Events

91 points Decanter
Produced since 1979, Castellares annata sees its usual dollop of Canaiolo Nero as well as a brief passage in small French oak barrels. It is slightly confected to begin, then comes into focus with pure, fresh dark raspberry. Intense floral nuances of violet and rose join in, carrying over on the palate. It is concentrated in flavour with a light dusting of chalky tannins, while intrinsic juiciness keeps it agile. Admirable depth and length for the category. -Michaela Morris, Feb 2025

• Vermentino Nero and Pollera.
• Grey clay soils.
• Vineyards are from 70 – 200 meters above sea level in the commune of Fosdinovo.
• Maceration (semi-carbonic) and fermentation using indigenous yeasts in concrete vats.
• Racking by gravity.
• Aging for eight months on the lees.

Organic

There is a Chardonnay planting dating back to the mid-1980s, which is used for the production of Langhe Bianco in combination with a small percentage of Nebbiolo. The harvest takes place in September, usually in a day, at perfect physiological maturation. The collection is manual, in small cassettes. Before being pressed the grapes follows 2 manual selections to check the integrity of the fruits. The fermentation takes place exclusively in wooden vats thanks to a pied de cuve of Indigenous yeasts and lasts for about ten days. The wine then matures in a neutral oak barrel for about 2 years.

Organic / Biodynamic

92 points James Suckling
Attractive aromas of red and dark berries, crushed walnuts, dried flowers and stone. Medium-bodied, juicy and bright on the palate with fine tannins and a sleek, textural finish. 48% charbono, 45% malbec and 7% semillon. Drink now or hold.

Organic

Cherry red with rich purple highlights, Ròdon boasts a complex mosaic of well-defined, very fragrant aromas. Seductive notes of wild rose are the first to emerge, followed by nuances of wild strawberry and redcurrant that linger and complete an elegant bouquet. The palate displays an emphatic crispness and full body, the happy result of a perfect balance between ultra-savoury flavours and a tasty minerality, characteristics that are classic to this terroir, and excellent supporting tannins and acidity. The finish is notably lengthy, and nicely mirrors the aromas offered by the nose

Organic / Natural / No Added Sulphur

La Lambretta 2022 is Gemma Miró's new wine, a unique expression of grape-ripened Muscat from Priorat. Sourced from 40-year-old vineyards at the Les Pinyanes estate, this wine is a tribute to Gemma's family memories, with subtle notes of citrus and Mediterranean aromas. Unfined, Unfiltered. 10% abv

Organic / Natural / Orange Wine

A co-ferment of Trebbiano 40%, Sauvignon Blanc 21%, Marsanne 19%, Chardonnay 10%, Colombard 6%, Viognier 4%. Skin contact. 12% abv. This is a serious medium-bodied orange wine that somehow remains delicate on the palate. Tangerine and marmalade notes up front with herbaceousness and tension on the finish.

Organic / Biodynamic

The terrible floods of the Maule River in 2023 hit Gonzales Bastias hard. ??Their vineyards were flooded, although luckily, without damage to the plants, since their advanced age withstand such ocasional disasters. ??But their cellar and winery were wrecked. ??As a result they felt "headless", and that feeling lends its name to the new wine they made following the tragedy. Descabezado was made in their new winery, built above the hill where the old one stood, and it is one hundred percent Pais from their incredible 200 year old plus vines. It fermented from native yeasts, and macerated three days on the skin before a slower, extended three month fermentation. ??Unfined and unfiltered, it shows the loveliest side of Pais, soft on the palate with plenty of berry fruit. ??An easy drinking wine showing the versatility of the grape and the high standards of the wines coming from Chile these days..

Comprising roughly 60% of Fleury’s production, the workhorse Blanc de Noirs Brut is 100% Pinot Noir from the area’s distinctive Kimmeridgian soils. Our inaugural release is built around the 2019 harvest, which comprises 45% of the blend; 55% of the blend is from a 65-hectoliter oak foudre—a perpetual reserve of Pinot Noir dating back to 2006. Bottled for secondary fermentation in June 2020 and disgorged in November 2023 with 3.2 grams per liter of dosage, this release of the Blanc de Noirs Brut offers stunning balance and depth, leading with crunchy apples, cinnamon, and subtle notes of pastry, and featuring a saliva-inducing mineral undergirding which broadens on the wine’s lengthy finish.

Organic / Biodynamic

99-100 points James Suckling
What a finish on this Pontet-Canet. So much energy and brightness. It's full-bodied yet so tight and focused with superb fruit and transparency. It is racy and fine with super fine texture. It's like crushed cabernet sauvignon with cassis, tobacco and cigar box. Licorice and spices. Freshness of the seed. 57% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 4% cabernet franc, and 4% petit verdot.

97-99+ points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Château Pontet-Canet is brilliant and should easily be up with the crème de la crème from the Médoc. Based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it was vinified mostly in concrete (there's a small part in wood), and the aging is in 50% new French oak, 35% in amphora, and the rest in once-used barrels. It has an incredibly pure bouquet of cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and scorched earth. This carries to a full-bodied Pauillac with a deep, layered mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. It has the purity, richness, and structure that makes this vintage so compelling and is going to be drinkable with just 4-6 years of bottle age but have an incredibly long life.

95-97 points Vinous
The 2022 Pontet-Canet is a surprising wine. Usually much more opulent, especially in warm, dry years, the 2022 comes across as restrained and understated. It is a wine of linear intensity rather than size, marked by notable freshness and a feeling of tension and precision I don’t recall seeing in the past. Clean mineral notes extend the finish effortlessly. I very much admire the precision and vibrancy here. Unforgettable.

91 points James Suckling
Briny nose with hot stones, seaweed, white almonds and ahint of bruised crab apples. Pretty flavorful on the palate with a full body where you will find tangy flavors. Bone-dry and mouthwatering finsh with a briny, saline tang. Delicious now.

100% Pedro Xim??nez. Old bush-trained vines, farmed completely sustainably without organic certificaiton, but avoiding all use of harmful fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and irrigation.

3 Miradas Vino de Pueblo is a village wine sourced from five grand cru sites in the Sierra de Montilla de Calidad Superior. Bunches are destemmed and the pressed in a horizontal pneumatic press. The must ferments spontaneously in tinajas, traditional concrete amphora (4,800L).

Alvear is the oldest family-owned winery in Spain, and the oldest winery in Andaluc??a, making it the original producer of sherry-style wines (vinos generosos) in Andaluc??a. Alvear launched the 3 Miradas project in 2016 to express the terroir of Montilla-Moriles without the interference of the ageing-intensive process used to produce the classic wines of Montilla. They use a selection of their top "grand cru" vineyards from the Sierra de Montilla de Calidad Superior to make five single vineyard wines and one Vino de Pueblo, a blend of the five sites fermented and aged in tinaja with a short period of aging under velo de flor.

Russet in color, with rich oaky aromas. The taste is exceptionally smooth, with hints of vanilla, honey, and spice. Finish is crisp and clean, with long, lingering flavors. 45%abv. 95% rye, 5% malted barley. Double Gold - San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

95 points Vinous
The 2010 Langoa-Barton has a very pure and quite intense bouquet with black cherries, blueberry and star anis aromas that are typically Langoa. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, impressive body and grip with a liquorice-tinged, saline finish that maybe just lacks a little flesh and needs more on the aftertaste. Tasted from an ex-chateau bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

94 points Decanter
Lighter framed than Leoville, and while this is delicious, it is not quite at the level of its sibling. Not that anyone is going to complain, and this will be ready to crack out sooner. Opens up to show bramble berry fruits with confident tannins that provide a frame that is going to hold on tight for a good decade at least. Plenty of St-Julien character. Drinking Window 2020 - 2042.

94 points Wine Spectator
Tightly focused, with a beam of cassis and blackberry fruit framed by integrated espresso and charcoal notes. The ample structure drives the polished finish, allowing extra notes of plum sauce, pastis and blueberry coulis to stride through. Shows serious grip at the very end. Best from 2016 through 2035.

Kosher for Passover

95 points Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2020 Château Lascombes is clearly another brilliant wine from this château that readers will love. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as a classic bouquet of cassis, dried flowers, freshly sharpened pencils, and obvious minerality, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, lots of building tannins, and a great finish. It’s going to need 4-6 years at a minimum but is some serious Margaux brilliance that will have 30 years of longevity.

95 points James Suckling
Aromas of crushed blackcurrants and cherries with dried Provence herbs, lavender, raw walnuts and spiced cedar. Graphite, too. Full and muscular with a broad-shouldered, velvety tannin structure that goes on for minutes. Textured and chalky with a lingering finish. Very polished. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot and 5% petit verdot.

Organic / Biodynamic

95 points Vinous
The 2022 Eneo is superb. Rich and expansive on the palate, the 2022 offers up an exotic melange of black cherry, plum, leather, licorice, incense and espresso. There’s gorgeous mid-palate depth and plenty of textural richness, but in the more restrained style that informs these wines today. The long, silky finish is pure class.

45% Sangiovese, 35% Montepulciano, 15% Alicante and 5% Marselan

Organic

94 points Vinous
The 2020 Barbaresco Rabaja is compelling. All the elements are in the right place, and that is evident from the very first taste. The aromatics alone are beguiling. Kirsch, rose petal, mint and orange peel lend notable inner sweetness. There’s plenty of Rabajà tannin, but at the same time the 2020 is incredibly refined, more Asili than Rabajà.

#12 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

94 points Wine Spectator
Generous and impressive for its seamlessness, this is like a slice of Black Forest cake, offering chocolate and cherry flavors that are practically creamy and plush. Dutched cocoa powder, dried herb and cigar box nuances amplify this red on the long finish, with velvety tannins alongside hints of fresh loam and clove. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Drink now through 2036.

Grape Variety: Blend of Pinot Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc Age of vines: about 35 years Vinification: The grapes are picked by hand and crushed whole. Fermentation with native yeast in stainless steel tanks with temperature control. The wine matures for 6 months in tank, then is transferred to bottle, and stored in riddling rack for 12-15 months before disgorgement.

So you hear it bandied about: “There are thousands of native grape varieties in Italy!” That’s true, but a lot of them are merely cute. The most serious native variety Timorasso deserves another category (and it’s white to boot). It’s utterly unique, complex, capable of aging, and transparent to where it’s grown. Walter Massa is the contadino straordinario who brought the grape back to life in the early 1980s. He remains the leading producer and go-to grower for Timorasso.

For Timorasso as a variety: It’s native and unique to the Colli Tortonesi (southeast Piemonte). Before 1980s, most growers were ripping out Timorasso and planting Cortese, as the latter produces more and Gavi was all the rage, so they could sell the grapes easily. Timorasso is one of those grapes (unlike, say, Cortese) that really is delicious and refreshing to eat right off the vine, due to its high sugar content and acidity. When Timorasso is vinified, you get lots of complexity and structure (from alcohol and from tannins – skin contact and thick skins!). Yet there’s plenty of acidity to keep things fresh and a definite counterpoint of what we call ‘honeyed minerality.’ When Timorasso is young, it can be really tight. As it ages, it loses some of its baby fat, and riesling-ish, petrol-like notes emerge. As far as terroir, Walter vinifies each vineyard separately (or tries to if he has enough tanks) and bottles a small portion of three of the vineyards separately.

Native yeasts. Maceration with skins 48-60 hours. Fermentation 18-22°C. Batonnage. Light filtration. Minimum six months bottle aging before release.

Derthona is the ancient name for Tortona, the town in southeast Piemonte after which the appellation Colli Tortonesi (Tortona Hills) is named.