Wines (12 View)

#58 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines of 2019.

90 pts Wine Spectator
Vibrant, with plush fruit, offering medium-weight lemon and quince flavors that take on expression and polish on the finish. Drink now through 2020.

Winemaker's Note:
The generous 2015 vintage delivered rich, dark color to the 2015 A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir. Striking aromas of black cherries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries are overlaid with a cornucopia of spices. As the wine opens, aromas expand to include pipe tobacco, fennel and red currants. The palate initially mirrors the aromatics with complex, pure red and blue fruit flavors. As the wine moves across the palate, ripe, dusty tannins bracketed by juicy acidity give shape and definition to the powerful fruit flavors in harmony with a mineral quality, reminiscent of slate and graphite. The 2015 A to Z Pinot Noir is perhaps the most beautiful Pinot Noir we have made due to the perfect nature of the 2015 vintage in Oregon. While the stunning, complex, succulent 2015 A to Z Pinot Noir was built for near term drinking, this wine has great integrity and should have no problem aging for years to come.

Vinified in wooden vats for 14 days and then matured in two to five year old barrels. The nose immediately seduces with the depth of the fruit and its power. The palate is incredibly fine for a pinot noir at this appellation level. The ripe and silky tannins give the wine some weight, depth which augurs a good ageing potential. The aromatic identity of La Digoine is preserved. To drink now for the fruit while taking care to open the bottle few hours before or wait a good ten years to discover its deep aromas and see the wine gain complexity. (Domaine de Villaine? note)

Careful selection and sorting of the grapes is done in the vineyard. Wine is fermented and aged in wood cuves with a minimum 2/3 of the stems, depending on the vintage. The wine stays in cuve for 10 to 12 days, so as to add extra skin tannins and just a little tannin from the seeds and stems. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine and must are separated and the must is pressed. The pressed must is tasted separately and sometimes blended back into the wine. The wine is raised for 10 to 12 months depending on the vintage. Vines are 35-45 years old on clay/limestone soil.

Organic / Biodynamic

Organic

REVIEW IS ON THE PREVIOUS VINTAGE.
92 pts James Suckling
Aromas of smoke, ash and limes follow through to a medium body with an intense core of flavor at the end and creamy texture that is frame by energetic acidity. Really well done. Drink now.

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.

91 pts Vinous
Achaval Ferrer's 2018 Blend Quimera is a blend of 60% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot from the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo. A complex Bordeaux style blend, each variety makes a contribution resulting in a ripe nose with fruit, herbal and balsamic aromas and a terse feel in the mouth with finely grained, rounded tannins, good grip, freshness and juice. The flavors are intense, but the structure veers on overbearing.

90 pts Wine Enthusiast
A change of owners (from King Estate to Foley Family) has not changed the success or style of this high-volume wine. Strikingly fresh, textural and minerally, this offers crisp flavors of celery, grapefruit and lime. Excellent length and mouth-tingling freshness make it a wine to drink over the next year.

92 pts Vinous
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Agostina Pieri shows woodland herbs and berries mixed with hints of licorice, white pepper and animal musk. It's deeply textured and soothing, blending cooling acids and minerals with tart red fruits and pretty inner florals. Round tannins gently tug at the palate under an air of sweet violets and spice. The 2016 impresses most for its elegance and feminine beauty.