GUINIGI

Wine Reviews

93

Bel Colle 2024 Roero Arneis DOCG, Piedmont, Italy ($24)

An excellent rendition of Arneis from Roero, an appellation just across the Tanaro River from Alba, Barolo, and Barbaresco, this offers very nicely ripened fruit recalling fresh peaches and apricots. Light floral aromas get it off to a very appealing start, and mouthwatering acidity lifts the fruit flavors and energizes the pure and persistent finish.

90

Belle 2025 Sauvignon Blanc Reserva, Valle del Maule, Chile ($10)

Peaches and cream teem from the glass with a seductively aromatic profile. There’s a touch of bell pepper paired with ripe papaya, pineapple and kiwi fruit, evoking an endless Caribbean horizon. This is the Belle of any ball and the finish is girded with a citrus kiss.

93

Belle Glos 2024 Balade Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco, Monterey ($55)

Voluptuous, with lemon zest and toasted walnut. The rich style speaks to abundant sunshine and sweet oak. Ripe pineapple and baked pear add depth on the finish.

94

Belle Glos 2024 Böen Haribach Reserve Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County ($45)

The wine opens with ripe berries in aspic, black strap molasses, and soy sauce. This reserve red makes a bold statement with tilled soil, black cherry liqueur, and tobacco leaf, and its backbone and well-endowed acidity holds up as a match to a variety of cuisine.

90

Benziger Family Winery 2023 Merlot, CA ($20)

Licorice and black pepper are illuminated by rich notes of black cherry for this certified sustainable red. Silky tannins soothe on the finish.

90

BIA 2023 Big Hearted Red, Lake County ($24)

Sold in a one-liter bottle and blended from 39% Nero D’Avola, 31% Tempranillo, and 30% Barbera, this is a very informal-looking product, but one that offers delicious flavors with admirable balance. Medium-bodied, it leads with open fruit aromas and flavors lifted by some fresh acidity and firmed in the finish by very fine-grained tannins. Good wine and a good deal.

92

BIA 2024 Light Hearted White, Lake County ($24)

Playfully named, labeled, and offered in a one-liter bottle with a screw cap, this turns out to be seriously delicious and admirably complex. An interesting blend of 91% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Chenin Blanc, and 2% Riesling makes this aromatically appealing and deliciously fruity and fresh on the palate, with a profile that is both lifted and substantial.

90

Black Girl Magic NV Moscato, California ($15)

With a low abv of 10.5 percent, this delicious sparkler opens with orange creamsicle and ripe apricot. The bubbles bring a thrill to the palate with succulent notes of honeyed lemon and Anjou pear.