Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cosme’s Project in Vinsobres
 

Château de Saint Cosme is an iconic producer in Gigondas. Its vineyard sites can be traced back to Roman times, and its current ownership, the Barruol family, traces their holding on the lands over five centuries.
 
Louis Barruol, the 14th generation of winemakers for this historical estate, is not one to rest on his laurels. He’s had a hand in several projects both Old World and New. One such estate is Chateau de Rouanne.
 
Barruol has sourced fruit from this ancient estate for many years. It is a phenomenal site that also dates to Roman times. The vineyards were replanted in the 1960s and have been maintained with massale selection of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.

Imagine you’re a world-class winemaker crafting bottles that sell for thousands on the secondary market. Now imagine deciding to sell wines from a specific vineyard only after you’ve made at least ten vintages of wines from said vineyard to test. Now imagine that only 5% of vineyards you test make the cut. After a decade. That’s ridiculous, right? That’s Bill Harlan’s BOND.
 
Described by Antonio Galloni as a “once in a generation, modern day classic,” these are prestigious wines from Napa Valley. Launched in the 1990s, the San Francisco Chronicle describes the concept as completely at odds with what was popular at the time: style (one could snidely argue “over substance,” but really the article says over terroir):
 
“Bond instead emphasized a sense of place as its organizing principle, asserting that minute differences in a vineyard’s climate, soil and exposure — rather than the winemaking techniques — were the true variables.

Searching for that rich and yeasty, brioche-like Champagne of your dreams? Look no further than the stunningly well-priced line up from Andre Clouet: the Dream Vintages.
 
Andre Clouet is a small-but-mighty Champagne House headed by the somewhat-eccentric Jean-François Clouet. The House is known for many things, including crafting some of the best values in their Grand Cru village of Bouzy. The wines are fantastic, from their base non-vintage blend all the way through the prestige “1911” cuvee, which is perpetually one of the best under $100 Champagnes out there.
 
The wines, on the whole, tend to be Pinot Noir-based. Chardonnay is a bit of a rarity in this village. The Dream Vintage line, though, is 100% Chardonnay.