We introduced Grosjean to many of you last year, and weโre thrilled to have three new bottlings just in time for summer drinking. These are wines for Alpine picnics, for cool nights in the redwoods, or for anyone seeking something vivid, crunchy and alive.
Domaine du Bagnol, one of only 12 wineries in Cassis, farms (organically, bien sur!) Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault just 200 meters from the Med. Their ripe grapes are full of all the terroir's charms: sunny fruit, windswept freshness, electric limestone structure and a minerality that sometimes gets described as "salty."
Oregon Pinot Noir used to be a scrappy, underdog affair. Independent producers carved out reputations with low-budget setups, idealism, and incredible wines. But over time, that spirit has faded a little, as international investors and corporate players moved in.
Which is why weโre so thrilled to offer new releases from Love & Squalor โ a reminder of what made Willamette Pinot so compelling in the first place.
The essence of Chablis โ the thing that sets it apart from all other Burgundies โ is its stony soul. The appellation is defined by the Kimmeridgian marls of clay and limestone (flecked with ancient, fossilized seashells) that sit over limestone subsoils. That soil, together with Chablisโ northern climate, make wines that are electric with acidity and minerality.
A few of us had the chance to enjoy dinner with Virgile Lignier. He was one of the young crop of vignerons and vigneronnes at the dinner who were somewhere in the process of taking charge at their family domaines (Cyrielle Rousseau of Armand Rousseau was there, for instance)...
There are few producers we return to with as much joyโand as much regularityโas Lopez de Heredia. These are wines that donโt chase trends or market demands. Theyโre made the same way theyโve been made for over a century: by hand, by instinct, and according to a timeline that belongs to no one but the winery itself.
From the very beginning at Flatiron, Guรญmaro has been our benchmark for Mencรญaโand for the promise of Ribeira Sacra. Long before the region made its way onto the radar of sommeliers and collectors, we were obsessed with the wines: bright, earthy, and etched with the wild slate and granite terrain of Galiciaโs steep river valleys.
Itโs always a small miracle when we see Matassa arrive. These are wines with a devoted following, made in tiny quantities, and somehowโagainst all oddsโthey make their way from the mountain vineyards of Calce to our shelves in San Francisco. The 2023s are vibrant, lifted, and full of life. Whether itโs the crunchy, herbal Rouge, the saline tension of the Blanc, or the heady aromatics of the Coume de lโOlla bottlings, each wine is a reminder of how expressive and joyful natural wine can be when itโs guided by experience and grown in the right place.
Statera Cellars is Oregonโs groundbreaking Chardonnay producer. Back when Willamette meant Pinot Noir โ and nothing else โ Meredith Bell and Luke Wylde founded Statera as Oregonโs first all-Chardonnay producer.
Bermejos produces one of our favorite rosรฉs, year after year โ particularly if you love savory, serious rosรฉ ร la Bandol. It's made from Lรญstan Negro, perhaps the most familiar of the evocative and intense grapes native to these islands. With flavors of strawberry, salted watermelon, and blood orange to remind you of its maritime provenance, and a wisp of smoke, youโre sure to fall in love. Take our advice and open this handsome bottle with tinned fish and some fresh radishes and butter or castelvetrano olives.
Sylvain Pataille is low-key one of the great winemakers in Burgundy. Thereโs no doubt heโs great: his wines make it to top wine lists and a select band of insiders love to collect them too. Heโs been consulting oenologist to top producers for ages.
Why do top Barolo producers in the village of Verduno โ like the Castello di Verduno, Burlotto, and Alessandria โ continue to devote time and precious vineyard space to Pelaverga? Well, it provides so much of the magic of Nebbiolo (its aromatics, its cherry fruit) without its weight or structure. Pelaverga is "lighter than air," according to Burlotto, and its bright red fruit is married to thyme and rosemary.