Wines

Organic

93 points Wine Advocate
2021 is a cooler and fresher year than 2020, even though both were very good. The 2021 Juan Gil (silver label) feels more harmonious, complex and deep than the 2020, as I noticed in most wines when I tasted both years; it's longer and more elegant, very clean. It has similar parameters but the perception is fresher. It matured in French oak barrels.

Organic

93 points Wine Spectator
Pure and focused, offering violet, cherry, raspberry and mineral aromas and flavors. Shaped by vibrant acidity, this red persists with a lingering, resonant aftertaste. Drink now through 2028

This Superiore Barbera d’ Alba is delightfully smooth for being so rich and round. It seamlessly balances it’s power with terrific acidity and supple tannins. Lovely dark fruit notes with a bit of spice and earth. A very versatile wine for pairing with food.

Organic

Review is on the previous vintage.
92+ points Wine Advocate
The 2020 Monastrell is pure Monastrell in this exceptional vintage for the grape (in previous years it had up to 20% Garnacha, but there was little Garnacha in 2020). The grapes come from sandy vineyards on the valley floor, and they fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and a shortish maceration. The wine matured in 500-liter oak barrels and 5,000-liter oak vats for nine months. In 2020, there were more grapes from old vines that were used before for the Vino de Finca, which was discontinued. This wine is very aromatic, elegant, expressive and reaching a level I have not seen before in this wine. It's refreshing, light, balanced, nuanced, with velvety tannins and very clean, really transcending its price point. Balanced is the word, and it's also available and affordable and sets the tone for the 2020s.

#30 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

92 points Wine Spectator
This stands out for its expressive, elegant bouquet of citrus blossoms, guava and red currant—flavors that are equally engaging and fresh on the palate, picking up mineral details and lingering nicely around polished tannins. Drink now.

94 points James Suckling
Such a beautiful, fresh nose with tons of wild herbs, thyme, rosemary, sour cherries and flowers. Very linear and bright on the palate, charged with silky, fine-grained tannins and fine austerity. You can literally smell the herbs and the wild flowers from the vineyard. Pristine but intense and so fresh and precise. Pure fruit! Insane value for a $20 bottle. Drink now.

92 points James Suckling
A fragrant nose full of vivid strawberries and sweet cherries. Tight and lightly chewy on the palate with plenty of fruit. Juicy, balanced and quite drinkable.

Blend: 75% Malbec, 18% Bonarda, 7% Petit Verdot

Third Place finisher in our 2023 Wine Of The Year blind taste off!

Sustainably farmed Grenache 44%, Syrah 42%, Mourvedre 14% from four vineyard sites in Los Olivos and the greater Santa Ynez Valley - Rolling Vines, Bernat, Coteaux de Clair, and TTT Roblar. The Syrah and Grenache are fermented partly with whole clusters, while the Mourvedre is 100% destemmed. Fermentation is with native yeasts in open-top oak tanks. The wine is matured for 14 months in neutral barrique and bottled without fining or filtration.

Mallea is a collaboration between viticulturist Erik Mallea (director of viticulture at Sanford & Benedict and a co-founder of Willett-Mallea Farming) and winemaker Justin Willett (of Tyler Winery and Lieu-Dit Winery). After working together in various capacities for over a decade, Erik and Justin have started this exciting new project to highlight Santa Barbara County’s potential with Rhône grape varieties. They are farming four small vineyard sites clustered around Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara.

Third place was a nice surprise because it is a brand new wine on the scene, Mallea GSM Santa Barbara County 2021. This is a traditional Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre (GSM) but from Santa Barbara County California. The pedigree of the guys behind it is first-rate but what impressed us was the juice in the bottle! If you enjoy Cotes du Rhone or Southern French reds you are going to love Mallea. This is a wine of subtlety and not as flamboyant as our number two wine. Clearly, the wine is masterfully blended as each component adds complexity, and yet the wine is seamless on the palate. Fresh jovial fruit dances on the tongue with its lively acidity while pepper and Mediterranean spices come out in the finish. Mallea GSM provides a ton of pleasure for a very reasonable price.

The labels reference Erik Mallea’s Basque heritage, depicting 19th & 20th-century aspen tree carvings by Basque shepherds in the American West. Erik’s father, Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, is a respected scholar of this cultural tradition.

93 points James Suckling
Peppery and floral nose with some dark cherries, graphite, peppermint and wild herbs. Juicy and fine-grained on the palate with silky, close-knit tannins. Pretty long and bright.

91 points Wine Enthusiast

Despite being Yalumba’s entry-level Viognier, this is one of its most delicious white offerings. Highly aromatic, it wafts a perfume of honeysuckle, orchard blossom and fuzzy peach skin. The palate is more viscous than the nose implies, but there’s enough acidity to keep it fresh. Peach and lemon flavors linger on the finish. Drink with Thai curry or a similarly bold Southeast Asian dish

Organic / Biodynamic

A firm backbone of Meyer lemon peel acidity frames this vivid sparkler, enmeshed with rich notes of lightly charred toast and smoked almond, backed by flavors of ripe white cherry and peach fruit. Hints of thyme and anise play on the finish. Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada and Malvasia de Sitges. Drink now through 2025

Iconic Montalcino producer Castello Banfi leases 42 acres in the Chianti Classico commune of Castellina in Chianti for its Fonte alla Selva label. The estate also has long-term contracts to purchase wines from three to four producers for this Chianti Classico. A selection is made between the lots for the Chianti Classico and the riserva before blending, aging and bottling in Banfi’s cellars in Montalcino. The wine is aged for a total of 12 months, seven to eight in stainless-steel tanks before racking into 6,000- to 9,000-liter oak casks. Banfi has permission to age and bottle its Chianti Classico outside the zone because former winemaker Ezio Rivella grew grapes in Chianti Classico beginning in the early 1980s

#79 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

91 points Wine Spectator
An elegant red, with fine tannins enmeshed with flavors of pureed raspberry and black plum reduction, soft fig, thyme and lavender accents, while a minerally underpinning echoes on the finish. Drink now through 2028.

92 points Wine Advocate
The bread-and-butter wine here is the 2021 Bela, produced with Tempranillo from the village of Villalba de Duero (mentioned on the label), from sandy and clay rich soils on limestone mother rock that delivers powerful but not overripe wines with a short-ish élevage to achieve a fine-boned and fresh wine. The grapes were picked between October 1st and 25th, mostly Tempranillo but some 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot too, and it matured in French oak barrels for nine months. it's ripe without excess, with very integrated oak and a velvety palate with silky tannins. It reminds me of the historical wines from the early 1990s, Valribeño and so on, with some rusticity but very honest and characterful. With time in the glass, it develops a precise note of licorice intermixed with berry fruit and some spices and herbs.

Winemaker Notes:
"Intense ruby red color with violet nuances; intense, characteristic bouquet of the primary grape aromas; fruity component, fullbodied and robust, well-balanced with tannin and oak features"

Sicily, Italy- This is the most widely planted of Sicily's indigenous reds and Cusumano's is grown near the heart of the island. A fruit driven offering with a great bouquet of cherry and rose petal leading to light spice, strawberry and a creamy finish. Delicious and a super value.

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is exuberant and expressive, with a bounty of wild bramble berry fruits alongside lifted floral notes of lavender and violet. There are also warmer spiced notes of Crème brûlée, allspice and black pepper, a nod from the seamless oak integration. On the palate, juicy cassis, black currant and blackberry are supported by hints of delicate red rose, brown butter and bittersweet chocolate, giving this Cabernet a rich depth and complexity. Cocoa-powdery tannins provide a pleasurable mouth coating texture, all enfolding into a lengthy mouthwatering finish. Very approachable and pleasing upon release, this wine is sure to impress and pair well alongside many culinary dishes.

Winemaker's Notes:
Petite Sirah is known for its concentration and intensity, the 2015 vintage is no exception. Inky purple in the glass, this deeply colored wine resonates with juicy blueberries and hints of freshly turned earth. Succulent and savory notes of dark berries and roasted spices create a supple and mouth-filling texture. Aging in American oak for 12 months captures and concentrates the flavors, leading to a finish with chalky and chewy tannins laced with vanilla, toasted brown sugar and dark cocoa.
Pairs well with smoked lamb shoulder with rosemary, braised short ribs with blackberry barbecue sauce, and smoked Gouda cheese.

Winemaker Notes:
Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine Josh Cellars made. This is the wine that started it all, setting the exacting standards that they hold themselves to for all of their varietals. Round and juicy, our Cabernet Sauvignon has flavors of blackberry, toasted hazelnut and cinnamon.

This has aromas of black fruit, blueberries, dried oysters, grilled herbs and mushrooms. Its full-bodied with firm, fine tannins. Savory and structured with excellent energy. Drink or hold.

The deep ruby color indicates a luxe complexity, while aromas of black cherry, cassis and rich earth are abundant in this classic Cabernet Sauvignon. On entry, currants and black plums generously lead to a plush mouthfeel. There are ample tannins carrying the fruit to the long lingering finish. Aging for 12 months in 1-year-old American oak barrels created notes of baking spices, nutmeg and hints of caramel. - Winery

90 points James Suckling
Very dark on the nose, with lots of raw spices, charcoal and some green peppercorns on top of the blackberries. Very full-bodied and spicy. Almost a bit monolithic, despite the fine-grained tannins. Quite a unique style

A blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Sangiovese, the 2020 Palazzo della Torre is luscious, dark and exceedingly contemporary in style and execution. This is a soft and well-textured expression with layers of ripe fruit, black cherry, spice, bitter chocolate and tangy Spanish cedar from oak aging. The oak is quite dominate, so be ready for this particular stylistic approach. 

Winery Notes:
" Steep hillside vineyards present the ultimate challenge, but the results are extraordinary. The harsh conditions yield fewer clusters and smaller berries. The intensely flavored grapes are aged in new French oak barrels that creates a wine with luxurious flavor and texture. rich, ripe, and delicious. "

For an entry-level wine this is a stunner! Wonderful nose of white peach, lemon blossom and jasmine. So succulent, with excellent ripeness and concentration, but nothing flashy or any hint of opulence. The best thing about the wine is the long, very silky finish. And this is properly dry. Drink or hold.

The Danzante Pinot Grigio boasts an intensive straw yellow. The bouquet is rich with aromas of tropical fruit, such as papaya and pineapple, followed by delicate floral notes. On the palate, the wine is wonderfully fresh and well balanced, with an excellent persistence.

Organic

94 points Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills comes from declassified fruit grown at Domaine de la Côte, plus purchased fruit from three other vineyards, including La Rinconada. It's a particularly complex and expressive iteration of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir from Sandhi. It has an alluring perfume of raspberry, strawberry, tea leaves, tobacco, potpourri and gravel dust, and it reveals botanical undertones as it spends time in the glass. The light-bodied palate has a deep core of spicy, herbal fruit, a frame of chalky tannins, energetic acidity and a long, layered finish.

"Head-trained, dry farmed vines are prized for their production of small, concentrated clusters of grapes that produce incredibly rich and intense wines. For years, Bogle has sought out these gnarly old vines to create our Old Vine Zinfandel. Greeted with the viscous, ripe fruit of jammy blackberries hanging on sun warmed vines, this Zinfandel is enticing and aromatic. Weightier than previous vintages, there’s a sturdy structure that is saturated with dark fruits, laced with hints of lavender and savory herbs. Cracked peppercorns and spicy juniper round out the finish, tempered by 12 months
of aging in two-year old American oak.
" Winemaker notes