Wines

90 Points! Supple and vibrant, with aromatic orange blossom, peach and cantaloupe accents that glide on the finish. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

90 Points! A fresh and fruity white with aromas of sliced apples, fresh pears, lemons and peach pits. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a clean, bright palate. Juicy peach notes. Sustainable. Drink now. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Pure and focused, offering violet, cherry, raspberry and mineral aromas and flavors. Shaped by vibrant acidity, this red persists with a lingering, resonant aftertaste. - Wine Spectator

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antoni Galloni, Vinous Media

This Barbera matures in 50hl steel tanks for 9 months, reaching a perfect balance of deep red fruits, perfume and pinpoint acidity. A joy to drink. Fruit is sourced exclusively form Monforte d'Alba...

91 Points! The 2020 Barbera d'Asti Montebruna is a plump and rich red with ripe berry notes, toasted spice, cinnamon and grilled Mediterranean herb. Despite the heft and brawn of this wine, the mouthfeel is pushed along by fresh acidity and a powerful 15% alcohol content. This is perfect companion to a meal heavy in cheese or cream. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

91 Points! Aromas of cherry chocolate, dark licorice, hints of bark and moist earth. Full-bodied with velvety, supple tannin structure and some chalky texture in the finish. Juicy and flavorful. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Part of the Scarrone Vineyard was replanted in 1989, and these younger vines give rise to the Vietti 2020 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Scarrone. This wine is also thick and darkly concentrated but not to the same degree as the version made with fruit from old vines. Indeed, it's fun to try these two bottles side by side. Dark fruit, baked plum and sweet spice give extra dimension and volume to this wine. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

Winery notes: “A rare and typical champagne that truly reflects the terroir… A pure and intense moment with Champagne’s oldest grape variety. Made with 100% Meunier grape varietal, this surprising cuvée unveils subtle and fruity perfumes as well as a beautiful aromatic complexity.”

91 Points! Bright yellow. Intense, mineral-laced aromas of redcurrent, blood orange, ginger and smoke, with a hint of white pepper in the background. Dry and nervy, displaying very good clarity to its red berry and citrus fruit flavors. I'd have thought of dosage here was quite a bit lower. Spreads out slowly on the finish, with the mineral and red berry notes echoing. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

97 Points! What an amazing nose of grilled dried seaweed, oyster shell, dried strawberry and iron. Full to medium body with linear tannins that give it drive and length. Iron shavings. Tight at the end. Superb. Drink after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! A tightly focused, long and pure expression of Pinot, with raspberry coulis and blood orange zest notes streaming along, laced liberally with sous-bois, red tea and savory accents. Reveals lots of underlying energy, with everything in lockstep through the mineral-edged finish. Best from 2024 through 2031. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! The 2020 Barbera d’Alba Vigna Serraboella is bright, effusive and full of character. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, spice, rose petal and pipe tobacco makes a strong first impression. Ripe, silky tannins add to the wine’s considerable appeal. The Serraboella is such a delicious wine. It spent 18 months in cask and neutral oak. - Antonio Galloni , Vinous Media

This is one of the most under the radar wines in all of Piedmont. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Hey, we are as picky about Oregon Pinot Blanc as we are about everything else. Yes, it is crisp, bright, and fresh, as they are expected to be. The surprise here was that there was fruit (apple, pear, citrus), texture, and some character as well. It is a small thing that makes a huge difference within the category. It's not a genre that typically moves us. Suffice it to say it's a big deal for us to actually talk about it. Can't remember the last time that happened. This one should make some friends.  As a bonus, it's also priced as an everyday go-to ($16.98).

92 Points #55 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2017! A mouthwatering Pinot Gris, with exotic notes of papaya and grated coconut accenting the peach, anise and almond blossom flavors. Sleek acidity focuses this through to the spicy, mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2029. - Wine Spectator

From the importer: Grown on rare limestone soil with heavy topsoil of loam and clay. The vines are 15 to 39 years old and do grow low yields around 45 to 65 hl per hectare. It is a curious fact, that most of the wines are located on today’s french side of the border but we are still allowed to produce german wine there as the family owns the vineyards for many generations already.

The grapes were hand harvested and destemmed. Before pressing, the grapes were macerating for 12 to 24 hours days to extract all the flavors and aromas from the grape-skins into the juice. The lightly pink-hued juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks and 2400 liter oak-barrels and afterwards let on lees for almost 5 months after fermentation to gain even more flavor and complexity through the lees-contact.