Wines Worth Drinking — Fig Brandy, Rosé Mania and a Distinctive Napa Red Highlight the Latest Picks

My current wine tasting schedule includes several bottles of rosé, a Napa red blend and a fig brandy from a family distillery in Sonoma County. It’s an eclectic lineup that showcases the diverse world of wine (and spirits).

The 2023 Rosé of Pinot Noir from Alma de Cattleya ($25) is my first rosé pick. It’s another great bottling from Bibiana González Rave, who hails from Colombia. She trained with some of the finest winemakers in France and South Africa, and worked at La Crema, Au Bon Climat, Qupé and Lynmar Estate before launching her own brands.

If you are a fan of wines that drink far above their price points (and who isn’t?), this is a stellar example. It’s 100 percent pinot noir, with fruit that comes mainly from the Carneros and Russian River Valley AVAs. Pink-hued coral attracts the eye. It is a beautiful color that makes you want to drink it even before your nose is treated to flower and citrus, not to mention bruised strawberries of the finest kind. A sip delivers a touch of citrus and a grace note of firm, unripe peach.

Alcohol comes in at 14.1 percent, and 500 cases were produced. Drink it now, and pair with goat cheese, brie, or perhaps a roast chicken (with poached asparagus as a side) on a warm evening.

What can one write to describe the Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir (made by the Pisoni family)? First, I am confident that you’ll enjoy every glass of this wine that you pour, and your guests will too. It’s fresh, vibrant, intriguing and astoundingly food friendly. I made some bruschetta with olive oil, olives, basil and mozzarella to pair with this rosé, and the evening began in a grand manner.

You can see the color of the wine in the picture above, and the Lucy fails not in the complexity department. Wild strawberry notes, along with watermelon, and decent minerality combine to give much drinking pleasure. I tasted the 2020 vintage, and it was still singing. The 2023 – 13.5 percent alcohol, 50 percent whole cluster and 50 percent saignée – is available now, and you’ll pay around $24.

Gamble Family Vineyard’s Paramount is a wine I’ve written about before, and I look forward to sampling each new vintage of this Bordeaux-style blend. The most recent I’ve tasted is the 2017, which is exemplary and fascinating. It is a $90 blend of cabernet franc (33 percent), cabernet sauvignon (32 percent), merlot (29 percent) and petit verdot (6 percent), all of which were harvested, fermented and aged separately. Nine vineyard sites are the sources of the fruit here, including Gamble’s own Oakville property.

This wine saw exactly 43 percent new oak, and 715 cases were produced. I love the savory aspects of the Paramount: tobacco, a touch of graphite and some mushroom. Rich blackberry and black cherry are present as well. It’s 14.1 percent alcohol, and I paired this bottle with lamb chops that I marinated in olive oil, garlic and parsley. Drink now, or cellar for a few more years.

Finally, we come to the fig-flavored brandy. I loved it, it’s as simple as that. Prohibition Spirits Distillery, which is based in Sonoma, uses 18 botanicals in this libation starring Black Mission figs. Built on the traditional flavors beloved by French distillers — fennel, anise, orange peel, and vanilla — this brandy is ideal for an after-dinner digestif. Elegant, luxurious, sensual. . . and in no way overbearing or brash. Get your best snifters and pour a round for your dining companions as you discuss the state of global affairs.

You likely won’t solve the world’s geopolitical problems, but you’ll possibly feel better about them. Figcello de Sonoma sells for $29 to $50, depending on bottle size.

Next time in PaperCity‘s wine column, I’ll take a deep dive into some Australian chardonnay and California pinot noir.

For more wine, travel and other stories from James Brock, check out Mise en Place.