Thierry Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The wine is produced from 20 different parcels (3 hectares total). The soils are a mix of clay and silt.
The age of wines varies between 15 to 60 years.
Yield: 45 hl/ha
Production: 15,000 bottles on average.
Manual harvest with a selection of the grapes; sorting table; 100% destemming; maceration for 15 days, cold stabilization for 4-5 days; M-L.; racking twice a day. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 4 months. Aging in oak barrels for 12 months (new and 1 or 2 year old barrels). Kieselguhr filtration before bottling.
Liquorice, blackberry, red fruits flavors.
Excellent with meat, game and cheeses.
Walt Clos Pepe Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Deep ruby in color, the wine carries luscious fruit aromas of blackberry preserves and dark cherry, infused with exotic notes of spice, black tea and pomegranate. The palate opens to a dense and velvety texture laced with flavors of barrel char and salinity, leading to a structured and focused finish.
Review:
Big and rich, with luscious spiciness to the plush dark fruit and berry flavors that are supported by medium-grained tannins. There's plenty of creamy and toasty accents on the open-textured finish.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Another Sta. Hills release, the 2019 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard saw 10% stems and 10 months in 40% new French oak. It's a little more focused and firm, with classic ripe black raspberry, red plum, and cherry fruits as well as orange blossom, spice, and floral nuances. It too is medium-bodied, textured, and beautifully balanced.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
- The Clos Pepe Vineyard was founded in the late 1980s by Steven and Kathy Pepe. The vineyard is located just east of Lompoc in the Santa Rita Hills appellation. The 2019 ‘Clos Pepe’ revels in its aromatic range from peat moss and pipe tobacco to bright red fruits and wild blackberry. The palate is dense and fresh with beautiful red florals alongside orange rind with sandy soil undertones. Gorgeous now, this has a long way to go in the cellar.
-Owen Bargreen 95 Points
Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is made from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Shiraz .
Encompassing everything the Hill-Smith family stands for and the perfect representation of Yalumba’s history and ethos, The Signature is a sentimental favorite. A classic Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, the first vintage release of The Signature was in 1962. Since then, this outstanding wine has acknowledged more than 57 Signatories; people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba.
Seductive and alluring florals, cool mints, red pomegranate with fine blackberry fruits and dark cherry aromas. The palate is delightfully generous with dark red cherry fruit that merges into ironstone tannins. A medium to full bodied wine with a long, flowing tannin profile.
Review:
A full-weighted, archetypal Aussie blend. Cabernet and shiraz, both from the Barossa. The top wines of Yalumba have undergone considerable refinement in recent years. The tannins, better managed; the fruit, more restrained; the oak, judicious. Here, an example. Fresh and lithe. Scents of anise, bay leaf and kirsch, with a nourishing core of beef bouillon. An expansive sweetness grows in trajectory, with a douse of menthol at the finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Argot Simpatico Ranch Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Powerful aromas of key-lime, white flowers, orange blossoms and a fierce, flinty, sauvage note define a wildly complex nose. Once in the mouth, gracefully pronounced textures coat the palate delivering an exotic interpretation of cool-climate Chardonnay character — lime peel, orange blossom, ginger and clove —lingerings deep into a vibrant finish.
Planted 1978. Shallow volcanic soils on the gently-sloped, south-facing foothills of Bennett Peak on Bennett Valley’s floor. One of California’s coolest Chardonnay vineyards. In the final year of 3-year draught cycle, Simpatico Ranch saw its earliest ever harvest and smallest crop, exposing a reserve of exoticism and minerality previously untapped. A watershed vintage for both the vineyard, and appellation. Night harvested by hand on 9/16, whole-cluster pressed direct to barrel; no settling to ensure maximum lees contact. Barrel fermented on heavy lees. Malolactic fermentation. 16 months in French oak, 50% new. Finished 2 months in steel tank, low Sulphur during barrel elevage.
Review:
There are 225 cases of the 2019 Chardonnay Simpatico Ranch, which is from a cooler, higher elevation site in Sonoma. Lots of peach, tangerine, honeyed minerality, and toasted hazelnuts all emerge from the glass, and while I don't think it matches the 2018, it's a brilliant Chardonnay offering medium to full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's beautifully balanced and is going to keep for at least 5-7 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (September 2021), 94 pts
Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Chablis achieves its highly distinctive mineral character due to its cool northerly climate and its highly calcareous soil. The Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru is a generous, fleshy and lively wine that displays a beautiful balance of minerality, fruitiness and elegance.
Chablis, with its steely character and fresh citrus flavor, pairs well with white fish and shellfish and its naturally high acidity can counterbalance cream-based sauces. Unoaked Chablis lends itself well to vegetables, starches, Comté, or fresh goat cheese.
Neyers Cabernet Sauvignon Neyers Ranch is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
"We harvested the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon crop from our Conn Valley Ranch in the first week of October, a week later than we picked the same vineyard the prior year. The size of the crop was about 20% smaller in 2017 as well, mostly due to the cold, wet weather we experienced in spring during flowering. Grapevines are self-pollinating, and cold, windy or damp weather interferes with this process, a problem known the French call coulure. Ironically, the harsh spring weather of 2017 had a huge impact on the size of our crop. Still, this smaller crop ripened fully and evenly, and at harvest time we picked beautiful, dark-colored clusters under near-perfect conditions. The finished wine was immediately remarkable for its flavor and complexity, and the wine looks to be one that will improve for many years. During my career in the Napa Valley wine business, I’ve learned to expect the best wines from cold years like 2017. These are vintages that are viewed initially with lowered expectations, but my experience has been just the opposite. Going back to my first Napa Valley harvest in 1971, these ‘colder years’ invariably result in wines with brighter, more attractive flavors, and the wines age longer and more gracefully.
Following harvest, the wine was fermented using wild, native yeast in an temperature-controlled stainless steel tank. After 45 days or so, the tank was drained and the pomace pressed, and the wine transferred to 60-gallon French oak barrels, 25% of them new. During the first year, we racked the wine off of the yeast lees three times, and by May 2019 it had been sufficiently clarified to bottle without fining or filtration. I am especially impressed by its bright ruby hue, a color so commanding it reminded me of the 1995 red Bordeaux wines I tasted from barrel during my trip to France in the Spring of 1996. It’s loaded with flavors that range from wild cherry to chocolate, enhanced by the lovely hint of tobacco leaf and mint. Each aromatic component has its own individual fascination, but all of them together provide a remarkable experience. Here’s a complete Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that we expect it to improve for 20 years. It's a from a very small crop that will provide decades of pleasure." - Bruce Neyers
Review:
Attractive aromas of blueberries and lavender follow through to a medium body, firm and silky tannins and a slightly chewy finish. Needs a couple of years to soften. Better after 2022.
-James Suckling 93 Points
Fullerton Three Otters Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir - 40 years old
11 months in 25% new Oak and 75% neutral
Bella Vida Vineyard is perched high in the heart of the Dundee Hills. This picturesque site provides elegant fruit from the storied Jory soils of the AVA. LIVE certified.
Aromas of cherry and raspberry flow into finely-tuned layers of cedar, cocoa, licorice, and baking spices. The palate pulses with energy as the silky tannins and gorgeous mid-palate captivate your senses. A radiant and profound experience.
A co-fermentation of Dijon clones 113, 667, and 777, this wine expresses the volcanic soils of the Dundee Hills elegantly, yet powerfully. Upon arrival, the grapes were immediately de-stemmed into an open-top two-ton fermenter. Following a seven day cold soak, the wine started fermenting slowly at a cool temperature. To manage extraction, we utilized one to two punch-downs and one pump-over per day, with two rack-and-returns at the beginning and middle of fermentation. As fermentation neared the end, the must was heated to achieve a peak temperature of 94° F resulting in optimum extraction, and then we immediately chilled the wine to extend the time on the skins, while switching to one pump-over per day to limit harsh, seed-tannin extraction. After a total of 19 days on the skins, we drained and pressed the wine, keeping the free-run and press fractions separate. This bottling contains only the free run fraction. Following two days of settling, the wine was racked to barrel and aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak and one month in tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Review:
Vivid red. Displays fresh red/dark berry and pungent floral aromas, along with suggestions of cola, mocha and five-spice powder. Appealingly sweet and energetic on the palate, offering intense black raspberry, cherry-cola, spicecake and rose pastille flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Fine-grained tannins frame the well-defined finish, which lingers with impressive, red fruit liqueur-driven persistence. (all de-stemmed fruit and 25% new French oak). - Josh Raynolds" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (June 2019), 93 pts
Fullerton Three Otters Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir - 40 years old
11 months in 25% new Oak and 75% neutral
Bella Vida Vineyard is perched high in the heart of the Dundee Hills. This picturesque site provides elegant fruit from the storied Jory soils of the AVA. LIVE certified.
Aromas of cherry and raspberry flow into finely-tuned layers of cedar, cocoa, licorice, and baking spices. The palate pulses with energy as the silky tannins and gorgeous mid-palate captivate your senses. A radiant and profound experience.
A co-fermentation of Dijon clones 113, 667, and 777, this wine expresses the volcanic soils of the Dundee Hills elegantly, yet powerfully. Upon arrival, the grapes were immediately de-stemmed into an open-top two-ton fermenter. Following a seven day cold soak, the wine started fermenting slowly at a cool temperature. To manage extraction, we utilized one to two punch-downs and one pump-over per day, with two rack-and-returns at the beginning and middle of fermentation. As fermentation neared the end, the must was heated to achieve a peak temperature of 94° F resulting in optimum extraction, and then we immediately chilled the wine to extend the time on the skins, while switching to one pump-over per day to limit harsh, seed-tannin extraction. After a total of 19 days on the skins, we drained and pressed the wine, keeping the free-run and press fractions separate. This bottling contains only the free run fraction. Following two days of settling, the wine was racked to barrel and aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak and one month in tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Opaque color. Very rich, dark chocolate aromas with some black cherry and mature fruit coming through. There is also a pleasing freshness to the port originating from its floral and cistus (rockrose) bouquet. The Quinta de la Rosa Vintage 2017 is a powerful wine with much potential but at the same time elegant and generous on the palate. Full of flavors, very complex with fine tannins that gives the wine a nobility and persistence. A great vintage made to give pleasure now and in the next few decades.
Review:
The 2017 Vintage Port was bottled a few weeks before tasting after spending 18 months in used tonels. It is a field blend, mostly Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, coming in with 98 grams per liter of residual sugar. Wonderfully aromatic and filled with flavor, this got plenty of aeration and didn't blink even a little. It was still vibrant and expressive. Aeration only made it more tannic. It is also delicious. This is potentially a great Port, and it seems like the best I've seen from La Rosa. This is sort of approachable in the near future, but it really needs (at least) a decade of cellaring. It has a lot of muscle and should age well.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
Very floral in profile, with violet and lilac accents leading off, followed by a decidedly red-fruit spectrum of raspberry, cherry and red currant coulis flavors that race throughout. Has grip, but this is more reliant on acidity, showing a nearly piercing feel as the tightly focused finish zips along, leaving a mouthwatering impression. Delightfully idiosyncratic. Best from 2033 through 2050. 112 cases imported. — JM
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
This is a rounded Port, showing layers of black fruits, ripe tannins and spice. At the same time, it does have a solid structure that will allow it to age. The acidity comes through at the end. Drink from 2028.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Ancien Chardonnay Coombsville Haynes Old Block is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Inspired by the classic and most revered Chardonnay vineyard in the world, Le Montrachet, Ancien winery utilizes the same classic techniques. It is fermented in tight-grained French Oak cask after a gentle squeeze as whole clusters. The wine is not moved through the fermentation and aging period, only pushed by inert gas in gentle fashion into the bottling tank. In vintages where the wine achieves good clarity through natural settling, the wine is not filtered – otherwise it undergoes a light polish to help reveal is core of fruit.
The effusive nose welcomes with layers of lemon meringue, ripe apple, citrus zest, honey and grape blossom. The palate is vibrant and fresh, and the richly textured mouth-feel is expansive. Baked apple tart and stone fruit emerge as this opulent wine reaches the depths of your palate, with further notes brioche. The finish is a focused amalgamation of minerality and ripe fruit. Give this cellar worthy Chardonnay time to open up and it will reveal increasingly lush and creamy layers as it evolves over minutes in the glass and the years in the bottle.
J. Christopher Appassionata Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Appassionata Chardonnay is the expressive summit of this classic Burgundian variety in the Willamette Valley. Fermented and matured in large (500-liter) oak casks, it rests on the full lees for two years before bottling. It then rests in our cellar for another year before its release, three years after vintage. The wine’s elegant texture, fine structure and extended maturation time ensure a long life for this vibrant Chardonnay.
Whole-cluster pressing; native yeast fermentation in 500-liter French oak barrels; natural malolactic fermentation; 21 months maturation on the lees.
Review:
Anyone questioning Chardonnay’s potential in the Willamette Valley should try this rich and sophisticated wine. A silky texture, is met with mouthfilling flavors of orange sorbet, pineapple and challah bread, as well as a hint of mint. The aromas of lemon curd and petrichor are equally delightful.
- Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
Tenuta di Arceno Valadorna is made from 60% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot .
The first impression of the nose is earthy with notes of cypress, vanilla bean, and spice. There are deep fruit flavors of black cherries, plums and blueberries followed by pleasant hints of chocolate and dried rose petals. On the palate, the tannins are chewy and accompanied by lively acidity; contributing to a long finish dominated by flavors of dried figs and licorice. The 2016 Valadorna is a time bomb of joy that will stand the test of time and age well in the cellar if patience permits.
This Merlot-led blend is sourced primarily from the Valadorna and Capraia blocks, which produce the estate’s most complex and mineral-based expressions of this variety. The blocks are located within the cooler part of the estate, naturally irrigated by the stream that undulates through it, and feature sandy brown soils and lower yields than typical. These blocks are often the last Merlot blocks to ripen on the estate.
Review:
Solid and radiant in the glass it shows notes of pink grapefruit, flowering geraniums, pressed blueberries, plums and rosemary. There is more in the background in the brightness of the lemon, lime and bergamot notes. Full body, well-polymerized tannins that are decidedly vibrant and tense at the moment and an impressive long finish that will relax over time. Better from 2024.
-Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com 96 Points
Niner Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec.
2021 was a benchmark vintage for Cabernet in Paso Robles. The long, cool growing season was ideal for our Bordeaux grapes and allowed them to slowly ripen, creating complex flavors and wines built to age. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon was aged 21 months in French Oak barrels and is one that you’ll want for your collection. It is an elegant wine with a balance of dark fruit flavors and herbaceous notes with lush tannins.
Review:
92 points, Editor's Choice - Wine Enthusiast
Manoir du Carra Bistrot Beaujolais-Villages is made from 100 percent Gamay.
From Granitic and sandy soils, the Beaujolais-Villages Carra Bistrot exhibits intense color, with hints of cherry and garnet, and to reveal aromas of red fruit dominated by cassis and strawberry. This Cuvée was specially made for the Parisian Bistrots willing to offer easy drinking wines, with enough body to withstand local Cuisine from the Beaujolais region.
Produced from a selection of old vines (50-70 years old). Manual harvest; selection of the best grapes using a sorting table; semi-carbonic maceration for 10-12 days. No filtration. Egg white fining.
Great with coq au vin (Chicken cooked in a red wine sauce) or charcuterie (garlic sausage, dry sausage).