Country: | Spain |
Region: | Rueda |
Winery: | Cuatro Rayas |
Grape Type: | Verdejo |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Amador Diez Cuvee Verdejo is made from
This cuvee is named after Amador Diez de Íscar, who was president of the winery for 21 years. It is produced in limited quantity with meticulous care from a selection of the 10 best hectares of the winery’s centennial pre-phylloxera vineyard – harvested by hand – and vinified with the aim of favoring its longevity, making it ideal for its consumption today while maintaining great aging potential. The wine is bottled manually with an exclusive presentation that includes a label stamped on wood.
Straw yellow color. Dominant aromas of white fruits, citrus fruits and anise. The barrel ageing brings delicate sweet aromas, such as coconut, vanilla, and liquorice. Fresh, rich and intense on the palate with typical flavors from the Verdejo grape variety.
Pair with appetizers, fish and especially seafood. Also grilled meats and food of intense flavors such as cheeses and ham.
Review:
"One of the most ambitious Rueda whites, this comes from a selection of pre-phylloxera vineyards and is built to age. The oak is better integrated than on the 2015, which is also available in the market right now, supporting a wine with amazing intensity and focus. Nutty and intense, it has flavours of pear, citrus and marzipan, with undertones of fennel and cinnamon, good structure and racy, palate-cleansing acidity."
- Tim Atkin (November 2020), 95 pts
Xavier Vignon Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Cuvee Anonyme 2019 is made from 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and the rest is "field blend" with the following grapes : grenache, vaccarese, counoise, mourvèdre, terret noir and muscardin.
One of Xavier Vignon's first almost anonymous blends only in MAGNUMS !
The grapes come from "collection vines", where many grape varieties are planted together, making it difficult to identify the exact share of each variety: grenache, vaccarese, counoise, mourvèdre, terret noir and muscardin.
Partially destemmed and vinified in a mix of demi-muids and tank, it offers a beautifully pure, vibrant bouquet of black raspberries, white and black pepper, candied orange, and violets. Complex, layered, and nuanced, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless texture, and a great finish. It has both elegance and richness, and will keep for 15+ years.
Pairing: Duck in sauce with olives. Ravioli with porcini mushrooms, cream of parsnip and bacon crisps. Partridge leg confit with olive oil.
Review:
"The flagship from Xavier is the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Anonyme, and in 2019 it’s 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, and the balance a mix of permitted varieties. Partially destemmed and brought up in a mix of demi-muids and tank, it offers a beautifully pure, vibrant bouquet of black raspberries, white and black pepper, candied orange, and violets. Complex, layered, and nuanced, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless texture, and a great finish. It has both elegance and richness, and will keep for 15+ years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (October 2020), 95-97 pt
Blending Detail:
Grenache speaks loudly in the Bésoleil with notes of pomegranate, red raspberry, and strawberry leaf. The Counoise and Cinsualt bring bing cherry fruit and blueberry notes to the table, complicated by pepper and garrique. Mourvedre donates a wild meatiness to the blend, and a purple hue. Syrah rounds things out, adding texture, and flesh to the palate.
Review:
The first vintage where they’ve pushed the bottling back to give the cuvee 16-18 months in barrel, the 2015 Besoleil is a dead ringer for a high-quality Chateauneuf du Pape and offers perfumed notes of herbes de Provence, kirsch, licorice and sweet spice. It’s medium to full-bodied, textured and fruit-forward, with a hedonistic yet elegant profile that’s going to evolve gracefully.
Robert Parker 91-93 Points
Keermont Amphitheatre Red is made from 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 17% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec and 1% Syrah.
Starting with the 2015 vintage, this new cuvée replaces the Keermont Estate Reserve. It is now the winery's flagship red blend. With this blend they aim to bring to life the nuances of both the terroir at Keermont Vineyards and the particularity of each vintage. Venetian red in color, this wine exudes complex aromas of dusty, ripe strawberry complimented by hints of baked pudding, vanilla, and sweet citrus blossom.
Review:
"The maiden 2015 Amphitheatre has an intense bouquet of dark cherries, star anise, camphor and wild heather scents, all well defined and expressive. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and fleshy ripe red fruit laced with white pepper and sage, fanning out wonderfully toward the finish. This is a beautiful maiden release, exuding breeding and class, from Alex Starey at Keermont. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2021), 95 pts
Volker Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot.
Volker Eisele Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of vineyard blocks from throughout the entire estate. Varying terrain, different clones, and different rootstocks produce a patchwork of flavor identities between the vineyard blocks and their resulting cuvees, brought together in a blend that is essentially a snapshot in time of a dynamic, ever-changing vineyard.
The 2015 Volker Eisele Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant garnet color in the glass. The nose is extroverted and effusive with bright red aromas of ripe cherries and plums, with a touch of peach and hint of anise and white pepper. In the mouth, the wine shows excellent oak integration, with prominent flavors of juicy huckleberries, milk chocolate, and sweet barrel spices. The lengthy finish carries nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla through to the end. ~Molly Lippitt, Winemaker.
Alexandre M Mon Chenin Cuvee 20 NV is made from 100% Chenin Blanc.
Mon Chenin means "My Chenin". This is MY PERSONAL view of the Chenin blanc from France.
Floral and fresh white fruits. Mouth with floral character and yellow fruits. Finish clean fresh and dry.
S: 3g/L
Serve as Apéritif, seafood, fishes with buttery sauce, Asian cuisine, hard cheeses.
Amador Diez Cuvee Verdejo is made from
This cuvee is named after Amador Diez de Íscar, who was president of the winery for 21 years. It is produced in limited quantity with meticulous care from a selection of the 10 best hectares of the winery’s centennial pre-phylloxera vineyard – harvested by hand – and vinified with the aim of favoring its longevity, making it ideal for its consumption today while maintaining great aging potential. The wine is bottled manually with an exclusive presentation that includes a label stamped on wood.
Straw yellow color. Dominant aromas of white fruits, citrus fruits and anise. The barrel ageing brings delicate sweet aromas, such as coconut, vanilla, and liquorice. Fresh, rich and intense on the palate with typical flavors from the Verdejo grape variety.
Pair with appetizers, fish and especially seafood. Also grilled meats and food of intense flavors such as cheeses and ham.
The raison d’être of Bodega Cuatro Rayas is making Verdejo wine for the world. Since its establishment in 1935, the winery has become a benchmark in the production of white wine and, in recent years, has won numerous awards for its red, rosé, frizzante, fortified wines, and vermouth.
Since the beginning, some of the priorities of the Cooperative have been taking care of the environment and the well-being of the people who live in rural areas. This commitment to a natural and social environment is now supported by the launching of ‘green & social’, a hallmark that attests the actions carried out in all the stages of the production of the wines to improve the living standard of their members and workers and the protection of the environment.
Bodega Cuatro Rayas is the premier winery in the DO Rueda region and its leading producer. They have recently expanded production to the DO Ribera del Duero and DOC Rioja.
Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle No. 26 is a blend of 58% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir
white gold in color with delicate and persistent bubbles, Grand Siecle No. 26 offers a very complex nose which mixes honeysuckle, lemon, clementine and fresh butter aromas, followed by notes of hazelnut and a touch of honey. The feel in the mouth is very delicate and fresh with candied lemon and fresh hazelnut aromas. The palate is silky and mineral with notes of honeysuckle, flaked almonds and clementine.
It pairs with high quality produce and refined dishes, including shellfish, noble fish and white meats such as Thai style langoustine tartare and fine roasted poultry.
Vintage in Champagne is usually synonymous with excellence for Prestige Cuvées. Contrarily, Laurent‑Perrier believes that only the art of assemblage can offer what nature can never provide, that is, the perfect year.
The expression of the perfect year is that of a great champagne wine that has long ageing potential and over time develops depth, intensity and aromatic complexity yet retains its freshness and vibrancy.
Since 1959, Grand Siècle has been revealed only 26 times in bottle format and 23 times in magnum.
The « Grand Siècle » (Great Century) is the name given to one of the most prosperous periods (17th century) in the history of France known for the capacity of man, through his works, to create what nature cannot. Louis XIVth, known as the « Sun King », by creating the « Château de Versailles » and its gardens, was the architect of this model of harmony, balance and perfection.
The symmetry and perspective of the « Jardins à la française », the capacity to grow Mediterranean fruits (especially Oranges inside the « Orangerie ») in such a Northern climate, creating the Grand Canal, the fountains and ponds with no nearby rivers are many illustrations of this ability of man to sublimate natural elements. The name of Grand Siècle was chosen for Laurent‑Perrier’s Prestige Cuvée based on this common vision to reach a perfection that Nature, on its own, cannot provide.
Review:
This is really something. Electric on the palate. The aromas are so complex with sliced fresh and dried ginger, subtle pie crust, tarte tatin and hints of nutmeg with some salted caramel. Toasted bread, too. Always subtle. The palate is full- to medium-bodied yet hemmed-in with a freshness and balance that draws you back. Savory and vibrant. It's full of energy. Spectacular. Fascinating. Symphonic blend of 2012, 2008 and 2007. 65% of the 2012, 25% of the 2008 and 10% of the 2007. Eight grand cru. Chardonnay 58% and 42% pinot noir. Disgorged February 2023. 10 years on the lees. 7g/L dosage.
-James Suckling 100 Points
Mordoree Lirac Rouge Reine des Bois equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre
Color : deep dark red, with blueish hints.
Aromas : highly fruity ( raspberry, billberry, blackberry ), floral (violet) and intense with a grilled touch ( coffee ).
Palate : melted and concentrated tannins, full bodied, very long fresh finish.
Ageing potential : 8 to 10 years
Grilled meats, sauce meats, game birds, game rabbits and semi-mature cheeses.
Review:
"Blackberries, dark berries, dried thyme and sweet spices on the nose follow through to a medium body with fine tannins. Round, fruity and juicy with a transparent character. Precise and well-balanced with a flavorful finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.."
- James Suckling (June 2023), 91 pts