Wines (12 View)

93 points James Suckling
Fine spice and vanilla to the blackberries, mussels, sandalwood, minerals, black walnuts and dark chocolate. Quite well-judged and balanced on the palate, showing a mid-palate that is about freshness, fruit and fluidity, together with tight, nicely grippy tannins. Juicy, chewy and long. Drinkable now, but better from 2024.

A Rosenthal import

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.

93 pts Wine Advocate
The Argiano 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is a wine of considerable bandwidth with lots of dark fruit, rich plum and spice. It carries medium fruit weight and concentration that proves more than enough to surround and soften the spicy oak notes and toast that also play an important role in this hot-vintage Brunello. The results are plump and slightly round, but you also get the acidity and the tannic structure of an age-worthy Sangiovese. Organically farmed fruit is selected from across the best parcels of the estate, and some of the vines are up to 55 years old. Production is 130,000 bottles, and I would recommend setting this bottle aside for near- to medium-term drinking.

92 points Wine Spectator
This delivers a pure beam of cassis, plum puree and anise notes, offering a flash of sweet spice on the finish. Moderately toasty, with a very polished mouthfeel. Crowd pleaser. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2030.

92 points Wine Spectator
Ripe, overflowing with red cherry and raspberry flavors backed by luscious acidity and medium-grained tannins. Offers kirsch and allspice notes that coat the midpalate, with chocolate mousse notes on the finish. Drink now through 2025

"Deep ruby red in color with scarlet highlights, Clark & Telephone opens with bountiful aromas of red fruits of cranberry and raspberry jam, laced with clove, cedar, and holiday baking spices. Bold and complex flavors of crushed ripe cherry, cranberry and blueberry pie linger on the palate. The texture is rich and lively and leads into a warm and structured finish." -Winemaker Note

100% Aligote

93 points Wine Advocate
2017 was a very challenging year, as most of their vineyards in San Vicente de la Sonsierra in Rioja were affected by frost, unlike others in nearby Laguardia. Not only was it frost, but they also had hail later on in the season. Quantities suffered?€?they told me they lost 70% of the crop in Rioja that year?€?but they were happy about the quality of the 2017 Mac??n, being very careful with the fermentation and separating the press wine by quality. The 4,000-liter oak foudres helped to polish the tannins, and they used 50% new barrels. The ??levage lasted 16 moths. It's a little riper than the Cl??sico from 2018 that I tasted next to it, with a little more alcohol (14.5%) and mellow acidity. It's clearly a weaker vintage, and the wine shows it: the fruit is a little ripe and shows some tiredness, like it's evolving at a faster pace. It has abundant, slightly rustic tannins. 40,400 bottles, 2,566 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in September 2019. Quantities reflect the low yields.

The '81 Beronia is a classic expression of aged Rioja. The lavish American oak, Tempranillo's best friend, has balanced out the wine over the last thirty some years and it now shows crisp, tart cherries; Florentine leather; and unpicked wild sage. - PJ

"For the production of this Reserva the best grapes from the oldest vineyards are hand harvested. Following the harvest the best bunches are selected in the winery. The grapes then undergo a slow and controlled alcoholic fermentation with periodic pumping over to extract colour and aromas. Following this the wine remains in American oak barrels." Winemaker notes

"Aromatic, with accents of bread dough, smoked almond and creme de cassis, this creamy Champagne is lightly chalky in texture and framed by firm acidity, with flavors of glazed apricot, orange blossom and rich hints of clover honey and coffee liqueur. Drink now through 2022. 11,000 cases imported." 93pts WS

62% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, 14% Meunier Only 5 to 6% red wine added due to its power Over 85% Grands and Premiers crus. Cellar aged for more than twice the time required by the appellation. Moderate, 7 to 8 grams per liter.

The Bollinger champagne House has created prestigious champagnes with character, distinguished by their elegance and complexity, since 1829. These outstanding wines are the result of rigorous attention to detail, for Bollinger accepts nothing less than excellence. Each and every detail represents a quest for a certain form of perfection.This uncompromisingly independent spirit, dedicated to unostentatious achievement, exemplifies the inimitable elegance for which the Champagne region is renowned and which has so impressed the Court of England that the House has been awarded the Royal Warrant since 1884. In 2008, for the first time in its history, the House placed its future into the care of a Chairman who was not a family member. Their choice fell on Jerome Philipon, originally from the Champagne region, who had led an impressive career with large industrial groups. The choice might be unexpected - but Bollinger has never hesitated to reject conformity for the good of the House and its wines! With the Bollinger family’s support, Jerome Philipon has extended his predecessor’s programme of modernisation and investment. With him, the House has continued to preserve its traditional expertise while incorporating the best of new technologies for the future development of the brand, both in terms of quality and commercial growth.