Bubbly
Chateau Montelena, Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, 2023, Napa Valley, California
I’ve been hearing more and more about new traditional sparkling wine projects coming out of the U.S., “projects” being the operative word. As we all know, making sparkling wine is a completely different animal from still wines, requiring different equipment, bottles, corks, bottling lines, etc. But hey, if you’ve got good fruit, why not give it a go? One of recent memory that impressed me was from Kosta Browne. And the other night I popped open this sparkling from Chardonnay legend Montelena. 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the winery’s first vintage, and it created its first-ever sparkling wine to commemorate. It was bright and zesty with lots of orchard and citrus fruit. Texturally, I wish the bubbles were a tad creamier, but for a side hustle, this sparkling wine impressed.
White
Domaine de l’Enclos, Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume, 2023, France
Corn Pie, read the promotional email from Razza in Jersey City. I’m a sucker for corn anything during peak kernel season, so off we went for pizza. I’ve long loved Razza; the butter tasting is a must (IYKYK). But we saved stomach space for pizza and an unbeatable heirloom tomato and burrata salad.
Razza’s wine list is a gem of a menu: fairly concise yet with a good breadth of options, focused, and, most of all, affordable. It’s predominantly Italian, but there’s a Billecart-Salmon ‘Tradition’ Champagne for 98 bucks, and the Cabernet is from Steve Matthiasson. We debated among the various Italian white wines, but ended up with this stunning Chablis. The manager was pleased; he had been pushing Dan Richer, the owner, to add it for a while, as it paired well with so many of the pies. With great acidity, fresh fruit, and enough body to hold up to creamy cheeses, it was a winner.
Red
Peregrine Pinot Noir 2023, Central Otago, New Zealand
I’ve been slowly tasting my way through the Central Otago Dozen, a selection of the twelve best Pinot Noirs of a vintage— in this case, 2023—coming out of Central Otago, New Zealand. Through a blind tasting process, the jury narrows down 75 entries to these dozen. Winemakers emphasize it’s not necessarily about being the best, but showing a complete snapshot of the season. Central Otago is only three percent of New Zealand’s wine production, and 80 percent of vineyards are planted to Pinot Noir. But geographically, it’s a fairly spread-out region, with various microclimates and growing conditions, and, as a result, styles of Pinot. Tasting through them, I’m brought back to my visit to New Zealand last year for the Pinot Noir conference, and reminded how exciting and dynamic the wine industry is there.
I’m tasting through the twelve slowly, but at a recent tasting session, the Peregrine stood out. Fruit comes from two different sites, both organic and biodynamic. This Pinot was lithe and elegant with notes of blackberry and rose petals. I find some Central Otago Pinots to be a bit brawny, but Peregrine showed refinement the whole was through.
BONUS! Rosé
A Tribute to Grace Rosé of Grenache Noir, 2025, Santa Barbara County, California
I recently checked out Bar Chimera, a new spot from the Côte team at their 550 Madison complex. On Monday nights, they host Monday Night Flights, a great opportunity to taste a range of high-end stuff, such as a vertical of Bruno Clair Premier Cru Clos Saint Jacques, or, as in this case, a flight of white Burgundies from next-gen winemakers. But, as the name implies, flights go fast; a few bites of the apps lingered, and a burger had just been placed in front of us. The solution? My favorite rosé, A Tribute to Grace Rosé of Grenache Noir, 2025, Santa Barbara County.
I met the winemaker, New Zealand native Angela Osborne, about a decade ago, on my first trip to Santa Barbara. She had just given birth yet was climbing barrels in her production facility to pull wine samples from the vessels. Badass. She’s a Grenache specialist and her wines show the grape’s elegant side. Her rosé, especially, gets me every time. High-toned fruit plus acidity, and enough body and texture to make this a wine I want to drink year-round. Fun fact: this was the rosé we served at our wedding.
