Wines (24 View)

"Pale gold in color, this Cava has aromas of mature white peach, toasted bread and green tea with hints of lemon citrus and apricots. Equally rich and broad on the palate, these flavors continue to unfold on the palate." Importer notes

Reserva de la Familia is the flagship cuvée of the Juvé y Camps estate winery. In the beginning days of their winemaking, the Juvé y Camps family had their own reserve of this Cava, and it is still the only Brut Nature that they make. Made from the free run juice of traditional varieties Macabeo, Xarel.lo and Parellada and a touch of Chardonnay, this is the Cava of choice of Spain’s royal family, and it is regularly served at all official banquets.

Juvé & Camps is a family-owned winery located in San Sadurní d’Anoia, a small town in the northeastern Penedès region near Barcelona. Founded in 1921 by Joan Juvé Baqués and his wife Teresa Camps Farré, the winery’s three-generation history has resulted in an international reputation for producing top-quality Cava. The story of Juvé & Camps actually began over 200 years ago when Joan Juvé Mir, a bold and enterprising vine grower with ideas ahead of his time, laid the foundation for what would become the family firm. His son, Antoni Juvé Escaiola, carried on the legacy. There were many challenges, including the terrible phylloxera plague. Advocating replanting (as did other leading figures of the Penedès), he led a drive to restore the vineyards and to rebuild the region’s wine production. Respected and loved by his contemporaries, his example encouraged his son, Joan Juvé Baqués, to build the family’s first winery. Joan Juvé Baqués married Teresa Camps Farré, an exceptional woman and an enthusiastic supporter who, in 1921, inspired her husband to launch the first sparkling wine under the Juvé brand. It was made in the underground cellars beneath the family home in San Sadurní d’Anoia. Today, Juvé & Camps has established itself as the most highly regarded Cava producer in Spain. Juvé & Camps wines are regularly served at state banquets given by Spain’s Royal Family and are offered to visitors and guests by the National Government, the Senate and Congress.

Winemaker Notes:
Aromas of lush, bright black cherry, blackberry and cassis draw you in. Round, rich, seamless tannins provide a robust backbone and supple mid-palate. Notes of cedar, vanilla and a hint of mocha linger on the finish.

This modern, multi-layered and Bordeaux style blend shows aromas of blackcurrants, blueberries, plums and black pepper with nuances of pencil shavings and dried herbs. On the palate, the intense concentration is prompted by a firm tannin structure and layers of sweet fruit with an excellent finish.

Master of Wine Tim Atkins awarded this 94 points!

91 points Vinous
Fresh dark berry and floral pastille aromas are complemented by notes of vanilla, cola and smoky minerals. Sappy and well-concentrated yet graceful, with pliant boysenberry and black raspberry flavors that show no rough edges. Finishes gently sweet, smooth and long, leaving spice and candied lavender notes behind.

Organic

93 points Wine Advocate
Green asparagus and earthy notes intermixed with dark berry aromas open the 2018 Saumur Puy Notre Dame Tête de Lard, which benefits from aeration. Black-red in color, the unfiltered wine aged in old barrels for 12 months and was bottled in April last year. It is a concentrated, enormously juicy and fruity-intense red wine with a velvety texture and fruit aromas of blue berries, blackcurrants, elderberries and cowberries. The soft tannins are completely interwoven with the viscous texture of this very particular red that is so soft, sweet and fruity, as if it were still fermenting. I'd cellar it for several years and assume that at 10+ years old could be the right moment to enjoy this biodynamic wine, although I also recommend tasting a bottle every second year or so to see how this natural product develops. Tasted in June 2021.

Peasant and responsible agriculture is a way of life and of thinking. when producing my grapes, i aspire to act sensibly for the people and the planet . this state of mind develops naturally from a respectful relationship with nature. since 1998, the vineyard has been cultivated and
certified by ecocert in organic farming and since 2010 in biodynamic farming by biodyvin. knowing how to adapt to a changing environment requires constant questioning. the planting of forgotten grape varieties such as pineau d’aunis, the incorporation of trees into the cultivation of
the vine (agroforestry) or the gradual abandonment of all modern oenology are avenues that i have followed for more than 20 years. other projects will emerge in the coming years. revitalizing authenticity, durability and liveliness is an integral part of the culture of my estate. the
entire manoir de la tête rouge team and i are passionate about this peasant and caring approach.

100% CABERNET FRANC FROM 20-25 YEARS OLD VINES.
12 MONTHS IN OLD OAK BARRELS + 4 MONTHS IN CONCRETE TANK.
FILTERED. UNFINED.

Organic

Methode champenoise. Rapid entry into the cellar by gravity. Gentle press with 50% extraction of free-run juice. Each variety is fermented in small tanks at controlled temperature. Secondary fermentation in bottle. Aged 40 months in bottle.

Made by Marques de Riscal of Rioja.

93 points Wine Advocate
Packaged with its distinctive black label, the Mastroberardino 2018 Taurasi Radici offers impressive complexity with a long succession of aromas that includes dried blackberry, cherry liqueur, tarry smoke, campfire ash, sweet baking spice and cinnamon. The bouquet is also heavy on bramble, rosemary sprig and forest floor. It is all smoothed out by soft tobacco. This wine shows robust fruit weight and equally balanced oak spice. The tannins are well managed and Radici is long in persistency.

Winemaker Notes:
Montecillo Crianza consistently wins ‘best value’ wine awards, around the world. Established in 1874, Bodegas Montecillo is one of the oldest wineries in the D.O. Rioja. Montecillo maintains its ancient underground ‘bodega’ where hand stacked bottles remain undisturbed until reaching optimal roundness. Montecillo wines are crafted to enjoy a long bottle life; they continue bottle ageing longer than those from other wineries in the region.

Elegant and attractive cherry red, with a good depth and intensity of color. Ripe fruit on the nose, particularly strawberry preserve. Subtle flavors interlaced with notes of sweet oak that are reminiscent of black liquorice. Broad entry in the mouth, rounded and with great presence. Th­is is when we really notice the high quality of the oak, thanks to tannins that are well integrated with the ripe fruit, making the wine silky with a long, pleasant aftertaste.

Ideal with grilled meats, charcuterie, vegetable and pulse based stews, tapas and canapes.

Well structured and balanced, this full-bodied wine fills the palate with ripe but not jammy plum and black-cherry flavors backed by moderate tannins. It's a very good, substantial wine to pair with red meat.

96 points James Suckling
Brooding but fresh nose, with tarry blackberries and fresh blue fruit. Iron, wet stones, violets and a hint of mocha, too. Full-bodied, mineral and broad on the palate with a stony feel, though not heavy at all. A really elegant, nuanced and extremely poised Pintia that you can enjoy now and for the next decade. A really eclectic Pintia showing more elegance and calculation. Drink or hold.

95+ points The Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pintia comes from a cooler and wetter vintage when the grapes were picked between September 20th and October 7th, and it fermented in their new fermentation room where they feel they can be more precise. The wine still has 15% alcohol, with a pH of 3.82 and 4.6 grams of acidity. It had a shorter levage this year and matured for 10 months in French and 18% American oak barrels, 81% of them new. The nose is very expressive, with bright cherry fruit, and the wine is fresher than the norm in the region, with integrated alcohol and oak, reflecting a very cool year, floral and perfumed. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals very fine and elegant tannins. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Pintia. 251,512 bottles, 14,144 half-bottles, 6,543 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in April 2020.

A medium-bodied red from Bastardo/Trousseau. A rustic expression of the varietal.
100% Bastardo (Trousseau)
20-year-old vines planted in granite on steep slopes
Fermented spontaneously in lagar with 30% stem inclusion and foot treading for about 12 days
Racked to a single centenary, family-heirloom 2500L chestnut tonel
Bottled unfiltered after 14 months of elevage

99 pts James Suckling
This is beautifully polished with firm, dusty tannins to the blue fruit, as well as chocolate and cedar character. Some much earthier character, too, from mushrooms to bark. Forest flowers. Perfumed. It's full-bodied with round tannins and a soft, creamy finish. Some iron and iodine to this. So attractive at the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes.

92 points James Suckling
Black fruit, nutmeg, charcuterie and roasted marshmallows on the nose. Some licorice and five spice, too. It’s firm and dense, with a medium to full body, tight tannins and a compact core of spicy black fruit.

91 points Vinous
The 2018 Reserva is 100% Tempranillo sourced from San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Ábalos, Rioja Alta. This garnet wine unfolds sour cherry and dried flower notes with hints of fennel and herbs. Dry and mild, the fairly concentrated and chalky palate lingers with a juicy touch.

18 months in French and American oak barrels, followed by two years in the bottle.

Our 2016 Merlot is ruby red in color. It opens with aromas of ripe cherry, Asian plum, and cranberry with hints of tea leaf, baking spice, mocha, and sweet oak. Flavors of dark, ripe cherry, marionberry, and plum follow with sweet brown sugar, English toffee, and mocha. The finish is soft and lingering. Enjoy this wine with rotisserie chicken, meat ravioli, grilled wild salmon, and herbed soft cheese.

Yes, this is 2018 Gruner Veltliner and no, it is not tired. Great Gruner Veltliner can evolve in the bottle like other racy high acidity white wines, for instance Riesling, developing secondary notes. This has a slight petrol component to the bouquet reminiscent of Mosel Riesling.

91 points Wine Enthusiast
A single-vineyard wine made by the winemaking team of Margaux estate Château Siran, this wine has structure, dense tannins and layer upon layer of black fruits. Wood aging shows strongly here, with a light burn of alcohol. The wine definitely needs time, so drink from 2022.

80% Merlot, 10.5% Petit Verdot, and 9.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. From an eleven hectare single-vineyard plot on the Margaux border. 25 year-old vines planted in a sandy gravel subsoil with clay topsoil. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for twelve months in French oak, with two rackings.

"This outstanding property in Labarde in the southern part of the Margaux appellation is making consistently delicious, fragrant, deeply colored wines that are in quality on a par with the best Grands Bourgeois Exceptionnels." - Robert Parker, Bordeaux: The Definitive Guide For The Wines Produced Since 1961

Chateau Siran is a highly regarded Bordeaux producer vinifying wine in Margaux. We have had a vintage or two of their Margaux over the years, but we didn’t know they produce a second wine named Saint Jaques De Siran. And it is this wine that recently knocked our socks off while tasting through an assortment of French wines. Saint Jacques de Siran is a throwback to the Bordeaux of yesteryear with its oak-influenced characteristics. This is not a new-aged, acid-driven Bordeaux all about upfront juicy fruit. No, this has all those classic notes that made Bordeaux popular in the first place, like cedar, saddle leather, tobacco leaf, and dried fruits. I had a flashback while tasting this that it was the early 2000s and I had Bordeau from the nineties in my glass!

Chateau Siran has long been recognized as one of the top estates in Margaux. The property has been in the Miailhe family for six generations– a total of 160 years. Today, the property covers 88 hectares, with 38 hectares planted to vines. The other fifty hectares are left as woods and meadows, for their beauty and to promote biodiversity, a priority of the Siran team.

The majority of Chateau Siran’s vines are planted in the commune of Margaux, but they also have a very special 11 hectare parcel on the border, which is classified as Bordeaux Superieur and bottled as “Saint-Jacques de Siran”. The terroir here has clay topsoil over the famous Bordeaux sandy gravel subsoil. The vines are planted at a density of 5,000 vines per hectare and average 25 years old. The Miailhe family has practiced sustainable agriculture since 2000 and the vineyards have been certified sustainable, HVE3 since 2018. Only organic fertilizers are used and they work with grass cover and plowing to control weeds

A truly remarkable English sparkling wine from a stellar vintage in the UK. A mouthwatering blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, this has distinct minerality, exceptional fruit ripeness, floral lift, and a compelling textural complexity that comes from fermentation in large old 500l Burgundian barrels. 6 grams dosage.

Organic

93 points Vinous
Masses of crushed cherries and cloves give way to nuances of spiced citrus peels and cedar as the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino comes to life in the glass. This is round and pliant on the palate, with a balanced inner sweetness contrasting its mineral-tinged acids and tart wild berry fruits. Grippy tannins mount toward the close, yet fail to slow the 2018’s momentum, as notes of salted licorice are left to resonate under an air of dried roses. This is a deep and characterful rendition of Col d'Orcia’s Brunello, but patience will be required to unlock all of its charms.