What to Stock (and Pour) This Holiday Season – California Picks

• Sustainable Farming
• Variety: Grüner Veltliner
• Region: Wachau
• Vineyard: Ried Steinertal
• Soil Type: Gneiss, mica schist, primary rock & loam
• Fermentation & Élevage: Spontaneously fermented in stainless steel then élevage in steel with a small amount of neutral Austrian oak

• Sustainable Farming
• Variety: Riesling
• Region: Nahe
• Vineyard: Schlossböckelheimer Felsenberg
• Soil Type: Weathered volcanic porphyr
• Fermentation & Élevage: Stainless steel

• Variety: Riesling  
• Region: Mosel  
• Vineyard: Graacher Domprobst  
• Soil Type: Blue Devonian slate  
• Fermentation & Élevage: Spontaneous fermentation and aging in old Mosel fuder 

• Practicing Organic 
• Variety: Sauvignon Blanc  
• Region: Podravje  
• Vineyard: Ried Ciringa  
• Soil Type: Coral limestone  
• Fermentation & Élevage: Spontaneous fermentation, élevage for 66 months in large, used oak barrels  

• Practicing Organic 
• 100% Chardonnay 
• Clones: Clone 4, Heritage Wente, Clone 96, Clone 95 
• Sourced from Burnside, Occidental, Piner, Hall Road, Lawson Vineyards (Sonoma County AVA) 
• Hand-harvested 
• De-stemmed and foot tread before being pressed 
• 100% tank fermented and aged for 6 months before racking 
• Gentle crossflow filtration done before bottling 
• 6,300 cases produced 
• 12.5% abv 

• Practicing Organic
• 100% Chenin Blanc
• Sourced from Happy Canyon Vineyard, Block 1B in Santa Ynez Valley
• Positas Fine Sandy Loam with chert & serpentine
• Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel tank and neutral oak barrel
• Aged in neutral French oak during the winter and racked into stainless steel in the spring
• 12.5% Alc

• Certified organic 
• 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah 
• 30+ year old vines 
• Northernmost village of Valréas 
• From one the highest elevation and coolest climate section of the Southern Rhone – Valréas 
• 410m altitude 
• Clay and limestone soil 
• Eastern exposure 
• Indigenous yeast 
• Partially De-stemmed 
• Aged in 70% concrete, 30% older barrels 

• Certified biodynamic 
• 60% Niellucciu, 40% Sciaccarellu 
• Forca di Pero is Corsican for “the fork of the pear tree”, referencing the various plots of the domaine that go into the wine 
• Schist and basalt terroir 
• Southeast facing sites 
• 30+ year old vines 
• 10% whole cluster 
• Indigenous yeast 
• Fermented and aged in concrete for 18 months 
• Unfined and unfiltered 

• • 100% Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) from the Sasella vineyards of Rocce Rosse, Nuova Regina and Ultimi Raggi 
  • 50-100-year-old vines 
  • 400-500 meters elevation 
  • South/southeast exposure 
  • 120-day maceration on the skins 
  • Aged 18 months in 50HL untoasted casks 
  • Rests 24 months in bottle prior to release 
  • 3,750 cases produced annually. 

• 100% Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) 
• 50-100-year-old vines 
• From Buon Consiglio and San Antonio single vineyards in the Grumello subzone 
• 350-500 meters 
• Southern exposure 
• 110-day maceration 
• Aged 18 months in 50HL untoasted casks 
• Rests 24 months in bottle prior to release 
• 2,600 bottles produced annually 

• Practicing Organic 
• 100% Aglianico from the province of Montemarano in Avellino 
• Average age of the vines: 18-22 years 
• 480-510m above sea level 
• Calcareous clay soil 
• Maceration on the skins for 15-20 days in steel tanks 
• Aged in combination 30, 50, and 80-hectolitre oak casks and French oak barriques for 48 months 
•  Following time in wood, additional six months in bottle 

• Nebbiolo planted to marl and limestone soils in the Bricco Ambrogio cru, the most important vineyard in the village of Roddi  
• 275 meters elevation with south/southeast exposure 
• The first vintage was produced in 2002 and nearly a monopole 
• Harvested by hand, normally after the 10th of October 
• Submerged-cap maceration (10-12 days in average) 
• Indigenous yeast fermentation (20-30 days in average) in stainless steel  
• Malolactic fermentation in 225 L barrels over the winter 
• Aged 11 months in neutral French oak barrels and further 13 months in large casks, plus 8 months in stainless steel and 6 months in bottle 
• 790 Cases produced annually 

• Sustainable Farming 
• Scavino’s first single vineyard Barolo, first produced in 1978 
• Located in Castiglione Falletto, within the Fiasco cru 
• Under Scavino’s ownership since 1921, it is in this vineyard where the Tortonian and Helvetian soils cross, bringing both power and elegance to the finished wine 
• 260 meters above sea level with southwest orientation 

• Practicing Biodynamic 
• 100% Pinot Noir 
• Selection of barrels from Abbey Harris & Leal in the Boonville Ridges, and Baker Ranch & Forste in the Philo Ridges 
• Bearwallow-Wolfey soils 
• 3-Week Native yeast fermentation with daily punchdowns 
• Aged 12 months in French oak (20% new) 
• 20ppm SO2 at bottling 
• 13.4% abv 
• 650 cases produced 

• Practicing Organic 
• 76% Zinfandel, 11% Carignan, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Grenache, 3% Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Negrette, and others 
• Sourced in majority from Sodini Ranch, Bedrock Vineyard, and Teldeschi Ranch 
• Additionally, fruit is sourced in smaller quantities from Beeson Ranch, Katushas’, Pato, Mori, Dolinsek, Banfield, Sky, and Old Hill Ranch 
• 70% of the vineyard sources are farmed by Bedrock 
• The average age of the vine is 80 years old 
• Elevage 10 months in combination of neutral vessels (foudre, puncheon, and barrique), with the addition of a very small percentage in new oak 

• Sustainable Farming
• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grown on one of Stellenbosch’s coolest sites on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain
• Iron and sandstone-rich soils
• Hand harvested and destemmed to tanks with only minimal SO2 added
• Fermentation with indigenous yeast lasted 2 weeks with daily pump overs, not exceeding 26ºC
• After extended maceration, the wine was drained and pressed to barrels
• Matured for 15 in 500L French oak barrels, 30% were new
• Aged for a further 15 months in larger format oak before bottling

• Sustainable Farming 
• Variety: Welschriesling 
• Region: Leithaberg  
• Vineyard: Ried Hotte, Ried Grenier, and Ried Kraxner  
• Soil type: Eroded primary rock, mica slate, limestone, and sandy loam  
• Fermentation & Élevage: Fermentation in stainless steel & racked into 100 liter barrels 

• 80% Assyrtiko, 10% Aidani, 10% Athiri 
• Sourced from some of the estate’s oldest vines in Episkopki at over 200 years of age 
• Yields are an insanely low 6 hL/ha 
• Grapes are picked a full month after the main harvest and sun-dried for 14 days 
• Fermented spontaneously and aged in cement for 3 years 
• Aged an additional 16 years in various formats of oak 

• 100% Moscato Bianco sourced from 10ha in the Bricco Francia cru 
• 300 meters above sea level 
• Natural fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 1 month 
• Bottled 5-6 different times during the year, to keep aromas and freshness at their best 
• 5,833 cases produced annually 

• Practicing Sustainable 
• 100% Zinfandel 
• Lily Hill Vineyard (Dry Creek Valley AVA) 
• Originally planted in 1915, replanted in 2001 
• 800 – 1,000 ft. elevation 
• Harvested 3-4 weeks after normal picking for dry wines 
• Crushed into stainless steel tanks 
• Native yeast fermentation 
• Aged in older French barrels 
• R.S. 90 g/L or 9% by volume 
• 381 cases produced 
• 14.5% abv 

• Brewery: Niizawa Jozoten  
• Prefecture: Miyagi  
• Rice: Yamada Nishiki milled to 60%  
• Sake Meter Value: +7  
• Acidity: 1.6  
• ABV: 15.5% 

A remarkably elegant honjozo popular with local Miyagi drinkers. 

Unusual for a sake of this grade it is made from Grade A Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo, some of the most highly sought after rice in the country and almost always used in more premium sake styles. 

Dynamic aroma and flavors of tart wild strawberries and green herbs balanced with mild creaminess. 

Versatile in food pairings but excellent with raw oysters, fluke and scallops. An excellent match for caviar. 

• Matsuura Shuzo Brewery 
• Ishikawa Prefecture 
• Dewasansan and Gohyaku Mangoku milled to 65% 
• Kumamoto Yeast 
• Sake Meter Value: +9 
• Acidity: 1.3  
• ABV: 15% 

A beautifully dry and spicy sake, slightly nutty, with the characteristic Shishi no Sato clarity. 

Pairs beautifully with the “mountain cuisine” of rural Ishikawa, smoky dishes of grilled game meats, miso based stews, braised daikon radish and river trout. 

A “chokara” (super dry) sake in the Onigoroshi (“dry enough to kill a demon”) style. 

• Mezcal produced in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Valentin Martinez Sernas
• Made from 100% Espadín (Agave angustifolia) matured between 6–12 years
• Cooked in conical earthen pit oven using pine and mesquite wood
• Milled using traditional horse-drawn stone tahona
• Fermented in Encino oak vats (tinas) using proprietary well water
• Distilled twice using a traditional clay pot Filipino still
• The second distillation sees the addition of fresh Oaxacan cacao made by Gonzalo’s sisters
• Rested 21 months in glass
• Hot cocoa on the nose; the palate is graceful and light on its feet with pink peppercorn, jasmine, and herbs; light but pronounced smoke gives a mature backbone to the notes of cacao and the finish is salty and earthy
• 48.8% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

This one is all about family. Macurichos is produced by the four Martinez Sernas brothers and their nephew, Valentín; meanwhile, at the same palenque, the family’s three sisters produce their own Oaxacan chocolate brand using a combination of cacao grown by the family and sourced from their partners in Chiapas. For this incredible mezcal, young Valentín, during the second distillation in a clay pot still, combines the mezcales he and his uncles distill with the cacao made by his mother and aunts. A truly remarkable, gracefully integrated spirit, nearly impossible not to love.

• Añejo tequila produced in Amatitán, Jalisco (NOM 1477)
• Maestro Tequilero Alberto Partida
• 100% Azul aka Blue Weber (Agave tequilana)
• Single estate agave from El Novillero field
• Cooked in a traditional, mesquite-wood-fired stone oven (without steam)
• Milled using an automated tahona (traditional stone wheel mill)
• Open-air fermented with fibers (bagasse) in wooden tanks (tinas) using spring water and ambient yeast
• Distilled in historical wood-fired copper pot stills from the 19th century
• Aged 3–4 years in a combination of ex–bourbon barrels and ex–red wine barrels made from American oak and French oak
• Tantalizing aromas of wet cedar, caramel, eucalyptus, candied plum, dry clay, and fresh vanilla bean precede a palate brimming with rich cooked agave, roasted sweet potato, pineapple, cherry tobacco, and pomegranate seed with white pepper and a hint of smoky char on a dry, earthy finish
• Additive free
• 42% ABV

Amatiteña’s debut extra añejo swings for the fences and knocks it out of the park. Distilled from agave sourced from a single field in the Tequila Valley, this expression is composed of a blend of tequilas aged in a combination of casks including ex–red wine casks for three years and ex–bourbon casks for four years.

• Reposado tequila produced in El Medineño, Jalisco, by Familia Landeros (NOM 1599)
• Maestro Tequilero René Carranza
• 100% Azul aka Blue Weber (Agave tequilana)
• Cooked over 24 hours using an autoclave
• Crushed using a small roller mill
• Natural fermentation using ambient yeast, 6–8 days in open-air stainless steel vats
• Distilled twice using stainless steel pot stills
• Aged 6 months and 25 days in used medium-toast American white oak barrels
• A lightly spiced nose of clove, black peppercorn, anise, and ginger leads to a  medium- bodied palate highlighting notes of toasted nuts, cooked fruit, and dried corn leaves with a dense herbal finish
• Additive free
• 46% ABV

Atanasio’s Origenes releases are an explicit homage to tequila as it was made over a hundred years ago. Bottled at a higher alcohol content than the Carranza family’s core offerings, these limited bottlings boast the kind of lactic and herbaceous profile that easily draws comparison to both historic tequila and mezcal producers alike. The first reposado from the series was aged nearly seven months in toasted American oak barrels and weaves warm baking spice and nutty oak through the green, herbal notes of Atanasio tequila.

• Straight bourbon whiskey distilled by ASW Distillery in Atlanta, Georgia 
• Mash bill of 56% corn, 17% malted barley, 14% malted wheat, and 13% malted rye 
• Distilled on twin Vendome copper pot stills 
• Aged 6 years in new, char #3 and #4, 30- and 53-gallon American oak barrels; non-age statement 
• Notes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cherry cola, peanut brittle, and sweet tea 
• Gold medalist at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition 
• No added color 
• Non-chill filtered; 50% ABV 

Distilled on ASW Distillery’s own copper pot stills from a four-grain mash bill, Fiddler Soloist is the first straight bourbon ever distilled in the city of Atlanta, representing the city’s first venture into bourbon production after Prohibition (over ninety years after its repeal) and well after the legal establishment of the whiskey term “straight” in 1909. 

• Limited release American single malt whiskey produced by St. George Spirits in Alameda, California 
• 100% malted barley; a combination of two-row barley varieties roasted at varying levels and unroasted Bamberg malt smoked over beech and alder wood 
• Distilled in copper pot stills 
• Lot 25 primarily aged 5 to 13 years; non-age statement 
• Aged in a combination of 28 casks including ex-bourbon and ex-rye American oak, French oak that previously held apple brandy, rum, and port, and California ex-sauternes wine casks 
• A nose of crème brûlée, marzipan, orange zest, fresh peach, and sandalwood transitions to a palate of cocoa, brown ale, peanut brittle, cherry cola, and nutmeg 
• 43% ABV 

St. George Master Distiller and industry vanguard Lance Winters released Lot 1 of the distillery’s single malt whiskey in 2000. While interest in American single malt was, at the time, indifferent at best, the category is now enthusiastically embraced by connoisseurs and was given legal criteria and recognition by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in January of 2025 (a cool 25 years after the St. George Lot Series was begun). St. George celebrates this landmark anniversary, and their first release under the official category banner, with a vatting carefully composed by head distiller and blender Dave Smith using barrels from St. George’s over-2000-strong library of casks. Notably, the blend incorporates some of the very first whiskey barrel made with the Lot mash bill that Lance laid down, SM-01, underscoring this full-circle achievement. 

• Limited edition cask strength straight rye whiskey produced by Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky 
• 2024 release of Castle & Key’s Experimental Series 
• Mash bill of 63% rye, 17% yellow corn, and 20% malted barley 
• Rye is sourced from Germany; corn is sourced from Walnut Grove Farm in Adairville, Kentucky; barley is sourced from Malteurop Malting Company (multiple US locations) 
• Sweet mash fermented 
• Water for production comes from Castle & Key’s historic “Key” shaped limestone spring 
• Distilled in 24-inch and 36-inch Vendome copper column stills and a 375-gallon doubler 
• Aged 3 years in untoasted char #3 new American oak barrels from Speyside Cooperage in Jackson, Ohio; finished in vino de naranja casks for 11 months; non-age statement 
• Vatting of 36 barrels 
• Aromas of cacao nib, shortbread, caramelized orange, charred thyme, and buttercream transition to a palate of Ranier cherry, dark honey, and orange blossom with oxidized sherry notes, black peppercorn, dried red fruit, and leather on the finish 
• Non-chill filtered; bottled at a cask strength of 57.9% ABV 

Castle & Key Distillery’s Experimental Series consists of limited, small-batch bottlings that explore unique barrel finishes, blends, and mash bills. This 2024 release was aged nearly one year in casks previously used to mature vino de naranja (a Spanish aromatized wine produced by macerating orange peels in sweet white wine made from sun-dried grapes), resulting in a perfect marriage of honeyed orange and Castle & Key’s spicy Restoration Rye. 

• Plum brandy distilled by Distillerie Louis Roque in Souillac, Quercy, in the southwest of France 
• Distilled from three varieties of plums: Ente (red plum), Mirabelle (yellow plum most famous in the Lorraine) and Reine-Claude (green plum grown all over France) 
• Double distilled on a bain-marie style copper pot still 
• Aged 4–5 years in 400-liter oak casks; gradually reduced to bottling proof with water 
• Boisterous fruit and esters burst off the nose with vibrant oxidation and notes of rich, nutty marzipan from the plum pits. The palate is deep and oaky, full of raisins, Chinese 5 Spice, licorice root, and—you guessed it—prunes. Curious and delicious! 
• No sugar added 
• 42% ABV 

La Vieille Prune is a staple in French bars and restaurants and makes a compelling cocktail component, subbing or complementing whiskey quite intuitively. 

• Armagnac distilled by Château de Pellehaut in Monteal-du-Gers, France 
• Appellation Armagnac-Ténarèze Contrôlée 
• Cépages: Distilled primarily from Folle Blanche with some Ugni Blanc 
• Grape varieties are distilled separately on a travelling, wood-fired alambic Armagnacais (short column still) 
• Aged 9–20 years in French oak before blending (multiple vintages are blended in a stainless steel tank that is topped off and extracted from in a solera-style system) 
• Fresh plum, light caramel, and crème fraîche on the nose transition to a palate that exhibits sultanas, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and a hint of date. A brief bite of fresh ginger closes out the finish. 
• 42.5 % ABV 

• Amaro produced by Sangallo Distillery Cinque Terre in Genoa, Italy 
• Primary botanicals include almond, cinchona, mint, bitter orange, and gentian 
• Botanicals are either distilled or macerated in groups for 3 to 4 weeks in neutral grain spirit 
• Sweetened with sugar beet sugar syrup 
• Earthy and herbal with mint, ginger, black cherry, and almond cookie. A rich and juicy palate of spicy cola notes including cinnamon and vanilla combined with dried citrus finishes with drying gentian and mint. 
• Awarded World’s Best Bitter at the 2023 World Liqueur Awards 
• 20% ABV 

Amaro Camatti is emblematic of the drinking culture of Genoa and ubiquitous throughout the province where seemingly every bar and café proudly displays a bottle. Repackaged in 2020 to reflect a throwback vintage design from the 1950s, Amaro Camatti is a comforting and refreshing amaro that effortlessly straddles the line between aperitivo and digestivo, offering endless drinking and mixing possibilities. 

• Amaro produced by Gruppo Caffo in Taranto, Italy 
• Over thirty botanicals featuring gentian, bitter orange, aloe, saffron, cardamom, coriander, juniper, and mountain germander (herb native to the Alps) 
• Base distillate made from neutral grain 
• Botanicals are grouped together according to recipe and cold-macerated in alcohol for two months 
• After blending, the infusion is aged for 8 months in oak barrels before sugar beet sugar and additional alcohol are added 
• The spirit is aged for an additional 6 months in oak before finally being filtered and bottled 
• A nose of mint and fresh green cardamom with a hint of sfumato leads to a palate with pleasant lift, featuring orange peel, delicate rhubarb root, dry kola nut, and a lingering but pleasant bitterness on the finish 
• 40% ABV 

Enjoy this classic Italian amaro neat, in a Caffè corretto, or poured over ice cream as any Italian café patron in the know might do on a warm day. 

• Destilado de agave produced in Tepeojuma, Puebla, Mexico
• Maestro Mezcalero Asunción Matilda Vargas
• 100% Espadilla (Agave angustifolia) capón (castrated) for one year prior to harvest to concentrate sugars
• Cooked in a traditional pit oven made of earth and stone
• Milled by hand using an axe
• Fermented in a shallow stone well
• Distilled twice using a hybrid Filipino-style pot still of clay and wood with an external condenser made of copper (refrescadera)—honestly, a totally wild still
• Fresh fig leaves and fresh figs, cut in half, are added to the second distillation
• Rested nearly 6 years before bottling
• 55% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

In 2018, during a visit to Denmark to present agave spirits in a tasting at Noma, Erick Rodriguez (Pal’alma) was served a glass of water that had been steeped with fresh fig leaves for three days. Figs had been a favorite fruit throughout Erick’s life—a fig tree grows outside his home in Ramos Millan Ixtacalco—but the use of the fresh leaf was new and compelling, a different way to understand the flavor of the plant. The impression of that experience consumed Erick after his return to Mexico, and upon his next collaborative visit with Maestro Mezcalero Asunción Matilda Vargas, they determined to create a mezcal to celebrate it. Rested nearly six years in glass, this batch is a deeply personal expression of sense memory.