Sleek and tangy, showing apricot, lime and mango flavors matched to a lively structure. Shows good harmony and persistence through the finish.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Dec 31/09]

The 2008 Pinot Gris continues their string of winners, offering notes of honeyed orange blossom, baked apple pie, and white currants. This fresh, unoaked, medium-bodied white reveals good acidity, and fills the mouth with joy. Consume it over the next year.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #187 / Feb 2010]

Includes 5% chardonnay; 80% done in stainless steel, the rest in older barrels; 30% of the wine went through malo. Fairly pale color. Fresh peach and lemon on the nose, with notes of honey, butter and earth. Quite delicate on the palate, with lovely subtle intensity and very good cut to the peach and orange blossom flavors. Lively acidity (only 30% of the wine went through malolactic fermentation) gives grip and verve to the mid-palate and finish. Another excellent value.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: May/June 09]

Bright and vibrant, playing grapefruit and lime against pretty floral and mint notes, lingering teasingly. Drink now. 20,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Feb 28/10]

Made in collaboration with the Dr. Loosen estate in Germany's Mosel region, is light to medium straw-colored with fragrant aromas of spring flowers, mineral, and honeysuckle. Crisp and just off-dry, in a Kabinett style, it delivers flavors of melon and pineapple. The wine is balanced and vibrant and may well evolve for several years in the manner of a top German Mosel Kabinett.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #177 / June 08]

Light, refreshing and off-dry, with pretty peach, pineapple and floral aromas and flavors, echoing enticingly. Nicely knit. Drink now through 2011. 3,870 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: June 15/09]

Light and citrusy, with grapefruit, tangerine and green melon flavors that linger on the bright, juicy finish.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: April 30/09]

Light and juicy, with a soft edge to the grapefruit and green apple flavors, remaining fragrant through the generous, distinctly dry finish, deftly balanced with a touch of minerality. Drink now through 2013. 619 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 91

[Issue: Dec 15/08]

Offers pineapple pie, with vanilla cream and honey on the nose. Full-bodied, delivering a very ripe, almost decadent, tropical fruit character. Lots of rich fruit. This is always an excellent Pinot Grigio for the money. Drink now. 3,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 91

[Issue: March 31/10]

The 2007 Albarino was sourced from 26 year old vines and raised in stainless steel with partial malolactic fermentation. Light gold-colored, it has an attractive perfume of lemon, orange peel, and mineral. Creamy, round, and balanced, it has very good acidity and a long, crisp finish.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #178 / Aug 08]

Smooth and creamy, the polished texture supporting an explosive range of lemon meringue, pear, pineapple and spice flavors that ease into the long, vivid finish. Drink now through 2012. 1,500 cases imported. #39 TOP 100.

Wine Spectator Rating: 92

[Issue: Nov 30/09]

A beautiful white, off-dry yet vibrant and vivid, featuring apricot and peach, with underlying spice and mineral flavors. It's all balanced and well put together, with a clean finish. Drink now through 2018. 6,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Feb 28/10]

Bright in flavor and silky in texture, with lively lime and green apple fruit shaded with a hint of spearmint as the finish lingers attractively. Drink now. 8,000 cases imported.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: April 30/09]

A brilliant burst of lime, grapefruit and green apple rides easily on a racy, acidity-fueled texture, persisting into the long, vibrant finish with hints of wet stone and citrus peel. Drink now. 20,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 92

[Issue: April 30/09]

A refreshing, crisp style, showing lime, passion fruit, grass and grapefruit notes, with mouthwatering acidity, a light body and herb notes. Offers great intensity and focus, finishing with a pleasant bitter almond skin note. Drink now. 7,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Aug 31/09]

A wonderfully rewarding wine. It shows the dryness and crisp acidity you want in a savory white, and the fruit flavors, of peaches, grapefruits and green apples, are controlled and subtle. There’s just a touch of oak, which adds softness, and of creamy lees. Brilliant and distinctive. Albariño and Grenache Blanc.

Wine Enthusiast Rating: 92

[Issue: 12/15/09]

The 2008 Roero Arneis is an intensely mineral-driven offering laced with white peaches, flowers, almonds and smoke. This pure, crystalline Arneis offers remarkable focus and energy in a highly appealing style. These new releases from Correggia are impressive for their consistency, drinkability and varietal trueness. Even better, a number of the wines are terrific values as well.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #185 / Oct 09]

Pikes- 2009 Traditionale Riesling is light straw-colored with an enticing nose of mineral, lemon-lime, citrus, and floral notes. Ripe, exceptionally concentrated, and vibrant on the palate, it has the acid structure to evolve for 4-5 years and should drink well through 2019.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #186 / Dec 09]

Light and tart, with a zip to the acidity that carries the vivid, celery-tinged gooseberry and lime flavors, lingering impressively on the sharply focused finish.

Wine Spectator Rating: 91

[Issue: April 30/09]

Dry but not steely, fruity but not frivolous, this has depth and distinct character, offering layers of nectarine, pear and white peach that keep singing on the open-textured finish.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Dec 15/08]

Offers a terrific combination of fresh peach and nectarine fruit and mineral. Vibrant, succulent and harmonious, with a long, mouthwatering finish and a nice savory aftertaste. Drink now through 2022. 1,500 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 91

[Issue: Nov 15/08]

There's a spicy, tangy quality to this white, along with quince and anise. It's all underscored by a mineral element and a vibrant structure, with a fine, lingering aftertaste of stone and anise.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Nov 15/08]

Off-dry, with enticing quince, fig and persimmon notes backed by a lush texture and a long, alluring finish that lets ginger cream, toasted brioche and cardamom notes linger. Very flattering, with fine length and great mouthfeel. Drink now through 2012.

Wine Spectator Rating: 92

[Issue: Web only 2009]

The last bottling of this basic village wine, done in March of 2009) Pink grapefruit, pineapple syrup and oyster shell on the nose. Then sweet and surprisingly creamy in the mouth, with a concentrated lemony flavor that avoids any impression of hardness. A very ripe wine from a crop that was sharply reduced by hail. For all its richness, this soil-driven village wine finishes with excellent grip and length.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: Jul/Aug 09]

A flinty, steely white made in a Loire Valley style. It reveals plenty of melon and honeyed citrus characteristics along with medium body, a surprisingly captivating texture, and good length. Aging on its less has provided additional texture and body, but it is a crisp, pure Sauvignon to enjoy over the next 1-2 years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #180 / Dec 08]

This is light and bright, with a creamy edge to the flavors of lemon and melon, finishing with a hint of spice.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Dec 31/09]

Vibrant, bursting with fresh mandarin orange juice and tropical whiffs of mango and passion fruit, but also plenty of grass and hay notes. There’s a very refreshing acidity, and the flavors sing on the finish. Drink now through 2014.

Wine Spectator Rating: 91

[Issue: Insider Feb 10/10]

One of the freshest, most mineral-laced California Viogniers is Melville’s 2008 Viognier Verna’s Vineyard. Exotic, floral, peach, apricot, honeysuckle, crushed rock, and spring flower aromas jump from the glass of this medium-bodied, exuberantly fruity, delicious white wine. It is best consumed during its first 1-2 years of life. While Melville may be more well-known for their brilliant Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, they also do a spectacular job with Rhone varietals.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #184 / Aug 09]

Plump and juicy, yet with a vibrant structure underneath. This sets the stage for peach, grapefruit and stone flavors that persist through the long finish.

Wine Spectator Rating: 90

[Issue: Nov 30/08]

Grieve's sensational 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Lovall offers abundant aromas of honeyed melon, gunflint, and citrus blossoms in an exuberant, medium-bodied, dry, fresh, well-delineated style. Enjoy this terrific Sauvignon over the next 2-3 years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #187 / Feb 2010]

(375ml) Medium orange- gold. Poached pear, apricot, orange marmalade and floral honey aromas display an exotic personality. Fat and unctuous, with deep pit fruit compote flavors complicated by subtle hints of toffeed nuts and pear skin. Finishes broad and sweet, with a refreshingly bitter peach pit bite, gentle mineral lift and impressive persistence. This would be fantastic with stinky, runny or blue cheeses.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 92

[Issue: Nov / Dec 07]

Fragrant and extremely spicy, with tobacco, citrus, quince, Asian pear, floral, green olive and faint smoky notes. Extremely focused and concentrated, with a fleshy texture and a long finish. Drink now through 2014. 1,061 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 92

[Issue: Aug 31/09]

A distinctive mix of candied berry, floral and citrus aromas and flavors that pick up salty, mineral notes as it glides across the palate. Lovely texture and harmony, with a tangy, savory aftertaste. Drink now through 2030. 1,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 93

[Issue: Oct 31/08]

One of the best efforts DuMOL has made yet with their white Rhone program is the 2007 Viognier Lia. This goes through full malolactic yet is bone dry and retains tremendously crisp acidity, giving uplift to the very substantial lychee, apricot, peach, and exotic fruit notes of this full-bodied, fresh, lively wine, which even has some minerality, something that the top Condrieus from the northern Rhone also possess. This wine should drink nicely for several years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 91

[Issue: #180 / Dec 08]

Delivers lots of botrytis spice, with lemon tart and cooked apple. Full-bodied, with loads of cream and vanilla and an intense tropical fruit and honey aftertaste. Long and viscous, with a layered and beautiful spicy finish. Hard not to drink it now. Best after 2014. 8,000 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 97

[Issue: March 31/08]

As for the white wines, the 2007 Viognier Estate appears to be the finest example of this cuvee they have yet made. The good news is that there are around 350 cases. It is not your typical blowsy Viognier, but one with strong minerality, excellent precision, and super-intense, concentrated, honeysuckle, apricot, and peach-like notes. Dazzling acid levels and the mineral component ooze throughout this wine, giving it tremendous character, personality, and complexity. I doubt it will age long as this varietal tends to oxidize quickly, but for drinking over the next several years, this is a terrific Viognier.

Wine Advocate Rating: 93

[Issue: #180 / Dec 08]

One of the best Sauvignon Blancs that has been made in California is the l’Apres Midi and the 2007 continues that succession of wonderful Sauvignons. The production is just over 2,000 cases, and while some Semillon is often blended in, the wine is dominated by Sauvignon, with its notes of melony fruit, lemon grass, fig, and spice. The 2007 is very fragrant, with hints of honeyed grapefruit and spice. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #180 / Dec 08]

A sensational Yquem, 1997 may be this estate's finest effort since 1990 (although I would not discount the 1996 turning out to be nearly as good). The 1997's light gold color is accompanied a gorgeous perfume of caramel, honeysuckle, peach, apricot, and smoky wood. Full-bodied and unctuously-textured, with good underlying acidity as well as loads of sweetness and glycerin, it looks to be a great vintage for this renowned Sauternes estate. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2055.

Wine Advocate Rating: 96

[Issue: #146 / April 2003]

Made from 100% Chardonnay from the Alban Vineyard, the 2005 Mr. K. The Nobleman possesses 235 grams of residual sugar per liter as well as exceptional acid levels. This incredibly rich, sweet white is almost like the Quintessence bottlings from Alsace’s Domaine Weinbach. Its mind-boggling purity, balance, intensity, and sweetness are balanced by the wine’s zesty acidity. An amazing achievement fashioned from 100% botrytised fruit, it will keep for 20 or more years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 98

[Issue: #177 / June 08]

The 2005 Atlantis Fe 203-3e Roussanne Vin de Paille is a 100% Roussanne cuvee possessing 352 grams of residual sugar per liter. While it is a stunning effort, when tasted next to the two Mr. K. whites, it comes in slightly below those two out-of-this-world offerings. Incredible aromas of honeysuckle and marmalade are classic late-harvest Roussanne, and the wine’s sweet style is beautifully balanced by terrific acidity (12.5 grams of acid per liter).

Wine Advocate Rating: 97

[Issue: #177 / June 08]

Dense and packed, but amazingly bright at the same time, this offers dried papaya and pineapple fruit backed by a paraffin note, with fresh floral, white peach and heather honey notes. Then the long, superstony finish takes over, and sails on nearly endlessly. This has power, precision and refinement all together. Drink now through 2030. 1,200 cases made.

Wine Spectator Rating: 98

[Issue: July 31/08]

Bone dry and zesty in acidity, with pink grapefruit, lemongrass and green apple flavors that have a honeyed edge despite the dryness. Vibrant and clean. Nice with a salad of bitter greens and chevre and whatever else you want to add, in a simple vinaigrette.

Wine Enthusiast Rating: 90

[Issue: 11/01/09]