Two Wines. Two Personalities. Two Completely Different Experiences.
- Michael Perman
- Jul 3
- 4 min read
Two Wines. Two Personalities. Two Completely Different Experiences.
Some wines are made to refresh an afternoon. Others are made to mark a milestone. The joy of being a sommelier is discovering bottles that do both extraordinarily well.
Note: This fall I’ll be pouring both of these exceptional wines during the Lake Oswego Wine Walk at City Home. But here’s the secret: you don’t have to wait until October 3 to enjoy them. Both are available now as a limited pre-sale while supplies last. Contact me for details. Michael@cestwhat.org.
The best wine tasting isn’t about deciding which wine is “better.” It’s about discovering two completely different personalities and imagining the role each wine might play in your life.
Every memorable bottle has an occasion. Every great wine tells a story.
As a Certified Sommelier with C’EST WHAT? Wine & Sensory in Portland, Oregon, I’m delighted to share two remarkable wines for the summer of 2026. Both will also be featured at the Lake Oswego Wine Festival, yet they couldn’t be more different in style, mood, and personality.
2023 Ridge Vineyards Grenache Blanc — Paso Robles, California
Let’s begin in California with the beautiful 2023 Ridge Vineyards Grenache Blanc from Paso Robles.
The wine is predominantly Grenache Blanc, one of the great white grapes of Southern France, with small additions of Picpoul and Roussanne that contribute lively acidity and a beautifully rounded texture.
The aromas are vibrant and inviting: fresh pear, Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, jasmine, apricot, mango, and a touch of pineapple. It is crisp without being sharp and richly textured without ever feeling heavy.
Ridge crafts this wine using whole-cluster pressing, a gentle technique often associated with fine sparkling wine production. The wine is then aged in a thoughtful combination of neutral oak, Italian clay amphorae, Italian sandstone vessels, and small amounts of new French oak and acacia. The result is a wine with remarkable purity, complexity, and elegance.
This is the bottle I would open on a warm summer afternoon.
Imagine grilled shrimp just coming off the barbecue, rotisserie chicken seasoned with fresh garden herbs, or simply an evening of wonderful conversation with close friends. Its personality is fresh, artistic, and effortlessly charming.
The soundtrack? Debussy’s Clair de Lune.
The setting? Watching the sun slowly disappear beyond a sparkling lake while a gentle breeze carries the scent of summer.
Enchanting.
2015 Borgo Scopeto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione — Tuscany, Italy
Now let’s cross the Atlantic to Tuscany.
Enter the magnificent 2015 Borgo Scopeto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.
Made almost entirely from Sangiovese, this wine tells an entirely different story.
Gran Selezione represents the highest classification of Chianti Classico. These wines must come exclusively from estate-owned vineyards, undergo extended aging, and pass a rigorous tasting panel before earning certification. They represent the pinnacle of Chianti production.
The 2015 vintage is widely regarded as one of Tuscany’s finest in decades, producing wines with exceptional concentration, balance, and longevity.
In the glass, expect black cherry, ripe woodland berries, fragrant violet, dried herbs, cedar, leather, ground clove, and just a whisper of coffee.
There is an earthy elegance that reminds you these vineyards have been cultivated for centuries. The tannins are refined, the acidity is vibrant, and every sip seems designed for grilled steak, wild mushroom pasta, or aged Pecorino.
This isn’t simply a dinner wine. It’s a wine for celebration. A wine for reflection.
The music is Vivaldi.
Its personality is mysterious, confident, and quietly charismatic.
Picture yourself standing on the balcony of an old Tuscan villa you’ve lovingly restored. Autumn has arrived. The vineyards below glow with shades of gold and crimson. Glass in hand, you pause. Not because there’s nowhere left to go, but because you’ve taken a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come.
How to choose?
One wine refreshes.
The other reflects.
One whispers of summer afternoons.
The other speaks in the language of centuries.
Neither is better.
They are simply different expressions of place, craftsmanship, and personality.
And perhaps that’s what makes wine so endlessly fascinating.
Every bottle has a story.
Every occasion deserves its own wine.
C’EST WHAT?
These are two of my favorite discoveries of the year, and I’m excited to share them during the Lake Oswego Wine Walk at City Home on October 3.
If you’d like to experience them before the event, a limited number of bottles are available now at exclusive pre-sale prices with discounts for six or more bottles.
2023 Ridge Vineyards Grenache Blanc: $42 per bottle
2015 Borgo Scopeto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: $56 per bottle
Whether you’re planning a late-summer dinner with friends, building your cellar, or searching for a memorable bottle to celebrate a special occasion, I think you’ll find that each wine offers something truly distinctive.
I’d be delighted to reserve bottles for you before they’re poured at the Wine Walk.
I look forward to sharing these remarkable wines and their stories with you.
C’EST WHAT?
Every great bottle deserves the right occasion. If you’d like suggestions for food pairings, music, or the perfect moment to open either wine, just ask. That’s part of the experience.
