We’ve just received our small allocation of this Chateauneuf blue blood! The white is a rarity made from Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. While a lot of Chateauneuf Blancs can be quite low in acid and lacking in great structure,...
Like the Côte d’Or, the Maconnais was blessed with near ideal conditions in 2023. Yields, for the first time in a while, were higher than normal and that provided ample counter weight to q warm growing season. The resulting wines...
Our search for great white Burgundy from everyday drinking has once again taken us deep in the Maconnais, Burgundy’s southernmost outpost. It is here, in these rolling granitic hills west of the city of Macon, where the last vestiges of true...
Nowhere else, I think, does the unique soil a region so inform the style of the wine as it does in the Soave Classico appellation. Located on a sweep of hills that roll eastward as far as the Venice lagoon, this area is not to be confused with the...
50% Fiano 50% Greco The red version of Core has had a long PRIMA following dating back to when the iconic Montevetrano first created this sort of second label from grapes purchased from other growers not necessarily contingent to their Salento...
Let’s start our journey in the Eisaktaller or, as the Italians say, the Valle Isarco. While still in Italy (for now), this narrow, high altitude valley sits just a few kilometers from the Brener Pass into Innsbruck, Austria. While this...
Regular Price $30.00, House Chardonnay Alert $24.99, Free Shipping on 12 Alpha-Omega really doesn’t need much of an introduction to longtime PRIMA customers or lovers of the Napa Valley in general. Almost anyone that has driven up...
The name of this obscure, off-the-beaten path appellation is actually bigger than the actual land it covers but, trust me, once you’ve had a glass or two, ‘Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle’ will just roll off your tongue. The wine...
Wine professionals love to argue about Pigato, the very intriguing white grape indigenous to coastal Liguria. Pigato is Vermentino many argue. But ask any farmer working the steep, rocky slopes that loom over the ocean there and they’ll...
Way back in 2000, Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud, the founders of Valandraud, the pioneers of the Garagiste movement in Saint Emilion (their first vintages were literally made in their garage), planted a small parcel of vines sitting on clay and...
The hillside vineyards of Caluso, right on the border between Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta, seem to defy gravity, perilously clinging to terraces built during Roman times. It’s a stunning vista you almost have to see to believe...
Coming on the heels of the now-sold-out Penfolds Max’s Chardonnay feeding frenzy this week comes another that could, conceivably, ignite a similar stampede of people anxious to fill their larders with cases of overachieving Chardonnay. The price...
Good Sancerre is such an important staple in any wine fridge and we love to drink it with so many kinds of food. But Mother Nature dictates how much good Sancerre there can be out there, and she’s been very parsimonious over the past...
When Tony Soter first established Etude Wines back in 1982, the label very quickly became THE most sought-after Pinot Noir in a very crowded field of north coast Pinots. Tony’s masterful touch with this finicky grape variety eventually...
Sold only in cases of 12 PRIMA Vini Insiders Only Will Pay $180 for a case of 12, Order 3 cases or more and pay only $144 each! SALE PRICING ONLY GOOD THROUGH THE END OF JUNE OR WHEN THE WINE IS SOLD OUT (Shipping is,...
Sometimes, when it’s brutally hot, there’s nothing better than closing your eyes and imagining you are on a sailboat afloat on the cerulean sea, the snappy wind and salty air in your face. Can’t get to the Bay this weekend?...
Go through the pass into Austria and motor a few hours on the autostrada east and you’ll get to the Wachau Valley, home of the country’s finest wines. And, perhaps, its finest winemaker: Lucas Pichler, son of the legendary F.X. He has...
Visiting the half-timbered scenic town of Bernkastel is a pilgrimage for any traveler interested in the beautiful and history of Germany. This gorgeous medieval village is stunning in every way and, surrounded as it is by some of Germany’s...
Visiting the half-timbered scenic town of Bernkastel is a pilgrimage for any traveler interested in the beautiful and history of Germany. This gorgeous medieval village is stunning in every way and, surrounded as it is by some of Germany’s...
Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard sits at the northern edge of the Santa Lucia Highlands, 21 miles from the coast. Sandy, gravelly soils and a dramatic maritime influence increase hang time, producing a Chardonnay of intense varietal character, balanced...
A blend of Malvasia Istriana, Friulano and Riesling Renano, the Friuli Isonzo Flors di Uis shows a slightly more streamlined and tonic in feel with bright aromas of white flower, peach, pear and crushed granite that waft elegantly from the bouquet.
The vines that would supply the so-called Quintessa Blanc were planted on the estate in 2002 and, since its first release some eight years later, this wine has, much to everyone’s surprise (except for those who first made it), become as...
We are big fans of this small, family-owned domaine, nestled in the hills of the Macon region of southern Burgundy, in the notable village of Pierreclos. Domaine Coteaux des Margot is owned by Jean-Luc Durossay, and their wines are imported and...
Some DuMOL Trivia Facts: the Du and Mol in DuMOL come from the names Duncan and Molly, the children of Max Gasciewicz, longtime winemaker at Deloach and Fisher, and the founder of DuMOL. Max started the project with the help of two investors, one of whom...
And now for something completely different! Leave it to Italy to come up with yet another novel grape variety to tempt our taste buds and expand our repertoire of fascinating Italian wines. I am speaking of Nascetta (nah-shetta), a unique and...
Winemaker Notes The 2023 vintage was long and temperate, and at times, blissfully cool. The resulting wine has a great balance of richness and texture and a very well delineated backbone of vibrant acidity. Aromatics and flavors of lemon, mandarin, Asian...
At last the Clos La Folie drought is over and we couldn’t be more excited! To the uninitiated, Rully, near the regional city of Chalon-sur-Soane and just three miles south of Chassagne-Montrachet as the Burgundian crow flies, has long been the...
Man, that’s a complicated name for such a small, squat bottle of wine, right? But, trust me, once you’ve had a glass or two, ‘Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle’ will just roll off your tongue. The wine comes from the...
Speaking of Willamette Valley whites, how about this thoroughly delightful, crisp, unoaked lemon-infused Chardonnay from Stoller Family Vineyard? If Pinot Gris has become a ‘thing’ in Oregon, Chardonnay is now neck and neck, if not in terms of quantity,...
Even though its production has crept up and there’s probably are a few out there that shouldn’t really bother, Oregon Pinot Gris is still one of the best values out there in American white wine and Ponzi has been making it for decades- long...
These are two stupendous efforts from Luc Prieur’s Loire Valley estate that encompasses almost all of the many microclimates that comprise the Sancerre appellation. All three of the most important soil types are represented in his village Sancerre...
For the first time in five years, we’ve been able to get a small allocation of Luc’s Monts Damnés. If Sancerre had a Grand Cru, this would be its most important! Affectionately called ‘damned mountain’ for its...
The nice thing about loving wine is that monogamy is not required. Your beloved Meursault just doesn’t care if you step out on it once in a while with a more decadent bottle of California Chardonnay, nor will your Vosne-Romanee mind if...
Albert Boxler is, of course, one of Alsace’s most exclusive and famous producers. The venerable Boxler name has been a fixture on the landscape of Niedermorschwihr in the Haut-Rhin area of Alsace since 1673 when Jean Boxler’s ancestors...
Those of us of a certain age remember the wonderful Napa Valley Sauv Blancs of yore- Cakebread, Whitehall Lane, Spottswoode, Honig, Duckhorn and others are just some that come immediately to mind. These are all beautiful, exciting wines that manage...
We hadn’t heard of this very small property either until we were presented the wine this morning. New to us or not, what was in the bottle really impressed even the most hard-boiled of this lot of truly spoiled wine merchants! Coming from...
As you know, there haven’t been many great deals in Sancerre since the great Sancerre famine of the past two vintages, but this new arrival 2022 got our attention not only for its classicism but for its price! This very small micro-negoce is...
As every lover of the crisp, mineral driven Sauvignons of the Loire Valley already all-too-well knows, the 2020 and, especially, the 2021 harvests were nearly decimated by nature’s vagaries. Frost, in particular, claimed...
As every lover of the crisp, mineral driven Sauvignons of the Loire Valley already all-too-well knows, the 2020 and, especially, the 2021 harvests were nearly decimated by nature’s vagaries. Frost, in particular, claimed over half of the...
If they needed a set for a movie about
Burgundy in the 1950s, they wouldn’t have to look any further than this eight-generation old cellar in Savigny-Les-Beaune. Here is a spot steeped in tradition with none of the...
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 theCastelli dei Jesi zone. Organic since the beginning, and...
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-...
On the short list of the top Arneis made, this, the winery’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...
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...
Grillo is a cross created in Sicily in 1873. Originally meant to combine the distinctive florals and prettiness of the Zibbibo variation of Moscato with the sturdier heat-resistance and fleshiness of Cataratto, it has been, ever since, the backbone of...
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...
You wouldn’t think the noble Nebbiolo vineyards of Monforte d’Alba, right in the heart of the Barolo growing zone, would also be known for producing something as prosaic as Chardonnay…..but they are! The limestone and clay marls...
Spring has officially sprung! Those looking for the perfect seasonal quaffer need look no further than Stefano Massone’s absolutely delicious Gavi! All at once serious and a ton of fun to drink, Massone’s organically-farmed,...
There’s Chablis and there there’s Chablis, and Regnard’s Grand Regnard has long been one of the best! Calling this producer ‘venerable’ is an understatement, and their wines, dating back to the nineteenth century, are...
Affordable but tasty white Burgundy is an essential- like the little black dress of your wine fridge. The successful candidate should be inexpensive enough to open any night of the week, go well with any sort of food, taste great by all itself and,...
Verdeca is one of those wine grapes one discovers only when they taste it on its home territory- in this case, around the wonderful hill towns overlooking the crystal blue Adriatic in Puglia, at the heel of Italy’s boot. You’ll probably...
One of my favorite spots in all of Italy, Carso, or Karst, as it’s called on the other side of the Slovenian border a bare kilometer away, is a world onto itself. The easternmost part of Friuli, it’s not exactly Italy, but not Slovenia...
Rueda is a large appellation and a lot of the Verdejo labeled as such actually comes from large, mechanically farmed vineyards further east. That explains why there is so much innocuous Rueda out there- a lot smells and tastes like...
Raise your oyster game to its highest plane with this totally Gru-Vee wine from the steep south-facing slopes of the Wachau along the Danube River. Pichler is a gold standard for quality in the appellation, and his Federspiel (a designation for a...
New to PRIMA (and to the United States!), this is one of the most exciting young Chablis producers we’ve seen in years! Orion was created by the intrepid Léa Schaller, who decided to trade a career in the music business in Paris for a...
Historically one never turned to the Macon for rich, character-filled white Burgundies. They looked further up the Cotes to find them. But a new generation of vintner and a little help from a changing climate has turned appellations like...
Whenever I speak with someone just returned from South Africa, the first thing they say is ‘I didn’t know Chenin Blanc was such a big thing there! It’s really good!’ Most didn’t know that, in fact, Chenin is the...
At last the Clos La Folie drought is over and we couldn’t be more excited! To the uninitiated, Rully, near the regional city of Chalon-sur-Soane and just three miles south of Chassagne-Montrachet as the Burgundian crow flies, has long been the...