Bérêche’s Brut Reserve is a wine fleeting in nature — when we are lucky enough to have it in stock, it’s usually not for long. In fact, there’s a very good chance this release won’t end up on the shelf at all, because our faithful newsletter readers tend to snap this Champagne up ferociously. And, we’ll admit, we usually try to hold back a bottle or two to enjoy after hours…it’s just that good!

We all know that wine trends move in waves. But vines don’t care about trends, and you certainly can’t plan for them if one day you want to drink wine produced from 80 year-old vines. That’s the story behind Aperture’s Chenin Blanc. The vines were planted in the 1940s, in a quiet pocket of the North Coast, at a time when California was planting almost anything but Chenin

Valtellina isn’t the only place where Nebbiolo thrives in the mountains. Alto Piemonte has had its renaissance, too. But where Alto Piemonte gives you cooler soils and a mix of grapes and terroirs, Valtellina is purer, more focused: Nebbiolo alone, grown high and hard against the rock, with a clarity and tension that’s unlike anything else.

There’s no shortage of flash in Barolo these days, with sleek new cellars, soaring scores, crus that demand cult-like devotion. But in the hills of Castiglione Falletto, Azelia keeps to its rhythm—quiet, steady, deeply rooted. The Scavino family has worked this land for five generations, and their Barolo has never been about the spotlight. It’s about place. It’s about time.

Coombsville isn’t the first place most people think of when they think “Napa Cab.” And that’s kind of the point. Tucked into Napa’s southeastern corner, closer to the bay than to Highway 29, it’s cooler here. Slower. The soils are volcanic ash and cobblestone. The fog lingers. And the wines—well, they’re different.

“Un Rosé très osé” — that’s how Didier Gimonnet describes this wine. “A very daring rosé.” And coming from a house that built its reputation on crystalline Blanc de Blancs, it is at least a little daring — but in the most Gimonnet way possible.

Ask a Piemontese winemaker what they drink with lunch, and odds are, it’s not Barolo. It’s Barbera. Or maybe Nebbiolo—but not the kind that needs a decade in the cellar. These are what we call the Little Grapes of Piedmont, though there's nothing small about their charm, versatility, or place on the local table. They remind us that Piedmont is far more than just a hunting ground for trophy collectors. 

Every year, when the new vintage of Arnot-Roberts Pinot Noirs land, we get excited. Not because they’re flashy or hyped — they’re not — but because they deliver something that has been far too rare in California for far too long: purity, precision, and place.

It's so good, it's tempting to call it Baby Puligny. But that misses the point. Carillon's Bourgogne Blanc isn't a stand-in—it's the real deal: a true Bourgogne Blanc of the old school.

For decades, sparkling wine from Catalonia has meant Cava. But recently, a select group of quality-minded producers—including the visionary Recaredo—has moved beyond the generic Cava label, creating the new designation Corpinnat. This small group prioritizes sustainability, hand-crafted quality, and indigenous grape varieties, setting far stricter standards than traditional Cava regulations.

Sancerre (check out our Ultimate Guide to Sancerre) season has begun, and we’ve got the perfect wine to kick it off:  Lucien Crochet’s 2023 Sancerre Blanc “Croix de Roy”.

Crochet has long been one of the best in the entire Loire, and a cornerstone of the Neal Rosenthal portfolio for over 40 years. They have some of the best plots in the village of Bué, where the domaine is based, as well as Vinon and Crézancy (yes, like Burgundy or Champagne, Sancerre has its own set of villages with distinct personalities). 

Von Winning emphasizes gentle, thoughtful winemaking, relying on spontaneous fermentations and aging in large old barrels rather than stainless steel. They produce wines of intense precision, texture, and subtle complexity. Their approach underscores that Riesling from the Pfalz can offer the best of both worlds: richness balanced by elegance.