PHOTO OF THE WEEK
As red wines are fermented with the grape skins, the carbon dioxide formed during the fermentation pushes the skins to the top of the tank forming a "cap."

Here we see a wine undergoing what the French call the "remontage" or pump over.
Italian enologists refer to this as "rimontaggio" as they spray the fermenting juice onto the cap to keep it moist.

It helps extract color and possibly tannin while pushing the yeasts to keep the fermentation going.
This process can also moderate the fermentation temperature.

Some winemakers prefer to use a punch-down tool to push the cap back into the wine.  Sometimes they ask a cellar rat or harvest intern to jump into an open-top fermentation tank and push the cap back down with their legs and feet.

This is, in French, called the "pigeage."
Italians call this the "follatura,"

It's thought to be a more gentle process than pumping over.

Is one process superior to the others?

This may depend on the grape variety.
Thin skinned grapes such as Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo might do best with the punch-down technique, while thick skinned grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec might be best handled with the remontage.  
Many Syrah winemakers prefer the pump-over as it aerates the juice to some degree as it can possibly keep the aromatics cleaner and avoid what is referred to as "reduction," which can create aromas reminiscent of rotten eggs.
Believe it or not, we run into that character fairly regularly.

*********************************************************
We were amused this week to receive an email announcing the availability of a dealcoholized Cabernet.
It's a new brand (as are most of these attempts at non-alcoholic wine and beer).
The fellow sending the email did not request an appointment to show us this product, but instead offered to send it at our expense.
If we chose to make a wholesale purchase, they will rebate the cost of the sample bottle.

We politely declined.

*********************************************************
Post a nice review on Google if you have a moment.

Or:
CLICK HERE


*********************************************************

We no longer send out a newsletter by mail as the US Postal Service costs too much and its service is sketchy,
as you likely have experienced.

There's a hot-off-the-press newsletter.
Stop by and pick up a copy.


Stop by and have a look!

**************************************************

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Napa Valley wine averages $103 per bottle, down a few bucks from 2024 and 2025.
Sonoma wines average $64 according to their report.

The average tasting fee, according to their report, is now $84/per person at a Napa Valley winery.
Tastings in Sonoma are roughly $48 while Paso Robles wineries average $24 for their entry level visits.

In our little wine shop we have numerous good bottles for well less than these ambitious prices, but we do have some spendy bottles.


Stop by and we can show you some sensibly-priced wines from Napa, Sonoma and everywhere else in the world.


*********************************

Should you buy Veuve Clicquot's famed "Yellow Label Champagne?
Find our comments in this article.

We were quoted in a late November 2024 article highlighting the wine's of Spain's Rioja region and what good values these can be.
CLICK HERE (Paywall, though)

CLICK HERE

**********************************


A birthday celebration at Belmont's stellar Divino restaurant was outstanding.
We began with a bottle of Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Prestige as it's routinely damned good.  
It's mostly Chardonnay with a bit of Pinot Nero and a drop of Pinot Bianco.  Bottle fermented.
Our favorite Franciacorta as it reminds us of good Champagne.
It was delightful with their Grilled Calamari and white beans as well as their stellar Linguine with Clams.
It's a $45 bottle retail and on their wine list for about $84 I think.

I brought a 1996 Castello di Neive Barbaresco from the famed Santo Stefano vineyard...this was gorgeous and still youthful, even at 30 years of age!
I had their Pork Chop with finely chopped Pistachios, a sort of Sicilian dish.  Wonderful.

*********************************************************************************************************************

Early in the week we dined at Fuumi, a simple Japanese place near the shop.
I had dined at a fancy place in Redwood City the previous evening...they wanted $35 corkage fee and did not have proper stemware!
I declined the opportunity to spend $35 for stemless glasses which were akin to a water cup.
Food was okay but a bit heavy...Fuumi is not fancy but the food was tasty and not ponderous.
I opened a Geyerhof Grüner Veltliner which was delicious and showed well.
Mid-$20s.  Dry and nicely aromatic.


*******************************************************************************************************************************************

A simple meal at YANGON on Broadway allowed the Serge Laloue Sancerre to shine.
Our friend ordered the Tea Leaf Salad (on the left) along with a fish and chicken dish on the right.
The wine was dry (of course) and dove-tailed nicely with both dishes.
$37.99 for the Sancerre which was really good.

***********************************************************************************************************************

RANTINGS & RAVINGS
Newly Updated with a recent posting.

************************************************



Our Tasting Room is open...Monday through Saturday from the Opening Bell at 9:00 until 5:45pm.
CLICK HERE TO HAVE A LOOK.

That's Gaby and Norbert, our dear friends from Frankfurt.  Germany.

We consider the Cannubi site in Barolo to be a Grand Cru vineyard.
Virna Borgogno, Italy's first female enology school graduate, has been at the helm of her family's winery since the early 1990s.
We have a few bottles of her 2020 vintage and it's starting to unfold a bit, though it's still young.
Normally you'd see a $90 price tag, but we have some bottles for $49.99.

We've periodically had wines from Baja California and tasted a couple of bottlings from the Vinos Ce Actal winery in the
Valle de Guadalupe region.
Winemaker César Reyes had worked in Northern California for many years and now makes small amounts of Mexican wines.
His Pinot Noir from the 2022 vintage is surprisingly good...very expressive fruit on the nose!
$25.99

There's a rather good Cabernet Sauvignon as well...$37.99.

Bollig-Lehnert makes some delightful Mosel wines...his Piesporter Spätlese has a touch of sweetness but offsetting acidity to create a balance, fruity and floral Riesling.
Spicy Asian food makes this taste dry.
$28.99

We had not opened a bottle of Michel Frölich's Silvaner wine from Germany's Franken region.
Franconia is the home of Silvaner and this comes from a prime area there: Escherndorf.
From the 2020 vintage, you'd never guess this to be 5+ years old as it's still fresh and quite dry.
$27.99

We've had a number of vintages of this well-priced French Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley...this vintage is really aromatic and totally charming.
Citrus and yellow fruits.  No oak.  Dry.
And it's just $17.99!

Our friend Bob Lindquist made Chardonnay under his original label, Qupé.
Then a wealthy fellow offered him stupid money to sell, so he did.
But that guy thought he'd be a major wine industry mover-&-shaker, but he was involved with some shady dealings and had to sell on his way to jail.
Bob then had the novel idea of making wine using his own name and that's where we are today.
Same vineyard source and same expensive French oak barrels.  Full malolactic which creates a marvelous creamy element.
This goes for $38 at the winery...$26.99 here at Weimax.

A new bottling of the magnificent dry Brut Rosé bubbly from Trentino's famous Pojer & Sandri winery is a delight!
Half Chardonnay and half Pinot Noir, this is inspired by top French Champagnes.  It has a light salmon hue to it and it's lightly toasty and quite dry.
Serve this in a normal white wine stem, please.
$46.99

Haut Marin is a new producer for us...it comes from Gascony in France and it's a lovely, simple dry white made of Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc and the very local grape called Gros Manseng.  They call this bottling "Fossiles" and it's nicely aromatic, fresh and mildly citrusy. 
We have a red bottling as well. Also easy drinking...
Both are bargains at $13.99.

Fans of Pinot Blanc/Pinot Bianco likely are familiar with the Terlan winery as they make this benchmark rendition.
2022 vintage from the Vorberg vineyard, a volcanic site with quartz.
This wine has a great track record for its cellar-worthiness being able to go 20-30+ years!
Ripe apple and pears with some melon and maybe a touch of quince...dry and nicely intense.
$65.99

We've been featuring wines from the little Quénard winery in France's Chignin region for decades and met Anne-Sophie when she was in grade school.
Now she's finished enology school and is side-by-side with her dad and making brilliant dry whites.
We've had the Chignin wines from JF Quénard for quite while, but this comes from across the valley, so it's not precisely from Chignin.
Same grape, though.
Stony, minerally and appley, so you might mistake this for a Chablis.
Terrific wine and it's just $21.99!

The 2020 Nero d'Avola from the tiny Manenti winery in Sicilia was excellent!
Dark in color and intense black fruit, 
$43.99.

Claudio Monaci's Piancornello wines are routinely favorites here.  Located in southwestern Montalcino, we have a bright, berryish Rosso di Montalcino ($25.99), a very fine 2021 Brunello ($59.99) and excellent 2019 Riserva ($79.99).
All are showing beautifully right now.

The Combier family farms organically and we've had their terrific Crozes-Hermitage in the shop for probably 20+ vintages,
This comes from 40+ year old Syrah vines.
Classic Northern Rhône with smoky notes and a bit of hickory/bacony elements.
$39.99

Some tasting notes about Champagne periodically use the term "attack" to describe the wine and this vintage-dated bottle from the small house of Pierre Moncuit definitely has some "attack."  It's from the 2014 vintage and spent about ten years aging in bottle on the spent yeast.
It's an Extra Brut, so this may be a bit much for some palates, but if you enjoy really dry, crisp Champagne, this is worth a try.
It's entirely Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards in Le Mesnil and has some toasty and chalky elements.
Sale price is $109.99.

The force of nature named Angela Fronti makes terrific Chianti Classico wines in southern Tuscany near Radda in Chianti.
She navigated rough waters in 2023 with care and attention to detail.  The weather was a huge challenge, especially when someone farms organically.
The frequent rains can compromise the grapes but Angela and her crew were very selective as to the fruit allowed in the cellar and her wine shows beautifully.
Needless to say, but we will (as not everyone can connect the dots), production in this vintage is smaller than normal.
$34.99

From the outstanding 2016 vintage we have some bottles of La Rioja Alta's exceptional "904" bottling, a Gran Reserva truly worthy of the "Gran" designation.  Tempranillo matured in a bit of new American oak, but they claim it's been in small barrels for 4 and a half years.  What a wine!
Steak or grilled lamb will shine with this exceptional red.
Sale price is $119.99.

Another shipment of Altare's delicious Barbera arrived...
Beautifully aromatic and sporting lots of berry fragrances and flavors...we serve this lightly chilled.
It pairs with all sorts of foods.
$34.99.

The Truchards have extensive acreage in the Carneros region but only three acres of the white Rhône variety, Roussanne.
The 2025 is a new release and it's a beauty.  Peach, mango and maybe a touch of pineapple.  Dry.  Medium-bodied.
$30 at the winery...$27.99 here at Weimax.

From Mendocino's cool Anderson Valley, Handley's Pinot Noir comes from five vineyard sites and it's comprised of six clones.
It's a gentle wine with lots of red fruits and a touch of oak (25% new barrels).
Best served at cellar temp.
$32 at the winery.  $29.99 here on Broadway in Burlingame.

From southeast Sicily we just brought in a lovely rendition made solely of the Frappato grape, a variety often blended with Nero d'Avola to make the famous Cerasuolo di Vittoria.  Higher elevation vineyards and limestone soils make for a wonderfully elegant bottle with good acidity.  It's mildly tannic with a few years of aging potential.  Just $22.99 thanks to an honest importer who selects with care.

Italy's Alto Piemonte had way more Nebbiolo vines planted  there a hundred years ago than Barolo and Barbaresco regions.
These days there's more Nebbiolo in Barolo and Barbaresco than in the Alto Piemonte.
Vallana is an old, small property, making very traditional wines of top quality.
If you're a fan of classic Nebbiolo, check out this youthful bottling of 2021 Gattinara.
It's fairly full-bodied and has a fair bit of tannin.  We enjoyed a bottle recently and can imagine it will still be showing handsomely 30 or 40 years from now.
$59.99

From Southwest France here's a terrific white Bordeaux from the Graves region near Barsac.
I guessed this to be predominantly Sauvignon Blanc but the producer claims it is just 35% Sauvignon with 60% Sémillon and 5% Muscadelle.
Mildly citrusy, no oak and dry.
Just $21.99 for the 2025 vintage.

Evolúció is a brilliant dry white from Hungary.  We were pleasantly surprised...no! Shocked!!
It's made most of Furmint with a bit of Hárslevelü.
No oak.  Nicely aromatic leading one to expect a wine with some sweetness.

But it's actually quite dry.
And this sells for just $14.99!
Even better!

This Piemontese red is an ideal wine for the adventuresome wine drinker.
It's made of a grape that's typically made into a sweet, fizzy wine like a Moscato d'Asti.
Instead, the Correggia family vinifies it as a dry wine and what a delightful change of pace!
Aromas of roses and raspberries...Best lightly chilled, this can pair with Asian cuisine, light pastas and maybe cured meats.
$26.99

Located in La Morra's little sub-region of Berri, the three fellows who own this winery make brilliant wines.
Lots of red fruits and a touch of a floral note, it's easy-drinkin' right from the start.
We enjoy this at cool cellar temp, so it's a lovely warm weather red.
$32.99.

Guiraud has a new winemaker since the 2022 vintage and she had been in the cellar at nearby Château d'Yquem for many vintages.
Her magic is nicely displayed in this unctuous bottling...honey and ripe peach notes.
Full bottles are $89.99, while halves are $44.99.

The Tamellini brothers are Soave specialists.
Their 2025 is outstanding and full of personality...bone dry and crisp.  No oak.
Nobody pegs this as a $17 bottle...
Great as an aperitif and lovely with seafood, light salads and pastas.
$16.99

From Winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett,  we have a delightful California Grenache...2021 vintage.
Medium-bodied and rather smooth.
Bennett Valley fruit in Sonoma.
Entirely Grenache.
Sale price is $29.99

The new vintage of "old vines" Chablis from Gautheron is on par with good Premier Cru bottlings from other estates.
Dry and nicely stony.  Tastes more expensive than its price would indicate.
$39.99

The new vintage of Jeff Runquist's rendition of the Italian grape called Lagrein is quite charming...a bit robust, but not a bruiser, this shows dark berry fruit and notes of cocoa and vanilla.  It's well-priced at $33.99.

This Cervaro della Sala has long been a favorite here at Weimax.
It's an Umbrian white wine that's more stunning or compelling than a top Meursault or Chassagne-Montrachet from France.
Barrel aged.  Chardonnay blend with the local Grechetto grape...creamy, toasty and absolutely delicious!
We might describe this as the white version of their famous red called Tignanello.
We have the impressive 2023 in the shop.  Sale priced at $79.99.

The Lavantureux domaine has been making compelling Chablis wines for a number of years and their 2023 is in the "Very Good" to "Excellent" range.
Bone dry, it displays elements of the terroir of Chablis along with complex elements of the Chardonnay grape.
$39.99.

Camillo Favaro is a top grower/winemaker in the Piemontese region where they make Erbaluce (the grape/wine name) di Caluso.
It's a bone dry white wine which typically has a little bit of a bite from a touch of tannin.  It's ideal with foods that have a bit of fat.
No oak.  Organically-grown.
$33.99

Here's a new (to us) domaine in France's Loire Valley...Serge Laloue.
This 2025 Sancerre is outstanding...dry, crisp and full of flavor.
$37.99.



We're delighted by this 2023 Zinfandel from the Gamba Family in Sonoma's Russian River Valley.
This wine displays good varietal character of the Zinfandel, but it also displays the character we've found typical in top Russian River Valley Zin.
Berries and a somewhat floral character...balanced and gentle.
$55 at the winery.  Our Sale Price is just $39.99.

We have several Vinho Verde bottlings...this one called Brisa Suave comes in a liter-sized bottle...classic, simply, faintly fizzy and dry. 
New vintage just arrived and it's fresh and delicious.
$16.99.

Clos Mogador is one of the benchmark wines from Spain's Priorat region.
It's a blend of Garnacha and Cariñena with a bit of Syrah and Cabernet.
These are robust reds and worth of grilled meats.
The 2022 is showy in its youth.
$109.99

We were quoted in the Wall Street Journal a while ago  in an article about Rioja wines.
The Viña Alberdi is the poster child for good value in red wine in general and Rioja specifically.
Sale priced at $25.99, this displays the classic woodsy fragrances and flavors of American oak aged Tempranillo.
And you can't beat the price!

We haven't found inexpensive Brunello in years, but found this to be a good example of Tuscan Sangiovese without the bells and whistles.
It's nicely drinkable presently and can likely be cellared for another 10+ years.  It's not likely to blossom into something remarkably outstanding but for immediate drinking it certainly offers value.
$29.99!

  
A new vintage of Li Veli's Susumaniello came in this week...thumbs up again!
Dark fruit and a hint of spice...perfect for your lasagna feast or sausage festival!
$29.99

MAAL winery...AA as in Maalbec, perhaps?
No...First two letters of the owner's names:  MAtias Fraga and ALfredo Merlo.
This Argentinean only makes Malbec and this bottling, Bestial, is a top rendition.
Dark fruit and nice oak.
$59.99 

From a newish winery in Sicily, the 2024 vintage of the Catarratto grape is quite good and well-priced at $22.99.
Akrille is the winery name, a joint venture between a Sicilian family and an Italian-American.
Dry...mildly minerally...a touch of fresh peach...


The new vintage of Holus-Bolus Syrah made the cut this week...glorious Syrah from a special site in Santa Barbara.
Classic Rhone Syrah notes of hickory and bacon, along with Syrah spice.
$54.99

Mark Haisma is an Australian fellow who's making some brilliant wines in France.
Burgundy.
We have a wonderful Pernand-Vergelesses -- a Premier Cru site:  En Caradeux.
Some toasty note from a barrel add complexity to the minerality of this wine.
Sale-priced at $99.99.

Lacrima di Morro d'Alba is a grape from Le Marche, not Piemonte.  Marotti Campi is a leading light with that grape and this is the upper echelon bottling.
It a medium-full bodied red with an exotic florality on the nose.
Then there's a hint of oak, adding complexity.
What a charming red!  Put it on the table in place of a Pinot Noir and serve it at cool cellar temp.
$31.99

Etienne Daulny's "Reserve" Sancerre from the 2024 vintage returned to the shop...$37.99.
Dry and mildly citrusy and minerally.


It's been ages since we've had a Barolo from Enzo Boglietti...2011 vintage!
Nicely mature and developed on the nose and palate.
Sale price is $119.99

Dick Peterson worked with the legendary Andre Tchelistcheff at BV in Napa back in the 1960s and 1970s before helping launch The Monterey Vineyard in the mid-70s.
He's still active at 95 years of age and makes this killer Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir.
This is made of two clones pf Pinot Noir, one of them being the very obscure Wrotham Clone.
Peterson brought cuttings of this back from a visit to England, of all places.
The fruit on this wine is intensely aromatic and beautifully fruity.
Nice oak, too.
It's $70 from the source.
We sale tag it at $59.99.
Don't miss this...thoroughly delicious!

The 2022 Nebbiolo Langhe from our friends at the Filippo Gallino winery just arrived.
Medium-bodied, mildly tannic Nebbiolo from a venerable winery in the Roero region across the river from Barbaresco.
Just $19.99/ bottle

The Château de Fargues 2008 is probably close to its peak...the vintage was challenging (early frosts limited vine growth and productivity) but this displays some honeyed elements and sweet citrus tones.
Sale price is $119.99!
The estate is run by the Lur Saluces family, former custodians at Château d'Yquem, so you will notice the label is quite similar to its cousin's.
Might be less majestic than its cousin, but the price is a mere 20% of the famed d'Yquem.

Castello di Neive seems to routinely produce a charming and immediately accessible Barbaresco.
The 2022 is elegant and easily drinkable, while retaining enough structure to allow for cellaring.
Sale price is $44.99

Few wine aficionados are familiar with Spain's Maturana grape.
Viña Ijalba was the first winery to cultivate this variety in the Rioja region. Now there are several other producers, but it's still a very minor variety despite making such a pretty wine.
Maturana is said to be first mentioned in 1622, but it was nearly extinct until Ijalba planted two hectares.
Peachy, lightly minerally and quite dry.
$26.99.

A special purchase allows us to sell a splendid bottle of 2021 Chianti Classico for a mere $19.99.

This is made entirely of Sangiovese and it's matured in untoasted French oak casks.
Lots of red fruits on the nose and palate, with snappy acidity so it pairs well with tomato-sauced dishes....
And the price is also a pleasure.

Your wine-savvy friends will be thrilled to see a bottle of the just-released 2023 Vintage Napa Valley Cabernet from the Bryant Family Winery on the dinner table.
These guys have a great reputation for impressive Cabernet and they are routinely offered at an elevated price.
This vintage it's $700.
For a single bottle.
We wonder how many extra points this gets from wine writers due to its high price.
Good wine, for sure.

Fuil is a new artisan producer...tiny production levels with elegant wines.
The name Fuil is Gaelic and could mean "fool" or "foolish."

Their red blend comes from Ballard Canyon in Santa Barbara County...Grenache and Syrah with red berries and a touch of white pepper spice.
The alcohol is modest...downright low for California wines.
Just 13.0%!
Well-priced at $37.99.

Cahors is off-the-beaten path for most wine drinkers.
It's roughly two hours by car east of Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux and it's main grape is Malbec.
Customers requesting Malbec are typically expecting to see a wine from Argentina, but in fact the grape hails from this part of France.
Château Ponzac is a husband and wife team and this Cahors is made entirely of Malbec...medium-full bodied with dark fruit.
$24.99

Domaine de Reuilly's Loire Valley white bridges the gap between, say, Sancerre and Chablis.
Stony and minerally, bone dry and crisp...it's entirely Sauvignon Blanc but maybe less aromatic and citrusy than a good Sancerre.
It's also less costly than Chablis and Sancerre:  $23.99

Vilmart is famous for its amazingly complex, artisan Champagnes.
Grand Cellier d'Or comes from 50 year old vines and the juice is fermented and aged in seasoned oak before being put in bottle for its fermentation.
Their secret is that the base wine has a lot of character, so the sparkling wine ends up with more depth than most.
Predominantly Chardonnay with 20% Pinot Noir.  It spends close to 3 and a half years on the spent yeast and it's rather dry and deep on the palate.
$119.99

The Grignolino grape takes a backseat to Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo in Italy's Piemonte, but it does make a cool dry red.
It lacks color and makes for a lighter red with snappy acidity, so it's not for everyone.
Served lightly chilled, though, it's a charming red to pair with pizza, lasagna, sausages and some seafood dishes.
$25.99 for the 2024 vintage.

Our friends at Napa Valley's Hagafen winery offer some terrific wines which, oh by the way, happen to be Kosher.
Here's a delightfully dry, snappy Sauvignon Blanc...grapes picked around mid-September of 2024.
Citrusy notes dominate...no oak is discernible...it's a good aperitif wine and pairs well with seafood, lemon chicken, salads, etc.
And it's a good choice for Passover.  $29.99

We also have Hagafen Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Centopassi is a Sicilian winery with vineyards on lands confiscated from the Mafia.
They're not far from Palermo and this is a medium-bodied red made of Nero d'Avola and Perricone.
It's a good match for simple pasta, sausages, burgers or pizza.
The price is friendly, too:  $21.99.

Vallevò comes from a co-op winery in Italy's Abruzzo...Montepulciano is the grape and it makes a robust, gentle red.
Mighty good.  Just $14.99.

With the recent hot weather, firing up the barbecue has been a popular idea and this chillable Greek red is a delight!
Athanasiou is the winery and the grape is Agiorgitiko.
It's vinified to me immediately drinkable and a slight chill makes this even more attractive.
$17.99.  A bargain!


Another wine for the adventuresome wine aficionado is this French wine from the Côtes de Jura, a dry white made of the Savagnin grape.
It's from organically-farmed vines in the French Alps, fermented in French oak where it remains for about 5 years under a "veil" of yeast.
This contributes a toasty element to the wine, which you may find reminiscent of a top Spanish Fino Sherry.
It may not be your thing at the outset, but this can grow on you.
$57.99
By the way, we also have their magnificent Vin Jaune.

It's a rarity and spends 6 years in barrel developing that nutty, smoky, oxidized character.
$88.99 in the traditional 620ml bottle.

The third generation of the Moreau family is now the helm of this tiny domaine.
Sylvie Moreau's son Alexandre is now involved as they have roughly 3 hectares of organically-certified vineyards.
Total production is minuscule as they made about 88 cases of this blend:  80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier.
It's an Extra Brut.  From the 2019 harvest and disgorged in 2025.
$74.99.
A number of customers who purchased a bottle recently have come back for more!
We enjoy seeing people enjoying our selections.

The stellar 2021 Barolo "Albe" from the Vajra family just arrived.
Alba is the Italian word for sunrise and this comes from three sites with each seeing the sun at a different time, hence the word Albe, plural for Alba as the sun hits each site at a different time in the morning.
It's routinely one of the best buys from Piemonte's Barolo appellation.  Maybe double that with this vintage!
Old School winemaking as they gave the wine 30-60 days of skin contact, creating a most cellar-worthy bottle.
Beautifully tannic.
We're currently offering this for a very low price...Sale Price is $39.99.
Don't miss it!

Here's a delicious, very dry Rosé Champagne from an organically-farmed estate...it's entirely Pinot Meunier and unusually complex (and well-priced!).
$52.99

From the Loire Valley we have the 2020 Chinon from Domaine de Beauséjour...
It's a smooth, medium-bodied dry red made of the Cabernet Franc grape.
Classic.
$19.99

We've often had this lovely, bone dry, crisp Italian white in the shop.
It's from the winery of Ermes Pavese and they're located in Italy's Vallée d'Aoste.
Prié Blanc is the grape.  Bone dry.  No oak.
$39.99.

We have a number of delightful and tasty wines from Greece.
The Skouras winery is regarded as a top producer in the northern part of the Peloponnese region.
It's a blend of Agiorgitiko and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The vines range in age from roughly 40 years to 75.
Some new French oak gives the wine a bit of flair and you'll find lovely dark fruit on the nose and palate.
$39.99

The latest vintage of Dolcetto from Vietti is very good and intensely berryish.
Nicely balanced as tannin is restrained...beautiful fruit to this youthful red.
No oak.
Just $28.99.

The 2024 Puligny-Montrachet from Paul Pernot hits the nail on the head!
Elegant, with a touch of toastiness, this goes for $109.99.
Limited availability.

Seppelt, and more recently Seppeltsfield, is a name associated with impressive Australian sweet wines (or "stickies" as they call them Down Under).
It's a 10 year tawny aged in a Solera system...the base wine is Shiraz.
Nicely nutty and ideal with nut desserts, chocolates or cheddar cheese.
Ice cream is another good option!
$39.99/750ml

From Adam Tolmach's Ojai Vineyard, we just tasted the 2024 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir called Clima Frio.
Lovely cherry and pomegranate fruit...light...under 14% alcohol, too, by the way.
A chillable red.
Sale priced at $39.99!

Customers looking for a remarkably good, dry white should stop by this week and snag a bottle of this stellar Portuguese white blend based on Alvarinho called Almanua.  It's beautifully aromatic with notes of white fruits and some floral elements.
You won't believe you paid only $19.99 for this wine!

This is a young vines blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with a healthy percentage of Merlot from the famous First Growth winery of Château Latour.
Just a touch of oak...the winery claims 20% new barrels, but we don't sense much in the way of wood here.
It's an attractive wine for our sale price of $99.99.

This Italian Sauvignon Blanc from a famous estate in the Trentino region is excellent.
Located less than 20 miles north of Verona, San Leonardo makes a prestigious red Bordeaux blend, but we're fans of their affordable "Vette" Sauvignon Blanc, named after the mountain peaks visible from the organically-farmed vineyard.
The 2024 which recently arrived is a shade less pungent on the nose than the previous vintage, but it's still distinctive and delicious.
A fellow who purchased a mixed case we selected for him called asking for more bottles of this saying he's been thrilled with the wines we chose for him and is even more delighted to have a wine of this quality as such a modest price.
$27.99

We organized a blind-tasting of Italian Primitivo wines and were surprised by the overall quality.
Ages ago these wines were primitive and frequently rustic and dull.
Ha!
This wine won the tasting handily as all but one taster ranked it in First Place.
Inky dark in color and intensely aromatic with berries and violets on the palate.
$39.99

Ask most people about French Pinot Noir and you'll typically hear about Burgundy, the main region on the planet for Pinot Noir.
You'll find some in Alsace and, of course, it's grown in Champagne.
But how about the Moselle?
And not Germany...the French Moselle region!
You'd be 92 miles east of Reims in Campagne and 85 miles northwest of Ribeauville in Alsace.

The small family estate of Château de Vaux makes a delicious, light, smooth rendition.
Young and immediately drinkable at cool cellar temp...$27.99.
Well worth trying.

Blaufränkisch in Austria...Lemberger in Germany and Washington State!
The Kiona winery makes a delightful, light dry red...no oak to speak of.
Beautiful red fruit.  It's a chillable red.
$16.99  ($20 at the winery cellar door)

Obsidian Ridge is maybe the leading light in California's Lake County.
In the farthest, most northern part of the Mayacamas Mountain range in Lake County you'll find Obsidian's Cabernet vineyards.
They're growing good Cabernet in volcanic rock!
Dark fruit.  Medium-full bodied. Drinkable now.
$39.99

Peter Heitz' 2019 Shypoke Cabernet is a winner!  It's a robust Napa red with ample tannin to allow it to cellar well for a decade+, but it pairs well presently with prime rib or a New York Strip.
$64.99

Winemaker Peter Heitz in his tiny cellar in northern Napa.

The Fichet family has but 5 hectares of Pinot Noir vines in southern Burgundy and they make a rather nice, light, straightforward red that's immediately drinkable and price-worthy.  It's easily identifiable as French Burgundy, too.
Just $24.99!!

From Austria's Kremstal, some 40 miles northwest of Vienna, here's a delightfully crisp, snappy Grüner Veltliner.
It's a non-oaked dry white with the grapefruit peel spiciness we often find in this variety.
$23.99

The Spanish wine company called Palacios has a Rioja brand called Nivarius and they dabble in a number of varieties.
We were enchanted by this Tempranillo Blanco, a white grape that is a fairly recent mutation of the red Tempranillo.
It was discovered by a grower in the late 1980s and now there are a number of renditions, this one being dry, aromatic and flavorful.
And you can discover this for yourself for a mere $16.99!

A couple of cellar-worthy Barolo bottlings from Oddero just arrived.
We have the 2021 Villero and their 2019 Bussia Mondoca.
Triple-digit pricing...



José Dhondt Blanc de Blancs is an old favorite.
It's entirely Chardonnay and the base wine usually undergoes a secondary, malolactic fermentation.
Dry, of course, and mildly toasty/yeasty.
$69.99

Outpost is a vineyard located in Napa's Howell Mountain area...Cabernet Country!
Their Zinfandel sometimes gets our attention but the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is remarkably good.
Sale price is $135.99.
Dark fruit and some cedary oak.

Some Champagne producers now have acreage in England to make bubbly, but Wiston Estate is British owned.
They're two hours by car south of London.
Soils are largely chalky, so somewhat similar terroir to Champagne in France.
The Blanc de Blancs is made entirely of Chardonnay.  Three to four years on the yeast before disgorgement.  It's showing some green apple fruit and is but faintly yeasty/toasty.
$44.99

We've periodically offered the Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The 2020 is currently in stock...red fruits and some typically spiciness.
$49.99.

The Cluzel brothers have a small winery in the town of Chavanay, a short distance south of the famous Rhône Valley region of Condrieu where benchmark Viognier wines are grown.
Vincent Cluzel launched the winery in 2004 and his brother came on board in 2015.
The 2022 Saint-Joseph is entirely Syrah grown on granitic soils near the winery.
Indigenous yeasts...three weeks of maceration...a touch of French oak.
Mildly spicy and ready to drink now with lamb or duck.

The Cavallotto family make some killer Barolo wines.
The 2019 bottling from their famous Bricco Boschis vineyards is exceptional and definitely cellar-worthy.
It's a traditionally-made Nebbiolo...30+ days of skin contact and 3 years in large, neutral wood.
$124.99

Soalheiro makes several really good Alvarinho wines (Albariño across the border in Spain).
Granit, as you might expect, is a minerally example of this wine, coming from hillside vineyards, while their other bottling comes from valley floor site.
This one is just $29.99 and worth every penny!

We love this wine all year long, but notice some customers have greater interest in this outstanding Lambrusco
when the weather is a bit warmer.
The Zanasi family makes a beautifully dark, frothy Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro that is amazingly
aromatic and deeply flavorful.
There's a hint of sweetness, but that's balanced by high acidity and a touch of tannin.
It's a great accompaniment to pizza or a salumi platter.
$21.99

The Masi winery was the first to make what's now called a Ripasso wine in the Veneto region.  Started in 1964 where the winemaker added the grape skins from a batch of Amarone to a tank of Valpolicella, creating a more complex red at a price far less than Amarone.
Others followed.
Masi no longer adds the "pomace" (grape skins) from their Amarone, but actually adds some freshly dried grapes to what is essentially a normal Valpolicella.
We have the 2021 in stock...sale priced at $17.99.
Delicious and smooth.

The 2024 Dolcetto d'Alba from Elio Altare just landed...Loads of juicy, berryish fruit.
We enjoy this served lightly chilled.
$27.99

The rare Saumur-Champigny from Clos Rougeard is in stock presently...
2019.
This domaine if a reference point for Cabernet Franc and it's a small producer with a large reputation.
Les Poyeux is $250/bottle
Le Bourg is $360/bottle

It's been a while since we opened a bottle of Bob Lindquist's 2019 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay...So we opened one this week and were delighted to find an intense, toasty, mildly smoky Chardonnay that's youthful and full-flavored.
Bob gained fame as the owner and winemaker of the Qupe winery ages ago...
$49.99.

Chappellet's 2022 Napa Valley Merlot won a recent blind-tasting of Merlots...it's deep and dark with lots of black fruits and lovely French oak fragrances and flavors...drinkable now, too.
$69.99

The Sinskey family have been proponents of organic viticulture for many years.
They make a wide range of wines, but we have been fans of their Carneros Pinot Noir.
The 2018 is the current vintage...sale priced at $52.99.

Cain Vineyards sits atop Spring Mountain in Napa.
They've long made a Bordeaux-styled blend called Cain Five, a blend based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with small percentages of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Some vintages have displayed a leathery, horsy character which has been a bit controversial, to say the least.
We tasted the current vintage, the 2021, and it's "clean."  We also compared that to the 2011 and that is also delightfully complex and clean.
We brought in some of the 2011...$149.99 and showing handsomely.

A new vintage of Antonella Corda's dry Vermentino from Sardinia hits the spot as both an aperitif wine or a partner for seafood.
She's part of the Argiolas family, but set up her own brand to operate independently.
Her wines are routinely brilliant!
$23.99

We visited winemaker Walter Massa ages ago when nobody knew his Timorasso wine.
Other winemakers took notice of this obscure grape variety and now you can find numerous bottlings.
Many prestigious Langhe-area winemakers have flocked to Tortona in an effort to make their own.
The 2023 Massa is exceptional and it's a benchmark for this grape.
Dry, with notes of pear-like fruit and some minerally tones...
$42.99.

The 2018 Virna Barolo from the "grand cru" site of Cannubi is specially priced.
Normally close to $100, this is $59.99 and it will repay a decade in the cellar quite handsomely.
We enjoyed a bottle the other night, as it's drinkable now.
But this will gain in complexity with bottle aging.

The Revello brothers make good "La Morra" Barolo in Italy's Piemonte region.
Their wines typically display a bit of oak, but this 2021 Barolo seems to focus on the Nebbiolo fruit more than wood.
While Nebbiolo can be rather astringent, the wines of La Morra are usually a shade softer and the Revello winery routinely makes wines that might be described as precocious.
This is beautifully drinkable in its youth and it should continue to grow a bit with bottle aging.
$44.99...well-priced, too!

The Gainey family has been farming in Santa Barbara since the 1960s.
In the 1980s they planted some grapes, but not the typical Burgundian varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir like others, but Bordeaux varieties.
Merlot gets a lot of hang-time, being picked this vintage in late October/early November!
The oak for this wine is rather restrained and there's nice red fruit.
Sale priced at $22.99.

Winemaker Joel Peterson achieved fame (and fortune) as the founding winemaker at Ravenswood, a noteworthy Zinfandel winery.
When that got sold to a big drinks company, Joel bided his time and eventually started making wines again under the brand name of "Once and Future."
Production is much smaller and his wines are often quite good.
We were delighted with the 2022 Mataro which comes from Contra Costa County vineyards.
Old/ancient vines.
Fairly full-bodied and offering some dark berry fruit and a touch of spice.
$26.99.

The new vintage from Wrath of their two clone Pinot Noir is delicious!
The shy-bearing Swan clone yields nicely intense Pinot aromas and flavors...the other, Clone 828, is a "suitcase" variety having been brought in to the US from France, directly from Burgundy.
Wrath employs a healthy percentage of new French oak for this wine, adding the lovely wood spice to its cherryish Pinot fruit.
$31.99

The 2024 vintage of Velenosi's delightful Pecorino is as delicious as was the 2023.
From Italy's Marche region, this family makes some seriously good wines.
You might guess it to be a Sauvignon Blanc is tasted "blind," but in addition to some citrusy notes, there's a touch of a pineapple spice here as well.
It's a great aperitif and pairs handsomely with seafood and salads.

We have been fans of the Bianchi family wines at Monsanto in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany.
I purchased a bottle of the 2020 which was "good," but we waited to see how the 2021 is showing and it's seriously good!
Deeper and a tad more robust, but not heavy...
It's 90% Sangiovese with the balance split between Canaiolo and Colorino.
They use a bit of oak, but not small barrels for this.
$37.99.

The 2022 Titus Cabernet is an impressive bottle!
Dark fruit and some sweet oak elements make for a showy red.
Sale price is $54.99 (it's $68 at the winery in Napa).

The family at I Favati routinely make elite wines in Italy's Campania region, yet they fly a bit under the radar of all but the most savvy consumers.
Both reds and whites are terrific.
The new vintage of their Greco di Tufo is a bone dry, crisp, stony white wine.  Great as an aperitif and it's perfect with seafood and salads.
$28.99

Few winedrinkers appreciate Sauternes or Late-Harvest Rieslings and even those savvy consumers are unlikely to be familiar with the wines of the southwest France region of Jurançon.
It's a remarkable terroir and most of the vineyards are perched on terraced hillsides.
Clos Guirouilh makes a classic sweet wine that's a blend of Gros Manseng and Petite Manseng.
The bunches are left on the vine to shrivel and increase the level of sugar in the grapes, with maybe five passes through the vineyard to pick at the optimum time.
This is a great alternative to good Sauternes and it's well-priced at $35.99 (750ml).

Freire Lobo 2024 Dão, a magnificent dry white from Portugal...
The grapes are Encruzado, Bical and Cerceal.
Beautifully aromatic and dry...no oak.
Please give this a try in place of inexpensive Chardonnay or watery Pinot Grigio.
$14.99.
You will be pleasantly surprised.  I promise!

The just-released 2023 vintage of Stephen Ross Pinot Noir is a great buy...It's a three vineyard blend from the Central Coast.  Classic Pinot fruit with cherryish notes and the wine is supple and beautifully drinkable now...$29.99.

The dynamite 2025 Rosato from Italy's Puglia region is back in stock.
Li Veli winery.  Susumaniello is the grape.
It's dry and berryish.
$32.99

The Toreta "Posip" is back in stock!  2024 Vintage.
It's a dry, light, crisp white from Croatia...the island of Korcula to be precise.
$18.99.

From Spain's Getaria wine region we have this light, crisp, dry white wine made of the white Hondarrabi Zuri and the red Hondarrabi Beltza.
It's fermented at low temps in hopes of retaining just a touch of spritziness in the wine.
We often bring a bottle to the nearby Basque Cultural Center (restaurant) as it beautifully sets up a woodsy Spanish red (or French) as the contrast is striking.
The new 2025 vintage is just $22.99.

We were not delighted with the Montepulciano from the Amorotti winery, so we initially shied away from tasting this Trebbiano.
A friend insisted we taste it and we were delighted to find such a soulful Italian white.
Keep in mind this is Trebbiano Abruzzese, not the simple plonk of so many Trebbiano wines.
Amorotti's neighbor, the famous Valentini winery, makes a benchmark bottling which usually goes for $200.
This one at $54.99 is a deal.
You have to experience it to fully understand.

We look for wines which over-perform for their prices and can't say this Eisele Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is a bargain at $135/bottle.
But it is sooooo good we had to bring in another vintage.
We're fans of Château d'Yquem's dry white called simply "Y."
That goes for about $250 and it's sublime.
The Eisele Sauvignon is close to its equal.

This simple Muscadet from France's Loire Valley is a delight.
Dry, of course and made without the use of an oak barrel, at $11.99, this is a lovely little aperitif white or, even better, a partner for seafood.
It has more fruit on the nose than standard bottlings of Muscadet and we find it superior to many far more expensive renditions of the
Melon de Bourgogne grape.

Yeah, it's a bit of splurge at $219.99 for a bottle, but you're getting a hugely memorable red Bordeaux from a really good estate in Pauillac.
It's 78% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest being Merlot.
A hefty percentage of new oak barrels adds tremendous complexity to this steak-worthy red.

Pojer & Sandri grow and vinify a dynamite dry white of their local Nosiola grape.
It's non-oaked and totally dry.
People often ask for that "Chablis-like Italian wine whose name I can't remember."
The wine is memorable, even if the name is not.
$21.99

The 2022 Soter Pinot Noir was the first place wine in a recent blind-tasting of Willamette Valley Pinots.
It's got a lush texture and classic Pinot Noir fruit.
$54.99.

The 2021 Barolo from the Gaja family is now in the shop.
Sale-tagged at $129.99 and while it has good aging potential, it's beautifully balanced and certainly approachable now.


We noticed a local distributor still had a 2012 Chardonnay from the famous Craggy Range winery in New Zealand, so we purchased a bottle.
It's amazingly good and quite alive and kicking, with lovely leesy, toasty notes.
$23.99

Nebbiolo fans have enjoyed this well-priced bottle from Italy's Valtellina region.
The 2023 "Botonero" from the Mamete Prevostini wine is just $23.99.
It's a lovely, immediately drinkable alpine Nebbiolo...a shorter maceration than Piemontese Nebbiolo wines translates to lower tannin levels.


A young fellow named Kevin Bouillet is creating a stir in France's Jura region with a dynamite rendition of Savagnin.
It's called "Ouillé" and he matures this for about 2 years in small oak barrels, but it's a non-oxidative wine as he tops up the barrels regularly.
$39.99.
This is a rarity and Bouillet's wines are much sought-after.

Here's a rather delightful Sonoma Pinot Noir...winery price is $70.
We have it sale-tagged at just $39.99.
Several clones of Pinot Noir and some French oak make for a nicely complex and ready-to-drink red.

From Corsica we just brought in a delicious medium-full bodied red wine made of the Nielluccio grape.
This is the flagship red variety on Corsica and it's generally thought to be Sangiovese or a close relative to Italy's Sangiovese.
The Fornelli winery is a small producer and this bottling is said to have something like 5% of another local red variety, this one being called Minustellu.
Blackberry notes on the nose and palate make for a delicious bottle.
$26.99

We had not had a Gavi in the shop for maybe a decade.
This is a Piemontese white made of the Italian grape called Cortese and it's a brilliant rendition!
A hint of citrus and a maybe a white flower sort of fragrance.  Dry and made without oak, so you may find some stony, minerally notes.
$22.99
A woman called to ask if we had a particular Gavi in the shop and we mentioned having this outstanding wine.
She came to get one and as she was here another customer arrived asking for this wine specifically, saying he bought one the week before and it was so good, they wanted two more!
Talk about timing.

The Storrs family remains a dynamite producer of below-the-radar wines.
Barrel-fermented Chardonnay with a touch of a creamy quality to add complexity to this classic dry white, this remains a good value, too.
$28.99

The famous Port house of Quinta do Noval has an excellent Douro Valley red made from Touriga Nacional.
Ten days of skin contact and then full malolactic in tank before being racked into French oak.
There's beautiful dark fruit notes from the Touriga and a light touch of a cedary tone from the wood aging.
It's a 2020 vintage and is quite enticing presently, though it may cellar well for another 5 to 10 years.
$49.99

The back-story of the name "Four Dimes," a most curious brand for a Napa Cabernet stems from the discovery of one of the owners that money was actually used to purchase goods.  As a kid she was surprised that a few coins, like 4 dimes, could be used to buy treats such as a candy bar.
At least that's the legend of this wine.
It's made by a prominent winemaker and the wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Nearly 2 years in French oak give the wine a delightful woodsy element and it's reasonably gentle on the palate.
These days those four "dimes" translate to something like four Jacksons, as this goes for $40.

In the world of "skin contact" white wines, often called "orange wines," we've just brought in the 2024 Pinot Gris from the Union Sacré winery in California's Central Coast region.  The "white" grape of Pinot Gris does have some pigment in its skins and leaving those with the juice can produce a pinkish-colored wine.
This is a delight whether you consider it a Rosé, an "orange wine" or simply a white wine...
Sale price is $17.99 as these fellows don't sock it to you as do many artisan vintners pricing their wines based more on scarcity than on quality.

From Spain's Ribera del Duero, an expensive neighborhood, comes this youthful Tempranillo which spent 4 months in small oak.
Less than 5 miles from Vega Siclia, a legendary winery, this is a medium-bodied red with some plum and cherry-like fruit and a hint of wood.
And it's just $19.99!

The Lonardi family have a small trattoria in the town of Marano di Valpolicella and that simple dining spot was the primary outlet for their wine.
As the winery has expanded to all of maybe 7 hectares they make more wine than they can pour at the restaurant.
We visited some years ago and found their Amarone to be of interest.
The 2016 is $59.99.

The 2003 Warre's Vintage Porto is showing beautifully.
Best decanted, of course.
$84.99.

Experts will tell you the Cooper Vineyard is the top site for Barbera in Amador County.
Jeff Runquist makes a terrific red, easily comparable to good Piemontese Barbera bottlings.
Dark color and intense berry fruit with a nice bit of oak...full-bodied.
$34.99

The 2024 Salvard Cheverny just arrived...Sauvignon Blanc (mostly) from France's Loire Valley.
Beautifully aromatic and dry.
$22.99.


We enjoyed a taste of the 2020 Clos Apalta, a deluxe bottling from Chile.
It's predominantly Carmenere with 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot.
Matured in a high percentage of new French oak, this is showing well now and can be cellared another ten to twenty years.
Sale price is $134.99.


The Palladino family makes traditionally-styled Piemontese wines and we've featured their 2015 and 2019 vintages of their Barolo del Commune di Serralunga.
The 2020 is now in the shop, perhaps a tad rounder than the 2019, but still quite good and well worth its $49.99 sale price.

If you never have enjoyed a red wine made of the German Dornfelder grape, this new release from the Binz family winery is a delicious bottle.
Dornfelder is a crossing of a couple of other grape varieties with the idea of having a German red wine that would have deeper color than the wines being made in the 1960s and 1970s.
Dornfelder really got launched in the early 1980s and these days it's a fairly prominent German red.
Binz makes a wine reminiscent of Beaujolais with loads of red berry aromas and flavors.
Its modest $15.99 pricing makes it taste even better!

The 2023 Lagrein from Elena Walch arrived recently, having made the cut yet again.
This is a medium-bodied, gentle red with some black cherry and mildly plummy fruits.  Though it spends a brief time in wood, oak is not noticeable here.
$26.99

From Italy's Sardinia there's a stellar new vintage of Vermentino from the Chessa winery...
West coast of Sardegna...remarkably aromatic with great citrus and spice notes.  No oak.  Bone dry.
Perfect as a cocktail white or paired with seafood.
$27.99

We had a flight of pretty good Côtes du Rhône reds and this wine from Beaurenard was my top selection.
Fairly dark in color and full-bodied, this had a particularly distinctive character...I asked the tasters to take a second sniff and I would give them an adjective:
Eucalyptus.
"Yes!  Damn!!  That's it."
$24.99.
Good wine and a good price for this caliber of French red.

The 2023 vintage of Petite Arvine from the Grosjean Family in Italy's Valle d'Aosta is a delightfully dry, crisp, minerally white.
We've now had this wine for many vintages.  $31.99.


We know very few winedrinkers bother with Marsala from Italy's Sicily.
Pity.
There are some bottlings intended for drinking, not cooking.
This bottling from the Florio winery in the town of Marsala is such a wine...very bit as complex as good Sherry or Port.
It's drier than most Ports, though, and quite complex with nutty nuances and some dried fruit notes.
$74.99

The first bottling of Baldi Pain Champagne went quickly...a few bottles of a new batch just landed.
$84.99 for a bone dry, Grand Cru Champagne that's 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.
Toasty, yeasty and complex.
Well-priced for this quality...$84.99.

How about a splurge?
1985 Château Margaux.
Sale priced at $829.99.

Lake County, Mendocino, Lodi and Sonoma are sourced by Lang & Reed to produce their Cabernet Franc.
It's 100% Cab Franc which is matured for a year and a half in French oak.
This winery has pioneered Cabernet Franc and they continue to offer a good wine at a reasonable price.
$27.99

If you like good German Riesling, please consider getting a bottle of Karp Schreiber's 2023 Kabinett Riesling.
Brauneberger Juffer is the site in the Mosel for this crisp, slightly sweet, beautifully balanced wine.
$19.99.

If you've been a fan of the wines of Ridge Vineyards, then you've tasted the work of winemaker Eric Baugher.
He and another Ridge alum launched the Deauratus winery and we have three different bottlings in the shop.
Their Dry Creek Zinfandel is exceptional, elegant, berryish and beautifully spicy.
$37.99.
We also have a Grenache Blanc and a Paso Robles Cabernet of note.
The Zin and Cabernet are available for tasting presently.

The 2024 vintage of Garzon Albariño made the cut here, a brilliant dry white from Uruguay.
It's fresh, nicely aromatic with all sorts of fruit notes and you'll find it to be dry, but smooth.
$19.99.

From a small, family-operated domaine in the southern part of Champagne, this regions, "Les Riceys," is quite famous for its Rosé wine.
They leave the skins of the Pinot Noir in contact with the juice for 2 or 3 days and make a beautifully dry, crisp Brut Rosé.
Sale priced at $49.99.

When we tasted this 2023 Timorasso we observed that the winemaker, our dear friend Luca Currado-Vietti, had clearly been influenced
by his visits to winemaking friends in France's Burgundy region.
He smiled at this assessment of this brand new vintage of Piemontese white wine, made of Timorasso grapes grown near Tortona.
It's got the minerality of a good White Burgundy and a subtle complexity that is quite enchanting.
$53.99

Most Spanish Cava comes from the Penedes region near Barcelona.
Not this one!
It's from an area southeast of Madrid, but it's made of the usual suspects:
Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, aged about a year on the spent yeast, allowing the tangerine-like aromas to shine.
It's quite dry, too.
$17.99.

The 2021 Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet is, as usual, a delight.
Plummy notes with some dark berry fruit and a nice bit of sweet, exotic oak make for a most attractive Cabernet.
The tannin level is modest, but a good steak will tame the mild astringency.
$59.99.

Some new vintages made the cut here from the Meyer Family winery in Mendocino.
The Meyers were founding partners in the Silver Oak winery.
Their 2024 Chardonnay is excellent!
It's from Mendocino's Anderson Valley...made along the lines of a good French white Burgundy, so you'll find some stony notes and toasty, leesy elements here.
$34.99.  Well-priced.
Their 2019 Syrah is gorgeous, too.  $29.99

The newly-arrived 2022 vintage of Dry Tokaji from Bodog is a winner.
Give this a try in place of a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
It's just $18.99! 
70% Furmint and 30% Hárslevelü.
Rather low in alcohol...12.6%.

It's rare that we encounter a red wine from the Macon region in France's Burgundy, but we tasting this 2023 from the Domaine Coteaux des Margots and found it to be quite appealing.  It's made of Gamay, not Pinot Noir.  Medium-bodied and mildly berryish, but less overtly fruity than many of our Beaujolais selections.
$24.99.


Romaneira is an old vineyard property but a rather new winery enterprise headed by Christian Seely, who also has his hands in Château Pichon Baron, Suduiraut in Sauternes, Quinta do Noval, another Douro Valley Port producer as well as Disznokõ in Hungary.
The 2019 Vintage Porto from Romaneira is a robust, full-bodied wine with plenty of fruit and a moderate level of tannin.
It's well-priced, too, thanks to a opportune purchase.  Just $59.99.


The Venturini family produces numerous really good red wines and their entry-level Valpolicella is an excellent, overtly fruity bottle that's best served lightly cooled to cellar temperature.  It's somewhat akin to a good French Beaujolais, having plenty of red berry fruit on the nose and palate.
The 2023 is now in the shop.
Best in its youth...$20.99.

The 2022 Gewürztraminer from Claiborne & Churchill is a delight, successfully capturing the rose petal and lychee character of this exotic grape.
Quite dry, too, so don't tell us you don't like Gewürztraminer because they are too sweet.
This has but 0.2% residual sugar...most people are not sensitive to sweetness in wine until you hit 0.5%.
Sale $18.99.

There's Valpolicella and then there's Romano Dal Forno's Valpolicella.
Most Valpolicella wines are care-free, light, fruity reds...but this fellow makes one that's akin to top Rioja, Bordeaux or Napa Cabernet.
Lavishly-oaked and full-bodied, this is too noble for pizza, but better paired with a steak or prime rib roast.
$149.99

The Elvio Cogno winery is the reference point for the Nascetta white wine from Italy's Piemonte region.
This is the only indigenous white grape in the Langhe region.
Half fermented in stainless steel and half in smallish Slavonian oak...bone dry...quite good.
2023 vintage.  $36.99.

From Mendocino County we now have a stack of Brutocao Chardonnay.
This is easily worth its modest price tag of $16.99.
Nice balance of wood and fruit as it's lightly oaked.
(And it's nicely balance in terms of price/quality.)

Sandro Fay is a small winery in Italy's Valtellina and we're fans of their Ca' Morei bottling.
Nebbiolo, or Chiavennasca as they call it in that region of Lombardia.
We have the 2019...just $39.99.
Best to decant this an hour ahead of service.

The youthfully exuberant Sangiovese from Tuscany's Piazzano winery is a good match for a pizza.
The winery is located in western Tuscany, not too far Empoli, southwest of Florence.
It's roughly 85% Sangiovese with Canaiolo and Malvasia Nera.
$14.99!


We've seen an up-tick in sales of Turkish wines...the Pasaeli winery makes good reds and this one is produced entirely of the Karasakiz grape.
Matured for 8 months in French oak...good red fruit aromas and flavors.
Only 85 cases were made.
$26.99

The 2020 Riserva Chianti Classico from our friend Giampaolo Chiettini is back in stock...remarkably complex and showing handsomely!
This comes from a small parcel of vines near Firenze.
$44.99

The 2016 Gravonia comes from 90+ year old vines and it's made entirely on the Viura grape.
It's fermented in large vats before going into small American oak barrels.
Lopez Heredia builds its own barrels, by the way.  After several years in wood, it's bottled and given several more years before they ship it.
This 2016 is just being released now and we have but a few bottles.
$49.99.

Cuvée Françoise Blanquette de Limoux is an elegant and nicely balanced, bottle fermented sparkling wine from a region in southern France that was making sparkling wines a century before Champagne was making bubblies.
This is made of the Mauzac grape, a variety particular to the Limoux region.
Just $19.99!

This highly-regarded Italian red comes from a (now) famous winery in Italy's Campania region.
It's half Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Aglianico and 20% Merlot, matured in small French oak barrels, but the wood is not new, so the oak is nicely integrated and in the background.  2019 Montevetrano.
Sale priced at $84.99.

There are not many wines costing north of $200/bottle that we find to be "good values," but this 2011 Castillo Ygay gets a big 'thumbs up' from us.
We had fallen off the Marques de Murrieta bandwagon some years ago, as they changed their barrel aging program and the wine was not as good, in our view, as what we had come to love going back to the 1960s and 1970s.
It had been getting good reviews as some critics seem to judge some wines by their price tags and not what's in the glass.
The 2011 we opened a month ago was shockingly good and we've bought this in to share with customers who are interested in such a damned good bottle, despite its elevated price.
Compared to many Napa Cabernets and top Bordeaux, this is a deal.
Sale price is $219.99.

Perhaps you know the Champagnes of Jacquesson?
The house is quite old, founded in 1798.  It was purchased by the Chiquet family in 1974.
Their vineyards are organically farmed and they don't make much, aiming for quality over quantity.
The bottlings are numbered, starting with "728" some years ago.  Now we have the 747, a wine from the 2019 harvest.
The fruit comes from 6 vineyard sites.  Quite dry.  The juice is fermented in wood and they don't clarify or filter the wine.
Disgorged in November of 2023.
$81.99/bottle
Don't miss this if you're a Champagne aficionado.
And even if you're not...

The 2024 Ciù Ciù Pecorino is a terrific Italian dry white from the Marche region.
This displays lovely melon/peach notes...no oak.  Dry and yet smooth.
$19.99

You rarely encounter a red Vinho Verde, but here's a deliciously chillable example (in a liter bottle)
for only $19.99.
It's called Explosivo and the wine is made entirely of Vinhão (or maybe it's Sezão).
No oak...if you enjoy Beaujolais or Dolcetto, give this a go.

Antinori's 2021 Marchese Antinori is a special bottling of internationally-styled Chianti Classico, being predominantly Sangiovese but it's blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and then matured in small French and Hungarian oak barrels.
The fruit, they claim, comes from their Tignanello property in the northern part of the Chianti Classico region.
Typically retailing for $50-$60, a special purchase allows us to offer this for a sale price of $44.99.
Limited to stock on hand, but we think we can re-order if necessary.

The Angst family embarked on their wine adventure in 2009 when viticulturist Antoine Angst and his pharmacist wife Céline took the plunge and made their first wines.  Today these have roughly 8 hectares of Chablis-area vines and we've tasted several bottlings from several vintages.
This comes from the Premier Cru site of Fourchaume.
$44.99.
Mildly appley and lightly stony/minerally.

Herman Story 2022 "Nuts & Bolts" is a four vineyard, Central Coast Syrah that's a pedal-to-the-metal California red.
There is nothing subtle about this bruiser.
$64.99
We also have the 2021 Bien Nacido Syrah ($74.99).





Not fortifying their Sangiovese as do many Chianti producers, the Peterson family makes a terrific Sonoma red from Dry Creek Valley vineyards.
It's entirely Sangiovese from two vineyard sites...and it gives good Chianti wines a run for the money.

Arietta's 2021 "Quartet" is delicious!
It's 83% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance being Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
It spent 20 months in French oak with a modest percentage of the cooperage being brand new.
We like the balance of dark fruit notes and the woodsy tones from the oak.
$89.99.

Douloufakis 2023 Vidiano, a Greek white from the island of Crete...this Vidiano grape was nearly extinct and now there are several wineries making it.
This one is well-priced at $19.99.
The Greek fellow who makes this graduated from the wine school in Piemonte which educates so many young Barolo producers.

This was a nice match for Cafe Figaro's fried calamari.

Kir Yianni's Xinomavro, a terrific Greek red, carries the name Ramnista.
The 2019 is now in stock, one of our favorite Greek reds.  It's actually reminiscent of good Piemontese Nebbiolo.
The vines were planted in 1970.  It's matured in small oak barrels but you won't find much wood fragrance or flavor.
Perfect with well-seasoned lamb.
$33.99

Casa Setaro makes a very good example of Falanghina from volcanic soils in Italy's Campania...grown on Mount Vesuvio, this is a non-oaked dry white  that shows both the grape variety and it's volcanic origins.
$22.99.





The 2021 "Crane Assembly" winery makes a delicious red blend called Disciples.
It's a blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah.
It's the recipe for Dave Phinney's famous red called The Prisoner, though this one is made from Napa fruit and it's not sweet.
The wine is high-octane though, but you don't sense it's so potent until you stand up from the dinner table.
Less costly than the current Prisoner wine and significantly superior.
$49.99.

We purchased a bottle of Buehler's 2021 Napa Cabernet...darned good and, thankfully, honestly priced.
$39.99 before the case discount.
Smooth, nicely oaked with some dark fruit notes.

The 2023 Bardolino from Le Fraghe is in...a perfect chillable red for warm weather drinking.
You likely know Valpolicella reds...this comes from a neighboring area along the shores of Lake Garda.
Corvina and Rondinella are the grapes...Comparable to good cru Beaujolais.
$21.99

Domaine des Crêtes---a cool white from Switzerland!
Petite Arvine, Savagnin and Marsanne...very fine, mildly stony and bone dry.
Only a few bottles available.
$49.99

We brought in several "cru" bottlings from the Vietti's 2020 vintage.
These are sale-priced at $244.99.

Dirk Niepoort's Vinho Verde from the 2023 vintage rolled in this week.
It's different from the Soalheiro Vinho Verdes we've had for many vintages in that this is not made of Alvarinho, but of the Loureiro grape.
No oak...bone dry...crisp and perfect as an aperitif or seafood white.
$18.99

From northeast Italy we have a couple of great white wines made by the Vie di Romans winery.
The Friulano is a benchmark example of the grape formerly known as Tocai Friulano.
Dry and exotically fragrant...$49.99.
There's also a blended white featuring the Malvasia Istriana grape with Friulano and some Rhein Riesling.  Dry and aromatic.
That goes for $44.99.

We have a growing number of customers looking for good Sherry & Manzanilla wines.
Solear is a well-regarded "Fino," but it comes from a region called Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a place closer to the sea than Jerez.
So it's a dry Manzanilla akin to a good Fino Sherry.
We have it in half bottles...$12.99.
All you need is a chilled bottle, some Marcona Almonds, Jamón Iberico and some savory olives stuffed with anchovies.

The Alto Adige sub-region of the Valle Isarco is a bit cooler and you'll find some delicious dry whites.
One of the very best is from the Pliger family's Kuenhof winery.
Their Kaiton Riesling features a number of clones and it's grown on a minerally terroir including schist, quartz and more.
The Kaiton Riesling can age handsomely but this 2021 is already showing some petrol notes along with a lime and flower character.
$44.99

Italy's Alto Piemonte used to have more vineyard land the the Langhe where you'll find Barolo and Barbaresco.
The region is experiencing a small renaissance and you'll find good Nebbiolo wines in the Gattinara and Ghemme appellations.
The Brigatti family has a small production a few miles east of those two famed areas.
Mötziflon is a famous hillside vineyard, mostly planted to Nebbiolo.
The 2018 is old-school Nebbiolo...needs an hour or two in a decanter.
$32.99

Big Table Farm has been a "fashionable" Oregon winery for a number of vintages, but we've been slow to get on that train.
The wines are usually "good," but this 2022 vintage of Chardonnay nails it nicely, being the first bottling we've brought in to the shop.
Good appley Chardonnay fruit and a mildly woodsy note...$35.99 makes it a reasonably-priced bottle, too.

We brought in more of the 2013 vintage of Cosimo Taurino's famed Salice Salentino Riserva from Italy's Puglia region.
Mostly Negroamaro with maybe 10% Malvasia Nera...aged in seasoned oak barrels and then for an extended time in bottle, affording
consumers the opportunity to enjoy a properly aged red for a most sensible price:  $23.99.

The Cochon "Whole Hog" red blend has been routinely a favorite here at Weimax.
This is a Rhône-styled blend, this vintage featuring 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache,  10% Mourvèdre, 7% Carignane, 2% Cinsault and the rest is Viognier.
From the 2022 vintage, this seems to have a bit more body and a touch more tannin than its predecessors.
Give it a splash in a decanter, opening the bottle maybe an hour ahead of time.
(The winery retails this for $40+/bottle...we sale tag this at $22.99.)

The 2020 Monte Bello from Ridge is a controversial wine as it's from a year when there were wildfires.
We have tasted quite a few Cabernets from 2020 and we've not been sensitive to smoke taint in these wines, including this bottling from Ridge.
perhaps some tasters have a more sensitive sniffer than do we...But we found this wine to be excellent and complex.
$269.99.

Allimant Laugner is a favorite winery in northern Alsace making wines consumers can easily afford.
Their 2022 Pinot Noir is a light red with cherryish notes...a chillable red in warm weather.
$19.99

Sicily is home to the Nero d'Avola grape and this one from the Feudi del Pisciotto winery is a winner!
Dark fruit aromas and flavors are seasoned with a hint of oak, making this a mildly complex rendition.
$27.99.

We greatly enjoyed the 2016 Adamvs Cabernet...the 2019 is another hit.
It's from a small estate in the Howell Mountain appellation.  Entirely Cabernet Sauvignon...matured in French oak with more than half
the cooperage being brand new.
Sale price is $139.99 and it's drinkable now, though can easily be cellared another ten+ years.

This new bottling of Austrian Grüner Veltliner is remarkably good and it's well-priced at $15.99 for a liter bottle.
You'll find some citrusy aromas and a touch of the grapefruit 'spice' to this dry white.

A new vintage of Albert Boxler's Edelzwicker, a terrific Alsatian blend, is a showy dry white...
Each vintage is uniquely different in terms of the percentages of various varieties...
Nicely aromatic!
$28.99

We visited this domaine in 2016, having appreciated their various Chablis wines.
Denis and Isabelle Pommier have a new importer in the Bay Area and we're delighted to have them back in the shop.
$39.99 for 750mls and half-bottles are $26.99.
Beautifully capturing the flinty, minerally notes we expect in good Chablis.

The 2024 vintage in Beaujolais was a warm one and Colette's Fleurie is impressively intense.
Unusually dark color and with exception red berry fragrances and flavors...dry...no oak...dark cherry and blackberry fruit.
$24.99

La Rioja Alta's new bottling of Viña Arana is amazingly good.
The fragrances burst from the glass as you'll find red fruits and cedary oak.
Spectacularly good.
$54.99

We found this French Rhône red to be rather charming.
It's from a grower's co-op winery and they vinify and bottle a number of wines from various appellations, this one coming from the southeastern area of Ventoux.
This is a medium+ bodied red with lots of dark berry notes, being 51% Syrah, 31% Grenache and 18% Carignane.
And it's well-priced: just $15.99!

Handley's Chardonnay is a far cry from the big, flashy, oaky, buttery Chardonnays we often taste.
Yet it's barrel-fermented with one-third of the wine undergoing a secondary, malolactic fermentation AND they stir the yeast sediment, but the wine is more akin to a snappy Chablis than a typical California Chardonnay.
Go figure...
Sale price is $24.99. 





From the small family domaine of Michel Rebourgeon we have a really good White Burgundy from the 2021 harvest.
It's said to be from a small parcel near Pommard and Beaune.
Mildly toasty and dry, this goes for just $31.99 and you might mistake it for a more costly wine from a noble appellation.

Cascina Val del Prete's 2019 Roero with the Vigna di Lino designation is an excellent example of young Nebbiolo.
It's remarkably enjoyable in its youth and it gives young Barolo and Barbaresco wines a run for the money.
$44.99.

Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet for just $15.99?!!!
The label is in homage to Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Kesey and his Merry Pranksters had a place in La Honda.
It's a medium-bodied red, worth every penny of its price-tag.
But please don't expect a wine as majestic as Santa Cruz Mtns Cabernets such as Ridge Monte Bello
or Mount Eden.

Stephen Ross is somewhat of a benchmark for Edna Valley Chardonnay.
It's from a cool site that's located about 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
The 2022 growing season was dry and not especially hot, allowing for a Chardonnay that's below 14% alcohol.
Barrel-fermented with full malolactic fermentation, lees stirring, yada yada, yada...
The main point being this is damned good and it's sale-priced at $27.99.





Ugo Lequio is a small producer whose wines are well-known to fans of Barbaresco, but they're well below the radar of most wine drinkers.
The fruit comes from the famed Gallina vineyard area and the wine is a good, traditionally-made Nebbiolo.
The 2019 is excellent and it's showing handsomely right now, though a few years of bottle aging will allow it to reach its potential.

One of our favorite Chinon wines has returned...Beausejour!
Made entirely of Cabernet Franc.  Classic Chinon.  Light to medium-bodied.
No oak.  A smoother red.
$19.99

Krohn's 1982 Colheita is a Tawny Port which spent more than 30 years in wood before bottling.
It's a delicious bottle, perfect for pairing with cheese or dessert after a meal.
$79.99.

Made entirely of Aglianico, "Elio" is a special bottling the Sepe brothers make to honor their father.
It's a barrel-aged Aglianico with dark fruit aromas and a mildly woodsy tone from French oak cooperage.
We've had this for a few months now and people routinely come back asking for more.
$31.99.

From a small domaine in between Reims and Epernay in the town of Chigny-Les-Roses, this is a bone dry Champagne
that's predominantly Pinot Meunier with 25% Pinot Noir and 17% Chardonnay.
$64.99

We are rarely excited by the Sylvaner grape in France's Alsace, but this remarkable bottling from the Schoech winery in Kaysersberg is unusually aromatic and far more flavorful than the normal, somewhat anonymous versions we've tasted.
Dry and beautifully fragrant...Just $19.99!

The 2016 vintage of Trimbach's deluxe "Frédéric Emile" Riesling is exceptional and we took in a few more bottles.
Notes of petrol and lime are immediately apparent, along with snappy acidity giving it a dry finish.
$94.99.

The Grosjean family makes a couple of white wines from the Petite Arvine grape, a variety said to be of Swiss origins.
It's a faintly citrusy, stony dry white which is great as a cocktail wine, though it pairs well with light seafood dishes.
$31.99 

This dry Sherry from Spain's Jerez region is labeled as a 15 year old wine.
It's remarkably intense and delicious paired with salty starters such as olives stuffed with anchovies...
$25.99 for a 375ml bottle.

Some bottles of the 2019 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet are now in stock...
Sale price is $200.
Yes, that may seem like an exorbitant price, but remember Dunn has 40+ years of history making top Napa Cabernet.
There are many newcomers asking $300-$500+ for brand new labels that have no established track record, merely a celebrity winemaker and a numerical point score from an expert who's capable of rating the wine based more on its price than its actual quality.

The 2022 Fenocchio Barbera d'Alba is a great follow-up to the excellent 2021 bottling.
In fact, it may be even better!
Dark in color and beautifully aromatic with blackberry fruit notes...it's dry and smooth, a perfect partner for pizza, sausages, tomato-sauced pastas, pork, red meats, etc.
$27.99

Virna's 2019 "Noi" (we/us) Barolo is sale-priced at $39.99...it's showing well presently and can be cellared for well more than a decade.

Vintner Matthew Towers is enamored with Pinot Noir and this 2021 bottling from Mendocino is the second we've had in the shop...delicious cherryish fruit and nicely oaked.  It's a tiny production wine...maybe 200 cases.
We have this sale-tagged at $39.99 (it's $48 at the winery).
It's now available presently for sampling in our Tasting Room.

Delille Cellars in Washington periodically makes a white wine we find to be delightfully intriguing.
Not every year, though...It's a Sauvignon/Semillon blend and the 2022 is a winner.
The nose is a bit shy presently, but the flavors are expressive and deep!
Sale price is $39.99 ($42 at the winery)...

 
We were fortunate to be able to bring in a scant few bottles of Le Gallais and Egon Müller Rieslings...
$89.99 for the Wiltinger Qba 2020 Riesling and $89.99 for the Scharzhof 2022 Riesling.
Both are babies.



We are smitten by this delicious Tuscan Sangiovese.
The Caparzo owners have two other wineries and blend grapes for this wine from Montalcino, Chianti Classico and the Maremma.
They've added 5% each of Canaiolo, Alicante and Petit Verdot...
It's a brilliant blend.
Young and berryish, this is remarkably good and well-priced.
Don't miss it.
By the way, we sent out an email touting this wine.  One couple stopped by to pick up a case and the next day sent a note saying they made a Ricotta/Fennel Sausage Pasta Sauce which paired beautifully with this wine.
"For us," she wrote, "it's a wine we can enjoy thanks to its versatility and its price."
$15.99.

We've long been fans of Colene Clemens wines...this is a special bottling called Margo and it's a 2021 vintage...
We like the classic Pinot fruit and there's ample sweet wood spices as well.
$44.99.

What a lovely rendition of Gamay Noir!
Joy Fantastic is a 2022 vintage from the Santa Rita Hills area of Santa Barbara.
$39.99.




The Dehlinger family does not rush its wines to market...they're just releasing an elegant 2022 vintage Chardonnay.
Barrel fermented and this spends about a year on the spent yeast...mildly toasted with a touch of green apple fruit and pineapple spice notes.
$47.99.

Don't miss the sale pricing on the Vajra 2021 Barolo "Albe," a blend of several vineyard sites.
Give this an hour of aeration in a decanter...
It's typically $50-$55 but we want to introduce Barolo and, specifically Vajra Barolo, to customers so it's currently sale-tagged at just $39.99.

An old friend has returned after maybe a 15 vintage absence!
Isabel was one of the early wineries coming to us from the then-new wine region of Marlborough in New Zealand.
The 2021 vintage of Sauvignon Blanc is delicious...and it's well-priced at $19.99.
We have some bottles of their Pinot Noir...also quite good...$28.99.

While Ridge Vineyards is highly regarded for its red wines, they also make a couple of darned good whites.
The Estate Chardonnay comes from the Santa Cruz Mountains and it's one of our favorite California Chardonnays.
$69.99

A few wines from Trediberri arrived recently...this is a good winery in La Morra...
The exuberant 2022 Nebbiolo is $29.99...we also have a terrific Barbera ($25.99) and a couple of Barolo bottlings.

A good, chillable Beaujolais for warm-weather drinking is the newly-arrived bottling from the Gauthier family.
$18.99

2011 Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Spätlese! 
It's moderately sweet and is a remarkably youthful Mosel Riesling...
Perfect with summer fruits over vanilla ice cream.
We had a bottle with some Dim Sum last week...the chili oil restrained the sweetness nicely.
Sale price is just $39.99!

.

The 2022 vintage of Moscato d'Asti from Emilio Vada is a delight...you can damned near taste the fresh Muscat grapes in this wine.
It's low in alcohol, making it a nice patio white in the warm weather, but it's also delicious paired with summer fruits.
$19.99


South Africa's benchmark Chardonnay is back!
The 2021 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay tilts towards Burgundian winemaking.
$46.99

The 2024 Elk Cove Pinot Blanc is an outstanding bottle.
$19.99.
Dry, fresh, appley and no oak...It tastes like Spring!

Mullineaux's Old Vines white is an interesting blend based on Chenin Blanc.
But it has Clairette, Viognier, Semillon, Grenache Blanc and some Verdelho, too.
$31.99

Winemaker Peter Heitz does a great job with Chenin Blanc...Napa Valley Chenin Blanc at that! 
Dry and offering lots of apple and pear-like fruit.  $29.99.
His Cabernet comes from Calistoga and the 2019 is delicious!
$64.99 for that.

A young fellow named Julien Dreveton is cultivating some 40 year old Syrah vineyards for his Domaine des Louis wines...both his grandfathers were named Louis, by the way...
It's a dark-colored wine with black fruit aromas...we expect it will develop handsomely with a few years of bottle aging, but it's terrific right now, especially if you can decant it an hour ahead of dinner.
$34.99

A few bottles of two different Peter Michael Chardonnays arrived recently.
These rarities go for $130/bottle.

Had this as one of my top two wines in a blind-tasting of well-priced California Pinot Noirs.
This is a delight and it's specially priced at just $24.99.
Don't miss it.



The dollar usually goes farther in Washington State than in California's Napa Valley.
Kiona Vineyards and Winery mostly sells grapes to neighboring wineries, but they make a smallish quantity for their own label.
Nicely oaked and with classic dark Cabernet fruit...$26.99.

The new vintage of this remarkable French white just arrived...it's from the Delaille brothers' winery in the Loire Valley.
Cheverny is based on Sauvignon Blanc, but unlike Sancerre, it can have a small percentage of Chardonnay to give the wine a bit of texture on the palate.  You certainly don't detect this on the nose.
$22.99.

Prisma Sauvignon Blanc comes from Chile's Casablanca area.  It's a blend of two vineyard sites and it's remarkably showy and aromatic.
There's an exotic fragrance, reminiscent of citrus and passion-fruit.
It's only $13.99!





Silvio Jermann was one of the first winemakers in Italy making world-class white wines.
In an era where most Italian whites were rustic or oxidized, this fellow produced polished, flavorful bottles.
The 2024 Pinot Grigio is a far cry from the thin, watery wines were regularly are presented, dressed up as premium Pinot Grigio.
They gave the juice a short bit of skin contact, resulting in a bit more intensity.
Specially priced at $24.99.

From Italy's Alto Adige region we were thrilled to taste a benchmark bottling of the Müller-Thurgau grape from the Tiefenbrunner winery.
It's called Feldmarschall Von Fenner, named after an heroic Austrian warrior who defended what's now the Alto Adige (or Südtirol) in several battles.  This is grown at a high elevation site in somewhat salty soils, which winemaker Christof Tiefenbrunner credits with intensifying the fruit and herb notes.  It's very expensive for Müller-Thurgau, but when you taste this it's not so much the grape but the vineyard.
$64.99

The Falvo family owned Tuscany's Avignonesi winery in Montepulciano some decades ago.
They now run the Masseria Li Veli winery in Puglia and make some surprisingly elegant and charming wines.
The Susumaniello grape is a rarity as there were but 13 hectares in 2006.  Today there are 400 hectares being cultivated in and around Salento.
The Li Veli bottling is medium bodied, showing an array of red fruits with mild tannins.
$29.99...delicious!

Here's an obscure, fizzy red.  If you're a fan of good Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna, here's a southern Italian vino frizzante from the coast of Campania.  It's from a region just a few miles south of Pompei in the town of Gragnano and it's made mostly of Piedirosso with Aglianico and a bit of Sciacinoso.  Mildly fizzy and dry, it's a great red to pair with pizza.
$19.99




We've been fans of this Napa Valley "trophy" and it easily compares to the top "cult Cabernets" found on many restaurant wine lists.
Production is small and the price is high...but less than $300 anyway.

The Von Winning team is clearly appreciative of top French Champagne and their Extra Brut, made entirely of Riesling has some Champagne-like toasty notes with the aromatics and flavors of Riesling.
This is an Extra Brut bottling...bone dry.
$29.99!

Smith Woodhouse is a famous producer of Late-Bottled Vintage Port. 
While the expensive Vintage Ports now hit the market for $100+ a bottle upon release, Smith Woodhouse matures this for 4 years in vats and bottles it without filtration as is common for Vintage Ports.
But then they give it ample bottle aging and release it when it's in its early stages of drinkability.
Most Late Bottled Vintage Port is filtered and this robs the wine of a measure of character and its ability to develop with bottle aging.
If you'd like to experience a really good Port this holiday season and don't mind not spending $100-$300/bottle, come grab a bottle of this.
Sale price is $39.99.
It's best to stand the bottle upright to allow the sediment to settle and then decant it.

A spendy Etna Bianco, but we felt this wine is actually worthy of its $59.99 price tag.
Primarily Carricante with some Minnella...it's a remarkably soulful, dry white which tips its cap in the direction
of Burgundy (in our view).
It sees a bit of aging in tonneaux, large, seasoned wood barrels.
Special.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME PREVIOUS
SELECTIONS
Likely Still Available

***********************************************************************

From the December 29th "The Daily Journal" in 2023



A Weimax shopper and parent of a Roosevelt Elementary School student sent us a screenshot of an online
"Teddy Talk" where a student was explaining the importance of supporting community businesses and "shopping local."

************************************

From the local paper at the end of 2021...CLICK HERE to read that story.

Ellen had her picture on the front page of the New Year's weekend Daily Journal, a local newspaper here in San Mateo County.

They did a story about holiday sales of wines and liquors, so we were mentioned (and quoted) in that.


*************************************

The store is fully stocked...lots of good value bottlings and numerous "fancy" wines, too.

Stop by and we can give you a little tour...

*******************************

It IS A Pathetic Red!

Happy Halloween!

**************************************

***************************************************

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE...


********************

Meanwhile, we were queried early on by the local newspaper for a comment on the tariffs and how they are affecting our business.



We did not see much in the way of panic buying.
But now we are seeing the impact.

One observer commented "these are interesting times."

We'd say "perhaps a bit too interesting!"

*******************************************************

Broadway, Burlingame was profiled in The Almanac at the start of the year.

And we were cited as a landmark business on Broadway.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THAT.

Had a nice mention in the Wall Street Journal's 2016 story about wine store signage:
CLICK HERE

The Most recent mention, September of 2017, is this one...Things Wine Shop Owners Detest...
CLICK HERE

*******************

Australian Wine Writer Jim McMahon wrote a nice article published on the web site of the New South Wales Teachers Federation.
CLICK HERE

****************************

We were quoted in the Wall Street Journal's article about flawed bottles and return policies.
CLICK HERE 

Did you see the article in the local newspaper, by the way?
CLICK HERE.

It was printed just before New Year's Eve...

*********************

Wine Tasting Today

TO INQUIRE ABOUT A WINE:  gerald@weimax.com

Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. 
For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol

Copyright © 1999    WEIMAX    September 26, 2026