SAMPLER SPECIAL- 2 BOTTLES OF EACH, REGULARLY $327.88, SAMPLER DOZEN $279.99 (15% Discount)

2022 Monchiero-Carbone ‘Cécu della Biunda’ Roero Arneis- Piemonte 

$29.99/$27.99 at a case

On the short list of the top Arneis made, this, the Monchiero-Carbone’s signature cuvee, is assembled from two separate vineyards in Roero- one in Vezza adjacent to the iconic Valmaggiore, and the other, Renesio Incisa, in Canale. This latter hill has been identified for centuries as the top spot on which to grow this hard-to-master grape. Cécu della Biunda is the affectionate nickname (meaning ‘son of the blonde woman’) of Francesco Carbone, founder of the winery, as it was his inspiration to bottle a dry, high quality Arneis when everyone else in the area was busy ripping out their vines! The ultimate blend of power and elegance, this is seriously one of the best, most stylish Arneis-based wines available, Very highly recommended.  

2022 Elena Walch Pinot Grigio Alto Adige- Sudtyrol   

$24.99/$22.47 at a case

It’s not hard to find Pinot Grigio out there. There’s a virtual ocean of it made from the flatlands of Trentino and the Veneto available for your easy-drinking pleasure. But those inexpensive but often character-deficient PGs give the top stuff a bad name! Up here, in the Adige Valley, high in the Dolomites, Pinot Grigio is a very serious wine…intense, characterful and a true joy to drink. Elena Walch in Tramin is a specialist in creating wonderful high-altitude PG and theirs is, like everything created at this seminal cellar, is precise, focused and delicious. Organically grown, the vineyards where this PG is grown are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen and the grapes clearly enjoyed their stay there. Weighty without weight, there’s plenty of Cara Cara orange, fennel, dried honey and citrus notes on the nose to go with its medium-to-just-about-full body and long, long finish. No wood but it carries itself like there is. And the color! No skin contact here (never!), but the irrepressible gris di gris of the grape shines through in its golden reflections. Enough character to stand up against the formidable cuisine of Alto Adige too! A great value. 

2022 Feudo Montoni Grillo della Timpo DOC, Sicilia 

$19.99/$17.99 at a case

Grillo is a cross created in Sicily in 1873. Originally meant to combine the distinctive florals and prettiness of the local Zibbibo variation of Moscato with the sturdier, more heat-resistance and fleshiness of Cataratto, it has been, ever since, the backbone of Marsala on the west coast of the island. Over the past few years, though, more and more people have come to recognize Grillo’s charms as an aromatic dry white and are making lovely, fresh and aromatically attractive versions worthy of having ready in the fridge for all those warm Sicily-like days to come. Feudo Montoni’s Grillo is organically grown in the Timpa cru on a nearly 70% slope, keeping yields naturally low and concentration and aromatics naturally high. Floral, a little minty and very fresh, it’s snappy, citrusy, savory and delicious. This is everything you could ask for in a house white! Marinated grilled cauliflower salad. Try it! 

2022 Capichera ‘Lintori’ Vermentino di Sardegna

$29.99/$26.99 at a case

Capichera is one of the most important addresses in the Gallura appellation in the far north of Sardinia, but they choose to label this- their freshest, easiest going version of Vermentino (even though it could technically wear the higher-regarded ‘Vermentino di Gallura’ designation) with the simpler ‘Vermentino di Sardegna’ moniker because it is 100% varietal and the Gallura DOCG allows blending with other grape varieties. They are very proud of their organically farmed and immaculately produced Vermentino- and

Lintori is one of the true benchmarks for the region you’ll see on every good wine list on the island. And you’ll love it too. Rich, stylish, spicy and snappy, enjoy it best with all kinds of fish, seafood and poultry. Spaghetti alla Vongole anyone? 

2022 Fattoria Coroncino Verdicchio dei Castello di Jesi ‘Il Bacco’, Les Marches 

$28.99/$24.99 at a case

Fattoria Coroncino is one of the legendary artisanal producers of Verdicchio. The winery was founded by Lucio and Fiorella Canestrari in 1981. The winery is located in Staffolo, in the heart of the

Castelli dei Jesi zone. Organic since the beginning, and now biodynamic, Lucio’s son Valerio continues to produce some of the most coveted wines in the region, the majority of which are consumed locally in the region’s best restaurants. A Coroncino wine is always intense, vibrant and very expressive with gobs and gobs of flavor but, especially in the Il Bacco bottling, always with stunning acidity. Almond paste, spice and a whiff of tropical fruit come together to make an impressive, full-bodied and fun to drink white that tastes great all on its own but will come alive with grilled fish, game or poultry. A wonder with the local Jesi lasagna dish called Vincisgrassi and no white I know goes better with truffle dishes! 

2022 Ferlat Silvano ‘PG Rosa’ Pinot Grigio Ramato, -Friuli-Venezia-Giulia

$29.99/$26.99 at a case

We complete our ‘Giro di Vino Bianco di Italia’ with a stop in Isonzo, on Italy’s border with Slovenia. A completely different animal than Elena Walch’s PG above, Ferlat’s undergoes an extended period of skin contact- as long as seven days for a portion of the cuvee- before pressing, absorbing a lot color as it macerates. This process, called Ramato, is very typical in this part of the world, and was a precursor to the ‘orange’ wine movement that started here in Friuli, although the wines of this sort are, despite hues that range from salmon pink to electric magenta, are pure, clean and vibrant. Ferlat’s is extraordinarily fun; redolent of dried strawberry, dried peach, Earl Grey tea, mulberry and wintergreen on a mid-weight frame with a firm, mineral-saline finish that makes it a wonderful partner to all kinds of foods- fish, fowl or meat. With Friuli’s famously rich Frico, a potato and Montasio cheese sort of lasagna, it’s perfect! Such a terrific and unusual wine! Pitch perfect.