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Aromas of honeydew melon, guava and golden apple. On the palate, the wine has buttery textures, sustained acidity and spiced-citrus length. *Gold Medal*

Welcome to the newest addition to our Rendez-Vous collection: Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. Why did we choose Touraine? Simply put, it offers one of the greatest values for Sauvignon Blanc anywhere in the world. The region's clay-limestone and calcareous soils share many similarities with those of its far more famous neighbor a couple of hours to the east—Sancerre. As prices in Sancerre have continued to climb, many of its top producers have turned to Touraine to craft their value-focused wines. We realized we could do the same. So we reached out to one of our longtime partners with a simple proposition: let's take one of our favorite everyday Touraine bottlings and create the next Rendez-Vous. If you've been a fan of Roches Touraine over the years, here's a little secret—you've found it. This wine is the foundation for the project. I've been buying and tasting these wines for well over a decade, and they've never disappointed. The 2024 is everything I look for in Touraine: sleek, vibrant, and mineral-driven, with notes of lemon oil, fresh verbena, and a lightly chalky finish. There's also a subtle tropical lift that I always love in Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. It gives the wine an open, inviting personality that's equally at home on a Tuesday night or at a weekend gathering. That's exactly what Rendez-Vous is meant to be: exceptional quality at an everyday price. One of our goals with this label is to redefine what a daily-drinking wine can be by leveraging the long-standing relationships we've built with outstanding growers to deliver remarkable value without compromise. We hope this new Rendez-Vous earns a permanent place at your table. Santé—we have a feeling we'll be seeing you again soon.

This is one of my favorite Sancerre estates and they never disappoint. Their 2024, is another winner. It combines the classic citrus fruit we're accustomed to with pleasant tropical notes thanks to the generosity of the vintage. Simply put, it's complex, satisfying and outstanding as always.

Sunny, rich and ripe, offering aromas of peach, pear and quince that lead into a texture that is unexpectedly lush yet still retains an elegant balance. The cuvée is based on young vines in St-Romain - two-thirds of the blend this year - complemented by grapes purchased in the Mâconnais. The result is a charming wine perfect for current consumption. (CC)

A depth of brambly black and blue fruit dazzles on the well-structured palate of the 2024 Pinot Noir, layered in light bolts of baking spice, forest, and black tea. Balanced acidity keeps it fresh and lively and inviting in its youth. Drink now through 2032.

From Shamrock and Te Whare Ra vineyards located in 70% Awatere and 30% Wairau, with a savvy 18% barrel fermentation. Holy moly, this is simply heavenly, with starfruit, pulpy pomelo segments and glistening limes. Summer frangipanis and lotus flowers. Citrus manages to have the high tones of lime but base tones of ruby grapefruit, and acidity hums, grounded deep within the fabric of the wine. It's slippery, slightly salty and luxurious while uplifting. Every touch point of flavour and texture has been considered and if this is not on your wine list or in your cellar as a modern day representation of Marlborough's innate ability with sauvignon blanc than shame on you. Flippin' heck it’s good. Closure: Screw cap. 13.5% alcohol.

Chiseled golden apple frolics with brioche and bruised yellow pear on the nose that is accented by baby's breath. Stony minerality infuses the palate that brings in bread dough and lemon peel. This wine's citrus lift would complement shrimp cocktail, sushi and grilled asparagus.(AC)

After tasting the Petaluma Gap chardonnay and the Anderson Valley pinot noir, this (also) brand-new cabernet was my last stop for the day. With the other two being outstanding, especially for the $, I had high expectations for this one. This one was quite the change! The other two leaned more into brightness and acidity. This lil monster looked very deep and brooding in the glass. It almost looked unfiltered. I'm not sure if it is but, it kind of appears that way. For me, that is a very good thing. After letting it breathe, out came the black currant, tobacco, cedar and chocolate cherry scents. In the mouth, quite formidable with mouth-coating fruit of more currants, dusty red cherries, earth, clean wood and milk chocolate. Initially the finish starts smoothly, gathers speed and become tart with the clean (and fresh) wood dominating. A very, very light bit of smooth chalk also comes into play, if there is such a thing. Like the other two Anonymous wines that I tried today, this one is a bargain, and it will certainly age for quite a few more years.

We began the Discovery Series as a way to introduce our clients to outstanding producers from well-defined regions, pairing great wines with the history and backstory that bring them to life. We were truly astounded by the success and reception of these wines, and deeply encouraged by the trust you placed in us to deliver what we consider best-in-class wines at best-in-class prices under a label we will continue to develop. During the search for Discovery wines, however, I encountered a number of bottles that didn’t quite fit that specific mold, yet still offered incredible quality and value. That realization led to the creation of the Rendez-Vous label — a place to showcase wines we believe will become staples in your weeknight rotation. This project was born during a visit with our friends at Dauvergne et Ranvier in the Southern Rhône. Together, we conducted a series of blind tasting trials, working through dozens of samples and experimenting with different lots to build what I hoped would become the perfect Rhône-style blend. I began by tasting individual parcels — some already blended, others single varietal expressions. Several Côtes du Rhône lots produced charming and approachable wines, but once we moved into the Côtes du Rhône Villages selections, the depth of fruit and overall expansiveness increased dramatically. After settling on my preferred blend, we presented it to our winery partners. Watching everyone’s reactions as we arrived at the final composition was incredibly rewarding — we were unanimous in our enthusiasm. Just like that, our first Côtes du Rhône Villages blend was born. The final wine leans toward Syrah (approximately 70%), supported by a generous 30% Grenache. It shows a beautiful core of raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, backed by impressive concentration and layered notes of tobacco, black pepper, and savory spice. Now that the wine has rested in bottle after its journey from France to our warehouse, it has fully settled into its character. At recent staff trainings, I shared this wine with our teams and felt that same sense of satisfaction seeing their reactions. It has quickly become a staff favorite. There is tremendous personality here and, as I like to say, it truly overdelivers for the price. Join us for a little Rendez-Vous with this exciting new release — I think you’ll find as much pleasure in drinking it as we did creating it.

Charismatic lemon curd, ripe apricot and apple pie laced with sweet vanilla. Exceptionally juicy and luscious with zippy citrus acidity and a lengthy saline persistence. (2026 DWWA)

When I first tasted the Vignes Blanches from Curveux, I wrote down in my notes: "I can't decide if Premier Cru Pouilly-Fuissé of this quality shouldn't be possible at this price, or if I'm just overzealous in my first week on the job." Lo and behold, over a month, and half-a-hundred Pouilly-Fuissés later, I still haven't tasted one that struck me like this bottle did. It's a lush and doughy and superbly textured, with wonderful lift from the always-energetic 2024 vintage. A wine that you taste and are certain you’ll have to pay an arm and a leg to enjoy it, and then celebrate with a second bottle when you find out it’s under $30!

The latest Cabernet from the Anonymous Wine Collective is a truly special wine with an incredible backstory. I was lucky enough to walk among the vines with the winemaker and hand-pick barrels in the cellar to put together the final blend. It has been an absolute joy to help create this tiny, 200-case bottling from a historic block of vines that played an instrumental role in putting Napa Cabernet on the global map. The block of vines from which this wine originates was planted in 1974. It sits above the valley floor on a perfect alluvial bench at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, along the western edge of the valley. The vines, an old heritage clone of Cabernet grafted onto St. George rootstock, grow in extremely rocky soils composed of weathered basalt and compressed volcanic ash, or tuff. From the late 1970s through the 1980s, fruit from this very block was a component of early Opus One bottlings and was blended into Robert Mondavi’s iconic Reserve Cabernet alongside To Kalon fruit (apparently to add structure!) My initial dream was to bottle a pure Cabernet Sauvignon from these 50-plus-year-old vines. However, while tasting barrels, I fell in love with some Merlot and Petit Verdot from a neighboring block planted in the mid-1990s. After trying several renditions of a Bordeaux-style blend, I decided to add equal parts Merlot and Petit Verdot to the cuvée, as they beautifully complemented the dense, brooding old-vine Cabernet. The final blend was literally scribbled on the back of a napkin and sealed with a handshake. Once the components were racked together, the finished wine went back into barrel (Taransaud barrels, no less) for several more months, allowing everything to marry before bottling. Even though this wine is still an absolute baby, the quality is already clear to see. It is inky, brooding, and powerful, with an uncommon depth of black fruit, crushed rock, savory graphite, cedar, bay laurel, and beautifully integrated barrel spice. Please decant the wine for at least an hour if drinking it anytime soon, allowing it time to open up. I think it will be in fine form by this coming autumn and should have more than 20 years of aging potential. This is a wine I am incredibly proud of and one I will be enjoying on special occasions for many years to come!

Melbourne-raised Senior Director of Winemaking Richie Allen first began making this wine in 2004. ‘This is what we’re known for – this is what we do best,’ says Allen, who has been with the winery since that same year. The 2024 vintage, tasted in mid-December 2024, is bright, tightly coiled, and tense at present, but Richie assures me that within a few months it will evolve into the Rombauer style we all know and love. That’s because this is a low-sulphite, minimally handled wine: no sulphur is added until a small dose for stabilisation at bottling. As a result, the wine tends to stay wound up for the first six months, before unfurling into the richer, more tropical profile with toasty oak that defines the house style. Ripe fruit comes through clearly, with yellow stone fruit, Meyer lemon citrus, mango, and a creamy mid-palate accented by spice and vanilla from the oak. Bright acidity keeps everything lifted, and during my tasting the wine continued to build in the glass, gaining richness and creaminess with air. The fruit for this Chardonnay comes from Napa and Sonoma Carneros. It is barrel-fermented and aged for nine months in a mix of American and French oak, one-third of which is new. (JC)

Ah, a breath of fresh air, as this vivid, appetizing and mouthwatering wine counters the prevailing Napa trend of rich, full-bodied whites. An almost electric feel and vibrant citrus light up the palate. Flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest, green-apple skin and flint keep you coming back for more. Drink now.

Spellbinding aromas of rose petals, strawberries, citrus and bark, with hints of lemongrass. Medium-bodied, tight and structured, this offers a captivating combination of linear intensity and calmness, so classy and sophisticated. A continued benchmark for American pinot noir. Drink or hold.

A linear and focused, medium-bodied wine with lovely aromas of basil, mint, honeysuckle, citrus blossoms and chalk. A minerally core is surrounded by sumptuous flavors of pears, lemons and limes and tense energy. A delicate white floral note in the finish.

Scrumptious notes of peach, pear and candied lemon bond with the vanilla pastry creaminess that unfolds teover the palate. Long and splendid with a verbena finish. (DWWA 2025)

Just bottled, the 2024 Langhe Nebbiolo is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Crushed flowers, sweet red-toned fruit, mint, cedar, pipe tobacco and crushed flowers are beautifully lifted. This mid-weight, classy Langhe Nebbiolo is all charm. (AG)

Perfumed and aromatic, this opens with soaring floral notes typical of the vintage before revealing additional layers of delicate complexity with a hint of smoke and sweet calamansi. The palate is refined, elegant and detailed but also quietly powerful with linear acidity which tapers down to a grainy, pithy grapefruit-infused finish. *Recommended, Top Value* (SW)

Minerally on the nose, with good sharpness from acidity, showing crispness and linearity. Precise and lightly salty at the end, with an uncomplicated, pithy finish. Drink now.

The 2024 Pouilly-Fumé has incredible purity, delightful texture, tranquility and no edges. This is a cloud of delicious Sauvignon Blanc. It's very approachable and fresh. (RG)

The 2024 Chardonnay Muir-Hanna Vineyard was aged entirely in neutral oak for 10 months. It pops from the glass with bold notes of fresh white peaches and green guava, opening out to nuances of baking spices, orange blossoms, and chalk dust. The medium-bodied palate delivers vivacious orchard-fruit and spicy layers with a racy backbone and a suggestion of oiliness to the texture, finishing with a cheeky lemon-peel lift.

Superbly composed and expressed, with excellent fruit purity and sensual complexity, the inviting bouquet reveals dark plum, wild strawberry, olive, clove, and roasted nut aromas. It’s succulent and splendidly weighted in the mouth, delivering a velvety texture and finely pitched tannins. Harmonious and structured with loads of delectable flavours, offering terrific drinking. At its best now to 2034.

Jubilant yellow apple and freshly-sliced Anjou pear aromas lift from the glass along with subtle undertones of flint and wild herbs. Lemon citrus washes across river stone and completes with a saline-sprinkled finish. Pair with fried anchovies, Caesar salad and grilled chicken. (RS)

Between Fleys and Vaucoupin. Pale lemon. A bundle of white stone energy, a fresh and dynamic approach, with salinity. I see Cyril’s point about the potential ageability of this vintage. Quite a distinguished nose, I was thinking 1er Cru. Remarkably long finish. Drink from 2028-2032. Tasted Jun 2025.

A beautiful wine with pristine limey fruit, mineral notes, oysters and chalky fruit. Almost full-bodied on the palate, but the fullness is marked by tension and tautness. Really good density of flavors and acidity. A wine to contemplate, with severeness, density and purity. Three plots: one in the lower part (85 years old), one in the middle (35 years old) and one on the top (70 years old). 20% 500-liter barrels between 3-5 years old. Drink or hold.

Good minerality with saltiness, elegance and agility. Crushed seashells, white fruit and stones on the medium-bodied palate. Long and minerally finish. Drink or hold.

Light coral pink. This is a very concentrated, intense rosé with masses of fruit ranging from tangy raspberry and blood orange to deep notes of blackberry and blueberry, infused with licorice, anise and earthy spice. Despite its concentration and power, the palate is surprisingly lively and elegant, before slowly yielding to the submerged bed of peppery grip on the finish. Simply fantastic, it is clearly structured without being serious or austere. It will age if given time in bottle but is equally enjoyable now with food. *Ranked #1 2024 Rosé from Marlborough, Recommended* (SW)

This is the second edition of Anonymous that we’ve produced with this incredible, world-renowned winery, and it takes the quality to an entirely new level. I’m proud to say I worked hand in hand with the winemaking team to craft this custom blend from the crème de la crème of single-vineyard components sourced from some of the region’s most sought-after sites. At the core of the wine are three Grand Cru–caliber vineyards, including old Wente clone vines planted in 1974. Most of the fruit comes from the far western edge of the Russian River Valley, where the AVA meets the West Sonoma Coast. The ultra–cool climate, Goldridge soils, and meticulous viticulture ensure that only the finest fruit makes it through the doors of this esteemed estate. The fruit was gently pressed, and the juice was racked to top-quality French oak (30% new), where it fermented with native yeasts and aged on its lees for 15 months. The final blend is composed of 12 carefully selected barrels, chosen not only for their exceptional individual character but also for their seamless integration as a whole. I couldn’t be more proud of this wine. Working with this team is a true joy. With decades of winemaking pedigree and multiple 100-point wines to their credit, this partnership embodies everything the Anonymous Wine Project is about. Under its original label, this wine typically retails for $75–$90. The value delivered through anonymity is simply sensational.

Leave it to an orange wine specialist to chart a new future for Paso Robles Cab. This lower alcohol bottling, which seamlessly integrated the 30% new oak treatment, shows blackberry fruit aroma set against a chalky, slate-like minerality on the nose. The palate is tightly wound, offering a core of dark red fruit spiced in cocoa and dried mint, with an olive kick on the lingering acidity of the finish. *Editors' Choice* (MK)

Bright and zesty, with lime, flint and mineral aromas. Plenty of substance, with salted citrus flavors, a medium body and a textural, rounded finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now or hold

The 2024 Chassagne-Montrachet Village is a blend of seven lieux-dits with one-third from Morgeots, all touching Grand Crus. It has a touch of oyster shell on the nose that combines deftly with the citrus fruit. Fine delineation and focus. The palate is well balanced with a killer line of acidity, impressive depth and intensity, lightly spiced with a powerful and long finish that is unequivocally Premier Cru in standard. You will find few white Village Crus better than this.(NM)

The 2024 Chardonnay Les Noisetiers is a total delight. Aromatic and light on its feet, yet also quite expansive, the 2024 has a lot to offer. Citrus confit, hazelnut, white flowers, chamomile and lightly honeyed overtones are beautifully lifted in this super-expressive Chardonnay from various sites in the Russian River Valley. (AG)

The latest release of the Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay from Kistler! Winery Notes: The Kistler plantings on Sonoma Mountain, situated on a hillside bench perfectly suited for growing world class Chardonnay, are interlaced with the rare combination of red volcanic and fine grained chalky soils. The vineyards are planted to California Heritage clones that were selected specifically over the last 30 years to ripen to our balanced wine standards. They are some of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in Sonoma County. When coupled with the selections in the vineyard the textbook growing conditions afford a wine that is decidedly Sonoma Mountain in character. Annually some of our earliest vineyard pickings each year, this is a wine driven by a grounded, focused mineral core yet lifted by striking ethereal tones of vibrant light fruit raised at elevation.

The 2024 ranks among the best vintages of Leflaive's Bâtard I have tasted. There is a lovely freshness without sacrificing the richness that is the charm of a proper Bâtard. The wine surprises with profuse aromas of ripe pear, acacia flower, chalk and spice; the texture is dense but very fine, bringing impressive persistence to the finish. The wine is completely, convincingly delicious. The difficult 2024 vintage required extensive sorting, but the team did what was necessary to produce a truly memorable result.

A perfumed and highly expressive nose freely proffers its aromas of the essence of white fleshed fruit, green apple, wet stone, petrol and a plethora of floral elements. There is again excellent mid-palate density to the sappy and powerful medium-bodied flavors that possess an almost aggressive minerality on the superbly long finale. This is a knockout and it's extremely rare to find this level of quality at the villages-level - if you can find it, buy it.

Pure, precise and driven, with mineral and crystalline aromas. Very clean, transparent and modern, with medium body and a slightly mineral and peachy finish. Tank sample. Some CO2 at this stage trims it down. Quite acid-driven finish with salinity. Will be bottled in June. Drink from 2027.

This is Ernest's first vintage of the Sauvignon Blanc from Hopkins River Ranch, an organically farmed site of old vines on the cooler east side of the Russian River. Winemaker Joseph Ryan notes that the old Clone 1 vines produce notoriously large clusters, which is why the harvest in 2024 didn't happen until late August, a delay that allowed the aromatics and flavor complexity to catch up with the vine's generous yield. In the cellar, Ryan creates a wine that feels balanced and really pleasant overall. With so much natural high acidity on the site, he lets the wine go through full malolactic fermentation and eight months on the lees in stainless steel, which soften the acid's sharper edges but maintain the site's high-toned energy while creating a cushion for those aromatics to land. There is a custard-like density on the palate driven by the concentrated oils of kumquat and tropical orange peel, with a fresh, herbal lift that slices right through the initial richness. (AQC)

The 2024 vintage was a Goldilocks vintage here, with cool to normal temperatures and no major heat spikes through July and August. The 2024 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental is the multi-vineyard bottling from the two ranches out here and pours a bright ruby hue. It has a fantastic nose of ripe red pomegranate, blood orange citrus, salty fresh earth, and iron, and it delivers bright energetic lift on the palate, with fine tannins, clean, sanguine tones, terrific vibrancy, and tension. Drink 2026-2040.

Profound nose of minerals, eggshells and touches of seashells and white fruit. Broad, salty, minerally and long. From vines over 70 years old. Aged 25% in oak barrels. Drink or hold.

The 2024 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast) is a terrific introduction to the range. Apricot, white flowers, mint, white pepper and tangerine oil are nicely pushed forward. The warmer season yielded an especially forward, open-knit Chardonnay. It's a style that works quite well at this level. (AG)

As is often the case when young, the nose closely resembles that of the Pucelles with just a bit more layering. By contrast, there is definitely more size, weight and power to the bigger-bodied still yet refined and wonderfully energetic flavors that coat the palate with dry extract while delivering outstanding persistence on the compact, balanced and Zen-like finale. This is gorgeous and equally classy though it's also very much a buy and forget you own it wine. *Don't miss!*

The 2024 Syrah Great Places Jessica Lauren Stolpman is the most mind-bending wine in this range, and one of the finest Syrahs I've ever tasted from California. There’s a sense of flash and finesse here that makes this feel so pretty, so enticing. Dark macerated cherry, rosewater, crème de violette, incense and blackcurrant open with boundless concentration, while a pastille-like, velvety texture and ultra-refined tannins convey stunning purity. The inclusion of 85% whole clusters lends the wine remarkable textural vibrancy and aromatic delineation. The 2024 is dynamic and multidimensional, a wine that reaches the top of the mountain. Sensational.

Samuel Billaud’s 2024 Bourgogne d'Or Chardonnay, a blend of purchased fruit from the Mâconnais and the Auxerrois, delivers aromas of pear, beeswax, peach and apricot. The palate is medium-bodied, ample and inviting, underpinned by vibrant acidity, and it concludes with a finish of moderate length.(KK)

Very pure, precise and energetic, with aromas of salt and limes. Lots of limes, zestiness, salt and minerals on the palate, leading to a lasting finish. Medium- to full-bodied. Drink or hold.

Once again there is a coolness to the airy, even wafting, nose of wet stone, citrus and exotic tea. The sleek, intense and beautifully delineated, even chiseled, flavors brim with minerality on the lilting, focused, balanced and lightly austere finale. Villages-level Meursault doesn't get a lot better and this is pretty much textbook Tillets. *Outstanding* *Top Value*

Crushed blackberries combine with rosemary, crushed stone and hints of olive as the 2024 Rosso di Montalcino blossoms in the glass. This is cool-toned and silky with sleek red berry fruits and crunchy mineral tones. A web of fine tannins frames a tart raspberry resonance on the long, classically dry finish. This is easily one of the most enjoyable Rossos I've tasted from Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona. (EG)