Absolu Chardonnay

This is grown on eroded limestone and clay in one of the newer classified spots along the Mediterranean Sea. Night harvesting helps retain acidity and that’s important in a place that might as well be a beach in Capri were it not for the surrounding vines and the winds coming down off the mountains to the north and west. This is fermented partly in stainless steel and partly in barrel, but all of the wine spends a year in French oak.

Alexana Pinot Noir Terroir Series

Dr. Madaiah Revana created this estate in 2005 fulfilling an obsession with Pinot Noir. Alexana is named after his daughter and is located in the Dundee Hills appellation. Revana Estate is 80 acres, L.I.V.E. Certified, and planted to ten clones of Pinot Noir on those eighteen different soils. Each block is vinified separately and then blended together and aged for eleven months in one-third new French oak barrels.

Antoine de la Farge L'Enfant Rebelle

European AOC system sets the boundaries of any winegrowing region; the idea is that the best and appropriate area is reserved for the AOC’s. That means that there are other places that can make high quality wine but simply don’t fit within the AOC boundaries. That includes this site just outside of the established Loire Valley vineyards where delicious Sauvignon Blanc can be made, similarly to Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, but not at similar pricing.

Antoine de la Farge L'Enfant Rebelle Rose

Here Antoine de la Farge employs what he calls a “back of the truck maceration”, by leaving the juice and skins together just long enough to transport the must from the vineyard to the winery. You get some strawberry and red currant notes, and the wine is a light, pretty pink from only an hour or two on the skins.

Antoine de la Farge Sancerre

This small domaine in the heart of Menetou-Salon was created in 2003 by Laurence and Géraud de Farge. Laurence’s father Bernard was involved in setting up the Menetou-Salon appellation in 1959, one of those “other” areas of the Loire Valley that are providing great value. But Sancerre is still hard to beat, especially in an era of climate change.

Aquilini A56 Red Blend

Aurore de Dauzac

Margaux always sounds intimidating, right? “Oh, excuse me, I only drink Margaux.” Relax — it’s still just fermented grape juice. Really good fermented grape juice… that I’m probably drinking in sweatpants while reheating leftover pizza. This is the second wine of Château Dauzac, a Fifth Growth estate that’s been making wine since the Middle Ages. It’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, plush with blackberries, plums, and a little cedar. Aged for a year in French oak, it’s polished and elegant — or at least as elegant as you can feel when you’re pairing it with last night’s Domino’s.

Austin Hope "Austin"

The “Austin” wine is a multiple vintage blend of vineyards in the region; think of it as the ultimate winemaker’s craft for his own table.

Balcon sur la Mer Rose

The first time I ever saw this bottle and tried the wine, I kinda felt like I was transported onto a luxurious vacation. Someplace like Saint Barths. But I'm not paying and someone is just pouring me lovely rosé in infinite quantities as my feet rest in the sand. Balcon delivers everything you want in a great rosé in spades. This unctuous pink wine is dry, stony, fruity, lengthy. Comprised of Grenache, Grenache Gris and Mourvedre.

Belcoop Red

The massive Pays d’Oc covers the greater part of Mediterranean France. After the railroad was built, linking the south to Paris, wines of the Languedoc filled the carafes of Parisian bistros, and they still do today. But the last century has seen vast improvements to the wines that once were built only for value. The rest is traditionally made; though used and funky barrels are no longer the norm in the Languedoc, where this tasty wine is crafted.

Belcoop White

Grenache Blanc is a work in progress, but only because the consumer is still discovering it. With enough sunshine, Grenache Blanc can develop weight and power. The wine is fermented like Chardonnay in some ways, though the stainless steel variety; its lees are stirred in the tank, creating greater richness and texture, and Grenache Blanc is very happy that way. You will be too.

Belleplane Chardonnay

In France, the grape is sometimes secondary - it’s the place that counts. The French label police have loosened up and they’re okay with Chardonnay being on this label. It matters if you’re close to the coast, or up in the mountains, and with a grape like Chardonnay, cooler, higher elevation sites are best. A third of the wine is barrel-fermented - the rest is in stainless steel, with enough lees-stirring to fatten up the wine and round it out.