Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Jana 2018

Manda Huevos Tinto Parcela Cana Andrea  is made from 90% Garnacha, Moristel, Bobal, Garnacha Blanca.

MANDA HUEVOS - Nowadays a vulgarism in Spanish born out of frustration meaning 'I can ́t believe it', 'get out of here' etc , but actually originating form the latin Mandat Opus meaning your are obliged to do something out of necessity. The wine reveals an intense red color with garnet reflections, a complex nose of floral aromas, ripe red fruits and liquorice with mineral and balsamic notes, aromatic herb and peppery nuances. On the palate it is long and persistent, well-balanced with juicy tannins, a remarkable fruity expression. A lovely complexity!

Pairs with oily fish (high quality tuna), paprika based dishes, duck, game.

Review:

"I tasted the 2017 Manda Huevos Tinto, which has slightly lower alcohol and more freshness, a vintage that has been bottled earlier to capture the fruit-forward character of the vintage. It's open and pretty, with a gentler palate than the 2016 which seems to have more present tannins. This has a different style but similar quality. 4,500 bottles were produced. - Luis Gutiérrez" - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #240, December 2018), 94 pts

Jean-Claude et Nicolas Fayolle Hermitage Rouge Donnieres is made from  100% Syrah.

Made from 40-year-old vines planted on granitic and rocky soils in the Lieu dit "Les Donnieres" at the bottom of the Hermitage's hill.

Intense inky ruby red color. 
The wine has plenty to offer with red and black fruit aromas, as well as a good minerality. 
The finish is very long, clean and juicy and offers a great spicy mouthfeel.

Soil is clay, silica and round pebbles.
Hand harvested in small crates. The grapes are then pumped into tanks (full cluster, not destemmed). 
It will stay in this tank for 15 days for the skin contact maceration and the Alcoholic fermentation.
Tey will also use the "rack and return" technique (delestage).
Then the wine is transfered into neutral French Oak barrels where the wine will complete the Malo-Lactic fermentation.

Delicious with grilled red meat such as venison or lamb and most cheeses.

Review:

"If the prebottling sample of the Fayolles' 2017 Hermitage Les Dionnieres is truly representative, purchasers will be in for a treat. It's inky dark in color, with a cassis-laden nose that's marked by hints of crushed stone. It's full-bodied and concentrated, tannic without being hard or overdone, and despite ample ripeness, there's structure and freshness. It looks to be the complete package and potentially in the same ballpark (quality-wise) as the impressive 2015. - Joe Czerwinski"

- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #239, October 31th 2018), 94-96 pts

Fefinanes Albarino de Albarino is 100 percent Albarino

Fresh fruit aromas of apricot and peach slices with notes of lemon and green apple. Pretty notes of honey and wet nutmeg, and the mouth is round, clean, and pleasant with baked apple, honey, and lemon.

This is a classic Albariño which is good young, but actually improves over two to three years and remains quite drinkable for up to five years. Owner Juan Gil comments that the wine really starts to come into its own in June/July, and he actually prefers it 18 or more months after it's made. A Fefiñanes "vertical" of three or four vintages can provide some most interesting surprises.

Review:

"The regular Albariño is one of the most reliable among the more available wines, and it tends to show well early on and also age nicely for a few years in bottle. The 2019 Albariño de Fefiñanes feels unusually expressive and ready, very approachable, with a harmonious nose but with none of that reductive character often found in the early bottled wines. It's floral, varietal, aromatic and clean, with a balanced palate combining volume with great freshness. I tend to like this wine two or three years after the harvest. - Luis Gutiérrez"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (June 2020), 91 pts

Pinea is made from 100 percent Tempranillo. 30 months, new French oak barrels

PINEA is born of the founders desire to make a wine on a par with the world’s finest. Its name is inspired by a beautiful and majestic Pinus Pinea tree, which is probably one of the oldest and tallest in the region. Surrounded by old vines, it has been witness to centuries of history.

PINEA is a hand-made, artisanal wine made with the heart. Crafted with care and respect for its origins, it also faithfully reflects the terroir and the passion of everyone involved in its creation. It is made from old vines, grown on clay-loam terrain at high altitude. Our winery is characterized by its minimal intervention approach to precision viticulture, key to ensuring that the grape is able to express itself fully.

PINEA is aged in and blended from new fine-grained French oak barrels of medium toast, which respect the fruit during the ageing process. Perfection is sought at each and every stage of winemaking, in order to successfully create a wine in which fruit plays a leading role, integrated with the complexity of oak. A unique wine. Elegant. Subtle. Perhaps one of the very best in the world.

TOTAL PRODUCTION: LESS THAN 1,000 CASES (13,000 BOTTLES)

Appearance: It is a clean and bright, deeply colored, almost opaque, ruby red wine with a garnet rim.

Nose: It is clean and balanced, and very intense in aromas. As is typical for the varietal, it is rich in black fruit aromas, predominantly blackberry. The use of new oak gives pungent aromas of bitter chocolate, coffee, cedar and smoky notes that give length and depth.

Palate: It has a powerful attack, which fills and envelops the palate from start to finish. Full-bodied, it has high tannins and considerable alcohol, although both are very well integrated. It is perfectly balanced on its passage through the mouth, leaving flavors of black forest fruits, blackberries and spices such as clove and black pepper. It leaves a long, harmonious aftertaste. It all comes together in a finish of smoky, slightly bitter notes, which give it great length and a persistence that lasts a long time after drinking. A complex, well-balanced wine that shows the full potential of oak-aged Tempranillo.

Reviews:

Unctuous, ripe, dark fruit. Intense blackberry with hints of liquorice. Powerful, elegant with precision of a principal male dancer. Long, rich and dense finish.

-International Wine Challenge 95 Points

Sweet berries and chocolate with some bark, walnuts and hints of hazelnuts. It’s full-bodied with juicy, polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Lots of intense, focused fruit. Drink or hold.

- James Suckling 94 Points

95 pts. International Wine Challenge

96 pts. San Francisco International Wine Competition

Arzuaga Ribera del Duero Crianza 95% Tempranillo and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dark cherry color with purple highlights. Powerful nose and high aromatic diversity of ripe red and black fruits, spicy and balsamic notes, and a roasted finish. Soft and mellow in the mouth with a great fruitiness and length.

Review:

"Dark violet. Smoke- and spice-accented cherry, blackberry, vanilla and mocha aromas show fine definition and pick up a hint of pipe tobacco as the wine stretches out. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering intense dark berry, cherry-vanilla and licorice flavors that are sharpened by a peppery nuance. Shows strong energy and spicy thrust on the persistent finish, which is given shape by smooth, harmonious tannins. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (February 2021), 92 pts

Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Mere Michel is made from 100 percent Syrah.

Cuvee Mère Michel was first introduced in 2016 and is not produced every year. This wine is a tribute to Johann Michel' wife, Emmanuelle, and a nod to the French song, La Mere Michel. This wines comes from Selection Massale (replanting new vineyards with cuttings from exceptional old vines from the same property) cuttings of Serine off the 1947 Yves Cuilleron vineyard at Chavanay. The vineyards are located in the lieu-dit "Les Cotes" at an altitude of 230 meters and benefiting from a southern sun exposure.

Review:

"A new cuvée (at least for me), the 2017 Cornas Mere Michel comes from sandy, granite-laced soils and was brought up in new demi-muids. It's largely in the same mold as the traditional cuvée yet has another level of richness, depth, and texture. Blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, burning embers, and a kiss of bloody meat all flow to a rich, powerful Cornas that has ultra-fine tannins, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great, great finish. It's unquestionably a candidate for the wine of the vintage in Cornas. Bravo!"
- Jeb Dunnuck (December 12th 2019), 98 pts