Licenciado Rioja Reserva is made from 100% Tempranillo
This single vineyard wine is always produced from the same vineyard that is also used to make the Gran Reserva wine.
Licenciado shows a ruby red color and outstanding aromas of wild berries, vanilla and spice. The palate is well-balanced, rounded and elegant, and offers black pepper, ripe black fruits and vanilla flavors. Its freshness, oak ageing and high extraction guarantee a longevity of at least 10 years after the year of harvest.
Best enjoyed with red meat and game
Review:
"A soft, fruity red with berry and cherry character. Full body, round tannins and a flavorful finish. 100% tempranillo. Drink now."
- James Suckling (August 2021), 91 pts
Luis Canas Rioja Crianza is made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Garnacha
A classic style Rioja from one of the regions most enduring family run wineries.. The hillside terraced vineyards are sheltered by the Sierra Cantabria Mountains to the north from harsh weather extremes. Small plot production is utilized in this region of infertile chalky clay soil to produce clusters of excellent quality. Almost 900 plots are needed to complete the approximately 400 hectares of estate-owned or cellar-controlled vineyards, some with vines more than 100 years in age.
Tasting notes
Made from 95% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha of 30 years of age, the wine shows a ruby red color, a clean nose with nuances of balsamic, plum and cedar. The palate is smooth and velvety, complex and structured, with fruit, spice flavors with toasted oak. A pleasant finish with red fruits and hints of eucalyptus.
The harvest
This year in Rioja Alavesa the weather has been especially cold, the summer short and dry, and there has been plenty of rain in early September. This has produced wines with great aromatic notes, particularly those coming from high altitude areas, very fragrant and with great structure.
Winemaking and aging
Upon entering the bodega and passing the selection table, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed before undergoing fermentation and then maceration in stainless steel tanks for a total of 8 days, obtaining better color extraction as well as much more complex wines, suitable for prolonged aging. The wine is clarified with vegetable gelatines and follows anicrobic filtration.
It is ideal to pair with meats; red meat, poultry, small game, oily fish, semi-cured cheeses, spicy dishes and hot dishes such as beans or potatoes Rioja style.
After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a minimum of 12 months. It is then bottled for at least another 12 months.
Review:
"Juicy Bing cherries, peppery herbs, leather, and cedarwood notes all emerge from the 2021 Rioja Crianza, a medium-bodied, concentrated, round, layered red that has supple tannins, beautiful fruit, and a great finish. This classic Rioja has tons to love."
- Jeb Dunnuck (Importer Highlight: Fran Kysela ; July 2024), 91 pts
Luis Canas Rioja Crianza is made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Garnacha
A classic style Rioja from one of the regions most enduring family run wineries.. The hillside terraced vineyards are sheltered by the Sierra Cantabria Mountains to the north from harsh weather extremes. Small plot production is utilized in this region of infertile chalky clay soil to produce clusters of excellent quality. Almost 900 plots are needed to complete the approximately 400 hectares of estate-owned or cellar-controlled vineyards, some with vines more than 100 years in age.
Tasting notes
Made from 95% Tempranillo, 5% Garnacha of 30 years of age, the wine shows a ruby red color, a clean nose with nuances of balsamic, plum and cedar. The palate is smooth and velvety, complex and structured, with fruit, spice flavors with toasted oak. A pleasant finish with red fruits and hints of eucalyptus.
The harvest
This year in Rioja Alavesa the weather has been especially cold, the summer short and dry, and there has been plenty of rain in early September. This has produced wines with great aromatic notes, particularly those coming from high altitude areas, very fragrant and with great structure.
Winemaking and aging
Upon entering the bodega and passing the selection table, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed before undergoing fermentation and then maceration in stainless steel tanks for a total of 8 days, obtaining better color extraction as well as much more complex wines, suitable for prolonged aging. The wine is clarified with vegetable gelatines and follows anicrobic filtration.
It is ideal to pair with meats; red meat, poultry, small game, oily fish, semi-cured cheeses, spicy dishes and hot dishes such as beans or potatoes Rioja style.
After its primary fermentation, the wine is placed in barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for a minimum of 12 months. It is then bottled for at least another 12 months.
All the magic and personality of the ancestral Levantine varieties in a fresh and fluid wine.
It comes from two plots of old vines, of the Verdil and Merseguera and Moscatel varieties, cultivated in a traditional way.
Our respect for historical viticulture and enology leads us to minimal intervention crops and preparations. We reduce treatments as much as possible, seeking a balance between the vines and their environment
Lydian Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lydian was established in 2019 as a new way to experience Washington wine. The team behind the fast-rising success of Avennia brings you another delicious wine that serves as an introduction to a lifetime of wine appreciation and a fresh take on Washington terroir.
In music, Lydian refers to a musical mode, or scale that is used as a building block for some of the world’s oldest and newest masterpieces. This happy sounding mode brings joy on its own, yet when molded and crafted by talented musicians can become a work of timeless art.
We believe Washington vineyards produce some of the finest building blocks in the world. With these grapes, and the collective talent behind those growing and working with them, Lydian wines can be as complex, nuanced, and profound as any jazz classic.
Lydian: a fun, fresh take on Washington Wine.
Full bodied and rich, with black cherry, currant, dark chocolate, and fresh herbs. Great Washington Cabernet character and structure.
Lydian Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lydian was established in as a new way to experience Washington wine. The team behind the fast-rising success of Avennia brings you another delicious wine that serves as an introduction to a lifetime of wine appreciation and a fresh take on Washington terroir.
In music, Lydian refers to a musical mode, or scale that is used as a building block for some of the world’s oldest and newest masterpieces. This happy sounding mode brings joy on its own, yet when molded and crafted by talented musicians can become a work of timeless art.
We believe Washington vineyards produce some of the finest building blocks in the world. With these grapes, and the collective talent behind those growing and working with them, Lydian wines can be as complex, nuanced, and profound as any jazz classic.
Lydian: a fun, fresh take on Washington Wine.
Full bodied and rich, with black cherry, currant, dark chocolate, and fresh herbs. Great Washington Cabernet character and structure.
Ambre de Maltus Bordeaux Blanc is made from 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillion.
Malolactic fermentation.
The wine was aged in French Oak barrels for a few month (between 6 and 8 months depending on the barrel's toastiness and cooper)
Delicious with grilled fish or grilled vegetables
Maranones 30.000 Maravedies Vinos de Madrid Sierra Gredos is made from 90% Garnacha and 10% local grape varietals called Morenillo (Morate).
“The first of our red wines would be 30,000 maravedíes, which is our Comarca wine, a regional wine, village wine.
30,000 maravedíes is the coming together of all soils, orientations, dominantly Garnacha at 90 percent with a remaining 10 percent of local grapes.
The name also reflects the union between history, the winery, the structure and the place. Álvaro de Luna paid 30,000 maravedíes to buy the whole region from the monks who fostered the cultivation of the vine. It is a historical name. It refers to what was paid for the Valley and pays homage to the Valley. It also evokes what the monks had developed. This history is part of our heritage and we continue it.
This village wine wants to tell you the whole history of the Valley. At the end it delivers a structure tending towards the mineral, the floral, length, fruitiness and ease of drinking.”
30-70 year-old vines produce a vibrant, fresh wine that boasts juicy red berry, wild herb, flower and balsamic flavors with hints of sweet spice. Smooth tannins provide finesse and longevity.
Mocavero Primitivo del Salento is 100% Primitivo.
Deep red color with hints of violet, sweet spicy and ripe fruity notes, soft, persistent taste with skilful balanced tannins.
This ancient vine variety requires special attention during vinification to ensure that it expresses all the varietal characteristics, it needs periodic aeration and a particular temperature control. Once maceration is complete, the must is separated from the marc and fermentation ends in stainless steel tanks.Once it has been fermented the wine is refined in american Oak barrels for 3-4 months. When the refining process is complete, the wine is filtered and bottled.
Pairs best with roast meat, wild fowl, cold-cuts and mature cheese.
“Puteus” is a Salice Salentino DOP reserve, made of 80% of Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera, as the disciplinary code requires. In the last stage of fermentation the wine is stored in stainless steel tanks for the first year, then aged in oak barrels. It has a deep red color with hints of violet.
Deep red color with hints of violet, balanced tannin, strong spicy bouquet, with notes of cocoa and coffee, fruity (cherry).
The best wine pairing is with meat dishes, roast meat with a juicy frosting, seasoned cheese and salami, and it sparks with spicy dishes!
Morambro Creek Cabernet is 100 percent Cabernet
Deep purple in color. A rich elegant nose of cassis with overtones of vanilla and coffee. Lush, ripe palate dominated by black fruits, cherry and chocolate. Full bodied with savory, integrated fruit tannins and persistent finish.
Winemaking at Morambro Creek is very traditional and labour intensive. Oak maturation takes place using 35% new French barrels. This blend was put together using select barrels from our family estate that best demonstrate the intensity of our fruit balanced by integrated oak.
Total Acidity: 6.6 g/L
pH: 3.49
Octopoda Pinot Noir Russian River is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
10 months in 40% new French oak
Beautiful garnet color with aromas of bing cherry, red raspberry, baking spice and subtle vanilla notes. On the palate, flavors are of concentrated red and blue fruit, with a core of cherry and dark raspberry with purple violet floral notes. Medium bodied with balanced acidity that lifts the flavors
Oumsiyat Assyrtico is made from 100 percent Assyrtico.
Subtle aromas of white fruits and flinty mineral notes are framed by a delicate floral character. Linear on the palate with a wonderfully refreshing and mouthwatering finish.
RS: 2g/L
The grapes were carefully selected to ensure the healthy and ripe fruit was vinified and then gently pressed. The must was racked and cool fermented in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures of 14 to 16°C, with selected yeasts. The wine delivers a crisp, fresh style as it did not go through malolactic fermentation. It was lightly filtered prior to bottling.
Oumsiyat Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Classic Cabernet Sauvignon with Dark Berries Dominance mixed with tobacco and chocolate aromas. Concentrated tannins, balanced with good acidity and persistence finish.
RS: 2g/L
The fruit was carefully sorted to ensure only healthy, ripe grapes were vinified. Traditional fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures of 28°C, with remontage or pump overs took place periodically to oxygenate the wine and extract tannins. Pigeage or punching down of the cap also took place. A long post-fermentation maceration took place to extract color, flavor and impart structure to the wine. The wine was gently filtered prior to bottling.
Patricia Raquin Bourgogne Rouge Fut de Chene is made of 100 percent Chardonnay.
The animals shown on the label are dogs, from the breed called Borzoi, or "Russian Wolfhound", which means "fast" in Russian. Patricia and Alain Corcia are the proud owners of 2 Borzois and they designed the label to represent the dogs as the guardians of the vaulted ageing cellar inside their house.
The wine is produced from 100% Pinot Noir grapes grown on gravel and silt soils, aged in French oak barrels. Medium to full bodied, earthy, fruity and mineral. Structure and tannin on the finish. The wine pairs well with any hearty red meats and cheeses.
The nose here is brilliantly red fruited, with layer upon layer of subtle spice, bright floral notes, herbs, and stone. Its not all poetry and pageantry, though, and the first impression of the wine was simply, “oh that’s goooood.” A fair assessment, and sometimes that it all one requires. Further tastes show fine tannin throughout, a juicy, vibrant mouthfeel that is very likeable, and deft, long-developing layers of fruit that reveal themselves severally.
Patton Valley's flagship wine, The Estate is the most comprehensive expression of their vineyard site, and the wine that truly defines their place in a given vintage.
Review:
"Glistening red. Vibrant red fruit, floral and spice scents show very good clarity that picks up subtle hints of succulent herbs and smoky minerals with air. Juicy and energetic in the mouth, the 2017 offers gently sweet cherry raspberry and rose pastille flavors and a touch of spicecake. Smooth, well-integrated tannins make a late appearance on a long, floral-tinged finish that shows no rough edges.
- Josh Raynolds" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (August 2020), 92 pts
Philippe Milan Bourgogne Blanc is made from 100% Chardonnay
The wine is produced from vines planted in the commune of Chassey le Camp at high elevation, which brings freshness to this Chardonnay. Ripe fruit is nicely balanced with delicate notes of oak and a hint of citrus on the finish. Full flavored and complex.
Philippe Milan Bourgogne Blanc is made from 100% Chardonnay
The wine is produced from vines planted in the commune of Chassey le Camp at high elevation, which brings freshness to this Chardonnay. Ripe fruit is nicely balanced with delicate notes of oak and a hint of citrus on the finish. Full flavored and complex.
Produced with Nebbiolo grapes from one of the highest plots in the area, at over 500 meters above sea level.
This is an elegant Nebbiolo - fresh and fruity with simple tannins (thanks to the white calcareous soil) and good minerality.
No oak. Aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tan
Fresh, fruity, mineral.
Pierin Valetta is one of the ancestor of the Family and these wines are dedicated to him as we would like to thank him for giving us vineyards that reach up to 70 years old.
Made from 20 years old vines planted on Limestone soils.
No Oak. The wine was aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tanks.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Produced with Nebbiolo grapes from one of the highest plots in the area, at over 500 meters above sea level.
This is an elegant Nebbiolo - fresh and fruity with simple tannins (thanks to the white calcareous soil) and good minerality.
No oak. Aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tan
Fresh, fruity, mineral.
Pierin Valetta is one of the ancestor of the Family and these wines are dedicated to him as we would like to thank him for giving us vineyards that reach up to 70 years old.
Made from 20 years old vines planted on Limestone soils.
No Oak. The wine was aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tanks.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Poggio Nardone Rosso di Montalcino is 100 percent Sangiovese Grosso.
Intense ruby red color with garnet tints.
Intense and delicate aromas of fresh fruits with notes of cherry.
Dry red wine with a good strength and freshness, along with a nice aromatic persistence.
The 5 hectares of specialized vineyards in Montalcino are at an altitude of 350 meters above sea level and are surrounded by woodlands of ilex, oak and arbutus which are characteristic of Montalcino’s hillside habitat. The soil is predominantly composed of marl and limestone which renders this terrain particularly rich in mineral salts.
Pairs well with pasta prepared with meat sauces, mushrooms or truffles; complex rice, main courses of pork or veal with sauces.
Review:
"Aromas of red fruit, rosemary and white smoke. Medium-bodied with bright acidity. Pleasant, savory herbs on the palate. Wet-stone finish. Drink now."
- James Suckling (September 2021), 90 points
Rileys Rows Rose of Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah.
When I think about my rosé one word comes to mind: intentional. Made from 100% syrah and pressed off skins in the Provencal style this wine is not just an afterthought. Typically picked in mid-October from a cool climate site the fruit comes in with both chemical and flavor ripeness. The result is a low alcohol, fresh wine with a complete flavor profile
Very clean and fresh. Notes of honeysuckle and peach blossom in the nose. White nectarine and charentais melon on the palate. Fresh, clean, and nice salinity on the finish.
Pairs with melon and proscutto, mild cheeses, fresh shellfish.
Rinaldi Panta rei Monferrato Rosso is a blend of 50% Barbera and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon.
This wine is quite tasty, smooth, silky and powerful.
It is loaded with dried red fruit notes from the appassimento of the grapes and it also has a lot of spicy aromas and flavors from the oak ageing.
Grown on limestone soils.
The average age of the vines is 30 years old.
10% of the wine is appassimento. Appassimento is an Italian term for drying harvested grapes, traditionally on bamboo racks or straw mats, for a few weeks up to several months to concentrate the sugars and flavors. This process is used in making Amarone, Recioto and Sforzato.
This drying method is not traditional in Piemonte but is popular in other part of Italy like in the Veneto region.
Thanks to this new method the wine is rounder and softer, boasts beautiful notes of red dried fruits.
Pantarei is aged 14 months in French oak ((the wood is Allier, medium toast) barrels and 6 months in bottle before release.
Delicious with wild game, grilled meat and strong cheese.
Ruttenstock Blauer Portugieser Alte Reben is made from 100% Blauer Portugieser (Modry).
Aroma of red berries and cherry, flavor offers a pleasant fruitiness. A soft and velvety finish completes the taste experience of this wine.
Hand harvested with the sorting of the grapes upon arrival. Grapes are 100% destemmed with skin contact maceration for 5-7 days at 25-27°C. There is a slight filtration before bottling and after bottling, wine is aged in bottles for 2-3 months to avoid bottle-shock.
RS: 1.8g/L, TA: 4.5g/L, ABV: 12.5%
Sake Eikun Junmai Ginjo Water Lords is made with Iwai rice.
Eikun sake uses water from a source called "Fusui", rated as one of the top 100 sources of water in Japan. This water source is located just south of the ancient Japanese, and still cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto.
Aromas of macadamia oatmeal cookie, spicy zucchini bread, and vanilla cream with a satiny fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and a layered, banana custard, jicama, salted whole nut, apple, and radish nuanced finish. A Wonderfully vibrant and flavorful sake.-Beverage Tasting Institute 94 points (Exceptional)
RATING: 94 points (Exceptional)
CATEGORY: Junmai Ginjo Sake, Sake
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 15.3%
TASTING LOCATION: In Our Chicago Tasting Room
TASTING DATE: Dec-05-2012
WINE ID: 200768
This unpasteurized sake is exciting and lively with a nose full of citrus, apple blossom and shizo. The palate is equally as bold featuring fresh persimmons, marshmallow and slightly underipe stone fruit. The finish is clean showing soft minerality.
POLISHING RATIO: 60%
ALCOHOL: 15.5
SMV +/-: +5.0
ACIDITY: 1.6
RICE KOJI: GOHYAKUMANGOKU
RICE KAKE: KOSHI IBUKI
YEAST STRAIN: K1801
FOOD PAIRINGS: Sushi Nigiri with fatty fish, oysters, omelettes, Lighter Italian, Chinese or French dishes
CHEESE PAIRINGS: Mildly ripe Coulommiers or Brie, Italian Raschera
Segries Lirac Rouge Cuvee Reservee is made from 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 10% Mourvèdre
Dark garnet in color. Expressive Red fruits and spicy. Sweet tannins and good length
Ageing up to 10 years
Vineyards Clay and limestone Area: 24 hectares Age of Vines: 80 years Yeild: 24 Hl/Ha Production: 570 Hl Harvest and VInification Harvest by hand and 100% destemmed. Maceration for 21 days in cement tank - Fermentation with controlled temperature at Château de Ségriès.
Pairs well with Stews, Grilled meats, Game, Various cheeses
Review:
The 2022 Lirac Cuvée Réservée is also brilliant, with a juicy, layered, incredibly Provençal profile that has so much to love. Ripe black cherries, leather, peppery garrigue, and spice notes all give way to a medium to full-bodied, round, lush Southern Rhône that's balanced and has beautiful fruit as well as outstanding length. Based on 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and the balance Cinsault and Mourvèdre, destemmed and brought up in concrete, drink bottles over the coming 5-7 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Strong typical Pinot Noir characters are the distinguishing features of this wine, together with the balance of flavour. Made from just one small portion of Pinot grapes that are carefully spur pruned in winter, then meticulously looked after over the summer to eventually be handed from the vineyard team to the winemaking team to carry on the intense care and attention to detail that is needed to make the best Pinot Noir.
The favourite wine of our winemakers to make as it really extends all of their skills from working with the small open-top fermentation tanks, which allow for constant hand plunging of the grape skins ( a small wooden plunger constantly pushes the skins below the surface of the juice) to selecting a variety of different French oak barrels that the wine will mature in for more than twelve months. The real skill is in the blending, as not all the barrels will make the grade for our top Pinot Noir. Days are spent tasting and re-tasting barrels and blends looking for the elusive blend that conveys the smooth velvet texture of Pinot Noir.
14.5%
Best enjoyed with a leg of lamb on a Sunday with the family.
Strong typical Pinot Noir characters are the distinguishing features of this wine, together with the balance of flavour. Made from just one small portion of Pinot grapes that are carefully spur pruned in winter, then meticulously looked after over the summer to eventually be handed from the vineyard team to the winemaking team to carry on the intense care and attention to detail that is needed to make the best Pinot Noir.
The favourite wine of our winemakers to make as it really extends all of their skills from working with the small open-top fermentation tanks, which allow for constant hand plunging of the grape skins ( a small wooden plunger constantly pushes the skins below the surface of the juice) to selecting a variety of different French oak barrels that the wine will mature in for more than twelve months. The real skill is in the blending, as not all the barrels will make the grade for our top Pinot Noir. Days are spent tasting and re-tasting barrels and blends looking for the elusive blend that conveys the smooth velvet texture of Pinot Noir.
14.5%
Best enjoyed with a leg of lamb on a Sunday with the family.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Obsidian Vineyard Syrah is bathed in terroir. The vines experience severe stress, pushing the roots ever deeper through rock in search of water, producing miniature clusters of intense power. Given the wine’s natural propensity for tannin, we take extreme care in the cellar to chisel/whittle its rough edges and leave room for richness to flatter its distinctive scaffold. The mid-palate supports flavors of roasted coffee beans, sarsaparilla, and dark chocolate. The finish marches on long after most wines have tired.
Our estate vineyard — the six-acre Obsidian Vineyard in the Knights Valley AVA — has an incredibly complex soil structure. It takes its name from a layer of volcanic obsidian rock that was discovered when we drilled for water.
Chocolate ganache, black currants, fig, graphite, and an expansive mouthfeel.
Review:
"Joe Donelan believes his Obsidian Vineyard is one of the world’s greatest sites for Syrah. I’ve visited the site twice, and can say candidly it certainly sits among the most striking vineyards I've ever laid eyes on within the U.S. It sits like a rock on a promontory—two switchbacks to reach the top—and the stones under the top soil, quite literally, never stop emerging from the ground. The place has an ancient, almost sacred, temple-like feel. It is consistently swept by afternoon breezes. The vineyard was replanted in 2017 after fires ravaged it. Winemaker David Milner laid out the site at denser spacing than before, at 2,000 vines per acre to keep yields per vine low while still achieving sensible tonnage, averaging around three tonnes per acre. Viognier was planted for co-fermentations, alongside some Cabernet Sauvignon, for a single vineyard bottling of that grape. ‘God put on his viticultural hat when he designed this site,’ says Milner. The vineyard is planted with ENTA 174, 877, and Alban 1 clones, along with Donelan Heritage selections certified virus-free. The wine, the 2023 vintage release (the first from the new vines), was aged for 21 months in 36% new oak and co-fermented with 1.8% Viognier, using 32% whole clusters. And it is positively gorgeous: composed of nine different blocks, each fermented separately, then assembled through sequential blending, with no racking until bottling. From just five-year-old vines, this wine is utterly extraordinary—something oddly achievable from young vines on rare occasion. I tasted this wine from the same bottle over three days. While the high-toned espresso-bean and cedar accents are present at first pull of the cork, they mellow out a day later, and the fruit profile is so vibrant. This is the sign of an excellent wine. I first tasted wines from the Donelan’s Obsidian Vineyard years ago at Tasting Panel Magazine in the late, great Anthony Dias Blue’s office. Cushing Donelan showed the wines, and to this day, I recall the first moment I put my nose into a glass of Obsidian Syrah. In early January of 2026, as I nosed this brand new release of Obsidian Syrah, I was transported straight back to that tasting twelve years ago. What’s remarkable is that the aromatics are unmistakably the same, yet from these new, more densely planted vines, the aromas are more refined—precision-farmed wines from young vines delivering a level of detail and poise that feels beyond their years. So what’s in the glass? Pure red, black, and blue fruit nuances layered with tobacco, white truffle character, violet pastille, and an intoxicating perfume. White pepper notes emerge on the medium- to full-bodied palate, framed by velvety tannins. Iron-like and crushed slate minerality underpins dazzling black cherry and blackberry fruit, brown spices, and blood orange richness. There’s a velvety, iron-fist quality here that exudes polish, complexity, and undeniable quality. You want to drink it now—and you absolutely can—but it will also reward time in the cellar. Either way, you’ll be utterly wowed. And when you realise the price is under £100, the achievement becomes even more staggering. As these vines mature, what will become of them in subsequent vintages? I suspect that as the vines mature, they'll go in and out of phases, but so long as Mother Nature cooperates, I expect this wine to continue to dazzle each vintage. - Jonathan CRISTALDI"
Decanter (January 5th 2026), 100 points
This is the first vintage of the Obsidian Syrah after wildfires torched the vineyard in 2017, leading to significant redevelopment. Throughout all those years, the Donelans have exhibited remarkable patience and a clear sense of purpose. This is their reward: a truly magnificent, towering wine of the highest level.
Knights Valley is one of the most magical grape-growing districts in the United States, but it is not very well known because only a few estate wineries are located there.
The 2023 Syria Obsidian Estate is one of the most profound, moving wines I have tasted in Sonoma County. Blackberry, gravel, incense, chocolate, lavender, and dried herbs race out of the glass. Delicate yet powerful, the 2023 is spectacular. It is also very fairly priced in today’s market.
Vinous 100 Points