Wine For Normal People - The Blends - Winter 2024 750 ml

2018 Skyhook Red Wine Bennett Valley Sonoma County

Winemaker Derek Beitler is a rising star with Caymus pedigree in his genes. Swaggering, high-powered reds come second nature to him. But then Derek can turn on a dime and craft a wine like this—earthy, restrained, with classic accents of olive tapenade and practically oozing with Old World grace—that tastes like it escaped from a 100-year-old stronghold of the Southern Rhône!

2020 Castell del Remei Gotim Bru Costers del Segre

Castell del Remei is one of the oldest and most important wineries in the under-the-radar Costers del Segre region. Founded in 1780, this organically farmed estate leverages the region’s harsh climatic tensions to turn out expressive, ageworthy wines. Gotim Bru is their flagship, and the 2020 is balanced, layered, and lush.

2022 Ferraton Pere et Fils Cotes du Rhone Samorens Blanc Rhone

Crafted by 40x 100-point winemaker Michel Chapoutier—whose white Hermitage can command $400—we think Ferraton’s 2022 Samorens Blanc is one of the great under-the-radar French whites. Vibrant but full, it’s perfect for warm and cold weather and a wealth of food pairings. A wine whose majesty is evident from the moment it’s poured, it brings absolutely incredible quality.

2015 Las Rubias Red Blend Uco Valley

Rob Lawson was mentored by Helen Turley. He earned a 100-point score as a consultant for Kapcsándy, and he ran Napa Wine Company for nearly a decade, working alongside names like Paul Hobbs, Phillipe Melka, and Heidi Barrett. And his powerful, seductive 2015 Las Rubias is a Cabernet/Malbec blend crafted like the finest wines in Napa. We wouldn’t hesitate to pour it in a lineup of $100 Napa Cabernets.

Champagne Alfred Tritant Mes Racines Grand Cru Brut Bouzy Champagne

Farming 19 plots that cover barely seven acres in the Grand Cru villages of Bouzy and Ambonnay, Alfred Tritant produces gorgeous Champagne with all the broad-shouldered, fruity, chalky complexity of a great house like Bollinger. With half the blend coming from a solera of old vintages dating back as far as 50 years, it’s an incredible Grand Cru grower-Champagne that we imported ourselves.

2020 Nicosia Sabbie di Sutta Cerasuolo di Vittoria Sicily

A favorite of Wine For Normal People’s Elizabeth Schneider, this chillable, crushable Sicilian blend harmoniously combines the richness of Nero d'Avola (60%) with the bright, lifted character of Frappato (40%). This medium-bodied wine dances between power and elegance—it’s a wild, wonderful wine from way under the radar.