DOCG Alta Langa is the top appellation for sparkling wines in Piemonte. The requirements are very strict, including use of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and at least 30 months for the second fermentation in bottle. Full details

The lightest and perhaps most "feminine" of the Rombeau Rancio secs, the 2010 is distinguished by its cepage and its shorter elevage, with an increased percentage of Macabeu and, atypically, a small amount of Muscat à Petits Grains (roughly 10%) added to the foundational Grenache blanc and Grenache gris. Vinified in tank with native yeasts, then transferred to an assortment of old barrels, foudres and glass demijohns for 12-18 months aging outdoors. A portion is then returned to the cellars, which rest above ground and lack temperature control, while another portion remains in the "barrel forest" outdoors until the time of blending and bottling. Full details

DOCG Alta Langa is the top appellation for sparkling wines in Piemonte. The requirements are very strict, including use of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and at least 30 months for the second fermentation in bottle. Full details

The 2009 Rombeau Rancio sec is the most complete and balanced of the Rombeau Rancio secs, displaying the pronounced umami funk of 2008 with the lighter touch of 2010. It was vinified in tank with native yeasts, then transferred to an assortment of old barrels, foudres and glass demijohns for 12-18 months' aging outdoors. A portion is then returned to the cellars, which rest above ground and lack temperature control, while another portion remained in the "barrel forest" until the time of blending and bottling in mid-2016. Full details

The most evolved of the Rombeau Rancio secs, the 2008 exhibits a pronounced "rancio funk" while nevertheless retaining its complexity and rough good manners. It was vinified in tank with native yeasts, then transferred to an assortment of old barrels, foudres and glass demijohns for 24 months' aging outdoors. A portion was then returned to the cellars, which rest above ground and lack temperature control, while another portion remained in the "barrel forest" until the time of blending and bottling in mid-2016. Full details

Produced only in exceptional vintages, the Domaine du Dernier Bastion Maury Rancio is pure Grenache noir, selected from the estate’s oldest vines. Fermented in a 200-year-old concrete tank, the wine was aged in a 1,000-liter tonneau for eight years, then placed on the rooftop under glass and exposed to the elements for a final year prior to bottling. The resulting wine exhibits warming complexity and reverberative depth, its mellow rancio character embroidered on flavors of spiced cherry, caramelized orange, fruit cake, fig, walnut, coffee and cocoa. Enjoy with creamy blue-veined cow’s milk cheeses, with nuts and dark chocolates. Serve slightly chilled or at cellar temperature. Full details

Recalling his grandfather’s fondness for the old wines aged in chestnut barrels, third-generation winemaker Jean-Michel Parcé commissioned two 500-liter barrels from a stand of chestnut trees on his cousin’s property in Roussillon. Once common in cellars throughout Europe, chestnut is now rarely found. More porous than oak, it requires greater attention on the part of the winemaker, but managed well it can impart structure married to a fat, exuberant, oxidative expression, full of generosity and rustic charm. Full details

From a tiny, roasted parcel within what is perhaps the most prized of all of Domaine du Mas Blanc's vineyards, Coume del Mas, the Banyuls Rimage ‘Diadème de la Coume’ 2008 has been produced in just two vintages and is notable for its diffident, smoky character, thought to be the result of ash from an adjacent fire. Its east-facing, 1.5-hectare vineyard sits at 350 meters altitude, overlooking the sea. Soils are the classic poor brown schist and decayed shale, and yields are just 15 hl/ha. The ‘Diadème de la Coume’ is 90% Grenache noir, 5% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah. Full details

Produced only in exceptional vintages, the Domaine du Dernier Bastion Maury Rancio is pure Grenache noir, selected from the estate’s oldest vines. Fermented in a 200-year-old concrete tank, the wine was aged in a 1,000-liter tonneau for nine years, then placed on the rooftop under glass and exposed to the elements for a final year prior to bottling. The resulting wine exhibits warming complexity and reverberative depth, its mellow rancio character embroidered on flavors of spiced cherry, caramelized orange, fruit cake, fig, walnut, coffee and cocoa. Enjoy with creamy blue-veined cow’s milk cheeses, with nuts and dark chocolates. Serve slightly chilled or at cellar temperature. Full details

The H&H Verdelho Single Harvest 2007 is a colheita bottling: an early-bottled vintage wine. This is unique among Madeira wines: a single-vineyard wine produced exclusively with estate fruit. The wine was aged for 12 years in ancient casks at the H&H cellars at Câmara de Lobos. It combines a vineyard signature of shimmering acidity and hints of eucalyptus with the depth of concentration and elegance for which H&H is renowned. One of the four ‘classic’ Madeira varieties, Verdelho is meio seco—medium-dry—and highly versatile at the table. Full details

Recalling his grandfather’s fondness for the old wines aged in chestnut barrels, third-generation winemaker Jean-Michel Parcé commissioned two 500-liter barrels from a stand of chestnut trees on his cousin’s property in Roussillon. Once common in cellars throughout Europe, chestnut is now rarely found. More porous than oak, it requires greater attention on the part of the winemaker, but managed well it can impart structure married to a fat, exuberant, oxidative expression, full of generosity and rustic charm. Full details

Harvested from the Domaine du Mas Blanc’s oldest Grenache vines, the Banyuls “Collection” 2002 is a special subset of its Banyuls “Vieilles Vignes”. Hand-harvested and trodden by foot, it was fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts and aged in 650-liter oak demi-muids for 10 years. A single 225-liter barrel was then diverted from bottling and set aside for continued elevage as part of the estate’s library of its most important wines. Dubbed “Collection”, only three vintages have been previously released to the public. Full details

Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyuls Rimage ‘La Coume’ 2001 comes from what is perhaps the most prized of all of the domaine's vineyards: Coume del Mas, celebrated not only for its Rimage ‘La Coume’ and ‘Diadème de la Coume’ but as the source of the historic Banyuls ‘Cuvée St. Martin’. East-facing, the 1.5-hectare vineyard sits at 350-meters altitude, overlooking the sea. Soils are the classic poor brown schist and decayed shale, and yields are just 15 hl/ha. ‘La Coume’ is 90% Grenache noir, 5% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah. Full details

The H&H Sercial Single Harvest 2001 is a colheita bottling: an early-bottled vintage wine. Bright and deep, this edition could easily be mistaken for Verdelho but for the saline/sea smoke signature of its Sercial fruit. More off-dry than dry, its caramelized apricot, tangerine and almond flavors mask impressive extract, the result of its extended time in canteiro. Sercial is the palest and the driest of the classical madeira varieties. Full details

Harvested from the Domaine du Mas Blanc’s oldest Grenache vines, the Banyuls “Collection” 2000 is a special subset of its Banyuls “Vieilles Vignes”. Hand-harvested and trodden by foot, it was fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts and aged in 650-liter oak demi-muids for 10 years. A single 225-liter barrel was then diverted from bottling and set aside for continued elevage as part of the estate’s library of its most important wines. Dubbed “Collection”, only three vintages have been previously released to the public. Full details

A selection of the estate’s oldest Grenache vines, the Banyuls “Vieilles Vignes” 2000 was hand-harvested and vinified traditionally: crushed by foot and fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts, it was aged for 10 years in 650-liter oak demi-muids before bottling. Always limited, a small portion of its production was set aside for inclusion in the estate’s library of its most important wines, a practice inaugurated by Dr. André Parcé in 1947. Full details

The H&H Boal Single Harvest 2000 is a colheita bottling: an early-bottled vintage wine. Atypical for the house, this is reserved and surprisingly understated, imbued with detail and quiet confidence. Clove, cherry, brown sugar and rancio notes beckon from the glass. In the mouth, it’s supple and focused, a rich caress of pixilated Boal flavors enjoined to a long and refined finish. One of the classic white grape varieties of Madeira, Boal is meio doce: medium-sweet, thought to offer Madeira lovers the ideal combination of elegance and richness. Full details