Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
Sticky plum jam and spicy nutmeg aromas are alluringly prominent on the nose, whilst berries and mocha weave
and envelop your entire palate. The finish is incredibly smooth and silky, with elegant fruit flavors that linger in your mouth. An outstanding example of a perfectly balanced Shiraz from McLaren Vale.
Review:
The dazzling 2021 ‘The Velvet Glove’ is a monumental effort that has some really great aging potential. Coming from the Gateway Vineyard in McLaren Vale, this was aged in all new American oak before bottling. A total stunner, the seamless texture entices as you are greeted to blueberry compote with creme de violette, asphalt and stony mineral flavors, with serious viscosity and tension. This was just as outstanding tried the day after opening. Very heady and hedonistic, yet showing an astonishingly good acid backbone, this beauty will live on for another fifteen plus years to come.
- Owen Bargreen 99 Points
It has a brownish red color. Intense and complex, aged for many years in French oak. It has an elegant cigar leaf aroma. Dense and round in the mouth with dried fruit, honey and notes of crystallized fruit. A velvety and persistent finish.
RS: 114g/Liter
TA: 3.7g/Liter
No irrigation, Harvest by hand, Port wine traditional method: (Fermentation, with skin maceration, takes place a a controlled temperature and is interrupted by the addition of grape spirits).
Aged in 550 Liters French Oak barrels with an average age of 40 years.
Slightly filtered before bottling.
Pairings: Digestive: Dried fruits, caramel sweets and conventual sweets (portugueuse pastries)
Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo
The 2018 vintage was well received after the turbulent 2017 growing year. A longer winter heralded in heavy rains in May and June, which gave the vines much needed water after the previous year's drought. Throughout the summer, conditions were generally ideal with warm days and cool nights, making harvest an overall success. Early samples of Barbaresco and Barolo are indicating a soft, balanced vintage.
Red garnet in color. Intense and fine aromas of fresh red fruit. The palate presents good freshness, excellent structure and fine, velvety tannins.
Review:
The 2018 Bruno Giacosa Barolo is very rich and hedonistic, with ripe strawberries and rose hip and notes of incense, lilies and violets. It is a lovely nose, persistent, intense and enticing and on the palate it is like falling into a soft velvety bed of rose petals. It already has such beautiful harmony and poise. It has a lush, sensual texture of crushed velvet, and is full-bodied without feeling heavy. There are plenty of dense, savory tannins extending the very long finish, creating a combination of seductive charm and power. This is something special, a great achievement in this vintage. Wait 2-3 years at least but I would not want to miss that young fragrance. (SH)
-Wine Independent 98 Points
The nose opens with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, black current and boysenberry. The fruit elements are complimented with notes of forest floor, cigar box, dark chocolate and espresso. The wine is rich and balanced and French oak barrels add the ideal amount of complexity with notes of baking spice and warm vanilla. This is a full-bodied wine with integrated tannins that give it a long, lingering finish. Stunning.
Primary Vineyard: Sycamore Vineyard—Rutherford (100%): Small 24-acre vineyard located about 1.2 miles south of Bosche, right up against the Mayacamas Range, this vineyard has a rich clay loam. Sycamore Vineyard produces small berries reminiscent of mountain fruit berries, with intense extract of color and flavor. The color is very dark early in the fermentation, with flavors of black currant and black berry with a forest floor complexity.
Review:
Mint, spearmint, dark-berry and blueberry aromas. Leaves and sage, too. Full-bodied and firm with fantastic depth. Cool fruit with menthol and mint. Spice. Refreshing. Firm tannins. Fantastic 2017. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 97 Points
Among the tapestry of historic vineyards in Napa Valley, there are a few standout names, but even fewer sites, if any, involve the rare combination of legendary wine, romance, and a touch of mystery. Bonny’s Vineyard is such a place. This four-acre vineyard in the Oakville District is both a special piece of land and a unique part of Napa history. It was planted in 1974 by Justin Meyer, the winemaker and co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars, as a gift to his wife, Bonny. Ideally situated in a gravelly spot adjacent to Conn Creek on the valley floor, Bonny’s Vineyard was responsible for a memorable string of Silver Oak vintages over the course of two decades.
Justin Meyer stopped producing the Bonny's Vineyard designate after the 1991 vintage. After replanting in 1999, the family has again decided to make a single vineyard bottling. True to the orignal, this is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 100% American oak barrels for almost 3 full years. The nose exhibits dark fruit aromas of cherry and plum mingling with cedar and cardamom and a hint of eucalyptus. The palate is the heart of this wine, with concentrated fruit on the entry and luscious, silky tannins filling the mouth with an almost endless finish.
As distinct and impressive a terroir as we farm in the Napa Valley. The rocky, gravel-rich soils contribute a distinct sauvage/mineral character, creating a stunning complexity to play off of Cabernet’s natural robust and fruit-driven personality from Oakville. In 2021 Argot added a new vineyard block to our holdings at Bonny’s. Deeper gravel and the famously low-yielding Disney clone conspire towards awesome complexity, and a deeply mysterious, brooding personality. A wholly different Cabernet from its 2021 siblings that you will not want to miss. Only 150 cases produced.
Review:
"Opaque purple-black colored, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bonny's Vineyard prances out with showy scents of Morello cherries, wild blueberries, and black raspberries, leading to a core of black currant jelly and violets. The full-on, full-bodied palate is densely laden with black and blue berry layers, framed by fine-grained tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and earthy."
- 97 Points, Lisa Perrotti Brown, The Wine Independent
Luis Canas Rioja Hiru 3 Racimos is 100% Tempranillo
60 years old vines
Alcohol: 14,5º
Total acidity: 6,0 gr/l
Volatile acidity: 0,50 gr/l
PH: 3,47
Free SO2: 25 mg/l
Reducing sugars: 1,8 gr/l
This wine is a response to our quest to find the perfect wine, one that combines structure, complexity and balance. It is the result of a careful selection of grapes not from the vines but from the appropriate clusters, those that naturally produce three or less clusters and which are 60 or more years of age. Vines situated on slopes and terraces of limestone and clay soil, well exposed to the sun. These grapes are harvested in small boxes at the very best moment, then inspected on the selection table and vinified in small groups at a controlled temperature. After alcoholic fermentation they are macerated to extract their full potential. The resulting most is then settled in new French and American oak barrels to undergo malolactic fermentation. This second fermentation ensures the wine gains in complexity and aromatic intensity, it also stabilises its colour.
Fully ripened and concentrated fruit aromas with balsamic and spicy mineral nuances, notes of blackberry and blueberry preserve wrapped in creamy oak, caramel and milky coffee tones. The palate is concentrated, unctuous in the centre, balanced, sweet, with fine tannins. Very long finish, expressive, clearly marked with the character of the soil.
Hiru 3 racimos is a complex wine and so is its pairing with food. We must consider two options, either drink it in light sips so that the wine itself is the star of the feast, or serve with solid dishes that can match its vigour. An Iberian pork loin with roasted peppers, steak with mushrooms and plums, wild boar stew or pheasant in port are dishes that blend incredibly with this characterful wine.
M. Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
In Hermitage, Syrah achieves its noblest expression and La Sizeranne has become a benchmark wine for the region. M. Chapoutier's roots in the Rhône date back to 1808, when the family first settled in Tain l'Hermitage. The family purchased a winery owned by Comte Monier de la Sizeranne and over time, acquired a number of excellent vineyards, including some of the oldest in France. M. Chapoutier was the first winery to put Braille on a wine label in 1996. Maurice Monier de la Sizeranne was the owner of the plot of the Hermitage, la Sizeranne until he was blinded in a hunting accident and unable to take care of the land, choosing instead to sell to the Chapoutier family. Following his accident, Maurice became the inventor of the first version of abbreviated Braille, and Chapoutier included Braille on the wine labels as a tribute to his work.
he grapes ferment in open wooden vats after total destemming. Two daily treadings ensure a good extraction of the tannins. Maturation takes place in oak casks, of which one third is new. Several rackings permit a slow and natural clarification process. The wine is unfiltered and unfined.
Review:
I was blown away by the 2019 Hermitage Monier De La Sizeranne, and if there’s a best buy out there in 2019 Hermitage, this might be it. Blackberries, black raspberries, spice box, new leather, and bouquet garni all dominate the bouquet, and it’s full-bodied, with a round, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a rare mix of richness and elegance. It’s a stunning wine that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face over the coming 2+ decades. Hats off to the team at Chapoutier!
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vintage Brut Grand Eclat is 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from the chalky soils of Chouilly.
This Champagne is full of elegance and finesse. Very complex nose, with a bouquet of aromas dominated by honey, brioche and notes of dried fruits, hazelnuts and sweets. Perfectly matured.
Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot 2016 is made from 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot.
Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world's top wineries, teamed with Washington State wine visionary Allen Shoup to produce this limited release wine.
With its intense color and inviting aromas of dark berries, licorice, baking spice and a hint of smoke, the Pedestal is a bold wine that leaves a lasting impression. Dark fruit flavors integrated with sweetness from the barrel and richness from the tannins come together seamlessly, lingering across a structured mid-palate and lengthy finish.
Winemaking: Hand-harvested grapes were double-sorted to remove green material that might impart harsh tannins, then most of the lots were cold soaked to build richness and flavor before undergoing whole-berry fermentation in 55L upright French wood tanks. This, combined with gentle pump-overs throughout fermentation, enhanced the wine’s color, texture and mouthfeel. The finished wine was aged 22 months in 85% new French oak barrels.
Review:
"The 2016 Pedestal from Michel Rolland checks in as a blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 85% new French oak. It has a rocking bouquet of smoked black fruits, espresso, chocolate, and tobacco that gives way to a full-bodied, plump, incredibly sexy red that does everything right. It's one serious mouthful of Merlot and should keep for 10-12 years." - Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 95 pts
"The 2016 Pedestal Merlot has a precise nose of dusty plum, red flowers and soft oak tones with an elegant aroma of pencil lead fluttering about. The medium to full-bodied palate is clean and correct, with plush dark red fruit, dusty tannins, purple flowers and soft oak spices of vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg. The wine ends with a long, thoughtful, well-balanced finish that delivers complexity and pleasure simultaneously. Michel Rolland made this beauty of a bottle. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #246, December 2019), 94 pts
Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot is made from 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Malbec.
Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world's top wineries, teamed with Washington State wine visionary Allen Shoup to produce this limited release wine.
With its intense color and inviting aromas of dark berries, licorice, baking spice and a hint of smoke, the Pedestal is a bold wine that leaves a lasting impression. Dark fruit flavors integrated with sweetness from the barrel and richness from the tannins come together seamlessly, lingering across a structured mid-palate and lengthy finish.
Winemaking: Hand-harvested grapes were double-sorted to remove green material that might impart harsh tannins, then most of the lots were cold soaked to build richness and flavor before undergoing whole-berry fermentation in 55L upright French wood tanks. This, combined with gentle pump-overs throughout fermentation, enhanced the wine’s color, texture and mouthfeel. The finished wine was aged 22 months in 85% new French oak barrels.
Review:
Vinous 96 Points
"The 2016 Pedestal Merlot has a precise nose of dusty plum, red flowers and soft oak tones with an elegant aroma of pencil lead fluttering about. The medium to full-bodied palate is clean and correct, with plush dark red fruit, dusty tannins, purple flowers and soft oak spices of vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg. The wine ends with a long, thoughtful, well-balanced finish that delivers complexity and pleasure simultaneously. Michel Rolland made this beauty of a bottle. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #246, December 2019), 94 pts
Ossian Capitel Verdejo is made from 100% Verdejo.
Ossian Capital represents a particular expression of very old Verdejo vines, taking its potential far finesse, elegance and longevity. It is made in selected years with a selection of extraordinary grapes.
Color: Old golden yellow color with greenish reflections.
Aromas: Surprisingly nuanced and profound.
Flavors: Fresh, full and very light.
Review:
Color: bright yellow. Aroma: ripe fruit, spicy, white fruit, citrus fruit. Flavour: balanced, fresh. Style: taut. Color: bright yellow. Aroma: powerful, creamy oak, ripe fruit, spicy. Flavour: rich, good structure, long, toasty, fine bitter notes.
-Guia Penin 96 Points
The Peumo Vineyard is located 170 m above sea level and extended along the Cachapoal River, on terraces of hills of the Coastal Mountains. The vines come from pre-phylloxera cuttings and are trellised to vertical shoot position and cordon pruned. The soils are deep with an upper layer of clay that retains moisture, which controls the vines’ vigor and growth and allows them to remain active through late May, when the Carmenere is picked.
Deep, dark red with hints of violet. Elegant and mineral on the nose, with notes of blackberry and a touch of blackcurrant. It fills the palate with underlying mature tannins. Deep, concentrated, with a long aftertaste and distinctive hints of the Peumo terroir. This 2018 vintage is characterized by its elegance and freshness; it is a wine with a lot of Carmenere character. Pairs best with elegant but simply prepared dishes such as juicy, rare roast beef, veal, pork tenderloin with roasted beets and cranberries, duck (cont or magret). Also delightful with squash-stuffed pasta with morel mushrooms or aged goat cheese with figs.
Review:
The 2018 Carménère Carmín de Peumo is made with grapes from 35-year-old vines and painstakingly overseen by Marcio Ramírez, who adds dabs of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon before aging the wine for 15 months in French oak to achieve a new level of complexity. Deep purple in color. The nose offers black tea and cedar aromas combined with blueberry, black currant and white pepper. With juicy, fine-grained tannins, in the mouth it is fleshy and full-flavored, conveying a surprisingly light feel. Sets a high benchmark for Chilean Carménère/.
-Vinous 94 Points
Capanna Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2015
TYPE: DOCG
BLEND: 100% Sangiovese carefully selected in the oldest vineyards and only of the best harvests.
VINIFICATION:
Alcoholic fermentation with maceration of the skins (30-35 days) at a controlled temperature and spontaneous malolactic fermentation, both in truncated cone-shaped Slavonian oak vats.
AGEING:
In Slavonian oak casks of 10 to 25 hl for over 40 months; followed by ageing in bottles for at least 15 months.
NOTES:
Colour: deep ruby red, strong, lively.
Bouquet: very intense and complex, fruity and spicy, with red fruit, jam and liquorice shades; great prospects of future development.
Taste: great structure in the acid-tannin components, well supported by the soft ones; extremely persistent.
Food pairings: roast red meats, game and very aged cheeses.
Review:
Powerful, sparkling garnet red. Rich, very appealing nose with notes of ripe raspberries and fresh plums, some liquorice and fine spice notes in the background. Grippy, fine-meshed tannin on the palate, builds up in many layers, salty, good tension, very long finish in the finish.
- Falstaff 98 Points
Palacio del Burgo Rioja Reserva is made from 85% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha & 5% Carignan.
Red ruby color; black pepper and vanilla flavors and some mature black fruit taste too. Well-balanced, well-structured and elegant in mouth displaying some splendid taste of fruit and bouquet too.