An iconic, fruit-forward and refreshing expression of sauvignon blanc. Aromas of apricots, nectarines, pineapple and green mangoes. The palate shows honeydew melon and green apples, with tender sweetness in the finish balanced by bright, juicy acidity. This is a wonderful summertime favorite.

From the winery's flagship vineyard planted in 1997, this is a complex and delectable wine. So much umami on the nose—black olives and soy with dark fruit underneath. On the palate there’s richness, refreshing acidity and tension, with flavors of bitter chocolate and juicy oranges in the long finish.

California Pinot Noir with a French touch. This single-vineyard wine is big and juicy with notes of cherries, oak, and a nice balance on the palate. It has good depth with supportive acidity and not a tannin in sight. It is extremely smooth.

The 2022 vintage of Albariño from Pazo Barrantes is a lovely wine. As I mentioned in my note last year on the 2021 version, the wine is given nine months aging on its fine lees, with a small percentage of the cuvée aged in acacia barrels, rather than stainless steel tanks. The 2022 version offers up a bright and complex bouquet of lemon, tart pear, salty soil tones, wild fennel, citrus peel and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature and grip, fine balance and a long, precise finish. Good juice. 2025-2035.

The 2021 Rioja “Reserva” from Marqués de Murrieta is made this year from a cépages of eighty-six percent tempranillo, eight percent graciano, four percent mazuelo and two percent garnacha. The wine was aged for twenty-six months in American oak casks prior to assemblage. It comes in at 14.3 percent octane in this vintage and offers up a simply outstanding aromatic constellation of sweet dark berries, cassis, Cuban cigar wrapper, a beautiful base of chalky soil tones, a dollop of Rioja spice tones, woodsmoke and a refined framing of American oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure, full-bodied and nicely ripe, with a stunning core of fruit, superb soil undertow and grip, ripe, buried tannins and great length and grip on the very well balanced finish. There is just a whisper of backend heat here from the wine’s octane, but it is very minimal and will not adversely affect how the wine ages. 2037-2085.