Autumn Values
by Tom Wolf
2023 Cheverny
France | Loire
I recently opened this at a family dinner and realized immediately I’d made a mistake. My error wasn’t in the wine selection—this blend of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay sang alongside our tuna tacos. Where I’d stumbled was only bringing one bottle!
2023 Locorotondo Bianco “Antico”
Italy | Puglia
From the heel of the Italian boot comes this crisp and zesty white wine reminiscent of a bowl of assorted fresh citrus and the nearby sea. Blending three Puglian (POOL-ian) grape varieties—Verdeca, Minutolo, and Bianco d’Alessano—it serves as the ideal introduction to this little-explored area. Open this alongside a bowl of fennel taralli, the donut-shaped Puglian cracker that has become my go-to aperitivo snack (the Danieli brand is my favorite)!
2023 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Italy | Le Marche
Housed in an old monastery half an hour from Italy’s Adriatic coast in the region of Le Marche, Colleleva’s cellar is the source of one of the country’s greatest overachievers: this Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. With its notes of lime, anise, and sea breeze, it is a perfect match for all kinds of seafood dishes.
2022 Langhe Nebbiolo
Italy | Piedmont
In a region full of world-class Nebbiolo in the form of Barolo, this Langhe Nebbiolo is also a world-class rendition of this grape. It’s about as good as Tuesday night roast chicken Nebbiolo for under $20 gets. Cherries, the faintest hint of tar, a leafy and ever-so-slightly grippy finish come together in a beautiful harmony.
2022 Cahors
France | Southwest
I’ve nearly run out of things to say about Clos La Coutale’s Cahors. It’s so consistently great year in and year out. It possesses class, country soul, and more-than-meets-the-eye complexity. With notes of plums, brambly fruit, and a touch of leather, it’s as well suited to duck breast as it is to grilled sausages and Thanksgiving turkey.
2021 Corbières Rouge
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
You can count on just two hands the growers we’ve worked with for four decades or more. Joining such families as the Peyrauds (Domaine Tempier) and the Bruniers (Vieux Télégraphe) in that company are the Laboucariés, who, for years, have crafted ethereal and delicious rosés and soulful, terroir-driven reds in the Corbières appellation halfway between Montpellier and the Spanish border. For this perennially over-delivering cuvée, Bruno Laboucarié blends two parts Carignan with one part Grenache and a splash of Syrah to produce a vibrant country red reminiscent of black cherries and spice.
More from the December 2024 Newsletter
