With fall closing in, I’m drawn to wines whose tasting notes include phrases like damp earth, forest floor, and wet leaves. I want to open a bottle and be transported somewhere steeped in autumn. As I sit down to dinner with a glass of Chinon, the ceiling becomes a canopy of fresh pine, and a stream winds through my moss-covered living room.
     To evoke such a strong sense of place in a wine is a magical thing. Dipping your nose into the glass will take you to a different moment in time: exploring campgrounds as a kid, a cozy cabin in the woods, backpacking with old friends, your favorite local trail after a rain. A conjuring of that unmistakable feeling of being in nature, a heightened sense of existence in a serene place.
     As we hope for an early end to this unprecedented wildfire season here in the West, consider this sampler an ode to forests—a selection of our most transportive, evergreen-evoking reds: Cabernet Francs with textbook forest-floor expressions reminiscent of mossy bark and damp earth; Barolo showcasing a fragrant Alpine coolness, like a eucalyptus grove or wild mint; Pinot Noir brimming with notes of blackberry and earth-covered mushrooms; Chianti like the bottled essence of a misty morning truffle forage in the Tuscan woods.
     Each of these ambrosial reds is sure to inspire a walk in the woods, whether it be a frolic in your neighborhood park or just a stroll down memory lane.