 One of the most important grape varieties in the history of New World winemaking, yet it's likely most people haven't knowingly tasted it. It goes by many names in North and South America (Pais, Mission, Criolla Chica) and was by all accounts the first vitis vinifera in the New World, brought over by Spanish missionaries in the 16th century to make their communion wines. The vines are high yielding and legendarily durable (the source of some of the oldest and genuinely gnarliest looking vines on the planet), but the juice is lighter weight and often very nondescript when compared to some of the more famous varieties. Lighter and lower alcohol wines are returning to fashion, and with thousands of acres in both American hemispheres there are lots of opportunities for great examples to be made. This is from a Chilean vineyard with vines just a 'mere' 90+ years old, formed as a collaboration between Chilean and Beaujolais producers. Makes sense, as a Cru Beaujolais would be most taster's first thought here. Dusty herbs and lightly floral red fruit on the nose with a touch of citrus and pomegranate, this is one of the prettier fragrances you will come across in a wine. The palate is light, but has more body and sneaky texture than expected, with lots of tart red fruits and citrus, finishing long with very fine tannins. Most Pais/Mission wines just aspire to be chillable and glug-able, but this brings some seriousness to the table.
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 Hope everyone in Central Virginia are safe and sound after last week's Snow-mageddon. To coax you out of your ice-covered driveways and past the concrete-hard snow drifts at every corner, we wanted to give you something unique and compelling to sample. This is definitely that wine, something most people wouldn't think of unless and until they had a chance to sample it, and afterwards it becomes part of their weekly rotation. Friuli is the Easternmost portion of the Veneto, right up against the Slovenian border. White wines are still best known here, but there is a surprisingly strong reputation for the red wines here as well. One of the larger and flatter portions of the region is called Grave, referring to the gravelly soils, and it has a similar success with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as the more famous Graves region in Bordeaux (also named for its gravelly soils). Refosco is the wild card in this mix, a very local grape that has more fame from some recioto-style sweeter wines but has the stuff to make some chewy tannic dry wines in their youth. The extra bottle age here is essential and well appreciated, making for a surprising and well evolved value. A nice dark color with hints of brick colors at the edges, the nose is exactly what you want to get in a wine with some age. Underbrush and red fruit skins, old leather, nothing jammy. The palate has loads of life to it, with the dusty tannins still pulling through on the finish to leave a long mature finish. Depending on your tastes you may prefer the juicy side of youth, but there is no better picture than this of the improvements a bit of time will do for a wine that needs it.
INSIDER'S PICK: 2022 BODEGAS ALTOS DE MONTANCHEZ TEMPRANILLO 'VEGAS ALTAS' EXTREMADURA $15.991/22/2026  As we are all preparing for the incoming Snowpocalypse (Snowmageddon? Snowzilla? Snow-Rodan?), seems wise to pour a wine that has some oomph to keep folks warm. The Extremadura region in Southwestern Spain is just such a place for those wines, warm and fertile with lots of regional crop specialties (as well as Pata Negra Serrano ham), and wines meant to be straightforward and approachable. I.E. cheap and cheerful. This Bodega is a very unique outlier in the region as the first (perhaps only?) certified organic producer for all the wines under their roof, with multiple parcels they work with moving to Biodynamics. Their style leans towards the natural or minimal intervention world, which brings freshness and style to reds that can often be lacking in character or subtlety. Fresh blackberry and current aromas on the nose, especially with a little time open, but also a nice pop of citrus, chocolate orange style that really plays nicely with the emerging peppery and savory notes. That citrus also comes out on the palate, providing freshness and acidity that is so often lost in wines from this region, giving the juicy dark fruits some lift and finishing surprisingly clean. A great pairing with lots of slow cooked 'comfort foods' you may be fixing with nowhere to go for 2-3 days at a time.
 The term 'Super Tuscan' is very prevalent in Tuscany, used to identify wines that fall outside the classic regional appellation parameters, usually from having Bordeaux grapes in the blend. But 'Super Piedmontese'? Can we make that a thing? Outside of the occasional Pinot Noir, you really don't see a whole lot of deep seeded interest for introducing other varietals into the scene, so probably not. That means this wine is more of an exception to the rule, but a delicious discovery for the price point. Primarily Barbera with a decent splash of Merlot, the wine has a dark Dolcetto-ish color to it with some dark currant notes from the Merlot on top of the dry berry spice from the Barbera. Plump and darkly juicy as well on the palate with just a light tone of tannins at the finish and hints of underbrush behind the darker berries. A bit unexpected for Piedmont purist, but immensely drinkable. It works, sip after sip, and should be very friendly at the dinner table.
 Even though wines from this producer arrived later in 2025, it still stood out (along with their red wine and Vermouth) as one of our favorite finds of the year. What is even more remarkable is that this is a very young winery in an ancient growing region that came to be by luck and happenstance. The warm/hot region of Alicante sits south of Valencia and is historically known for making strong bulk wines and, in this small pocket around the town of Canyada, a rare fortified wine called Fondrillon. This Bodega was created and takes its name from the chance discovery a decade ago of an abandoned cellar full of Fondrillon casks untouched for 50 years and remnants back to the 19th century. These wines are of course massively expensive, but in taking possession of these barrels the new owners also took over the property's vineyards, full of older white and red vines that were also largely forgotten. After several years of massaging these vines back to health and bringing a much higher level of quality and modern winemaking methodology to the region, their stable of 'regular' wines are standouts as well and quite exceptional. This white is built from three local varietals-Verdil, Merseguera and Moscatel- aged on their lees using natural yeasts with a 'minimalist' style to it. With the aromatics and low abv at only 12.5%, you would think this was much more of a coastal/cool climate wine, with lots of salty lemon tones in with the cool flowers and fine herbal notes. The palate is nicely weighty with more pulpy, pithy citrus flavors, but in no way fruity at all, very lean and clean with a long puckering tartness to the finish. A stellar match for just about any strongly seafood-influenced dish you can come up with, with more than enough body to stand up to any levels of richness.
INSIDER'S PICK: 2014 WONDERMENT WINES PETITE SIRAH BACIGALUPI VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY $39.9912/18/2025  Petite Sirah is a notoriously long-aging grape variety, with some of the more intense single site bottlings taking years-if not decades-to see the rugged tannins start to soften. It's rare for us to be able to sell one like this that is starting to get 'in the pocket', especially one from such an historic site. Bacigalupi is one of the most historic and important vineyards in the Russian River Valley, as they were the source for the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the 1976 Paris tasting and changes the course of American winemaking (as well as inspiring the movie 'Bottle Shock'). The quality is undeniable; deep and inky colored, with loads of blackberry and currant on the nose, slowly sweetening with some spice over time. But the palate is where things really get rolling, where time in the bottle has patiently started to sand down the burly tannins, allowing a surprisingly bright combination of cedary dark fruits and pops of bright citrus. Don't know if it's because of the holiday season, but it gives me thoughts of a Terry's Chocolate Orange in some ways. The age also helps the alcohol merge seamlessly into the palate, another aspect of Petite Sirah that can be difficult in its youth. A real treat for the holidays.
 Appellation lines and borders can seem maddeningly random at times, but there are definitely times we can get it to work to our advantage. Felsina is an iconic producer of Chianti Classico, champions of the Sangiovese grape with nary a Bordeaux varietal vine anywhere on their estate. Their property is at the southern edge of the Classico appellation, so much so that the dividing line into the Colli Senesi appellation cuts through their holdings. Yes there are some geological and geographical changes, but other than that these vines are a healthy stone's throw away (maybe a stiff iron shot away if you're a golfer) from the same Sangiovese that makes Felsina's most acclaimed wines. Same organic viticulture, same attention to detail, same focus on a 100% Sangiovese wine as their big boys, this represents an excellent value for fans of classic Chianti. Youthful color with lots of dark graphite, leather and dark spice aromas that slowly get some smoky red tones going after a while. The palate is packed, mostly with young fine grained tannins at first but the dark fruit and leathery flavors elbows its way out eventually. Not a showy style of Chianti, it takes some decanting now and is unapologetically old school, and greatly rewards any patience shown to it.
INSIDER'S PICK: 2024 LIEU-DIT 'BLANC DE MER' WHITE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY (Vinous 90points) $23.9912/4/2025  Bivalves can be a tricky food pairing, especially when you are doing them raw and accenting their briny flavors. Bubbles are safe, Champagne of course being the thing if you're feeling particularly luxurious, but still wines can be an issue, with values being a particular challenge. One of the long standing go-to areas for us has been Muscadet in France, with the seashell flavored wines coming from where the Loire empties into the Atlantic and picking up all kinds of coastal flavors. Lieu-Dit has produced here perhaps the best 'drink-alike' domestic wine for Muscadet fans, standing toe to toe (brine to brine?) with the classics of the region. A savvy and unlikely blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc from several important Santa Barbara vineyards, fermented using native yeasts to really draw out the natural vibrancy of the varieties. Super bright lemon, hints of flowers and rind-y citrus aromas pop at first, getting warmer and softer as it opens but also gaining some seashell tones. On the palate there is definitely more of a round texture than the lean and linear Muscadet wines usually have, so there is a bit of California juiciness here, but it's very welcome. Clean bright citrus peel flavors, very mouth-watering the more you sip with a long lemon and shell tone on the finish. The plate of oysters on the label isn't a subliminal suggestion, it's an order!
 For the last Insider's Pick before Thanksgiving, we had to of course pick a wine from out Thanksgiving selections email we sent out last week. There are plenty of safer and 'traditional' routes you can go with your red wines, like Beaujolais/Gamay and your favorite Pinot Noir regions, but there are lots of great possibilities out there that can work equally well. Our general 'rules' for choices is looking for reds with less aggressive tannins and/or oak presence, a more polished and silkier palate, something that can work its way around all the various flavors of the traditional holiday table. The Nerello Mascalese grape may not be the first thought for many this time of year, as it usually has a more firm, minerally intensity from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna. But Calabretta is not your normal winery, and Gaio-Gaio is not a normal Nerello. Built for approachability, the grapes get a lot softer and shorter soak to get color and fragrance but not as much tannin. A dark but transparent black cherry color, the aromas are all dusty red fruits that get richer as it opens up, with an almost citrusy mineral energy to them, very soil driven. The first sip is unexpectedly juicy at first, round and full of tangy fruits, but the super-fine tannins sneak in and are very persistent and dusty through the finish. The juicy citrus tones give this the ability to take a light chilling if you wanted, and will do exceptionally well at the more savory Thanksgiving tables.
 Apologize for not getting out the Insider's Pick email last week. While there will be a BUNCH of wines coming over the next few weeks from those tastings for you to enjoy, that did not help those of you looking for your Thursday/Friday tasting fix. To make up for it we are doubling up for you this week with two wines from one of our store favorites. These are also great lead-ins to our yearly Thanksgiving recommendations email that will be coming out within the next day, as they are both ideal all-purpose food wines. Clos du Caillou is one of the iconic houses in the Rhone, one that genuinely and drastically affected the lines drawn for Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the 1930s. Let's just say that shotguns were involved. They are one of a very few houses whose estate straddles the appellation lines, placing their Cotes du Rhone vineyards side by side with their CNDP vineyards. These are both classically constructed Rhone wines; the White based on Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Clairette (occasionally some Roussanne from the neighboring CNDP-Blanc vines), and the red a classic Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blend with a splash of Cinsault for a hint of rusticity. Balanced, more elegant in style that don't try and pound you over the head with fruit or assertive alcohol, these are a tasty 1-2 punch to have at any time of year, but especially at the holiday dinner table.
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The Best of the Best.We offering free tastings on these wines in the store every Thursday and Friday, and a 10% discount off the retail price through the duration of the day. Come on by and give them a try! Archives
January 2026
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