Purple fruit bursts from the glass like a summer berry pie cooling on the windowsill, with sweet spices and violet candies playing backup singers. This is classic Barbera doing its favorite dance move: zesty red fruits and flowery notes zip across the palate with that trademark lightning bolt of acidity keeping everything fresh and fun. 

While most people are more familiar with the Louis Roederer name from its tête de cuvée wine, Cristal, the Champagne house also produces this much more wallet-friendly bottling. Roederer releases different collections, each representing a new chapter for the winery, and this represents the 245th. This iteration can be defined by notes of ripe peaches, yellow nectarines, rosemary, citrus, and brioche. There’s also a flinty minerality that adds freshness on the palate.

A pale silver/yellow color, the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley has softer floral notes of melon, dewy flowers, quince, pink grapefruit, and vanilla. It’s elegant, fruity, and supple, with lots of elegant charm and an inviting feel as well as a softly rounded texture. Drink 2025-2030.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Meredith Estate is a dark red color with a youthful hue. It’s deep and has liqueur-like aromas of black cherry and dark stones but needs a bit of air. The palate is full and more approachable, and its palate feels a bit more cherry in this vintage. Drink it over the coming 8-10 years.

On the nose, sweet tobacco balances the medicinal tang of blackberries, top soil, wild fennel and eucalyptus. The palate is peppery and spicy, with lots of earth and herbs, but a hint of vanilla emerges to bring out the sweetness of the berries. A fresh, precise wine.