example, his bone dry, almost steely, accented by the spiciness for which the grape is known. … Read more
Mt. Beautiful, North Canterbury (New Zealand) Pinot Noir 2016
($29, Broadbent Selections): 
Truly beautiful. It delivers the classic balance of earth and fruit that makes Pinot Noir a unique grape. Plenty of leafy savory notes balance dark fruit flavors in this refined wine. Fine tannins make it a joy to drink now. … Read more
Feudi di San Gregorio, Falanghina del Sannio (Campania, Italy) 2017
($14, Terlato Wines International): 
Floral and fruity with mouth-cleansing zestiness, this Falanghina is ideal for summer sipping — and drinking. Enhanced by a hint of an almost white pepper-like spice, it is a tremendous value to cut through August’s humidity and accompany light pasta dishes or simply grilled fish.… Read more
Domaine Spiropoulos, Mantinia (Peloponnese Peninsula, Greece) Moschofilero 2015
($15, Athenee Importers and Distributors): 
The Moschofilero grape has a pinkish purplish skin, which explains why this wine has a delicate pink hue, not enough color for a rosé, but enough to make you wonder. One sip, however, tells you this wine has more character than most rosés. … Read more
Claude Branger, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie (Loire Valley, France) “Le Fils des Gras Moutons” 2016
($13, Vintage ’59 Imports): 
Claude Branger along with his wife, Thérèse, and son, Sébastien, run this family property, also known as Domaine Haut Févrie. They are an exceptional team, insisting on hand harvesting, which is unusual in Muscadet, and committed to converting fully to organic production. … Read more
Aimé Boucher, Rosé d’Anjou (Loire Valley, France) 2017
($13, Vintners Alliance): 
Rosé d’Anjou always has a hint — sometimes more — of sweetness since regulations require a minimum of 7 grams of residual sugar per liter. In my mind, the residual sugar in this rosé does what it does in German Kabinett wines: it amplifies the fruitiness without imparting a cloying sweetness because of the wine’s inherent vibrant and balancing acidity. … Read more
Domaine du Petit Clocher, Anjou (Loire Valley, France) 2016
($13, Misa Imports Inc): 
Sooner or later, consumers will discover the joys of red wine from Anjou. And of course, then the price will go up. But for now, stock up on this mid-weight red. Pleasantly austere, this Cabernet Franc-based wine focuses on herbal notes as opposed to just ripe fruity one. … Read more
Maison Roche de Bellene, Coteaux Bourguignons (Burgundy, France) “Bellenos” Cuvée Rouge 2016
($15, Loosen Bros. USA): 
Created in 2011 and replacing the very down-market sounding appellation, Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire, Coteaux Bourguignons encompasses all vineyards from around Chablis in the north to Beaujolais in the south. For reds, the allowable grapes include Pinot Noir, Gamay, and César, a lesser-known grape grown around the Chablis area. … Read more
Aveleda, Vinho Verde (Portugal) 2017
($10, Now Wine Imports): 
Aveleda’s Vinho Verde is the perfect antidote for the current heat and humidity gripping the East Coast. A blend of a number of Portuguese indigenous varieties, chiefly Loureiro and Alvarinho, it’s refreshingly crisp — almost spritz — and cutting. … Read more
Pieropan, Soave Classico (Veneto, Italy) 2016
($18): 
Wines, such as this one, explain the popularity of Soave. Sadly, Soave’s image tarnished over the years as industrial producers capitalized on the name’s popularity sacrificing quality along the way. Fortunately, a few producers, such as Pieropan, never wavered in their focus on producing distinctive, high-quality wines reflective of the unique volcanic soil in the hilly heart, or Classico, subzone. … Read more
Domaine Sainte Marie, Côtes de Provence (France) “VieVité” 2017
($19, Turquoise Life): 
VieVité uses a rectangular-shaped bottle to distinguish it from a the even increasing array of other pink wines that line retailers’ shelves. A blend of equal parts of the usual Mediterranean grapes, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah with Carignan accounting for the remaining 10 percent, this pale pink wine delivers delicate, yet persistent notes of strawberries buttressed by enlivening freshness.… Read more
Pierre-Marie Chermette, Fleurie (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) Les Garants 2016
($26, Weygandt-Metzler): 
Pierre-Marie Chermette’s Fleurie Garants, though on the same pink granite soil as their Fleurie Poncié, comes from a southwest facing slope, which exposes it to warmer afternoon sun. Still highlighting the mineral component, it’s a slightly firmer, more muscular wine that maintains the incredible suaveness, which is always present in Chermette’s wines.… Read more
Pierre-Marie Chermette, Fleurie (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) Poncié 2016
($26, Weygandt-Metzler): 
Pierre-Marie Chermette, a well-regarded producer in Fleurie, one of the cru of Beaujolais, focuses on terroir — site specificity — in keeping with the tradition in the rest of Burgundy. Chermette produces two excellent, but very different Fleurie, this one from Poncié and one from a slope called Garants.… Read more
Gustave Lorentz, Alsace (France) Pinot Noir “Le Rosé” 2017
($18, Quintessential): 
Although most people, with good reason, associated Alsace with white wines, such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir actually accounts for roughly 10 percent of plantings in that region. This rosé of Pinot Noir comes from grapes planted at the foot and just outside of the Grand Cru vineyard, Altenberg de Bergheim. … Read more
Bedell Cellars, North Fork of Long Island (New York) Viognier 2017
($21): 
Bedell, one of the stars of the Long Island wine producers, has done a masterful job with this Viognier, a notoriously difficult grape to get right. Normally Viognier needs full ripeness to deliver its characteristic floral flavors, often resulting in an alcoholic and heavy wine. … Read more
Allegrini, Veronese IGT (Veneto, Italy) “Palazzo della Torre” 2014
($18): 
Allegrini, a top-tier producer, is one of the locomotives in the Valpolicella area, introducing many consumers to the joys of the wines from that part of Italy. They make an outstanding line-up of wines across the board. Their Palazzo della Torre, a kind of a baby Amarone, is a blend of Corvina and Rondinella whose body has been pumped up with a portion of dried grapes that they add to the newly made wine. … Read more
Argiano, Rosso Toscano IGT (Tuscany, Italy) “Non Confunditur” 2015
($20): 
Argiano, a top Brunello producer, has, liked many other producers in the region, branched out from producing Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. Non Confunditur, which in Latin means unique or unmistakable, is a balanced blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese that works very nicely. … Read more
Renato Ratti, Barbera d’Asti (Piedmont, Italy) “Battaglione” 2016
($18): 
Full disclosure: I love Barbera. Mild tannins and bright acidity allow you to chill it in the summer, which amplifies its spicy fruity nature. Its bold flavors hold up to hearty pasta dishes and even grilled meat. The problem is that there is a lot of mediocre — or worse — Barbera in the market. … Read more
Maison Louis Latour, Montagny 1er Cru (Burgundy, France) La Grande Roche 2015
($22, Louis Latour USA): 
The 2015 vintage in Burgundy–and most of France for that matter — produced excellent reds, with ripeness and presence. Whites were less consistent because sometimes the warmth of the vintage robbed them of needed acidity. But when producers harnessed the ripeness without losing acidity, as with this wine, the result is stunning. … Read more
Domaine Parent, Pommard (Burgundy, France) La Croix Blanche 2016
($89, A Jeanne-Marie des Champs Selection): 
To me the talents of a producer shine when they make great wine from less than great sites. Domaine Parent does that consistently, though they also make great wine from great sites, as their 2016 Les Chaponnières shows. … Read more
Domaine Parent, Pommard (Burgundy, France) Les Chaponnières 2016
($144, A Jeanne-Marie des Champs Selection): 
As enthusiastic as I am about Parent’s village wine, La Croix Blanche, Parent’s Les Chaponnières shows the glory of a premier cru. Although it’s a touch more powerful, it’s really the wine’s elegance and complexity that puts it into a different category. … Read more
Domaine Jacques Prieur, Clos Vougeot (Burgundy, France) 2016
($305, Frederick Wildman and Sons): 
Given the horrendous weather during the 2016 growing season in Burgundy, it’s amazing that growers made any wine at all. Sadly, some did not since entire vineyards were wiped out by hail. Many producers had written off vintage, prematurely, as it turned out. … Read more
Domaine Labruyère, Moulin-à-Vent (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) “Coeur de Terroirs” 2016
($27, Frederick Wildman and Sons): 
Domaine Labruyère, a serious producer based in Moulin-à-Vent, has a variety of bottlings from that Beaujolais cru. This one, a blend of grapes from older vines and aged in older oak barrels, reminds us of just how good and exciting wines from Moulin-à-Vent can be. … Read more
Domaine Labruyère, Moulin-à-Vent (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) “Le Clos” 2016
($36, Frederick Wildman and Sons): 
I hear it already, “How can you give Beaujolais 95 points?” First, this is not Beaujolais really; it’s from Moulin-à-Vent, arguable the best of the 10 cru of Beaujolais, which taken together, are in a class by themselves. … Read more
Clos de Nouys, Vouvray (Loire Valley, France) Sec 2016
($22): 
Vouvray is potentially one of the world’s great wines. Made from Chenin Blanc, a grape that, like Riesling or Chardonnay, can transmit the flavors of the site beautifully. But sadly, buying it is tricky and can be frustrating because it has a wide range of styles, from sweet to dry and riveting. … Read more