Chateau Vieux Lescours

Saint-Émilion is the oldest area of Bordeaux and its Roman ruins are a frequent reminder. Still, when the region was getting codified, Saint-Émilion was left out – it was sleepy and nearly forgotten. That changed in the 1990s when the garagiste movement of tiny Saint-Émilion wineries started making stunning, trend-setting wines. So “Old” (Vieux) Lescours is both Old School and modern.

Clerus Saint Chinian

The Vignerons de Cruzy Montouliers Cebazan have only been around since 2014 but they have modern cellars and contemporary ideas about winemaking, unlike some in the area. Certain spots have stood out for years. St.-Chinian uses a plethora of grapes: Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre and Syrah, though Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache account for about 70% of the region’s grapes.

Clos Delfines

Albarino is Spain's most successful white wine and Clos Delfines is a benchmark for the style: crisp, green apple, pear and peach skins.

Colline du Bonnet

Colline’s Grenache vines are baked in the sun around the town of Cébazon in eastern Languedoc, and still enjoy enough of the Mediterranean breezes to retain some acidity. The winemaking is more traditional than modern (cold soaking the grapes for two days is still new thinking) but otherwise the grapes stay on the skins in vats for at least a month; then see long aging in cement cubes. The old guys would be proud

Corasado

Bodegas Lo Nuevo has unquestionably modernized their winery; it’s practically a technical marvel now. But what makes these wines special is the place, Jumilla, with its intense weather. It’s tough ground for most grapes, but Monastrell (the French, who borrowed it from Spain, call it Mourvedre) and Cariñena (once again, a borrowed grape dubbed Carignan by the French) can thrive here.

Corte Giovanni Extra Brut Prosecco

Though Prosecco is made throughout the northeastern Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli, there are two areas that produce wines with more vibrancy and complexity to them and that are solely elevated to DOCG status as a result: Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and Colli Asolani. A very dry version of Prosecco (the meaning of Extra Brut) is as modern as it gets, but it reflects the growing awareness of Colli Asolani as producing wines.

Corte Giovanni Frizzante Prosecco

I suppose to most people, Prosecco is all the same. But it’s not. There are all styles of the wine, especially as it has grown to dominance within the everyday sparkling wine category. Though we once called the grape Prosecco, we now use the more traditional name of Glera, and Prosecco refers to the area of northern Italy where Glera is grown and made. In this case, it’s a frizzante style that you can think of as fizzy Prosecco.

Corte Giovanni Rose Prosecco

Just a few miles south of the beating heart of Prosecco, Valdobbiadene, is the Societa Agricola Colli Asolani di Bedin where Corte Giovanni is made. This third-generation producer was founded in 1948 by Giacomo Bedin where the family has long specialized in Prosecco grown on the gentle slopes of the Colli Asolani hills. This is made from Glera, the classic grape of Prosecco, but a small amount of Pinot Noir is blended in for color and richness.

Daou Cabernet

Georges and Daniel Daou didn’t just buy land in Paso Robles, they bought the old Hoffman Mountain Ranch and its famed barn as well. Founded by Dr. Stanley Hoffman in 1964, this was the site of some legendary wines. I can go on about the 1976 and 1977 HMR Cabernet, but then that would be rude. Let’s just say that Daou wines have an excellent and established pedigree. Their Cabernet is solely from estate fruit; powerful and plump.

Darley Alexander Valley Red