Giovanni Blason and his wife Valentina are nascent producers who shocked us with their price-to-quality ratio, earning tons of kudos in Gambero Rosso and beyond. They come from the Isonzo region, right up against the Slovenian border. Their Pinot Grigio is really sensational, full in the mouth, rich on the palate and extraordinarily drinkable at this price! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Castiglione Tinella is a bit off the beaten track for visitors traveling to Piedmont, but it is here in this gorgeous hillside town that some of the most profound Moscatos are found, particularly those of the talented Paolo Saracco. While I generally advise drinking Moscatos young, I have also tasted a number of four to five year-old bottles here that have aged beautifully, although, of course at that age the wines no longer have the sheer charm they did when they were young. Simply put, Saracco is a reference... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

The world's most famous pinot grigio strikes again. Crisp and refreshing. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

2 Glasses Gambero Rosso. This is Ermacora's flagship wine; it has tremendous focus and exhibits the classic, elegant balance that is the hallmark of the 2007 vintage. The wine lacks nothing in concentration, creamy custard-like flavors, with spice, hints of apples and bergamot. It is stately on the palate, with balance, complexity and character. Age this wine for 2-3 years and you won't believe the incredible wine it will evolve into! According to Wine Enthusiast: "Ermacora's luscious Pinot Bianco offers a decisive mineral backbone that is enhanced by s... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

If you think Pinot Grigio has to be simple, neutral white with very little to no backbone, think again! Thanks to a direct import, K&L offers this Pinot Grigio from Muri-Gries at a price far lower than many a bathwater Pinot Grigio, but this one has such minerality, verve, acidity and length, as well as apple and pear notes. A wonderful white with or without food. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

93 points and a Best Buy, Wine & Spirits: "Ravello is a blend of Falanghina (60 percent) and Biancolella (40 percent) from vineyards terraced into the steep cliffs of the Amalfi Coast. The proximity of the ocean and the region's volcanic soils are apparent in the wine's salty minerality and firm structure. Subtle flavors of kiwi and melon grow profound and savory with air, their length propelled by elegant acidity. Grilled sardines would make a compelling pairing." (06/09) Marisa Cuomo's Ravello Bianco comes from a tiny village on the Amalfi Coast, wher... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

The wine is pale straw in color, with aromas of almond, citrus and a hint of herbs. It is bone dry and finishes with a very attractive hint of apple-skin. This is a knockout everyday bottle of white wine, flavorful enough to stand up to a range of dishes but bright enough to make a good dry aperitif. 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

This is the self same grape that goes into Gavi. If you are unfamiliar with the Cortese variety, this is a great place to start. Rich and mouth-filling, with tropical subtle pineapple notes balanced by mineral elements and nice citric acidity. Really, it's got something for everyone and works equally well with food or without. 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

Delicious, lively and very aromatic! Gallura is a peninsula on the northeast corner of the island of Sardinia that specializes in Vermentino (the grape is also grown on the coast of mainland Italy, on Corsica and in the south of France under the name Rolle). Mancini's version of the grape is very fresh and forward, with no oak or malolactic fermentation aromas, just grapejuice fermented at low temperature in stainless steel for the aromas. Drink either as an aperitif or with seafood (prawns with pasta?) Finishes with a delightful touch of tangerine. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Diego Bolognani is a brilliant and energetic winemaker from Trentino, not far from the Austrian border. His Moscato Giallo (known as gold muskateller in Austria) is hugely aromatic, with ripe peach, white flowers and honeydew melon. This is an outstanding dry example of the varietal, and makes wonderful aperitifs, and is also very good with cured or smoked meats such as the local 'Speck' ham. 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

One of Bon Appetit's Great Bargain Bottles! Marco Tintero is the proud owner of all 23 hectares in production from the Sori Gramella vineyard. (Apparently there is one other who owns one hectare but drinks all his production himself.) These are dramatically steep limestone cliffs facing southward. Moscato should be fresh and luxurious on the palate like this one, which shows ripe, juicy flavors of lime zest, apple skin, and pear. The finish is impeccably clean and refreshing. In fact, this is a perfectly balanced Moscato with a very light straw color, al... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

90 points Wine Spectator: "Shows sliced apple aromas, turning to flowers. Full-bodied, with mineral and honey character, fresh acidity and a bright finish. Try this over Pinot Grigio. Drink now." (07/09) ETA: Wine is due in Sept 10, 2009 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Collestefano is situated in a hilly belt in the hinterland of the Marches, 420 m above sea-level. This narrow land is watered by the Esino river and bounded on the east and on the west by the mountain range of the Appennini Umbro-Marchigiani (1479 m above sea-level). Not being affected by the mitigating influence of the Adriatic Sea, the region is characterized by a cold, dry microclimate with high temperature ranges, ideal for the growing of Verdicchio di Matelica, which has been grown in this district since ancient times and here ripens late from the s... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico is simply lovely as it opens up in the glass, showing layers of mineral-infused fruit, lemon zest, flowers and light honey tones. 2007 is an especially generous, inviting vintage for this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012." ((04/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood

According to the Wine Spectator: "Clean and fruity, with apple, melon and banana aromas. Medium-bodied, with good fruit and a clean, focused aftertaste of light pineapple and cream. Drink now." (08/08) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

91 pionts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2004 Capo Martino reveals terrific purity, depth and definition in its layers of sweet, ripe fruit, toasted oak, licorice and menthol. With air the wine's frame fills out and the richness of its expression becomes apparent. This blend of 70% Tocai Friuliano, 30% Pinot Bianco, Ribolla, Malvasia and Picolit spent 13 months in Austrian oak tonneaux. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2012." (03/08) 90 points Wine Spectator "Some honey and light almond character, with a hint of toffee. Full-bodied, with good fruit and a ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Villa Sparina’s 2008 Gavi di Gavi offers attractive weight and depth in an expressive core of ripe, perfumed fruit. The finish is long, crisp and refreshing. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011." (10/09) This classic Gavi has a pale straw golden color with a floral nose and hints of peach fragrances. It has wonderful peach, pear and lemony citrus flavors with hints of wet stone and a long finish. Fantastic as an opener to any meal, this really shows its stuff when paired with fried calamari served with aioli. 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio Beta Delta is a steely, mineral-driven wine with an attractive combination of varietal fruit, expressive aromatics and bright acidity. Ideally it is best enjoyed over the next few years. The Beta Delta is a new wine from Lageder made exclusively from estate-owned vineyards that are Demeter-certified biodynamic. If this wine is any indication, the move towards biodynamic farming seems very promising to say the least. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011." (08/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug 08: "Bright, medium golden yellow. Bracing bitter citrus and stone fruit aromas heavily accented by mineral, sage, basil and thyme. Offers a pleasing blend of richness and energy, with concentrated, tightly wound flavors of citrus and pit fruits and a strong herbal component. Finishes long and herbal, with plenty of mineral grip and no excess fat." 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

This lovely summer white is a pale yellow color with a green glint and hard-to-define aroma of grass, herbs, tangerine, and wet stones. It's medium weight in the mouth with good lively acidity and a long, very clean finish. This one's an excellent general-purpose aperitif or wine for antipasti, salame and green olives. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

With the exception of sparkling Moscato, Piedmonte is not known for its white wines. But when the sun beats down on these northern hills and the temperatures swell above 80° you can be sure the locals are not reaching for a glass of Barolo to cool them off. And Barbera doesn't exactly do the trick, either. Arneis, on the other hand, is exactly what you'd want on a warm evening, as an aperitif before a big dinner or as an accompaniment to appetizers of smoked fish or asparagus crostini. Nearly translucent in color, Vietti's Arneis is medium bodied with dr... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse

Considering the myriad grape varieties of Italy, it's not surprising that many of us have not even heard of more than a few of them. Chances are good, however, that we'll all be hearing a lot more about Inzolia, one of Sicily's native grapes found mainly in the region surrounding Mt. Etna. This stupendous new arrival is vibrant, fresh, balanced yet soft and luscious, and a great value 

Inventory: San Francisco

91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Gruner Veltliner is another superb white. This is one of the more complete wines in the line up as it offers both gorgeous aromatics but is backed up with terrific depth and richness in its fruit. Passion fruit, lime, flowers and spices all come together in this superb, complex and subtle Gruner. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012" (10/09) Antonio Galloni ... Andreas Huber is the young owner and winemaker of this beautiful small estate high on the slopes of the Val d’Isarco. The vineyards lie 700 meters ab... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Soave Montegrande (80% Garganega, 20% Trebbiano) was fermented and aged on its lees in 30-hectoliter casks. This richly-textured, generous white expresses the essence of Soave in its fruit, flowers and mint. The an expansive style of Soave that achieves notable ripeness and volume without sacrificing the personality of this terroir and its indigenous varieties. This is a beautiful effort from Pra. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2012." (10/08) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse San Francisco

Grown on its own roots and vinified and aged in stainless steel, this is a very distinctive example of how delicious Campanian white wines can be. It delivers a crisp minerally character while also showing appealing aromas and flavors of citrus, flowers, and tarragon. This is an excellent seafood wine, and its brineness works incredibly well with olives, especially green ones! 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

According to the Wine Spectator: "This shows lots of sliced green apple and honey on the nose. Full-bodied, with tangy acidity and a vibrant finish. Drink now." (08/08) A "Best Buy" from Wine & Spirits: "Beyond the flavors of white peach and hay, there's a subtle red fruit character adding dimension to this lean, bright white. Ideal served with a plate of salumi and cheese." (07/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2007 Etna Bianco di Caselle (Carricante) offers up an attractive core of peaches and apricots on a medium-bodied frame, with pretty notes of minerals and ash that add complexity on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011." (04/09) This apple-scented wine is 100% carricante, a local grape grown as alberello (free standing bush) throughout the Mt. Etna zone, and found nowhere else in the entire wine-making world! Little wonder it has caught on here, as it creates a wine of richness but also delicacy, wi... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Roero Arneis Luet is made in a fairly rich style, with attractive suggestions of apricots, flowers, smoke and minerals all of which come together in a round, polished expression of this indigenous white grape. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011." (10/09) Arneis is the historical grape from the Roero district. It is typically pleasing on the palate with slightly low acidity. This wine from the Luèt (small wolf in the Piedmontese dialect) vineyard is fermented 40% in French oak and 60% in stainless steel. It... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse

90 points Wine Spectator: "Very spicy, with peach and mineral on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, with good acidity and an aftertaste of peach skin and apple. Drink now." (07/09) ETA: Wine is due in Sept 10, 2009 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

92 points Wine Spectator: "This has a lovely golden color, with exquisite aromas of baked apple studded with clove, meadow flowers, salted butter and burnt piecrust. Full-bodied, with a surprisingly linear palate, turning crisp on the finish. Thick, tight and layered. Needs time. Best after 2010." (08/09) 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

K&L's notes - OK, so you think this is a white wine and it is made with 55% trebbiano, 15% verdicchio, 20% malvasia and 10% grechetto, well yes you'd be partially correct but this wine is fermented for 15 days on the skins and takes on an onion skin color. This wine is made by the famous Umbrian producer Paolo Bea for a bunch of Cistercian Nuns whose convent is in Lazio (the state that includes Rome). Wow, this is like nothing you've ever had before, if you tasted it without seeing it you'd think it was a red wine, it has sooooooo much flavor, sturcture ... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Soave Classico opens with a beguiling, sweet bouquet that leads to an expressive core of perfumed fruit. It is a very pretty, entry-level Soave with excellent balance and a harmonious, polished finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012." (08/09) 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

Valentino Sciotti and Camillo de Iulis are not unlike some of their young Californian counterparts. Not everyone is blessed with an inheritance of acres of vineyards and a winery that your great-great-grandfather built and is paid for! They are negociants who work closely with growers in several regions looking to produce wines of character, from vineyards that aren’t tied to any one winery. They can offer more for the grapes because they have little overhead, they rent space as they need it, and because they are getting paid more the growers are more wi... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

This lovely Frascati is a typically central Italian blend of Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia di Candia, Chardonnay and Bombino. The careful attention given to the Pallavicini vineyards and their knowledgeable vinification have produced a straw-colored wine, with gold-green reflections, a delicate aroma that is slightly fruity and floral, dry, fresh elegant and medium bodied. Excellent with spaghetti alle vongole. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Along with its proverbial pleasantness, this year’s Anthìlia is also more complex. Thanks to the territory’s great potential, this was accomplished through research conducted on new plantings and definition of a new blend. In the Anthìlia 2008 besides the traditional Ansonica and Catarratto grapes (accounting for 80%) were added other varieties that have proven to go together best. The year’s fine weather enabled the grapes to ripen without a high degree of sugar content and to reach good acidity. The Anthìlia 2008 is fairly low on alcohol and rich in fr... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

Considering the myriad grape varieties of Italy, it's not surprising that many of us have not even heard of more than a few of them. Chances are good, however, that we'll all be hearing a lot more about Inzolia, one of Sicily's native grapes found mainly in the region surrounding Mt. Etna. This stupendous new arrival is vibrant, fresh, balanced yet soft and luscious, and a great value 

Inventory: Redwood City

Ribolla Gialla with a small portion of Friulano and Riesling 

Inventory: Hollywood

The winery has been producing grapes in the sunny hinterland of Albenga since time immemorial and, starting from the year 2000 harvest, they have begun to make their own wine. Within a few years - thanks to the excellent quality obtained - the wines have become very popular with the best wine shops and restaurants in Liguria and beyond. The Vermentino variety does particularly well planted in proximity to the sea, from where it takes its saline character. This amber-yellow grape yields a wine of clear gold with green highlights, elegantly aromatic and f... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

According to the Wine Spectator: "Aromas and flavors of mixed citrus fruits, with light heather and mineral notes. Medium-bodied, with a fresh, balanced palate and a persistent, almond-tinged mineral finish. Lacks a bit of a midpalate. Drink now." (08/08) 

Inventory: Hollywood

The Coenobium is a vino da tavola from the Lazio district (in the area of Vitorchiano about 60 kilometers north of Rome) produced from vineyards organically farmed by the sisters of the Cistercian order. The wine is composed of three grape types: Verdicchio, Grechetto, and Trebbiano Toscano. The vinification is rather straight forward and occurs in stainless steel tanks but, under the guidance of Giampiero Bea, the sisters have begun to leave the juice in contact with the skins for a more sustained period, and the results are most impressive indeed! 

Inventory: Hollywood

The Germano winery is a few hundred yards north of Serralunga. Sergio Germano is typical of the new generation of producers in the Langhe; after completing six years of study at the school of Enology in Alba he made wine for a few years at Fontanafredda, one of the largest wineries in the area, before returning to the family winery in 1993. This is an unusual white for the region, made of Riesling from Sergio's new vineyards in the village of Ciglié, about thirty minutes south of his estate in Serralunga. The property is a steep chalky south-facing hills... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

The grape is called Timorasso, and in case you didn't know, it's a local white grape that had pretty much disappeared off the wine map of the world, and certainly would have if it weren't for the likes of Andrea Mutti and one or two other Piedmontese vintners bent on saving the region's lesser known wine styles. Not to use a much relied upon cliché, but this one really has to be tried to be believed. Complex doesn't even begin to describe the myriad of aromas and flavors: roasted nut, apricot, orange flower blossoms, river bed rock, ginger, vanilla ice c... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

Imagine you have just shared a date with George Clooney (or maybe Catherine Zeta Jones). How could you go out with a mere mortal ever again? After trying Marisa Cuomo's Fiorduva, other white wines pale in comparison. Cantine Marisa Cuomo is a small winery located in Furore on the Amalfi Coast, where the vines grow on terraced slopes teeming with lemon and fig trees and peregrine falcons still nest. The Fiorduva, named for the Fjord of Furore, is a blend of three indigenous grapes: 30% fenile, 30% ginestra and 40% ripoli harvested late into the season. Fr... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Sauvignon Terlaner reveals a typical varietal bouquet wedded to a fairly ripe expression of apricots, peaches, and flowers. This mid-weight, steely Sauvignon possesses lovely balance if not quite the harmony of the Weissburgunder. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012." (10/09) Ignaz Niedrist is one of the most respected small producers in the Alto Adige. His wines are very expressive, brilliantly made examples of their type, including a fine Pinot Bianco (an underestimated variety that makes minerally, ag... Read More » 

Inventory: Main Warehouse Redwood City

Pale and clear yellow in color, the bouquet of this interesting white is at once herbal and floral, with a distinctive note of orange tree blossoms. Soft and fresh on the palate, it's wonderful with or without food. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

By order of the European Union, harvest 2007 marks the first vintage that the grape variety formerly known as 'Tocai Friulano' must be called Friulano. Tocai Friulano is the most typical white wine in Friuli, the northeastern region of Italy. It is an indigenous grape variety grown in Friuli for hundreds of years. This Tocai Friulano is produced in the Colli Orientali area of Friuli, an area known for its unique terroir and where world-class white wines of Italy are produced. Medium bodied, with ripe, luscious pear flavors carried by a refreshing mineral... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

This is a superb effort featuring 100% of the local Cococciola (pronounced co co cho la) grape, known for its high acidity an up-front grassiness and shows great minerality, growing on a hillside vineyard in the far flung and mountainous region of Abruzzo. Very fresh and oh-so vivid, this unusual white is delightful with simply prepared seafood dishes. 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City

The name means "hill of the apples." Apple trees were planted at the beginning of the century to stabilize a big land slide still visible today. Light gold with green highlights, explosive nose with elderflowers and hints of sage and mint, white peach and gooseberry. Dry, very balanced, ripe fruit with citrus notes, and a long, deliciously oily finale. 

Inventory: Hollywood San Francisco

Sweet wine fans need not apply! This Vernaccia from the oft-photographed Tuscan town of San Gimignano is very dry, even a tad sour. But it just this tangy sourness that makes the wine so adaptable with food. Fermented in steel and aged in steel, on the lees, for added complexity. Shows intense fresh fruit aromas with hawthorn and green apples, while the finish is balanced and quite persistent. 

Inventory: Hollywood

According to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2008 Kerner offers up attractive perfumed varietal fruit on a medium-bodied frame. Though delicious, the Kerner is one of the simpler wines in this lineup." (10/09) Andreas Huber is the young owner and winemaker of this beautiful small estate high on the slopes of the Val d’Isarco. The vineyards lie 700 meters above sea level, just above the ancient Abbazia di Novacella monastic complex. Very old vines planted in gravel and sandstone soil produce wines of vibrantly aromatic character, bright, steely and e... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City