Welcome to our new website! Our original website has served us well for almost 15 years, but it’s time to update and upgrade. Please let us know what you think, we would really appreciate it.
We are offering six-pack discounts on a couple of the wines below. Six-packs ordered through the website will have discounts applied manually when we process your order.
This is a surprisingly intense white wine for less than $25 - and it’s damn delicious! The fruit, acidity, and mineral expression are in total harmony in this lushly textured wine. This Grillo was so enjoyable in our tasting office, I can only imagine how well it will go with pretty much anything coming out of the ocean - well, except all those microplastics…Enjoy now with great gusto and over the next three years. “The 2022 Grillo Timpa lifts from the glass a minty freshness, blending sweet green melon with candied lime suggestions. It's soft and enveloping, with brisk acidity ushering in citrus-tinged orchard fruits and saline minerals that add a crunchy sensation. The 2022 finishes perfumed and wickedly fresh. The mouth is left watering as barely-ripe kiwi hints fade.” - 90 Vinous
$59.89 bottle / 341.94($56.99) six-packThe Cogno family has been making wine for four generations in Piedmont. In 1990, Elvio Cogno left a long and fruitful partnership with the venerable Barolo producer Marcarini in La Morra and bought a historic 18th-century farmhouse on the top of Bricco Ravera in the commune of Novello. For the next 20 years he devoted himself to the winemaking traditions handed down to him by his father and grandfather. Cascina Nuova is the the area directly around the winery in a subsection of the super-famous Ravera vineyard. The 2019 offers all the etherial aromas that the Ravera cru is famous for along with great palate complexity and balance, but this vintage offers even greater structure and longevity than usual for this bottling. While this wine will take 10+ years to come into its own, if you're a patient person, or have a kid who was born in 2019 and want to stick some wine away for them from their birth year, this is your ticket. The fact the the Cascina Nuova sells for less than the price of average Barolo makes this wine an absolute steal. “…Elvio Cogno (is) one of Barolo’s leading estates.” - Antonio Galloni, Vinous “The 2019 Barolo Cascina Nuova is bright, effusive and beautifully lifted, right out of the gate. Crushed flowers, driesd herbs, sweet red cherry, cinnamon, spice and hard candy soar out of the glass. Bright and medium in body, with plenty of verve, the 2019 is an absolute delight. I very much like the energy here. Moreover, the incisive Ravera tannins are nicely handled. Drink 2025-2039.” - 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous
$49.99 bottle / $269.94($44.99) six-pack We had the good fortune to taste with Giacomo Bartolommei of Caprili a couple of weeks ago and were very, very impressed with his 2022 Rosso di Montalcino and 2019 Burnello di Montalcino. For years, Caprili has made not just good, but great Brunello, all the while flying under the radar because they don't have a marketing arm. With most of the great 2019 Brunello di Montalcinos costing well over $75.00, the 2019 Caprili offers thrilling Brunello at a more affordable price. Caprili has long been one of our favorite Brunello producers because they offer wonderfully complex Brunello that can be enjoyed young or cellared for many years. The 2019 Brunello offers a thrilling nose and a rich, well-balanced palate with power and elegance to spare. Beautiful fruit complements this earth-driven Brunello. Fantastic concentration and depth. “The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is remarkably pretty, wafting up with a blend of violets and lavender before giving way to steeped plum lifted by mint. This is racy and sleek, with cooling acidity and mineral tones that excite the palate. Juicy acidity enlivens tart wild berry fruits. The 2019 finds its center through the finish, as fine tannins emerge and a crunchy sensation lingers. Licorice and bitter blackberry notes taper off slowly. In a word, fantastic. The balance of complexity, structure and energy places the 2019 very high in my book. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2035.”- 95 Vinous & #15 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines 2024: This red is all about finesse, delivering superb balance and complexity, with cherry, raspberry, earth and wild herb aromas and flavors. Succulent and charming, yet with a solid base of tannins and vivid acidity, this remains focused through the long aftertaste.” - 96 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator & 95 Wine Advocate
$24.99 bottle / $125.94($20.99) six-packIf you need a delicious Tuscan red to drink while you are awaiting your Brunelli and Chianti to mature, here you go. Caprili’s Rosso di Montalcino (100% Sangiovese grosso) is from younger vines that don’t quite make the cut for their great Brunello because they don’t have the same tannic structure to allow them to age for decades and is, thus, made to be enjoyed in its youth. That doesn’t sound so bad! Caprili’s 2022 Rosso is very aromatic with classic aromas of leather, earth, oregano and warm cherries. The medium-bodied palate is savory in nature with excellent concentration. Dusty cherry fruit melds seamlessly with velvety tannins and balancing food-friendly acidity. This wine just keeps you coming back for more. Enjoy this excellent value as over the next five to seven years with all manner of pasta dressed with tomato or meat sauces, pizza, mushroom dishes, grilled sausages or burgers. “The 2022 Rosso di Montalcino is understated, dark and coy, with black fruits and savory herbal tones wafting up from the glass. It shows a pretty core of ripe wild berry fruits and tactile mineral tones that swirl beneath an air of violet inner florals. The mixes blood orange with grippy tannins through the finish, coming across as structured yet mouth-watering. Drink through 2031.” 91+ Vinous
Geek Alert!We should be thankful for the scheming of three good friends to thank for planting the only Savagnin - that we know of - in the Maconnais section of Burgundy. This collaboration was borne not just from curiousity but from the idea that the famous Jura variety might just be well suited to the chalky limestone soils of the Macon. So, in 2017, an idea became reality when they planted mere 1/2 hectare of Savagnin with the intention of creating the wine together while getting to spend more time together professionally. A win win wine if you will. Not only is the story cool and the wine unique - it's absolutely delicious! Elegant stone fruit, quince, and herbal notes are backed by a razor sharp mineral edge. The palate is met with fresh and balanced acidity but has a sort of weight that keeps drawing you back. Think lemon curd, quince, and cream. The Melting Potes (Friends):Frants Chagnoleau & Caroline Gon (stay tuned for more from these two soon!)Aline & Nicolas MailletDelphine & Sebastien Boisseau -Lance's Pick
$43.99 bottle / $239.94($39.99) six-packLong-time readers of our newsletter know that we love La Rioja Alta's great Viña Ardanza virtually every year that it's made. This vintage is a model of elegance and finesse - like some kind of dreamy hybrid of old-school Rioja and pre 1990s Bordeaux. While classic Viña Ardanza aromatics soar from the glass, the palate is ultra-silky smooth and just beginning to show its hand. The completeness of the 2017 vintage has married perfectly with the classical wine making at La Rioja Alta to produce this magnificent wine that offers incredible complexity, elegance and age-ability. Enjoy now and over the next 25+ years (for reals). “Viña Ardanza is a wine that embodies the long history of Rioja. The 2017 Reserva Viña Ardanza is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha sourced from Rioja Alta and Oriental. Aged for up to 36 months in American oak, it presents a ripe profile with aromas of black fruit, earth and balsamic, complemented by cedar and vanilla. On the palate, it is dry and rich, with a juicy texture and fine, polished tannins that culminate in a bold and lingering finish. This is a vibrant red wine with harmonious balance. Drink: 2024-2035.” - 93 Vinous“Round and silky on the palate with lovely spices and a long, nicely saline finish. A nice touch of creaminess works really well here and further extends the finish. Drink or hold.” - 95 JS / 94 WA
While most of the iconic Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines of California are from Napa, Ridge, and their bluechip Monte Bello Estate Red are from high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. For many longtime collectors, Ridge’s Monte Bello is as classic as it gets in terms of California Cabernet-based wines. We couldn’t agree more. We were blown away tasting this 2020 a couple of weeks ago. The balance (13.5% alc.), depth and sheer palate intensity are off the charts. "The extremities of the season built the character in this 2020, the vines stressed by the driest winter on record, then relieved by rain in the spring. Those vines set a small crop due to that rain, which rode through the heat spikes of June into a mild summer, then concentrated into perfumed blue and black fruit flavors as the heat returned in August. Of the 45 blocks destined for Monte Bello, 36 made the cut in 2020, a blend of 84 percent cabernet, 14 percent petit verdot, 11 percent merlot and one percent franc. John Olney and his team worked to gentle the extraction of that concentrated fruit, though they still ended up with a big, herbal cabernet, its foresty berry and plum skin flavors including touches of raisins, the tannins dry, but not severe. An elegant wine for its substantial size, this speaks of care in farming and in the “pre-industrial” winemaking strategies at Ridge: A great wine in a challenging season.” -94 Wine & Spirits
Martin Woods is one of those wineries that has caught the attention of so many Pinot Noir lovers - they’ve become an “it” winery here in Oregon. We’ve sold a ton of this wine over the last year without ever promoting it. We’re getting down to the end of the vintage, so stock up now if you would like some. “The Pinot Noir from Koosah is one of the most spice-driven among the Martin Woods releases, with green aromatic notes of mint, rose hip oil and sassafras. This wine has an alpine-like freshness. The young vines at Koosah Vineyard, sitting at the highest elevation in the Valley—a name from the Kalapuya Native American people meaning 'beautiful ceiling of the sky'—yield a beautifully balanced and vibrant wine. The vineyard’s poetic name appropriately describes the wine, which features bold aromatics yet impressive freshness on the palate, with notes of mint, pine, and green spices on the finish. It is a medium-bodied wine with soft, grippy tannins” - 96 Decanter“The medium red 2021 Pinot Noir Koosah Vineyard is outstanding and really in a great place, with notes of pristine ripe cherries, raspberries, preserved roses, and all the layers of the previous wines. It’s seamless on the palate, with plush, velvety tannins, clean, even acidity, and a lovely, tapered finish, which floats away ever so slowly. This is another outstanding wine from this site, which was purchased by Resonance (Jadot) in 2022. Drink it over the next 20 years.” - 98 Jeb Dunnuck“The 2021 Pinot Noir Koosah Vineyard, from vines planted in 2016 at 900 feet in elevation, was matured for 14 months. The nose features wild blackberries and blueberries with nuances of blood orange, lilac and earth. The medium-bodied palate is supple and mouthwatering, with finely grippy tannins reminiscent of steeped black tea. It has surprisingly concentrated, floral fruit and a fan of spice across the long finish. This expressive Pinot Noir, from relatively young vines, is delicious right now, yet it will age gracefully over the next decade.” - 95 Wine Advocate“The 2021 Pinot Noir Koosah Vineyard opens slowly in the glass as dusty rose, mint leaf and hints of sage give way to peppery wild berries and green olive nuances. Silky-smooth yet lifted and refined, this glides easily across the palate, slowly saturating, with tart red and blue fruits expertly lifted by fresh acidity. A sensation of liquid stones and black-tea-like tannins linger along with chalky mineral tones, touches of lavender and contrasting sweet spice. The 2021 is structured yet not aggressive, leaving an utterly harmonious sensation. It's impossible to ignore. Drink 2024-2032.” 93+ Vinous - Limited.
This is sumptuous 100% Mecia - the darling red variety of western Spain. Explosive aromatics give way to a palate offering lush fruit and subtle earth tones given structure by fine-grained, tannins wrapping around and iron-like mineral core. Pulsing with energy and lift, the perfectly ripe boysenberry and black current fruit settles in against a pleasing coffee note and gives this fun red a note of “seriousness.” Enjoy now and over the next few years with all manner of pork, burgers, cheese and antipasto plates.
