Red

Organic / Biodynamic

Light, limber and earthy, this inviting red from the Burgenland region of Austria on the Hungarian border is 50 percent zweigelt, 40 percent blaufränkisch and 10 percent merlot. It’s bright and lightly fruity with just a touch of chocolate, another easy drinker that does the job of refreshing without taxing the mind or spirit. It’s a great deal.

There is a simple and honest feeling in the wine and spirit of Gerhard Pittnauer which hails from his generosity and humility. Given the reins of his vineyard in the mid-1980’s after the unexpected death of his father, Gerhard, then 18 years old, had to train himself to make wine in the midst of scandal and chaos in the Austrian wine market. He chose to become a student of the broader wine world, and, in realizing the exceptionality of the land he farmed and of the indigenous grapes of the region, allowed himself to experiment with some missteps until he found his thesis. He set forth to ‘grow’ wine rather than to ‘make’ it in the cellar, from the autochtone varietals. He did so without any viticultural doctrine until he found that there was a consistent, common thread in the wines he loved to drink from France and elsewhere. If, he thought, these wines were amazing because of biodynamics, then he must do the same to achieve the pinnacle in his own wine. So he tends 15 hectares, half of which he owns and half of which he rents, alongside his wife Brigitte to create what they call living wines. All work is done manually from composting to pruning. There is no calendar that drives them. Nothing is rushed: they believe in quality over speed. They taste for perfect ripeness, select the cleanest grapes, and begin the wine in the cellar in response to the conditions of the vintage. They do incorporate a bit of modern technology: a pneumatic press, temperature-controlled steel tanks and pumps, all to ensure the purity and freshness of the fruit remains. They are making wines that excite them with the unique voice of the varietal and the deep limestone soils of the terroir speaking clearly. Gerhard and Brigitte are aware of the evolution of their tastes as well as the vineyard’s. They are students presenting the current findings. Not with proud declaration, but with excited experimental energy to get the best of what they have. So far, it is delicious research.

97 points Vinous
The 2023 La Vitoriana Lomas de Valtuille is a Mencia from the eponymous paraje in Valtuille, sourced from a centenary vineyard. It fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged for up to 11 months in barrel. This is expressive on the nose, with flowers, mint, white pepper and dried blossoms providing aromatic lift. The tannins are fine, the palate is flavorful and the whole-cluster fermentation gives it a compact, tight finish.

95 points Wine Advocate
The 2023 La Vizcaina La Vitoriana is the only red from the Vizcaina range that is not from their own vines, as they buy the grapes, 1.1 hectares in the lower part of the lieu-dit that has sandy soils (the other parts have clay). It's quite linear and with good acidity but ripened thoroughly. There are no white grapes here, only a small percentage of Bastardo, and the vines are 100+ years of age. This is a small lieu-dit in a cooler place in the village, a place that is harvested later. Some 5,000 bottles produced.

96 points Vinous
The 2023 El Rapolao Lomas de Valtuille is a Mencía from a centenary vineyard in Bierzo that is trained from head to trellis. It fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged for up to 11 months in barrel. This is direct, offering pomegranate, cherry, violet, rosehip and a hint of mint that refreshes the bouquet. It is juicy and tense, with fine, slightly dry tannins delivering freshness and energy. The finish is compact and marked by the stem character.

#3 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2025!

95 points Wine Spectator
Deeply structured and full of tension, this polished red displays a distinctive personality, offering bold blackberry flavors accented with savory anise, black pepper and dark Asian spices. Ends with big but refined tannins. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro. Drink now through 2035.

98 points Jeb Dunnuck
Blending 76% Zinfandel, 14% Petite Sirah, 7% Carignane, 2% Alicante Bouschet and 1% Mataro from an estate vineyard in Dry Creek Valley purchased in 1972, the 2023 Zinfandel Lytton Springs exhibits initial chewiness that leads to fine tannins, with a good heft and underlying acidity. Well-woven oak supports a moderately ripe, medium-bodied frame of structured elegance, aged in 100% air-dried American oak. Enjoy now through 2033

#3 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2025!

95 points Wine Spectator
Deeply structured and full of tension, this polished red displays a distinctive personality, offering bold blackberry flavors accented with savory anise, black pepper and dark Asian spices. Ends with big but refined tannins. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro. Drink now through 2035.

98 points Jeb Dunnuck
Blending 76% Zinfandel, 14% Petite Sirah, 7% Carignane, 2% Alicante Bouschet and 1% Mataro from an estate vineyard in Dry Creek Valley purchased in 1972, the 2023 Zinfandel Lytton Springs exhibits initial chewiness that leads to fine tannins, with a good heft and underlying acidity. Well-woven oak supports a moderately ripe, medium-bodied frame of structured elegance, aged in 100% air-dried American oak. Enjoy now through 2033

Winemaker Notes:
Robert Mondavi crafts this richly textured Cabernet Sauvignon with Monterey County fruit, picked at the peak of ripeness in their coastal vineyards. In a truly original alternative to traditional aging, they set aside a portion of the blend to age in a mix of new and used bourbon barrels. The new barrels give the wine its deep undertones of toasted oak. The used barrels-selected from a renowned Kentucky distillery-exude notes of vanilla and dried herbs, hinting at the fine bourbon that once graced these casks. The result is a bold, flavorful wine, unlike any other Cabernet.
Layered and complex, their Bourbon Barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with aromas of blackberry cobbler, graham cracker, brown sugar, milk chocolate, coffee and smoke. A palate of blueberry pie, praline, sweet vanilla custard, caramel and mocha is framed by soft, chewy tannins and a hint of toasted oak on the lingering finish.

Organic

Winemaker Notes:
"Violet-intense purple, concentrated and bright. A complex nose with varietals notes of ripe fruits, figs. prunes, jam and raisins. A good body, with sweet tannins and well balanced by acidity. A lingering and complex finish."

100% Listan Negro that comes from two training styles - classic cordon and royat espalier.

It is vinified in stainless steel. 20% carbonic maceration. 30% goes into American oak for 2-3 months before release.

Augustin explains that you find good acidity from the Listan Negro that grows at around 600m, and good body from the vines that grow around 200m. Vinifying by parcel has allowed him to really get to know the character of each of his vineyards.

Organic

70% Montepulciano & 30% Sangiovese. Fermented in stainless steel and aged four months in steel & six months in bottle before release. As the Gambero Rosso puts it: “the Rosso Piceno is a consumer’s dream, straightforward but delicious and a pleasure to drink.”

93 points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Le Volte Dell'Ornellaia is a saturated red/ruby color and is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, raised in used barrels for around 10 months. Always a wine leaning into the fruity and approachable side of things, the nose is fruity and fresh with aromas of candied flowers, crushed raspberries, red apples, and fresh stony earth. Medium to full-bodied, it’s very elegant with a joyful ease. It’s a great snapshot into these wines, which are mighty tasty now and have a lot of character. Drink 2025-2035.

Vermentino Nero and Pollera.
Grey clay soils.
Vineyards are from 70 - 200 meters above sea level in the commune of Fosdinovo.
Maceration (semi-carbonic) and fermentation using indigenous yeasts in concrete vats.

Racking by gravity.
Aging for eight months on the lees.

The pinot noir for this wine is found in the village of Bussieres and is sourced from the lieu-dit « Les Clos ». The vines are south-facing at 350 feet above sea level on gently sloping hills that are principally composed of clay. The fruit tends to ripen early due to its excellent exposure. Pigeage and remontage are practiced during fermentation. This wine is marked by notes of black, ripe berries, often a touch “sauvage”.

Organic

Winemaker Notes:
"Aromas of black cherries and plums are accompanied by notes of violets and vanilla. On the palate the wine is rich and full-bodied with flavors of juicy blackberries, cranberries, and black currants abound, followed by notes of vanilla and sweet spice."

Organic

The review is on the previous vintage.

93 points Vinous
The 2022 Carménère Gravel Soils hails from Isla de Maipo. Purple in hue. The nose opens with ashes and spices, green bell pepper and sandalwood, and hints of incense. It is an attractive and nuanced red. On the palate, it offers loose and fine grain tannins textured as well as a more silky than velvety palate. A rare red lean in the flow and voluptuous in weight

Grapes are sorted and destemed and then fermented in stainless steel with wild yeast.

Post fermentation the wine is moved to neutral barrels to rest for a few months before going into 5,000 l foudres for aging for 12 months.

91 points James Suckling
Aromatic and lifted, with sour cherries, violets, rosemary and mild oak spices on the nose. It has a fresh and harmonious palate showing a medium body, finely woven tannins and excellent balance between fruit purity and savory complexity. Sustainable. Drink or hold.

Organic

94+ points Wine Advocate
The 2023 Kinki has to be the most perfumed, floral and elegant vintage for this bottling; it's a grownup wine, not a teenager anymore. It has very juicy fruit and is really elegant and balanced, more serious but drinkable. It was produced with the grapes from a vineyard that has up to 25% other grapes, not only Mencía but Doña Blanca, Palomino, Godello, Alicante Bouschet (more than usual, which provides freshness) and Estaladiña. It fermented with full clusters, all the varieties together, in and open 5,000-liter oak vat. It comes in at 12.7% alcohol with a pH of 3.4, aiming at contained ripeness, low extraction and high drinkability. The ripeness is more complete and more homogeneous this year in the zone of Cobrana, and the wines are more serious, with a core of bright red fruit, fresh and elegant. It's always bottled early, before the summer, and was bottled in May 2024. 4,378 bottles produced. Drink:2025-2032.

Organic

Malayeto is the first single-vineyard wine they produced, is pure Garnacha from a plot of 2.39 hectares of 45-year-old vines on complex soils with limestone, gravel and stones. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in a combination of concrete and stainless steel with 10% fermented in open-top pools and pressed before the end of the fermentation, which finished without skins. The wine matured in a 4,000-liter oak vat, eight used 500-liter oak barrels and two 700-liter concrete eggs for 12 months.

Organic

92+ points Wine Advocate
The first wine they produced in 2007 is now the current 2023 Graciano, produced with grapes from different vineyards in the village of Corella in a zone with more Mediterranean influence, crafted in an approachable and fresh style with the local typicity, produced with very soft pump-overs. It fermented in 10,000-liter stainless steel vats with a soft extraction and matured in French oak barrels of different sizes for nine months. It has a nose of ripe berries, quite primary, and is fruit-driven with some honeyed undertones, herbal and balsamic. It has good ripeness, 13.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.40 and 5.35 grams of acidity, along with a juicy palate with very fine tannins.

The high-acid Graciano is the last one of their grapes to be harvested, in their vineyards around the village of Corella. Following a light maceration the wine ferments in steel. 25% of the wine is racked into French oak for malolactic, the rest happens in steel. The wines were blended and stayed 9 months on their lees in French barrels.

Organic

Fleshy and greedy wine. Typical nose of the viognier with ripe yeallow fruits with a nice violet touch. Juicy and fresh ont the palate with an nice acidulous finish.

Organic / Natural

Monastrell. Personality: Very brilliant ruby red with a purple rim boasting the youthfulness of the wine. Rich aromas of red forest fruits and whiffs of spices. The palate is well structured, powerful, and balanced with notes of black fruits, proudly showing its Mediterranean heritage.

The grapes are manually harvested, de-stemmed and crushed. Temperature controlled fermentation at 22-26°C in stainless steel tanks with continuous over-pumping to extract maximum intensity of color and aromas. This maceration-fermentation lasts for about 2-3 weeks. The wine is bottled after light (vegan-certified) fining and filtration, with a small addition of sulfur. 14% abv