UMBERTO BORTOLOTTI
Dry NV Cartizze
(Veneto, Italy) $35
Lively peach and plum flavors with wisps of lime zest. Thirst quenching.
BISOL
"Jeio" Brut NV
(Veneto, Italy) $20
The lovely “little sister” of Bisol’s “Crede;” fresh creamy pear flavors.
MASOTTINA
Extra Dry 2018
(Veneto, Italy) $22
Exuberant and joyful with delicious pear notes and lacy bubbles.
VARNIER-FANNIÈRE
“Grand Cru” Brut NV
$57
Earthy, spicy, and rich. Finely etched and deeply resonant flavors. Lots of gravitas.
93 points KM
H. BILLIOT FILS
Réserve Brut NV
$45
Juicy, minerally, and very vivid. If you love super crisp Champagne, this is it.
92 points KM
MARC HÉBRART
“Cuvée de Réserve” Brut NV
$48
If I could only drink one bottle of Champagne this season (not likely), it would be this. Deep seated richness. Spring-loaded with flavor. Exquisite balance.
95 points KM
PHILIPPE GLAVIER
“Emotion” Brut 2012
$110
Like drinking snowflakes, laced with a touch of vanilla. Lacy, fresh, and crisp.
92 points KM
R. GEOFFROY
“Expression” Brut NV
$40
As fresh and light as rarefied mountain air. Plus a texture that’s whipped cream. Expression is a good name for bubbles that are so expressive.
93 points KM
CHAPPELLET
“Pritchard Hill” Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
(Napa Valley, California) $210
Chappellet’s PH cabernets always have a dark, sexy personality. They’re majestic wines, tight and even angular when young, but always hugely expressive and delicious.
95 points KM
GROTH
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
(Oakville, Napa Valley, CA)
Groth is like the Margaux of Napa Valley—it can be depended on to be elegant, beautifully modulated, structured, classic cabernet in every way. Plush but never overdone.
95 points KM
CALERA
“Jensen Vineyard” Pinot Noir 2015
(Mt. Harlan, California) $90
When they first came out, the Calera pinots were among the first in California with cult status. This shows why. Complex, with lots of gravitas.
94 points KM
