By any measure, Philip Togni has led an extraordinary life in wine. Even in his ninth decade, he continues to inspire California’s wine scene. Accolades keep coming. Antoni Galloni noted that, “Many of [Togni’s] recent releases have been positively stellar.” That praise applies not just to the iconic 2021 but also the 2022, a remarkable triumph from a turbulent year for many Napa winegrowers. 
 

Organically managed since 2009 and based at the foot of the Côte de Léchet, Domaine Bernard Defaix stands apart in a region still dominated by high yields and conventional farming. The family’s hands-on approach in the vines delivers wines of purity, tension and texture, with an intensity that feels increasingly rare in modern Chablis. 

There’s always one grower who upsets the applecart: Didier Dagueneau, François Chidaine, Olivier Lamy, Jean-Marie Guffens, Robert Plageoles, Josh Jensen to name a few. There’s gold in them hills, you just need to take the leap. We often say that tasting is believing...

Elevating the reputation of a relatively untapped Burgundy appellation is a rare thing. To do it as an outsider, from scratch, and on a modest budget is a whole other story. Tasting the new wines from this driven young grower...

Recent years have seen the rosé category lift its game, with serious producers making seriously good wines. At its best, rosé should be textural, pristine, pure and beguilingly complex with, most importantly, off-the-chart drinkability...

Raphaël Bérêche gets more meticulous with every vintage. As an obvious beneficiary, his Brut Réserve has never tasted finer. “I used to want to shock a little bit,” he says, referring to the buzzing, nervous texture and punchy phenolic character of earlier versions. Today, the wine is considerably more seamless and elegant...