Wines of the Year 2025

We are beyond excited to present our wines of the year. The bottles that kept us talking, excited, chiming in from the corner of the room when someone picked one up and turned us into aroma-listing broken records.

Time to turn that broken record into a written one and memorialize our opinions on 2025 in wine! This is an editorial list of sorts, born out of many Saturday morning staff brainstorms while we waited for our tastings to begin. It is a list that comprises our favorites, and specifically our favorites that we have access to enough stock of to feature them by year's end. We split the work evenly, but rest assured, the picks are unanimous.

Le Piane 'La Maggiorina' 2022

Christoph Kunzli and his late friend Alexander Trolf purchased Le Piane in the early 90’s from the-then octogenarian vintner Antonio Cerri. In the ensuing years, Le Piane has become one of the most revered estates in the entirety of Italy. Located in Boca, in the north of the Alto Piemonte lying at 1300 to 1600 feet of altitude in a relatively warm micro-climate and with the vineyards planted in volcanic soils, the area has been renowned for wine production since ancient times. Maggiorina refers to a traditional trellising system where three vines form a goblet and was once the name of the “intro” wine from the estate. Christoph has decided to strengthen the brand, if you will, by focusing on only the three hectares (7.5 acres) of Maggiorina-trained vineyards that are between 50 to 100 years old and require intensive work by hand to cultivate. This is a field blend of some 13 different grape varieties, including white grapes, that leans heavily on Nebbiolo and Croatina and is aged for two years in large oak barrels before release. The end result shows unique depth of flavor and complexity … a combination of Alpine purity and dark, succulent fruit that possesses both power and elegance. This gets my ultimate praise: “Real Wine”, and is a value compared to its more southerly Langhe relatives, Barolo and Barbaresco. 14% ABV

--Joe

Monemvasia Winery Kydonitsa 2023

It's comical I'm writing up this wine because when we tried the Kydonitsa and Kydonitsa Mature (a skin contact and amphora aged version), I had, on that day, a slight preference for the Mature. However, I'm here to set the record straight that I love both of them and the sheer versatility of the Kydonitsa is what earns it a spot on this list. Kydonitsa directly translates to "little quince" in Greek and the bottling from Monemvasia Winery does strike the quince note and much more. From the historic Laconia region in the Southern Peloponnese peninsula, this wine is anything but laconic. To start, it's quite subtle on the nose: faint whisps of white flowers, lemon, quince (of course) and on the palate, it grows and expands in the only the way a rare variety can. Adding in flourishes of green tea, honey, lemon and red pear as it lingers on the tongue. You come to expect otherworldly texture, mouth-filling concentration and a long finish in wines like Burgundy, Barolo, insert other greats,  but when those traits jump at you from a single varietal Greek bottling that's under $20....that's the true jackpot.13% ABV

--Callie

Stolpman Estate Syrah 2023

Stolpman has long been one of my favorite California wineries, they just have a lot going for them. The pre-eminent estate in Ballard Canyon, one of California's rare limestone terroirs, they've always been a big deal in my mind, but they are focused on Syrah, which is, strange to say, not a popular grape. Talk to the right person about a great La La, or Allemand, Chave, Verset, and you'll bear witness to some serious love for Syrah, but if you're in the business of selling wine you will typically watch Syrah sit around. Stolpman's 2023 Estate Syrah has been moving pretty well since it arrived in June, because all of us adore it, our enthusiasm is palpable, and y'all know that you should take our word. It is an aromatic wonder, with gorgeous lifted fruit on the nose, cherry, raspberry, blackberry, citrus... plus pepper, sage, lavender, violets, a little cured meat and olives. Luscious dark fruit washes over the palate, red berries and a touch of citrus provide brightness, while olives, veggies and meat lend significant savory intrigue, tannins are seamless and gentle, acids refreshing and supportive. Long on the finish, sappy ripe fruit stains, and myriad savory Syrah notes flit about. This is young, and although it's already very easy, it's clear it'll benefit from a few years in the bottle. 13.5% ABV

--JP

Koehler Ruprecht Chardonnay Kabinett Trocken 2023

I have long been enamored of this estate’s wonderful dry Rieslings, but I never had the opportunity to enjoy their delectable Chardonnay until this past summer. Oh well, better late than never, I guess. Koehler-Ruprecht is located in the (Rhein)Pfalz, a wine-growing region southeast of the Mosel River, across the Vosges Mountains from Alsace. Here we have Chardonnay grown in a plot comprised of chalk and sandstone, is organically farmed, hand harvested, and vinified in stainless steel. There are typical varietal flavors of citrus and stone fruits, hints of saline minerality, a creamy, enveloping texture, indicating a deftness of touch at the controls that allows some sneaky complexity to show through. Hits the hard to achieve trifecta: it’s simultaneously a crowd-pleaser, a bargain, and a serious wine. One of my surprises of the year. 12% ABV

--Joe

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 'Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion' 2020

I have not long been enamored with Bordeaux. In my younger wine career, it has routinely let me down. Overly done up, green and off-balance, predictable and always out of my budget are just a few ways it has done so. However, I wanted to believe there would be a turning point. Who would've guessed it would come on a balmy, rainy day in the middle of July? If I can be enamored with Bordeaux during the hottest months of the year, this deserves a seat at your winter table without a second thought. The second wine from Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion, an estate known for their grand vin which utilizes more Cabernet Franc than most Bordeaux. This cuvee, the second wine from les Carmes is in the accesible price range and oddly, a more traditional blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Elevage is a jigsaw of barrels and vats: portions of stainless steel ferment, new oak, foudre, 1 year old oak, amphora, and final resting in concrete. The technical specs are transparent and multi-variate. Regardless, it works. Dark currants, forest floor, leaves after a morning dew, light spearmint, dried tobacco, the nose is pretty. The length is the shining jewel, evolving as you taste it into mocha, dried violets, red brambles, clove and allspice. Bordeaux, at last. 13% ABV

--Callie

Chateau de Hureau Saumur Blanc 'Argile' 2024

Saumur is mostly red, home to several of the world's finest Cabernet Franc, but the region has ample terroir suitable to fine white wine production, and Saumur blanc, made from Chenin Blanc, is often delightful. Finding a small cuvee of Saumur blanc made at the highest level for under $30? That's some unicorn ish. We buy this wine every year, and it's always fantastic, but the 2024 is electric, dynamic, truly special, we are thrilled to have it, and we believe in it as one of the best possible introductions to Chenin Blanc, maybe, just maybe, it's a wine to convince the "I only drink red wine" types, that they sometimes want to drink white. Anyway, more for us if they won't budge, this beauty blossoms in the glass, much like a red, don't serve it too cold. Aromas of sweet citrus, flowers and herbs, silky and chalky at once on the palate, with a deep acid line to cut and refresh, and a long finish, the fresh fruit is simply irrepressible. This is remarkable Chenin, and an absolute steal. Drink now, but you could also save it for 5, maybe 10, years. 12.5% ABV

--JP

Jolie Laide 'Glou d'Etat' 2023

My favorite rose I drank this year was from Scott and Jenny Schultz’s Sonoma-based operation. Their Trousseau Gris and Melon are also spectacular wines that we carry, and a recent taste of this red floored us all. Glou d’Etat is a word play on the light, irreverent, easy-to-guzzle style of European red wine (Glou Glou) that is inescapable in wine bars and, increasingly, more retail shops. The varietal composition is 38% Valdiguie (a thin-skinned red grape originally from southern France, once called Napa Gamay), 33% Mourvedre, 17% Grenache and the remaining 12% a mixture of Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Carignan and Petit Verdot. Got it? The wine is made via carbonic maceration, after which the grapes are foot crushed and left to complete its fermentation with whole clusters. Certainly, it’s refreshing but it’s more than just juice on the loose. There is a welcome earthiness, a floral, savory depth and whispering tannins that augment the cherry and wild strawberry flavors. I immediately thought of drinking this chilled—but not TOO cold—with a Banh Mi. Yum. 12.5% ABV

--Joe

Ca' La Bionda 'Bianco del Casal' 2023

Alessandro Castellani is one of Italy's most undervalued winemakers. His star is ascendant, but we wonder if his wines will take on cult status anytime soon, as Valpolicella is one of the least trendy, yet still very famous, wine regions in the world. If there were more Valpolicella wineries breaking the mold as Ca' la Bionda does, the region might be on every savvy Burgundy collector's radar. Ca' la Bionda makes just one white wine, and it's out of this world, displaying the type of masterful reduction that you might pay 5, 10, 20 times more for in Burgundy, it is a toasty and spicy delight, with a silky texture, dense layers of fruit that come from old vines, and a long multifaceted saline finish. It's made in tiny quantities, just a few cases come to MA each year, and we always buy a little more than we need, as we relish the opportunity to introduce it to the unassuming cognoscenti. This will be worth following for at least 5 more years. 13% ABV

--JP

Rootdown Cole Ranch 'Dynamite Claret' 2022

There's an independent media publication in books that refers to 'it books' as ones that hit four quadrants. These are: sales numbers, public knowledge, critic appeal, and that it is actually well-written. If there is to be a four quadrant hit on the shelves at Craft and Cru, it is the Rootdown Cole Ranch 'Dynamite Claret'.  Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet blends from California are hardly a mystery when it comes to public appeal. This is from Mendocino County with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine is well-liked by critics, if we judge this as the trifecta of staff at Craft and Cru. The wine does indeed sell well. And lastly, the well-crafted signature is there. It's rare to see us rave about California Bordeaux blends, but this is deserving. Situated in the narrow mountain valleys of Cole Ranch, the smallest AVA in the US, a long cool growing season lends lovely acidity and balance to a wine with plush berry fruit notes, herbal touches, and lovely balance. At $26, it's quite difficult to argue the appeal here, whether it be for gifting or sipping alongside a book which also hits four quadrants. 12.8% ABV 

--Callie

Pascal et Nicholas Reverdy Sancerre 'Cuvee les Coutes' 2024

These days, Sancerre is thought of by many as simple, inoffensive quaff favored at summer backyard gatherings, sometimes as a not-inexpensive prologue to more “serious reds”. The truth is, superior Sancerre is actually one of the great appellations of France. Pascal’s version comes from 5 separate plots of Sauvignon Blanc located within 2 lieux-dits (named places that express the notion of terroir) in the subzone of Maimbry in the northern sector of Sancerre. The soil here is the famous “terres blanches”—white, chalky clay capped by limestone that, similar to Chablis, houses embedded remnants of fossils left by the thousands of years of sea immersion and erosion of the Paris Basin’s geological formation. This cuvee is Sancerre at its finest: acidic, peachy, green apple buoyancy counterbalanced with a laid-back, subtle, mineral undertow. Raised in stainless steel and aged 6 months on the lees for added richness. 12.5% ABV

--Joe

Chateau la Baronne 'Juste le Rouge' 2024

When you consider that the chillable red is one of the hottest wine topics in 2025, but that many of these reds are the same old thing, just thrown in the fridge for a spell, this totally unexpected blend, Grenache Gris and Mourvedre, is all the more compelling. What's more, it's just plain delicious. Prior to purchasing stock for the shop, we opened a sample on a summer night, and the politely indignant disbelief at its then present unavailability was notable; you guys really wanted to buy some then and there. We agreed, and it was on the shelf asap. We might drink it less chilled this time of year, but would be no less refreshed, it is a bright and lively type, pale red in color, redolent of perfect strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate, wild herbs and flowers, juicy and languid on the palate, ephemeral structure, dry and vaguely spicy and herbal as the effusive fruit fades. 11.5% ABV

--JP

Dominio do Bibei Ribeiro Blanco 'Lalume' 2022

Stock levels pushed this off our wines of the year wrap-up last year, but the 2022 showed us we couldn't make the same mistake twice. I shared this with a visiting friend in the heat wave of late June. She called me months later to tell me she loves to mention her favorite wine is a "Treixadura-based white" when a new date asks her wine preference. We chuckled about their subsequent attempts to both figure out what that is and find it around town. If there's a wine that deserves this wild goose chase, it is indeed the 'Lalume' from Bibei. Proprietor Javier Domínguez farms beautiful terraced vineyards at up to 500-600 meters above sea level in Galicia. It's back-breaking work and other reviews cite that the winery has a "distinct silence" to it, due to it's lack of more modern technology and equipment. I'm not arguing that makes it better, but I am arguing there might be some distinct virtues of patience at play. Aromas of white balsamic, river stones, fresh lemon bars and salty clementines. The palate is floral and full: lemon curd, sea salt and a delightful finish of fresh, spring bitter greens. The acidity is not lacking and carries the wine with great staying power on the finish. Another great example of texture in winemaking, that doesn't solely focus on oak. Luckily, you don't have to scour town to find it. Its here. 13.5% ABV

--Callie