Pierre Gonon, Saint-Joseph, 2011 burgundy_wines-template Asili sits on the southwest-facing

Asili sits on the southwest-facing slope of Barbaresco village and gives wines built on floral lift rather than brute power — and Giacosa's hand has always brought out the cru's most aromatic side

Liguria's Riviera di Ponente is one of Italy's most dramatically sited wine regions — terraced cliffs dropping to the Mediterranean — and Punta Crena is among its finest estates

A gorgeous wine in its youth

Alain Graillot’s Crozes-Hermitage is a benchmark northern Rhône Syrah

The wine’s vibrant acidity and mineral backbone underscore its freshness and clarity

Pierre Gonon, Saint-Joseph, 2011 burgundy_wines-template Asili sits on the southwest-facingBenchmark Saint Joseph from one of the Northern Rhne's most beloved family domaines, and the bottle in this run to open tonight. Pierre and Jean Gonon farm steep, granite slopes in Mauves, the historic heart of the appellation directly across from the Hermitage hill, with which they share the same granitic bedrock. They farm organically (no chemicals since 2004; later certified), harvest by hand, and ferment whole ish clusters with native yeasts in