Wine

This wine over-delivers at the price. There are so many Napa Cabernet Sauvignons masquerading around charging $80-100 dollars that it makes my eyes get wide open when I see a Bordeaux blend for only $55. This is Right Bank in style with 58% Merlot and 42% Cabernet Franc. Merlot is where the value is, as it has had a two decade up-hill battle that has only re-assured me that Pinot Noir has increased in price, but the quality is the same. Learn More

Great Estate vineyard near Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley. Vines up to 160 years old! Zin based blend (65ish% Zin). Then Grenache, Petite Sirah, Alicante, Mourvedre & much more. Co-ferment. Big wine...not shy. Nose is a blend of briar patch, liqueur and earth. Christmas and Moroccan spices, berry jam, musk, tobacco, espresso. Have with BBQ & Grilled meats. 431 cases made. Learn More

90% Chenin Blanc, 10% Chardonnay. This is a delicious, approachable, and easy-drinking sparkling wine from Touraine in the Loire. The Chenin-dominant blend gives the wine subtle aromatics of honeycomb, acacia, and honeysuckle, as well as green apples, pears, and peaches, while the Chardonnay gives it a fine, acidic structure. A lot of fun at this great-value price. Learn More

A blend of 39% Zinfandel, 39% Petite Sirah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Petit Verdot join forces to make this delicious, robust, dark berry fruit and spice-driven red wine. Smell and taste black cherry liqueur, allspice, incense, mocha, fruitcake, blueberries, and more. The fruit is juicy and the tannins are firm yet approachable. One of our favorite wines to recommend if you want wine that's local, unique, and very fairly priced. Learn More

A rare find – the organically-farmed fruit comes from Les Grèves, in the heart of Beaune, where there is just one parcel of Chardonnay which five producers have access to. This is a superb example of white Burgundy at its finest, with a rich, creamy mouthfeel given extra grip by oak, all lifted by lively acidity. A weighty but very fresh wine, with pure fruit aromas of peach, apricot, and guava. Just 150 cases made – get it while you can. Learn More

Hameau du Blagny is a Puligny Premier Cru surrounding the hamlet of Blagny, hence the name. The organically-farmed vines were planted in 1950, helping give an extra concentration and depth of flavor to this superb wine. It’s aged in 33% new oak, adding weight, spice, and structure. The overall result is a rich but extremely fresh white Burgundy with aromas of stone fruits and cream. A wine that manages to be simultaneously delicate and powerful. Learn More

Lupe Maldonado arrived in America in 1968, working his way up from day laborer. Fast forward to today: his family owns 10 acres in Jamieson Canyon and he runs both winery and vineyards with his son and grandkids. Classic “big Napa” Chardonnay: buttered toast flavors (100% ML, barrel fermented and aged) are balanced by ripe lemon, fig, apple, and roast hazelnut, complemented by zippy acid. Learn More

85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes come from the "Cerro Sur" or "Sout Hills" of Napa. Southeast Napa to be exact: "Rancho Chimiles" in the Vaca Mountains the source of the Cab Franc. "Layers of concentrated black cherry and blackcurrant fruit and blueberries are present in this full-bodied, opulent and voluptuously textured wine." Mr Parker. 440 cases made. Learn More

50% Chardonnay, 50% Tressalier – a local grape known as Sacy in Burgundy. West of the Mâconnais, St-Pourçain was once regarded as the finest of Loire’s whites, but due to phylloxera, war, and other crops it’s now tiny – just 640ha – so it’s a rare treat to try one. There’s a delicate richness with stone fruit and spicy lees aromas that give some weight to the tight, gripping acidity and grainy texture. Think of this as a cool take on Burgundy. Learn More

Going back to the seventeenth century, the Laroche family own some of the best village plots in Chablis. From 30-year-old estate vines grown in Maligny, Chablis, and Fleys, this is an exceptional and classic representation of the famous appellation. There are light aromas of green apple and citrus fruit, but this is all about the acidic, tight, dry, gripping, and racy palate. Very Chablis. Learn More

88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc. 70% new French oak for 18 months. A Pomerol style red by Heidi Barrett, super star winemaker. An irresistible nose of raspberry, cherry, and plum, cocoa, baking spices, vanilla, and dried herbs is backed up by an intense, complexly structured, ripely tannic, smooth, mouthcoating palate that point to a long life ahead. Rich and intense, but graceful. Label artwork by chef Jacques Pépin. Learn More

Luscious, rich style of Chardonnay with underpinnings of fresh citrus and mineral smells and flavors. Steve Hansel has made Kistler/Marcassin-esque Chardonnays (at much more reasonable prices) for 20+ years. Enjoy the wine's graham cracker, spiced pear, butterscotch, Golden Delicious apple, lemon custard, and zippy acid on the finish. Learn More

The monopole Clos de la Barre is just 2.1ha, producing wines with an intense combination of richness and acidity. The 2015 is particularly excellent, with an aromatic intensity on the nose of green apples, lemon zest, nectarine, white flowers, smoke, vanilla, and chalk, with a spicy, almost tannic mouthfeel. Drink until 2035. Learn More

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Star sommelier Rajat Parr started his own label ten years ago, blending select wines from different producers rather like a négociant does in Burgundy. In a short time he’s come a long way, and now his wine is highly regarded in its own right. This Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay from the Sanford & Benedict vineyard may well be his best yet: the perfect balance between ripe stone fruit aromas, creamy texture, and a lifting, refreshing acidity. Learn More

42% Chardonnay, 40% Roussanne, 7% Viognier, 7 % Petit Manseng, 4% Marsanne. 20% raisied in concrete eggs, 20% in stainless steel. As good, if not better than the 2014 white, the 2015 Entre Chien et Loup (which translates to between a dog and wolf, but is a French saying referring to dusk/twilight) checks in as a blend of 44% Chardonnay, 40% Roussanne, 8% Petite Manseng and 8% Viognier, raised in a combination of concrete eggs, stainless steel, used barrels and new French oak (varying sizes). The Chardonnay dominates on the nose which shows terrific buttered citrus, stone fruits, marzipan and brioche nuances. These carry over to the palate where the wine is full-bodied, thrillingly concentrated and textured, with bright, even racy acidity. Give this beauty a few years, and it’s going to keep for two decades or more. Learn More

There’s some killer Chardonnay coming out of South Africa right now, and this is one of them. Fruit comes from Stellenbosch and further inland Robertson, a nice combination of ocean influence and warm, sunny days. This is all about balance: a spicy, grainy, creamy texture and some oak with lively, refreshing acidity filled out by stone fruit aromas and a long mouthcoating finish. If you haven’t tried South African Chard, get this now. Learn More