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.

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.

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.

A distinctive white, with fleshy mango, peach and apricot flavors at the core, plus notes of candied ginger, lemon curd and candied kumquat. Floral details, herbal accents and a drizzle of honey linger on the finish. Drink now.

The Pio Cesare 2021 Barbaresco presents a solid core of dark fruit, cherry and redcurrant, with spice and dried rose petal elegantly layered in at the back. This wine paints an accurate picture of a classic vintage with nicely ripened fruit and firm tannins. It sees 30 months in oak, mostly in large oak casks and some neutral barrique.