All I Want for Xmas (Solstice/Hannukah/Kwanza/Whatever You Celebrate)

Oh yay it’s that time of year! I rarely make wish lists—I’m real bad at asking for things—but this year I am emboldened to reflect on things I wouldn’t mind having show up. But this list is not just spendy wines and extra wine practices I idolize! It also includes practical wines and wine practices that I want to see. I’d be oh-so-grateful for any of these. Let’s start with the wines/wine practices I’d luxuriate in (I am a practical Virgo but a wannabe hedonist). WINE OF THE YEAR First off, obviously, I’d want to be given a gazillion bottles of what turned my head this year. And this year, I had to name two wines of the year; I can’t help it! Maybe I’m becoming spoiled, but wine rarely makes me lose my breath, and both of the following did. Moreover, they are the last things I suspect I’d lose my mind about: skin contact with Pinot Grigio and Chilean Chardonnay. I’ll start with the latter: 2016 Aristos Duquesa d’A Grand Chardonnay du Chili It is no mistake that there are Burgundian aspects to this wine—the winemaker is the third generation of a French family in Chile. This Chardonnay is full of surprises with magnificent components that, impressive as they are, register as more than the sum of their beautiful parts. On the nose it’s remarkably reductive, with gunflint leaning almost into gassy sulfur realm but enticingly so. On the palate, all those notes jump up to say look at me! Then they suddenly give way to caramelized corn, brown velvet sugar, and browned butter cut through with sudden rippling minerality, ceding to an almost oily texture cut with friendly acidity. The finish goes on and on, lingering on the browned butter and caramel. It’s SO enticing; give it time in the glass to evolve. A gift that keeps on giving. Alois Lageder 2022 “Porer” Pinot Grigio Mitterberg IGT Yum yumyumyum. This is what orange wine should be. It brings desiccated citrus rind and fresh melon on the nose, moving into a luxuriously textured but refreshing wine. The skin contact, oak cask aging and lees contact make it lush but textured, mouth-filling but lithe. Hints of honeysuckle and incense play pinball in your mouth. I’m actually obsessed with this wine and wish to have multiple bottles to age and see what happens as the assertive acid and phenolic bitterness, I believe, give it good bones! OB. SESS. ED. Obsessed. From now on, we will go to the other things I crave anytime, especially in the winter! JUICY JUICY ZINFANDEL Bad Zin can be very, very bad. But when Zin is good, I swoon for it. And it can age! 2019 Dutcher Crossing Taylor Vineyard Century Block Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Okay, this isn’t aged, but it could be! She’s so pretty—the overripe prunes and red raspberry haze vibe with cedar and pomander (orange zest + cloves) on the nose. The silky palate is a little cloying (in a good way), and the 15% abv is happy to set up camp in your taste buds. It veers more into purple fruit on the palate: dried blueberry and juicy plum play with peppercorn and sage, finishing with graham cracker. Stunning. I love her. SATÈN Wow, I’d heard of Satèn, that enigmatic Franciacorta category in Lombardy. It’s a traditional sparkling wine, but until recently, I had yet to access it. Wines in the region are made with in-bottle secondary fermentation, the quirk of the Satén subcategory being a lower pressure level, only made in the brut style—a total balance beam to walk. I had the joy of attending a recent Franciacorta masterclass and finally made enchanting acquaintances. 2019 Contadi Castaldi Franiacorta Satèn Brut A Chardonnay glory aged 30-36 months on lees. I found it to be a seashell-y treat on the nose. The palate speaks to linens, slight yeast and freshness. The palate softens the nose’s acidity, with more yeast and roses on the finish. 2019 Ricci Curbastro Franciacorta Satèn Brut Oh gosh. Oh wow. Oh, orchard fruit plus baguette nose. The palate has delicate hints of nuts, apples, and almond/vanilla breeze. It finishes with fruits and slight freeze-dried fruit of all sorts. And now for some luxury wishes: ZALTO-MANIA If I could drink every wine from Zalto, I would. And at home, I do. Once a year, I break a glass and, depending on which one it is (universal, Burgundy or Bordeaux), spend about 60-80 bucks replacing it. Obviously, Zalto is not a practical choice for most establishments, but this is my wish list! MORE WINE IN COCKTAILS I’ve long been a proponent of the New York Sour, a beauty topped with red wine that slowly, goth-ily bleeds into a cocktail, as well as a Death in the Afternoon, an absinthe-laden obliterator if you let it be, but recently went to a Rodney Strong cocktail tasting and am here to report wine can make some fabulous cocktails, my favorite of which was the Cab’eret Spritz, a blitz of Cab, lemon juice, and passion fruit-vanilla simple topped with Prosecco. That sounds extra extra, but it comes out balanced and seriously playful, so…Play with your wine! Okay, now we move into the more practical things on my wishlist for the wine world, starting with a boon for wine givers and receivers alike: WINES UNDER 20 BUCKS THAT PUNCH ABOVE I can’t guarantee all of these will still be under twenty in a month-ish given proposed tariffs (cue eye roll), so get ‘em while the getting is good! It’s no mistake there are quite a few from the southern Rhône, rounded off by either lesser-known or less popular varieties and a popular variety from a region it isn’t known for being from…but should be! In no particular order apropos of that: 2022 André Brunel Côte du Rhône Blanc La Becasonne GOSH, this blend of Roussanne, Clairette and Grenache Blanc makes for a poised, silky, aromatic, but elegant bottle for which I’d imagine paying twice as much. The nose promises stone fruit and incense adventure, while the palate is cozy, adding warming spice, lanolin and honeydew melon alongside hints of wet stone to keep it all fresh. J’adore, je affor(d). 2021 Amédée Luberon Chemin des Loups Rouge The name refers to a “wolf street” in Rhône subregion Luberon—like literally an area of Luberon known for, well, lots of wolves. 70% Syrah with those blackcurrant and briny olive smoky notes coming through, the rest Grenache noir lifting with a bit of spice and gently drying tannins. Way better than you’d expect for the price tag, like WAY better. 2022 Leda “Truffle Hunter” Barbera d’Asti Wow, she’s pretty, gleaming ruby fruits on that nose, adding spice to the palate. Silky and friendly, slightly earthy with a bit of violet coming through the black cherry compote. Blinded, I might think it was a Pinot but for the hint of soil, herbs and the faintest hint of herbal salinity, if that is a thing. It finishes slightly hot but deeeeeliscious. 2023 Brotte Côtes du Rhone Villages Laudun Bord Elegance Rouge A Syrah/Grenache duo, sprightly minerality contoured with stewed fruit, which is which. Dry, peppery, mineral and strawberry jam AF, ending with raspberry jam and a touch of potting soil. So light and lithe but with cutting acid and a wisp of jam cordial lingering in the background. 2020 Xanadu Circa 77 Cabernet Sauvignon It is ripe red and overly black fruit jamming into a fresh potpourri. Fresh but ripe is the name of the game, all heady, cordial spiking asphalt. A touch of vanilla lingers on the finish. This is a stand-up wine. 2021 Goose Ridge G3 Merlot Columbia Valley Gosh, I’ve had affection for Columbia Valley for some time! It’s absolutely plum-tastic, bringing the blue, red and purple plums, followed by some niche earth and whiffs of niche microgreens. The palate is silky-ish, but there is a touch of a bite (hello, 6% Cab Sauv?) and rich but practical—a cat’s tongue tannin profile plays off the plum and black cherry richness, finishing with a kiss and a bite. STEMLESS GLASSES TO F THE F OFF There’s something about feigned elegance. If you don't have stemmed glasses, give me wine in a whisky tumbler (or, in the right party vibe, a solo cup). Even a mason jar would be better. And if you DO have stemware, see my thoughts on Zalto above. NORMALIZE WINE KEYS Waiters’ friends, whatever you call the double-hinged beauts. I hate when I’m at a friend’s place and for some ungoddessly reason, I don’t have a wine key on my person to whip out like a witch with a wand, so I have to use their opener and they have one of those rabbit ear things. Even worse, my brother has a mechanized thing I don’t understand. Anddd my last simple wine wish! GOODNESS NATTY GRACIOUS If your wine is sulfur-free, just make sure it tastes good, bottle after bottle. I am so into minimizing carbon footprints and not over-sulfuring wine, but there’s a lot of wiggle room that yields wines that fit into natty guidelines without tasting of mouse or vinegar. We can do this! And there we are! The wines to swoon for and the ones to ask not what wine can do for you, but what the industry can do for wine. P.S. What I really want for Christmas is to hear what wine you want…