Wines (12 View)

Organic / Natural

100 points Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (90% from Champoux Vineyard and 10% from Mach One Vineyard) raised all in new barrels. It's slightly deeper hued than the CVR and has a stunning nose of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, toasted spices, and graphite with a beautiful varietal, herbal undertone that comes through with time in the glass. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and velvety textured, this thrilling Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for two decades. This is unquestionably up with the greatest vintages of this cuvee ever made.

98+ points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon erupts with a classic Quilceda Creek expression. A big, bold and boisterous wine, it presents a fresh, juicy attack with gobs of succulent, ripe, fresh fruit tones complemented by plenty of oak essences. The palate is full-bodied, fresh, layered and complex, showcasing balanced acidity and fine-grained tannins. The elongated finish suggests that while it can be enjoyed now, patience will be generously rewarded with additional years in the cellar. However, keeping your hands off this gorgeous wine will take a lot of self-discipline. The wine aged for 20 months in 100% French oak. 65,520 bottles produced.

Organic / Biodynamic

96 points Wine Advocate
The super elegant and austere 2021 As Sortes has a sense of harmony and subtleness that is moving. I found great purity, precision and symmetry in the wine. It has marked granite sensations in the palate; it's very tasty, long, fine-grained and textured, with the cold texture of the year. Palacios compared 2021 with 2012, which was very cold and dry before the harvest. It has to be one of the most elegant vintages of As Sortes.

Organic

93 points Wine Advocate
The biggest volume of the winery is the 2021 Ultreia Saint Jacques, which represents some 170,000 bottles, and according to RaUl PErez, it's the most difficult wine to make here. They now work a lot to produce this wine, a blend of 11 wines selected from the 17 they made. It's a wine that represents Bierzo and is from a year when they used more grapes from sandy soils. It has 13.16% alcohol and a pH of 3.66; it's serious and restrained but juicy and easy to drink. Seventy percent of the wine matured in barrel and the rest in troncoconic oak vats.

Organic / Biodynamic

An intriguing ros that conceals the soul of a white wine in its purity and transparence. A splash of Monastrell imparts a special complexity and elegance to Ravents cuve de Nit, though the classic mineral freshness of this revered Cava house is untouched. A wonderful selection for special occasions with delicate sandwiches, sliced ham, and young cheeses. This wine is made up of the traditional Cava varieties with a touch of Monastrell. The hand-harvested grapes are assembled and secondary fermentation occurs in bottle, which rests for at least 15 months before disgorgement.

Organic / Biodynamic

A firm backbone of Meyer lemon peel acidity frames this vivid sparkler, enmeshed with rich notes of lightly charred toast and smoked almond, backed by flavors of ripe white cherry and peach fruit. Hints of thyme and anise play on the finish. Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada and Malvasia de Sitges. Drink now through 2025

Ravines Cabernet Franc is deliciously fruit-forward and spicy with perfect balance, soft tannins and a round mouthfeel. A polished style with ripe red and black fruits, sultry spices, earthy aromas and a peppery finish. - Winery

92 points James Suckling
Very bright violet nose with delicate savory and peppery notes. Medium-bodied and crisp with healthy tannins for the challenging red wine vintage, this is very clean and only moderately dry at the finish. Just 11.7% alcohol, but this doesnt lack anything. Drink or hold

Located in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region on the western shore of Seneca Lake, Red Tail Ridge Winery is owned and operated by husband and wife Mike Schnelle and Nancy Irelan. As a former executive in charge of viticulture and oenology R&D at a large winery, Nancy strongly believes in sustainability. Not only is the 35 acre vineyard farmed in a sustainable manner it is also the first LEED gold-certified winery in New York. Everything at Red Tail Ridge reflects Nancy and Mike’s attention to detail – the winery that they built from scratch to their limited production, premium single varietal wines.

The bulk of Red Tail Ridge’s production is Riesling, but Nancy and Mike have also planted several clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir alongside small experimental plots of Blaufrankisch, Dornfelder and Teroldego. Mike and Nancy’s early efforts were duly noted by the press – they won several Gold and Silver medals, Wine Business Monthly named Red Tail Ridge one of its Hot Small Brands of 2008 and Eric Asimov the wine critic of The New York Times has lauded them for their efforts.

95 points Vinous
The 2021 Lytton Springs is fabulous. Bright and vibrant to its core, the 2021 impresses with its poise. Readers will find a Lytton Springs that is very much in reserve, as opposed to the rest of the 2021s in this report, all of which are more approachable. Salivating acids and veins of tannin lend shape and persistence, but the 2021 needs time. Red cherry fruit, blood orange, rose petal and sage are some of the notes that linger on the close

90 points James Suckling
Very dark on the nose, with lots of raw spices, charcoal and some green peppercorns on top of the blackberries. Very full-bodied and spicy. Almost a bit monolithic, despite the fine-grained tannins. Quite a unique style

Winemaker Notes:
Robert Mondavi crafts this richly textured Cabernet Sauvignon with Monterey County fruit, picked at the peak of ripeness in their coastal vineyards. In a truly original alternative to traditional aging, they set aside a portion of the blend to age in a mix of new and used bourbon barrels. The new barrels give the wine its deep undertones of toasted oak. The used barrels-selected from a renowned Kentucky distillery-exude notes of vanilla and dried herbs, hinting at the fine bourbon that once graced these casks. The result is a bold, flavorful wine, unlike any other Cabernet.
Layered and complex, their Bourbon Barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with aromas of blackberry cobbler, graham cracker, brown sugar, milk chocolate, coffee and smoke. A palate of blueberry pie, praline, sweet vanilla custard, caramel and mocha is framed by soft, chewy tannins and a hint of toasted oak on the lingering finish.