By the Glass

Beaucastel's white Chateauneuf runs on Roussanne, an unusual majority for the appellation and a real commitment given how fussy the grape is to farm. Those rolled Miocene pebbles hold the heat that ripens it fully. Eight months split between oak and tank builds a waxy, textured mid-palate without tipping into heaviness; expect stone fruit and a saline, almost chalky finish.

Xavier Monnot's 2022 Les Chevalières comes from a lieu-dit tucked behind Meursault toward Auxey-Duresses, stony ground that shows up in the glass as real mineral grip against the classic village lineup of ripe melon, hazelnut, and lemon custard.

Bernard Moreau's name carries weight in Chassagne-Montrachet for a reason, and this La Maltroie shows why: a hands-off approach that lets the site talk rather than the winemaker. Expect the taut, mineral-driven structure this producer is known for, with Chardonnay's richness kept honest and unadorned. Sustainably farmed, purely made. This is 1er Cru without the theater.

A deep red in color, the nose is presented with complex aromas that are dominated by black fruit and delicate oak sensations. Overall, the nose is pure and intense. The palate transitions with a powerful attack of round and elegant tannins.

A dry-farmed blend of old-vine Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon from Spain's high plateau, where extreme temperature swings and limestone soils concentrate dark fruit into something lean and mineral-driven. Fermented in small open vats and built for food—this is mountain wine that doesn't soften at the edges.

Michel Magnien's old vines in Vosne-Romanée deliver ripe red fruit and rose petal aromatics with a whisper of Asian spice, then settle into a medium-bodied frame with moderate tannins that let the concentration shine through. This is Pinot Noir that doesn't need to prove anything—just quiet, serious winemaking from a producer who knows his terroir.

Trediberri built its name on La Morra's Berri MGA, and this commune-level Barolo shows the estate's traditionalist hand: three weeks on the skins in concrete, then roughly 20 months in large Garbellotto oak. The house calls it "an iron fist in a velvet glove," and that tracks.

Horsepower pulls Cabernet from The Tribe Vineyard in the heart of Walla Walla—2023 vintage from a producer committed to old-school vineyard work and family legacy. Dark fruit and structure in the glass, with the kind of earnest grip that rewards patience. This is wine made the long way, and it tastes like it.

Dark garnet color, exotic nose of ripe red and black fruits with hints of grilled bread and a summer garden after rain. The palate delivers dark red fruit and fresh herbs with velvety, integrated tannins that fill the mouth without demanding attention—this is a Washington wine built on texture, not power.

Chardonnay-driven with crisp citrus, white flowers, and a fine persistent mousse. The Laurent-Perrier house in Tours-sur-Marne pioneered the Chardonnay-led Brut style and made it their signature. Proof that you don't need a prestige cuvée to drink serious Champagne.

Traditional-method Cava from the indigenous trio — green apple, lemon pith, and a touch of bread crust. Aged on the lees in Penedès, the appellation that effectively invented Cava in the 1870s. The honest argument against spending $40 on Prosecco.

Savennières from Domaine FL's La Croix Picot vineyard—lively, delicate aromatics with a saline finish that speaks to the Loire terroir and the estate's commitment to organic farming and manual harvest. No malolactic fermentation preserves the wine's aromatic richness, making this a textbook expression of how restraint in the cellar lets the vineyard speak.

A 35-year-old block of Chardonnay on Kimmeridgian clay limestone—the traditionalist's terroir for Chablis. The 2022 shows the minerality and precision you expect from vines that old and soil that honest, with a lean structure that rewards patience. This is what happens when you refuse to chase expansion: unapologetic, unadorned Chablis.

Organic Cabernet Franc from the Loire's Chinon region, Les Petites Roches carries the mineral spine and red-fruit precision the appellation is known for—Joguet's benchmark for the appellation runs deep here. Brisk tannins and a savory mid-palate make this 2021 a natural fit for the table, not the cellar.

Trediberri's three founders farm young-vine, declassified Barolo fruit out of Berri in La Morra, fermenting entirely in concrete and steel so nothing but Nebbiolo shows through. This 2025 Langhe is bright, primary and unoaked. Red fruit and that telltale rose-petal lift, with fine, unfussy tannin built for tajarin al ragù rather than the cellar. No oak, no makeup, no apology.

Sagemoor's estate red blend draws from over fifty years of minimal intervention farming across six vineyard properties spanning three AVAs—a blend built on deep Columbia Valley terroir and serious viticultural heritage. The 2021 vintage captures the structure and complexity you'd expect from a producer whose grapes have anchored some of Washington's finest programs. This is grown-up Washington red without pretense.

Prospice's 2021 Resurgent pours deep purple, the densest color the producer's seen yet from this Walla Walla Valley block. The nose runs true to form, plum, blueberry, huckleberry, dark fruit stacked on dark fruit. This is a wine that's building a reputation vintage by vintage, and this one shows why.