2023 DOMAINE TOUR-PENET
MÂCON-PERRONE
$23.99 BTL./$287.88 CASE

A White Burgundy wonder, Domaine de la Tour Penet covers 11.25 hectares in Perrone, a village considered, after Cluny, one of the earliest recorded homes of Chardonnay. Its Maconnais vineyards lie in a single block around the 18th-century château. Anne Ramonet, formerly married to Jean-Claude Ramonet of Chassagne-Montrachet renown and part of the Ferret family, now leads the estate. Most of the vines are 70–80 years old, with some reaching 100 years.

Intense yet refined aromas of lemon, crunchy yellow apple, and apricot are grounded by a mineral undertow. The site brings fruit presence, while diamond-like precision and finesse carry the spacious texture. Firm and vibrant, it finishes fleshy, zesty, and deeply flavorful. Enjoy over the next five years with scallops in sauce, mushroom risotto, sea bass or similar fish in cream sauce, or aged goat cheese.

2025 DOMAINE BART
MARSANNAY ROSÉ
$26.99 BTL./$323.88 CASE

Many think French rosé comes only from Provence or the Loire—not Burgundy—but Marsannay rosé has deep roots. After World War I, as demand for red Burgundy declined, rosé helped sustain the region until reds regained prominence.

This distinctive pink is one-third saignée and two-thirds direct press and food-friendly. Aromas of smoked red cherry, rose petal, herbs and mineral lead to a textured, energetic palate with pepper and cinnamon on the finish. Enjoy over the next 2–3 years.

2021 LA RIOJA ALTA VIÑA ALBERDI
RESERVA SELECCION ESPECIAL
$26.99 $323.88 CASE

94 Points - The Wine Advocate...This may prove to be the greatest version yet of La Rioja Alta’s Viña Alberdi. For only the second time—the first was 2001—it has earned Selección Especial designation from this legendary Rioja estate. When I tasted it last week, I would have guessed it was the next-level Viña Ardanza had I not seen the label.

Inviting aromas of mineral, roasted spice, lead pencil, and game frame notes of roasted strawberry, balsamic, cherry pit, mocha, and earth. Poised, seamless, and old-school, it offers a serious core of ripe, dry red fruit, with a long finish and velvety tannins that provide backbone and structure. It will easily age another decade, yet already shows enough complexity and smoothness to justify opening a bottle now with a rack of lamb.

2023 CHÂTEAU CLAMENS
COMTÉ TOLOSAN ROUGE
$11.99 BTL./$143.88 CASE

Comté Tolosan is a broad country-wine region in southwestern France, south of Bordeaux, just above Madiran and the Pyrenees, and stretching toward Toulouse.

Château Clamens specializes in Fronton, but also makes delicious vin de soif within this protected region. Fragrant notes of violet, berry, smoked herbs, and pepper define this cheerful wine. Smooth and striking in texture, it fills the mouth and invites another glass. Medium-weight, easy to drink, and ideal with terrines, pâtés, and sausages.

2024 RAUL PEREZ BIERZO BLANCO
GODELLO 'ULTRIEA'
$26.99 BTL./$323.88 CASE

Looking like a member of ZZ Top with a soccer bun, Raúl Pérez is one of the genuinely kind humans in the wine world. Along with the Palacios family Raul helped shape Bierzo since the region’s modern phoenix nearly 25 years ago. Little amounts of white Bierzo are produced, and this compelling white wine merits your attention.

100% Godello. Possessing body and depth, the grape’s natural electricity glows. Pink grapefruit, mango, and prominent slate-driven wet chalkboard aromas roll to a palate-coating, succulent texture with plenty of cut. Grill swordfish, tuna, or fresh Chinook salmon alongside it, and the pairing will certainly thrill any white wine enthusiast.

2024 CAMERON PINOT NOIR
DUNDEE HILLS RESERVE
$42.99 BTL./$515.88 CASE

Unless you have gone completely off the wine grid, you already know how strong 2024 is across Oregon. The Pinot Noirs are tremendous, with excellent aging potential. Many are densely built and need time, but here the old-vine depth is already clear, drawn from ten barrels of Abbey Ridge and three from Clos Electrique. I hesitate to call these declassified wines; think of them instead as Patrick Mahomes starting at quarterback with Joe Burrow as the backup—seriously great material that makes these wines highly undervalued.

The newly arrived 2024 Pinot unfolds slowly with a seductive perfume of lavender, violet, licorice, and fine herbs. Crunchy dark fruit tones mingle with smoked meat and strawberry, while the palate is graceful, layered, and sensual, carrying engaging Asian spice. It penetrates deeply while remaining unmistakably Pinot Noir. Vibrant, supple, and beautifully balanced, it finishes with a resonant persistence that seems to last forever. Drink now with a decant, or cellar through 2039.

2023 MULDERBOSCH CABERNET
BLEND 'FAITHFUL HOUND'
$19.99 BTL./$239.88 CASE

From a South African producer better known for whites, this Stellenbosch Cabernet blend is a terrific value: 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 18% Petit Verdot, 18% Merlot, and 2% Malbec.

Dense notes of blueberry, ironstone, graphite, red cherry, and spiced earth open in the glass, framed by a silky yet structured texture and a lingering finish. Enjoy over the next 5–6 years with Sunday pot roast, fried chicken, or soft cheeses.

2024 JURTSCHITSCH GRUNER
VELTLINER 'TERRASSEN'
$19.99 BTL./$239.88 CASE

Unlike German wines, Austrian examples are typically dry, fuller-bodied, zesty, and mineral-driven. Jurtschitsch, part of Austria’s quality-focused generation, crafts this Langenlois Grüner with mineral-soaked lemon-lime and peach notes.

Crisp and fresh, it coats and cleanses the palate with impressive persistence. Fans of intense, nervy whites will love it. Ideal for late summer, it pairs with salad, grilled asparagus, prawns or lighter pork dishes.

2025 HAUT-RIAN
BORDEAUX BLANC
$13.99 BTL./$167.88 CASE

For nearly three decades, The Cellar Door has been an ardent believer in Chateau Haut-Rian. Sometimes that passion makes us overly serious and cerebral when describing the wine, causing us to overlook its true je ne sais quoi. Don’t overthink—just drink!

Just arrived, the 2025 Haut Rian is an oracle of deliciousness live and direct from Wine Nirvana. Ultra-fragrant, it bursts with grapefruit, melon, and lime, elevated by signature mineral tones. On the palate, its generous attack is energetic and brisk—clean, lively, and substantial thanks to very old vines. Don’t pass up this overachiever; order it by the trunkload and make it a bottle-after-bottle favorite.

2022 HAUT-RIAN CADILLAC
COTES-DE BORDEAUX ROUGE
$13.99 BTL./$167.88 CASE

Beginning with the 2019 vintage, Pauline Dietrich Lapierre began labeling this red wine under its proper appellation, bringing its Cadillac origins clearly to the forefront. This matters because many young producers eligible to use the designation have formed a consortium and are eager to promote appellation status for these red wines, which represent a step above the broader Bordeaux Rouge category.

Lush raspberry and blueberry fruit lead, accented by herbs, spice, pekoe, dark chocolate, and turned earth. The palate is supple and inviting, with vivid mineral-earth detail, while red and black cherry extend through a fine, resonant finish. Haut-Rian’s Cadillac Côtes-de-Bordeaux is impressively versatile at the table—I’ve enjoyed it with cheeseburgers, penne Bolognese, pho, and beef tenderloin with mushroom reduction, while others recommend it with salmon or fried chicken. In short, this red offers serious value and pure, lip-smacking pleasure.

2025 HAUT-RIAN
BORDEAUX ROSÉ
$13.99 BTL./$167.88 CASE

Still the under-fifteen Rosé champion that knocks the merde out of any Provençal version at this price (and probably some at higher prices.

Cool, kindhearted, and packed with pink pleasure, it offers aromas of lime, cranberry, blueberry, fine herbs, and a touch of peat smoke. This neon-electric rosé is brilliant and zesty, with a light-footed texture that keeps you coming back. It also has so much finish that I’ve deviously dubbed it as the sneak attack from the back and the grind from behind! Consider it a call-and-response wine: order, drink, repeat.