IntoWine Founder Brad Prescott's weekly wine recommendations.

Wine To Go Buy This Week – New Year’s Edition -Domaine Carneros 2008 Le Reve Blanc de Blancs – 90 Points

France’s Champagne Taittinger started its U.S label with the opening of Domaine Carneros in 1987 and has gone on to create world-class sparkling wines in America, of which their flagship Le Reve has always been a consistent standout. This Blanc de Blanc is comprised of five Chardonnay clones from the Domaine’s Carneros estate fruit.

Wines To Go Buy This Week – Christmas Edition - Peter Michael 2013 Au Paradis Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – 95 Points

Au Paradis, paradise, is the expression of the Peter Michael Winery’s only Napa wine (the winery is based in Sonoma). Pulled from fruit from the Oak Knoll AVA, on the nose there is rich opulent fruit and the seamless integration of wood is apparent. Comprised from a minimum of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance of the fruit being Cabernet Franc, there are notes of sweet charred oak, red raspberry, black cherry, huckleberry, tobacco and mocha that draw you in.

Wines To Go Buy This Week - Gallica 2015 Albariño – 92 Points

Rosemary Cakebread has a long-standing relationship with wine, spending 15 years as winemaker and consultant for Spottswoode Winery in Napa. She launched her Gallica project in 2007. From her small portfolio she makes only one white wine and by her own admission she makes wine in such a way that, “you have to think about what’s in your glass,” she tells IntoWine.

Wines To Go Buy This Week - 2013 Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley – 89 POINTS

The Kunde family has been making wine since 1904 in the Sonoma Valley and today commands over 700 planted acres of grapes (they received “Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing” status in 2010), of which Cabernet has long been their star. Cabernet can be pricy, but this Kunde 2013 Cabernet stops you in your tracks given its price to quality ratio. Comprised of five different Cabernet clones (337, 4, 15, 169, 8) this is an exceptional value Cabernet, well structured and very enjoyable to drink.

2022 Saracina Rosé of Grenache

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$19.99USD

From Mendocino County, Saracina’s Rosé of Grenache is grown on sustainably farmed vineyards that are home to 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, beehives, and local birds and wildlife. This offers black cherry, strawberry, blood orange and rhubarb notes, with both red and green apple in the mix. Interestingly there is a light sweetness that is counterbalanced by a light tartness. The bright acidity allows this to work well with a variety of different foods. ORIGIN: Mendocino County. ALCOHOL: 12.5%

Flora Springs 2019 Holiday Blend – Two Turtle Doves

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$95.00USD

Every year Flora Springs produces holiday wines, this year with a beautiful etched bottle (and a three pack of three different holiday etchings and blends) featuring turtle doves. A cabernet dominate blend, this offers soft, bright fruit of black cherry, blackberry, huckleberry, boysenberry, with back notes of green tea leaf, sandalwood, Asian pear, vanilla, camp fire and light dusty mocha. 18 months of aging in French and American oak barrels rounds out the fruit. They don’t make much but it makes a unique gift. 230 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.2

Cuvaison 2021 Chardonnay, Hedon

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$70.00USD

The Small Lot expressions of Cuvaison (wine typically under 200 cases and a focused identity) have become some of the most exciting and anticipated wines coming out of California. This latest Chardonnay expresses both traditional and non-traditional Chardonnay notes. Typical would be citrus, lemon lime, white peach and guava. Untypical shows kumquat, amber resin, a slight sour green apple and an even slighter butter rum hard candy.

Cuvaison 2021 Pinot Noir, Spire

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$80.00USD

What begins as a soft and velvety Pinot Noir, light and delicate, turns to a beautifully structured wine that offers excellent fruit, acidity, light tannins and layers of flavor. Typical of many Pinots, this begins with noticeable strawberry, red raspberry and black cherry notes, but then delves into more complex, green tea leaf, cedar plank, wild grass, light earthiness, cola, rhubarb and a hint of resin. At first blush this seems like a lovely Pinot Noir to have with dinner, but upon spending time with it, you realize the various facets.

The Mill Keeper Cabernet Sauvignon MV

Vintage: 
2023
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$26.00USD

Clearly made as nothing but an enjoyable glass of wine, which wine always should be, The Mill Keeper offers an incredibly viscous, smooth and velvety texture, leading to soft notes of blueberry, blackberry, and light mocha notes. In the background, vanilla, red raspberry, and Rainier cherries fill out the profile. What’s unusual about this wine is that it is pulled from multiple vintages and vineyard sites. The fruit is sourced mainly from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma that utilize sustainable management programs.

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