Brothers Peter and Michael Ebert work hand in hand to produce terroir driven wines from their 23 hectares on the steep slopes of the Nahe. Driven by their shared passion for wine and their homeland, they have a simple philosophy: make superior wines that reflect the interaction of the land, soil and climate seamlessly. In the end, this culminates into simply made wines that are anything but.

Telling you I saved the best for last would be a disservice to all the wonderful wines that came before. But I saved the best for last. I make no secret of my Champagne habit and the reason I opened Monarch was to facilitate my consumption. I joke of course...kind of. The region and its' winemakers fascinate me. Perhaps no other region produces so many different styles of virtually the same wine.

Today's wine was one of the most delicious, lip-smacking and fun-drinking Pinot Noirs I've had in a long time. And guess what, it's not from Burgundy. It's not even from the Sta. Rita Hills or Willamette Valley for that matter. It hails from the land of Syrah: the Northern Rhône. I'd never heard of Pinot being planted here and would have assumed the radiant sunlight typical of that area would have been too strong for Pinot's delicate nature. But not in the hands of today's talented duo, Pierre-Andre and Anne Deplaude.

Laura Lorenzo farms just 4.5 hectares of vines spread across multiple parcels in Ribeira Sacra. A land marked by steep, terraced vineyards that cling to the banks of a series of meandering rivers. Farming here is HARD, but Laura works everything organically by hand and is constantly, meticulously tending her vines. And she's just as exacting in her winery, fermenting with native yeasts, aging in used oak casks and never filtering. Her wines are wild, untamed and some of the most exciting in all of Spain.

While I don't have the exact numbers to back this statement up, I think I can safely say that I drink more Gamay than any other red grape. I love how it can be structured and serious if I'm settling in for a hearty dinner, or bright, fresh and thirst-quenching if I just need a quick glass after a long day. Today's wine is a Gamay like none other; a silky, bold, luscious version brimming with velvety dark fruits bolstered by earthy minerals and an intoxicating perfume.

This was one of the most amazing wines I've tasted this year as well as one of the most challenging to put into words. When I drank this wine a couple of months ago, the first descriptor I jotted down in my notebook was spellbinding. Yes, it combines everything I love in white wine: clarity, precision, bright acidity and deep minerality. But this wine went beyond just amazing scents and flavors; it was electric, shooting a bolt of energy right through me.

The biggest surprises come from the most unlikely of places. A major source of these new vinous surprises for me continues to be Spain. The Iberian peninsula has been delivering the most unique and delicious wines in the world of wine for the past several years. Javi Revert grew up in Valencia where both of his grandfathers had vineyards and a winery each. However, when the cooperative began in their village in 1971, they closed the wineries and sent their grapes there.

Located just behind Meursault, the village of Saint-Romain is a bit of an insider's secret. It displays many of the same qualities of its illustrious neighbor, yet always living in its' shadow and never quite receiving equal accolades. Today's wine displays all of the characteristics that make Meursault so coveted (and frankly then some). It exhibits that magical tension between ample fruit, layered complexity and mouthwatering acidity.

Tucked away in a sleepy corner of the Jura, the wines of François Rousset-Martin were one of this year's most surprising discoveries. Leave it to our friend's at Kermit Lynch to keep introducing us to new and incredible producers after all these years. This is my quintessential red. It has the poise and elegance of red Burgundy, the deep mineral cut of top Loire reds and an unabashed exuberance only found in great Cru Beaujolais.

In the Loire valley, the surname Foucault is on par with Rousseau in Burgundy or Conterno in Piedmont. Antoine Foucault of Domaine du Collier cut his teeth at the famed Clos Rougeard working for his father and uncle, Charles and Nady Foucault. He set out at the ripe old age of 26 to start Domaine du Collier with a smattering of hundred year old Chenin Blanc vines on limestone outcroppings in Saumur.

We're starting this year's countdown with a serious and historic wine. I've been a MASSIVE fan of Elisabetta Foradori's wines for years, but today's single vineyard expression of Teroldego is the most stunning I have tasted to date. 'Morei' means 'dark' in local dialect and this wine embodies that meaning perfectly. Leaning into Teroldego's inky, black fruit, this is a show stopping red, brimming with equal measures of intensity and grace.

While we can subsist on wine and wine alone, sometimes we need to mix things up a bit. After all, variety is the spice of life. This classic pear Cider from Normandy is as easy to drink as it is flavorful. It's dry and refreshing, yet still offers a touch of spice and deceptive complexity. I can remember the first time I enjoyed a Normandy cider alongside some fresh local oysters; it was pure bliss. This week, as holiday parties are undoubtedly on your agenda and local oyster season is kicking off, there couldn't be a better time for this offer!

This wine is made in TINY quantities. Avid readers, do not roll your eyes! I realize this phrase comes up quite a bit in our newsletters (and for good reason), but this wine truly embodies rarity. A vineyard's size is usually the primary reason for a wine's limited production. Not the case in today's offer. This wine is Thierry Germain's special selection of very old vine Cabernet Franc. Old vines mean less rigor, leading to minuscule amounts of fruit per vine. In this case, a mere 15 hectoliters per hectare. For comparison, Bordeaux's prestigious Cabernet Franc estate, Château Cheval Blanc's vines produce 45 hectoliters per hectare.

Rodrigo took over the family farm from his father in 1999 and since day one, his goal was to focus on viticulture and transitioning from mass-production and conventional techniques to organic farming and minimalistic winemaking practices. Located just South of Lisbon, his vines flourish amidst untamed rows of grass and vibrant red clay. With the close proximity to the Atlantic offering a reliably cool climate, he is able to produce lighter wines that have rich, concentrated flavors due to a longer ripening period.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the top-tier estates of Muscadet offer the greatest value white wines in France (and perhaps even the world). These are terroir specific wines made with methods passed down from generations; bottles that have the capacity to age as gracefully as their exalted Burgundian cousins, developing into aromatically complex and texturally layered wines. A 1986 vintage I tasted in 2010 was one of the most revelatory moments in my career. Simply put, these are wines that deserve infinitely more recognition.