Normally a blend of all four steep slope grand crus from Immich:  Batterieberg, Zeppwingert, Ellergrub, and Steffensberg; but this year the Ellergrub fruit from blue slate dominates to scintillating effect. Mostly old and ungrafted vines — at least 60 years old — the vinous heritage of Germany...

Listán Prieto (70%), Listán Negro (15%) and Tintilla (15%) grown on Pedro and Antonio’s poorest sites (the “badlands”). Planting these grapes, which are slowest to ripen on the poorest soils is important here; if they were planted in parcels that are too mineral rich and fertile, the plants would...

From 2.50 hectares. This wine comes from four plots in Cheilly-lès-Maranges on Triassic formations and gravel from the Cozanne and Dheune valleys. It's aged for a total of 18 months, twelve months in neutral French oak barrels and six months in stainless steel vats. Contrary to popular belief,...

100% Grignolino from a 2 hectare vineyard of clay and limestone-gypsum soils, with a south/southwest exposure. The vines are 60 years old.  Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks followed by an additional 8 months in tank and 2-3 months in bottle.  As Eleonora and Luigi Costa say of...

San Ferdinando’s Vermentino comes from vines planted in 2010 at 300m above sea level.  This north-facing vineyard has sand in the first 20cm of soil, with compact grey clay below.  Freshness and drinkability, rather than concentration, are the objectives in the wine, so the number of bunches per...

100% Gaglioppo from massale selection. This parcel—Vigna Fego— has clay/marl soils and is right on the Ionian Sea. Grapes are crushed/destemmed; after 12 hours maceration in stainless steel, the juice is not pressed, but drained by gravity. Aged in stainless steel and released late. Beautiful brick...

100% Grüner Veltliner, grown in loess soils. Just over half of the grapes for this wine come from Silke's family's vineyards; the rest are sourced from neighboring growers in Krems and Dross. This is bottled and made in the shared Buchegger-Mayr winery. Full-bunch pressing; fermented in stainless...

This single vineyard wine comes from the heart  of the south-facing Hohenberg, located high on  the hills in the western section of Grossweikersdorf. The singularity of the wine is  underscored through its distinctive loess soil and its maturation in large wooden barrels. Packed with yellow fruits...

Elbling is enjoying a small renaissance among German importers these days... but we’ve had this grape in our back pocket for years. A great old Germanic wine grape with a long history traceable to imperial Roman times, it was Germany's most cultivated variety until the early 20th century. Today its...

Always a pleasure and always great value for Riesling-lovers, the grapes for Jean-Baptiste are grown on the lower terraces of Gunderloch's three top vineyard sites: Nierstein Hipping, Nierstein Pettenthal and Nackenheim Rothenberg (all grand cru sites). Technically a feinherb style, or "balanced...

Monastrell made in 80-year-old conofors (think dairy tanks but made of American oak). The base wine is macerated with fennel, sage, clove, and others to which alcohol and caramel (for color) are added. Filtered by gravity and, following tradition, made in a slighty oxidative style which gives the...

A blend of Romé Tinto, Garnacha, and Jaén, grown on slate, on very poor soils. Fermented with native yeasts in French oak eggs; aged one year in cement amphora.  

50% Grenache and 50% Syrah; half of the grapes for the blend are de-classified Laudun Village and half are just outside the appellation. The terroir of Laudun distinguishes Pélaquié from other southern Rhône appellations. The wines from this side of the river typically have higher acidity, with...