Wakefield Pinot Noir 2021 (Australia) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is the latest vintage of a lovely Pinot Noir from Australia that arrived at the LCBO as part of the recent January 21st LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Wakefield Wines, a family wine business established in 1969 by Bill Taylor Sr. and his two sons, Bill and John, by the Wakefield River in South Australia's Clare Valley. They planted their first vineyards at that time and their desire was to create authentic, estate-grown wines where the vineyards and winery both reside at the same location. The Taylor family was inspired by the great producers of Bordeaux and the approach of having ultimate control over the vineyards, winery, and even bottling of the wines appealed to the them.

These days, the wines are still crafted and bottled at the estate, but the grapes aren't necessarily grown there. This is mainly due to the popularity of Wakefield Wines - they need more fruit to satisfy demand, but also fruit from other areas can be of higher quality, as is the case for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. With the Taylor family's continued commitment, they have earned an enviable reputation of consistently crafting quality wines that have contributed to their success, including winning many awards around the globe for almost half a century.

While the 2018 Wakefield Pinot Noir that I enjoyed a couple of years ago was crafted with grapes exclusively from Adelaide Hills, this particular vintage is regionally labelled as from South Australia, with grapes primarily coming from Adelaide Hills and possibly a small amount from Riverland or Clare Valley. It was matured for 9 months in a combination of 1 and 2 year old French oak hogshead barrels prior to bottling and enclosed by screw cap.

To help wine lovers enjoy Wakefield Wines, the Taylor family has added an innovative Optimum Drinking Temperature sensor on the back label that will tell you when the wine is ready to enjoy. All Estate range wines have this temperature sensor and it is calibrated to each varietal and wine. To use the sensor, simply touch the round temperature sensor and compare its colour to the chart located to its left. If the colour of the sensor falls between the optimum temperature indicated in the chart, then the wine is ready to drink. Let's see how this 2021 Australian Pinot Noir is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

WAKEFIELD PINOT NOIR 2021 - South Australia (#197392) (XD) - $19.95
Screw cap. The rich, medium-high intensity nose offers perfumed aromas of raspberry and black cherry nuanced with lovely black tea leaf, spices, beet root, and forest floor adding intrigue. On the light-to-mid weighted palate it is dry and fruity with ripe raspberry, black cherry, spices, tea leaf, and wild herb flavours. It has fresh, juicy acidity and sweet, ripe, supple and lightly textured tannins. Raspberry, tea leaf, and touches of cedary wood notes linger on the finish, with very good length. Highly recommended buy! Score: 89 pts

Other lovely wines by Wakefield are available at the LCBO and through their Agent - Profile Wine Group.

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Powers Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Washington) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley in Washington State that arrived at the LCBO last weekend as part of the January 21st LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Powers Winery was founded by the legendary Bill Powers, a man who was drawn from Oklahoma to the Columbia Valley in the 1950's. After years of farming multiple crops, Bill and his son, Greg, planted their estate Badger Mountain Vineyard in 1982 and soon after they went organic. In 1990, their Badger Mountain estate was the first certified organic vineyard in Washington.

Since the release of their first wines in 1992, Powers Winery has remained committed to crafting concentrated, structured, and age-worthy wines, while also practicing and innovating environmental, community, and fiscal sustainability. Bill Powers passed away in 2014, but he was highly respected for his progressive techniques and farming expertise. He was honoured by his colleagues many times over the years and was considered a Washington wine industry pioneer.

Today, Bill's legacy lives on through his son, Greg Powers, Director of Winemaking. They have a dynamic winemaking team and long-time grower partnerships that allows Powers Winery to continue to showcase Washington State's diverse micro-climates and distinctive vineyards. All Powers wines reflect a devotion, experience, and integrity that result in products worthy to carry the family name.

Their comprehensive approach to sustainability comes from a long-held belief that they are responsible not only to the land from which the fruit comes, but also to their employees, grower partners, and to the larger communities in which they operate. Powers Winery believes that stewardship in the vineyard, the winery, and the community is rewarded with better wines, but more importantly they believe it is simply the right thing to do. By utilizing both tradition and technology, they are able to produce compelling wines with a sustainable approach. Their continued approach to reduce their carbon footprint led to the installation of solar panels and giving back to the grid in 2011, making their own bio-diesel by sourcing recycled cooking oil from local restaurants, and switching to lighter weight glass for their wines.

This red wine actually a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Carménère, and 1% Merlot which was sourced from seven vineyards across the Columbia Valley. I love the transparency that Powers Winery lists exactly where the grapes were sourced from. The Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine was grown in five different vineyards - Goose Ridge Vineyard (36%) in Columbia Valley, Champoux Vineyard (28%) in Horse Heaven Hills, Rivercrest Vineyard (25%) in Columbia Valley, Ravenscliff Vineyard (5%) in Wahluke Slope, and Kiona Vineyard (3%) in Red Mountain. With all of these great vineyard sites to choose from, Powers was able to have the lots harvested from late-September into early-November and blend the perfectly ripe and balanced fruit with great acidity and tannin structure into a very complex, yet approachable Cabernet. It was fermented using PDM yeast in a combination of pump-under method and in upright stainless steel tanks. It was aged in mostly used French oak barrels for 22 months, with 50% in third-use and 38% in second-use barrels. Let's see how this Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

POWERS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Columbia Valley, Washington, USA (#434456) (XD) - $19.95
Screw cap. This blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Carménère, and 1% Merlot has a medium-high intensity nose that delivers complex sage, herbal, and minty freshness aromas layered over dark currant, blackberry, black raspberry, savoury wet earth, and subtle plum and oak spices. On the medium to medium-full bodied, dry palate it has delicious ripe dark berry, blackberry, black currant, raspberry, spices, savoury earth, and chocolate flavours that are supported by juicy, well-balanced acidity and smooth, fine-grained, and lightly grippy tannins. Blackberry, savoury earth, mineral, and chocolate notes linger on the finish, with very good length. A delicious, recommended buy! Score: 89 pts

Other lovely wines by Powers Winery can be ordered through their Agent - Rare Earth Wines.

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Domaine Yvon & Laurent Vocoret Petit Chablis 2020 (Burgundy) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely Chardonnay from Burgundy that newly landed at the LCBO as part of last weekend's LCBO VINTAGES Release on January 21.

It is produced by Domaine Yvon & Laurent Vocoret, a small family-owned estate whose history inscribed in vine cultivation and winemaking dating back to 1713. It all began in the early 18th century with Jean Vocoret, whose winemaking soul no doubt guided him to pass down his wisdom, his fruits, his passion, and the nobility of winemaking to his descendants,

The Domaine's more recent history of winemaking in Chablis begins with Victor Hyppolite Vocoret, the great, great grandfather of Yvon Vocoret. Born in 1863, Victor had a few acres of vineyards and some leaflets in the cellar. Henri Vocoret, born in 1895, and alongside his wife Louise were the grandparents of Yvon and they managed to make the land prosper with the help of their horses, and were very proud to produce excellent wine.

The fourth generation of the family to own the estate were Yvon's parents, Maurice (1928-1997) and Huguette (1933), who carefully reflected upon the art of winemaking and invested in high performance equipment for the cellar. Maurice and Huguette knew how to anticipate and plan so that the quality of their wines would be recognized.

Today, the Domaine is led by Yvon, the 5th generation of the family, and his son, Yvon, the 6th generation, together with Huguette, as they uphold the family motto - quality, dignity, and respect - and continue to write the story of a humble, but determined family of winegrowers who craft wines that bring pleasure. Since 1974, the Vocoret family has been farming the vineyards organically to respect and protect their vines and soils, as well as the environment. They have also been using organic soil materials which forces the soil to do its own work in order to transform the organic materials to minerals, so that the vine can feed itself and grow fruit in a natural, sustainable way and guarantee a quality vintage, year after year. The wines of Domaine Yvon & Laurent Vocoret represent the essence of their exceptional terroir.

This Petit Chablis is crafted with 100% Chardonnay that was sourced from various plots covering 4 hectares of land throughout the appellation of Petit Chablis. The vines average 30 years of age and were planted on Portlandian Barrois clay-limestone and limestone marl soils which also feature red pebbles and a reddish-brown colour. Each plot of grapes were harvested at maturity and either manually or mechanically. It underwent a light static settling to retain the fine lees so that the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations can take place naturally. And finally, each plot was aged for approximately 9 months in stainless steel vats to preserve its fresh characteristics and allow plot to express itself prior to creating the final blend.

The 2020 growing season was warm and dry, yielding grapes with exceptional freshness and purity. The white wines of Burgundy classically styled, balanced, and consistently of a very high quality. As the 2020 vintage is such a fine vintage across the board, let's see how this 2020 Petit Chablis is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

DOMAINE YVON & LAURENT VOCORET PETIT CHABLIS 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#26446) (XD) - $27.95
This lovely Chardonnay has an elegant, medium-high intensity nose offering a lovely mix of ripe lemon, citrus, mineral oil, nutty, lactic, green apple, and white peach aromas. It is impressively weighted and quite structured on the medium-full bodied palate with lactic, mineral, lemon citrus, and green apple flavours supported by juicy, well-balanced acidity. Lemon citrus, apple, and white peach taper to leesy mineral notes on the long, crisp finish. Enjoyable now, but will be even better in a year or two. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91 pts

There is a Chablis 1er Cru available at the LCBO, while other lovely wines from their portfolio can be ordered through their Agent - DBINO David Beauroy Selections.

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Delheim Grand Reserve 2017 (South Africa) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is an excellent Bordeaux variety blend from South Africa that newly arrived at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the January 21st LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Delheim Wines is a family business that was established in 1938 when Hans Otto Hoheisen purchased the farm, which had various owners over the years, as a retirement home for himself and his wife Deli. The name "Delheim" is German for "Deli's home". They started by planting citrus trees but quickly discovered that the area wasn't suited to Delheim because of the windy conditions. Their German friends suggested that they grow vineyards and two years later Hans Otto planted his first grape vines.

In 1944, the concrete tanks in the cellar were completed by Italian prisoners-of-war. Several years later, Deli mentioned to her nephew in Germany that she needed help on the wine farm in South Africa, and because he didn't see a future in post-war Germany, he decided to join them and arrived in South Africa in 1951. Her nephew's name was Michael "Spatz" Sperling - Sperling is the German word for "sparrow" and Spatz means "baby sparrow".

Michael Sperling soon took a keen interest in the few vineyards Hans Otto had planted. As Michael knew nothing about winemaking, and there were no books or winemaking schools in South Africa at the time, he taught himself through a process of trial and error and with some help from neighbours and visiting German winemakers. Over time, Spatz established himself as a serious winemarker and garnered numerous awards. He also embarked on a series of pioneering initiatives in the South African wine industry over the ensuing decades.

In 1971, patriarch Spatz Sperling’s far-sightedness led him to buy 80 hectares of prime red-wine land on the Klapmutskop mountain, about 3 kilometres from Delheim, as the crow flies in a westerly direction. This property was called Delvera in honour of Spatz’s wife, Vera, while the vineyards are called Vera Cruz - Cruz meaning "cross", allegedly for the cross Vera has had to bear during her long marriage to Spatz! With its warmer, drier climate, and sandier soils, Vera Cruz was better suited to growing high-quality red wines. Delvera is planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon, predominantly grown as bush vines and today aged between 15 and 37 years, along with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Today, Delheim is owned by the Sperling family. Vera still resides on the farm, while the late Michael Hans "Spatz" Sperling is the Patriarch and a South African wine industry legend. Their eldest son, Victor Sperling, and eldest daughter, Nora Sperling-Thiel, serve as Directors of the company and live on the farm with their families, while their other two children, Maria and Nicholas, live in Europe.

In the vineyard, their philosophy is that they are custodians of the land and must tread lightly in order to minimize the impact they have on it, as well as creating balance and harmony in the vineyards. They also strive to gain a sense of timelessness by allowing their vineyards to grow old, tell their stories and allowing the wines to gain a sense of place, while also keeping an eye on the future, seeking longevity and sustainability. Delheim also practices precision farming by embracing technologies to improve the quality of their vineyards and grapes.

This red wine is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc that was grown on their Vera Cruz property. The soil at Vera Cruz has an Oakleaf profile with mainly decomposed granite, and faces southwest on a slope between 220 to 280 metres above sea level. The grapes were handpicked and in small batches and fermented in a combination of open-top fermenters and vertical stainless steel tanks. The was was matured in 300 L French oak barrels for 18 months, and only the finest barrels were selected for this Grand Reserve blend.

From an excellent vintage, let's see how this 2017 Cabernet Merlot blend from South Africa is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

DELHEIM GRAND RESERVE 2017 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#26094) (XD) - $31.95
A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. The highly aromatic nose is fresh and fragrant with ripe blackberry, black currant, fine wood spices, and savoury earth aromas, with intriguing touches of cassis, tomato leaf, and graphite. It's full-ish bodied on the dry, chewy palate with very good concentration and complex, lightly tangy flavours of ripe dark berry, blackberry, currant, tomato leaf, and some pipe tobacco and graphite notes. It has fresh, juicy, and well-balanced acidity, while the structured tannins are smooth, refined, and well-integrated. There's a pleasing, subtly chalky mouthfeel on the back palate. Savoury, graphite mineral notes linger on the long, very satisfying finish. Maturing nicely, enjoy this delicious, highly recommended buy to the end of the decade. Score: 92+ pts

Other lovely wines by Delheim can be ordered through their Agent - Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.

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LAVAU Rasteau 2019 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Rhône red wine from the southern Rhône Valley Cru of Rasteau that arrived at the LCBO this weekend in the January 21 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Maison LAVAU was founded in 1965 after the Lavau family, who had been involved in winemaking for several generations, took charge of a small winemaking cellar a year earlier in Sablet, in the southern Rhône Valley. It was established by Jean-Guy Lavau, the third generation of the family, and his wife Anne-Marie as they returned to France from Tunisia. Together, Jean-Guy and Anne-Marie Lavau built a reputation as top quality winemakers in the region thanks to their dedication to high standards, attention to detail, and thirst for excellence. Recognized as a major local player, Maison LAVAU has developed close ties with other winegrowers, especially in the southern Rhône Valley.

Today, Maison LAVAU is run by their two sons - Frédéric and Benoît Lavau. After completing their studies in Canada, Frédéric joined the family business in 1995, and Benoît quickly followed in 1997. The Lavau brothers official took charge of the Maison in 2000 when their parents retired. Their youth, energy and adventurous spirit allowed them to further structure and develop the Maison, including building a new cellar in Violès, and investing in modern, high-performance cellar facilities. As talented winemakers and wine traders, the Lavau brothers also invested in vineyards to also become producers of wine. Maison LAVAU is today one of the last family-run and independent wine estates in the Rhône Valley. Their objective is to offer the very best of the Rhône Valley by producing top quality wines that are fine, generous, and affordable.

Like previous vintages, including the 2017 LAVAU Rasteau that I enjoyed a couple of years ago, this southern Rhône Valley red continues to be a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. The village of Rasteau is situated on the summit of a hill at an altitude of 200 metres. The grapes for this wine come from parcels located near the village, on east-facing, stony hillsides that have a Mediterranean climate and offer some protection from the Mistral wind. The vineyards are planted on fairly deep, fairly dry, and pebbly terrain, which results in low yields and late ripening grapes.

It was vinified by completely de-stemming the grapes and placing them in temperature-controlled vats to macerate for around 25 days with rack-and-return operations at the start of fermentation, followed by two pumping-over operations per day. The wine was then aged in barrels for 12 months, with half going into 450 L second- or third-use barrels.

The 2019 growing season began with a wet winter setting the table for the region's vineyards to get through the hot, dry growing season. Grenache, in particular, excelled this vintage as it coped well with the severely hot weather and cooler nights that helped it retain acidity and aromas. Overall, the excellent 2019 vintage is a powerful, ripe vintage with localized areas of greatness. Let's see how this 2019 southern Rhône Valley red from Rasteau is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LAVAU RASTEAU 2019 - AC, Rhône, France (#394650) (XD) - $23.95
Blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. The fragrant nose of medium-high intensity delivers lovely, perfumed aromas of dark berry, black cherry, black plum, peppery spice, and meaty notes with subtle whiffs of violet, floral, and oak. It's medium-full bodied with ripe, dark fruited flavours of black cherry, black plum, cassis, peppery spice, violet, meaty, and subtle wood. It's slightly spicy on the mid-palate and has fresh, lively acidity, along with smooth, ripe, refined, and lightly chewy and well-structured tannins. Lovely smoky mineral notes linger on the long-lasting, juicy finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90+ pts

Limited quantities of one other Maison LAVAU wine is available at the LCBO, while the rest of their portfolio can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.

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Gunderloch Fritz's Riesling 2021 (Rheinhessen) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely, off-dry Riesling from Germany that is featured as a Smart Buy in the recent January 7 LCBO VINTAGES Release and is readily available across the Ontario.

Weingut Gunderloch was founded in 1890 when banker Carl Gunderloch purchased the fabled Nackenheimer Rothenberg. Not content with just making wine, Carl had a pioneering spirit and led the charge toward quality-oriented viticulture within the region and was a fierce proponent of fine winemaking culture. Gunderloch is a founding member of what is now known as the Verein Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), a prestigious association of Germany's finest winegrowers, and one of only four estates to have remained a member for the entire span, which goes back to 1910. The estate has been passed down through six generations of the Gunderloch family, with Johannes Hasselbach taking over the winemaking reins upon the sad passing in 2016 of renowned winemaker Fritz Hasselbach.

The 28 hectare estate and Gunderloch family residence is situated within the Rheinhessen appellation. They craft clear, mineral-driven wines, working primarily with Riesling, which reflect the family's unique blend of experience and ingenuity. The centrepiece of Gunderloch are their vineyards on Roter Hang (aka Red Hill), one of Germany's most revered and richly historical vineyards. Set on picturesque, steep slopes that rise above the Rhine river between the towns of Nackenheim and Nierstein, Roter Hang has very special, iron-oxide laced red shale and clayey soils known as Rotliegend, which have taken on an almost mythical status among wine aficionados.

This white wine is crafted with 100% Riesling grapes that were grown on vivid red slate soils on Roter Hang. The vineyards are situated on steep, southeast facing slopes very close to the river Rhine. The four factors - the red slate soil, the closeness to the river, great sun exposure, and the steepness of the vineyards - are the ideal combination to produce high-quality Riesling. This particular Riesling was fermented naturally with indigenous yeasts and, uncommonly, aged in 600 L neutral oak barrels. From one of the most challenging vintages in recent memory, let's see how this 2021 Riesling from Germany is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

GUNDERLOCH FRITZ'S RIESLING 2021 - Qualitätswein, Rheinhessen, Germany (#216366) (M) - $17.95
Screw cap. The medium+ intensity aromatics seem rather quiet, with notes of orchard fruits, apple, peach, and citrus. It's light-to-mid weighted on the palate with fresh, juicy, and bracing acidity that lifts the lovely honeyed, apple, peach, and citrus flavours, gliding over the tongue in an off-dry profile. It's nicely balanced throughout with a subtle chalky textured mouthfeel on the mid-palate, while mineral notes appear and linger through to the long, dry-ish finish. A smart (and highly recommended) buy. Score: 89 pts

You can get other lovely wines by Weingut Gunderloch at the LCBO and through their Agent - Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits.

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January 21, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: California

Here's my top wine picks from the January 21, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release which focuses on California's top wine regions as the theme of the release. Also included in this release is a selection of Online Exclusives (VOE) that will also be available at select Flagship Store locations.

The theme is titled "Places in the Sun" and looks at California's top wine regions. There are ten wines featured as part of the theme, and while there are a couple of wines from here that I would happily recommend, just one wine is included among my top wine picks - a consistently well-made Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley from a solid producer.

Moving on to my top red wine picks from the rest of the release, for Rhône wine lovers there is the Lirac that is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, while the Rasteau is equal parts Grenache and Syrah. From Spain, the 2017 Rioja is a composed of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Graciano / Mazuelo / Garnacha, while the 2015 Rioja is a blend of Tempranillo and Graciano. Fans of Bordeaux blends will want to seek out the premium wine from South Africa that is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, or the wine from Washington that is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Carmenere, and 1% Merlot, or the budget-friendly 2015 Bordeaux that is a blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc. Wines from Italy include a Tuscan red crafted with 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Barolo which is, of course, made with Nebbiolo.

Among my white wine recommendations, the Rhône white is a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne, 15% Clairette, and 5% Viognier, while the Portuguese white is composed of 50% Loureiro, 40% Arinto, and 10% Trajadura. The other white wines are all mono-varietal wines, with both the Petit Chablis and the Chilean white crafted with Chardonnay.

Sparkling wine recommendations in this release include a Champagne which is crafted with 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, as well as a Cava which is made with 75% Macabeo and 25% Chardonnay. For sweet wine lovers, there is a lovely Sauternes that is crafted with 91% Sémillon and 9% Sauvignon Blanc, and a Sherry which is made with 100% Pedro Ximénez.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CHÂTEAU LES PINS DE BOSSUET 2015 - AC Bordeaux Supérieur, France (#26305) (XD) - $16.95
• WAKEFIELD PINOT NOIR 2021 - South Australia (#197392) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
  
• POWERS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Columbia Valley, Washington, USA (#434456) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• SALENTEIN RESERVE MALBEC 2020 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#640854) (XD) - $19.95
• MONTERRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Vegan, McLaren Vale, South Australia (#12835) (XD) - $19.95
• LAVAU RASTEAU 2019 - AC, Rhône, France (#394650) (XD) - $23.95  90+ pts  wine review
• XAVIER VIGNON LIRAC 2019 - AP, Rhône, France (#636183) (XD) - $24.95  91 pts  wine review

• CASTELLO VICCHIOMAGGIO AGOSTINO PETRI RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2018 - 47th Anniversary, sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#993360) (XD) - $30.95  91 pts  wine review
• DELHEIM GRAND RESERVE 2017 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#26094) (XD) - $31.95  92+ pts  wine review
• BARÓN DE LEY GRAN RESERVA 2015 - Vegan, DOCa Rioja, Spain (#642496) (XD) - $32.95  92+ pts  wine review
• RODNEY STRONG ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Sustainable, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#350454) (XD) - $35.95  91+ pts  wine review
  
• CVNE IMPERIAL RESERVA 2017 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#424390) (XD) - $39.95
• MIRAFIORE BAROLO 2016 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#26908) (XD) - $49.95  92+ pts  wine review

White Wine:

• ARCA NOVA VINHO VERDE 2021 - Vegan, DOC, Portugal (#292029) (XD) - $13.95
• CHÂTEAU DE NAGES HÉRITAGE BLANC 2020 - AC Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#479659) (XD) - $22.95
• DOMAINE YVON & LAURENT VOCORET PETIT CHABLIS 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#26446) (XD) - $27.95  91 pts  wine review
• CLOS HENRI SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#675629) (XD) - $29.95
• TARA ATACAMA WHITE WINE 1 2020 - Unfiltered, DO Valle de Atacama, Chile (#511337) (XD) - $54.95  VOE

Sparkling Wine:

• SEGURA VIUDAS HEREDAD RESERVA BRUT CAVA - Traditional method, DO, Spain (#558825) (D) - $39.95  91 pts  wine review
  
• VILMART ET CIE GRANDE RÉSERVE 1ER CRU CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#12619) (D) - $73.95  92 pts  wine review

Dessert Wine:

• CASTELNAU DE SUDUIRAUT 2015 - Second wine of Château Suduiraut, AC Sauternes, Bordeaux, France (#29694) (S) (375mL) - $26.95  VOE

Fortified Wine:

• GONZÁLEZ BYASS NECTAR PEDRO XIMÉNEZ DULCE SHERRY - Vegan, DO, Spain (#87577) (S) - $26.95

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