The region for Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata, Italy’s most common controlled appellation) is contiguous to the much more prestigious Barolo DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Gaurantita, Italy’s nod to the most famous, and tightly regulated, appellations). The soil and aspect are similar, but perhaps the wines are not quite as fine. Yet in the hands of an outstanding producer, a Nebbiolo d’Alba can often rival most Barolos: this is just such a case. The grapes 
come from the villages of Monforte d’Alba and Diano d’Alba at elevations of about 1200 ft above sea level. The vineyards have a near-perfect south-southwest exposure, and the soil is made of calcareous clay, similar to that of most of Barolo.
Damilano was founded in the late 1800’s by Giuseppe Borgogno, grandfather to the current owners, Guido, Margherita, Paolo and Mario Damilano. They have property in some of the most famous vineyards in Barolo, but also make excellent wines from property in neighboring Alba, often for a quarter of the price of their Barolos. Giampero Romano, one of the most famous viticultural experts in Italy, manages all of their vineyards (both leased and owned) and garners consistently excellent results. The wines are made by Giuseppe Caviola, another gifted technician, who is just beginning to receive the critical acclaim he deserves.
Just under 12,000 cases of the 2006 Damilano Nebbiolo d’Alba were produced. The wine is harvested, then allowed to sit on the skins for 10 days before undergoing a temperature controlled, cool fermentation (to harness the fruit characters). The wine is then transferred to French oak barriques (225 L barrels) that are about 50% new, 50% one and two years old, to age for 16 months. The resulting wine has a firm, velvety structure, a snap of crisp fruit acidity, and lots of lovely violet and black fruit aromas, along with hints of more exotic spice and leather. Try this wine with with poultry, pork, red meat, Copper or Yukon River Salmon, or with hearty first courses such as roasted or grilled vegetables and hard, salty, cheeses. Drink now-2017.
fact needs it to ripen (thus the name Estrangle Chien, the dog strangler, in France), and Alicanté, with its hot Mediterranean climate and extra sunlight reflected from the sea delivers heat in abundance. Alicanté also has very poor soil, high in limestone and poor in clay and fertile humus, that stresses grape vines and provides excellent drainage. For an added treat, the region is full of really old vines.
in 1999, and has set out to prove that it is a world-class wine region. Based on his results so far, I agree.
Côtes du Ventoux is the name for the large and diverse area in the Southeastern corner of the Rhône Valley that ecompasses all of the land affected by Mount Ventoux, by far the tallest and largest geographical feature in the South of France. Because of the cold air sliding down the sides of the mountain, this area is cooler and sees more rain than neighboring areas of the Rhône and Provence, and has much cooler nights after the still-blisteringly hot days in the middle of the summer. The area is also sheltered from the Mistral (the cold, persistent wind that blows from the north down the Rhône Valley in the fall, winter 
and spring and stunts the growth of everything). The resulting wines are similar to those in the rest of the Rhône, but with more delicacy and fresher fruit.
The first vines in 
hich includes Stellenbosch, Paarl and many of the other better-known regions in South Africa.
Africa. Wine-maker Mike Dubrovic uses prime Chenin vines from cool spots, and ferments the grapes dry. 89% of the grapes are fermented and aged in temperature controlled tanks, while the remaining 11% are fermented and aged in a combination of new Hungarian and American Oak, and second fill French Oak. The oak serves here to give a richness, and a hint of spice and vanilla, rather than a decidedly oaky flavor. The last trick in Mike’s hand is that he blends in 8% of his Noble Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc to add just a hint of sweetness that helps to make the fruit stand out more in this wine.
Côtes du Ventoux is the name for the large and diverse area in the Southeastern corner of the Rhône Valley that ecompasses all of the land affected by Mount Ventoux, by far the tallest and largest geographical feature in the South of France. Because of the cold air sliding down the sides of the mountain, this area is cooler and sees more rain than neighboring areas of the Rhône and Provence, and has much cooler nights after the still-blisteringly hot days in the middle of the summer. The area is also sheltered from the Mistral (the cold, persistent wind that blows from the north down the Rhône Valley in the fall, winter 
Right now you’re saying, “off what path? I drink Pinot Grigio all of the time.” But when was the last time you had Pinot Grigio (or any wine for that matter) from Slovenia? The truth is that other than names that often lack a few vowels, and its status as a former communist dictatorship (Yugoslavia) sworn to destroy the capitalist pigs in America and Western Europe, Slovenia is one of the most promising wine countries in the world. The Brda area (so far the most successful) is identical to the Italian region of Collio in Friuli (in fact, wines grown in part of Collio can be called Slovenian if they are made in Brda and vice versa). The only thing (besides vowels and lingering vendettas) that holds Slovenia back, is a winemaking style that is very 
foreign to us in the West, that employs extremely oxidative (oxidative winemaking creates many flavors that we find weird such as nuttiness, volatile acidity or vinegar, and a lack of fruit) winemaking techniques like ageing in amphorae buried under ground.
The Elquí Valley
feet above sea level) provide the cool climate that makes powerful, complex, vibrant reds, and near dessert conditions which further challenge the grapes (this is good!). The region is also beautiful: a picturesque river valley, high in the Andes.
or consult for many of the best wineries in Chile. Chono is different, because is his own, and the love is very apparent. The winery is named after the ancient Chono tribe that lived in the area.
Château Capion
Franc along with Syrah. The vines face Northwest (to limit direct sun exposure in this very hot region) and are further benefitted by the cooling influence of the nearby forest and the Gassac River. All of these factors allow them to keep the grapes on the vines for longer and produce more balanced and complex wines.
This wine qualifies for the ugliest label award in this month’s shipment (thank goodness it tastes so good).
wned Trapiche. Now, having sold Trapiche, his son Carlos is free to run the family estate with a total commitment to quality.
The Tomero has been a key character in the vineyards in Argentina since 1833. Tomeros controlled the water supply for each district in the province and regulated the channeling of the meltwater from the Andes to make certain that every user receives his fair supply. The tomero’s main tool was locks on the sluice gates of the irrigation channels that had been built into the vineyards. By openning the gates for set amounts of time he could make sure to give each vineyard its rightful supply of water.
Though many of the large Champagne producers are based in the Montagne de Reims, a large portion of the legendary Champagnes come from the Côte de Blancs. 
and 1% Pinot Meunier). The grapes from the region play a dual role: when they are part of a blend with grapes from other regions, they contribute a freshness, delicacy and finesse to the blend, but when they are on their own, they produce powerful, taught wines that mature into magically creamy, biscuit, nutty showstoppers. The chalky soil and steep slope have an affinity for Chardonnay like few other places in the world. Cramant has long been considered one of the greatest Grand Crus in Champagne.
Bouquemont, and was called Bonnaire-Bouquemont briefly as it transitioned from one side of the family to the other. Over the subsequent years, the estate has expanded to 22 hectares, 13.5 of which are in Cramant, the rest in the Vallée de la Marne. Wines are pressed traditionally, and fermented and aged using a combination of tank and oak barrels, where the wines undergo malo-lactic fermentation.
Located about thirty miles east of the Cote d’Or in Burgundy, 
South Africa continues to surprise me, but this wine might be the most pleasant wine surprise I had in all of 2008. The grapes for these bubbles come from two regions that are especiall cool. The Pinot Noir in the wine comes from a Graham Beck’s Firgrove Vineyards, near False Bay in Stellensbosch. There is a cool coastal current here which keeps the air significantly cooler than its none-to-warm surroundings. The Chardonnay in this wine comes from the vineyards in Robertson with high natural limestone contents.
Home to the Italian face of the Matterhorn, Mount Blanc and Mount Rosa, in the Northwestern corner of Italy (surrounded by Piemonte), where the French, Swiss and Italian alps meet, Valle d’Aosta is a remote and beautiful region that has only begun to be recognized for its true vinous potential. The combination of elevation, which allows for longer growing seasons due to cooler temperatures, steep slopes, which provide excellent sun exposure allowing the grapes to get fully ripe despite the cooler temperatures, and the infertile, well drained soil composed of sand and calcareous rocks all work together to provide a nearly perfect spot for high-quality, low-yield grape-growing. This is particularly true of the Dora Baltea Valley in which all of Les Cretes’ vineyards are planted (the rest of the region tends to be cooler). Add to this the French, Italian and German heritage of the people, and the potential for beautiful wines becomes clear. For more on the climate, history and political situation in the region (the latter two topics are fascinating) there is a great, very complete, Wikipedia article on 
The Charrère family emigrated from France to what is now the Aosta Valley in the mid 1700’s. They still live on the original property near Aymaville. However, the family didn’t even grow grapes until 1955, and then began with only two hectares (about 5 acres). By 1989 they had 25 hectares, and built the winery that became . Now run by two generations of Charrères, Constantino and Imelda, along with their daughters Elena and Eleonora, quality has always been the focus at La Crêtes. Low yields (really low), reasoned agriculture, and a hands-on approach that stresses vineyards over winemaking characterize their small production of 19,000 cases spread among ten different wines.
L’Oustal Blanc is owned and farmed by Claude Fonquerle, and made with the assistance of the famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape enological consultant Philipe Cambi. With a goal of encouraging the intergrowth of plants, bugs and microorganisms to keep the soil healthy, the only chemical used is Bordeaux Mixture, and the only machine in the vineyard is a 4-wheel ATV in order to keep from compacting the soil. Grapes for the wines are rigorously sorted three times, first by the pickers, before they are placed in twelve kilogram netted boxes (boxes are small and netted to prevent crushing the grapes and causing oxidation), then again after they are removed from the chiller (they are chilled for 24 hours after picking, again to prevent oxidation), and once more after they are de-stemmed. This ensures that only the most perfect berries make it to the wine. In the case of Maestoso, the Grenache is fermented and macerated for 30-60 days in demi-muids (500 liter, upright, old oak barrels) and the Syrah and Carignan are fermented in tank, then aged for 12 months in new French oak barriques (225 liter barrels). The complete fermentation and malo-lactic fermentation are done in contact with the skins to assist 
with extraction and to prevent oxidation. The point is, this is seriously hands-on wine making.
Valle de Vistalba is a non-recognized sub-region within Lujan de Cujo, which is considered to be the best area in all of Mendoza for Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Rocky alluvial soils provide excellent drainage, and a dramatic diurnal (day to night) temperature shift, allow for the grapes to remain on the vines for extended periods, creating powerful, lush wines sacrificing crucial acidity or making overly alcoholic wines. Also, because of the mountainous isolation and the ancient-style flood irrigation, Lujan de Cujo has largely escaped phylloxera, and many of the vines are planted on their original rootstocks.