Wines (12 View)

97 points Wine Advocate
The 2019 Malbec Appellation Gualtallary comes from specific soils, two small three-hectare plots in the Cerros del Jaboncillo, where they find more caliche and limestone in Tupungato Winelands. They believe this place transmits the maximum expression of limestone to Malbec, giving a structured wine with fine-grained tannins with the wilderness from Gualtallary. It fermented in small concrete vats with indigenous yeasts at some 26 degrees Celsius for 20 days. Eighty-five percent of the volume matured in untoasted 3,500-liter French oak foudres for 20 months while the rest was kept in concrete. They sell it a little later than the Altamira because they feel Gualtallary needs a little more time in bottle; therefore, they are now offering the 2019 vintage, a very balanced wine that talks about the place where it was born. This is vibrant and expressive, with a complex nose and especially a lively palate with effervescent acidity and very fine-boned with elegant but firm tannins (they say "Serralunga-like" tannins). I find the recurring iron-like note of blood and fresh meat here too, intermixed with the wild flowers, herbs and spices. This has depth and complexity, and if Altamira is Barbaresco, Gualtallary is Barolo... 10,000 bottles were filled in January 2022.

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.

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's Notes
"Dark fruit flavors of blueberry and blackberry with opulent notes of coffee and dark chocolate"

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

A delicious wine that shows a smooth texture and a delicate approach that grows in intensity. There are small-berry aromas with cassis, wild raspberry and dried blueberry, which would spruce up any pasta like a Sicilian pasta alla Norma. A blend of 40% Frappato and 60% Nero d'Avola aged in oak barrels for 12 months, the wine is delicate and smooth, with tiny steps that go the long haul. The tannins are well integrated and give the wine a firm, upstanding backbone.

The 2019 vintage of Cerasuolo di Vittoria did not meet the minimum alcohol of 13% to obtain the DOC, so COS decided to use the VIttoria Rosso appellation for it instead.

A slightly sweet version of Cabernet Sauvignon, while it has the primary characteristics of a Cab, pronounced berries, dark chocolate, coffee, and leather, it loses the some of the harshness that turn people away from Cabs. It has a soft luscious feel to it with a well rounded mouth. Goes well with red meat, chicken, and especially those that are marinated with a sweet finish.

Winemaking Notes:
Beringer Bros. Cabernet Sauvignon is picked at the peak of flavor development from top sites across California and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. 20% of the wine is aged for 60 days in second-pass charred American Oak barriques which previously held Bourbon.

Tasting Notes:
This wine is bursting with aromas of ripe black cherry, dark chocolate, and vanilla. The palate is lush with ripe tannins and and integrated acidity, showcasing toasted hazelnuts, toffee, and blackberry preserves on the finish.