White Wine

José Pariente Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Rueda D.O., Spain: José Pariente Rueda Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, elegant, light to medium-bodied white that demonstrates just how well this international variety has settled into the gravelly, limestone-rich soils of Castilla y León, offering a precise, aromatic nose of freshly snapped green apple, white grapefruit, nettle, ripe gooseberry, and a clean streak of wet stone minerality that sets it apart from its French counterparts. It is dry and focused on the palate, with a sleek, vibrant acidity and a pleasing roundness drawn from five months of careful lees rest in stainless steel, giving the wine texture without sacrificing freshness. Winemaker Martina Prieto Pariente, the third generation of her family to tend these vineyards, crafts this wine from some of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc plantings in the Rueda appellation, with vines exceeding 40 years in age growing on poor, round-pebbled soils that push the roots deep and concentrate the flavours beautifully. The winery itself carries a deeply personal history: founder Victoria Pariente established Bodegas José Pariente in 1998 as a tribute to her recently passed father José, who had quietly grown Verdejo grapes for Rueda's co-operatives since the 1960s, transforming a family's artisanal legacy into one of Spain's most celebrated white wine estates. Notably, the winery has recently been recognized at the highest level when Tim Atkin MW named José Pariente among the elite of DO Rueda in his prestigious Rueda 2026 Top 100 report. Serve it well chilled alongside steamed mussels in white wine and garlic, where the wine's saline minerality and herbal brightness are the perfect partner, or with a light grilled sea bream fillet and a green herb salsa for a clean, sun-drenched pairing. Drink it over the next one to two years. Sauvignon Blanc food pairings: steamed mussels in white wine and garlic, grilled sea bream with green herb salsa, chilled gazpacho with crusty bread. Drink: 2026 - 2027 47863 XD 750 mL $24.95 Score: 88/100. May 2026. Full Review Add to Shopping Cart

Red Wine

Domaine Gassier Lou Coucardié 2019, Costières De Nîmes, Rhône A.O.C., France: Domaine Gassier Lou Coucardié Mourvèdre Grenache Syrah is a brooding, powerfully structured red from the southernmost appellation of the Rhône Valley, where organic vineyards carpeted with ancient galets roulés, the same smooth river stones that define Châteauneuf-du-Pape, produce wines of remarkable depth and tension under the maritime influence of the nearby Mediterranean. Crafted by winemaker Michel Gassier, a fifth-generation son of the region who champions Mourvèdre in Costières de Nîmes with near-evangelical passion for its capacity to deliver elegance even in the ripest of years, Lou Coucardié takes its evocative name from the legendary bull of the Camargue, a nod to the ancient tradition of Camarguaise bull running in which the bull is honoured but never harmed. Made only in exceptional years and aged in neutral barrels and demi-muids to preserve purity, this opulent red pours a dense, inky garnet and delivers a complex, layered nose of dark plum, crushed dried meat, iron-tinged minerality and a curl of smoked earth. On the palate it is dry and full-bodied, with ripe yet precise tannins, a concentrated, sinewy core and a vivid, focused finish of impressive length that confirms its 2025 to 2037 drinking window with complete conviction. Serve it at slightly below room temperature. A wild boar stew with roasted root vegetables and olives would bring out the wine's savory, meaty depth beautifully, or try it alongside a leg of lamb with herbes de Provence for a classic Provençal pairing that this wine was practically born for. Food pairings: wild boar stew with roasted root vegetables and olives, leg of lamb with herbes de Provence, grilled ribeye with rosemary and garlic butter. Drink: 2025 - 2037 42213 14% XD 750 mL $39.95 Score: 95/100. May 2026. Full Review Add to Shopping Cart

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