LOW ROAD WHITE

2022 Cote Mas Blanc du Midi, 1 liter bottle $14

Upside: We’re embracing this new trend of high quality, affordable, and drinkable wines that come in one liter bottles. Downside: Your bedtime just got later. If you’ve had a chance to sip with us, you know that we are all about value. This wine brings the quality of a unique blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino…. and adds the quantity. In Italian, we say “un altro frate viene…” and this wine gives you a little wiggle room to invite another guest. For you non-Sauv fans, not to worry, even Sarah and Club member Meredith love it.

2022 Placio de Bornos La Caprichosa Verdejo $18.05

Verdejo is the grape. Placio de Bornos is the winery. La Caprichosa is the single vineyard. Verdejo continues to be a Club favorite and this will be no exception. Because this wine hails from a vineyard of old vines in gravelly soil, it produces low yields that need to be harvested by hand. The wine is then aged on the lees (dead yeast cells) like they would for Champagne or Chardonnay. When you taste it, you’ll get a fuller mouth feel (think ‘nom nom’), but the acidity stays strong. This vintage got 90 points from a few folks, who now we trust.

LOW ROAD RED

2020 Guelbenzu Vierlas $14.21

Don’t judge a bottle by its label. Sure, this gives old man vibes – the label touts awards they won in the 80s – the 1880s, that is. Don’t call it a comeback, they’ve made the same four blends since 1851. We loved this Syrah and Merlot, it’s a tiny bit more summer-y compared to the other blends.  When you hear stories about visiting Spain and drinking incredible wines for $5 a bottle, this is the type of wine they are talking about. 90 points. Pro tip: Let it breathe a little.

2018 Heitlinger Pinot Meunier $14.72

If you think you haven’t had Pinot Meunier before, you’re probably wrong. It is one of the three primary varietals used in Champagne (with pals Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). And, if you think it is white wine, also wrong. It is light, has a long flavor, can be chilled, has a screw cap, and the flavor holds up if you don’t finish the bottle until the next day. Do you have the other half of this locket? It may be the perfect wine to stash in your bedroom so you don’t have to go downstairs for a drink. Affectionate pet name from Club member Heather: “Bedroom Wine.”.

HIGH ROAD WHITE

2023 Tasca D’Almerita & Fondazione Whitaker, Mozia Grillo $26.98

Mozia is a tiny island off the west coast of Sicily. Once a Phoenician colony, it was destroyed by the Greeks in 400 BC and forgotten about for a couple thousand years. Today it consists of archeological ruins, olive trees, salt mines, and 11 hectares of Grillo (the grape.) The historical island sent us this message in a bottle – all of the fruit, acidity, and salinity (Salt! Salt! Salt!) that you may expect from a wine of Sicily, without the distinctive volcanic flavor from Etna. Big fan. The wine consistently gets over 90 points from all of those people. And zowee, check out this video for a look at the island..

2022 Luis Seabra,  Xisto Ilimitado Vinho Branco $25.73

Say it with us- SHEES-Toe E-LEE-Me-TA-Do BRAN-Ko. Portugal is all about the blend. After all, they’ve been doing it with Port for centuries. Whether it is white or red, it seems they take six grapes that we’ve never heard of, make them separately, and blend them until they are delicious. But this wine is a “field blend” (the grapes all go in together), with Rabigato as the main grape. 80% of the grapes go into oak, so we think it’s a dinner wine.

HIGH ROAD RED

2018 Lleiroso Crianza, Tempranillo $25.73

Please meet this excellent Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero – a region we have enjoyed maybe more than Rioja. The designation “Crianza” means that it was aged for at least two years (at least one in oak barrels) before release. Riserva and Grand Riserva are aged longer. It has the mouthfeel of a California wine with a flavor that is obviously Spanish. Prepare – this may be a new fan favorite. Let it breathe.  

2019 Perla Terra Barolo $32.13

2019 was a fantastic Barolo vintage producing plenty of ageable wines at every price range. If you are in that market and you can afford the Blue Chip producers, good on you. Spend the money and put some 2019s in your cellar to forget about for a while. For SRWC (to read: no blue chips), it means that we can get a 2019 Barolo that is affordable, approachable now, but can also stay in the bottle for a while if you want to wait. But we don’t.