When one of the preeminent names in Burgundy, Étienne de Montille of Domaine de Montille, sought out land on the West Coast of America to craft Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a Burgundian sensibility, it was only natural that he focused on the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. (It’s a region that seems to pull at French hearts, as it did with the late Philippe Cambie and his joint project with Adam Lee of Siduri, named Beau Marchais.)
 
And draw more Frenchmen, it did. Étienne shared the news with his friend Rodolphe Péters of Champagne’s top-class grower estate, Pierre Peters, who quickly signed on and became the sparkling wine consultant for the project. Étienne partnered with Santa Barbara-area native and winegrower Justin Willett of Tyler Vineyards to manage the project on site.… Read the rest

 
It’s been nearly a decade since the wizard German wine importers at Vom Boden have picked up a new estate. Whatever could appeal to these masters of the Mosel and beyond, importer who introduced America to the wonders of Keller, Peter Lauer, and Emrich-Schönleber? How is there new ground to trod in the Mosel, after all, a region that has been heralded for centuries?
 
Tucked in the upper Mosel, north of the more famous Mittelmosel, is the village of Thörnich. Wines here have a more Saar-like profile with structured, tense wines. Here, the Ludes family have crafted wines in the same style since Hermann founded in the estate in the 1950s. In the Grand Cru vineyard, Ritsch, the family crafts wines uninfluenced by modern preferences for ripe and plush wines.… Read the rest

The Schaller family is a prime example of what we’re looking for in Burgundy.  These are honest, excellently made wines from a family with a long history of farming and a new generation bringing energy and commitment to the winemaking side of things.  The wines are well-priced, which reflects their status as a relative unknown, but these are classic in every sense of the word.
 
Camille and Laurent Schaller are bright, young and talented and committed to making a name for themselves in the world of Chablis.  Though Schaller family has grown grapes in the region for generations, it wasn’t until Camille completed enology school that they started bottling on their own.  Initially, the estate only made one wine (an AOC Chablis) but as grape contracts to negociants have ended, they have increased the number of bottlings produced under their own label.… Read the rest

 
“[Terre Nere’s wines] all possessed unbelievable freshness and complexity as well as huge perfumes that suggested Pinot Noir…These wines are astonishingly complex and ethereal efforts from the hillsides of Mt. Etna in Sicily.” -Robert Parker
 
“I love the way Marc De Grazia refers to the Sicilian volcano with a definite article in front of its name. To him, it is “the Etna,” and he expresses his deference to the dangerous mountain with every mention. “The Etna is the Burgundy of the Mediterranean,” says the man whose career as an importer of fine Italian wines is legendary… his portfolio of wines is the gold standard for Etna wine.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
 
“No other winery has done as much for the popularity and success of Mount Etna as Terre Nere; nearly any producer in the region will offer up this same opinion.… Read the rest