It is time for another edition of “Random Samples”–I occasionally get samples from marketing agencies and/or producers. These can often be grouped together into some sort of over-arching theme: Drink Them and It Will Come, Summer is Here, So That Means (More) Rosé, If It Doesn’t Sparkle, It Doesn’t Matter.

Other times, I get just a bottle or two that do not have any apparent connection or link. Instead of holding on to those bottles until the “right” combination comes along, I decided to link all these “random” bottles together, making their own category (and, being the math geek that I am, “random sample” has a bit of a double entendre).

2023 Abbazia di Novacella (Stiftskellerei Neustift) Lagrein, Alto Adige, Italy: Retail $20. Very Responsible Bottle (445g; 15.7oz). 100% Lagrein. I have not had a ton of this variety, but those that I have tried a) I have loved, and b) have all come from Alto Adige. Both are true with this wine. Medium to dark in color with plenty of red berry fruit with touches of earth and spice. On the palate, this is tart, even quite tart (which is a good thing) with plenty of fruit, more than adequate body, and it screams the need for food. If you are a lover of huge red wines, with big boisterous fruit, the kind that will knock your socks off? This is probably not for you. But if you want a balanced wine that is food friendly and a great representation of the region? Yeah, this is it. Excellent. 91 Points.

NV FIOL Prosecco Extra Dry, Veneto, Italy: Retail $18. Very Heavy Bottle (732g; 25.8oz). 100% Glera. Quite light in color with tons of citrus and green apple and just a touch of salinity on the nose. The palate, while not “sweet” still has a noticeable sugar component which the zingy acidity tries to curtail, but falls just short. It is quaffable, even mashable, though, with bits of depth, complexity, and intrigue. DOC Prosecco has become a bit of a minefield, but this is a fine iteration. Very Good. 89 Points.

2021 Pedroncelli Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Wisdom, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $60. Very Heavy Bottle (788g; 27.7oz). 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Malbec. Under cork. The Pedroncelli family has been making wine in Dry Creek Valley for nearly 100 years, which is remarkable in and of itself. The fact that the wines are of the highest quality and moderately priced is a testament to their commitment to supply wines for people to drink every day. This Wisdom, though, at $60 is a more recent endeavor to also produce premium, “special occasion” wines that highlight individual vineyards in Dry Creek Valley. This Wisdom is one of those wines and perhaps my favorite. Dark but not brooding, fruity but no bomb, and weighty without being “heavy” (not talking about the bottle–that is certainly really heavy), this is just delightful. Rich, robust, but also food friendly, this seems to fit in perfectly with the Pedroncelli ethos. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2022 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Bacigalupi Vineyard, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $60. Heavy Bottle (620g; 21.8oz). Under cork. This is now the seventh consecutive vintage of this wine that I have sampled and while there has been some variation by vintage, all have been stellar and all have shown great potential for aging. This 2022 is no different: medium straw to brilliant yellow in the glass with that classic Tongue Dancer Bacigalupi (an American Grand Cru in my book–the Chateau Montelan that won the judgment of Paris had 40% Bacigalupi fruit in it) nose of lemon curd, a salty note, and oodles of minerality. The palate is a bit nervous at this stage, with the acidity by and large in charge, but the fruit peeks through on the mid-palate along with that almost Chablissien minerality. Don’t mistake this for a one-trick, angular wine, however, as there is plenty of body, levels of complexity, and a boatload of intrigue. Yes, the Tongue Dancer team has done it again with this Baci Chard (those are “cool kids” abbreviations, at least I think they are). Whoa. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2022 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Pratt Vine Hill, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $65. Heavy Bottle (624g; 22g). Under cork. After I got home from practice and before I started dinner, I popped this but decided I was going to have a beer first (Rodenbach, in case you were wondering). I had pulled the wine from the cellar, so it was about 55°. The added time in the fridge dropped it closer to what I would consider “serving temp” for a Chard, likely around 38° or so. Once I poured it into my glass, it was, well, odd, particularly for a Tongue Dancer. A bit disjointed with nutty and certainly oaky notes dominating just about everything. I was a bit depressed, to be honest, as the 2021 version was my White Wine of the Year for 2024 (98 Points). This one? It bordered on a “yikes” (not really, but that makes what you are about to read more dramatic). I pulled out the bottle to write my note, around 11:00 p.m. when the head coach started texting me (I coach basketball at my son’s school). That is never a one-and-done endeavor, so I did not get to the wine until about an hour later. Whoa. What a difference a few degrees made as this wine was absolutely singing. Lemon curd a go-go with just a hint of oak on the nose and a voluptuous, sexy, fruity goddess of a wine on the palate. This is honestly what I had expected from the jump, but that extra chill caused her to not be presentable. Or something like that. Yeah, at around cellar temperature is where this should be consumed, holy cow what a wine. Outstanding. 96 Points.

2022 We Know Jack Zinfandel Rockpile Riff Raff Jack Florence Sr. Vineyard, Rockpile AVA, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $65. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (960g; 33.8oz). 100% Rockpile Vineyard Zinfandel. This is now the second vintage of this wine and the bottle remains one of the more ridiculously heavy ones on the market. Why? I have no idea but the wine is rather fantastic: dark and brooding in the glass with oodles of dark fruit with plenty of earth and spice. The palate is fruity, even really fruity but buoyed by plenty of zingy acidity and the aforementioned spice. Listen, this is a really big wine and certainly at the upper end price-wise when it comes to Zinfandel. But. If you like your Zins huge (but short of over-the-top), this is one for you. But handle the bottle carefully, it could easily kill someone (or the planet). Excellent. 92 Points.