 One constant about the world of wine is that there are always new things to find out about and learn, no matter how long you have been in the business. Grape varieties in particular seem to constantly emerge out of the woodwork from Europe as more consumers start to care about tasting the native and authentic wines of historic regions, instead of forcing them to serve up a Chardonnay like ever other place. Ikaria is one of the smaller North Aegean islands, but is rich in Greek mythology as both the birthplace of the God Dionysos and the landing place of its namesake, Icarus, after flying too close to the sun. With centuries of relative isolation many of these islands have their own grape varieties naturally evolve to their conditions, and Begleri is the white that has landed here. Similar in some ways to the famed Assyrtiko grape of Santorini in the South Aegean, this pops immediately with a rich perfume and tropical fruits, but also zesty citrus and magnolia blooms. Lots of texture on the palate as well that intensifies the orange citrus and juicy white fruits, with a zingy finishing combo of acidity and lingering grapeskin dryness. This is a LOT of fun to mix into your white wine rotation, especially with Mediterranean dishes with lots of bold flavor and textures, capable of handling roasted vegetables, white meats and salty olives or capers with ease.
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 With Summertime temperatures approaching on the horizon, it's a good time to lean into the most Summertime-y of wines, the classic Provence Rose. A chilled bottle of pale salmon pink wine just screams poolside leisure to so many, and Provence historically sets that tone for most of the world. This estate is a relatively new addition to the legendary portfolio of Rosenthal Wine Merchants (essentially the East Coast equivalence of the esteemed Kermit Lynch), but the lands here have history back to Roman times and the estate itself has been run by the same family for nearly 200 years. An organically run property with all estate owned vineyards, this is a winery that definitely looks to make the best Roses possible. Refreshing dried strawberry and citrus aromas with an underlying salinity and wet rock note that reminds you that the Mediterranean is only a couple miles from the vineyards. The palate is juicy and round with tart citrus and light red fruits at first, before almost immediately getting racy and increasingly pleasingly bitter (the importer refers to a French term, 'amertume') that defines the flavor through the finish. Like many of the European cocktails, that bitter note is refreshing and appetite stimulating, leaving your mouth ready for another quenching sip or some light salty snacks, even mediterranean seafood salads.
 The sweetness of a wine is all about how the grapes are treated and fermented; you can make a wine with any grape, red or white, as sweet or as dry the producer wants to. Certain grapes like Gewurztraminer definitely lean towards making sweeter wines because of their natural aromatics, but that doesn't mean that's the only way they can be done, and done well. For many vintages now this producer has made Exhibit A for that argument, fashioning very atypical Californian wines from very unique out-of-the-way vineyards across the state. The fruit is picked earlier from a cooler coastal site, which allows the wine to have both bright natural acidity and keeping the alcohol lower once made dry. They also allow the juice to stay on the skins longer than usual to pick up more skin tannin texture (and even a slight pinkness in some vintages). The resulting wine is floral and lovely, but also downright refreshing. Cool perfume of white flowers and lime, more minty than warm or tropical though it does get prettier the longer it is opened. The palate is where the real surprise lives, hitting full and juicy at first with lots of lychee and dried pear, but quickly showing the acidity tingle and fruit skin tannins so that the fruit becomes downright tangy, finishing with a pear skin/melon rind dryness. Not a sign of any cloying sugars at all, anywhere. Super fun Summertime wine as a back porch sipper or with zesty seafood preparations.
 One of our more unique Rose wines we get each year, yet routinely one of the most loved and definitely one of the best Roses we have for year-round drinking. The Basque region around the city of Bilbao is vastly different from the rest of Spain; environmentally, culturally, right down to their own quasi-independent regional government. Their identity is so self-dependent that even their finest local Football club, Athletic Bilbao, has a policy over the last century to only sign Basque raised or Basque trained players. It should come as no surprise then that their wine culture features grapes that are theirs and theirs alone as well. The majority of their wines are white from the Hondarribi Zuri , tailor made to pair with some of the finest maritime cuisine in the world, and the primary grape for their red wines coming from the Hondarribi Beltza grape. Ameztoi is largely credited for popularizing this Basque style of Rose, an even blend of the red and white varietals pressed and vinified together with the slightest bit of natural carbonation. Pale, Provence-esque salmon color in the glass with the tiniest pinpoints of bubbles on the surface, the aromas are full of citrus and dried strawberry, with a little bit of the coastal zest the white wines are so known for. The palate is light with a tart lime zing to it popped by the slight tickle of carbonation, mouthfilling and quenching at the same time, finishing with a bit of savory red fruit at the end to remind you that there is some red wine elements here as well. Fully dry yet still under 11%abv, this is about as easy drinking and energetic a Rose as you will find.
 Many consumers don't know about the greatness of Sancerre Rose. The region is deservedly famous for Sauvignon Blanc, one of the finest expressions of the grape anywhere in the world, but around 20% of the appellation is also planted to Pinot Noir. Most of that 20% goes to making Rose (a small % is used in red wine), but even so there isn't enough to make higher volume and inexpensive versions like in Provence that can familiarize the everyday consumer with the style. On the plus side, once you try one you will find you will rarely if ever find one boring or disappointing, consistently delivering excitement from producer to producer and vintage to vintage. The same chalky soils that make the Sauvignon Blanc so distinctive also shines through in the Rose, bringing a refreshing nerviness that very few others can approach. Cool strawberry and rose petal aromas with the chalky mineral notes coming through slightly lime zest-y especially when the wine is at its coolest. On the palate is where the wine's signature sits, polished and velvety Pinot Noir mouthfeel with a fine mineral tingle to the fruit, and lightly dried strawberry leaf on the finish that is very mouthwatering. Delicious all-purpose wine for both food and by itself, and surprisingly durable because of the acidity, capable of thriving for several years past the vintage if you choose.
 The wines of Luis Pato are Portuguese icons, revolutionary in their time and still a leader more than 50 years on. Were they from one of the more famous regions in Europe, their name would be on most every wine drinker's lips by now. The family can trace its growing history back more than 200 years, but the Bairrada region (about 50 miles South of Porto) was only designated for wine production in the late 1960s, and the Patos were the first to use the name on their wines. Under the control of Luis since the 1980 vintage, the winery has been THE name here, developing wines in the more 'natural' style well before the name became cool, all with a very nonconformist attitude that pushes some of his greatest wines outside the Bairrada DOC regulations. Focusing on their native varieties they have elevated the Baga grape (red) and Maria Gomes (also called Fernao Pires elsewhere in Portugal) into grapes of distinction and recognized quality. For the Maria Gomes, think of it as a Portuguese version of Muscadet, but with a little more sunshine added in. Fresh lime and melon rind aromas pop from the glass almost immediately with a racy, slightly minty coolness. On the palate there is a juicy body at first, followed up by more of a lemon-y tang and more tart fruit than on the nose. This is where you get a lot of the Muscadet comparisons as it can hit almost like salinity, especially when being consumed with seafood. That, of course, is EXACTLY what you should be doing with this wine at all times, getting it together with fresh and simply prepared seafood dishes.
 Many consumers think of Chardonnay as one very general category of wine type, and the idea of 'California Chardonnay' is even further homogenized together, the only differences being 'cheap' vs 'expensive' or 'bad' vs 'good'. Oaky and buttery flavors are usually the primary flavors that get associated with these Chardonnays, but they aren't the flavors of the grape itself. They are added on through the barrel aging process, they don't HAVE to be there, the grape can present itself with more nuance without a lot of help. More and more these days there are producers pulling back on the reins of their barrel use, especially when they have access to a unique and distinctive vineyard site like this one. Jacks' Hill is just inland from what is probably Monterey's most famous vineyard (Sleepy Hollow) and contains some very under-appreciated older parcels that winemaker Ian Brand sources for this wine, which he builds with multi-use oak barrel, concrete and steel tanks to get a Chablis-inspired wine that still has a lot of the Californian earmarks. Rich lemon curd and zesty tropical fruit aromas with cool and tempering mineral notes that get bolder the longer the wine opens up. The palate has plenty of leesy fruit flesh and melon skin texture, and a distinct extra oompf of rich fruit that is the signature of the Wente Chardonnay clone, which even without a lot of oaky/buttery flavors is about as Californian as you can get. Great for sipping but outstanding with all sorts of fleshier seafood and white meat dishes, really versatile.
 When you have grape vines isolated on an island for many centuries, unique things start to happen. The varieties evolve in their own environment, mutate, and over time can become vastly different from what they are on the mainland. Sometimes they can even become different from themselves on the same island, if the terrain can isolate them enough. Graciano is a variety primarily known in Spain as a background compliment to Tempranillo in Rioja, but at some point was brough over to Sardinia and became prolific across the island. Over time the Sardinians developed at least 20 synonyms for the grape, and have at least two recognized named varieties that came from the common ancestor, Bovale and Cagnulari. They are distinct enough to have this producer bottle them each separately as their own wines, so they definitely find signature differences within each grape. Bright and savory fruit with a bit of tartness to the red fruit aromas, getting bolder and a bit of sweeter berry tones as it opens and the more rustic sides wear off. Has a rustic side to the palate as well, typical of the wilder nature of the island, but not as chewy as their Bovale by comparison, a bit brighter flavors coming through on the still relatively tannic finish. Unique and fun to try, tasty to match with rustic grilled meats and hearty vegetables.
 It's officially full-on Spring time, so it's a good time to start dipping into the incoming waves of new Rose releases. Provence is always a great place to start as they essentially specialize in producing their special style of Rose wine for the world, and there is always lots to choose from. l'Escarelle is a new (to us) producer, but has been received well in recent vintages (described as 'dangerously drinkable' in Vinous for the last vintage) and we were very excited about it for the price when we first got to sample. We think you will be as well. Light and fresh aromas of fresh citrus and wet herbs, classic Provencal nose that speaks so much of the Mediterranean coastal sunshine. The palate is loaded with watermelon and strawberry tones, but lightened by the cool mineral kick that gives you some tanginess on the finish. The label will of course draw many people in, but what's inside will keep you coming back for more. Don't wait for the press to tell you if it's good or not, because it could be long gone by then!
 A little nicer than what we usually show in the Insider's Pick, but we wanted to get you as excited about this wine as we are, at least while there is still a bit of it to go around. It isn't often you get the chance to taste people on what is considered one of the very best versions of a grape variety, at least not without having to shell out big bucks to do so. Fiano is the variety, and the high altitude volcanic soils above Naples is considered the optimum site for it to reach it's greatest levels. This version of Fiano is from a single vineyard (Ciro 906 is the registered # of the parcel) that Picariello only feature in what they consider the best vintages. Surprisingly, the winery tends to prefer cooler vintages to do so, intensifying the acidity that allows this wine to evolve for many years after release. Loads of cool crushed stones and stone fruits on the nose, especially right out of the fridge, with warmer melon and pear coming out as it opens up and gets closer to room temperature (if you can leave it alone for that long). The palate is where the wine really separates itself from all others, flooding it with intense minerality, crisp pear and citrus zest, with a mouthfeel that is both big in size and remarkably clean and crystalline on the finish. For this special bottling the winery leaves it on the lees for a full year before bottling, giving the flavors more intensity and generally elevating the entire experience up an extra notch or two. Treat this like a Chablis or great Muscadet and pair it a colossal seafood dish or something fresh and Spring time-y.
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July 2024
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