$25 - $50 Wine

Expert Rating

93 Points Wine Enthusiast | This textbook Petite Sirah aged in neutral oak barrels shows the LangeTwins at their best. The wine reveals all the grape variety's inky color, intense black-fruit flavors and grippy tannins. Yet it also adds subtleties of dark chocolate, anise and red roses that emerge with repeated sipping. Best from 2025–2035. (2019).

Winemaker Description

Intense color, rich aromas of pepper jelly, dried cranberry, and black tea.

Situated in the heart of the Lodi AVA, our 100 vineyard produces concentrated fruit, making it the perfect place to plant our Petite Sirah. Matching its intense color, this wine is packed with rich aromas of pepper jelly and dried cranberries, as well as undertones of black tea. This combination of fruit and spice harmonizes on the palate and is supported by warm tannins influenced by 15 months of neutral oak aging.

Certified Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing

Israel. Lewis Pasco was the winemaker for Tishbi and Recanati before deciding to be an independent winemaker. This wine is made from 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 7% Carignan from the Benjamin region. It has aged for 9 months in French oak. It is designed to display the characteristics of central Israel and be enjoyed when young. It displays fresh and dried fruits, regional herbs, the earthiness of the terrain, and the smokiness of nicely overlaid tannins. This is very big and rich for such a young age. Enjoy with strongly flavored foods. 

Winemaker Description 

Still family owned, D’Oliveira date back to 1850, working with cellars built in 1619, so they know a fair bit about making madeira.

The wine has an average age of five years, leading to an inviting, nutty, slightly toasty nose, with flavours of grapefruit, lime, hazelnuts, and orange peel.

The high acidity makes the wine taste dry on the palate, with a smooth, long, and memorable finish. 

Winemaker Description 

An elegant and feminine Riesling with fine fruit of ripe lemon, apricot and pineapple. Juicy and harmonious on the palate, with charming acidity and a fine floral finish. 

Winemaker Description 

Pale yellow. Anised notes. Fine and flexible, fresh in the final. Fresh citrus fruit and herbs on the nose, powerful and mineral on the palate. 

Pair with shellfish, whitefish, sauerkraut. 

Producer Description 

Kawatsuru translates to “river crane” and comes from the sighting of a crane in the river behind the brewery. Crane of Paradise is described as “umakuchi,” a combination between sweet, dry and umami flavors. The perfect summertime sip!

Juicy notes of grapefruit and freshly cut grass, with a hint of salted pineapple. Crisp, dry finish with an almost effervescent energy behind it.

Try with Pizza with prosciutto/speck or smoked salmon with cream cheese. 

Winemaker Description

Syrah Laide translates loosely to Pretty-Ugly, a French term of endearment to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful, a dogma that is applied to each cuvée. "Hawks Butte adds slightly more density and fruit while still wildly fresh with lithe tannin and Halcon compliments with brooding structure. Violet, camphor, white pepper and cedar" - Jolie-Laide 100% Syrah, grapes were planted on two vineyards (Halcon and Hawkes Butte) both at high elevation. 

Grapes are left on stems, crushed by foot and fermented with very light punch downs. The juice is then placed into neutral oak for 10 months. 12-25ppm added SO2 depending on vintage and cuvée. 

Winemaker Descrption

Nestled high in the granite and limestone soils of the Gabilan Mountain Range in the Chalone appellation of Monterey County. Coastal Marine influence of the nearby Monterey Bay combined with high elevations create large diurnal swings that experience much less fog than the valley below make for low yielding fruit with complex concentration and purity.

Foot crushed and fermented whole cluster and aged in neutral barrique.

Dusty red strawberry and cherry complimented by notes of orange zest and spice flow into soft tannin with fresh juicy acid. 

Expert Reviews- Vintage 2018 

Jesica Vargas of the Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | This elegant wine has delicate cocoa powder, black pepper and red-fruit aromas with a dash of espresso and a subtle oaky note. The palate presents firm tannins and nice juicy acidity. It's flavorful with cherry and raspberry blended with coffee bean and spice. It has a lingering fresh finish.

Vinous 90 Points | The 2018 Pinot Noir Herú from Casablanca was made with 30% whole bunches and aged in casks and eggs. Cherry red in hue. The nose features strawberry, herbs and damp earth against an oaky backdrop. Terse and refreshing with a silky, grippy flow; the finish is fruity. A ripely expressive wine.

Decanter 88 Points |  Quite perfumed, raspberry liqueur nose. Rounded and light, with polished tannins and mellow acidity.

91 Points Wine Spectator | Rich and full, this intensely savory rosé is texturally very pure and integrated, with a beguiling mix of sea salt–coated pink grapefruit, rose petal and tangerine notes. Notes of chamomile tea and a green herbal thread add complexity through the succulent, penetrating finish. Tibouren and Grenache. Drink now.

Clos Cibonne’s iconic Cuvée Tradition stands uniquely apart from other Rosés as a classic, one-of-a-kind Côtes de Provence rosé featuring the tibouren grape in the lead role. Cuvée Tradition is legendary amongst experienced French wine collectors for its texture, substance, and ability to age gracefully for a decade or more.

The wine has a salmon-orange color. The nose is enchanting, warm and matures into smooth spicy aromas. Winy, mellow and surprisingly mineral on the palate. Winemaker Description.

The world’s first and only vermouth made with 100% Hondarrabi Zuri Getariako Txakoli Wine. The underlying wine is produced by the fifth-generation of winemakers from the famed Eizaguirre family, from old vines grown high on breathtaking rolling hills just above and overlooking the beautiful Bay of Biscay in Zarautz, Spain.

They pioneered the use of local "Integrated Production" since the climate in the area is too wet for certified organic or biodynamic production methods. Instead of spraying, they bring sheep from a farm next door to eat the dead vine leaves, grass, and pests that would otherwise lead to rot, leaving only the living grapes which fight through rough conditions to produce the wine.

The wild wine made here is famous for its freshness and complexity and this vermouth uses a double maceration technique to highlight it's best qualities. More than 80 mostly local aromatic herbs from all around the Basque Country are extracted in a base spirit of Orujo — a pomace brandy similar to eau de vie. This concoction is aged for several months in old French oak barrels before being blended with the txakoli wine and adjusted to 15% ABV.

The liquid is a bright straw yellow color, with a slight herbaceously green tint. The nose is complex with peach, lemon, spice, and floral notes, and the mouth feel is very much like its underlying txakoli wine — filled with bright acidity, mineral, salinity, and a dry, velvety finish. Producer Description. 

Winemaker Description 

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.

Winemaker Description 

Kurokame Is A Surprising Imo Shochu Made With 'Purple' Satsuma Sweet Potatoes. These Potatoes Have A Robust Reddish Purple Skin, But Are A Pale Yellow Inside. It Is Distilled Traditionally In Earthen Pots (Kame) Using Black Koji (Kuro Koji). Thus The Name, Kurokame ? 

Or Black Stone Pot.

Kurokame Has A Surprisingly Neutral Nose. Imos Tend To Smell Like Fresh Dirt In A Good Way. This Imo Smells More Subtle. Almost A Roasted Essence. The Initial Palate Is Spicy With A Rich Sweetness. And Then The Roast Hits. A Roasted Wheat Flavor. The Roast Holds Along With A Hint Of Sweet Spiciness Throughout the Finish.

Winemaker Description

From the ever-creative and driven Julien Sunier comes this "anytime red", as he fondly refers to it. Wild Soul, like most of Sunier's fruit, is farmed and harvested at high altitude (400m), resulting in freshness, aromatic vibrancy, a lythe presence on the palate, and endless pleasure. 

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. 

Winemaker Description

Israel. Alma is a dark full-bodied lively wine showing generous aromas of cherries, plums and sweet dark fruits with a buttery palate offering essences of vanilla, cloves and green tea.

The grapes for this wine were picked and fermented in separate batches. 

The wine was pressed out just before completing fermentation and Malolactic fermentation was encouraged, once completed the wine was racked into French oak barrels for 12 months, after which each parcel was individually tasted, the final blend was made and allowed to age for a further six months in small French barriques.

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 94 Points | We think of this as Israeli Chateauneuf-du-Pape, tasted blind it will fool you! Mike DeSimone writes:  Blackberry, cassis and toasted nut aromas emanate from the glass. There is a nice bright note of pomegranate underlying Mission fig, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, orange zest and caramel flavors. Luxurious tannins and well-balanced acidity stroll hand in hand into a lengthy finish.

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 

The largest single component comes from the old vines at Bedrock, followed by the perfumed goodness of Esola, the softer but fresh Schmiedt, and the peppery, dark-fruited Nervo Ranch.

As usual, almost all of the wine consists of declassified barrels from vineyard-designated wines, so it offers serious bang for the buck. 85% Zinfandel with the balance a blend of Carignan, Mataro, Grenache, and Alicante Bouschet, along with esoteric creatures like Aubun, Abouriou, and many more. 

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)

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.