Is it just me, or has every year since, say, around 2020, gotten progressively weirder and more surreal? At this age, I’ve learned to just hang on for this wild ride we call life and not to take things, especially myself, too seriously. This year, I really leaned into enjoying the heck out of the little things in life. A beautiful bottle of wine shared with my wife and a couple of friends, with good music playing and our pets relaxing, just feet away from the table. A quiet hike through the woods or a nap on the beach. Watching Portuguese soap operas with my elderly parents. The third and final season of “Somebody, Somewhere” on MAX. And so on. The rest is out of my control, it would appear. Happily, my love of wine and all things wine-adjacent continues to add profound contentment and adventure to my life.
This year was especially meaningful, wine-wise. I got to taste so many beautiful wines, among them an extraordinary series of Grenaches, all from the same producer. I love Grenache. I first fell in love with it when my mentor in wine gifted me with a mixed case of Rayas from the late 80s to mid-90s. It’s hard to explain just how much those bottles deepened and broadened my love of wine and nature. I’ve been chasing that Grenache dragon ever since, forever on the hunt for a Grenache that will move me the way those first discoveries did. Finally, a couple of decades later, I tasted a Grenache that I consider as profound, pretty, and moving as those first Rayas. It’s my number one wine of the year. Here’s raising a glass to you, dear reader. May your coming year be abundant in fun, love, communion with nature and good humans, and delicious wines. I’ll close with my favorite poem by the inimitable Emily Dickinson. That Love is all there is/Is all we know of Love;/It is enough, the freight should be/Proportioned to the groove.
- 2022 Gaderian Chenin Blanc, Napa Valley
Whimsical. Ray of sun through grove of oak trees. Nice structure. $ 40.00
- 2023 Bezel Sauvignon Blanc, Paso Robles
Easy breezy. Crowd pleaser. Fish & Chips on the wharf. $ 22.00
- 2021 Grounded, Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Constant. Down to earth. Ideal picnic wine. $ 18.00
- 2022 LOLA Pinot Noir, California
Affordable typicity. Food friendly acid profile. First tulips. $ 24.00
- 2023 St. Supery, Sauvignon Blanc, Estate, Napa Valley
Spritz of grapefruit. White linen. Serve chilled. $ 28.00
- 2022 SKY Riesling, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley
Noble. Petrol and sagebrush. Length and promise. $ 29.00
- 2023 Edio Vineyards, Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Sierra Foothills
Celebratory. Deliciously refreshing. Pear orchard morning. $ 45.00
- 2021 Postmark Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
Well made. Understated pleasure. Chanterelles with salted butter. $ 25.00
- 2023 Bookcliff Vineyards, Albarino, Boulder, Colorado
Zippy. Nervy. Mid-morning mountain hike. $ 22.00
- 2022 Early Mountain, Petite Manseng, Virginia
Nature’s rising starlet. Apricot jam and toast. Bone dry. $ 65.00
- 2023 Archery Summit, Pinot Gris, Vireton, Oregon
Bracing. Found sand dollars. Handful of white flowers. $ 24.00
- 2023 Monochrome, North by Northwest White Blend, Paso Robles
Modern. Metropolitan. Museum days and live music nights. $ 50.00
- 2022 Massican, Annia White Blend, California
Old Italian movies. Pearls against brown skin. Olive trees. $ 32.00
- 2022 Sauvage Spectrum, Teroldego, Grand Valley, Colorado
Bold. Fennel and fig extravagance. Memorable. $ 39.00
- NV Vara Sparkling Brut, New Mexico
Crisp and daring. Desert moon. Raw honey. $ 27.00
- 2019 Alfred Eames Cellars, Carmena, Paonia, Colorado
Snowy mountain views. Spring water purity. Dazzling red core. $ 45.00
- 2022 Lava Cap, Cabernet Franc, El Dorado, Sierra Foothills
Refined tannins. Bed of English lavender. Boysenberry scone. $ 40.00
- 2022 Hammerling “Moonstruck” Sparkling Freisa, San Benito County
Unifier. People pleaser. Light on its feet. $ 35.00
- 2023 Tessier, Gamay Noir, El Dorado, Sierra Foothills
Serious fun. Electric redness. Cool Alpine days. $ 35.00
- 2022 Deovlet, Chardonnay, Sanford & Benedict, Santa Barbara County
Thoughtful. Balanced. Stirrings of the Pacific. $ 48.00
- 2023 Oxlee Graham Dayle’s Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Willing. Poignant. Fresh berries picked into a coffee can. $ 58.00
- 2021 Paul Avril Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France
Blood moon. Concrete after summer rain. Geraniums. $ 90.00
- 2021 Alta Colina, Old 900 Syrah, Paso Robles
Regal. Steady throughout. Winter meat stew with thyme. $ 65.00
- 2023 Hubba Valdiguie, Shell Creek, San Luis Obispo County
Arresting aromatics. Length for days. Fields of wildflowers unfolding. $ 50.00
- 2023 Lady of the Sunshine, Chardonnay, Chene Vyd., SLO Coast AVA
Honest. Clarity and transparency. Bouquet of goodness. $ 46.00
- 2022 King’s Carey Cabernet Franc, Clos Mullet Vyd., Santa Barbara County
Dancer’s body. Cedar becomings. Patch of purple flowers in the sun. $ 40.00
- 2023 Markus Wine Co., Grüner Veltliner, Mokelumne River-Lodi
Brightness. Austere. Lifted aromatics of white peaches. $ 25.00
- 2022 Sandlands Merlot, Coombsville, Napa Valley
Considered. Characterful. Heart of blue darkness. $ 45.00
- 2023 Perlegos Assyrtiko, Lodi
Briny oysters on ice. Flowering lime tree. Sea spray. $ 30.00
- 2022 Martha Stoumen, Valdiguie, Mendocino County
Slow burn. Meaning and minerality. Fresh cut roses. $ 40.00
- 2023 Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
Confident. Beeswax candles burning outside at night. Lime leaf. $ 38.00
- 2021 Château de Beaucastel, Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, France
Regal Rhône queen. Quiet glories. Profound length. $ 150.00
- 2021 Antica Terra Pinot Noir Botanica, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Astoundingly pretty. Contained extravagance. Ephemeral strength. $ 200.00
- 2019 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain
Pomegranate-stained hands. Lavender roses. Distant hint of clove. $235.00
- 2021 Schramsberg Brut Rosé, North Coast
Ginger root. Watermelon salad with feta cheese. Uplifting. $ 50.00
- 2021 Neely Chardonnay, Bee Block, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bowl of mandarin oranges. Warm biscuits baking. Wet seashells. $ 50.00
- 2023 Joseph-Jibril Valdiguié, Green Valley Vyd., Solano County
Earl Grey on a foggy winter morning. Violets. Anise breezes. $ 30.00
- 2023 Sea Creatures Pretty Gnar Rose, Santa Barbara County
Orange grove stroll on chilly morning. Lip smacking. Lively. $42.00
- 2023 Madson Cabernet Franc, Redwood Grade, Santa Cruz Mountains
Conifer intensity. Dark blue and red berries with sea salt. Cold dawn. $ 60.00
- Little Soul Carbonic Pinot Noir, Paso Robles
Delicate sagebrush signals. Bergamot. Adelaida notes. $ 30.00
- 2021 Arkenstone Sauvignon Blanc, Howell Mtn. Estate, Napa Valley
Transcendent texture. Mandarin dusk. Simply beautiful. $ 290.00 (1.5 L)
- 2023 Farm Cottage Pinot Noir, Trout Gulch Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Monterey Bay echoes. Tiny Dancer. Sandy brightness. $ 54.00
- 2021 Cornell Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate, Sonoma
Classically modern. Fennel sensibilities. Night forest. $ 195.00
- 2023 RAEN Pinot Noir “Seafield,” Fort Ross-Seaview
Seaside violets in the sun. Spray of wild blueberries. Precise. $ 115.00
- 2021 Clos Selene, Hommage à Nos Pairs Reserve, Paso Robles
Syrah-steeped magic. Elegance manifested. Confident. $110.00
- 2021 Vida Valiente “The Movement” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Intentional. Texturally splendid. Purposefully complete. $ 250.00
- 2021 Chamisal “Chamise” Chardonnay, SLO Coast AVA
Lemony audacity. Flinty resolve. White flowers. $ 75.00
- 2021 Philip Togni Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Breathtaking aromatics. Strong sense of place. Floral and complete. $235.00
- 2021 Iggy Wines Syrah, H&C Eden Valley Syrah, Australia
Beauty in balance. Persistence. Quartz gravel whisperings. $ 90.00
- 2019 Newfound Grenache, Scaggs Vineyard, Napa Valley
Captivating. Mid-90s Rayas aura. Texture of belonging. $ 55.00