Wines (24 View)

91 points Wine Advocate
The creamy and lactic 2019 Crianza was produced with pure Tempranillo that achieved good ripeness (14%), keeping freshness, the character of the 2019, a drier vintage than average with some heat but not excess, and the ripeness was perfect and the grapes very healthy. This is generously oaked after 14 months in used French and American oak barrels with rackings every six months. Very approachable.

Sierra Cantabria Crianza is the flagship age-classified Rioja bottling produced by the Eguren family of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. While the family is most well known for their single cru classified bottlings, they produce outstanding ageing classified wines from their estate vineyards in San Vicente. While this category is dominated by blends of purchased fruit sourced from many growers across the entire appellation, the Eguren family are one of the few (if not the only) families in Rioja that produce an estate grown and bottled Crianza from a single village - in this case, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, one of the most respected villages for Tempranillo in Spain.
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Practicing organic dry farmed viticulture with certain selective biodynamic practices. Vineyards trained as spur-pruned goblet vines as well as high density trellises. Manual work and harvest, with no mechanization whatsoever.

14 months in used French & American oak barrels. Racked every four months. Aging is carried out in subterranean cellars that were carved by the family at the end of the 1990's. Due to the low temperatures and high humidity, the rate of oxidation is reduced allowing the family to work with low levels of SO2.

94 points Vinous
A flavorful Sonsierra wine, the 2015 Gran Reserva is 100% Tempranillo sourced from San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Labastida, Rioja. Aged for 26 months in American oak barrels, this garnet wine with a bricked sheen exhibits a complex nose of oak and spice, accompanied by hints of herbs, sour cherry and thyme. Dry, compact and juicy, the mildly rich palate lingers with a thyme inflected finish. The nuanced character of this Gran Reserva is the result of well-managed vineyards, located in the very best terroir of the Sonsierra.

93 points Wine Advocate
I hadn't tasted a Gran Reserva from Sierra Cantabria since the 2012, and the 2015 Gran Reserva follows the same traditional style: mostly Tempranillo with 2% Graciano matured in American oak barrels, 25% of them new, for 26 months. It's ripe at 14.3% alcohol, with the powerful and velvety house style, but it shows the effect of the warmer and powerful years, especially in the tannins that are more abundant and a little drier. It's a concentrated year that might need more time in bottle.

Organic / Biodynamic

60% Tempranillo and 40% Garnach blended from multiple parcels. Vinified seperately in order to get a fresh, and “fluid” wine. A mix of saignee and direct press.

94 pts Wine Advocate
The pale, translucent, ethereal and perfumed 2019 Finca Xabrega was produced with a field blend of 90% Mencía, 10% Garnacha Tintorera and some white grapes from a single vineyard planted with old vines on granite and mica soils. The destemmed grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts and soft pigéage in stainless steel, then the wine matured in barrel for three months, followed by six months in tank to settle before bottling. It's very, clean, elegant, precise and subtle with great freshness and balance and only 12.5% alcohol. Ethereal, beautiful juice. Only 912 bottles were filled in July 2020.

50+ year old vines and only 0.8 hectares

A wine which pays homage to the adventure of the Portuguese sailors that explored the world in the XV Century. The route from Europe to the Indian Ocean - known as the "Silk & Spice Route" - was pioneered by Vasco da Gama who rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. Flavors like nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper changed world cuisine, while silk from China became prized for its luxurious touch. An original XV century map on the label shows the Bay of Bengal, separating South and Southeast Asia, and the Portuguese coat of arms, a historical graphical element dating to 1248.

A slightly sweet red.

This blend of wines from Dao, Bairrada and Lisboa is ripe, full of black fruits and with subtle signs of the wood aging.... it is warm with its own spiciness as well as as a juicy aftertaste.

Winemaker Notes:
The 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has an opaque crimson color with a purplish hue. The alluring nose draws you in with notes of cassis, black cherry, pipe tobacco, salted caramel, cocoa beans, and fresh strawberry. This full-bodied wine enters with a depth of flavor and offers mouth-coating, velvety tannins, and flavors of cream soda and red fruit. Black currant and vanilla notes crescendo through the palate to the lengthy finish. This wine is drinkable upon release, but given proper cellaring conditions can be enjoyed through 2040.

Blend: 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.6% Merlot, 6.7% Cabernet Franc, 2.1% Petit Verdot, 1.6% Malbec

Tasting Notes:
SIMI Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is dark garnet in color with a ruby edge. Toasty oak frames and adds depth to fruit aromas of dark bramble and dried blueberry, leading into intriguing notes of exotic spices and roasted coffee. Lifted aromas of juniper and subtle violet add generosity, layers, and aromatic complexity to this wine. Black fruit dominates the entry with blackberry and dark plum, followed by black licorice, cocoa, and dried herb, with a spicy, lifted mid-palate. A bit of peppery cassis leads the finish with some dried herb notes and supple yet firm tannins.

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Petite Sirah, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc

Food Pairing:
Our Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon is elegant, juicy, and incredibly food-friendly and it’s not difficult to pair with foods. It will bring out the best in grilled steaks with roasted mushrooms, Moroccan spiced lamb, and braised duck breast with carrot puree.

#22 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

97 points Wine Spectator
Packed with vivid black cherry, black currant and plum fruit, as well as iron, sanguine and tobacco accents, this red shows some power and tension, but also grace and balance. The lingering aftertaste features bright, ripe fruit and wild herbs. Best from 2027 through 2043.

96 points James Suckling
Beautiful fresh fruit with crushed cherries, orange peel and flowers. Pure. Full-bodied with round and juicy fruit and a long, creamy finish. Flamboyant and beautiful with velvety and creamy tannins that provide a wonderful texture. Drink after 2027.

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

Region: Trnava
Grape: Frankovka Modrá, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alibernet
Vineyard Size: 17 hectares
Soil: loess, calcium
Average Age of Vines: 10-35 years
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in neutral oak
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: low

#81 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

90 points Wine Spectator
Bright, buoyant acidity supports a pretty mix of ripe nectarine, Gala apple, blood orange pith and almond blossoms in this lithe, light-bodied white, with a salty undertow. Drink now.

This is an incredible buy in crisp refreshing white wines. Their Alvarinho is citrus in color, aromas reveal classic tropical and mineral notes. The wine is clean and fresh on the palate with a subtle intensity about it. The bright acidity makes this quite refreshing and easy to drink which is ideal as an aperitif or to accompany seafood dishes, fish or poultry dishes.

Hot days and cold nights, not only makes for good sleeping weather but also ideal for growing Alvarinho. This Portuguese grape thrives in those conditions, producing wines with open aromatics, round balanced fruit, and tart racy acidity.

Melgaco, the most northern region of Portugal, is protected by the surrounding mountains that allow a perfect marriage between rainfall, temperature and the number of hours of sunshine needed for the better maturation of the Alvarinho grapes. This climate characteristic during ripening is frequently associated with the microclimate of Moncao and Melgaco, where hot days alternate with cold nights. Soalheiro is perfectly situated to take full advantage of this.

A neatly cut array of refined red and black cherries in a pristinely cast style. The palate has an elegant and neatly defined core of supple, long and ripe fruit flavor and carries a wealth of crisp, fresh, cherry-soaked tannins at the finish.

Winemaker's Notes:
As this wine is poured into your glass, you will notice its beautiful, dark ruby red color. This is a classic Russian River Pinot Noir that expresses aromas and flavors of dark fruit. The first impression starts in the nose with aromas of intense blackberry, cola and black raspberry followed by a touch of vanilla and hints of rhubarb, baking spice, licorice, dark chocolate and earth. The wine is richly textured and balanced with a beautiful brightness. Flavors of black cherry, tobacco and sweet barrel spice shine throughout. Fine tannins round out the long, juicy finish.

Winemaker Notes:
"Aromas of apple pie, Bosc pear and white peach are accented with oak spice, a hint of vanilla, toasted nuts, and a touch of butterscotch and light caramel. This wine has the distinctive Sonoma-Cutrer balance between elegance and richness for a medium-bodied, mouth-filling wine. The creamy richness has flavors of ripe apple, pear, peach and melon balanced with a bright acidity with lots of finesse. There is a long, silky finish highlighted with notes of roasted nuts and barrel spice."

The wine was then aged sur-lies in French oak. Barrels were a mixture of new and one-year-old through neutral oak.

The Sonoma Coast is as much about lifestyle as it is about the celebration that this wonderful grape deserves. Our winemakers are selective about the fruit that goes into this wine to ensure that vintage after vintage, we are producing an exceptional Chardonnay. This wine has all of the elements of a classic Chardonnay. It is a wine you serve when you want to show people you care about them. Or, sometimes it’s just for you - because you have earned it.

Organic

91points Vinous
Wonderfully balanced and full of character, the NV Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry displays a bouquet of crushed yellow apples with savory herbs and white smoke. It’s smooth in texture and gently sweet, blending ripe orchard fruits and spices with notes of candied ginger. This cleans up remarkably well, becoming dry and almost savory in character; yet above all else, it’s refreshing.

Organic

97+ points Vinous
The 2020 Barbaresco Pajor?? is a textbook wine from this site. A wine of depth and stature the Pajor?? is so impressive even just bottled. Dark cherry plum lavender spice and menthol race across the palate as the 2020 shows off its obvious pedigree. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of spice balsamic-infused nuances that build into the palate-staining finish. The 2020 is shaping up to be truly magnificent.

Spending 18-24 glorious months aging in used bourbon barrels from legendary Pappy Van Winkle, old vine fruit shines through with aromas and flavors of blueberry liqueur, blackberry, black cherry and peppery spice. Then there is a graceful segue into wood smoke, brown sugar, vanilla, and sweet spice that frame all of that ripe and savory fruit very nicely. Super full bodied and full flavored, but smooth and silky on the palate, this is probably about as close as most of us will get to Pappy van Winkle. -PJ Wine

Review is on the previous vintage.

90 points Vinous
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc comes from 27 sites and sees 10% matured in 7th fill neutral oak barrels after four months on the lees. Attractive on the nose with Golden Delicious, pine and light resinous notes. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite taut and lightly spiced; just a faint hint of stem ginger appears towards the finish. Enjoy this over the next seven to eight years.

Looking for some “bang for ya buck?” Look no further than Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. The wine shows the focus, texture and minerality of a wine twice it’s price!

Southern Right is the value line from one of South Africa’s great wineries Hamilton Russel. They specialize in Pinotage and Sauvignon blanc on a strikingly beautiful 448 hectare property in the cool, maritime, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, just behind the old fishing village of Hermanus. The wines are named after the rare Southern Right whales, which frequent the cool South Atlantic Walker Bay, 3 kilometres from the vineyards. With each bottle sold, Southern Right makes a contribution to their conservation.

Made in a way ensuring the personality of site and soil is not overridden by the forceful character of the variety, this wine exhibits the typical Southern Right balance of "Old World" minerality and length with hints of "New World" palate coverage and body. The 2020 expresses individuality, minerality and palate complexity ahead of pure, pungent varietal aroma. A significant percentage of fruit from iron and clay-rich soil has added a mid-palate structural component and additional overall complexity to this wine. The Sandstone soils have contributed their typical bright, tensile character and a marked minerality.

The generous, sun-kissed wines of Spoken West over deliver on quality and value.
Spoken West was built on the premise of producing delicious wines from California that embody the beauty of the West Coast. Produced by Jamey Whetstone who is no stranger when it comes to producing top notch California wines. Jamey moved to Napa Valley from his home in South Carolina to manage Mustards Grill in 1996. Simply captivated by the community, lifestyle, and culture of wine country, he found himself quickly growing roots. By 1998, he had begun his winemaking education at Turley Wine Cellars where he would remain in his apprenticeship until 2005. During that time, he spent a summer sabbatical working for the Seysses family at Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis and laid the groundwork for Whetstone Wine Cellars, which he founded in 2002.

All vineyards are certified sustainable. Grapes are hand harvested and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 11 months in a combination of tank, and French, oak barrels (10% new)

Zesty, bold and fruity, offering raspberry and spice flavors, with a hint of mint as this finishes on a plump and briary accent. Drink now

Winery Notes:
"A classic Cabernet Sauvignon that shows off rich color, layered aromatics and good structure. The wine is smooth and vibrant with cassis, dark cherry and black olive aromas preceding rich fruit flavors of dark plum and cherry preserves followed by a note of roasted coffee bean.
Blend: An excellent companion to aged blue cheese, braised or grilled beef, and roast pork with fruit "

Winery Notes:
This wine is all the rage right now, an international bestseller - especially as a major export to the United States and Great Britain. The grape, which actually originates from Burgundy, loves not only the climate in South Tyrol, but also the soil conditions. It has found a second homeland here, and has become the most widely planted grape variety. It is appreciated for its freshness, nice acidity and pleasant, lingering aftertaste.

#27 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

94 points Wine Spectator
Bursting with flavor and personality, this offers lemon meringue, fresh peach and Fuji apple notes up front on a juicy, succulent frame, while amber aromas and salted lime accents emerge on the long, expressive finish. Drink now.