Benziger Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Benziger Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

          Why It’s Good:

A selection of connoisseur-selected, delicious wines for any occasion. Drink with friends or bring to a dinner party—either way you’ll be toasted for your taste.

Why It’s Green:

Organic wines are cultivated without the use of chemical pesticides, which contribute to run-off into our food-growing soil and our drinking water.  

Great Green Wines at Any Price, Any Occasion

Organic and biodynamic wines may sound trendy, but while such labeling may be new, the actual cultivation process is as old as the hills and the vineyards of France and Italy. After all, the Medicis did not drink vino processed with fancy chemical pesticides. All organic means is no chems, and all biodynamic means is making use of solely what the land and climate has to offer, just as they used to do (for example, in some cases, that might mean using vineyard horses to draw the plows). I’m Michael Green, wine consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and I’m here to tell you that there is an eco-friendly wine to fit any budget and occasion:

  The Perfect Red with Pizza:

Chapoutier Côtes-du-Rhône Belleruche, $12. Terrific with tomato sauces, this stellar Grenache Syrah blend with fab fruit notes is a creation of biodynamic and organic winemaker Michel Chapoutier.

  A Cool Rosá for Hot Weather:

Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence Rose, $14. Wonderful for chilling with a Nicoise salad on the deck, as one sip of this Grenache blend will transport you to Provence.

  The Ultimate One-Bottle-Dinner Red:

Benziger Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, $30
High on the “yummy” scale, this fruit-forward and fleshy Pinot Noir was crafted with organic and biodynamic winegrowing practices. Solves the “I’m having the steak, you‘re having the tuna, what should we drink” question.

  A Special-Day Chardonnay:

Grgich Hills Chardonnay, $35. Who needs another Chardonnay that tastes like you‘re drinking an oak desk? This elegant Grgich offers up complex notes of tropical fruit and spice along with its judicious use of oak.

  A White for the Ages:

Coulee de Serrant, $60. Nicolas Joly is a passionate pioneer of the biodynamic movement and this single-vineyard Loire white, crafted from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes, could outlive us all. Wonderful notes of citrus and melon and quince make this something to celebrate in and of itself. Try it with oysters.