"[Bachelet's] are clearly amongst the best wines made in the 2009 vintage... the rewards down the road are going to be glorious." -John Gilman

This is a tough offer to write: Bachelet's wines are some of my absolute favorites, and as such the number of offers I've penned on his wines have probably hit double digits.

In 2009 Daniel Bouland went from unknown to the guy everyone was talking about.

In no time at all, he's become one of Beaujolais' TOP producers.

That was the 2008 vintage and what brought all the attention was David Schildknecht placing one of Bouland's 2008s as THE wine of the vintage.

2008 was one of the most difficult vintages of the past decade in Beaujolais. The fact that this was Bouland's break-out vintage testifies to the estate's exacting standards.

Huet is one of the grandest names in winemaking and their wines represent the pinnacle of Vouvray and Chenin Blanc - there is just no denying this.

At the top of their hierarchy is the Cuvée Constance.

Dominique Lafon is one of the greatest winemakers in France. He is also a pioneer.

Over ten years ago, Lafon decided to venture out, beyond his rather coveted confines in Meursault, to the "wilderness" of the Macon, a region of rambling hills and vineyards just over 90 kilometers south of the Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

In Valentini's hands, Montepulciano becomes decidedly noble, soaring and vivid. It's wild and gamey, spicy and dark-fruited, yet with beautiful clarity, balance, structure... and, most uniquely for Abruzzo and Montepulciano, PRECISION.

Raffault's are some of the most relentlessly mineral Cab Francs around. There's no effort to tame Cabernet Franc's lean herbaceousness.

If the wines of Florian Lauer have gone cult (and they have), these are THE two cult bottlings.

We were the first store in the U.S. to get any Schonfels, taking down just about EVERY bottle that came into the country - which in 2009 was a paltry ten cases. Last year, quantities weren't much better. These are rare, rare bottles.

"Morgan Twain-Peterson is one of the most impressive young winemakers I have ever met." - Antonio Galloni

Morgan and his Bedrock winery are steeped in California wine history - both philosophically and physically.

Le Mesnil is holy ground for Chardonnay, and Chétillons is one of the choicest parcels in all of Mesnil.

Which is to say that we're dealing with some of the best land in all of Champagne.

Chétillons is an extremely chalky, well-exposed site that takes Mesnil's piercing acidity and minerality and gives it an extra-dimension and an additional layer of gravitas. Not that Mesnil needs any more of it, but regardless here it is.

Simply put: This is some of the most beautiful Chardonnay in the world.

Today, we turn our attention to Antoniotti's 2008 Bramaterra. Last year, we enthusiastically introduced this new wine from the strong Louis/Dressner portfolio.

The 2008 version offers even more verve, more minerality - in short, a clearer snapshot of what makes this area so distinctive.