Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco 2022
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Marc de Grazia's Terre Nere has become the reference point for Etna wines, and this entry-level bianco demonstrates why. The Carricante grape grown on Etna's volcanic soils at altitude produces a white wine with an unmistakable smoky mineral signature you won't find anywhere else on earth. For under thirty dollars, this is a masterclass in terroir-driven winemaking.
Nose
Citrus blossom and green apple open the nose with clarity, joined by a distinctive flinty, smoky minerality that speaks directly to the volcanic soils. A delicate honeyed note and white flowers weave through the background.
Palate
Taut and focused, with bright citrus and green apple acidity framing a saline, mineral-driven core. The volcanic smoke character manifests as an almost ashy texture on the mid-palate — not heavy, but persistently present. Hints of toasted almond emerge with air.
Finish
Long and precise, with lingering citrus, stony minerality, and a clean, slightly smoky close.
Food Pairing
Grilled swordfish with a caper and lemon butter sauce
Produced by Marc de Grazia on the northern slopes of Mount Etna from Carricante vines grown in volcanic ash and lava-rich soils at elevations between 600 and 1,000 meters above sea level.
Domaine Roulot Meursault 2021
Domaine Roulot
Jean-Marc Roulot's village Meursault is a masterclass in restraint. Where others in this appellation lean into oak and richness, Roulot pulls back, letting the limestone speak. The result is Meursault stripped to its essence — no veneer, just truth.
Domaine Marcel Deiss Pinot Gris 2021
Domaine Marcel Deiss
Jean-Michel Deiss's biodynamic approach in Alsace consistently produces wines that taste like place rather than variety. This Pinot Gris is rich yet disciplined — the sort of white that converts people who think they don't like Pinot Gris. Pair it with anything involving cream, mushrooms, or cured pork.
Mâcon-Vergisson La Roche Domaine Daniel & Julien Barraud 2022
Domaine Daniel & Julien Barraud
From the limestone slopes of Vergisson beneath the famous Roche, this Chardonnay looks like simple Mâcon on the label. Beneath that humility is a wine with real terroir expression — mineral, layered, and built for the table. It changes character as it warms, revealing Burgundian depth at a fraction of the Côte d'Or price.
Domaine Josmeyer Pinot Gris Le Fromenteau 2021
Domaine Josmeyer
Josmeyer is one of Alsace's biodynamic pioneers, and this Pinot Gris — named 'Fromenteau,' the grape's historical Alsatian synonym — shows why the variety thrives in this region. The wine's coppery color is a hallmark of the varietal, and the trace copper in vineyard treatments (permitted in organic and biodynamic farming) plays a role in both vine health and the wine's bright, focused acidity. A textbook Alsatian Pinot Gris.