Guillemain Pinot Noir

Burgundy is scarcely affordable anymore and those of us who like to drink it have fewer options. So we’ve gone out into the wild to find options that please us and that, we hope, will please you too. This is lighter in style than American Pinot and built on charm and grace, not power. Since the de la Farge family are such leaders in this part of the world, yet so few know about their reds, we think we’re letting you in on a happy little secret.

Highland Falls

"Mountain-grown, it’s the richest kind,” as coffee commercials used to say, but it’s also true of Cabernet. Foley Family's pedigree doesn’t hurt either: the guys who bring you Merus, Chalone and Chalk Hill Wines are behind the powerhouse Highland Falls lineup too.

Histoire De Grains Marselan

Throughout the expansive Roussillon-Languedoc are some of the more adventurous French grapes with which you might not be familiar – Marselan is at the top of the heap. It’s a crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, far lighter than Cabernet but with some of its strengths and backbone. Bordeaux has just recently chosen it as a newly approved grape there, which is no small feat!

Ken Wright Pinot Noir

Ken Wright’s single vineyard bottlings are among the most sought-after American Pinot Noirs. As important as those early wines were in establishing his reputation and that of the Willamette, his work today is light years ahead of those wines in both character and longevity. The Willamette bottling is, in some ways, the culmination of all that he has learned about Oregon viticulture.

Kingstree Cabernet

This is a tasty little gem unearthed by the pros at Banshee Wines. Banshee, started by three guys who just happened to like wine and wanted an excuse to be out west, hasn't been around long but they sure have kicked off righteously during their short career. They’ve always been focused upon cooler climate sites, especially with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and at the prices they offer their wines, it’s no surprise that things have gone swimmingly well.

Kingstree Proprietary Red

The first rule of Pays d’Oc is: there is no rulebook. The second rule of Pays d’Oc is: see above. While the rest of France legislates which grapes go where down to the centimeter, this stretch of the Languedoc lets Cabernet Sauvignon do whatever it wants, including hanging out with grapes it technically shouldn’t. The result is dark, ripped, and a little dangerous: think Tyler Durden, if Tyler Durden had firm tannins instead of abs. (Honestly, might have both.)

La Hermandad De La Uva Cabernet Franc

La Hermandad De La Uva Garnacha

La Hermandad De La Uva Syrah

Ladron del Palacio

The powers behind Bodegas Lo Nuevo are crucial to the modern success of Spanish wine, especially wines from the Levante, the Africa-facing south. Here the Almansa region grows Garnacha, among other traditional Spanish red grapes, but unlike the oxidized, alcoholic wines of yore, the new wines are bright and sunny with all the original fruits from the grape preserved. Bodegas Lo Nuevo would be the first to insist that their success is conditioned upon old vines grown at high altitudes. Here the Garnacha is at nearly 3500 feet, where the otherwise relentlessly warm temperatures see nighttime cooling into the 40s.

Le Paria

From the Cabardés region inside Langeudoc, and a little town called Ventenac, in the rolling foothills of the Pyrenees. For France, this is warm climate viticulture though it is not so different from the southern Rhone Valley climatically speaking. In general, the Languedoc doesn't cool off in the same manner as the Rhone but Grenache is happily at home in such a sunny place. And the family is invested not only in their historical sites and vines on the side of Montagne Noire but also in sustainable viticulture. The vineyard is free of chemical inputs and the wine has no added sulfites; it’s aged only in traditional concrete tanks.

Les Borgnottes Pinot Noir

Forget delicate, polite Pinot. This one’s got attitude. Juicy cherry and wild berry flavors with a streak of earthiness that keeps things real. Smooth, but not afraid to get a little scrappy. Basically James Dean in a bottle — cool, classic, and gone too soon