Figaro Tinto Calatayud is 100% Garnacha, made from a selection of the best grapes grown in the oldest vineyards. While not truly an "oaked wine", a short stay in oak barrels provides a nice spicy flavor boost.
Tasting notes: Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value.
Figgins Estate Red Wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot & Merlot
Dark to the rim, with signature aromatic notes of ripe red and blue fruits, tanned leather, black olive, and lilac. The nose simply brings a smile. On the palate, if I had to describe the wine in one word it would be precision. The way the sweet fruit and dramatic length are braced by lively acidity and tannins aligns so perfectly that the wine is, quite simply, delicious.
Review:
Inviting aromas of vivid red fruit, fresh herbs and paprika. Full-bodied with juicy, fruit-soaked, fine tannins. Delightful. So much happening here. The fruit is plentiful and full of charming spice and herbal complexity. Very well balanced and long. Fresh. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot. Best after 2024 but attractive now.
-James Suckling 96 Points
Filippino Elio Barbaresco San Cristoforo Riserva
Made from 100% manual harvest Nebbiolo, the wine comes from the hillsides of San Cristoforo hill in Neive enjoying a south-southwest exposure. The fruity bouquet offers subtle notes of violet and raspberries, combining with spicy hints of cinnamon, cocoa and leather. Full, enchanting and elegant taste, intense with a good body.
The best grapes are delicately pressed and the stalks are removed. The must ferments in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of 26°C with a maceration of 20 to 25 days. After racking, the new wine is put into 25 e 30 H Slavonian oak casks for long months. Next, it is bottled and left to age for at least an additional 24 months.
Filippino Elio Barbera d'Alba Superiore is made from 100% Barbera.
This 100% Barbera shows an intense fruity bouquet with subtle vanilla and toasty notes. Full and spicy flavors, and a good body.
The grapes are pressed and the stalks are removed. The must ferments at about 26°C for 6-9 days. After racking, before the end of fermentation, the new wine is put in 225 liter Allier barriques for long months, depending on the vintage and the wine’s structure. It is subsequently moved into stainless steel vats to rest for some months before bottling.
Filippino Elio Barolo Riserva is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
This 100% Nebbiolo offers a fruity, floral and spicy bouquet of red roses, raspberry, cinnamon and cocoa. It is generous, enveloping and elegant in the mouth, yet intense and full-bodied.
The grapes undergo a soft crushing and destemming leading to a clear must. This must ferments in steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 26°C and macerates for 20-25 days. After racking, the wine undergoes a lengthy maturation in oak barrels, which is continued with a lengthy bottle-ageing. Bottle-ageing confers the wine’s final character, at which time the wine is sent to market and from there to consumer tables.
Filippino Elio Barolo Riserva is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
This 100% Nebbiolo offers a fruity, floral and spicy bouquet of red roses, raspberry, cinnamon and cocoa. It is generous, enveloping and elegant in the mouth, yet intense and full-bodied.
The grapes undergo a soft crushing and destemming leading to a clear must. This must ferments in steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 26°C and macerates for 20-25 days. After racking, the wine undergoes a lengthy maturation in oak barrels, which is continued with a lengthy bottle-ageing. Bottle-ageing confers the wine’s final character, at which time the wine is sent to market and from there to consumer tables.
Sokol Blosser Big Tree Block Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
1970 was winding down when our founders, Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser pulled their ’68 VW Camper up to an abandoned prune orchard some 30 miles southwest of Portland. These moonstruck kids had little farming experience and just a basic knowledge of winemaking. What they did have, in abundance, was a passion for growing the Pinot Noir grape and creating world-class wine. Soon after settling on this extraordinary land, they planted their first vines and cinched their place as pioneers in Oregon’s budding wine industry.
Review:
A very impressive wine for the striking sense of spice, white-pepper and briary, forest notes, across red cherries. The palate has sapid, focused style with such taut yet silky tannins holding long and true. Pure red cherries here. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Peter Michael 'L'Esprit des Pavots' Estate Red is made from 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot.
The saturated garnet 2022 ‘L’Esprit des Pavots’ features an intense nose of cassis, black cherry, ripe plum and blackberries with hints of black olive, black tea and baking spices. The soft, supple entry and round generous tannins combine for a plush mouthfeel and elegant finish. This is a fleshy vintage of ‘L’Esprit des Pavots’ which can be approached in its early years but will continue to expand with age.
Review:
“The deep ruby/magenta-colored 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon L’Esprit Des Pavots is a blend of Knights Valley and Oakville… fruity upfront… rich and concentrated… polished tannins and a great finish. A great value in the vintage.”
- Jeb Dunnuck 95 points