Grand Slam Summer Lineup 750 ml

When the mercury rises, one element of wine becomes the most important: It must be thirst-quenching. This is so important to wine lovers the world over, in fact, that the French developed a term to describe that entire category of wine, vin de soif. The phrase literally translates to thirst-quenching wine, but also refers to easy-drinking, everyday bottles designed for pure pleasure. Our Smashing Summer Set embodies vin de soif in five bottles. Better yet? These aren’t just pool and patio sippers, but Michelin-starred favorites from Wine Access best-selling winemakers. From Antill Farm’s expressive Sonoma Pinot Noir (try it with a chill!) to crisp rosé and creamy Chardonnay this set offers five must-have summer wines across the color spectrum, at a fantastic discount, ready to ship today.

Read on and sip satisfied this season. 

Wine Set Includes:

2016 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Anthill was born a passion project between three friends, who scraped together their savings in 2004 to make just 250 cases of wine. But, as alums of Williams-Selyem, founders Webster Marquez, Anthony Filiberti (an alum of Bergström and Hafner), and David Low they had both the know-how and connections to create liquid greatness. In the past 15 years, they’ve proved it with their ethereal Pinot Noirs, which are darlings of sommeliers coast-to-coast. met while working at Williams-Selyem following years of cellar rat apprenticeship around the country. This 2016 Anthill Pinot exudes notes of crushed rose petals, Chinese five spice, and candied licorice add complexities. Vibrant red berry fruit drives the palate with holiday brown spice and pepper spice. Fleshy and open-knit, this is built for immediate enjoyment, yet will lay down for another 4 to 5 years.

2016 Benevolent Neglect Las Madres Vineyard Syrah Carneros 
In crafting the 2016 Las Madres, rising star winemaker Matt Nagy used the lightest possible touch (plus the experience gained under Napa legends Thomas Rivers Brown and Steve Matthiasson) to allow Las Madres Syrah to come alive in the glass. Matt’s take on Las Madres fruit is almost an anti-take, involving as little intervention as possible in the cellar—thus the name Benevolent Neglect. Using no additives or substitutes allows the vineyard to speak for itself, showcasing its brilliant floral aromatics, deep blackberry notes, and potent layers of smoke and spice. An excellent homage to the Northern Rhône bursting with smoke, fruit, and firm tannins. Incredibly well-balanced, with a long finish. 

2018 Lorenza Rosé California
This is exactly the bottling you want to be pulling out of the ice bucket during Happy Hour this summer. Lorenza’s previous 2017 release was one of the Wall Street Journal’s top picks of the year, and this one more than lives up to the great expectations set by that remarkable bottling. This Provence-style rosé is supremely aromatic, with a mineral-tinged bouquet of white peach and Meyer lemon blossoms, with distinct mountain strawberry and rose petal notes. An electrifying mouthfeel yields to an elegant, crisp finish that is dry and mineral through and through with fresh cranberry and bright citrus lingering. 

2017 LIOCO Chardonnay Sonoma County 
The 2017 LIOCO Sonoma County Chardonnay, with bright citrus energy, just-picked pear, and golden apple flavors, and dazzling freshness embodies everything that has made LIOCO a darling among America’s top sommeliers and Chardonnay collectors alike. A blend of three vineyards—the biodynamic Teac-Mor, Stuhlmuller, and Littorai neighbor Goldridge—each site could easily stand on its own at twice the price. Together, they deliciously characterize Sonoma terroir. Their reputation has officially eclipsed its charming founding story, embodied best by LIOCO’s new tasting room on the town square in Sonoma County’s new gourmet Mecca of Healdsburg, where, just steps away, Michelin 3-star darling SingleThread offers a half-dozen LIOCO wines.

2017 Massican Gaspare Friuli Colli Orientali White Wine
Winemaker Dan Petroski approaches with a refreshing, passionate frame of mind: Decidedly unafraid to do things differently, this wines convey a sense of place like few others. Despite working magi with Cabernet Sauvignon at Napa’s Larkmead, Massican’s Gaspare is truly Italian. Inspired by his nostalgia for Italy, Dan launched Massican to celebrate traditional Northern Italian varieties that are rare in California. Gaspare brings Dan back to Italy, the cradle of his career, to make a true Italian wine, a blend of Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, and Chardonnay that combines the expressiveness and rule-flouting style of two of his biggest influences: Domaine Didier Dagueneau of Pouilly-Fumé and Sean Thackrey of Northern California. The palate is laser focused with crisp acidity, a medium-light body, and mouth-watering flavors of pear, melon, lemon zest, and nectarine. An ideal wine for sharing at the dinner table with seafood and green salads. this is precise and delicious, and one of the most enticing white wines we’ve tasted all year.