December 2025

Nick’s Picks $107 - $126 Value

Chateau Tour Marcillanet Haut Medoc - $23

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot from Left Bank Bordeaux, France.  The crown jewel of this lineup will make any momentous occasion you choose just hit different.  Complex, powerful yet elegant, and with impressive length; coffee, cedar, and smoked herb flavors dance through a rich foundation of black currant and black cherry, with a generous palate filling the mouth and smoothed out by full yet supple smooth tannin.

Anne de Joyeuse Original Malbec - $16

From Pyrenees Southwest France, this all-charming dry fresh Malbec is for French and Argentina drinkers alike.  Plump juicy blackberry contrasts with violet, cocoa nib, and a subtle touch of vanilla flavor, on a palate of soft silky tannin and vibrant lighter body that doesn’t weigh down the glass and will inspire more to be poured into glass indefinitely.  Fabulous for the price!

Ruth Fernandez Jucar Clasico - $28

Tempranillo, Cabernet, and Bobal Grapes from Ribera del Jucar, Central Spain.  You will consider the bracing snap of the cold air this season a blessing after one glorious glass.  Black cherry, plum, and sweet baking spices tumble up from the glass, suffusing the flavors on the entire palate with gripping full tannins,  full texture, and an insanely long finish.

Riverside Bulgarian Red - $21

Cabernet Sauvignon and Mavrud Grapes from Thracian Valley, Bulgaria.  Earthy, savory, yet with clean fruit and great balance, Bulgarian wine is a bottomless fount of quality for price, and this blend is no exception.  Raspberry and cherry are given color with pops of vanilla and toasted oak, revealing leather and herbaceous flavors on a dry palate with light fine-grained tannins.

St. Pauls Missianer Schiava - $16

Schiava Grape from Alto Adige, Northern Italy.  Imagine French Gamay, Oregon Pinot, and South Tuscan Sangiovese had a splendid, elegant baby.  The nose perfumes a confounding cauldron of candied watermelon and cherry with sprinkles of smoked pepper and salt, with fresh forest floor and mushroom-earthiness-backed silky tannin and star-bright acidity.

Andrew Murray ‘Tous les Jours’ Syrah - $22

Syrah Grape from Santa Ynez Valley, California.  Bold, balanced, rich, and smooth, high-quality Syrah from California is not something to pass up.  A midnight-dark pour in the glass sets the tone for deep dense black fruits and mocha flavor, with graphite and sweet tobacco earthiness for complexity.  Fresh and lively, yet explosive in the mouth, and satisfying enough to induce partial coma.