Flatiron Wines & Spirits NY

There’s a little-known spot in the middle of Sicily with incredible viticultural treasures. Feudo Montoni's vines are isolated from the rest of the island's viticulture, a small oasis of vineyards surrounded by a sea of golden wheat and ancient olive groves. This isolation has worked like magic to keep the phylloxera pest away. And no phylloxera here means no grafting necessary: these vines are own-rooted and some are hundreds of years old. Scientists believe this is the birthplace of Nero d'Avola.

Rote Erden comes from the Zellertal am Schwarzen Hergott, a cold parcel on pure limestone soils. Keller farms the vines, but Julian calls the harvest, and the fruit is trucked back to Piesport to be vinified and aged in Julian’s cellar. The wine is whole-cluster pressed and vinified and aged in large neutral barrels for 10 months before bottling.

In 2022, Domaine Lafarge-Vial produced simply sensational Cru Beaujolais. These are deep, finally balanced wines with a deliciously rich fruitiness that makes these a lot of fun to drink now. But they are made in a Burgundian style and have a sneaky amount of structure for Gamay-based wines, so they are also unquestionably ageworthy. If you are a fan of Lafarge, or of great Beaujolais, these are must-tries: