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Organic

A blend of the native Muscat and the non-native but heat-tolerant Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. Well over half of the cuvée is Sauvignon Blanc, which provides both the body and acidity. Depending on the vintage, either one or both Muscat varieties are used in addition to a small proportion of Gewürztraminer to boost the aromatics. An alltitude of 200-400 meters. Hand harvested, fermented in tank for 3 months.

Bring on white wine season, I’m ready! I need a break from these cool weather full-bodied reds. If you are in agreement, then look no further than Gramona Gessami Penedes Blanco 2021. It’s like Spring in a bottle! Gessami is an organically grown blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, all very aromatic varietals. There is a lovely bouquet of white flowers and orange rind, an interesting combo to say the least. What stands out to me is the texture and fullness of the wine achieved without oak-aging. This is undoubtedly due to the Gewurztraminer. This white is much rounder than a lean New Zealand or French Sauvignon Blanc for instance, but much more refreshing than a full-bodied Chardonnay. Those of you looking for something different to drink this Spring should definitely give this a shot.

Gessami is crafted by Gramona, one of the most prestigious Cava producers. Gramona has a storied history in Penedes, Spain going back to the 1920s! Each generation has brought something new to the estate with Xavier expanding the scientific understanding of lees aging and the inherent properties of Xarel.lo while Jaume has pursued the conversion of all their vineyards – owned and leased – to organic farming as well as converting the family’s vineyards to biodynamic farming as well.

Organic / Biodynamic

A previous vintage was featured in The New York Times article: 20 Wines Under $20: For When the Weather Is Sultry by Eric Asimov

"Several efforts are underway to differentiate conscientiously produced cava from the run-of-the-mill stuff that dominates the category. The Clàssic Penedès appellation is one of them. Those producers under this classification must make their own wines, instead of buying them. If they grow grapes, they must farm organically, and the wines must be aged at least 15 months after the initial fermentation. Loxarel farms biodynamically, and makes this wine with the three classic cava grapes, parellada, macabeu and xarello (of which Loxarel is an anagram). For a $15 wine, this bottle has great delicacy and finesse."

Organic

#47 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2022!

90 points Wine Spectator
This bright red ripples across the palate, with savory hints of cured tobacco and loamy earth underscoring the black currant and black raspberry fruit. Medium-bodied, with lightly chewy tannins. Drink now through 2027

96 points James Suckling
Lots of mushroom and walnut aromas with plum and leather, too. Its full-bodied, but very soft and creamy-textured with lots of old wood, mushroom and ripe fruit on the finish. Some chocolate and hazelnut. Complex and gorgeous. Drink or hold

96 points Decanter
Arana commemorates one of La Rioja Alta's historic families. The Tempranillo (95%) and Graciano (5%) are aged separately in American oak barrels for three years before blending, then for three years in bottle (two years less than the 904, and six years less than the 890). The winery's keynote to this Rioja is 'freshness'. I agree.-Sarah Janes Evans, MW

A star is rising in Bierzo! C??sar Marquez P??rez hails from a family with deep roots in the Bierzo wine region. Historical deeds in the town of Valtuille de Abajo date the ancestral origin of the family in this region to 1752. Cesar?€?s focus is mainly on micro-vinifications of old-vine Godello and Menc??a from parajes (small plots). These parajes yield widely differing characteristics depending on their soil composition (mixtures of sand, clay, decomposed granite and stone) and the orientation and slope of the vineyards. Ultimately, Cesar envisions making single-parcel vinifications and is laying the foundation to map this region in a manner parallel to the Cru appellations of the world.

Organic

Originally $14.99 a bottle.

90 points James Suckling
A typical white with dried pear and lemon and some crushed cement and stone. It’s full-bodied, yet layered with a dry finish. Drink now.

91 points James Suckling
A fruity red with aromas of cherries, raspberries, dried flowers, cinnamon and vanilla. Medium-bodied with soft tannins. Creamy, soft and round. Supple finish. Drink now

91 points James Suckling
A fragrant nose of mulberries, plums, lavender, sandalwood and baking spices. It’s full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Pleasant, balanced wood notes. Velvety, flavorful finish. Drink now or hold.

90 points Wine Advocate
I found the 2019 Crianza to be quite harmonious and with less oak than many of its siblings. It's medium to full-bodied with balance and fine tannins.

94 pts Vinous
The 2011 Rioja Gran Reserva 904 has been one of my go-to cuvA?es since my earliest days as a wine lover. This latest release is a blend of 60-year-old Tempranillo from BriA??as, Rodenzo and Villalba (89%) and the remainder Graciano from the Montecillo vineyard. Fully de-stemmed and aged for 54 months in American oak, it was bottled in November 2016. This is more reticent and less forthcoming on the nose compared to the ViA??a Ardanza, gradually unfolding to reveal enticing scents of raspberry, crushed strawberry, warm leather, terra cotta and a touch of meat juice. This needed more decanting than the Ardanza. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins, and ultra-smooth in terms of texture. Layers of red fruit laced with clove, sprigs of fresh mint and blood orange dovetail into a soy-tinged finish that you expect to fan out, though it declines; it needs maybe another 12-18 months to really show what it is capable of. Magnificent.

Wine Spectator:
Cherry, leafy and vanilla notes mingle in this juicy red. Light tannins and lively acidity impart a gentle balance. Not muscular but harmonious. Drink now through 2023. 50,000 cases imported.

93 points Vinous
Deep ruby. Explosive, oak-spiced aromas of cherry compote, blackberry, vanilla and potpourri, with a hint of smoked meat slowly emerging with aeration. Smooth, sweet and focused on the palate, offering bitter cherry and blackcurrant flavors that are given lift and spine by juicy acidity. Shows a sexy floral quality on the long, smoky finish, which leaves notes of vanilla and bitter cherry behind. - Josh Reynolds (9/2014)

Winemaker Notes:
Montecillo Crianza consistently wins ‘best value’ wine awards, around the world. Established in 1874, Bodegas Montecillo is one of the oldest wineries in the D.O. Rioja. Montecillo maintains its ancient underground ‘bodega’ where hand stacked bottles remain undisturbed until reaching optimal roundness. Montecillo wines are crafted to enjoy a long bottle life; they continue bottle ageing longer than those from other wineries in the region.

Elegant and attractive cherry red, with a good depth and intensity of color. Ripe fruit on the nose, particularly strawberry preserve. Subtle flavors interlaced with notes of sweet oak that are reminiscent of black liquorice. Broad entry in the mouth, rounded and with great presence. Th­is is when we really notice the high quality of the oak, thanks to tannins that are well integrated with the ripe fruit, making the wine silky with a long, pleasant aftertaste.

Ideal with grilled meats, charcuterie, vegetable and pulse based stews, tapas and canapes.


91pts-James Suckling:
This is a soft and round-textured Rioja with plum and dark-chocolate character. Medium body. Delicious finish.

A hint of mushroom here, along with honey and citrus. It's rich and frothy, with a crisp finish. - WS82

Organic

Primeur is crafted from the young vines of their estate. It is 100% Prieto Picudo displaying wonderful freshness that compliments the blue and black berry body. This medium-bodied red is soft and inviting and will be enjoyed by most. Not sure if the name of the winery is a play on words, but this wine reminds me quite a bit of Morgon Beaujolais.

The wine maker and viticulturist is the very well respected Raul Perez.

Organic

90 points James Suckling
A pretty nose of cassis, plums, raspberries, bark and sweet spices. Medium-bodied with sleek tannins. Round, plush and juicy with plenty of fruit and a spicy finish. A blend of garnacha, tempranillo and graciano. Drink now

Garnacha 50%, Tempranillo 40%, Graciano 10%

Made by Marques de Riscal of Rioja.

Organic

"Aged a minimum of 6 months in old French or American oak casks. Our traditional wine. Mil?? seeks to bring back the tastes of past years in a fresh and frisky sip of wine. A wine for everyday and for everyone." Winmaker notes

Quinta Mil?? is the personal project of the winemaker Germ??n R. Blanco in Ribera del Duero, Spain; a project on a small scale that aspires to produce wines that transmit the location they come from, a small town called La Aguilera, situated in the province of Burgos in the northeast of Spain.

90 pts Vinous
Bright violet. Pungent cherry pit, cassis and licorice scents are sharpened by a peppery nuance. Chewy and focused on the palate, offering bitter cherry and dark berry flavors and a touch of espresso. Dusty tannins frame a long, nervy finish that echoes the cherry note. This is a pretty serious wine for its price category.

Organic / Biodynamic

90 pts Wine Advocate
The textbook varietal 2019 Mencia shows the rustic personality of the region through the grapes from different places. They were very happy with the conditions of the 2019 vintage, as it was warmer and drier than 2018, which meant healthier grapes. It has a moderate 13% alcohol and very good freshness for a grape that does not have very high acidity. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, with 15 to 20 days of maceration, and it was bottled unoaked. It's nicely textured, pleasant and juicy, not terribly complex but really pleasant. They have filled 17,280 bottles in two batches so far, but more will come to complete around 70,000 bottles.

90 pts Vinous
Deep red. Spice-accented red berries and cherry on the nose, along with a subtle floral nuance that builds with air. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering lively raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that fan out through the back half. Finishes silky and long, with lingering spiciness and discreet tannins that add gentle grip.

Organic

93+ pts Wine Advocate
The amazing 2018 Cortezada is often one of the best values in Spain. It's produced with Mencía grapes from the vineyard of the Pazo do Couto called Cortezada that was planted in 2002 on southeast-facing terraces at 350 meters in altitude, on soils that are rich in gneiss, iron, slate and quartzite. The full clusters fermented with indigenous yeasts at less than 20 degrees Celsius, followed by a long maceration of 60 days. Only part of the wine matured in 300- and 500-liter French oak barrels for six months and then another six months in concrete, and part of the wine was in concrete for the whole of those 12 months. In previous years, all of the wine was matured in barrel. They now use concrete to try to make it sharper. This is heartier, darker and meatier than the rest of the wines from the 2018 vintage, more Cornas than Chambolle, with rustic elegance and more Mencía than previous vintages. They reckon 2018 saw a very complete and long ripening cycle, and each vineyard really shows the character. I've never seen the character of each of the wines so defined and different from each other. This is sharper but, at the same time, more powerful, a wine with more clout and, I'd say, aging potential. 8,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019.

94 points James Suckling
A rich and rather decadent Rioja with ripe berry, tobacco and bark aromas that follow through to a full body with layered, creamy tannins and a long, fresh finish with lemon peel and apple to the dark fruit. Touches of coconut and toffee. Drink or hold.

Caribbean- Born and aged 5 years in the Caribbean and perfected through an additional two step aging process in Jerez, Spain where two types of sherry casks are used. Complex, smooth, notes of dried fruit.

#53 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2022.

94 points Wine Spectator
Well-tailored in an understated way, this harmonious red is plushly creamy on the palate, like fine cashmere, showing seamless integration of the sculpted tannins with finely detailed flavors of black cherry and black plum reduction, sandalwood, cedar, green olive, espresso crema and minerally smoke and iron. Long and lightly juicy on the refined finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2030

97 points Wine Advocate
The most classical of their wines, the 2015 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano, mostly from Rioja Alta (Sajazarra, Cellorigo and Fonzaleche), but the Garnacha is from different plots in the zone of Tudelilla at high altitude. These grapes are always picked last, but the wine has a similar alcohol level as the rest, around 14.5% in a warm year like 2019. The modus operandi is similar to other of the top cuvees?harvested into 200-kilogram boxes, destemming, optical sorting and fermentation in small oak casks with indigenous yeasts. The elevage in this case is extended to 36 months, and the barrels are only 10% new. This is, year in, year out, my favorite wine from Muga, and in this powerful and ripe year, these late-harvesting vines ripened thoroughly and delivered a full array of aromas and flavors so that the wine has plenty of depth and complexity. It has a very classical profile, with incipient tertiary notes, perfumed, floral and rich, textured and beautifully balanced. They compare this 2015 with 2009 and 2005 in terms of style but with freshness in the style of 2001 and 2010. It's enjoyable but should also develop for a long time in bottle. One of the finest Prado Enea vintages. 108,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2018. There's no 2012 or 2013 of this. There will be a 2016 and 2019, but no 2017 or 2018. 2020 is still a question mark, they have not yet decided it.

97 points James Suckling
Reserved and polished, this is a Prado Enea with great class and focus. It?€?s so aromatic,with plum, peach, cherry and cedar character. Salted olives, too. Medium-to full-bodied with very fine tannins and a long, fresh finish. Elegance with power here. Give it three or four years to open, but already impressive.

Organic / Biodynamic

Old vine Godello. The wine ages on the fine lees in foudre for 4 months before bottling. The wine does have very good freshness, plus a very salty finish and the granite sensation that gives it an electric touch, complex, powerful and with a profile of a serious wine with very little bitterness.