2006 PIERO MANCINI, VERMENTINO DI GALLURA, ITALY

I must be craving pesto, pasta and shellfish since I went searching for a Vermentino. Here's bright, clean and lively wine that has a touch of citrus and nuttiness to it. Medium-weight in body and good acidity makes it a great wine to start with or to have with your main course of prawns and pasta. No ML or oak; just clean and bright. Mancini has been making wine since 1965 and has evolved with the times for a quality product. He is highly respected in Italy and around the world for his craft. Gallura, where the winery is, is a peninsula on the northeast corner of the island of Sardinia, a region that specializes in Vermentino.
$15.00 a bottle

2006 Domaine des Corbillieres, Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine, France

This SB is so aggressively varietal. It's screaming "I gotta be me" from the top of its lungs. It's bursting with fresh grass, crisp citrus and minerality and is the perfect springtime wine to pair with asparagus and goat cheese. Only 2,500 cases are made. In 1910, the grandfather of the current winery owners was the first to plant Sauvignon Blanc. At the time, the area was all Chenin Blanc—today it is mostly Sauvignon Blanc. Low yields, and nice ripe grapes make these some of the best values from the Loire Valley you can find.
$13.00 a bottle

2006 Domaine De Gournier, Chardonnay, Vin De Pays Des Cévennes, France

This beautiful estate, owned by Maurice Barnouin, is located in the hills northwest of Nîmes, in the western Rhône Valley near the town of Uzes and the famous Pont du Gard. The viticultural area lies just outside the Costières de Nîmes appellation and can only label its wines as Vin de Pays des Cévennes. The wines of Domaine de Gournier however, aspire to greater stature than this simple designation. Being up in the hills, the microclimate is cool. The Barnouin family were pepinierists by trade (vine rootstock and clone experts), and Maurice's father was a pioneer in the regions re-planting with low-yielding, intensely flavored varietals like Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Merlot. The Chardonnay vines at Gournier are pruned for hand-harvesting to ensure the most stringent selection of grapes for the best wine possible. Fermentation takes place both in barrels (60% in new oak) and in stainless steel tanks, with the wine aged on the lees for 6 months before bottling. The flavors are rich and complex. Notes of fresh pear and a hint of butter fat mingle with scents of vanilla and smoke. This lovely, medium-bodied wine has a richness that is balanced by the clean, pure finish. (Written by Robert Kacher, Importer)
$12.50 a bottle

2006 VARNER, CHARDONNAY, SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA

(3 different vineyard designations) Let's just say this: finding good Chardonnay is the hardest part of domestic buying. We taste a lot of wines, and it can be depressing, but when you find something like what these guys are doing, you feel like you're helping make the world a better place. It's not surprising, they do everything right. They don't irrigate, they have tiny yields (1.5 to 3 tons/acre), and their soil is full of stone. They're true organic farmers, not the type who use pesticides and herbicides that are "technically" organic, but are labeled with the skull and crossbones. Not to mention the wines are delicious year after year. In fact, they continue hover around $30, when it costs $15 to $20 more to get something of comparable quality north of San Francisco. Dollar for dollar, these are my favorite Chardonnays in the country. Order the three wines below.

2006 Azul Profundo, Pinot Noir, Bio Bio Valley, Chile

Nothing's better than being early on the scoop for new discoveries. Here's an American husband/wife team creating spectacular wines down in Chile. It's definitely a New World style of Pinot, but still has the beautiful silky texture that a good Pinot features. With 38% new oak, this wine comes across balanced, strong but yet smooth. The winemaker prefers to decant this wine. Only 600 cases were made, with only a portion being sold in California.
$25.00 a bottle

2006 FOXGLOVE, CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Foxglove is the second label from the Varner brothers down in the Santa Cruz area. If the Caracol (the other red selection) is a great value for its rustic nature, then this is a value for its elegance and complexity. I still can't believe this is being sold at such a low price. Limited supply—so call soon!!
$13.00 a bottle.