Italy is home to so many native grape varieties (roughly ten times France’s amount) that you’d never be able to taste them all in a lifetime, let alone know of their existence. What makes Italian whites charming is that each is deeply rooted in its soil, local culture, and the people who have contributed to their cultivation for centuries. Arneis, which means “little rascal” in Piemontese dialect, is just barely a wine, considering how quickly it goes from vine to press to bottle. Fermented dry, it retains the gorgeous grape must aroma that typically fades with fermentation, giving us a wine reminiscent of ripe pear and gardenias—a quintessential choice for bright salad courses. I paired it with crunchy little gems and endive, tossed with a green goddess dressing and bits of avocado. The dressing’s creaminess matched the softness of the wine without overpowering its delightful touch of spritz.

When Yves Laboucarié founded Domaine de Fontsainte in southern France’s Corbières appellation in 1971, he was not interested in sticking to the status quo in a region whose winemaking tradition dates back to Roman times. His first innovation was to champion a rosé he dubbed “Gris de Gris,” named for the direct pressing of Grenache Gris grapes and inspired by an especially delicate and mouth-watering style of rosé he remembered from his youth. Yves also brought his own touch to the domaine’s red wine, becoming the first in the region to use carbonic maceration—certainly one of the secrets to his Corbières rouge’s explosive freshness and downright deliciousness.
     The domaine’s wealth of ancient Carignan vines are especially well adapted to vinification with whole clusters, and today Yves’ son Bruno carries on his father’s pioneering work, producing what is still perhaps the greatest value red in our entire portfolio. The Carignan, planted in 1950, makes up the majority of the blend along with some Grenache and Syrah, which are fully destemmed.
     Bruno’s use of partial carbonic allows for the expression of generous, juicy fruit and vivid florals that cascade over the palate with abandon, not unlike the best Beaujolais but in a darker, riper register that reflects the sun-kissed Mediterranean landscape of Corbières. The accents of herbal garrigue and vineyard stones offer just enough earthy terroir to counterbalance the chewy black fruit and mouth-coating wild brambleberry, making this bargain red—a testament to Yves’ creative spirit nearly fifty years ago—the right bottle to uncork at any which moment.