Argyle Reserve Series Pinot Noir 2018

Luis Canas Rioja Blanco is made from 90% Viura and 10% Malvasia (60+ years old vines)
Barrel fermented for 3.5 months in new French oak barrels.
Alcohol: 13,5º
Total acidity: 6,5 g./l.
Volatile acidity: 0,25 g./l.
PH: 3,40
Free SO2: 25 mg./l.

Grapes harvested in small boxes to be selected manually on the table, bunch by bunch.

Beautiful golden yellow, with bright lemony highly-luminous reflections. The nose is fine, with great elegance, combined with floral and fruity tones.
The palate is dry with a crisp acidity that gives its freshness and vivacity, a structured and tasty finish of ripe fruit.
We recommend that you taste it at 8°C.

It is appropriate to accompany shellfish, crustaceans and grilled white fish or fish stews. It also blends elegantly with rice, soft cheeses, blue cheeses, all kinds of mushrooms and fresh fruit.

Review:

"Lots of cooked pear with some apple and lemon curd. It’s medium-bodied with good fruit and a delicious finish. Creamy texture. Drink now."

- James Suckling (October 2020), 91 pts

"Bright straw-yellow. Mineral-accented pear, peach pit and Meyer lemon aromas are complemented by hints of fennel and vanilla. Taut and focused on the palate, offering nervy citrus and orchard fruit flavors that spread out steadily on the back half. Finishes long and tight, with a repeating mineral note and a lingering bitter pear skin note. - Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (April 2021), 91 pts

Zaccagnini Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 100% Verdicchio.

Verdicchio is an historic wine that has been made since the 1400’s. There is an ancient bond between the Verdicchio vine and the region of Le Marche, a seaside province on the Adriatic sea, which stems from a cherished relationship with the Benedictine, and later the Camaldolese, Monks. The monks helped spread Verdicchio vines – which had been present for centuries – as well as viticultural-oenological techniques throughout the Marche region. The efforts of the monks, along with improvements in the quality of the vines & vinification methods, have allowed Verdicchio to thrive for centuries. At one time, Verdicchio measured 65,000 hectares (158,080 acres) of grapes throughout Italy.

Verdicchio means “little green one”, in reference to the grape and the color of the resulting wine. The Verdicchio grape – which also goes by Giallo and Turbiana (Lake Garda) – is grown across Italy, and it is closely related to Trebbiano and Greco. The grape is subject to mutations. 

The wine is refreshing, exhibiting lemon citrus flavors, aromas of flowers and apples, with herbaceous qualities.

Chateau d'Etroyes Mercurey Rouge Premier Cru Clos l'Eveque is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

The "Clos l'Evêque" was in the XVIII century  the best vineyard in Mercurey. It belonged to the Bishopric of Chalon-sur-Saône, near Mercurey, and the wine was used for the bishop' receptions as well as for the masses (only the best wine could be served to God). In French "Evêque" means Bishop. It is also called a "Clos" because the vines used to be surrounded by a wall. Some parts of it still remain.

Lovely garnet color, medium intensity, limpid and bright, beautiful tears. The nose, clean and elegant, evokes ripe red and black fruits, rapsberry, cherry, blackberry, blueberry; the aeration is enriched by fine woody notes, roasted coffee, cocoa and a hint of licorice. The palate is ample, full, round and fleshy with a fruity expression of a beautiful purity; the evolution shows a fine substance, silky tannins supported by the freshness; the whole, perfectly balanced, presents a long torrefied finish on sweet spices.

From the 1er Cru "Clos l'Eveque", situated in the Northern part of the Mercurey village.

Harvesting is done manually and in crates to avoid trituration and bursting of the berries. The grapes are totally de-stemmed and put into tanks at low temperature for 3 days minimum. The maximum fruit is extracted. Pumping and some light pigeages will allow us to extract the coloring matter and tannins, which will promise us a good aging. The fermentation temperature will rise gradually to more than 30°C in order to stabilize the color. Once the sugars are finished, about 15 days minimum, maceration ends in closed tank for the final outcome of the wine.

The juice from the vat will be drawn off, then the solid material will be pressed into a pneumatic press and will be added in small touches to the free-run juice. After settling of the juice for 24 hours, the wines are intoned for aging in oak barrels for a period of 11 months. Malolactic fermentation will gradually start and will end in barrels.

Pairs with Beautiful meats (roast beef) and cheese.  After the wine has aged, it can also be served with game.

Review:

"The toast, tar and licorice notes of oak play on the nose of this wine, obscuring the cherry fruit. Ripe, juicy dark cherry and a vein of freshness show on the palate as the oak notes recede and form a backdrop along with firm but fine tannin. The finish is balanced, rounded and juicy. Anne KREBIEHL MW"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2020), 92 pts

Chateau d'Etroyes Mercurey Rouge Premier Cru Clos l'Eveque is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

The "Clos l'Evêque" was in the XVIII century  the best vineyard in Mercurey. It belonged to the Bishopric of Chalon-sur-Saône, near Mercurey, and the wine was used for the bishop' receptions as well as for the masses (only the best wine could be served to God). In French "Evêque" means Bishop. It is also called a "Clos" because the vines used to be surrounded by a wall. Some parts of it still remain.

Lovely garnet color, medium intensity, limpid and bright, beautiful tears. The nose, clean and elegant, evokes ripe red and black fruits, rapsberry, cherry, blackberry, blueberry; the aeration is enriched by fine woody notes, roasted coffee, cocoa and a hint of licorice. The palate is ample, full, round and fleshy with a fruity expression of a beautiful purity; the evolution shows a fine substance, silky tannins supported by the freshness; the whole, perfectly balanced, presents a long torrefied finish on sweet spices.

From the 1er Cru "Clos l'Eveque", situated in the Northern part of the Mercurey village.

Harvesting is done manually and in crates to avoid trituration and bursting of the berries. The grapes are totally de-stemmed and put into tanks at low temperature for 3 days minimum. The maximum fruit is extracted. Pumping and some light pigeages will allow us to extract the coloring matter and tannins, which will promise us a good aging. The fermentation temperature will rise gradually to more than 30°C in order to stabilize the color. Once the sugars are finished, about 15 days minimum, maceration ends in closed tank for the final outcome of the wine.

The juice from the vat will be drawn off, then the solid material will be pressed into a pneumatic press and will be added in small touches to the free-run juice. After settling of the juice for 24 hours, the wines are intoned for aging in oak barrels for a period of 11 months. Malolactic fermentation will gradually start and will end in barrels.

Pairs with Beautiful meats (roast beef) and cheese.  After the wine has aged, it can also be served with game.

Review:

"The toast, tar and licorice notes of oak play on the nose of this wine, obscuring the cherry fruit. Ripe, juicy dark cherry and a vein of freshness show on the palate as the oak notes recede and form a backdrop along with firm but fine tannin. The finish is balanced, rounded and juicy. Anne KREBIEHL MW"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2020), 92 pts

Viejo Isaias Malbec Reserva is made from 100 percent Malbec.

Story Of The Rose:

Viejo Isaias, meaning "old Isaac" is the grandfather of the winemaker, Rodrigo. When Rodrigo was a boy, Isaac would take him on long walks throughout their vineyard in Mendoza. On these walks Isaac would keep a watch over the health of the vines, but more importantly he would keep a watch for the first rose of the year. Every year for 40 years, he would find the first flowered rose and bring it back to his wife, Juana. The rose on the label is a symbol of their love for each other and for the culture of Argentine wine. 

Don Isaías Hernández - a man with calloused hands and tanned by the work effort. With his example he taught me that nothing is achieved without sacrifice, that is why I want to keep his spirit alive in this reserva wine. This Malbec is the fruit of a dedicated winemaking, carefully crafted from the harvest to the palate of every single wine lover.

Intense touch of blueberries and plums, highlighted with vanilla and white chocolate from the oak aging. A nice wine with a good body, full of sweet tannins with good concentration and long persistence.

100% Malolactic fermentation Viejo Isaias is 100% oak aged, with 10 months American oak, 6 months in the bottle.

Vineyard site : Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, upper area of Mendoza River.

Altitude: 950 meters above sea level
Soil: sandy loam
Vineyard planted in 2000.
Density per hectare: 3,500.
Production per vine plant: 2 x750 ml bottles on average.

Review:

"Aromas of plums, red and blue berries, lavender and vanilla. It’s medium-to full-bodied with velvety tannins. Smooth and supple. Drink now."

- James Suckling (April 2021), 91 pts

Displaying full-bodied opulence, density, depth, structure, and complex aromas and flavors, our cabernet sauvignon is cultivated from some of the most sought after vineyards in Napa Valley. 

Review:

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is a gorgeous, racy wine that captures all the best the vintage has to offer within its peer group. Juicy red and purplish berry fruit, lavender and mint give the 2017 striking freshness and nuance to match its mid-weight personality. This is such a pretty and accessible wine. I would prefer to drink it over the next decade or so.

-- Antonio Galloni 92 Points

Well-built, with the vintage's warm and forward plum and blackberry preserve profile leading the way, while lush melted licorice and sweet spice accents fill in on the finish. A purely fruit-driven version, but the balance is there. Drink now through 2029. 4,330 cases made. 

-Wine Spectator 92 Points