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Fun, young, this wine is a great aperitif expressing the varietals of three ancient Sicilian vines: Grillo, Insolia and Grecanico. On the nose the wine opens with notes of ripe white fruit given by Inzolia, together with fresher and more floral aromas given by Grillo, to finish with spicy notes coming from Grecanico. Even on the palate, Grillo gives structure and acidity, Inzolia sweetness and softness and Grecanico returns to the aroma with its typical spiciness.

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Hobo Wine Company's Edith & Ida Chardonnay comes from Lolonis Vineyard in the Redwood Valley of Mendocino. Planted in 1944, Lolonis has one of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in the state, and they are members of the Historic Vineyard Society. Lolonis has been certfied organic  for many years - since well before it become a more wide-spread practice in the wine industry. Even today there are many growers and producers who are practicing organic, but reluctant to deal with the certification gauntlet.  Barrel-fermented with whole clusters, native yeast and minimal SO2. Yellow apple, slightly hazy and a bit of "natural wine" funk.

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A Quarterly Red Cellar Trio Wine Club Selection
João Povoa is an ophthalmologist by profession but a farmer by passion. After realizing the unique potential of the soil, climate, and native varietals in the Bairrada region, João decided to change his profession, and has been making wines since 1991. Founded in 2005, Kompassus is a boutique winery, focused on producing outstanding, small-lot wines from autochthonous grape varietals. The name ‘Kompassus’ refers to the measurement between the row of vines which is 1.7 meters (new mechanized vineyards are about 3 meters). This specific planting was first used by the Romans, and with such a small space between the rows, makes it impossible to use any mechanized equipment, meaning everything must be done by hand. This smaller measurement allows a better use of light and helps control the plant’s vigor.

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Petar Kirilov grew up making wine and grappa with his father in Bulgaria, experiences which would undoubtedly shape his future path. After graduating from the University of Food Technologies in 2002, he obtained a master’s degree in winemaking and made the giant move to Napa Valley. Landing an internship with Truchard Vineyards in Carneros, Petar finally put his education to the test and realized that he had a natural talent for winemaking.

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A Seasonal Rosé Club Selection
Light pink peach hue. Very aromatic, with scents of ripe red berries and a hint of chalk. The palate is juicy and fruity, with flavors of red fruit, orange peel, thyme and chalky minerals. Bright acidity and a long, fruit-laced finish. Just delicious!

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Owners Pete and Terri Kight have had a life-long personal interest in wine, and the nature of grape growing, leading them on a perpetual quest for wines with a sense of place. They own both La Follette and Quivera wineries. Under the leadership of Pete and Terri, La Follette produces distinguished vineyard-designated and appellation Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that take their voice from the sites in which they are grown. 

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Much that is written about wine by producers and importers sounds like it has been cranked out of a souless marketing department (with apologies to those offended by this generalzation), but there are those whose prose is honest and genuinely descriptive of the wines referenced. Such is the case with Oliver McCrum, one of our favorite importers. We can't improve on what he has said about La Staffa Verdicchio, so we hand the podium to him: "I love Verdicchio, and the bright, distinctive, intense Verdicchio di Matelica from Colle Stefano has been a staple of our selection for more than ten years. To my taste, much Verdicchio from the neighboring Castelli di Jesi appellation is mealy by comparison. But just to see if there were exceptions, I tasted through a slew of Jesi bottlings at Vinitaly, and the wine from an estate called La Staffa stuck out: it was vibrant, direct, very flavorful, complex and delicious.

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Lyeth Estate was founded in in 1981 in Sonoma County by Chip Lyeth. Some of us old timers remember it from way back then, as it was one of the best values for Cabernet in California. Some 30 years later it has resurfaced with new owners, but Chip's vision for making excellent Cabernet Sauvignon has very much remained the same. Lyeth has a soft and generous palate with flavors of savory spice, bramble raspberry, chocolate-cherry and a hint of lavender on the finish. The touch of Petite Verdot in the blend adds to the structure, and you will be astounded by the amazing value. The world needs more affordable wine that is this good!

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A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Bodegas Mustiguillo is located 100 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast, at a lovely site featuring classic old country Spanish architecture set against the beautiful landscape of Valencia, Spain. Toni Sarrion traded his career in business for a life tending grapevines and making wines. His initial mission when he founded Mustiguillo in the early 1990s was to save the ancient red varietal Bobal from extinction. He began rejuvenating his family’s vineyards and purchased several abandoned, old vine vineyards (at least 40 years old), with some dating back to 1917. Toni then began farming organically and making elegant, age-worthy Bobal like no one had imagined could be done. The white grape, Merseguera, was a similarly “forgotten” varietal that he also wanted to save; so, he spent four years farming and recultivating the grapes at an older vineyard site. He applied what he learned to his Calvestra vineyard in the El Terrerazo DOP. He grafted Merseguera onto 40-year-old Bobal rootstock in a block situated at 900 meters above sea—an altitude at which Bobal could not ripen appropriately, but where Merseguera flourishes.

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Weingut Niklas is a family owned and operated wine estate located just outside the small village of St. Nikolaus, in the Alto Adige region of Northeastern Italy, high up on the west side of a majestic valley that leads north through the Dolomites. Established in 1969, Weingut Niklas boasts three generations of passionate winemaking, and is currently managed by Dieter Sölva—a graduate of the famous enology school at San Michele, as was his father before him—and his wife Johanna, who took the reins in 1992. Although most of the wine made in Alto Adige is white, Schiava, also known as Vernatsch locally and Trollinger in Germany, is the top red grape in the region. It is a thin-skinned grape that has been farmed in the Alto Adige—where the altitude produces remarkably graceful red wines—since the 13th century.

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A Monthly Wine Club Selection
The 2021 APLA bottling is a secret blend of three famous Greek grape varieties: Malagousia, Assyrtiko and Roditis. The grapes were carefully hand-sorted before being pressed. Each parcel was fermented separately in a combination of INOX tanks and amphorae, and saw three months aging on the fine lees before blending and bottling. The result is a wine that succeeds in artfully combining both maturity and freshness.

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Graziano Pra is best known for his white wines from Soave, and the reds from Valpolicella have been a later - and much welcome - addition Located in the sub-zones of Mezzane and Tregnano at around 450 meters, the soils here were formed from glacial runoff and they contain a high percentage of active limestone. So while some wines from Valpolicella are about power, ripeness and brawn, especially the Amarone, Prà’s reds have a bright freshness and mineral core.

Via del Campo perfectly expresses all the fruity and mineral character of Falanghina. It is a cru obtained exclusively with grapes from a single Falanghina vineyard located in Mirabella Eclano. It has bright golden yellow tones and aromas ranging from notes of apple, pineapple, aromatic herbs and wildflowers to refined salty and mineral tones.

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Red Stitch is a joint effort of Rich Aurelia (SF Giants) and Dave Roberts (Manager of the LA Dodgers). We are often cynical when approached by wineries with a celebrity tie-in because the wines too often seem to trade more on the fame than actual quality, but Red Stitch is a notable exception. The wines are first rate in every way.

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Produced by the Cave Anne de Joyeuse established in 1929, this is a charming 100% Pinot Noir from the Pays d'Oc appellation in Limoux, southern France. The vineyards slope up the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains and at those higher elevations keep the sun exposed vines cool enough to retain acidity and not get over-ripe or sun-baked. Fresh aromas of red cherry and strawberry on the nose and loveely fruitt on the palate are balanced nicely by vibrant acidity. A very nice bottle of wine worthy of a permanent place in everyone's fridge (yes, it is delicious chilled). It's a favorite with our staff and wonderful regular guests alike.

The Biale family has been growing Zinfandel along with other produce on their Napa Valley farm since 1937. They sold most of their grapes to Napa wineries but always reserved a smaller amount so Aldo Biale could make wine for his family and friends. This Zinfandel comes from old vine vineyards scattered throughout the North Coast. Bright fruit on the nose leads into juicy darker berry on the palate with dusty tannin. Great for barbecue and on its own!

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Ryme is one of several producers making delicious, zesty Vermentino with fruit from Las Brisas Vineyard in Carneros at top of San Pablo Bay. We poured this wine as part of a recent Flight Night at Mission Bay and it was a big hit.

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Quinta de Soalheiro is a pioneer winery in the production of Alvarinho (Albariño) wines, located in Melgaço, the northernmost point of Portugal. This Quinta lies in an environment protected by a mountain range that provides the vineyards with the ideal conditions for this variety to ripen perfectly. Certified organic in the vineyards since 2006.

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Usually 70% Pinot, 30% Gamay. On the southern banks of the Loire River in the appellation of Cheverny, Philippe Tessier farms 23 hectares of vines utilizing organic principles.  Perhaps more importantly, however, Philippe strives to make honest wines that respect the natural balance of his vines and the local ecosystem of the Loire Valley. The Pont du Jour is an assemblage of estate grown Pinot Noir and Gamay. It always has bright crunchy red fruits and savory Pinot quality and also always has a certain texture that can only be described as classic Tessier.

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This 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon also includes 8% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, .5% Malbec and .5% Petite Verdot. It shows surprising freshness and accessibility at such a young age and reveals a core of sweet plum tinged fruit along with already nicely integrated, yet structured tannins. Or, as winemaker, Peter Heitz more eloquently notes, "Dusted red & black fruit tones coalesce into a wide expanse of detailed vibrancy. A symbiotic unfolding of raspberry reduction, Rainier cherry, and toasted bread segue into a fresh, brilliantly structured finish. Truly symphonic in its progression of flavor."

Consistency is key for sixth-generation winemaker Yves Leccia, who year after year bottles some of the most chiseled, sumptuous Corsican whites with Burgundy-like precision. His Patrimonio blanc, from the stony E Croce plateau, is bright and luminous, with hints of white grapefruit, acacia flowers, and fragrant maquis herbs. You’ll taste the salty sea breeze in this wine, so seafood is an obvious pairing, but so are spring vegetables like white asparagus, fava beans, and watercress salad with peas and mint.

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A Monthly Wine Club Selection
A Clarete—a blend of red and white grapes— Mas Que Vinos’ 5/4 is made from a selection of 50-year-old bush vines grown on limestone and clay soils, and is a blend of 40% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 20% Airen and 20% Malvar. The four varieties were all hand harvested and co-fermented with spontaneous whole cluster fermentation and élevage in amphora. Bright garnet with a hint of magenta. Aromas of crushed red berries and herbes de Provence. The palate is bright, juicy and grapey; with flavors of tart blackberry, currant and red plum skins, mingled with white pepper and a touch of resin. Nicely balanced, with juicy acidity and a bit of balancing tannin on the finish.