Bonny Doon Picpoul Beeswax Vineyard 2024 (Arroyo Seco, California)

Bonny Doon founder Randall Grahm, dubbed the “Rhone Ranger” for his dedication to cultivating French varietals in Northern California, has always roamed outside convention. Please see: UFOs on wine labels and one of the more memorable hairstyles in the profession. We’d expect nothing less from the sponsor of this lean, obscure grape, making a new home on the California coast. As in its Languedoc homeland, the Picpoul grape captures the Arroyo Seco maritime climate on the palate, with citrus aromas on the nose and a river stone minerality on the palate balanced by ripe orchard fruit. Still a “lip-stinger” (Picpoul loosely translated) stateside, the characteristic clean acidity of this wine makes it a great pair with so many foods. Food Ideas: Oysters! tomato salad with feta and mint, Mediterranean orzo pasta, tuna melt sandwiches, bouillabaisse ABV: 11%