Johann Michel Cuvee Grain Noir 2020

Nautilus Southern Valleys Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. 

The 2015 Nautilus Pinot Noir is dark ruby in color. The nose reveals gentle floral aromas, ripe wild blackberries, cherries and spices. The palate is medium bodied with good structure. Refined and balanced, this elegant wine shows good intensity and a lengthy finish.

Review:

A smart pinot noir from the get-go with bright strawberry, boysenberry and cherry fruits on offer, as well as nicely judged oak influence and a gentle reductive inflection. The palate has a smooth flow of fine tannins carrying plenty of red cherry fruit flavor. Attractive resolve here.

-James Suckling 93 Points

This wine combines so much of what we've come to love about New Zealand Pinot. It's light and bright but serious too, with plenty of site expression. Raspberry and blueberry compote, violets, baking spices and sun-baked stones all dance together on the nose. There's plush fruit on the palate but a savoriness too, framed by sinewy tannins and finishing on a stoney, mineral note. 

Editors' Choice.

-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points 

Finca Sobreno Seleccion Especial Toro is now called Finca Sobreno Tempranillo Reserva Toro.

Finca Sobreno Tempranillo Reserva Toro 100% Tinta de Toro from selected old-vines plots and aged during 14 months in American oak.
Production: 8,500 cases/year.

Deep dark cherry red color with dark purple tones. Powerful yet elegant nose, refined and stylish with ripe berry fruit, spicy complexity with scents of clove, sandalwood, vanilla, chocolate. Muscular, elegant yet silky smooth taste shows fruit preserves/jam blackberry and chocolate truffle. Concentrated and rich but not sweet with superb length. A good match for venison or wild boar with a fruit-based sauce.

Soil types
The wine is 100% Tinta de Toro from selected old-vines plots (over 40 years old)
The soil is formed by sediments of sand, clay and lime-stone, which produce a dark lime-bearing topsoil, with fine and coarse sands.

Harvest: In Toro summer temperatures were lower than usual and only rose over 40°C on a few days, which compensated for the dry conditions. Fresher nights from mid August also helped vines to reach optimum ripeness in the six weeks leading up to harvest –which was carried out between September 19 and October 10- and tamed alcohol levels. Tempranillo (Tinta de Toro) grapes ripened well – bunches were small and clusters were loose and healthy. Yields were low but the wines show intense color, good fruit profile and ripe tannins, which will be help to achieve roundness and good mouth feel in the finished wines. The fresher summer also resulted in slightly lower alcohol levels and a slightly higher acidity and this bodes well for quality in wines destined for ageing.

Winemaking and aging: Following a careful selection, the grapes were destemmed, crushed and the must underwent cold maceration at 7º C for five days prior to fermentation, which took place at a constant 28º C. The total maceration period lasted approximately 20 days. This wine was aged in new and one year old American and French oak barrels for 14 months, followed by another 24 months minimum in the bottle.

Winemaker: Oscar Martin

Technical specification: 
TA: 4.88 grams / liter
pH: 3.62
SO2 free: 76 mg/l
RS: 2.23 grams / liter

A good match for venison or wild boar with a fruit-based sauce.

Review:

"A slightly old-style Toro with lots of ripe fruit and loads of new wood. Chocolate and black-fruit jam. It’s full and dense with layers of polished, medium-chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (October 2020), 90 pts

Hightower Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain is made from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot.

As Hightower Cellars' signature wine, Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Red Mountain wine – bold and full of the flavors that make this region so special. As much as possible, Tim and Kelly Hightower take a non-interventionist approach to winemaking. They place great emphasis on vineyard selection, picking, pressing, and blending so that Hightower wines are naturally beautiful and free from pretense. They let the powerful and concentrated fruit from Red Mountain speak for itself. The result is a collection of well-balanced, nuanced wines that reveal something new and interesting each time you open a bottle.

Aromas of tart blueberry and lush red cherry dominate the nose, while firm tannins and full body lend structure to this inky, pigmented wine. The palate features notes of dark fruit, fresh cut wood, and dried tobacco. This wine is an excellent candidate for decanting, as the aromas evolve wonderfully over time to express softer, lush fruit and hints of herbs and spices.

Red Mountain AVA 100% (Hightower Estate Vineyard 56%, E&E Shaw Vineyard 44%)
New Oak 71%, Neutral Oak 29% (American 67%, French 11%, European 11%, Hungarian 11%)
Un-fined and un-filtered

Pairs with grilled red meat, fig and olive tapenade, bacon wrapped dates.

Review:

"Blackberries, grilled strawberries, dill, sweet tobacco and some smoke on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with creamy, ripe tannins. Smooth, rich and spiced finish. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (July 2021), 92 pts

Velette Orvieto Secco is made from 30% Trebbiano, 30% Grechetto, 20% Malvasia, 15% Verdello and 5% Drupeggio.

The result of centuries of devotion, selection and experience, this wine is the taste portrait of this area: cool as the air on the Orvieto rock, soft as the surrounding hills, direct, frank, open and sincere like the local people. Brilliant, pale straw-color with emerald reflections. The bouquet is ntense and filled with fresh fruit and floral nuances. In the palate, complex nuances of lemon, lime and apricots with a beguiling roundness and a fruity finish with a touch of bitter almond.

Origin of the name: A tribute to the three families of workers who were responsible for the farms on this hillside from the early 19th century and who have cultivated the grape varieties of Orvieto D.O.C. for generations.

Pairs with  vegetables, fish, seafood, fresh and aged cheeses.

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:

This is a big wine with alluring aromas of cedary oak and black fruit. Ripe palate of black berries, some dark chocolate and integrated, polished oak. Long spicy finish. Classy Ribera. -Decanter 95 Points