LOW ROAD WHITE

2018 Loredan Gasparini Manzoni Bianco $14.78

Tired of hearing about ancient grapes revived from extinction? It’s opposite day! Manzoni Bianco is a hybrid of Pinot Bianco and Riesling developed by a grape scientist Manzoni about 100 years ago. Yep, so pretty much genetically modified. It’s dry with good body and acidity. Trabocco (the best Italian restaurant in Alameda – fact. Don’t let the location fool you and yes, it’s currently open for outdoor seating). They boast an excellent, unique Italian wine selection. We love a new varietal, obvi, and should’ve gotten the bottle, obvi. Three glasses later, we are asking to see the label so we can order it for the Club. Pair it with Trabocco pizza or pasta. Or yours.

2019 Brocard Petite Chablis $18.13

We’ve had the “big” Brocard Chablis in the High Road. But for summer, we chose the “mini” version. This style has more fruit, but retains the citrus and minerality that you expect from Chablis. This may be the perfect summer Chardonnay. You’re welcome.

LOW ROAD RED

2015 Perez Pascuas Ribera del Duero “El Pedrosal” $19.20

You guys love Tempranillo! We’ve been on the hunt for a version that bridges the gap between the $8 Flaco and the $30-40 Riojas that have been favorites in the past. Introduciendo El Pedrosal! It’s a big, powerful wine. It would be great with a steak, it has the tannins to age, and the price is exceptional. It would normally be in the High Road (it is $25 everywhere else), but we were able to buy enough to get it down to the Low Road, so mark this for your reorder list.

2017 Loredan Gasparini Cabernet Sauvignon $15.94

A lifetime ago, I tasted this wine. It was March 7th and I was eating inside at Marzano restaurant (gasp!) with a rep from Loredan Gasparini who was worried about traveling home to Lombardy. It was a whole different world then, but the wine is the same. Damn good. As an Italian Cabernet, it gives more character than a typical $16 California Cab. Pair with meaty or tomato-y. If you are in Oakland, order Marzano, open, enjoy.

HIGH ROAD WHITE

2018 Henri Bourgeois Les Barrones Blanc Sancerre $24.75

Sauvignon Blanc can be controversial. Many people in the ABC (Anything but Chardonnay) crew jump straight to Sauvignon Blanc because it’s often the only other option at restaurants. The grape presents in a variety of ways. Acceptable descriptors include grassy, flinty, and cat pee – invoking a return to Chardonnay. This Sauv isn’t going out on a limb. It’s from the classic region of Sancerre, screw cap, and handily won our recent blind tasting of eight Sauvignon Blancs. Taste citrus and fruit flavors, and not so much of the funk.

2017 Fiorano Fioranello Bianco $25.60

Santa Ray Wine Club drinks more Grechetto per capita than any other Club outside of Italy – fact. Typically, it’s Low Road. But lucky for us, now that we are decades into the grape’s resurgence, we are seeing blends and aging techniques that take Grechetto out of the ice bucket and onto the dinner table. This wine hails from only a few kilometers outside Rome’s center and is blended with Viognier, aged in oversized Slavonian Oak Barrels, and a small amount of chestnut. For real. The owner is a real Italian prince and boasts a lineage with two Popes (Sarah’s family only boasts one!) One of his Pope forefathers invented the calendar. Yes, THEE calendar. 

HIGH ROAD RED

2013 Palari Rosso del Soprano $31.68

The Faro DOC is a tiny region of in the Northeast corner of Sicily (that’s the part getting kicked by the boot.) The region has 37 acres of grapes and Palari owns 15 of them (think one hillside.) The wine blends Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Nocera but doesn’t have the distinct volcanic influence of the same grapes from the Etna region. Drink with a fancy lunch or a casual dinner. Heck, both.

2018 Cruess Rock Smash Red GSM Blend $34

The couple behind Cruess met 20 years ago and were bored with their regular jobs so they decided to get into the wine business (sound familiar?) The GSM blend (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) is the Sonoma County version of the classic blend from the Cotes du Rhône region. Like Sonoma wines, it has the weight to drink on its own, but it has the food-friendly profile that you would get from France.  They also make a Fiano that we haven’t tasted yet. We’re hoping to introduce you to more Cruess.