September 2025 Newsletter Wines
The September newsletter is arranged into three parts: Wines from Wineries, from Vineyards, and from Houses. Any given wine producer is naturally all three of these, but the different ways wineries name themselves offer interesting clues about the wine.
Part I: Newsletter Selections Made By Wineries
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Domaine and a Chateau? Why do some wineries call themselves Azienda Agricolas and others Fattorias? We’ve divided our newsletter into three broad categories cutting across national borders, sorting them into Producers, Properties, and Houses. Our first set of the newsletter are four wines made by outfits whose name demands that they produce an agricultural product. Azienda Agricolas and Weinguts.
Lenzmark New Chapter Niederosterreich Gruner Veltliner 2022 $19
Lenz Moser and Markus Huber are brilliant Austrian winemakers, and friends for 20 years, who have partnered up to make this cheerful and approachable Gruner Veltliner specifically for the export market, where the variety still struggles against an unsavory reputation as cheap jug wine. With fifteen vineyards to draw from, the New Chapter is intended to be dependably fresh and vibrant, with a sturdy mineral backbone. Aromas begin with grapefruit and white pepper, white flowers and green apples and a flinty touch of reduction. Extensive lees stirring gives the wine a rich texture like a prism for the acidity to shine through. Flavors or peach and pear and honeydew melon show through before a dash of white pepper hits the finish. An excellent match for creamy potato dishes, Indian curry, or charcuterie.
Heiligenblut Rheinhessen Silvaner Trocken 2023 $22
Heiligenblut translates as Holy Blood, a reference to a legend from 454 Atilla the Hun executed local monks on the ground that would become the vineyard. A chapel built in 746 accompanied the first vines planted here, and the Heiligenblut Berg has been a vineyard ever since. Today, the Hannemann brothers use the modern winery’s original label dating to 1846 to signal that this is a super-traditional Rheinhessen wine, farmed organically and made without yeast additions – just like their great great grandparents would have done – and aged in neutral oak barrels to preserve the clear, fresh aromas of Silvaner. Those aromas start with white strawberry, orange and lime zest, with flinty minerality bursting like fireworks of the sinuses. The palate has a creamy texture balanced by bright, steely acidity and high toned flavors of apple sauce and lime. The finish lingers with blossoms from the orchard and lime peel. For best results, serve this with German classics like sauerkraut and spicy sausage, but there’s lots of room for the chef’s imagination too.
Azienda Agricola Scala Ciro Bianco 2024 $21
Cirò is an important region on Italy’s southern coast that has been making wine from the local red Gaglioppo and white from Guardavalle – locally called Greco Bianco di Cirò but notably not Calabria’s other popular white grape called Greco Bianco, because Italian wine is confusing – for as long as records have been kept. Antonio Scala founded his family winery in 1949. His first gift to the family business was to hand-draw the iconic, award winning and objectively perfect label. The original drawing still hangs in the winery today. The wine has only improved under the direction of his son Luigi and grandson Francesco, who never succumbed to the mid-century fashion of diluting their wines with more marketable international grapes. While Cirò is best known for red wine, the Scala family works hard on this substantial-yet-fresh white. At its best, Cirò Bianco combines a pleasantly full texture with bright acidity and fresh fruit flavors. Scala's white Ciro is always at its best, with a nose of lemon and lime, green apple and fresh sea breeze. The palate brings the same clean-cut citrus flavors of zesty lime, with broader touches of kiwi and pear. The finish leaves behind acacia and apple blossoms.
Azienda Agricola Luteraia Vino Rosso Literaia 2022 $20
Eugenia Paolini calls her crunchy, dark fruited red “a natural cure for thirst and other small problems”. We fully agree, and would prescribe this bottle of Sangiovese for any meal involving large bowls of pasta, burgers or pizza. Her vineyards are in the town of Acquaviva, just a little way south of Montepulciano, where she grows Sangiovese with a small amount (10%) of Trebbiano vines interplanted, then co-fermented for a jolt of acidity and floral lift, just like super-traditional Chianti. Aged only in stainless steel, this is in all other ways a strictly old-school wine. No chemical treatments in the vineyard, no additives in the winery. The result is both simple and delicious. Aromas of blackberry jam, orange zest, tarry earth and dried herbs lead to a palate of pure black cherries, with leather and dusty clay earth.
Part II: Newsletter Selections Grown On Properties
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Domaine and a Chateau? Why do some wineries call themselves Azienda Agricolas and others Fattorias? We’ve divided our newsletter into three broad categories cutting across national borders, sorting them into Producers, Properties, and Houses. Our second set of newsletter selections were all made by farms, specifically named for the land upon which the grapes grow. Here we have two Domaines, a Podere, and a Tenuta.
Tenuta di Tavignano Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Villa Torre 2024 $21
The eastern mid-slope of the Apennines is cut at regular intervals by river valleys that create natural wind tunnels, channeling air from the mountains to the Adriatic sea, a natural flow of fresh wind that creates ideal, even tempered conditions for growing grapes. In the middle ages the most prominent of these valleys were peppered with castles to protect the city of Ancona from invasion. Today those castles are known mostly for a little green grape that became nearly synonymous with the area, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. Tenuta di Tavignano occupies one of the best quarters of the region, a high elevation site called “The balcony of the Marche” with great views across the landscape, and their entire estate is devoted to organic, regenerative farming. The Villa Torre bottling is a perfect example of this refreshing green tinted wine. Aromas of white pepper and salt, with lemon drop and key lime and jasmine. The palate offers fresh apples, lemons and limes with a salty note that remains on the finish. Serve with seafood pastas, polenta, and salads filled with aromatic herbs.
Podere Cellario E Grino Vino Rosso 2023 1000ml $21
Fausto and Cinzia Cellario are third generation winemakers, so they have learned with experience that Piedmont’s once famous Grignolino variety has only one single drawback. The traditional 750ml bottle is not big enough to contain a wine this delicious. Thus, this one comes in a liter. Cellario works with an eye-popping 24 different grape varieties, and they are a surprisingly large producer – with about 30 hectares of vineyard – considering they’re family owned, use only native yeast fermentation, minimal sulfur, and farm organically. Their wines are always fresh, bright and berry scented, but there’s an argument that their freshest and brightest is this Grignolino, or Grino. Cranberries, raspberries and ruby red cherries burst from the glass with an edge of oregano and pepper that helps to set the scene in Piedmont. The palate is light bodied and crisp but full-flavored, with more crushed red berries and a surprisingly strong note of tilled clay earth. The finish is savory, with a gentle squeeze of tannin. Charcuterie on a sunny day is the natural choice, but even when it’s raining and you’re eating leftovers, this Grino will still do.
Domaine Laurent Perrachon Beaujolais Villages 2023 $18
The Perrachon family first appears in Beaujolais’ books in 1601, when they were mentioned among the winemakers in Julienas. Over the course of the next 424 years, the family continued to grow grapes and make wine, until today, when Laurent and Martine oversee a domaine that includes vines in six Cru villages, an unusually wide menu for a small family outfit. Their approach to wine is defined by balance; they age grapes in a mixture of oak and concrete, and seek both freshness and fruit for their wine. This Villages cuvee offers an intense black cherry nose, with candied orange peel and a touch of chalky soil. The palate gives similarly intense fruit, with a silky texture that speaks of classic Beaujolais. Touches of allspice and earth build towards the finish, along with gentle tannins. A great choice for classic French roast chicken, but don’t forget the roasted vegetables.
Domaine des Ouches Bourgueil Igoranda 2022 $19
For Cabernet Franc fans, Bourgueil may be the most “Cabernet Franc” wine of all. It sets itself apart from neighboring Chinon with an extra flair of rough hewn earth. No aromas of black cherry or violet comes without a dusting of clay soil, tobacco, and tomato leaf. The texture of a good Bourgueil is defined by rough hewn tannins, unpolished by overuse of oak, and flavors come through of intense black fruit. If it’s a 2022 vintage Bourgueil from Domaine des Ouches, there are subtle notes of coffee grounds, cinnamon, and fresh black soil too. Thomas and Denis Gambier are the eighth generation of the family to work their Domaine in Ingrandes-de-Touraine, along Bourgueil’s eastern edge. Some of their vines are near 100 years old, and all of them are farmed using l'agriculture raisonnée principles, which means they spray chemical treatments only when absolutely necissary. This cuvee, named Igoranda for the ancient name of their home village, spends a year in large old barrels before release. This is a classic match for roasted meats and Chevre.
Part III: Newsletter Selections Made By Houses
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Domaine and a Chateau? Why do some wineries call themselves Azienda Agricolas and others Fattorias? We’ve divided our newsletter into three broad categories cutting across national borders, sorting them into Producers, Properties, and Houses. Our final set of the newsletter are wines all made in houses of some sort (except one, which was just made by a person, who presumably lives in a house). We have Chateaux, we have a Bodega, and we have a Vinhos.
Bodegas Santiago Deicas Canelones Albarino “Faaa!” 2025 $14
Faaa! means Wow! In Uruguayan slang, and for all the words you’re about to read in the following paragraph, I’m not sure I will do any better describing this delightfully fun Albarino from the sunny wine country north of Montevideo. Bodegas Santiago Deicas has a rich history, beginning with a Jesuit monastery in 1745 and includes notable firsts. They made Uruguay’s first Cognac in 1945 (with the blessing of the French government after Uruguay cancelled France’s wartime debts). Under the ownership of the Deicas family, the estate produced Uruguay’s first exported wine in 1994. Now, they’ve managed another feat: Uruguay’s first appearance in Liner & Elsen’s newsletter. Albariño is the country’s natural choice for white wine, grown just a half hour from the Atlantic shore where the salty air plays nicely with aromas of lime tonic, acacia, and green apple. The palate is fresh and crisp, with notes of lime and orange before a salty, savory finish. An excellent choice for oysters, ceviche, and other fresh seafoods.
Filipa Pato Bairrada Branco Dinamica 2024 $20
Filipa Pato is probably the most important winemaker in Bairrada today, extending the impressive legacy of her father Luis Pato, who essentially founded Bairrada’s modern era with his slow maturing reds made from the Baga grape. Filipa has continued her father’s work with Bairrada’s local varieties – chiefly Baga, Bical, and Cercial – while transitioning the family’s farming to biodynamic principles and winemaking to a gentler, more natural style, all in search of what she calls “Authentic wine without makeup”. This mineral-rich white is an even blend of Bical and Cercial. Each variety on their own is known for their intense minerality, crisp acidity and pale green fruit flavors, so together, they produce a wine of very intense minerality, very crisp acidity, and aromas of lime and lemon, oregano and basil, before flavors arrive of lime and kiwi and green pear, with touches of basil and mint and granite and salt. Whether you fry the seafood into Pataniscas de Bacalhau or leave it uncooked in a cool ceviche, fish is on the menu.
Chateau de Ribebon Bordeaux Superieur 2019 $16
Great Bordeaux can be incredibly complex, with haunting aromas and richly layered flavors that make any given sip of wine something of a thoughtful journey. Very good Bordeaux doesn’t have to be all that complicated. The Chateau de Ribebon was once a hunting lodge for Louis XVI, a royal history that belies the everyday character of the wine they make there today. The vineyards are on the left bank of the Dordogne river, about halfway between St Emilion and Bergerac, where the even keeled blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc gives classic Bordeaux notes: pipe tobacco, blackberry and blackcurrant with loamy potting soil. The palate has an impressive structural core of solid tannins and acidity to go with red raspberries, currants, and dried herbs before the finish offers leather, iron rich soil, and rose petals on the finish. Serve this wine with almost all the items on the menu of a Parisian – or Bordelaise – bistro.
Château La Baronne Corbières Vignes des Lanes 2021 $20
The Lignères family have traditionally been doctors in the villages of Moux and Fontcoverte, in the heart of the Corbières appellation, but they have also managed a vineyard and winery for five generations. Drawing on their medical background, the winery has always embraced a philosophy of zero winery additions and organic farming practices. Jean and Anne Lignères manage the property today, Chateau Baronne is planted on limestone, sandstone and gravel soils covered with garrigue, the classic Languedoc landscape that weaves its way into the wine. For their introductory wine, they blend Grenache and Carignan half and half to arrive at a picture perfect Corbières. Aromas begin with black cherry pastille, plum and sandy earth. The palate is full bodied – though a restrained 13.5% abv – with chewy tannins and waves of ripe cherries and plums with a hint of orange oil, bitter herbs, and garrigue crusted soil that lingers through the finish.