Top Picks Wine 101: The Basics Wine Guides

Dec 29, 2022
by Greg Martellotto

The 12 Best Wines to Drink in 2023

Dec 29, 2022
by Greg Martellotto

Hi dear wine friend,

The beginning of the year brings with it new opportunities, new purposes to fulfill, new challenges, and for us wine lovers, it also brings new wines to taste!

Our BHW team is extremely grateful for another year where you allow us to enter your home, and delight you with first-class, high-quality wines.

And for 2023, you deserve only the best. Luxury delivered to your door. Let's begin this year on the right foot, shall we? We asked our wine specialists and sommeliers to share their top picks to start the year off right, this is what they recommended:

2019 Talosa Alboreto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano DOCG

BHW Exclusive: 92 Point Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is the first Italian DOC. This place, -also referred to as “The King of All Wines”- was known to be the favorite of some of the most influential Popes, Kings, and Presidents of Italy. Montepulciano in Tuscany holds some of the world’s greatest hidden treasures. One of them is Fattoria Della Talosa.

2019 Nesios Cabernet-Sangiovese Super Tuscan IGT

BHW #1 Best-Selling Super Tuscan

As demand for Tuscan Sangiovese/Bordeaux varietal blends soars, may we present to you, dear wine lovers, a truly stellar wine worthy of the Super Tuscan category (minus the $200 price tag). Loved by European critics, Nesios Toscana, 2019 has arrived on U.S. shores, exclusively via BHW. A shimmering ruby red, this wine sighs with intense dark cherry, blackberry and plum aromas as chocolate, spices and Tuscan herbs tumble across the palate. Drink on its own or with your favorite Italian dish, you simply can't go wrong.

2018 Mannucci Droandi Chianti Ceppetto Alto DOCG

BHW Exclusive Label: "Open and dynamic" 91 Point Chianti

Ceppetto Alto is a wine exclusive to Big Hammer Wines. This wine is highly allocated. With multiple 90+ reviews from major wine critics, including James Suckling who said this is a "fruity and savory" Chianti and WinesCritic describing its "excellent quality and brightness," the this wine certainly lives up to the family name.

2018 Château La Création Pomerol

94 Point "Very Attractive" Pomerol

Just a little over 2 miles away from legendary Château Petrus and 1 mile from Château Le Pin in Pomerol, you’ll find a hidden little gem, Château La Creation. Coming from an epic 96-point vintage, that Vinous Media called "opulent, flamboyant," this brilliant Pomerol is a perfect blend of 54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Franc. There’s no doubt that Pomerol is synonymous with high quality. This appellation delivers some of the most coveted (and expensive) wines that the world has ever seen. So, finding a good value Pomerol is not easy. But we did it. Château La Creation is one of our best Pomerol deals ever.

2018 Luciano Arduini Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico

98 Points “Best Italian Wines of the Year” by Luca Maroni

Amarone della Valpolicella is a wine like no other. And when it comes to producing this outstanding wine, Luciano Arduini is at the top of its game. To create this Amarone, the grapes are left wither from the end of September to the end of January. Crush happens in January with soft destemming and a slow fermentation and maceration for 35 days. Take a trip to Veneto with this wine. A taste of Verona and Venice, perfect for winter warming and fireside sipping, this Amarone will transport you.

2019 Cerro Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

#1 Bang for the Buck Napa Cab of 2022

Value is a word that's been absent from the discussion of quality Napa Cabs for some time, especially in these inflationary times. That's why we're exuberant to share with you the Cerro Cab on offer today. This wine is one of the greatest values in Napa Cab available today and it’s from the 2019 vintage that Bloomberg declared “near perfect.” Derek Beitler’s star is on the rise, and his wines—particularly this Napa Cab—will not remain at this amazingly low price for much longer. Derek produced just 220 cases, and we have secured a significant portion of that for BHW clients like you. Don't graze or wander. Jump on this micro-production wine ASAP.

2018 Bibbiani Treggiaia Rosso Toscano Supertuscan

93 Point Seductive Supertuscan

Treggiaia is a fun blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Cab Sauvignon. This wine aims to represent the perfect mix between the estate's two flagship grapes, Sangiovese and Cabernet. The result is a complex, deep, and seductive wine. With more than 1300 years of history, Villa Bibbiani is a little gem in the heart of Tuscany. Gambero Rosso said that Bibbiani is “much more than a winery, much more than an estate.” We agree.

2017 Colle Nero Tra Di Noi Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG

BHW Exclusive Label from Montalcino

Wine Spectator said that "If you want to understand what great Italian wine is all about, buy a bottle of Brunello. No wine in Italy matches Tuscany's Brunello di Montalcino when it comes to class and age-ability." And we say: if you truly want to understand the class and age-ability of a Brunello that Jame's Suckling is talking about, buy a bottle of this wine. Colle Nero is BHW’s exclusive import. This extremely limited and unique wine is crafted by Terre Nere, a family-owned and operated artisanal winery in the beautiful region of Montalcino. We made this wine for us, but it's our pleasure to be sharing it with you. For this reason, the wine is called Tra di Noi, which means "between us."

Experience and taste the magic of Colle Nero by Terre Nere, exclusively at BHW.

2018 Soutard Cadet Cuvee Victoire Saint Emilion Grand Cru

Saint Emilion Grand Cru, A Wine Lover's Dream

In Bordeaux, there are many historic Châteaux. On the Right Bank, in Saint-Emilion,one of the oldest and most prestigious is Château Soutard-Cadet. Soutard-Cadet traces its history back to 1513 when it was a farm with a windmill. Wine didn’t come along until later, but this property located just a short walk from the town of Saint-Emilion—with its clay and limestone soils that lie over beds of asteriated limestone—was destined for wine. The Cuvée Victoire is Soutard-Cadet’s outstanding second wine. Second wines are often made from younger grapes than a Château’s flagship wine, but receive the same attention and care as the flagship from the same vintage, which in this case received 96 points from Jeb Dunnuck who called it “a thrill-a-minute Saint-Emilion that readers should snatch up.”

2019 Les Heritiers Saint-Genys Clos Marcilly 'Cuvee Hermine' 1er Cru Mercurey Blanc

95 Point 1er Cru White Burgundy

Les Heritiers Saint-Genys winery is located in Chassagne Montrachet where they produce several excellent wines, both rouge et blanc. In 2011, the winery acquired Le Clos Marcilly, a Premier Cru vineyard in Mercurey. Following improvements and some replanting, the vineyard is now a monopole, a unique vineyard with its own appellation (or AOC), that is solely farmed and controlled by Les Heritiers Saint-Genys. This is akin to how Romanee Conti has made famous their own monopoles such as Romanee Conti and La Tache. To own and farm a monopole is a responsibility of the highest order and is considered a privilege. Les Heritiers Saint Genys is dedicated to making a tiny amount of only the best wines the land will offer.

2015 LaMontagne Quinta del Mar Vineyard Pinot Noir San Luis Obispo County Clone 777

First-Class California Pinot Noir 50% Off

San Luis Obispo County is benefited from a cool climate with coastal influence (due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean). This place is home to one of the longest wine-growing seasons and this results in crispy, juicy, and elegant Pinot Noirs. Kimberly Smith, owner and winemaker of LaMontagne, is a visionary and passionate businesswoman; her great love for Pinot Noir was what led her to the tireless search of discovering how to produce the best wines from this grape. In 2006, she began to plot her dream with the help of his mentor, winemaker Wes Hagen. Hagen was named in 2013 as “One of the 100 most influential winemakers in the USA” according to Decanter.

2009 Louis Dousset Assemblage Grand Cru Brut

Grand Cru, Grower Champagne

Have you ever tasted the passion, dedication, caring, hours and hours of hard work, the perfect combination of climate and soils, the love and traditions? This wine is all that and more. Since 1844, the Dousset family has been cultivating premium vines for Champagne production in the town of Reims. In 1976 a new generation came into the fold, Louis Dousset, and began to bottle his own champagne. The Dousset's focus their efforts on a few, meticulously selected plots of vines in a limited number of villages that have a distinctive, contemporary style that relies on top-quality vineyards to produce world-class Champagne.

Big Hammer Wines

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