Il Borro is a rich and full-bodied Toscana Rosso blended from 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 5% Petit Verdot, all from certified organic vineyards. Following fermentation it is aged in a combination of new and older French oak barrels, mostly from the Allier forest. It is quite a hearty wine and really shines with aged cheeses, braised and grilled meats, and similar dishes.

Dr. Giuseppe Benanti started producing wine from his father’s old farm on the slopes of Mount Etna at the end of the 1800s. Over 100 years later, Giuseppe’s grandson, also named Giuseppe, revived those vineyards and now produces wine with the help of his sons, Antonio and Salvino.

We have been the happy recipients of Giuseppe Quintarelli allocations ever since we opened the store in 2003. While we covet their spectacular Valpolicella and Ca del Merlo bottlings which are aged for EIGHT years before release (more than twice as long as the required minimum), we also love Quintarelli's Primofiore (First Flower) which is still aged for three or four years and intended for earlier consumption.

This is typical of wines made from Schiava; delicate, with pretty strawberry and raspberry fruit, and a refreshing quality. It is reminiscent of a lighter Pinot Noir. Biodynamic vineyards farmed by a family with hundreds of years of prominent history in the region . . .

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Dazzling garnet color. Aromatics of red fruit, herbs and bramble. The palate shows blackberry, stewed raspberry, wild fennel, rainier cherry, a touch of mint and white pepper—with a dusty, pleasantly drying tannin that is perfectly balanced by the wine's lively acidity. Porello was founded in 1930 by Cesare Porello when the region was not yet known for its wines, but rather its peaches.

A renowned Barolo producer, the Brovia family has been involved in making wine in the village of Castiglione Falletto, in the heart of Barolo, since the 1860s. Less than 10% of their production is of the native grape, Arneis, but we wish it were more!

Aged for 11 months in 30% new oak barrique barrels. In 1920, Domenico Meroi founded a wine estate in the hilly, high elevation town of Buttrio, in the heart of the Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC.

A white wine produced from Grechetto, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Garganega, in approximately equal proportions, planted in the “Pagliaro” vineyard, a site with alternating layers of gravel and clay at 1300 feet above sea level with both east and southwest facing parcels. After crushing, the juice spends at least two weeks macerating on its lees; sulfur is never added.

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Crisp and refreshing Arneis from Piemonte on northern Italy --

We have sold Stephane Coquillette's regular Brut bottling but this is his Blanc de Blancs, or 100% Chardonnay from estate vines in Chouilly and Cuis, making it a blend of both Grand Cru and Premier Cru fruit. It still has the clean style we've come to appreciate from Coquillette but feels perhaps a but more feminine and deliciate than the Pinot Noir based cuvees.

The lovely and sweet Delphine Vesselle now runs the estate with her husband, David, after her father Jean's passing. She takes great pride in her family's 300 year history in Champagne and she strives to honor her father's memory and the wonderful domaine he established.

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Champagne Louis Nicaise is located in the Vallée de la Marne village of Hautvillers in the heart of Champagne—Dom Perignon made this village famous and it is known as the birthplace of Champagne. The Nicaise estate has taken a qualitative turn for the better in recent years, led by Laure Nicaise-Préaux, representing the fourth generation of the Nicaise family, who along with her husband, then 25-year-old Clement Préaux, began working at the domain in 2007.

Laetitia Billiot is the fourth generartion to estate bottle Champagnes at this domaine in the Grand Cru Village of Ambonnay, a village known for its Pinot Noir. Her Great Grandfather Louis Billiot bottled small amounts of wine, but it was his son and Laetitia’s grandfather Henri that created the estate that exists today.

Sylvie and Francis Wenner cultivate about 30 acres of vines in the region of Côte des Bars, Champagne’s most southernly region and part of the Aube département. In cool climates, it can be a great challenge for winemakers to get both crisp acidity and fully ripened grapes.

We have experienced the lovely non-vintage and vintage Rosé Franciacortas from Le Marchesine and now get to enjoy this special Satèn bottling from this excellent, and very fairly priced bubbles producer in Lombardia.

We have been selling the Do Ferreiro Albarino for many vintages now and have certainly come to expect and rely upon its consistently high quality from vintage to vintage. Which is no surprise given that it is really the gold standard for Albarino, that crisp refreshing Spanish white that is a perfect Spring/Summer wine.

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This exciting wine is made from the Listan Blanco variety, otherwise known as Palomino Fino in Jerez, Spain where it is used for the production of Sherry.

For 142 years, four generations of the López de Heredia family have devoted themselves to producing exceptional and unique wines. Masterpieces which have achieved that which the founder of the company, Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, defined in the late nineteenth century as the "Supreme Rioja".

Cava from Spain is one of those wines we often have ready and waiting in the 'fridge for any excuse to open a bottle of bubbly!