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Staff Favorites - Kerry Kennell
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Reviews
2017 Launois "Helia" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 05-25-2026
A fine perlage provides a beautiful lacy texture. Crisp apple is highlighted by rich notes of frangipane, caramel-coated hazelnuts, and buttery pastry. Caramel apple and toasted almonds linger in the ether for what seems like ages. The empty glass smells heavenly, making me yearn for another pour. Let this one sleep in the cellar a while and it will dazzle all the more!
Price:
$79.99
2024 Anne de Joyeuse "VERY" Chardonnay Haute Valle de l'Aude
Review Date: 05-14-2026
A Decanter World Wine Award winner for well under $20—move over! I want to try this! I wasn't only one in the store who felt this way. When our buyer mentioned the 2024 Anne de Joyeuse "VERY" Chardonnay was going to be tasted, I paid $8.50 in bridge toll to drive over to give it a spin. The verdict: it deserves all the buzz, the toll, and your attention—if you like Chardonnay. "VERY" delivers the varietal goods—white peach-pear notions followed by apple tarte tatin with golden, flaky pastry notes. You could drink this on its own but oddly enough, it paired beautifully with a tomato, beef sauce with mushrooms and zucchini (my lunch). Yes! You could pair this with beef. Go bold! Give it a try.
2023 Domaine de l'Amandine Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret
Review Date: 05-14-2026
The 2023 Domaine de l'Amandine Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret is more than half Syrah with Grenache in the balance, all destemmed for pure fruit expression. It's plush and fruity with notes of ripe plum, black cherry, and soft hints cocoa with a touch bouquet garni. It would go great with burgers, BBQ, or your favorite savory snacks. Pretty bottle too!
2023 Charles Père et Fille Volnay Clos de la Cave"
Review Date: 05-13-2026
The 2023 Charles Père et Fille Volnay "La Cave" is sourced from 40-year-old vines perched on a hill above 1er Cru vineyards. Neatly structured, deeply expressive, and light on its feet — it's utterly charming. Red cherry, waves of alpine strawberry, dewy violets, and fresh hints of forest floor after a rain. Hello, gorgeous!
Price:
$49.99
2025 La Bargemone Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rosé
Review Date: 04-28-2026
Composed of certified organic Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah, the 2025 La Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé is no porch pounder. For goodness’ sake, please give it some space and time to be admired for its vivid flavors and impossibly juicy splendor. It generously offers up a cornucopia of ripe red berries, red-fleshed plum, white nectarine, rose petals, and a hint of Meyer lemon zest. I’m sad my tasting glass is empty right now, and I’m daydreaming about when and where I’ll drink it again, and with whom.
Price:
$18.99
2024 Montmassot Picpoul de Pinet
Review Date: 04-28-2026
The 2024 Montmassot Picpoul de Pinet is a casual, quaffable, come-as-you-are white and one of our best deals for everyday drinking. This is a bottle you could bring to a party and no one would argue about it. It’s a crowd-pleaser to the core. Fresh, dry, and steely, it shows tasty notes of white peach, lime zest, and wet stones, followed by subtle pear and a clean, orange blossom–imbued finish. It’s a no-brainer with no pretense, totally my speed for most days. Serve with a salad, sushi, ceviche, fried chicken, or light snacks. With the money you save, you could pick up some chèvre and crackers or a baguette and make a nice evening out of it when shared with a friend.
Price:
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Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 04-09-2026
Launois Veuve Clémence Grand Cru Champagne exemplifies incredible quality that easily outshines Champagnes at more than double the price point. Textures from an impossibly fine perlage and seductively silky mousse caress the plate upon entry. It presents on the dry side of Brut with crisp green apple, lightly toasted hazelnuts, and chalky minerals that delight and set the mind ticking away trying to parse out the how and why this wine is so fantastic. The lingering honeyed finish inspires a yearning thirst for more. Like all top-tier bubbly, don't drink this too cold. It will come off as steely and the richly rewarding mid-palate will be muted. This is an exquisite example of why the Champagne category shares a chamber in my heart with my most treasured epicurean delights. Whenever we get a shipment from Launois, a family-owned and -operated, grower-producer Champagne house that was established in 1872, I buy a bottle of everything they make without question. I would’ve bought an entire case of Veuve Clémence but I didn't want to be greedy as we get such limited quantities.
Price:
$49.99
2018 Hewitt "Estate" Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 04-07-2026
The 2018 Hewitt “Estate” Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a vineyard on the Western Rutherford Bench, with vines planted in alluvial soils between 1996 and 2002. Clones 4, 7, and 8 of Cabernet Sauvignon deliver classic Mayacamas fruit, with blackberries, vanilla, summer bramble, and a whisper of violets unfolding across the palate. Plush and luxuriant in texture, the wine gains extra richness from bâtonnage (lees stirring) during malolactic fermentation. At $50 off, it’s a terrific value.
2022 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso
Review Date: 03-14-2026
The 2022 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi is composed of 100% Piedirosso that grows on the mineral-rich volcanic soils on the dramatic slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Adding to the drama, local legend says that vines sprang from the tears Christ shed after Lucifer, cast out of heaven, tore away a piece of paradise and dropped it to Earth, forming the Gulf of Naples. I’m happy to go along with this legend because this Rosso is delizioso. It offers bright and lively notes of fresh cherry, Earl Grey tea, violet pastilles, and damp autumn leaves. With food-friendly acidity and a breezy 12.5% ABV, it’s a great match for pizza Napoletana, Mozzarella di Bufala, and light bites like taralli and Marcona almonds.
Price:
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2019 Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan
Review Date: 03-03-2026
The 2019 Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan is one of those wines that makes you feel like you should be better dressed. When a colleague at work said, "here, try this," I made the mistake of not saving it for last because the wines that followed paled in comparison, making it nearly impossible to be objective. As soon as I raised the glass to my nose, I knew I was about to sip pure sophistication. Aromas of freshly turned soil, blackberries, and beef consommé made me stand a little straighter. The palate is confident and richly layered with soft waves of blackberry, cassis, an alluring umami note, tobacco, black tea, fresh soil after a rain, and a lick of graphite. Time stopped and I felt momentarily embraced. In a word: exquisite.
Pierre Mineral Mesnil "Vieillie En Fût" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Magnum 1.5L
Review Date: 03-03-2026
I’m not naming names, but there’s a Champagne out there strikingly similar to this one that’s currently fetching $260. Need I say more? Probably not. But as a shameless bubble head, I can’t help but sing this wine’s praises. Think ripe pear layered with delicately toasted almond, vanilla crème anglaise, green apple, and a whisper of fresh sourdough toast that fans out across the palate. The texture is plush, the perlage exquisitely pinpoint. This is luxury, full stop. I tasted it on a day when I was a little down, and it felt like a shining mercy: a reminder that we need Champagne this fine in both victory and defeat. Just as time heals all wounds, so does great Champagne.
Price:
$119.99
2025 Anonymous Wine Collective Contra Costa County Rosé of Mourvedre
Review Date: 03-03-2026
Aged in stainless steel and neutral oak, the 2024 Anonymous Contra Costa County Rosé of Mourvèdre is rumored to be composed of 83% Mourvèdre, 9% Zinfandel, 7% Carignane, and 1% Grenache = 100% deliciousness in total. I'm not ashamed to admit that my third sip of this at K&L in San Francisco prompted a combo of jazz hands and a little happy dance. I didn't care who saw me, because I am so ready for spring! I am ready for fun! I am ready for THIS WINE! Refreshing bright red raspberry, fragrant wild strawberries, blood orange zest, and tulsi rose tea put the joy in enjoyment. This is a case-buy proposition — drink young, drink often.
Price:
$14.95
2024 Anonymous Wine Collective Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Review Date: 03-03-2026
Massively overdelivering for its price point, the 2024 Anonymous Wine Collective Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir walks that perfect line where California fruitiness meets Burgundian clarity and restraint. At the moment it is youthful and primary, but who cares when the fruit is this delicious. A kaleidoscope of black raspberry, red cherry, violets, and a hint of bay laurel evolves on the palate. The finish hums with bright cherry and delicately whispered black tea sweet nothings. This is the kind of Pinot to sip slowly and revisit because the aromatherapy coming off the glass is half the experience. As a California girl with French ancestry, this is exactly what I want in domestic Pinot Noir. SOLD, to the woman in the flat cap!
Price:
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2024 Anonymous Wine Collective Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Review Date: 03-03-2026
The 2024 Anonymous Wine Collective Sonoma Coast Chardonnay opens with Golden Delicious apple and ripe pear, layered with hints of white blossoms and vanilla-kissed butterscotch. The finish lingers on bright orchard fruit, leaving a fresh, sunlit impression that makes me look forward to warmer days ahead. It’s definitely a mood-lifting Chardonnay with lots of charm.
Price:
Hidden
2020 Celler Pardas "Hermós" Brut Nature Corpinnat (Cava)
Review Date: 02-25-2026
I love honest sparkling wines that don’t try to be anything but themselves. While most others posture and preen, the 2020 Celler Pardas “Hermós” Brut Nature Corpinnat shows up to the dinner party in sexy black jeans, black boots, a tuxedo shirt, and a black leather jacket—looking like a million bucks. Soft, luxe, and creamy on the palate, it offers notes of quince, pear, lemon verbena, and amber honey—dry without being austere. It’s gorgeous and unusual in the most satisfying ways. ¡Viva la diferencia!
2023 Berta Valgañón "Selección Maturana Tinta" Rioja
Review Date: 02-18-2026
My goth past has come back to haunt me. This is winsome nostalgia in a glass. The 2023 Berta Valgañón “Selección Maturana Tinta” Rioja is dark, inky, and hypnotic, with intriguing notes of cassis, smoldering clove cigarette, glossy black lipstick, Choward’s violet candies, incense, and leather, all wrapped in a plush, velvety mouthfeel. It’s lights-out lovely and highly recommended. Made from Maturana Tinta with a splash of Garnacha by a one-woman winery with an annual output of a mere 1,500 cases. Pay attention as Berta Valgañón is one to watch!
CVNE Brut Cava Penedès
Review Date: 02-18-2026
CVNE Brut Cava Penedès is composed of 40% Xarel-lo, 30% Macabeo, and 30% Parellada, aged 9–12 months on its lees before disgorgement and finished with a 9 g/L dosage. It’s a sound choice for midweek bubbles, a quality base for sparkling cocktails, or as a festive aperitif for gatherings. In classic Brut style, it offers notes of poached pear, light honey, and flint, carried through by an easy-breezy touch of lemon squeezy finish.
Price:
$11.99
2023 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Bairrada
Review Date: 02-18-2026
The 2023 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Bairrada hails from 100% estate-grown Baga planted on clay and limestone soils. Fermented in stainless steel and aged 18 months in neutral oak, it offers baskets of ripe blackberry, briny olive, dried violets, and zesty blood orange, with a subtle touch of vanilla riding waves of muscular tannins. Decant if opening young, and serve alongside roasted meats and vegetables or a charcuterie board of aged cheeses and cured meats.
2024 Filipa Pato "Post Quercus" Baga Bairrada
Review Date: 02-18-2026
Composed of amphora-aged Baga from 80+-year-old vines, the 2024 Filipa Pato “Post Quercus” Baga Bairrada is feral and earthy in a way that quickens the pulse. Notes of dark plum, clean saddle leather, dried herbs, and sun-baked soil evoke a wine shaped more by land than by human hand. Powerful yet composed, it carries a deep sense of place, finishing with hints of black raspberry and leather. Its vibrant acidity makes it an easy partner at the dinner table. For prime deliciousness, pair with hard or smoky cheeses, BBQ, or grilled meat.
Rhys "Perpetual Reserve" California Sparkling Wine
Review Date: 02-13-2026
Rhys “Perpetual Reserve” California Sparkling Wine is composed of 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir, with 79% fermented in neutral oak and 21% in tank. Drawn from the 2016–2023 vintages, it spent three years en tirage and was finished with a 5 g/L dosage. My first impression: it’s Grand Cru–esque, sure to delight fans of crisp, dry Champagne, showing a fresh, steely profile of lemon curd, finely grated tangerine zest, wet stone, and a subtle pithy bitterness that adds an exciting layer of tension. Its lingering, stony lemon finish suggests it will cruise in the cellar for quite some time—well worth buying a few bottles to follow its evolution.
2024 Domaine du Gour de Chaulé ".26" Gigondas Rosé
Review Date: 02-13-2026
The 2024 Domaine du Gour de Chaulé Gigondas Rosé is structured for the table, with the precise architecture not only to carry a meal but to enchant, offering vibrant notes of ume plum paste, cherry, and strawberry, finished with a whisper of fresh fennel. Certified organic.
2019 Fallet-Dart "Pur Meunier" Champagne
Review Date: 02-10-2026
As the name suggests, this Blanc de Noirs is composed entirely of Pinot Meunier, elegantly embellished with a 5g/L dosage. Disgorged in May 2023, the 2019 Fallet-Dart “Pur Meunier” offers an impossibly fine perlage. It’s a thrilling kiss on the lips—orange blossom honey-tinged pear, Marcona almond, and lime marmalade elevated by a discreet touch of pithy bitterness. Silky wisps of smoke hint at old vines deeply rooted into limestone soils. Charming as an apértif wine to greet guests or to crack open to celebrate a milestone with someone you love.
Price:
$69.99
2022 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Central Otago
Review Date: 02-04-2026
The 2022 Mount Edward Pinot Noir is composed of destemmed fruit with 25% whole clusters that underwent native yeast fermentation. It aged 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% of which were new. Vegan, organic, and biodynamic. Fresh and bright—juicy red cherry, wild strawberry, violets, bouquet garni, and a grounding hint of asphalt in the finish. After being cooped up under a stelvin, let this breathe for a few minutes to reveal all it has to offer. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal SO2 and maximum deliciousness.
Billecart-Salmon "Le Rosé" Champagne
Review Date: 02-04-2026
Considered Extra Brut, Billecart-Salmon’s “Le Rosé” Champagne is composed of 45% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and 20% Meunier. It luxuriated on its lees for 36 months. Its pale ballet-slipper pink makes my heart skip a beat. Drifting on bright notes of raspberry and fresh rose petals, lifted by finely grated lemon zest and fresh ginger, this is romance in a glass. Like an exquisite Mozart symphony, every note lands exactly where it should—as usual. You can never go wrong with Billecart-Salmon “Le Rosé.” For me, the answer is always oui.
2024 Casa d'Ambra "Frassitelli" Ischia Biancolella
Review Date: 01-24-2026
Biancolella! The first time I tasted it, I couldn’t get the ’80s song “Barbarella” by The Bongos out of my head—only it morphed into “Biancolellaa-ah.” What variety is that? Never heard of it. Who cares. It's amazing. Oooh-oh-oh, Biancolellaa-ah. Think if Pinot Grigio, Grüner Veltliner, and Riesling had a baby; Biancolella would inherit all the best traits, plus high cheekbones and wavy blond hair. The 2024 Casa d’Ambra “Frassitelli” Ischia Biancolella is dry and racy yet generous, bursting with juicy white peach, a pinch of white pepper, sun-dried straw, white blossoms, makrut lime zest, and briny sea mist. It impressed me so much I marched it straight over to our wine buyer’s desk just to say, dude—wow. Bring this to a dinner or gathering and you’ll be the hero: it pairs with everything and everyone, and best of all, no one will argue about it—because no one will know what it is.
Price:
$29.99
2021 Raineri "Castelletto" Barolo
Review Date: 01-23-2026
The 2021 Raineri “Castelletto” Barolo is graceful, lithe, and muscular—think male ballet dancer. Black plum and boysenberry lead, followed by blood orange zest, soft floral notes, exotic spices, and a streak of slate. Velvety tannins fill the mouth, while a lively acidity keeps everything fresh and buoyant. Fantastic structure, and an absolute steal right now. Clearly, our wine buyer has some impressive dance moves of his own to be able to offer it at this price.
2024 Raineri (Ca Dei Folli) Piemonte Barbera
Review Date: 01-23-2026
We’ve all been there—trying to decide what to eat for dinner only to be gripped by option paralysis. Deciding what to drink with pizza, pasta, burgers, or a good movie and snacks also presents its challenges. This 2024 Raineri (Ca Dei Folli) Piemonte Barbera would fit the bill most nights. It’s a delicious red wine—full stop. Fresh, lively, and juicy with bright cherry, pomegranate, finely ground black pepper with a playful red cherry and violet finish. It’s a great bottle to keep on hand for midweek sipping or when friends show up unannounced. Serve with a light chill. Now if only I could not spend an hour deciding what to stream on YouTube.
Price:
$14.99
2022 Château de Beauregard Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru "Les Menetrieres"
Review Date: 01-22-2026
The 2022 Château de Beauregard Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru "Les Menetrieres" is round and mouth-filling—generous yet balanced. Apple and lemon curd melds beautifully with ginger, delicate oak spice, and alluring sparks of flint. Lovely, lengthy finish of baked apple and toasted brioche—pure satisfaction. Mmmm!
2021 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 01-04-2026
From wine industry doyenne Cathy Corison, the 2021 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon marks her 35th-anniversary bottling. She’s one where I have to stay disciplined whenever I taste her wines so my admiration won’t override an honest assessment. Aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak barrels, this is unmistakably a Corison wine—neatly structured and finely composed, with fresh notes of blackberry and elderberry, hints of resinous juniper and sun-dried summer bramble, and a long, graceful finish of blackberries and violets. Clean, refreshing acidity and polite tannins make it a natural fit for an elegant meal that doesn’t require a fatty steak; lighter fare and more subtle flavors will shine here. After all, we’re adults and can admit that we pair food with wine, not the other way around.
2023 Ramey Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Review Date: 01-03-2026
When I think of the best examples of California-styled Chardonnay, Ramey immediately comes to mind—they’re simply that reliable. Measured and structured, the 2023 Ramey Russian River Valley Chardonnay is redolent with caramel apple, golden flaky pastry, and baking spices, finishing with a subtle touch of jasmine blossom. It’s a lush and satisfying mouthful of deliciousness. I adore it, and that’s all there is to it.
2023 Anonymous Wine Collective Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay
Review Date: 01-03-2026
Given its evocative complexity, it makes total sense that this wine is built by a fabled "Anonymous" producer from estate-grown Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay. Sunny and feminine, it’s effortlessly drinkable, radiating golden hour in late summer—crisp, juicy Gravenstein apple, candied Meyer lemon, and soft wisps of orange blossom. Dry and flavorful, yet light on its feet, it feels carefree—a smile from an enchanting stranger on the beach at sundown—windswept and charming.
Price:
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2023 Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
Review Date: 12-09-2025
The 2023 Bernardus Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir shines in the glass with a glistening garnet hue. Juicy cherry, pomegranate, and zesty orange peel lead on the palate, with rose and lavender adding aromatic lift and a subtle hint of rooibos tea lingering on the finish—classic Monterey typicité through and through. It’s unmistakably Californian in style: glossy, fruit-driven, and delightfully modern. When it comes to Central Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Bernardus remains a reliably consistent choice; after 12 years of tasting their wines, I can say they never fail to deliver the goods.
2020 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino
Review Date: 12-06-2025
Graceful and elegant yet tightly corseted, the 2020 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino is a study in Tuscan finesse. Cherries, plum compote, nutmeg, sandalwood, and black tea lead into a brown sugar-tinged finish--not sweet but beautifully layered, heartwarming, and utterly satisfying.
2019 Malgiacca 'Malgiacca' Super Tuscan
Review Date: 12-06-2025
The 2019 Malgiacca “Malgiacca” Super Tuscan is a fun, jump-in-and-let’s-go kind of wine—dare I say, downright gulpable. It’s inviting and approachable, offering ripe plum, black raspberry, Earl Grey tea with its signature bergamot, with hints of dried leaves and rose petals. The finish lingers beautifully, carrying notes of plum and gently steeped black tea.
2018 San Lorenzo "Solleone" Marche Rosso
Review Date: 12-06-2025
The 2018 San Lorenzo “Solleone” Marche Rosso is alluringly inky. It flows across the palate with an undertow of deep dark fruit--black currant, blackberry, licorice, leather, and a faint hint of game--lifted by delicate notes of lilac. This is a Bordeaux-lover’s Montepulciano: rich in flavor and mouthfeel, yet balanced enough to pair beautifully with roasted pork or lamb, beef brisket, or a juicy burger.
Price:
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2024 San Lorenzo "Vigna di Gino" Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico
Review Date: 12-06-2025
Now in its third generation of family stewardship, the 2024 San Lorenzo “Vigna di Gino” is named in honor of the winemaker’s father, Gino. Made from 100% organically and biodynamically farmed Verdicchio, it’s easy to love and wonderfully expressive. Ripe peach, white blossoms, baking spice, and layers of crisp caramelized sugar unfold with élan before tapering into a dry, zesty lemon finish with a touch of saline minerality.
Price:
$14.99
2023 Giovinco Etna Bianco
Review Date: 12-06-2025
The nose of the 2023 Giovinco Etna Bianco brings to mind Riesling, with slate and subtle wisps of smoke drifting around delicate fruity notes. Composed of Carricante and Catarrato, the palate illuminates the stage with cathedral-candle impressions--beeswax, burning wick, and a sprinkling of ash--creating something understated, complex, and quietly sophisticated. Crunchy pear, mouth-watering Eureka lemon, shaved fennel bulb, and whole coriander seed come together with the precision and polish of a smartly tailored Italian suit.
Price:
$24.99
Ca' Del Bosco "Cuvée Prestige" Franciacorta
Review Date: 11-21-2025
Ca' Del Bosco "Cuvée Prestige" Franciacorta blends 75% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Bianco, and 15% Pinot Nero, all made with remarkable attention to detail. This sleeping beauty rested 25 months on its lees. The final assemblage includes 20–30% reserve wines from top vintages, adding depth and complexity. Subtle notes of pear, quince, and zesty Meyer lemon curd mingle with hints of lightly toasted bread, while a smoky, flinty minerality brings elegance and a serious personality. This is unmistakably not Champagne—and that’s precisely what makes it so intriguing. Consider me a fan!
2025 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
Review Date: 11-20-2025
The 2025 Beaujolais Nouveau vintage seems to be leaning dark-fruited across the board, and this Georges Duboeuf is no exception. It delivers vivid black cherry and boysenberry layered with caramelized pineapple, sage, and black pepper, finishing on a ferrous, beetroot-tinged note. Though super fun to sip, it doesn't veer into tutti frutti silliness.
Price:
$14.99
2020 Bodegas Muga "Selección Especial" Reserva Rioja
Review Date: 11-20-2025
Composed of Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Graciano, and Mazuelo grown on clay-limestone terraces along the slopes of Montes Obarenes and the Sierra Cantabria, the 2020 Bodegas Muga “Selección Especial” Reserva Rioja undergoes indigenous-yeast fermentation in oak vats before spending 26 months in French oak barrels custom-made in Muga’s own cooperage. After an additional 18 months of bottle aging, it delivers defined notes of crème de cassis, blackberry coulis, holiday baking spices, black tea, and whole-leaf tobacco lifted by hints of bergamot and dried lemon balm. Plush and velvety, it’s a deeply satisfying mouthful that's just as suited to fireside sipping as it is to a juicy steak. A tweed jacket and waistcoat are entirely optional.
2023 Comando G "La Bruja de Rozas" Sierra de Gredos
Review Date: 11-19-2025
The first sips of 2023 Comando G "La Bruja de Rozas" is like sinking your teeth into a fresh juicy, red-fleshed plum followed by notes of cherry hard candies, sassafras, fresh rosemary, cedar shavings, and crushed rock. It’s spellbinding so proceed with caution because it’s easy to get lost and before you know it, you’ve drunk most of the bottle and turned into a newt.
2024 Bodega Chacra "Barda" Pinot Noir Rio Negro Patagonia
Review Date: 11-13-2025
The 2024 Bodega Chacra “Barda” Pinot Noir is an approachable, food-friendly expression of Patagonian Pinot. Bright notes of cranberry, wild strawberry, and hibiscus weave together with subtle undertones of baking spices and a freshly rolled cigar. The palate is supple yet energetic, carrying its fruit with effortless grace and a whisper of savoriness. It’s a versatile Pinot that would elevate a quiet dinner at home with a roast chicken or serve alongside a more refined meal. It's unpretentious, elegant, and simply delicious.
Jansz "Premium Rosé" Brut Tasmania
Review Date: 11-13-2025
At first taste, the Jansz “Premium Rosé” Brut elicits an instant WHAT?! It’s a delightful surprise how good it is for the price! This sparkling overachiever hits that sweet spot for value-driven bubble enthusiasts (like myself) who still crave finesse in their glass. The color is a charming blush, like your cheeks after a complement from your crush, while a fine bead of soft bubbles delivers clean and delicate notes of fresh raspberry, rose Turkish delight, and white nectarine, all laced with a whisper of white-chocolate creaminess. These confectionary impressions are neither sweet nor cloying, but effortlessly balanced and deeply satisfying. This is something I definitely want around for entertaining or sipping as a refreshing reward after a long day of tasting other wines.
2023 Domaine du Chêne Vert "L'Enracinée" Crozes-Hermitage Rouge
Review Date: 10-28-2025
Produced with a light touch from organically grown Syrah selected from the finest lots of the vintage, the 2023 Domaine du Chêne Vert “L’Enracinée” Crozes-Hermitage Rouge comes from 60-year-old, massal-selection vines, the best of the best. Medium-bodied, dark, and lushly layered, it reveals notes of black cherry, freshly picked raspberries, cola, and vanilla, with a subtle touch of crushed gravel that hints to old, deeply rooted vines. Sip now or cellar and savor later.
2023 Domaine du Chêne Vert Crozes-Hermitage Rouge
Review Date: 10-28-2025
Composed entirely of organically grown Syrah and made with minimal intervention in all the right ways, the 2023 Domaine du Chêne Vert Crozes-Hermitage Rouge undergoes native yeast fermentation with 33% whole clusters and is aged mostly in used barrels. It’s one of those Eureka wines where the cost-to-pleasure ratio is in the sweet spot. Thanks in part to partial whole-cluster fermentation, the wine bursts with vibrant fruit—plums, wild strawberries, cherries, toasty brown sugar, violets, and rooibos tea. Delightful and effortless, it’s an absolute joy to drink with or without food.
Buelan "Cap and Bells" Las Canciones No. 2 Oloroso Jerez (375 ml)
Review Date: 10-08-2025
What a festive little Oloroso—all dressed up and ready to impress, adorned with an eye-catching abstract art label and red wax capsule. A rich amber liquid spills into the glass. Salty, nutty, and caramelly—like sinking your teeth into a delicious mixed nut brittle. Great food-friendly acidity. The overall impression is dry and borders on a soy sauce-like umami. Our talented Southern Hemisphere buyer suggested pairing this with butternut squash risotto. Add some fried crispy sage and you'll have a truly heavenly pairing! Enjoy this during that blessed time of year known as Sweater Weather.
Price:
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2022 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-St-Georges Vieilles Vignes
Review Date: 10-08-2025
From bothers Bertrand and Denis Chevillon, the 2022 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-St-Georges Vieilles Vignes was destemmed and aged 18 months in approximately 30% new oak barrels. So clean and well-defined—red cherry, floral ume (Japanese plum), blood orange, whole green cardamom, and soft sandalwood incense. It's as if the etherial sensations of Kyoto were captured in a red Burgundy. Exquisite.
2023 Domaine Gerard Mugneret Vosne Romanee "Cuvee Quatrain"
Review Date: 10-08-2025
Organic and biodynamically farmed but not certified, Cuvée Quatrain is a blend of four parcels: Réas, Jaquines, Ormes, and Chalendins. It's a four-line stanza that flows well across the palate. Vibrant cherry, ripe mulberry, raspberry, and soft violet florals. Poetic notions dovetail into a long, light brown sugar-like finish redolent with fresh cherry and violets. So elegant! This was a star in a staff tasting of 21 red Burgundies—moreish in every way.
2016 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Barolo (Vintage Release)
Review Date: 10-08-2025
Waves of cherry and plum, dried lavender, sage, juicy blood orange and a hint of graphite. This is buttoned down a little, which tells me that that it's a candidate for the cellar. So much is tightly packed here but it's truly worthy of a place in your cellar or decant for a few hour prior to enjoying.
Price:
$34.99
2022 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Super Tuscan
Review Date: 10-08-2025
This is a sumptuous mouthful of wine for the price. Our 2022 Discovery Series Italy Super Tuscan is tall, dark, and handsome—black currant, blackberries, black plum—a real Casanova. A lush, plush mouthfeel brings notions of dried herbs and graphite. This is a wine to build a dinner around—steak, roasted pork, or venison would be natural pairings. For those who don't cook—break out the sharp cheddar, aged dry cheese, prosciutto, Marcona almonds, and even dark chocolate for a pleasurable evening of indulgence.
Price:
$39.99
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