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Dominio del Aguila Canta la Perdiz Ribera del Duero 2017
Dominio del Aguila Canta la Perdiz Ribera del Duero 2017
Regular price Regular Price: $415.99 Sale priceYour Price: $343.97
Save $72.02
Available: 6
97 pts Wine Advocate
I also tasted the 2017 Canta la Perdiz from the low-yielding and warm year marked by spring frost. The Tempranillo field blend clusters fermented in concrete vats with natural yeasts after being foot trodden. The wine went through malolactic and 39 months of aging in oak barrels mostly French for 39 months. It has the perfume and approachability of the 2017s but there's a lot more finesse here the quality of the tannins is superb and there's great balance and freshness. Another 2017 that transcends the vintage. The label is different each vintage and in this different year it does have a surprising somewhat Ponsot-like label...1103 bottles and 10 magnums were filled in March 2021.
W21000
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2017
.750L
Dominio del Aguila Penas Aladas Gran Reserva Ribera del Duero 2015
Dominio del Aguila Penas Aladas Gran Reserva Ribera del Duero 2015
Regular price Regular Price: $260.99 Sale priceYour Price: $233.97
Save $27.02
Available: 8
98 pts Wine Advocate
Their Gran Reserva style red 2015 Penas Aladas Gran Reserva had a very long aging in barrel a total of 54 months including six months of malolactic fermentation. This comes from a myriad of small plots of some of the oldest vines in the village of La Aguilera in the same zone that names the wine at 870 to 890 meters in altitude. The valley receives very cold winds from the Duero River and the vineyards are surrounded by junipers pines and oak trees which makes it up to three degrees Celsius lower than the rest of the village one of the coldest places in the whole of Ribera del Duero. The soils have a layer of sand that is gradually mixed with clay until around one meter deep and then there's a layer of marl and limestone a textbook soil for the vine. 2015 was a powerful vintage and there was some frost that also delivered a little more concentration. The wine has an old Ribera del Duero style with some rusticity and lots of power energy and concentration but with great balance. It has plenty of fine tannins and lots of chalkiness. This should be very long lived. 2223 bottles and 41 magnums were hand bottled unfiltered and unfined in May 2020.
W21001
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2015
.750L
Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2015
Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2015
Regular priceYour Price: $329.97
Available: 7
Bottled in July 2017 and composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the Dominus 2015 Proprietary Red Wine leaps from the glass with notes of fresh wild blueberries, crushed blackberries and black currant juice with touches of wild thyme, underbrush, iron ore and aniseed with wafts of lavender and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has incredible energy and vivacity, with the firm, pixelated tannins and lively backbone skillfully framing the muscular fruit, finishing with wonderful length and depth.
W10363
US
Red
2015
.750L
Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2018
Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2018
Regular price Regular Price: $399.99 Sale priceYour Price: $369.97
Save $30.02
Available: 28
The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot brought up in 40% new French oak. With an essence of Cabernet like character in its darker currants, green tobacco, cedar, graphite, and floral aromas and flavors, this gorgeous wine is full-bodied and has bright yet integrated acidity, polished tannins, and a great, great finish. It’s just gorgeously put together and a magical, flawless wine. It’s going to take a decade to hit maturity but will evolve for 40-50 years in cold cellars. It is as good as it gets in classic, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon!(1/2021)
100 points James Suckling
This is incredible on the nose, offering hot stones, blackcurrants, iodine and wet earth. Full-bodied with a tight center palate, then it opens with a tannin structure that is weightless and spreads across the palate. Totally integrated on the palate. This is a magic-carpet wine. Really incredible. One of the reference points for the vintage. Drinkable now and please try a bottle, but it’s one for the cellar. (5/2021)
99 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Dominus slowly emerges from the glass with profound notes of blackcurrant cordial, ripe black plums, boysenberries and Black Forest cake with hints of violets, star anise, cracked black pepper, raspberry leaves and pencil lead, plus a touch of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers impactful black fruit layers, creating a beguiling sense of richness that is beautifully countered by invigorating freshness and great poise, framed by super ripe, plush tannins and beautiful tension, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note and, finally, lots of mineral sparks. For all that it is at the moment, one cannot help but feel that this 2018 is holding something back. Give it a good five years in bottle, at least, and then get set for what I suspect will be a mindblowing transformation over the next 30 years+. (LPB) (2/2021)
97 points Vinous
The 2018 Dominus is wild and exotic from the first taste. Lifted aromatics make a strong opening impression. There is something exuberant about the 2018 that is hard to describe. The 2018 is not a huge Dominus, nor is it massively structured, but the intensity of the flavors is remarkable just the same. Dark raspberry, spice, leather and cedar are some of the many notes that open over time. (AG)
W20023
US
California - Napa Valley
Red
2018
.750L
yes
Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2019
Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2019
Regular priceYour Price: $299.97
Available: 19
The 2019 Dominus is blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged in 40% new French oak. Impressively dark-hued in the glass, it yields scents of cherries and cassis on the nose—or is it black cherries and redcurrants? Subtle notes of mocha, pencil shavings and almost Graves-like earthiness wind through the concentrated, medium to full-bodied palate, giving it a sense of savory gravitas, while the finish is silky and long, leaving a lingering residue of soft tannins and mouthwatering freshness.
98 points James Suckling
Lots of crushed stone, lead pencil and licorice aromas that are extremely aromatic and bright. Black cherries, cloves and purple fruit, too. Full body and a round and ripe center-palate with a juicy interior. It opens at the end with a savory and juicy finish. Layered and beautiful.
W21021
US
California - Napa Valley
Red
2019
.750L
Gemstone Napa Valley Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003 1.5L
Gemstone Napa Valley Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2003 1.5L
Regular priceYour Price: $299.97
Available: 5
The inky/purple-hued 2003 Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and the rest tiny portions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, reveals copious notes of chocolate along with hints of melted tar, charcoal, black cherries, and currants. Full-bodied, dense, and well-balanced... - WA91
W-00003327
US
Red
2003
1.5L
yes
Jean Grivot Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot 2019
Jean Grivot Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot 2019
Regular priceYour Price: $424.97
Available: 6
A dense, muscular red, delivering dark cherry and blackberry fruit shaded by mint, tar, toasty oak, earth, iron and tobacco. This has tannins that are present, if covered by the bright fruit and fleshy texture, which exert themselves on the long, spice- and iron-inflected aftertaste. Best from 2025 through 2047.
W20838
France
Burgundy
Red
2019
.750L
Jean Luc & Eric Burguet 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques Gevrey Chambertin 2019
Jean Luc & Eric Burguet 1er Cru Lavaux St Jacques Gevrey Chambertin 2019
Regular price Regular Price: $239.99 Sale priceYour Price: $216.97
Save $23.02
Available: 6
The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru has a wonderful bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, rose petals and touches of melted tar; the 100% new oak is subsumed extremely well. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and ripe, displaying a touch of piquancy on the silky-smooth finish and Asian spice on the aftertaste. (Drink between 2023-2038)
W20742
France
Burgundy
Red
2019
.750L
Jean Luc & Eric Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos de Beze 2006
Jean Luc & Eric Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos de Beze 2006
Regular priceYour Price: $264.97
Available: 11
Alain was born in 1950 to Yvon Burguet, a tacheron for Domaine Tortochot who also worked his own vines in Gevrey. fter military service, Alain returned to Gevrey and decided to start his own domaine, working exclusively with rented vines until 1974 when the opportunity arose to buy his first 2.10 ha of vines in the village. He bottled his own production from the start, and began to earn a reputation for himself, which was boosted around 1982 when Becky picked up Alain’s wines. She brought Jean Troigros to taste, who was utterly impressed with the Gevrey Vieilles Vignes and promptly added them to his restaurant’s list. Alain continued to expand his domaine, acquiring 1er Cru Les Champeaux in 1985, inheriting some of his father’s 3.5 hectares in 1991, while still working rented vineyards. Well before the more global movement toward sustainability and almost 20 years before Ecocert was created to certify organic agriculture, Alain insisted on organic methods.
W07330
France
Burgundy
Red
2006
Pinot Noir
.750L
yes
Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Blend Napa Valley 2018
Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Blend Napa Valley 2018
Regular price Regular Price: $325.99 Sale priceYour Price: $299.97
Save $26.02
Available: 29
Blackberry and black chocolate with mint, conifer and clove. Sweet tobacco, violets and flowers, too. Some graphite. Cool and complex. Full-bodied with ultra fine, dusty tannins and a wonderful, extremely long finish. Savory and refined. A classic-styled 2018. This needs time, but is so approachable and gorgeous. One of the best Insignias ever. Alive and changing all the time. 40% Stags Leap AVA. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% petit verdot, 3% malbec and 2% cabernet franc. Leave this for five or six years, but so wonderful now.
97 pts Wine Advocate
The 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard sources this year include: 30% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District),18% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 13% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 18% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St. Helena), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 7% Barboza (Stags Leap District). It was aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes storming out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant cordial, stewed black plums and boysenberries, plus hints of cedar chest, graphite, menthol and wet slate with a fragrant waft of clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate already demonstrates remarkable balance at this youthful stage, featuring a firm backbone of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the tightly wound, crunchy black fruits, finishing long and spicy. 17,000 cases were made.
97 pts Vinous
The 2018 Insignia is a boisterous, explosive wine. Medium in body and gracious, with striking aromatic presence and tons of silkiness, the 2018 is all class. Today it comes across as a more refined version of the 2016, with similar depth, but riper, sweeter tannin and perhaps a touch more finesse as well. I can't wait to taste it from bottle.
W20240
US
Napa Valley
Red
2018
Red Blend
.750L
yes
Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Blend Napa Valley 2019
Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Blend Napa Valley 2019
Regular price Regular Price: $389.99 Sale priceYour Price: $347.97
Save $42.02
Available: 29
Much more expressive and complex compared to the backward, masculine Backus Vineyard (which is common when comparing these two cuvées), the 2019 Insignia offers a gorgeous perfume of crème de cassis, chocolate, lavender, dried flowers, tobacco, and leafy herbs. Possessing full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, gorgeous tannins, and just a classy, balanced character, this beauty is going to shine with just 3-4 years of bottle age yet still cruise in cold cellars for 30 years. It actually reminds me slightly of the 1997.
96-98 points Wine Advocate
The 2019 Insignia is composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec. The vineyard sources this year include: 32% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 23% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 14% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St. Helena), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 3% Barboza (Stags Leap District) and 2% El Venadito (Oak Knoll District). The wine is aging for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little swirling to unlock a gorgeous perfume of black cherry compote, stewed plums and blackcurrant pastilles with hints of bay leaves, red roses, underbrush and pencil lead plus a hint of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers impactful black fruit preserves layers with finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and layered. (Tasted as a barrel sample.)
PJ00041
US
Red
2019
.750L
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 1981
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 1981
Regular priceYour Price: $399.97
Available: 22
This is an exceptional example of an old school Spanish Rioja that was aged in different-sized oak vessels, and not released until it had reached full maturity. If readers think the price is high, consider the fact that this bodegas has aged the wine for the consumer, rather than asking you to buy it as a "future" in 1982 and hold it for 15 years before drinking it.
The traditionally made Spanish wines from this bodega are successful. However, readers looking for more internationally-styled Spanish reds that have saturated ruby/purple colors, and grapy personalities are advised that this bodega emphasizes the more mature, aged character of Spanish Rioja, with mature garnet colors with rust at the edge, and fragrant, intense, evolved aromatic profiles.
The Bodega was formed in 1890 as a partnership of 5 quality-conscious growers keen to exploit the export potential for well-made, ?????modern????? Rioja. At this time, French vineyards were ravaged by phylloxera, and connoisseurs were having to look elsewhere for supplies of fine wine. Rioja, with its excellent climate and soils, had already attracted attention, and experiments with Bordeaux-style vinification and barrique-aging were proving very successful. The region?????s only real disadvantage was its remoteness, cut off from the lucrative markets to the north by the same mountains that ensured its favorable climate. This problem was solved by construction of the rail link to Bilbao, and it is no coincidence that Bodegas La Rioja Alta was established next to the Haro railway station in the same year it opened. In 1904, La Rioja Alta absorbed Bodegas Ardanza, and gained access to some of the finest vineyards in the Rioja Alta district. The luxury 904 bottling commemorates this important milestone in the company?????s development. Since then Rioja has seen more bad times than good, and many producers have harmed the reputation of the region and its production methods, releasing sloppily-aged wines which were never good enough to support a long time in cask. But La Rioja Alta has never let standards slip, and continues to this day the tradition of careful long-aging that gives Rioja its unique character. These wines offer a wonderfully complex bouquet, rich flavours, a seductively smooth texture, and are all ready to drink on release.
Few dispute that La Rioja Alta S.A. is the leading quality orientated producer in the Rioja. With more than 50,000 casks and 6.4 million bottles stored at any one time, the equivalent of about 8 years sales, La Rioja Alta S.A. is unique in its ability to supply large quantities of fully mature wines of world class quality. The company owns 300 hectares of vineyards in different parts of the best zones of the Rioja Alta region. La Rioja Alta S.A. is specialized in red wines. The leading grape variety is the Tempranillo with small doses of Mazuelo and Graciano. The Vina Ardanza differs from the other wines with some 25% Garnacha in the blend. After vinification in the new ultra modern vinification plant near Haro, aging is in traditional Bordeaux casks, all made from American oak. Racking is by hand every 6 months with 8 teams working full time racking the 51,000 casks. There is no filtration prior to bottling and further long aging in bottle before release. In short the wines are made in the traditional Rioja manner. The company is adamant about not using French oak, keeping the unique Rioja style which has been developed since the end of the 19th century. In spite of the varying amount of time in cask and bottle the wines all display a wonderful rich ruby colour, gorgeous aromas of oak, spices and fruit followed by a sensational feel on the palate, with a wonderful smooth texture, clean rich oaky/fruity flavours and a long lingering finish. All the wines are ready for consumption on release but will keep for many more years in bottle. This situation is almost unique in the world of wine and is the reason why so many restaurants list La Rioja Alta?????s outstanding range of truly classic Rioja wines.
W04951
Spain
Rioja
Red
1981
Tempranillo
.750L
yes
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 2001
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 2001
Regular price Regular Price: $289.99 Sale priceYour Price: $245.97
Save $44.02
Available: 82
The Bodega was formed in 1890 as a partnership of 5 quality-conscious growers keen to exploit the export potential for well-made, ‘modern’ Rioja. At this time, French vineyards were ravaged by phylloxera, and connoisseurs were having to look elsewhere for supplies of fine wine. Rioja, with its excellent climate and soils, had already attracted attention, and experiments with Bordeaux-style vinification and barrique-aging were proving very successful. The region’s only real disadvantage was its remoteness, cut off from the lucrative markets to the north by the same mountains that ensured its favorable climate. This problem was solved by construction of the rail link to Bilbao, and it is no coincidence that Bodegas La Rioja Alta was established next to the Haro railway station in the same year it opened. In 1904, La Rioja Alta absorbed Bodegas Ardanza, and gained access to some of the finest vineyards in the Rioja Alta district. The luxury 904 bottling commemorates this important milestone in the company’s development. Since then Rioja has seen more bad times than good, and many producers have harmed the reputation of the region and its production methods, releasing sloppily-aged wines which were never good enough to support a long time in cask. But La Rioja Alta has never let standards slip, and continues to this day the tradition of careful long-aging that gives Rioja its unique character. These wines offer a wonderfully complex bouquet, rich flavours, a seductively smooth texture, and are all ready to drink on release.
Few dispute that La Rioja Alta S.A. is the leading quality orientated producer in the Rioja. With more than 50,000 casks and 6.4 million bottles stored at any one time, the equivalent of about 8 years sales, La Rioja Alta S.A. is unique in its ability to supply large quantities of fully mature wines of world class quality. The company owns 300 hectares of vineyards in different parts of the best zones of the Rioja Alta region. La Rioja Alta S.A. is specialized in red wines. The leading grape variety is the Tempranillo with small doses of Mazuelo and Graciano. The Vina Ardanza differs from the other wines with some 25% Garnacha in the blend. After vinification in the new ultra modern vinification plant near Haro, aging is in traditional Bordeaux casks, all made from American oak. Racking is by hand every 6 months with 8 teams working full time racking the 51,000 casks. There is no filtration prior to bottling and further long aging in bottle before release. In short the wines are made in the traditional Rioja manner. The company is adamant about not using French oak, keeping the unique Rioja style which has been developed since the end of the 19th century. In spite of the varying amount of time in cask and bottle the wines all display a wonderful rich ruby colour, gorgeous aromas of oak, spices and fruit followed by a sensational feel on the palate, with a wonderful smooth texture, clean rich oaky/fruity flavours and a long lingering finish. All the wines are ready for consumption on release but will keep for many more years in bottle. This situation is almost unique in the world of wine and is the reason why so many restaurants list La Rioja Alta’s outstanding range of truly classic Rioja wines.
W07135
Spain
Rioja
Red
2001
Tempranillo
.750L
yes
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 2004
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 2004
Regular price Regular Price: $255.99 Sale priceYour Price: $225.97
Save $30.02
Available: 173
Tempranillo (95%) and Mazuelo (2%) from estate-owned vineyards in Bri??as, Labastida and Villalba and, in addition, Graciano (3%) from our Montecillo vineyard. This is the first Gran Reserva 890 in which we use Graciano grapes from this vineyard. The wine was aged for 6 years in American oak barrels. The barrels were manufactured in our cooperage, with wood imported from the USA and dried at our facilities for three years. During the 10 rackings, we carried out a further selection of the barrels to be used for the final blend, which was bottled in March 2011.
The Bodega was formed in 1890 as a partnership of 5 quality-conscious growers keen to exploit the export potential for well-made, ?€?modern?€? Rioja. At this time, French vineyards were ravaged by phylloxera, and connoisseurs were having to look elsewhere for supplies of fine wine. Rioja, with its excellent climate and soils, had already attracted attention, and experiments with Bordeaux-style vinification and barrique-aging were proving very successful. The region?€?s only real disadvantage was its remoteness, cut off from the lucrative markets to the north by the same mountains that ensured its favorable climate. This problem was solved by construction of the rail link to Bilbao, and it is no coincidence that Bodegas La Rioja Alta was established next to the Haro railway station in the same year it opened. In 1904, La Rioja Alta absorbed Bodegas Ardanza, and gained access to some of the finest vineyards in the Rioja Alta district. The luxury 904 bottling commemorates this important milestone in the company?€?s development. Since then Rioja has seen more bad times than good, and many producers have harmed the reputation of the region and its production methods, releasing sloppily-aged wines which were never good enough to support a long time in cask. But La Rioja Alta has never let standards slip, and continues to this day the tradition of careful long-aging that gives Rioja its unique character. These wines offer a wonderfully complex bouquet, rich flavours, a seductively smooth texture, and are all ready to drink on release.
Few dispute that La Rioja Alta S.A. is the leading quality orientated producer in the Rioja. With more than 50,000 casks and 6.4 million bottles stored at any one time, the equivalent of about 8 years sales, La Rioja Alta S.A. is unique in its ability to supply large quantities of fully mature wines of world class quality. The company owns 300 hectares of vineyards in different parts of the best zones of the Rioja Alta region. La Rioja Alta S.A. is specialized in red wines. The leading grape variety is the Tempranillo with small doses of Mazuelo and Graciano. The Vina Ardanza differs from the other wines with some 25% Garnacha in the blend. After vinification in the new ultra modern vinification plant near Haro, aging is in traditional Bordeaux casks, all made from American oak. Racking is by hand every 6 months with 8 teams working full time racking the 51,000 casks. There is no filtration prior to bottling and further long aging in bottle before release. In short the wines are made in the traditional Rioja manner. The company is adamant about not using French oak, keeping the unique Rioja style which has been developed since the end of the 19th century. In spite of the varying amount of time in cask and bottle the wines all display a wonderful rich ruby colour, gorgeous aromas of oak, spices and fruit followed by a sensational feel on the palate, with a wonderful smooth texture, clean rich oaky/fruity flavours and a long lingering finish. All the wines are ready for consumption on release but will keep for many more years in bottle. This situation is almost unique in the world of wine and is the reason why so many restaurants list La Rioja Alta?€?s outstanding range of truly classic Rioja wines.
WS 94
Tea, tobacco, cedar and spice notes mingle with deeper licorice, plum and iron flavors in this savory red. The texture is supple and polished, but there's a firm tannic backbone. Focused and harmonious, in the traditional style. Drink now through 2024. 1,166 cases made.
W09086
Spain
Rioja
Red
2004
Tempranillo
.750L
yes
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 2010
La Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva Rioja 2010
Regular price Regular Price: $239.99 Sale priceYour Price: $214.97
Save $25.02
Available: 94
They were eager to show me their 2010 Gran Reserva 890, their flagship wine from one of the most heralded vintages of recent times, the next vintage of this wine since 2005. It's 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo that fermented destemmed and crushed with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats for 18 days, the Tempranillo and Mazuelo together and the Graciano separately. After letting the wine settle for the winter, they selected the lots that would age for six years in used American oak barrels with 10 manual rackings. The wine epitomizes the classical style of Rioja Alta with long aging in barrel, developed and tertiary wines with a silky palate and a complex and decadent nose of forest floor, truffles, cigar ash and cedar wood. They need a very special selection of vineyards at higher altitude that take longer to ripen, and they don't do it fully every year. If they don't, the grapes go to Ardanza, but in 2010, the days were warm and the nights very cold and the grapes ripened thoroughly and could stand the long time in barrel without being oaky. They have stopped the last rackings to keep a little more freshness, and the wine feels phenomenal. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this wine. It's drinkable now but should also age for a very long time; it's intense, complex and elegant. A selection of 236 barrels were blended and bottled unfiltered in March 2017 into 61,643 bottles, 4,189 magnums and some larger formats. There will be a 2011 of this wine and then 2015 and possibly 2016 (but no 2012, 2013 or 2014). This is a very intense 890. Classicism in a bottle.
97 points James Suckling
A fragrant nose of blackberries, plums, earth, dried flowers, leather, cloves, sweet tobacco and cigar box. Full-bodied with seamless tannins and fresh acidity. Balanced and layered with great tension. Elegant, with a velvety texture and a long finish. Such length and beauty now with so much age. Drink or hold.
W21152
Spain
Rioja
Red
2010
.750L
yes
Leoville-Las Cases St. Julien 2000
Leoville-Las Cases St. Julien 2000
Regular priceYour Price: $399.97
Available: 18
"Along with the Medoc first growths, Leoville Barton, Chateau Montrose, Sociando Mallet, and a handful of other producers, Leoville Las Cases continues to make a wine meant for very long-term cellaring. When I did my earlier tastings of the 2000, my projected maturity dates were 2012-2040, but it is looking more like 2020-2050. This full-bodied blend of nearly 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.4% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc still has a youthful ruby/purple color, notes of graphite, kirsch liqueur, black currants, and lead pencil shavings, with good acidity, the tell-tale purity, layered ripeness and intensity, and a profound finish. However, with its high level of tannin and brooding backwardness, this superb effort needs to be forgotten for up to a decade."
W00938
France
Bordeaux
Red
2000
Red Blend
.750L
yes
Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja 1976
Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja 1976
Regular priceYour Price: $379.97
Available: 25
"The seductive 1976 Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva is another ethereal beauty, revealing an expressive nose along with notes of earthiness, sweet perfumed fruit, cocoa, flowers and an occasional hint of white truffle that floats out of the glass. Fresher and more vibrant than the Tondonia Gran Reserva, it offers outstanding length and notable structure in an understated yet profound expression of Rioja. It is that rare wine that invites contemplation by engaging all of the taster?????s senses. A great effort. 95 Anticipated maturity: 2006-?" 95pts WA
W-00003161
Spain
Rioja
Red
1976
Tempranillo
.750L
yes
Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja 1976
Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja 1976
Regular priceYour Price: $499.97
Available: 27
"Thirty years after the vintage the two 1976 Gran Reservas still fully express the qualities of their unique terroirs. The outstanding 1976 Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva offers a multitude of tertiary nuances in its suggestions of leather, licorice, coffee beans, earthiness and dried prunes on a medium-bodied frame of notable elegance. It is sweeter and riper than the Bosconia Gran Reserva, with a resonating note of alcoholic warmth that frames the long, lingering finish. 92/Anticipated maturity: 2006-?" 92pts WA
W-00003165
Spain
Rioja
Red
1976
Tempranillo
.750L
yes
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2012
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2012
Regular price Regular Price: $257.99 Sale priceYour Price: $238.97
Save $19.02
Available: 9
The 2012 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is very similar to the 2011 Ornellaia that precedes it. These were both hot vintages, but 2012 saw the heat towards the end of the growing season. In fact the harvest in 2012 came two weeks earlier than average. This seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (27%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (7%) shows some of the roundness and softness of that summer heat. The wine's density and extraction are spot-on and the bouquet is beautifully shaped by dark cherry nuances with spice, leather and tobacco at the back. There is a gorgeous sense of richness and plushness here. Some 160,000 bottles were produced. This edition of Ornellaia is more immediate in character and less suited to the decades-long aging that cooler vintages can affront so successfully.
94+ points Vinous
The 2012 Ornellaia has put on quite a bit of weight since I first tasted it from bottle a few months ago. Rich, powerful and concentrated, the 2012 offers plenty of depth and intensity, with expressive fruit and striking mid-palate intensity. Dark red cherry jam, wild flowers, licorice, smoke, tobacco and mint blossom in the glass. There is a very slight element of dryness in the tannin that is the signature of a year in which ripening took place in fits and starts. It will be interesting to see if that note softens over time.
Aged for 18 months in barrique (70% new and 30% once-used). After bottling, the wine aged a further 12 months prior to release.
W08963
Italy
Tuscany
Red
2012
Cabernet Sauvignon
.750L
yes
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2020
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2020
Regular price Regular Price: $259.99 Sale priceYour Price: $238.97
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Available: 8
Tasted from barrel, the 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia will be presented in the fall but won’t hit the market until spring of the following year. This is a beauty, so generous and opulent with fully seamless transitions. The wine’s traditional blend is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with tiny percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, although this warm vintage makes due with a pinch less of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit is selected across 107 hectares of Ornellaia vines, although the estate recently purchased an additional eight hectares next to Guado al Tasso in Castagneto Carducci, with terraces and vines aged between 15 and 28 years old. This broad and generous expression has a beautiful quality of fruit and oak that speaks to the very best of Italian winemaking. Drink: 2026-2050.
W21190
Italy
Tuscany
Red
2020
Cabernet Sauvignon
.750L
Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2000
Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2000
Regular price Regular Price: $299.99 Sale priceYour Price: $239.97
Save $60.02
Available: 67
"Glorious aromas of freshly picked raspberries, with tiny hints of cream and minerals. Full-bodied, with superfine tannins and a long, long finish of berries and cherries. Super second wine from Margaux. Best Pavillon Rouge I have ever tasted. Best after 2010. 20,525 cases made." 94pts WS
W02396
France
Bordeaux
Red
2000
Red Blend
.750L
yes
Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2003
Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2003
Regular priceYour Price: $239.97
Available: 10
Wine Advocate, 92pts. - "A terrific, value-priced second wine, the 2003 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux (150,000 bottles produced) may be the finest example of this cuvee I have yet tasted. Its dense ruby/purple hue is followed by creamy aromas of cassis, vanilla, flowers, and licorice. Round, generous, savory, expansive, and amazingly long as well as concentrated, I even joked with Paul Pontallier that this could get him fired as perhaps the selection was too severe! This 2003 should drink well for 15+ years." (4/2006)
WB0005
France
Margaux
Red
2003
.750L
yes
Quintessa Red Napa Valley 2018
Quintessa Red Napa Valley 2018
Regular price Regular Price: $234.99 Sale priceYour Price: $219.97
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Available: 9
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.
W20199
US
California - Napa Valley
Red
2018
Red Blend
.750L
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2014 1.5L
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2014 1.5L
Regular priceYour Price: $269.97
Available: 8
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
W11429
US
California - Napa Valley
Red
2014
Cabernet Sauvignon
1.5L
yes
Staglin Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2017
Staglin Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2017
Regular price Regular Price: $274.99 Sale priceYour Price: $255.97
Save $19.02
Available: 6
Review is on the 2016.
97 pts Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate bursts out of the glass with beautiful black cherry compote, warm cassis and freshly crushed blackberries scents plus touches of chargrill, violets, dark chocolate and pencil shavings and a waft of English lavender. Full-bodied, the palate features great intensity combined with fantastic freshness, textured by soft, finely grained tannins and lifted by the most gorgeous floral perfume, finishing long and layered. Beautiful wine.
95 pts Vinous
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is another wine in this range that shows the natural breadth and dimension of the year. Ample, powerful and broad, with real depth...New leather, spice, menthol and sweet dark cherry all build in a rich, textured Cabernet.
W19643
US
California - Napa Valley
Red
2017
Cabernet Sauvignon
.750L
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2000
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2000
Regular price Regular Price: $599.99 Sale priceYour Price: $427.97
Save $172.02
Available: 98
"The millennial Unico was tasted twice in January and June 2012. It has a Bordeaux- inspired bouquet that demonstrates more austerity than the 2004 with herbaceous notes infusing the brambly black fruit: smoke, forest floor, wild mint and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with bright blackberry, strawberry and Morello on the entry. It is extremely well balanced and more feminine than the nose suggests. There is also impressive tension and vivacity towards the finish. There is great backbone here, a solid and obdurate Unico at the moment, but it will surely mellow in bottle. 108,536 bottles produced. Drink 2018-2030+." 93pts WA
W00059
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2000
Tempranillo
.750L
yes
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2009
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2009
Regular priceYour Price: $499.97
Available: 5
I tasted a bottle of the 2009 ??nico blind and was taken by the freshness, the red fruit notes and the Burgundian-like characteristics of this vintage, which on paper was quite warm and dry. I also tasted the 2009 Valbuena, which is always more approachable, and was blown away by its aromatics. With time in the glass the ??nico opened up and got closer to the character of Valbuena but with more depth and clout, while showing extremely elegant. I tasted it again in the context of all the wines from the group, and it delivered all that I saw when I tasted it blind. It takes some time to unfurl its aromatic palette, and it feels young and somewhat undeveloped, younger than it is. It has a touch that made me think of the old vintages of ??nico on the nose but with very polished tannins and a soft mouthfeel that provides elegance. This is a wine that ages for no less than ten years before it's released. 2009 seems like a great vintage for Vega Sicilia, much better than what I anticipated. It should develop nicely in bottle.
W11171
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2009
Tempranillo
.750L
yes
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2011
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2011
Regular price Regular Price: $599.99 Sale priceYour Price: $539.97
Save $60.02
Available: 19
The Unico released in 2021, 10 years after the harvest, is the 2011 Unico, selected from 40 of their 210 hectares of vineyards. 2011 is a concentrated and ripe vintage, and they selected 95% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that were cooled in a cold room for 24 hours before being sorted; the bunches and grapes macerated at 9 to 10 degrees Celsius for three to four days, and then it was inoculated with a pied de cuve to ferment with pumping overs. Malolactic was in stainless steel, and the wine was put through a long aging, 10 years between oak and bottle, using new and used French and American oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats. For Vega Sicilia, 2011 was a fresher year than 2010, not the common idea about those vintages in Ribera del Duero. The wine has a developed nose with some notes of ripe black fruit, meat and underbrush, somewhat herbal and perfumed. There is something about the nose of the ??nicos that I cannot quite describe but is quite distinct, and it's in this vintage and also in the Reserva Especial.
W20433
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2011
Red Blend
.750L
yes
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2012
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2012
Regular price Regular Price: $545.99 Sale priceYour Price: $499.97
Save $46.02
Available: 25
The 2012 ??nico is released 10 years after the harvest. They produced it with the grapes from 40 of the 210 hectares of vineyards they have, with a total of 55 separate plots and 19 different soils. It's mostly 95% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that are cooled down for 24 hours and then fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation was in stainless steel and the aging in 225-liter oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats for a long time as this was bottled in June 2018. 2012 is a concentrated year, warm and dry with some rain at the end of September that helped the end of the ripening process of healthy grapes with lots of color and ripe tannins. The wine has a ripe nose, with intoxicating notes of black fruit, fresh meat and blood, a spicy touch from the American oak and an earthy twist. It's a voluptuous and decadent vintage for Vega Sicilia, for those that favor years like 2006, a bit atypical, or 1999.
97 points James Suckling
Berry, smoke, violet and sandalwood aromas follow through to a full, layered palate that shows super polished tannins that are caressing and long. It?????s tight and very long. Give it two or three years to soften. Drink after 2023.
W21102
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2012
.750L
yes
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2013
Vega Sicilia Unico Ribera del Duero 2013
Regular price Regular Price: $545.99 Sale priceYour Price: $499.97
Save $46.02
Available: 6
I had already tasted the 2013 Unico from magnum in a vertical tasting of all the magnums ever produced and was quite impressed by it (and the still unreleased 2014 that should be available in 2024). 2013 saw a rainy harvest, and the wine is subtle, elegant and fresh, complex, silky and with precision. The wine matured in 225-liter barrels in an initial phase and then in 22,000-liter oak vats until it was bottled in June 2019. This year, the final blend was 97% Tinto Fino and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon with a little less alcohol, 14%, and a pH of 3.78 and 5.2 grams of acidity, fresh and balanced, more elegant and subtler. Unico often transcends the character of the vintage and doesn't follow the norm in the region, and the 2013 is a good example of that. It was a very rainy and complicated vintage; they harvested quite quickly to avoid botrytis, and while other people waited for concentration, they did not, and their approach clearly paid back. It's aromatic and floral, less dense than the 2012, subtler, more expressive and more elegant. It's clean and fresh, tasty, with very fine tannins. It's a big surprise for the vintage and one of the finest Unicos in the last few years. 76,476 bottles, 3,658 magnums and some larger formats produced, the shortest crop since 2009.
PJ00862
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2013
.750L
Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5 Ribera del Duero 2019
Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5 Ribera del Duero 2019
Regular priceYour Price: $224.97
Available: 24
The obsession in 2019 was to avoid excess ripeness and to keep the freshness, so they did a softer vinification, used larger vats for the elevage and used less American wood. The 2019 Valbuena was produced with a blend of Tinto Fino with 3% Merlot. It has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.88 and 4.6 grams of acidity. I love the nose; it is perfumed and subtle. And the wine is beautifully textured; the tannins are very fine, silky even, quite different from the tannins from the other 2019s from the group that I tasted next to this, Macan and Pintia. A triumph over the conditions of the year, it's a more elegant Valbuena than I anticipated. 190,490 bottles, 5,581 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2022
PJ01080
Spain
Ribera del Duero
Red
2019
.750L