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 we’re so thrilled to offer new releases from Love & Squalor — a reminder of what made Willamette Pinot so compelling in the first place.

The essence of Chablis – the thing that sets it apart from all other Burgundies – 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 Chablis’ 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 joy—and as much regularity—as Lopez de Heredia. These are wines that don’t chase trends or market demands. They’re made the same way they’ve 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, Guímaro has been our benchmark for Mencía—and 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 Galicia’s steep river valleys.

It’s always a small miracle when we see Matassa arrive. These are wines with a devoted following, made in tiny quantities, and somehow—against all odds—they 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 it’s the crunchy, herbal Rouge, the saline tension of the Blanc, or the heady aromatics of the Coume de l’Olla bottlings, each wine is a reminder of how expressive and joyful natural wine can be when it’s guided by experience and grown in the right place.

Statera Cellars is Oregon’s groundbreaking Chardonnay producer. Back when Willamette meant Pinot Noir – and nothing else – Meredith Bell and Luke Wylde founded Statera as Oregon’s first all-Chardonnay producer. 

Bermejos produces one of our favorite rosés, year after year — particularly if you love savory, serious rosé à la Bandol.
It's made from Lístan 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, you’re 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. There’s no doubt he’s great: his wines make it to top wine lists and a select band of insiders love to collect them too. He’s been consulting oenologist to top producers for ages.

Why do top Barolo producers in the village of Verduno – like the Castello di Verduno, Burlotto, and Alessandria – 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.

For many years, one of the most beautiful sites in Nuits-Saint-Georges wasn’t making a wine that truly reflected its soul.

That site was Clos de la Maréchale, the southernmost Premier Cru in the village, and the only one under the care of Frédéric Mugnier. For decades, Mugnier had leased the vineyard to Faiveley, who made a perfectly respectable version of the wine — structured, firm, and very much in the style of Nuits as we’ve come to expect it. But when the lease finally ended in 2004, Mugnier took back the reins and began to show what this vineyard could truly be.

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!