Peybonhomme 2019 Premières Côte de Blaye Cru Bourgeois

Biodynamic farming, native yeasts, wild fermentations, good value –all phrases not typically associated with Bordeaux. Yet, each year the Hubert family provides us with just that in their staple cuvee from the Côte de Blaye. The Cru Bourgeois is a blend of mostly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a bit of Malbec. Generously aromatic  owing to the rich clay soils in which it is grown, the 2019 offers crushed violets, cassis, and rhubarb on the nose. The palate shows the warm vintage with finesse. Cascades of ripe red fruit, black currant, and spice, with supple tannins and an undercurrent of chalky minerality. This is a great addition to the dinner table alongside grilled meat or sipped on its own.

Grolet 2019 Côtes de Bourg "Origines"

 Chateau La Grolet has been certified organic and Biodynamic since 2000. Double Guyot pruning, spontaneous winter grass cover. Soil tillage during the spring, every other row ploughed. Treatments combining small quantities of Bordeaux mixture with herbal teas such as horsetail or nettle. The blend is 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet-Franc, 5% Malbec.  The Hubert family's great farming creates this sensational value Bordeaux which is truly a subtle, complex and profound wine. When young, it is dominated by red and black fruit aromas, then as the years pass, cocoa and mild tobacco notes combine with hints of spice and earth. Can be drunk young but is also a very good wine for laying down, recommended cellaring time: 5 - 10 years.

Planquette (Didier Michaud) 2018 Vin de France (Médoc)

Didier Michaud works 1.7 hectares in the Medoc with 30 to 100 year-old vines on limestone with thin soils of clay with sand and stones.  He has old vines of Merlot Queue Rouge and massale selection Cabernet Sauvignon, farmed organically with just a little compost and shallow plowing. Vinification with wild yeasts, no extraction and no added sulfur (total SO2 less than 2 mg/L). This is one of the most "natural" and deliciously old-fashioned wines of Bordeaux. The 2018 Planquette is considerably riper and more forward than usual, weighing in at 15%  alcohol, but retaining it's normal vibrant character - it will be delicious as a young wine, although it will certainly cellar nicely as well. The 2018 shows very ripe cassis and blackberry aromas with licorice, violet, bitter chocolate and earth. The palate is dense, deep and velvety, with black fruit liqueur, earth and mineral flavors. The mid-palate is elegant with a core of chalky black fruit and minerals that continues in the long finish. This is a beautiful Bordeaux of terroir, unfettered by additives, over-extraction or new oak, showing lovely flavors of fruit and earth and perfect balance despite the weight and ripeness of the vintage. Delicious now, but perhaps best 2025 to 2035+.  Thank you, Didier Michaud! This superb and soulful wine is highly recommended and a great value.  David Lillie

Bregeon 2014 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson "La Molette"

Fred Lailler of Domaine Bregeon is continuing the great work of Michel Bregeon and has converted the estate to organic farming. 2014 is a great vintage for Muscadet, and the Clisson "La Molette" is a beautiful wine, from a small parcel of 40 year-old vines on Granite de Clisson, located in Maisdon-sur-Sèvre near Domaine de la Pépière.  The wine spent 27 months on the lees, and shows both the ripeness and the firm acidity of 2014, with great tension and fabulous mineral expression in the finish. The wine did go through the malo-lactic transformation, which gives a bit of supple weight to the wine, but it retains the magical balance of the best 2014 Muscadets - this is a must try for fans of the Pays Nantais...

Landron, Jo (Louvetrie) 2018 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Les Houx

(Last of the 2018 vintage!) Jo Landron's 2018 "Les Houx" (formerly known as "Hermine D'Or") is from a great parcel of thin sandy clay soils, rich with silica, quartz and iron, over a bedrock of gneiss and clay. Kept on the lees for 12 months. Normally one of the most scintillating and mineral of Muscadets, the 2018 is slightly riper and rounder but remains essentially a mouthful of terroir. The wine shows lovely aromas of ripe pear, stone and anise that open nicely with aeration. The palate is round and mineral, framed in firm acidity with ripe white fruits, citrus, stone and licorice and there's a nice mineral kick in the finish. Delicious now, this will develop nicely over the next few years, and will accompany oysters and grilled seafood, from flounder to monkfish, roast chicken and mild cheeses. David Lillie

Domaine Chapel 2019 Fleurie Charbonnieres

Charbonnières is a parcel in Fleurie that the folks at Domaine Chapel acquired from Yves Metras. Considered their "best" vineyard, this is a classic granite parcel known to produce high quality fruit. This is an impressive and very developed Fleurie, with subtle structure, spice, and mellow fruit profile. It will certainly reward those who have the patience to wait another 3-5 years (or more for that matter), but is in a lovely place now, especially with a short decant or a half hour to breathe.  -EL

Déhu, Benoît NV Champagne Brut Nature La Rue des Noyers b16

For those who dismiss the minerality and terroir specificity of Pinot Meunier in the Vallée de la Marne, Benoit Déhu's La Rue des Noyers makes a compelling case for the grape's expressiveness. From a 1.7 hectare plot of biodynamically farmed vines in the the eponymous lieu-dit in Fossoy, Benoit produces a Champagne of great suppleness and verve. The grapes are fermented in oak with native yeasts, aged under cork, and is bottled without dosage. The 2016 has a lovely nose redolent of ripe peach, salted plum, and wild strawberry. The palate is rich and supple on the attack with ripe stone fruit flavors girded with a salty, chalky core giving way to a long mouth-watering finish. This is delicious now, but has enough underlying structure to bode well for further development. This was lovely with an array of sushi, but I'd be delighted to pair this with grilled salmon or butter-poached lobster. John McIlwain

Diebolt Vallois NV Champagne Brut Prestige Blanc de Blancs

From a perpetual cuvée , vinified in barrel. The fruit comes from Cramant, Chouilly, and Mesnil-sur-Orger. Upon first opening, the wine offers aromas of white flowers and lemon verbena, giving way to notes of chalk and sea spray. The palate  is creamy-textured with a fine bead and lemon and golden apple flavors enrobing a mouthwatering, deeply chalky core. This is a shimmering, age-worthy blanc de blancs , that pairs incisive minerality with elegant ripe white fruit, and nuance from the perpetual cuvée of vins clairs. Beautifully rendered and a joy to drink. Highly recommended! John McIlwain

Poe 2017 Anderson Valley Ferrington Vineyard Chardonnay

A terrifically elegant Sonoma Chardonnay, from one of the more engaging and thoughtful CA winemakers with whom I've had the pleasure of tasting. Samantha Sheehan doesn't have any secret recipe. She works with top sites that are meticulously farmed and makes serious and terroir-driven wines. This is incredibly open and feels genuinely ready to drink, with aromas of lemon peel, dried honeycomb and ripe stone fruit. There is a real core of minerality here and excellent drive in the finish. Very good wine and worth buying enough to drink once a week at least. Sam Ehrlich

Railsback Freres 2020 Santa Ynez Roman Ceremony Cabernet Sauvignon

The first Cabernet from the brothers Railsback, Eric and Lyle. From Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara, this is as much about red fruit as black, with notes of dried sage, roasted red pepper and a certain salty freshness that is common in Santa Barbara. There is ample acidity and enough tannic structure to suggest solid aging potential for the near-term, but I'd be hard pressed not to just keep drinking it. Sam Ehrlich

Eminence Road 2020 Finger Lakes Sparkling Gewürztraminer

From the shale-heavy soils of Elizabeth's vineyard, this is great fun. This is fully-dry Gewurztraminer, fizzy and fun, with great aromatics of honey, ripe orange and dried tropical fruit. It's earthy without being overly funky and fresh without feeling underripe. Pet-nat at this price? A no-brainer. Sam Ehrlich

Eminence Road 2019 Seneca Lake Chardonnay Lamb's Quarter Vineyard

The endless drinkability of the Eminence Road wines is what I find most appealing, year after year. This is fully ripe and clocks in at just over 11% alcohol. It's lovely and crisp, with green apple and pear, a touch of stony reduction and no oak influence. There is a bit more weight than in past vintages that I've tasted. I'd be curious to try it again in a couple of year. Sam Ehrlich

Eminence Road 2019 Seneca Lake Lamb's Quarters Pinot Noir

Eminence Road 2019 Finger Lakes Elizabeth's Vineyard Pinot Noir

Of all the current crop of ER wines that I've had the chance  to taste so far, this is the star. Showing some reduction on the nose at first, but clean red fruit on the palate and good acidity. However, with air this really came to life, with snappy red currant and cranberry fruit and a leafy savory edge that were a great compliment to green lentils with squash and tomatoes. There was also a vivid black pepper component that reminded me of first rate Pineau d'Aunis from the Loire. I really liked this. Amazing value. Sam Ehrlich

Busch, Clemens 2019 Mosel Pündericher Marienburg Riesling Grosses Gewächs

The Marienburg GG comes an all from gray slate parcel. Fermented with native yeast. Aged in fuder, bottled with low sulfur. The 2019 Clemens Busch Pündericher Marienburg Riesling Großes Gewächs has a pale green-yellow robe. The nose offers an attractive array of wild flower and red fruit aromas, with hints of orange oil, ginger, and wet slate. The palate is concentrated and coiled, with ripe orchard fruit entwines with a firm mineral core on a long, persistent finish. This is only showing nascent complexity, but is showing great promise and should really begin strutting its stuff with another 3-5 years in the bottle and beyond. John McIlwain

Muxagat 2018 Douro Branco

A field blend of indigenous varieties: mostly Rabigato, with Arinto and Gouveio. From the upper Douro Valley (Douro Superior), the warmest and the driest Douro sub-region. Altitudes are 500-600 meters with schist soils. Practicing organic and biodynamic, hand harvested, fermentation with indigenous yeast only. Aged in used French oak barrels for 9 months on the lees. With a bright gold appearance, the nose shows aromas of ripe melon and pear, white flowers and wet stones. In the mouth the wine displays great volume and fresh acidity along with flavors of citrus, pear, melon, honey and slightly bitter almond. For lovers of ripe Chenin or white Rhônes. The lees and oak aging give the wine a round body and structure that would make it an excellent partner to light meats as well as richer seafood dishes. Giselle Hamburg

Muxagat 2017 Douro Tinto Barroca

Muxagat is an estate in the Douro, run by Susana Lopes and Ana Sofia Silva, with the guidance of the famed Luis Seabra. This is 100% Tinta Barroca, a local grape from the Douro, grown on granite and schist soils. Grapes are pressed in traditional cement lagars, and the wine is aged in cement, with no use of oak. On the nose, there is pleasant blackberry fruit, with elegant, leathery tannin on the palate. Subtle cocoa and menthol notes carry the mid-palate, and the finish is marked by fine mineral length.  -EL

Albamar 2020 Rias Baixas Albariño

Xurxo Alba is making a number of expressions of Albariño and other local Galician grapes in Cambados, in the Rías Baixas DOC in Galicia. His farming and winemaking are innovative and experimental, as he pursues organics and biodynamics in this challenging climate, ferments his wines exclusively with native yeasts, and adds little to no sulfur during production. This is an extremely Atlantic-influenced area, and the wines show that influence clearly. The entry level cuvée is made from grapes sourced from multiple sites with mainly sandy soil. The fruit from each parcel is vinified separately (some in stainless steel, some in barrels) gaining structure and complexity of flavor from six months spent on the fine lees. This is a very good, classic expression of Albariño with plenty of saline minerality and joyous notes of stone-fruit and sea air.  -BF

Albamar 2019 Ribeira Sacra Fusco Mencia

We know Bodegas Albamar for the incredible Albarinos that winemaker Xurxo Alba produces, but his reds are worthy of attention too! This is all Mencia from the Ribeira Sacra DO, aged in stainless steel. The profile is classic for Mencia, with subtle spice, earth, crushed red and black berries, medium tannin and perfect acidity. There is a slightly rustic character to the fruit, but the wine is so elegant that the rusticity is more of an edge than a dominating feature. Highly recommended for all fans of Mencia, and for anyone looking for a perfectly medium-bodied red.  -EL

Oriol Artigas 2020 Alella Sammay Negre

This is a wild and fresh Trepat from our friend Oriol Artigas. A touch reductive on opening, we'd recommend letting the wine breathe, and also chilling it down to fully enjoy the bright, red berry profile. A very fun wine, and a welcome new arrival from one of our favorite Catalan producers!  -EL

Bengoetxe 2019 Getariako Txakolina

Iñaki and Rosa Maria Etxeberria produce Bengoetxe in the cool, very green Basque country on the border with France. The humid climate and the influence of the Atlantic Ocean yield wines with lots of bright acidity grown from native grapes (in this case, Hondarribi Zuri and a tiny bit of Gros Manseng). The Exeberrias pursue a lower-intervention and more serious style of Txakoli, harvesting by hand, fermenting with native yeasts, and resting for a full year on the lees in steel tanks before bottling without captured CO2. Bengoetxe is from vineyards from a slightly warmer site, and the wine shows rich citrus,  melon, smoke and herbs on the palate. The 2019 is outrageously good, a total knockout for the price: long and extremely mineral on the palate, with brilliant acidity and freshness. I don't know if I'll manage to save a bottle or two (as it is so very tasty right now), but my feeling is that is could also age quite brilliantly. Ben Fletcher

Bodegas Altos de Montanchez 2020 Extremadura 'Vegas Altas' Eva de los Santos

This is an impressive value from the Extremadura region in Spain. Eva de los Santos is the local grape, which reminds us very much of a good Muscadet. Similarly subtle on the nose, the palate is fresh and balanced, with stone fruit, stones, and ample acidity. Certainly a bit lower on the acid than most Muscadet, the comparison is still apt, and any fan of a clean, dry white should definitely try a bottle! -EL

Nanclares 2020 Rias Baixas Dandelion Albariño

Alberto Nanclares and Sylvia Prieto are making expressive, exciting wines from Albarino and other local grapes in Rias Baixas. This wine is from multiple sites in Cambados on granitic and sandy soils. The vines range in age from 30 to 60 years, a the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and raised in small tanks for close to a year. The 2020 is delicious, showing soft, delicate acidity, stones, and dry melon notes. The mid-palate has perfect density, and the wine truly transcends the one-dimensional generalization of Albarinos as crispy and refreshing, as this is almost more akin to a classic Chablis on the palate, especially if served at cellar temperature.  -EL