Our 2016 Top Fall Wine Picks

Whether you’re looking for the perfect fall wine to enjoy after work or to impress your Thanksgiving holiday guests, your wine guide for the fall season is here. Take an in-depth look at our top choices for this fall, starting at the top left of the guide and traveling right. (Don’t worry about printing this out, we have copies at the front of the store to take with you while you shop!)

Steltzner Napa Valley Claret

“Classic Bordeaux blend with just enough Merlot and Petit Verdot to give the underlying Cabernet Sauvignon finesse and grace. Aromas of rich ripe fruit, raspberry jam, hints of cedar box on the finish.” – steltzner.com

Region/Appellation: Napa Valley
Country Hierarchy: Napa County, North Coast, California, USA
Grape/Blend: Bordeaux Blend Red
Food Suggestion: Beef and Venison

Pago de Los Capellanes Tinto Crianza

“It has a very marked aroma with a good balance of fruit and wood, where tones of vanilla intermingle with well-ripened fruit, black berries and wild fruits. There are also noticeable hints of leather and liquorice, resulting from the mingling of the French oak and the aromas inherent in this variety of grape. In the mouth, the wine has a smooth texture but fills the palate with balanced flavours, including fine tannins, which help extend the life of the wine. The finish and aftertaste are both long and elegant.” –pagodeloscapellanes.com

Region/Appellation: Ribera del Duero
Country Hierarchy: Castilla y Leon, Spain
Grape/Blend: Tempranillo
Food Suggestion: Lamb

Kings Ridge Oregon Pinot Noir

“A combination of rich red fruit flavors with freshness and vibrancy unique to Pinot Noir grapes grown in our beloved Willamette Valley, this wine truly reflects the character of this region. We think the best vintage is pretty much right now, so start sharing with some with your favorite people. Tasting Notes: Blackberry, cherry and cola.” – unionwinecompany.com

Region/Appellation: Willamette Valley
Country Hierarchy: Oregon, USA
Grape/Blend: Pinot Noir
Food Suggestion:Duck, Goose and Game Birds

Bussola Ca’ Del Laito Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso

“This elegant, well-knit red is medium-bodied and fresh, with supple tannins, delicate spice and floral notes accenting flavors of baked plum, crushed cherry, smoke and dried fig.” – The Wine Spectator 

Region/Appellation: Valpolicella Ripasso
Country Hierarchy: Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy
Grape/Blend: Valpolicella Blend
Food Suggestion: Beef and Venison

Apaltagua Carmenere Reserva

“Our Apaltagua Reserva Carmenere is an intense wine, wild purple in color. From start to finish, the touches of tobacco, and red and black cherries intermingle, producing a great potency in the mouth. It possesses a generous body with smooth and friendly tannins. It is a well rounded wine with a juicy and lingering finish.” – apaltagua.com

Region/Appellation: Apalta
Country Hierarchy: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Grape/Blend: Carmenere
Food Suggestion: Lamb

Domaine J. Laurens Cremant De Limoux Brut

“This sparkler’s zingy lemon-lime flavors evolve into fuller pineapple and citrus notes, a yeasty character adding breadth and weight. The full flavors and light, cardamom-like spice suit it to the dinner table, with rich fish or roasted chicken.”  – Wine & Spirits 

Region/Appellation: Cremant de Limoux
Country Hierarchy: Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Grape/Blend: Rare White Blend
Food Suggestion: Meaty and Oily Fish

Dogajolo Toscano 2014

“A young wine that boasts fruity aromas with hints of cherry interlaced with coffee, vanilla, and spice. Each varietal is vinified separately in stainless steel in this Sangiovese-based baby Super Tuscan. The blend is briefly aged in oak rendering a medium-bodied red that is soft on the palate with a balanced acidity. Suitable for everyday consumption, Dogajolo is best within a few years of the vintage.” – Opici Wines

Region/Appellation: Toscana IGT – Toscana IGT is the most famous – and the most commonly used – of Italy’s Indicazione Geografica Tipica(IGT) titles. The geographical region it indicates is, in short,Tuscany. Toscana IGT wines can be made in any village in any of Tuscany’s 10 provinces (Arezzo, Firenze, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena).
Country Hierarchy: Tuscany, Italy
Grape/Blend: Sangiovese – Cabernet
Food Suggestion: Pork

Domaine Allimant Laugner Gewurtzraminer

“Roses, peaches and apricots all swing in the unctuous richness of this plush Gewurztraminer. They are countered by some freshness but this is certainly on the plumper side. It will be the perfect match for ripe, soft cheeses. (AK)” – Wine Enthusiast 

Region/Appellation: Alsace
Country Hierarchy: France
Grape/Blend: Gewurztraminer – a pink-skinned grape variety that produces some of the most distinctively aromatic wines in the world
Food Suggestion: Blue Cheeses

Avinyo Reserva Cava Brut 2012

“A straw-yellow with golden reflections, fine and constant level of bubbles; in the nose, clean aromas and balanced with notes of fruits and third tones; light in the mouth with smooth touches of the blended grapes. May be served for a wide variety of occasions, but we highly recommend its versatility as an accompanyment for a wide range of gourmet dishes.” – avinyo.com

Region/Appellation: Cava
Country Hierarchy: Catalonia [Catalunya], Spain
Grape/Blend: Cava Blend – 55% Macabeo, 35% Xarel.lo and 10% Parellada
Food Suggestion: Manchego and Parmesan

Domaine de Fondreche Rosé 2015

“Goal: produce a light rosé, fruity where the “drinkability” is the priority.” – fondreche.com

Region/Appellation: Ventoux
Country Hierarchy: Rhone, France
Grape/Blend: Cinsaut – Syrah – Grenache – The three work particularly well together as a rosé, as each have complementary features. Syrah typically frames the wines with its structure and deep color. Dark fruit flavors such as blueberries and blackberries come from Syrah, while raspberries and earthy aromas come from the Grenache. Cinsaut, often used in the smallest proportion, lifts the aromatics of the wine with its soft, perfumed characteristics
Food Suggestion: Light Pasta and Rice dishes or Sushi

Illahe Estate Pinot Gris Willamette Valley

“Stainless fermented and aged, this tart, apple-flavored Pinot Gris is close to fresh cider in flavor. The alcohol is low enough that it is almost invisible. Just pure, juicy, clean fruit comes through.” – pagodeloscapellanes.com

Region/Appellation: Willamette Valley
Country Hierarchy: Oregon, USA
Grape/Blend: Pinot Gris
Food Suggestion: Root Vegetables and Squashes

Saint-Veran Domaine de la Denante 2014

“Ripe and smooth, this rich wine has enough fruitiness and acidity to give a crisper edge, although it is more about a warm, spicy character. Drink now.” – Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Region/Appellation: Saint-Veran
Country Hierarchy: Maconnais, Burgundy, France
Grape/Blend: Chardonnay
Food Suggestion: Shellfish, Crab and Lobster

Chateau de la Maltroye Bourgogne Pinot Noir

The 2014 Chateau de la Maltroye is bright in the glass and sports a brilliant ruby hue.  Aromas of Morello cherry, wild strawberry, gooseberry, garrigue, warm earth and subtle spice invite the lucky consumer.  The wine offers deceiving palate weight with appropriate tannin structure and intense fruit for the appellation.  This delightful wine is approachable young for instant gratification, but being essentially declassified Chassagne it promises a cellar life and continued enjoyment over the next 4-5 years. -Molly’s Wine Staff

Region/Appellation: Bourgogne Rouge
Country Hierarchy: Bourgogne, Burgundy, France
Grape/Blend: Pinot Noir
Food Suggestion: Feathered Game, Roast Pork or Tandori Style Chicken

Domaine Allimant-Laugner Rose

“The Crémant Rosé is a sparkling wine produced in Alsace by the Champenoise method and made with 100% Pinot Noir. This Crémant is aged 11 months before disgorgement and is meant to be consumed while fresh and young. In fact, the grapes are the first to be manually harvested because we want to keep the youthness and coolness through citrus fruits flavors. And when you open it, you will be greeted by fresh aromas of strawberries and wonderful minerality. This is easy to drink with the light, creamy bubbles and a crisp, flowery tang.” – allimant-laugner.com

Region/Appellation: Cremant d’Alsace
Country Hierarchy: Alsace, France
Grape/Blend: Pinot Noir
Food Suggestion: White Fish

Darting Riesling Kabinett Durkheimer Nonnengarten (1 Liter)

“Outstanding off-dry Riesling from a great producer. Fresh and vibrant, with complex flavors of peach, ripe green apple, great acidity, minerality and stone fruits. Perfect as an everyday Riesling and parties.” 

Region/Appellation: Bad Durkheim
Country Hierarchy: Pfalz, Germany
Grape/Blend: Riesling
Food Suggestion: A myriad of Curry dishes, Sesame Chicken with Ginger Lime Sauce, Spicy Shrimp dishes

Chateau de Montfaucon Cotes Du Rhone

” *Good Value* Sweet spices, juicy red fruit, a touch of marzipan and appreciable tannic grip for Côtes du Rhône. Nicely made – more serious than most.” – Jancis Robinson

Region/Appellation: Cotes du Rhone
Country Hierarchy: Rhone, France
Grape/Blend: Southern Rhone Red Blend – refers to a wide range of grape varieties often blended together to make wines in the southern reaches of the Rhone Valley in the south of France. While the blend could theoretically consist of any of a wide range of grape varieties, it is usually made up of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, in varying proportions, typically with Grenache and Syrah as the dominant partners.
Food Suggestion: Duck, Goose and Game Birds