Wines (12 View)

Winery Notes:
Butter Chardonnay is rich, bold and luscious. Made in the tradition of qualityCalifornian winemaking, the grapes we select are juicy, ripe and bursting withflavor. We cold ferment this easy-to-love Chardonnay to a lush creaminess andage it in our unique blend of oak. Butter brims with stone fruit and baked-lemonnotes and has a lovely, long, vanilla finish.

Winemaker Notes:
Toasted oak and dark fruits introduce Beaulieu Vineyard's Coastal Estates Cabernet Sauvignon. Straightforward and well-balanced, it expresses blackberry and black cherry in equal parts to the toasty, vanilla-oak spices. For all its "black" character, the fruit remains bright and fresh, joined by subtle toffee-coffee notes. Juicy and long, the palate is structured by ripe, easy tannins. This is an enjoyable, pop-the-cork wine made for everyday occasions.

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.

Winemaker Notes:
"Intense ruby red color with violet nuances; intense, characteristic bouquet of the primary grape aromas; fruity component, fullbodied and robust, well-balanced with tannin and oak features"

Organic / Natural

This was $15.99 a bottle! This is an easy-drinking Monastrell with less extraction than what maybe considered normal. Fresh and lively!

Organic

Review is on the previous vintage.
92+ points Wine Advocate
The 2020 Monastrell is pure Monastrell in this exceptional vintage for the grape (in previous years it had up to 20% Garnacha, but there was little Garnacha in 2020). The grapes come from sandy vineyards on the valley floor, and they fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and a shortish maceration. The wine matured in 500-liter oak barrels and 5,000-liter oak vats for nine months. In 2020, there were more grapes from old vines that were used before for the Vino de Finca, which was discontinued. This wine is very aromatic, elegant, expressive and reaching a level I have not seen before in this wine. It's refreshing, light, balanced, nuanced, with velvety tannins and very clean, really transcending its price point. Balanced is the word, and it's also available and affordable and sets the tone for the 2020s.

Dark cherries, ripe blackberries, mocha, violets and sweet spices on the nose. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm tannins. Structured, with bright acidity and a chewy finish.

Iconic Montalcino producer Castello Banfi leases 42 acres in the Chianti Classico commune of Castellina in Chianti for its Fonte alla Selva label. The estate also has long-term contracts to purchase wines from three to four producers for this Chianti Classico. A selection is made between the lots for the Chianti Classico and the riserva before blending, aging and bottling in Banfi’s cellars in Montalcino. The wine is aged for a total of 12 months, seven to eight in stainless-steel tanks before racking into 6,000- to 9,000-liter oak casks. Banfi has permission to age and bottle its Chianti Classico outside the zone because former winemaker Ezio Rivella grew grapes in Chianti Classico beginning in the early 1980s

Organic

92 points Vinous Media
The 2021 Chianti Classico is a potent, deep, structured wine that hits so many right notes. Readers will find a structured, expansive wine loaded with personality. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and licorice are all amplified in this super-classic Greve Chianti Classico. This is a standout.

91 points Wine Advocate
Made with certified organic fruit, the Castello di Verrazzano 2021 Chianti Classico is faithful to Sangiovese with a mix of cherry aromas, earth and iris root. The wine reveals a mid-weight texture that definitely falls on the more delicate and elegant side of the spectrum. With an ample 150,000 bottles released, the wine shows medium-rich concentration and a fresh acidic signature. Nice job.

Organic

90 points Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of strawberries and dried cranberries make for an unusually, pleasantly bright nose on this Primitivo. The palate is similarly fresh and crunchy with tannic red fruit, further animated by acid.

90 points James Suckling
A fruity and fresh red with chocolate, cherry and berry character. Some citrus undertones. Medium body, light tannins and a fruity finish.