Very intense blackberries and spice with some earth and violets. Really complex. Full-bodied with layers of ripe tannins, yet they are firm and formed. Shows how well this cool area does in a hot vintage. Attractive now, but needs time to open. Try after 2023.

Loaded with elegance, this radiant white offers delicate scents of white stone fruit, white spring wildflowers, camphor and crushed fennel seed. Medium-bodied and boasting a polished, almost creamy texture, the delicious palate delivers ripe yellow apple, white peach, tangerine drop candy and saline before closing on bitter almond. Fresh acidity and mineral notes keep it energized.

The organic and biodynamic Alois Lageder 2018 Chardonnay Löwengang offers a medley of ripe fruit and apricot with soft spice and toasted cinnamon. Aged mostly in barrique and some larger wooden barrel, the oak is well balanced overall, owing more to the textural richness of the mouthfeel, as well as to the warm and toasted notes that appear on the bouquet. There is plenty of soft fruit to flesh it out. This wine is prime for a generous 10-year drinking window.

At each tilt of the glass, the 2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium reveals something new. At first, it shows gingery spice, white smoke and yellow flower notes, then it evolves into sour melon, young mango and wet stone aromas. Finally, it turns flinty, with crushed apples and raw almonds. The silky textures are almost glycerol-like, even though it is seemingly weightless in feel. It hovers above the senses while being propelled by vibrant acidity and saturating mineral tones, as ripe orchard fruits and inner florals cascade across the palate. It leaves you with an achingly youthful impression, the combination of structure and lingering notes of bitter grapefruit rind and granny smith apples. The 2019 Podium is a classic in the making; and while it can be enjoyed today, the best is yet to come.

The NV Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Bosco di Gica punches well above its price point, boasting an intensely smoky and mineral expression on the nose that pulls you close to the glass. Beneath, I’m finding notes of pear and sweet herbal tones. It’s soothing and creamy yet balanced by brisk acids, as ripe orchard fruits satiate the senses, leaving a salty twang that resonates through the finale. Wow. This is a pleasure to taste. This was bottled in September of 2020.

Bosco di Gica opens with fresh floral scents that lead into flavors of Honeycrisp apple, yellow pear and white peach wrapped in a fine, satiny mousse and just enough sweetness (10 grams per liter) to amplify those juicy fruit tones. It’s an elegant wine and a terrific value, perfect for a high end by-the-glass program.