Wines (12 View)

A traditional Portuguese field blend of 28 different varietals. Lush blue fruit notes are apparent upfront with subtle plum notes. The bouquet has a lovely floral aspect that holds your attention. On the palate the tannins and fruit are seamless from the first sip. The tannins are a bit chalky which adds another element to the wine. No oak, combination of concrete then stainless steel, results in a juicy easy drinking red that begs to be paired with bbq.

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.

94 points Wine Advocate
The 2018 Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes is a blend of 55% Garnacha with 44% Carinena and 1% white grapes. The destemmed and lightly crushed grapes fermented in concrete and oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in barriques for 13 months. It keeps the more rustic side of their wines but with the finesse of 2018. It's a wine marked by a high percentage of Carinena, but it's velvety, fresh and harmonious but with the dustier tannins. This is the British farmer, rustic but elegant with his Land Rover, the Wellington boots, corduroy trousers and a Barbour jacket... but with a Priorat twang.

93 points Vinous
Shimmering violet. Expressive aromas of cherry, blueberry and pipe tobacco pick up floral and exotic spice nuances with aeration. Concentrated yet energetic in the mouth, offering red and blue fruit, floral pastille and candied licorice flavors sharpened by smoky mineral and spice flourishes. Fine-grained tannins give shape to a very long, spicy finish that leaves a sappy blue fruit note behind.

The 2019 El Morisco is from the zone of that name and feels slightly riper than its sibling from that year. It has notes of wild berries, flowers and herbs, and it's juicy and showy, quite aromatic and expressive. It's medium-bodied and has very fine, grainy tannins and the tastiness from the granite soils.

Amigos Del Tiempo is a project born in the tiny, picturesque village of Navarrevisca which is nestled high up in the Gredos mountains of Spain. The goal of this tiny winery is to craft micro cuvées from ancient vines of Garnacha that highlight the truly special and unique terroir that this rugged, mountainous terrain has to offer. And that is…fine, beautiful, high-toned and nuanced wines that are on the elegant, Pinot Noir end of this chameleon-like varietal in terms of expression.

To this end, the project's viticulture and vinification is under the direction of one of Spain's most talented and visionary winemakers, Raul Perez. The heart and soul of the project is a prized parcel called Piedra Cachada which is located at just over 1100 meters in elevation, on pure granite, with bush pruned vines of Garnacha over 100 years old. Piedra Cachada, or "broken stones" gets its name from the bevy of large boulders strewn through the vineyard that fractured and tumbled down from the mountains above many centuries ago. Their second wine, El Morisco, comes from several parcels just outside of Navarrevisca in Villanueva de Avila at an elevation just a touch below Piedra Cachada. The vines for El Morisco are also 100+ years old and bush pruned Garnacha.

The inaugural vintage for Amigos del Tiempo was 2019. Given that these ancient vines do not produce much fruit, they only produced 800 bottles of each wine in this vintage.

"The wine opens with a ruby red color with violet tinges. It has a full and intense fragrance with hints of red fruit which bring to mind cherries and raspberries. On the palate the wine is smooth and well-balanced. The finish is characterized by gentle tannins and the persistent flavor of the grapes which make is so delicious and easy to drink." Winemaker notes

60% sangiovese, 40% combination of cabernet, merlot, and syrah.

97 points Wine Advocate
The Marchesi Antinori 2019 Solaia is another blockbuster success from Tuscany's leading wine estate. The blend sees a slightly higher percentage of Cabernet Franc and a slightly lower percentage of Sangiovese. The current mix is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Franc (which has been creeping up in recent years, especially as the climate changes). The soils at the Solaia vineyard are rich in Galestro rock, which is an especially happy pairing with Cabernet Franc in particular. Managing Director Renzo Cotarella tells me that that a vintage like 2019 is proof that the final character of a wine comes from its surrounding territory, not from the blend. This is a generous and extremely expressive edition with lots of dark fruit, spice and sweet tobacco. The tannins are beautifully velvety and soft. This is a beautiful wine that collectors will love.

97 points Vinous
The 2019 Solaia is fabulous. Deep and exquisitely layered, the 2019 is so expressive right out of the gate. Succulent dark cherry, plum, licorice, incense, pipe tobacco, chocolate and grilled herbs all take shape. Here, too, the aromatics are alluring. Cabernet Franc is bumped up a bit in the blend, and that works so well here. Solaia is often a bombastic, intense wine. The 2019 is incredibly refined and buttoned up. Readers will have to be patient. The 2019 Solaia is the sort of wine I would like to spend a whole evening with. Aging was 18 months in 100% new French oak. (AG)

This is a chance to get a sense of what older, classic Tuscan wine tastes like without dipping into price prohibitive vintages from years gone by. This is the real, Old World, deal. Wild herbs, tea, and rustic accents mark this as a wine you must try to get a sense of what people were enjoying before fruit forwardness became dogma. Would be heaven with a big chunk of Pecorino Romano procured from Author Avenue in the Bronx by way of Tuscany, of course. - PJ

Winemaker Notes:
"An intense nose, dominated by red fruit, with spices and some oak notes; a round and supple wine with well knit tannins on the palate."