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Tatiana Guillot Julienas
Most Americans have no idea how great the Beaujolais region has become. The last two decades have seen it grow, crafting some of the most intriguing AND affordable wines of France. It’s important to understand not all Beaujolais is the same, if you think Beaujolais Nouveau represents the character of Beaujolais, you’re dead wrong. Like the best Beaujolais, Julienas is firm, intense, tannic and nothing at all like the simple fruity wine from past.
Type, Body & Flavor
Tatiana Guillot Macon Villages
Macon Villages was once a bigger deal, or at least it was once a wine that absolutely every restaurant had to pour by the glass. In the climate change era, Macon seems to be morphing from light and slightly generic to richer and even slightly buttery. But only slightly. Remember that Chardonnay in France is almost always more about the minerals than the butter; Macon is clean and crisp. We’re not quite to California richness yet, but who knows?
Type, Body & Flavor
Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Riserva
Located in the Chianti Classico, Arceno is both traditional and modern. Here the region’s grape, Sangiovese, has 15% Merlot added to it, gaining both some muscle and power but also a sense of flavor familiarity from that grape too. This is one of those wines that we recommend not only because of Arceno’s excellence and the great reviews but because the 2018 vintage is universally considered to be an ideal vintage.
Type, Body & Flavor
Terrasses de la Mer
So, is it okay if I predict that Sauvignon Blanc becomes the world’s most widely planted grape in the next decade? In southern France, with the collection of hills, valleys, and plains rolling down to the Mediterranean, it thrives. Sure, the plains are not where you grow Sauvignon Blanc, but there are plenty of other spots where you do. There these wines are vibrant, expressive and tangy – and it’s rare that those three descriptors go together.
Type, Body & Flavor
The Pessimist
When the Daou Brothers took their tech dollars a-shopping in Paso Robles they only bought the best: the old Hoffman Mountain Ranch. Founded by Dr. Stanley Hoffman in 1964, this was the site of some legendary wine. I can tell you about the 1976 and 1977 HMR Cabernet, but then that would be rude bragging. Let’s just say that Daou wines have an excellent and established pedigree; this one is a powerful Syrah blend.
Type, Body & Flavor
Tinazzi Corvina
Tinazzi makes excellent Veronese wines; which means they are masters at Amarone, Valpolicella and the like. This “family selection” is made from dried grapes, as is the tradition with Amarone, but here it’s made into a dry wine, and the alcohol isn’t as lofty as with Amarone. So it’s like baby Amarone, made 100% from Corvina, the best grape of the region.
Type, Body & Flavor
Trefethen Dragon's Tooth
The Trefethen family are true Napa royalty. They honor their grandmother with this wine, a Welsh woman who was “the original inspiration for our estate in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District”. The label is adorned with the symbol of Wales, “Y Ddraig Goch”, or Dragon’s Tooth. It’s mostly Malbec (with some Petit Verdot, Cab Sauv and Merlot) from the rockiest part of the vineyard.
Type, Body & Flavor
Verraco Ridge Pinot Noir
California has had several Pinot Noir moments. There were some vineyards in Napa in the 70s and 80s - then people got smart and headed closer to the Pacific Ocean. Like Monterey. Open to the ocean, where vineyards are hot and sunny in the morning and cold and windy in the afternoon - these sorts of conditions make for brighter fruits in the red wines, many of them crisp and even slightly tart, you know, like Pinot Noir is. Like this wine is.
Type, Body & Flavor
Vieux Chateau Renaissance
Most Bordeaux never make it to the U.S. because there are a surprisingly small number of importers who have range and reach to get the wines into the hands of America’s small and powerful wholesalers. So it’s fun to subvert the system and bring in some things direct, letting the little guys bring you wines that aren’t part of some faceless distribution conglomerate. And this is from the heralded 2020 vintage!
Type, Body & Flavor
Z/N Zinfandel
I know, I know, Zinfandel is the same grape as Italy’s Primitivo. But is it? Even the best Primitivo doesn’t have the fruitiness, the power, the sheer intensity of California’s best Zins. And how do we describe that fruitiness? I always find that it has something like more red fruits than black fruits, with a little hint of red currant jelly right at the end that is part of the easy friendliness of the grape.
Type, Body & Flavor
Tatiana Guillot Julienas
Most Americans have no idea how great the Beaujolais region has become. The last two decades have seen it grow, crafting some of the most intriguing AND affordable wines of France. It’s important to understand not all Beaujolais is the same, if you think Beaujolais Nouveau represents the character of Beaujolais, you’re dead wrong. Like the best Beaujolais, Julienas is firm, intense, tannic and nothing at all like the simple fruity wine from past.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Tatiana Guillot Macon Villages
Macon Villages was once a bigger deal, or at least it was once a wine that absolutely every restaurant had to pour by the glass. In the climate change era, Macon seems to be morphing from light and slightly generic to richer and even slightly buttery. But only slightly. Remember that Chardonnay in France is almost always more about the minerals than the butter; Macon is clean and crisp. We’re not quite to California richness yet, but who knows?
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Riserva
Located in the Chianti Classico, Arceno is both traditional and modern. Here the region’s grape, Sangiovese, has 15% Merlot added to it, gaining both some muscle and power but also a sense of flavor familiarity from that grape too. This is one of those wines that we recommend not only because of Arceno’s excellence and the great reviews but because the 2018 vintage is universally considered to be an ideal vintage.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Terrasses de la Mer
So, is it okay if I predict that Sauvignon Blanc becomes the world’s most widely planted grape in the next decade? In southern France, with the collection of hills, valleys, and plains rolling down to the Mediterranean, it thrives. Sure, the plains are not where you grow Sauvignon Blanc, but there are plenty of other spots where you do. There these wines are vibrant, expressive and tangy – and it’s rare that those three descriptors go together.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
The Pessimist
When the Daou Brothers took their tech dollars a-shopping in Paso Robles they only bought the best: the old Hoffman Mountain Ranch. Founded by Dr. Stanley Hoffman in 1964, this was the site of some legendary wine. I can tell you about the 1976 and 1977 HMR Cabernet, but then that would be rude bragging. Let’s just say that Daou wines have an excellent and established pedigree; this one is a powerful Syrah blend.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Tinazzi Corvina
Tinazzi makes excellent Veronese wines; which means they are masters at Amarone, Valpolicella and the like. This “family selection” is made from dried grapes, as is the tradition with Amarone, but here it’s made into a dry wine, and the alcohol isn’t as lofty as with Amarone. So it’s like baby Amarone, made 100% from Corvina, the best grape of the region.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Trefethen Dragon's Tooth
The Trefethen family are true Napa royalty. They honor their grandmother with this wine, a Welsh woman who was “the original inspiration for our estate in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District”. The label is adorned with the symbol of Wales, “Y Ddraig Goch”, or Dragon’s Tooth. It’s mostly Malbec (with some Petit Verdot, Cab Sauv and Merlot) from the rockiest part of the vineyard.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Verraco Ridge Pinot Noir
California has had several Pinot Noir moments. There were some vineyards in Napa in the 70s and 80s - then people got smart and headed closer to the Pacific Ocean. Like Monterey. Open to the ocean, where vineyards are hot and sunny in the morning and cold and windy in the afternoon - these sorts of conditions make for brighter fruits in the red wines, many of them crisp and even slightly tart, you know, like Pinot Noir is. Like this wine is.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Vieux Chateau Renaissance
Most Bordeaux never make it to the U.S. because there are a surprisingly small number of importers who have range and reach to get the wines into the hands of America’s small and powerful wholesalers. So it’s fun to subvert the system and bring in some things direct, letting the little guys bring you wines that aren’t part of some faceless distribution conglomerate. And this is from the heralded 2020 vintage!
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions
Z/N Zinfandel
I know, I know, Zinfandel is the same grape as Italy’s Primitivo. But is it? Even the best Primitivo doesn’t have the fruitiness, the power, the sheer intensity of California’s best Zins. And how do we describe that fruitiness? I always find that it has something like more red fruits than black fruits, with a little hint of red currant jelly right at the end that is part of the easy friendliness of the grape.
Type, Body & Flavor
Pairings & Occasions