Wine-of-the-Month Club
Led by Sommelier and Wine Director, Chris Russo (named San Diego's "Sommelier of the Year" for six consecutive years), NINE-TEN's "Wine of the Month" Club features a new wine each month, taking you on an excursion of local and global varietals and vineyards -- each complementing our globally-inspired, locally-sourced cuisine.
These special featured wines are offered at a 50% discount on Wednesdays, and a 20% discount every Thursday through Sunday during lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
January Wine-of-the-Month:
Willi Schaefer, Graacher Himmelreich (site), Spätlese {off-dry}, Mosel, Germany, 2018 (VDP Grosse Lage – Grand Cru)
Retail Price: $130
As a sommelier, few bottles thrill me like Willi Schaefer’s 2018 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, a pale-gold Mosel classic that opens with white peach, citrus zest, and that signature cool slate. On the palate it’s vibrant and precise, balancing generous 2018 ripeness with electric acidity, offering nectarine, honeyed lime, and a mineral line that never wavers. Fermented with native yeasts and bottled around 7.5% ABV, it shows the estate’s hallmark finesse: low-intervention winemaking, meticulous hand harvesting, and a feather-light sweetness (typical Spätlese range ~70–90 g/L RS) carried effortlessly by racy acidity. A small family domaine with an almost cult following, Schaefer crafts wines that feel intimate and crystalline. And this Spätlese is a joyful, shimmering expression of Himmelreich’s steep slate terraces.
Recommended Pairing: Our Pan Roasted Local White Sea Bass.