LOW ROAD WHITE

2023 Michele Alois Caulino Falanghina $13.57

This Falanghina from Campagna is made by the Alois family, famous for being silk providers to royal families of Europe and the White House for a couple hundred years. Lucky for us, Michele decided to break with family tradition and make wine. “Caulino” refers to the soil of mostly white clay where this wine grows. 90 points.

2021 Richard Walzer Gruner Veltliner $15.21

It’s hard to find information on Richard Walzer. He has a family, a dog, and about three hectares of vines in amazing soil in Austria. He’s characterized as a humble man making wine simply to show off the terroir where he lives. Enjoy this crisp, acidic Gruner that was a hit at the TASTE! Party.

LOW ROAD RED

2022 Pecchenino San Luigi Dogliani Dolcetto $16.34

In Piedmont (the one in Italy, not Oakland adjacent), Dolcetto is traditionally a light lunch wine made to drink young while the Nebbiolo is aging into Barolo. In the region of Dogliani, the likely origin of the grape, Dolcetto is taken a little bit more seriously. It is still meant to drink fresh, so don’t hide this in the cellar, but you will find this Dolcetto to be medium bodied with an interesting, layered flavor that will do more than just “wash down” your holiday meal. This wine gets 91-93 points from raters that you know. For a $16 bottle, this is an elite representation of Dolcetto.  

2021 Weingut Schreiner Blaufrankisch One Liter $14

Go big or go home. Yes, we are piggybacking on the success of our first ever one liter bottle in August. The Cote Mas Sauvignon/Vermentino Blend (pause for “what?”) was one of our most reordered wines ever. So we are bringing the same joy, but with a red. We have vetted this wine at three school events and it has proven to be very versatile. It can be served chilled or at room temperature, it holds up well for day two if you don’t finish it, it’s cheap enough to cook with, good enough to drink while you are cooking, and there is 33% more than a regular wine bottle. (Don’t bury the lead.) Although you don’t need to decant it, it’s perfect in a carafe. Plus, it’s a great wine for a holiday meal with at least one-too-many guests.

HIGH ROAD WHITE

2022 Casa de Mouraz Dao Encruzado $21

If you are paying attention, you will notice that this is the second consecutive delivery with a Portuguese white wine in the High Road. As much as we like to change things up, we couldn’t resist the most popular white wine at the TASTE! Party fundraiser. For an added endorsement, I sent a bottle to our Napa winemaker friend and he texted me “This is nice, well-made wine. Really good.” Compared to what he says about most wines, this is very high praise. You may think this is a blend because it is crisp, but full-bodied. But unlike the Luis Seabra wine from August, this is 100% Encruzado. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc drinkers both ordered it.

2022 Buchegger Riesling $25.73

Someday, and that day may never come, I may call upon you to drink a Riesling without the following disclaimer.  But until that day comes, please accept this Reisling (and disclaimer) as a delicious gift for the holidays…

Not all Reisling is sweet. There are certain styles (maybe even the majority, maybe even the best) that have residual sugar, but this is not one of them. If the grape Reisling offends you, I promise it is not because of this wine. Chill it, open it, and enjoy it. Think fantastic fruit and minerality with high (sometimes searing) acidity. You’ll see why sommeliers, servers, and wine nerds love this grape and are so frustrated with those who won’t try it.

HIGH ROAD RED

2019 La Dame d’Angludet Margaux $33

It’s hard to get a Bordeaux in the SWRC price point, especially from Margaux. But we try! We taste them every year and they are either too expensive or don’t meet our standards. Enter 2019 – an excellent year in Margaux but not legendary like 2020. La Dame D’Angludet is the second wine of Château Angludet and is made from the younger vines of Cabernet, Merlot, and Petite Verdot. Club members Fred and Jennifer chose this as one of the “adult” wines for their daughter’s wedding, while the youngsters drink natural wine.

2018 Scherrer Pinot Noir Sonoma County $33.96

This isn’t the type of wine that you joined SRWC to find, but sometimes you just want a nice Sonoma Valley Pinot with your turkey. The school asked us to get samples of wines that would pair well for their fanciest fundraiser of the year. Ooh la la. They put together a panel of blind tasters who overwhelmingly chose this Pinot to serve at the dinner (some of you will be there.) As a responsible host, before the samples were delivered to the panel, I had to make sure they weren’t corked. Oops, a few ounces fell off the truck. Gobble gobble.