$25 - $50 Wine

Winemaker Description

The reason we began making wine together as Railsback Frères was to produce a rosé-- specifically one in Santa Ynez-- and inspired by Lulu Peyraud and the old style of rosé they produced at the legendary Domaine Tempier in Bandol.

In 2021, all three Mediterranean varieties we harvest for rosé came in at what we consider optimal ripeness levels, and thanks to the addition of a new vineyard site, we now have even more Mourvédre in the cépage this year. Compared to the previous harvest of 2020 overall, 2021 was cooler-- and after quietly resting for six months in neutral Burgundy barrels, our Les Rascasses is lively, floral and bright.

Having achieved a secondary (malolactic) fermentation without any difficulty this year, the texture and body offer a nice equilibrium to such a fresh vintage, and certainly make pairing even easier at the table. Tasting it on release after the winter offers early excitement for spring artichokes, and early garden peas and lettuces...not to mention the later arrivals of summer squash with garlic and basil, or peak-of-season tomatoes drenched in a fruity Provençal olive oil. 

We are invigorated by the early results of our 2021 rosé and can't wait to share it with you. 

Sharing the new vintage of “Les Rascasses” with people we love would make Lulu proud! 

 

The treasures of El Maestro Sierra are many. From the back of their building they have a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1832 the master carpenter José Antonio Sierra founded El Maestro Sierra. As one of the top coopers in the area, José Antonio was the person who made the barrels for all of the big Sherry houses. After years of making barrels for everyone else, he came to the conclusion that he could produce Sherries that were better than what the big Sherry houses were cranking out, so he went about opening up his own little winery.

This little up-start Sherry producer was not welcomed in the world of nobility-owned Sherry houses and so the local gentry did everything they could to stop him. Fortunately the quality of his sherry prevailed over their efforts and José Antonio Sierra became one of the top Almacenistas (stockholders) of high-quality Sherries. Poking fun at his struggle, the label depicts an allegorical fox hunt with the nobles hunting El Maestro Sierra’s fox.

This Amontillado is aged for a total of 12 years under flor and oxidatively in American oak casks. Very explosive aromas of salts and almonds. The palate offers similar flavors in a very elegant framework.

 

The Cidrerie du Vulcain has produced terroir ciders in the canton of Fribourg, in Switzerland, since 2006. Jacques Perritaz, after meeting Eric Bordelet in Normandy, decides to use "forgotten" fruits from isolated and untreated old orchards from the Pays de Fribourg, with a custom press to make natural ciders. Since 2013, he has started planting an orchard of 4 hectares in old varieties with juice, cider, perry and calva called Les Vergers du Vulcains. His orchard is cultivated in organic farming.

The Trois Pépins Dry Cider is made from apples, pears and quince partially fermented using the "guillage" (“foaming”) technique (fermentation of the juice recently funneled, which pushes the foam called yeast out of the barrel). It’s a Pure Juice Cider; fermented with its native yeasts and coarsely filtered. Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description 

This wine is a gorgeous lemon yellow with a hint of gold. Your glass is filled lush fruit and soft lily florals. On the nose, there’s fresh pear, pineapple and ripe melon. Following you into the palate, there is juicy pear with crisp apple, white peach and bright citrus. The finish is refreshing and lingering, making this the perfect wine to pair with a savory cheese board or your favorite brunch dishes. 

Wine Advocate 95 Points |  From the overripe and botrytized berries of the Spätlese selection, the 2019 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is intense and concentrated on the nose, but due to the sulfuric notes, it is far from being as terroir-driven as the Spätlese or even the Kabinett. The fruit is concentrated yet piquant, fresh and elegant on the palate and pure, refined and subtle on the finish due to the crystalline acidity and finesse that represents the JSU. This is an excellent Spätlese that needs at least a decade to age to its full finesse.

James Suckling 96 Points | Plenty of exotic-fruit character from botrytis, but they haven’t made this refined Auslese loud, only more complex and tantalizing. Considerable concentration, but everything fits together so neatly that it comes off as restrained. Very complex, almost dry finish with a hint of vanilla pod. Delicious now, but so much aging potential.

The 2019er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese was made from partially botrytized fruit (1/3) picked at 115° Oechsle, and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar (125 g/l). It offers a gorgeous nose made of elderflower, cassis, white peach, coconut, almond paste, fresh pineapple, and loads of citrusy and minty elements. The wine proves stunningly tactile and subtle on the palate, where delicately creamy fruits mingle with ripe yet gorgeously juicy acidity. The finish is all about bright exotic fruits, citrusy elements, and fine notes of cream. This gorgeous sweet wine may seem almost irresistible now, but it will gain from a decade of aging as the sweetness will have receded and given way to more nuances. Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Descrption 

Milan Nestarec Youngster Red is a red natural wine made from a blend of Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Dornfelder. The grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed. The juice ferments in 2000-liter stainless steel tanks. The wine ferments for about 2 months, with occasional pigeage and indigenous yeast fermentation. Elevage takes place in the same tanks for about 2 months. The wine is bottled unfiltered, unfined, and with zero sulfur added.

Winemaker Description

Lush and powerful, the 2020 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir showcases this valley’s great fruit. The wine presents vivid aromas of amarena cherry, marionberry, lilac, and baking spices. Subtle notes of rhubarb, currant, rosemary, and earth add depth and complexity. Lively and youthful, the wine delivers excellent balance, purity of fruit, and sustained richness with a velvety texture, and it is sure to develop beautifully in the cellar.

This dinner table classic pairs exceptionally with coq au vin, mushroom ravioli, roasted pecans and walnuts, grilled vegetables, or creamy cheeses. 

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 90 Points | This has nice, subtle energy, with rippling rooibos tea, blood orange and red currant notes that meld steadily through a savory finish. 

Winemaker Description

Bright garnet with high-toned red and blue fruit aromas, tinged with wet stone and violets. On the palate, lush, but with bright acidity to balance the red cherry and pomegranate fruit. White pepper, slate and herbal aromas overlay the core of fruit on a juicy, fresh finish.

Pair with roast game or poultry, or ratatouille. 

Winemaker Description 

The Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla En Rama — a style of Manzanilla or Fino that is drawn straight from the solera and bottled with little to no fining, filtration or stabilization — is a special bottling that has been produced only since 2011. Twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall, when the flor is at its thickest — Hidalgo takes wine straight from the solera and bottles a small release with minimal treatments, resulting in a Manzanilla that is more concentrated, complex and intense.

Brilliant mid-lemon color with intoxicating aromas of chamomile, dried herbs, sea spray, flor and dried nuts. The palate shows a striking depth of flavor with remarkable length and purity; soft and round with flavors of apple skin, dried pear, hazelnut, salt and a healthy dose of flor. Stunning for its complexity, richness and depth. 

Winemaker Description

Impenetrable garnet ruby red. Very elegant to the nose, it reminds of marasca with spicy and liquorice notes. Rich, full with remarkable cherry notes and a marasca ending lightly spiced. Tannins are soft and pleasant.

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 90 Points | Rich aromas of cocoa powder and carob ride over the dense dark-berry core on the nose. Wild-berry flavors are wrapped in cinnamon and clove accents on the palate, with integrated tannins and fresh acidity lending support. It's accessible now and should hold well through 2025. — Alexander Peartree

Winemaker Description

The wine presents a deep ruby red color with evident shades of violet. The nose is remarkable for a delicate and characteristic, in- tense and aromatic vinous aroma, suggestive of roses, violets and brushwood.

Flavor dry and warm, with clear and pungent but not rasping tannins. Soft and fairly rounded, and also with good body and persistence.
 
This wine is traditionally matched with typical local charcuterie such as Lardellato di Fabriano or Ciavuscolo salami, first courses based on Salsa Rossa and meat sauce, and second courses based on white meats. It can also be accompanied by antipasti of blue fish, marinaded or soused in the same wine, and some types of fish soup. It is also excellent with medium-hard cheeses.

Goblet of medium size and roughly spherical shape, to allow the wine to oxygenate properly and for the aromas to open up completely. 

Winemaker Description

A medium-bodied Pinot Noir with remarkable floral, cherry and raspberry aromas. In the mouth, bright fruit flavors with a wonderful texture and extraordinary acidity. Smooth and balanced with a long, silky and velvety finish.

Expert Review

92 Points Wine Spectator | A medium-bodied red with aromas of wild raspberries, porcini, dried herbs and smoked meat. Powdery, fine tannins with a chalky feel. Concentrated and taut with a savory, mineral finish. Drink or hold. (2019)

From steep south-east facing limestone slopes. A nose of fresh red berries and peppery notes. The palate is well balanced with more crunchy red berry fruits and a pleasant spine of tannins and acidity which adds structure. Winemaker Description.

Our Professional Review

Oscar Garcia Moncada | Miguel Angel de Gregorio is a master at crafting wines of great balance and finesse while showcasing the terroir of Briones, Rioja. Nose of dark plums,  blackberry and raspberry. Medium-bodied with good tannic structure and great mouth-feel. Ready to drink.

Winemaker Description

Intense cherry color with purple hints. On the nose, fruit sensations (blackberries, blueberries, black fruits) dominate the perfectly integrated tones conveyed by aging in wood barrels that provide sensations of cedar and tobacco.

It is serious and lively on the mouth with power and a great balance; broad and flavorsome combining fruity freshness and the elegant structure of a wine that is suitable for aging. 

Winemaker Description

Light robe and a rich and balanced mouth ending on appetizing fruity flavor. 

Winemaker Description 

This light sake is seamlessly put together. Just sweet enough for sipping chilled on a warm day, with rarefied flavor notes that impart a declasse elegance, and a finish that is pleasantly dry.