2020 Alfaro Vyds Grüner Veltliner ‘La Playalita’, Santa Cruz, California 

Richard Alfaro and his wife Mary Kay enjoy the fruits of their labor.  After a satisfying career as the founders of a restaurant and the wholesale baking company known under their own name, Alfaro's Micro Bakery,  the couple shifted gears in 1997, acquiring an aging 75 acre apple farm south of Santa Cruz in Corralitos, California, which they subsequently transformed into Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery.  

This dry, crisp and zesty white wine is made from the most widely planted grape in Austria. Medium bodied and pale greenish/straw colored, it boasts the citrusy flavors of lime and grapefruit, with savory notes of white pepper. Aged 6 months in neutral oak, this wine is ultra smooth and has become a new staff favorite!

2015 Gramona Imperial Sparkling, Penedes, Spain

The Gramona family history goes back to the 1850s, but it wasn’t until the release of the 1951 Lustros III - released in 1961 - that made them known on the international market.    The fruit from this biodynamic estate crafts one of the best Champagne method sparklers we’ve had in a long time.   Made from native grapes - 50% Xarel-lo, 30% Macabeo, 15% Paralleda, and 15% Chardonnay - and produced in the traditional method.   A touch of expedition liqueur from their centuries-old solera tops off the final product.   

Ripe white fruits like apple and peach, with notes of anise and fennel, and a touch of freshly baked bread appear on the nose.   Citrus, yeast, and butter with a creamy center make way for a velvety and refreshing finish.   Enjoy this amazing sparkler from the beginning through the end of a meal. 

2018 Pape Clement Pessac-Leognan Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France 

This estate traces its roots back to the 1700s and really started to make a name for itself in 1864.   In 1959 the estate was officially recognized by the creation of the Grand Cru Classé de Graves.  At the turn of the 1980s, Bernard Magrez, a passionate wine entrepreneur, took the reins at the Château and was to give this grand cru classé an unprecedented international aura. In 1985, he marked the definitive return to high-level production, by now further enhanced by the talents of the famous consulting oenologist, Michel Rolland.

56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc

99 points, Jeb Dunnuck

97 points, James Suckling

96 points, Wine Spectator

2015 Francesco Brigatti Ghemme ‘Oltre il Bosco’, Piedmont, Italy 

Francesco Brigatti is an exemplary small wine grower in northern Piedmont. He makes small amounts of elegant, expressive wines based on the classic Nebbiolo variety.  The ‘Oltre il Bosco’ is from the Ghemme DOCG region just 1 ½ hours north of Barolo and 1 hour west of Milan.    Made from 100% Nebbiolo, wines from this region are strikingly different from those from Barolo and Barbaresco, particularly in structure (they are usually less tannic and less alcoholic).   

We were floored when we tasted this gorgeous wine.   Intense and elegant at the same time with notes of violets, tea leaves, and spices on the nose.   Have this beauty with a veal shank, rosemary, and sage.