Ottella Lugana Bianco is produced in South Benedetto di Lugana. 100% Turbiano (clonal type of Trebbiano di Lugana)
The grapes are harvested exclusively from our own vineyards; harvesting is strictly manual in small 17kg-crates. Guyot, double arc training method.
A brief contact on the skin, stainless steel-controlled fermenting.
Intense straw yellow color with green tinges. Exotic notes, candied fruit and citrus, warm and very deep on the nose. Widespread expressive finesse; to the palate the texture is rich and persistant.
Pairs best with fish-based plates, soup, pasta or rice, white meat.
Review:
“Fresh, with a nice combination of green fruit and pears alongside exotic mango and guava. Light and elegant with vibrant acidity."
- Decanter World Wine Awards 2022, 90 pts - SILVER MEDAL
Ottella Lugana Bianco is produced in South Benedetto di Lugana. 100% Turbiano (clonal type of Trebbiano di Lugana)
The grapes are harvested exclusively from our own vineyards; harvesting is strictly manual in small 17kg-crates. Guyot, double arc training method.
A brief contact on the skin, stainless steel-controlled fermenting.
Intense straw yellow color with green tinges. Exotic notes, candied fruit and citrus, warm and very deep on the nose. Widespread expressive finesse; to the palate the texture is rich and persistant.
Pairs best with fish-based plates, soup, pasta or rice, white meat.
Produced in South Benedetto di Lugana. 100% Turbiano (clonal type of Trebbiano di Lugana)
The grapes are harvested exclusively from our own vineyards; harvesting is strictly manual in small 17kg-crates. Guyot, double arc training method.
A brief contact on the skin, stainless steel-controlled fermenting.
Intense straw yellow color with green tinges. Exotic notes, candied fruit and citrus, warm and very deep on the nose. Widespread expressive finesse; to the palate the texture is rich and persistant. Pairs best with fish-based plates, soup, pasta or rice, white meat.
Alain Jaume Rasteau Les Valats is made from 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre planted on clay and stones based soil.
Located in the northern part of the Vaucluse, the soils are mostly on slopes with limestone and rocks, at medium altitude (until 350 meters).
Grapes usually ripeness in late September. The soils are poor and the Mediterranean climate allows to produce concentrated and well balanced grapes. The place is well-known for producing wines with strong identity.
From the Cotes du Rhone Villages classification, RASTEAU has been upgraded to Cru level since the 2009 vintage.
The wine shows a deep red garnet color and a nose of fresh red berries. On the palate, the richness of the fruit and tannins harmonizes with the roundness of the wine. The finish is long, with spicy and mineral notes. Complete and authentic.
Review:
"A blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, the 2017 Rasteau Les Valats is a classic example of this terroir and offers a darker, smoky, earthy, and chocolaty vibe as well as a rich, mouthfilling style on the palate. Nicely balanced, with a fleshy, expansive mid-palate and great tannins, it’s total charmer to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (October 2020), 90 pts
"Very open red-fruit aromas and a rather cool, slightly minty personality make this a good introduction to this underrated Southern Rhone appellation. Good harmony and rather lively for its age at the clean finish. Drink now."
- James Suckling (February 2022), 90 pts
Appasionata Andante Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Named after the French word for Crow, or Raven, this Syrah is certainly as dark as the name implies. Hailing from Discovery Vineyard, perched high above the Columbia River in the heart of the Horse Heaven Hills, these grapes were grown in a very unique terroir. Avennia's approach of old-world style, minimalist winemaking allows for full expression of the fruit, showcasing the elegant and savory side of Syrah.
"Leads with a nice balance of dark fruits—blackberry and blueberry—with more savory elements, including blackberry leaf, olive, charcuterie, and a hint of shiitake. The palate features snappy fresh black fruits, a hint of smoked meat, and a lively finish with plenty of savory elements that make this wine quite interesting. Give it a year in the cellar and enjoy over the next eight years or so." - Chris Peterson, Winemaker
Reviews:
"Aromas of blackberry and violet accented by a note of stems. Sweet, supple wine with dark fruit flavors lifted by a black-peppery topnote and accented by cinnamony Red Hots. For all its high notes, this is essentially a creamy wine with no edges. I suspect it will tighten up in bottle and eventually display a more savory aspect. Incidentally, this will be the last vintage for this bottling because, beginning with vintage 2018, Chris Peterson will introduce some new single-vineyard Syrahs from the exciting new WeatherEye vineyard on top of Red Mountain. This steep site, owned by Cameron Myhrvold and farmed by Ryan Johnson, extends over the ridgeline and onto the northern flank of Red Mountain. The project is called Red Mountain Elevated, and Peterson is making the wines. (14.5% alcohol; done mostly in puncheons; vinified with 10% stems) - Stephen Tanzer”
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2019), 92 pts
"The last vintage for this cuvée, the 2017 Syrah Le Corbeau Discovery Vineyard is similar in style to the Arnaut yet offers slightly more floral notes in its blue fruits, wild strawberry, violets, rose petal, and sappy, forest floor aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, with bright acidity and good balance, it’s a beautiful Syrah that leans heavily toward the fresh, elegant end of the spectrum while still offering tons of character and pleasure.”
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 92-94 pts
Closeout
OnePio Lugana Bianco is made from 100% Trebbiano di Lugana
No oak. Ageing on the lees for 6 months, plus an extra month in the bottle.
Soft, harmonious, full
and well-balanced wine with straw yellow color. Multifaceted and fragrant aromas
of almond, citrus and a slight touch of fresh pineapple. These wines can often
be a touch on the dull side, but Onepoi is anything but dull. This perfectly balanced
creamy white coats the palate leaving you wanting more of its minerality and refreshing
citrus flavors.
Grapes are grown on Clayish soils with Southern Sun exposure. The vineyards is 14 hectares in size (34.6 acres)
The best grapes are exclusively harvested by hand in small 15-kilo wooden basket that are placed in a refrigerating room for one day.
Later, the grapes are washed with a special ozone treated water. After drying, the grapes are divided in two batches.
The first batch undergoes the maceration, process connected to tradition, that leaves the obtained must in contact with the skins in a tank (one day), so it’s possible to obtain an higher extract of colors and perfumes, respecting the organoleptic features of the wine.
The second batch faces a process more linked to innovative technology, so the grapes are pressed vacuum-sealed directly with the wine press at cold-temperatures. In this way the must is oxidized as little as possible.
Both processing methods allow conferring a more complex gustative and visual aspect to the final product. The must decants for 24 hours, in order to eliminate the most unrefined particles. During the alcoholic fermentation, selected yeasts are added at the temperature of 19°C.
RS: 5 gr/L
Dry extract: 23.9 gr/L
TA: 6.40 gr/L
Perfect as an aperitif. It is also delicious with starters, fresh cheeses, black truffle dishes, fish and white meat.
Review:
"Attractive lemon-custard character and nice creaminess on the mid-palate. Then, a rather smooth finish makes this an appealing Lugana. Drink now."
- James Suckling (November 2018), 90 pts
The 2017 was a very different year to 2016 in terms of the viticultural conditions and it was interesting to watch the progression of the wine and scrutinize its quality as it developed over its first two winters. Whereas 2016 had a very mild winter and exceptionally hot summer, this was compensated by abundant winter and spring rainfall. Conversely, 2017 was warm and drythroughout, although summer temperatures were closer to average, whichproved to be a very significant factor allowing for complete, balancedripening.
It is rare to see such tremendous depth and intensity in color as this winedisplays. The freshness of the floral aromas is very attractive with adominance of rockrose, a flower that grows wild around the hills of Senhorada Ribeira. On the palate, it is exceptionally full-bodied, rich andpowerful with black fruit coming to the fore. Gorgeous, ripe fruit isbalanced by the fine tannin structure. On the finish, it is typically Dow,austere and somewhat drier than many other ports. The intense fruit flavors linger long on the palate.
Dow’s Vintage Ports are only produced in years of exceptional quality and represent only a very small part of the total company’s production in that year. On average only two or three times every ten years are the weather conditions sufficiently good to allow for the making of Dow’s Vintage Port.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Dow’s Vintage Ports have been landmark wines in virtually every great year, consistently setting the standards amongst all Port houses. Vintage Ports such as the remarkable Dow 1896, the 1927, 1945, 1955, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1980 and the Dow 1994 are all legends in the history of this great wine. These Ports are still magnificent today, even when 50 or over 100 years old. Few wines can claim this quality and this pedigree.
Dow's Vintage Ports are drawn from the companies' finest vineyards; Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira. Each property contributes to the Dow’s unique and distinctive style. When young, Dow’s Vintage Ports are purple-black, austere, complex and intensely concentrated, full-bodied and balanced with very fine peppery tannins.
Over the centuries, the Dow winemakers have evolved a style that suits the house’s key vineyards; fermentations are a little longer, resulting in a drier Port Wine that has become the hallmark of Dow’s. Abundant fruit flavours with hints of ripe blackberries, give elegance and poise to Dow’s. The nose is deep and powerful with strong overtones of violets when young, these mature into fine cinnamon and rose-tea aromas with age. The very high percentage of Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional planted on the vineyards result in the powerful structure and aging potential of Dow’s Vintage Ports
Dow’s Ports avoid an over-rich style and requires a very high degree of skill in wine making and great experience in selecting the finest wines of each year and each vineyard. These wines are aged in seasoned oak casks for some 18 months and are bottled without any filtration or fining whatsoever.
Dow Vintage Ports can be enjoyed when vibrant and young or they can be allowed to age for many years in bottle into a soft and delicate wine of velvet-like elegance.
In the 1920’s, the celebrated Oxford Professor George Saintsbury underlined Dow’s outstanding reputation when he wrote in his famous ‘Notes on a Cellarbook’ (first published in 1920), “There is no shipper’s wine that I have found better than the best of Dow’s 1878 and 1890 especially.”
James Suckling, one of today’s leading authorities on Vintage Port was equally impressed by another legendary wine - the Dow’s 1896 - “The ancient {1896} Port still had an amazing ruby colour with a garnet edge, and it smelled of raisins, black pepper and berries. It was full-bodied, with masses of fruit intertwined with layers of velvety tannins. It was superb.” In 1998, when this wine was 102 years old, he awarded this Port an exceptional 98 points.
Review:
Based on fruit from the predominantly south-facing Quinta do Bomfim in the Cima Corgo and Quinta Senhora da Ribeira in the Douro Superior, with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca making up 80% of the blend. This is opaque and closed in but powerfully ripe with underlying pure berry fruit. It's seemingly quite introverted compared to some of its peers at this stage, but it's still full, rich and opulent on the palate. It also shows the latent power of the vintage, made as it is in a slightly drier style (3.4 Baumé), with lovely minty fruit and full, ripe sinewy tannins all the way through the finish. Long and lithe, and very fine.
-Decanter 97 Points
A dense, thickly textured version, dripping with warm salted licorice, tar and açaí paste notes, while plum and blueberry pâte de fruit, chai spice and chocolate elements fill in behind. Lots of brambly grip flows underneath. Shows a very sappy feel on the finish. Best from 2035 through 2055. 5,250 cases made, 1,092 cases imported
-Wine Spectator 96 Points
This is a dry while also floral wine, perfumed and enticing with its juicy acidity. At the same time, the structure is very present, showing power and dark black fruits. The balance is coming together with the rich fruits and tannins melding into one. Drink from 2028. ROGER VOSS
-Wine Enthusiast 96 Points
Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate brightening of the edges. Black wildberry jam underlaid with delicate herbs and spices, tobacco nuances, hints of blueberry jam and elderberries, schisty notes. Powerful, full-bodied, sweetness present, carrying tannins, dark nougat in the finish, very good length, an imperious style, built for a long life.
Falstaff 98 Points
Wimmer Gruner Veltliner is made from 100 percent Gruner Veltliner.
Crisp lime flavors, white pepper and lentils, followed by a mouthful of mineral notes and gooseberry. A long lingering finish