BUY MORE! SAVE MORE! | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Tuscany |
Winery: | Gaja |
Grape Type: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Gaja Ca'Marcanda 'Camarcanda' Bolgheri is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon & 30% Cabernet Franc .
Color : Deep garnet.Aroma : Initial aromas evoke violet, cassis, dark licorice and a spicy note of black pepper, leading to undertones of aromatic herbs, incense, dried rose petals, clove and cedar.Taste : Sleek and intense on entry with elegant herbal, light black pepper and cassis flavors on the mid palate.
Review:
After Bolgheri’s torrid and parched 2017 growing season, more moder-ate conditions in 2018 brought the vines and their wines shimmering to life. All of the wines at Ca’Marcanda fermented spontaneously in 2018, which Gaia Gaja attributes to the balance in the musts. This wine, a blend of cabernets sauvignon and franc, is taut and energetic, its flavors of crunchy plum and blackberry laced with notes of licorice, tobacco and graphite.
-Wine & Spirits 96 Points
The Ca' Marcanda estate does not make a Bolgheri Superiore, although this bottle would qualify as such. The 2018 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and you definitely feel those full-throttle varietal aromas with big intensity and clarity. Spicy greenness comes forward as grilled rosemary and lavender essence, but the wine boasts nice depth and dimension, and enough textual richness to smooth it all out. This was a slightly cooler vintage with some sporadic rain showers throughout the summer. These conditions might explain the sharper side of those Cabernet aromas. As the wine moves over the palate, it reveals more substantial aromas of black fruit, spice and baker's chocolate. This vintage is slightly thinner than the hot 2017 expression before it and the classic 2016. However, this wine should certainly play forward positively in terms of its aging potential.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
Dense and fluid at once, this red delivers plum, black cherry, licorice, olive, bay leaf and spice flavors. Ripe and balanced, with a lingering, spicy, tobacco-tinged aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2033. 1,500 cases made, 225 cases imported. — BS
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
Located in Piedmont in northwestern Italy, the GAJA winery is widely considered to be one of the greatest estates in the world, producing coveted and collectible labels. From its classic Barbaresco and Barolo and its single-vineyard bottling, to its ground-breaking Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, GAJA is a pioneer and guardian of tradition, a legacy that continues to reshape the standard for excellence in the world of winemaking today.
Gaja Barbaresco is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
The flagship of the Gaja family, this wine is produced from Nebbiolo grapes and named for its village of origin. Deep garnet in color, the aroma is complex and sensual with notes of forest fruit, plum, licorice, mineral and coffee. The texture is supple with fine, silky tannins and bright acidity leading to a long finish.
STYLE: Complex, Dense, Structured
FLAVOR: Forest Fruit, Plum, Licorice, Mineral, Coffee
After fermentation is complete, the separate lots are then aged for one year in barriques (20% new, with a balance in one and two year old casks). The 14 lots are then blended and racked to large Slavonian oak casks ranging in age from five to fifteen years.
Review:
Fragrant and loaded with extraordinary finesse, this radiant red offers intense aromas of rose, violet, perfumed berry and camphor. The savory palate boasts flavor, energy and almost ethereal elegance, featuring red cherry, raspberry compote and baking spice alongside taut, polished tannins. It closes on a note of star anise while vibrant acidity keeps it impeccably balanced. It’s already enjoyable but will also offer years of fine wining. Drink through 2033.
-Wine Enthusiast 98 Points
Toil Oregon Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Dark garnet color. Seductive aromas of black tea, tobacco, and crushed tart cherry and blackberry. Faint notes of vanilla and toast accentuate dark plumb and cherry character. The palate is seamless with silky texture and long sweetness. Classic Oregon Pinot Noir from an outstanding vintage. So incredibly pleased to present the first Toil Oregon Pinot Noir that includes fruit from Toil Estate Vineyard! It is an understatement to say our estate fruit is an amazingly positive contributor to the final blend.
Review:
Young yet already showing layers of complexity, this opens with strawberry, raspberry and cranberry fruit, along with a whiff of smoke. It's well set up with ample acidity, and aging in one-third new French oak. Toil wines need a few years to reveal their full power, as tastings of past vintages show. Aerate this aggressively and drink with pleasure now into the 2030s
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Great structure meets a lush texture in this red, with cherry and raspberry flavors that gather bay leaf and dusky spice flavors toward medium-grain tannins. Drink now through 2029. 754 cases made.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Gaja Sperss is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
Vibrant and intense notes of herbs and spices such as thyme, cloves and black pepper. On the palate the wine is tense, loaded with energy that will need serious ageing to fully develop although extremely approachable in its youth. Impressive fruit concentration, with dark and ripe fruits – prunes and black cherries. Acidity and tannins lift this wine to its freshest expression.
Nebbiolo based wines have not only complexity and structure but also great elegance and finesse. The distinctive silky tannins of the Nebbiolo make it the right wine to drink with meat. Usually a young vintage goes very well with richer dishes because of the stronger tannins; mature Barolos are more suitable with delicate white meat courses or braised meat courses with sauces or concentrated red wines reductions.
Review:
The 2018 Barolo Sperss is a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling. Then again, that's one of the things that makes Barolo such a totally seductive wine. Sweet black cherry, lavender, spice and leather give this unusually translucent Barolo striking layers of dimension. Potent Serralunga tannins are present, but they are beautifully woven into the wine's fabric. Sadly, production is around 11,000 bottles, down sharply from the 18,000 or so that is more typical.
- -- Antonio Galloni 97 Points
Gaja Sito Moresco Rosso Langhe is made from 35% Nebbiolo, 25% Merlot, 25% Barbera, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Sito Moresco is named for the family who farmed this 25-acre estate in Barbaresco before its purchase by the Gaja family, a nod to the people and traditions that preceded it. It means literally the Moresco site, after the family name of Giovannini Moresco. GAJA created this red blend to deliver greater approachability in its youth. Sito Moresco is made from vineyards located in the villages of Treiso and Barbaresco (in the Barbaresco appellation) and fruit from Serralunga d’Alba (in the Barolo appellation). Pheasants are featured on Sito Moresco's label to commemorate the beautiful birds that inhabit the forests adjacent to GAJA's vineyards. Concentration of fruit, structure and acidity are the highlights of the vintage.
Gaja Barbaresco is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
The flagship of the Gaja family, this wine is produced from Nebbiolo grapes and named for its village of origin. Deep garnet in color, the aroma is complex and sensual with notes of forest fruit, plum, licorice, mineral and coffee. The texture is supple with fine, silky tannins and bright acidity leading to a long finish.
STYLE: Complex, Dense, Structured
FLAVOR: Forest Fruit, Plum, Licorice, Mineral, Coffee
After fermentation is complete, the separate lots are then aged for one year in barriques (20% new, with a balance in one and two year old casks). The 14 lots are then blended and racked to large Slavonian oak casks ranging in age from five to fifteen years.
Review:
Fragrant and loaded with extraordinary finesse, this radiant red offers intense aromas of rose, violet, perfumed berry and camphor. The savory palate boasts flavor, energy and almost ethereal elegance, featuring red cherry, raspberry compote and baking spice alongside taut, polished tannins. It closes on a note of star anise while vibrant acidity keeps it impeccably balanced. It’s already enjoyable but will also offer years of fine wining. Drink through 2033.
-Wine Enthusiast 98 Points
G.D. Vajra Freisa 'Kye' Langhe Rosso is made from 100% Freisa.
DESCRIPTION: In 2004, Freisa was discovered to be the closest relative to Nebbiolo, thus explaining the deep bond this variety has with Piemonte and its people. With a noble profile and similar characteristics to the Nebbiolo, we have been bottling a dry Langhe DOC Freisa ever since 1989. Kyé means ‘who is?’ and represents the surprise for this indigenous and forgotten grape.
VINEYARD AND TERROIR: Estate vineyards, the oldest located in San Ponzio, on the lower west border of Bricco delle Viole. This is the closest vineyard to the winery, and a selezione massale planted by Aldo in 1980.
GROWING: In 1971, Aldo Vaira was one of the earliest adopters of organic farming in Piemonte. Vineyards have been nurtured and soil preserved by grassing and cover crop for almost 50 years now. With an incredible ratio of manual work per hectare, farming at Vajra is a labor of love and “recipe-free” attention. Intense research is also placed into monitoring and improving the biodiversity of both flora and fauna not just in the vineyards, but also in the winery fields and forests. The winery is sustainably certified (UNI EN 11233:2009) and will be again fully organic certified since 2019.
Langhe DOC Freisa Kyè displays a beautiful, translucent garnet color. The aromatics are a combination of redcurrant and wild mountain berries, layered with a touch of sweet spices, fresh leather, and candied japonica prune. The mouth is juicy, succulent, with lots -yet never hefty- tannins. There is a beautiful structure in this vintage and a lovely, lovely finish.
Review:
‘The 2018 Langhe Freisa Kyé is quite refined in this vintage and yet it also shows all of the aromatic nuance and complexity that are such signatures of this variety and wine. Dried herbs, rose petal, lavender, mint and spice lend exotic nuance to this deep, beautifully layered Freisa. The Kyé is one of the sleepers of Piedmont's 2018 vintage. It is, quite frankly, ‘as good or better than some Barolos in this tricky vintage. ~- Antonio Galloni
-Vinous 93 Points
Gaja Darmagi Cabernet is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Angelo Gaja forever changed the world’s notion of Piedmont wines when he released this historic wine for the first time in 1985 (with the 1982 vintage), made from Bordeaux varietals planted in the township of Barbaresco. According to the often told legend, Angelo Gaja’sfather exclaimed “darmagi!” upon learning that his son had planted Cabernet Sauvignon in vineyards previously devoted to Piedmont’s traditional Nebbiolo grape. Akin to the French quel dommage, the Piedmontese expression darmagi means what a pity! Or what a shame!. With his characteristic respect for tradition and those who came before him, the younger Gaja decided to call this wine Darmagi, a homage to his family’s legacy with an eye toward the future.
Review:
You'll find more dark fruit and more freshness here than in many of the other offerings from Gaja, with a dark, deep inky appearance. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Darmagi is a 100% expression of the grape, whereas past editions saw tiny parts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The fruit comes from a 2.5-hectare vineyard planted in 1978 directly under the town of Barbaresco, setting the stage for an elegant rendition of Cabernet Sauvignon with a fresh and contained style. The wine shows a nice balance between the extraction you get from the grape skins and the rich succulence you get from the pulp inside the berries. In the 2017, you taste more of the skins, and in the 2018, Gaia Gaja comments, you taste more of the pulp. The 2016 offers both, countering each other with precision. Whole grapes are pressed very gently, and the wine is aged in oak for 18 months, with less emphasis on new oak now. In fact, only 30% of the total sees new oak, and a greater percentage of the wine goes into large oak casks instead.
- Wine Advocate 95 Points
Rinaldi Celle Monferrato Rosso is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon - 20 years old vines
Celle is the name of the vineyard and literally means prison. But the roots of its name sink in history, since in 1800 the tradition wanted that in the best hill of the territory everybody had small pieces of land called "cells".
The wine shows a very nice vibrant red color with glints of bordeaux. It reveals the typical and beautiful intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is spicy and the palate is very smooth and long. There is a balance of acidity with sweet tannins and red fruits notes. It's a very fresh wine.
The end of the alcoholic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels. Aging for 4 months.
Pairs well with game dishes and strong cheese.
Long Shadows Feather Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Washington State Cabernet.
Acclaimed Napa Valley vintner Randy Dunn has a reputation for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. He brings more than four decades of winemaking experience to the Columbia Valley to produce Feather, his only wine made outside of California.
Tasting Notes: Deep crimson colored with pure and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon character. Generous aromas and flavors of dark fruits, violets, coffee and toasted herbs combine with a textured mid-palate to deliver a big, yet focused, wine with polished tannins and persistent finish.
Winemaking: Grapes were hand-harvested at the peak of ripeness, then lightly crushed and fermented in small stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation was underway, the cap was pumped over aggressively to extract color and structure. As fermentation neared completion, pump overs were handled more gently to further extract color and flavors without imparting harsh tannins. The finished wine was aged 22 months in 90% new Vicard French oak barrels (Randy's cooper of choice at Dunn Vineyards as well).
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.86
TA: 0.58 grams / 100ml
Review:
"The 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is a special project wine between Gilles Nicault and Randy Dunn of Dunn Vineyards. Aged for 22 months in all French oak barrels (90% new), it shows beautiful toasty oak alongside dark chocolate, Turkish coffee, crème de violette and tobacco leaf that all meld in the glass. The palate is dense and concentrated, delivering tons of black fruits that collide with minerals, menthol, scorched earth and salty undertones, and displaying beautiful length. This outstanding wine is really young right now and will benefit from another year or two in the bottle. - Owen Bargreen"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2022), 95 pts
"The classic 2018 Feather (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) comes from the Weinbau and Wallula Vineyards and spent 22 months in 90% new French oak. It has a wonderfully pure nose of crème de cassis, new saddle leather, dried flowers, and tobacco that carries to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Cabernet with a wonderful sense of purity, balance, and elegance, all while bringing plenty of fruit and structure. I actually like it today, yet it has enough tannins to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and should be long lived."
- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 95 pts
Thorn Clarke Shotfire Quartage is made from 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot .
The Shotfire range honors a family pioneer who worked the Barossa goldfields in the late 1800's. He had the hazardous job of being a 'Shotfirer'; one who handled the explosives to be used in finding that rich vein of gold.
Shotfire Quartage is based on the five traditional red varieties found in the Bordeaux region of France (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec). The Thorn-Clarke winemakers use at least four of the varieties to create the blend each year (occasionally, they can get over excited and use all five). The blend is a reminder to not only look to the future but also to keep an eye on the past and tradition.
This traditional blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot & Malbec boast a deep inky red - purple color. Aromas of freshly crushed peppercorns, roasted capsicum & blackcurrant fill the glass. On the palate there is a generosity of fruit. The notes of dark cacoa and smokey bacon intertwined with velvety tannins lead to a complex finish.