Visual aspect: Straw yellow color with persistent mousse.
Aromas: Fruity notes of delicious Golden apple and Kaiser pear with a pleasant citrus background.
Mouthfeel: The wine is well balanced with a nice acidity and minerality, combined with freshness and complexity.
The finish is long and very pleasant.
Area of origin: Valdobbiadene, Conegliano, Vittorio Veneto.
Soil: calcareous clayey
Varietal: Glera (known as Prosecco)
Harvest: manual harvest with grape selection
Winemaking: off skins by gentle pressing.
Primary fermentation with controlled temperature by selected yeats.
Refinement :Stainless Steel tanks
Foaming: secondary fermentation in "autoclave" (cuve close) at a controlled temperature with selected fermentation as long as a 5 bar pressure is reached.
Fining: 60 days
Training system: autochthonous called "capuccina modificata"
Bottling: isobaric bottling after sterile filtration.
It is ideal for important occasions and as an aperitif. It is also excellent with risotto and noble meat.
Renato Ratti Rocche dell'Annunziata Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo. Grapes handpicked in the month of October, de-stemmed and pressed. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel containers. Contact with the skins lasts approximately three to four weeks and includes fermentation and subsequent post-fermentation maceration with the traditional submerged cap system. The malolactic fermentation takes place in steel containers.
The Rocche dell'Annunziata vineyard is historically known as one of the most important in the Barolo zone. In his Barolo Chart, Renato Ratti had already underscored this by entering it in the 1st Category class. Situated at about 300 meters above sea level and with a south-east exposure, it extends over approximately 1 hectare. Rich with typical blue marl interspersed between veins of sand, the earth confers an extraordinary elegance and depth, combined with fine and persistent scents of roses and licorice. A prestigious subzone engenders a Barolo that holds within it suggestions of a radiant future. Warm, persistent, rich: in a word, sumptuous.
The label bears the coat of arms of the local noble family, with a black hawk against a gilt backdrop. The Latin inscription “Probasti me et cogniusti me” means “You tried me, you knew me.”
The Bottle: The Albeisa – named after the city of Alba – is the iconic bottle created by Renato Ratti in 1973, desired as a way of identifying the uniqueness of a territory and its wines.
A garnet red. Delicate and persistent fragrance with trace scents of licorice, rose and violet. Full-flavored, warm, with extremely elegant tannins offering long persistence. A great wine for important dishes, red meats roasted on a spit or grilled, game, dishes of gourmet white and red meats and ripe cheeses.
Review:
Lots of dried flowers here give a perfumed nature to it with berries and citrus. Hibiscus water, too. Full-bodied and chewy with lots of tannins and vivid acidity. Subtle plum and strawberry character. Muscular and formed..
-James Suckling 97 Points
For many wine lovers or consumers, wine tasting is the preserve of professionals or real connoisseurs. People still have this image of it being a complex, technical, precise and highly-formalised process. In fact, wine tasting isn’t and shouldn’t be just that. No, it should be straightforward, convivial, interesting and fun. Tasting a wine should provoke curiosity, excitement, pleasure and dreams…
When you taste a Château du Retout wine, you use all five of your senses: the sense of touch when you pick up the bottle to gauge its temperature, the sense of hearing which allows you to enjoy the sound of he popping of the cork and the wine being poured into the glass, and then, of course, you use your senses of sight, smell and taste when you drink the wine:
The Médoc grape varieties and soils give us wines with superb, dense, dark hues, ranging from deep garnet to ruby-crimson, taking on brick red shades with orange tints with age.
Very intense and expressive aromas with powerful notes of black fruit such as blackcurrants and blackberries. In older wines, the nose develops a spicy bouquet of liquorice, leather and marshmallow mingled with the vanilla scents created by well-integrated oak.
Harmonious, elegant and velvety, with smooth, round tannins, that can be appreciated from the wine's entry to the palate through to the finish. These are delightfully full-bodied wines with great aromatic persistence.
Review:
"Shows the ripeness of the vintage, with dark currant and blackberry framed by singed cedar and vanilla. Ends with a tug of warm earth, a light twang of iron and a steady grip. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2034."
- Wine Spectator (TOP 100 wines of 2024), 92 pts and #45 on Top100
Jean Reverdy Sancerre Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Single vineyard. Vinification: cold fermentation in stainless steel tank, no oak, no malolactic fermentation.
Sweet, fruity and clean. White flowers (acacia, jasmine) and citrus fruits aromas. Perfectly balanced.
A delicious wine, perfect with fish dishes, especially salmon, and a local goat cheese Crottin de Chavignol.
Jean Reverdy Sancerre Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Single vineyard. Vinification: cold fermentation in stainless steel tank, no oak, no malolactic fermentation.
Sweet, fruity and clean. White flowers (acacia, jasmine) and citrus fruits aromas. Perfectly balanced.
A delicious wine, perfect with fish dishes, especially salmon, and a local goat cheese Crottin de Chavignol.
Intense ruby red color with purple tints.
On the nose, the wine shows some intense notes of red fruits, especially cherry and slight hints of oak.
In the mouth, it has a good structure, great softness and it is pleasant to drink. Predominant notes of red fruits, with slight spiciness.
Pair with first courses with game, grilled meats, fresh and aged cheeses such as pecorino.
Ricudda Chianti Classico Riserva 100% Sangiovese.
Deep ruby red color.
The wine shows an intense and persistent bouquet, with notes of berries and spices such as licorice and black pepper. Well-harmonized hints of oak.
In the mouth, it is well structured and balanced, complex, persistent with notes of red fruits and spices such as black pepper and licorice.
Pair with grilled red meats, steak, game of hair and feather, stewed and roasted, aged cheeses hard like pecorino.
Review:
"A very fine riserva with black-cherry, walnut with some cedar aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied with lovely tension and a fresh finish. Racy and refined. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (June 2022), 93 pts
Ricudda IGT Toscana Canaiolo is made from 100% Sangiovese.
Intense ruby red with purple tints. Aromas of flowers and berries accompanied by sweet spices. Fresh and easy to drink, with intense fruity notes.
To be combined with first and second courses based on meat, cold cuts, vegetables and fresh cheeses.
First courses with game, grilled meats, fresh and aged cheeses such as pecorino.
Riebeek Cellars Merlot is made from 100% Merlot.
Grapes were cold soaked overnight. Inoculated with selective yeast. Fermentation took place at 24 - 26 degree Celsius. Wine were pressed at
above 2 degree Balling. Malolactic fermentation finished in stainless steel tanks. Oak maturation include French oak chips, French oak staves and 2nd and 3rd fill barrels. All blended together to perfection.
The style is elegant with distinctive red berries and well-integrated wood flavors on the nose. The pallet is velvety and smooth with an aftertaste that lingers with the juicy flavors of abundant berries.
At room temperature or slightly chilled. Enjoy with pasta or light meat dishes.
Riebeek Cellars Merlot is made from 100% Merlot.
Grapes were cold soaked overnight. Inoculated with selective yeast. Fermentation took place at 24 - 26 degree Celsius. Wine were pressed at
above 2 degree Balling. Malolactic fermentation finished in stainless steel tanks. Oak maturation include French oak chips, French oak staves and 2nd and 3rd fill barrels. All blended together to perfection.
The style is elegant with distinctive red berries and well-integrated wood flavors on the nose. The pallet is velvety and smooth with an aftertaste that lingers with the juicy flavors of abundant berries.
At room temperature or slightly chilled. Enjoy with pasta or light meat dishes.
Riebeek Pinotage is made from 100 percent Pinotage.
The color is an attractive bright, ruby red with a purple rim, typical of a young Pinotage. The flavors of this unique South African cultivar are complex and exciting with ripe plum and fruitcake all beautifully integrated and then finished with subtle oak for a lingering aftertaste.
Lovely with rare beef, barbequed lamb and casseroles. This versatile lighter style of Pinotage is also a lovely combination with spicy chicken.
Riebeek Pinotage is made from 100 percent Pinotage.
The color is an attractive bright, ruby red with a purple rim, typical of a young Pinotage. The flavors of this unique South African cultivar are complex and exciting with ripe plum and fruitcake all beautifully integrated and then finished with subtle oak for a lingering aftertaste.
Lovely with rare beef, barbequed lamb and casseroles. This versatile lighter style of Pinotage is also a lovely combination with spicy chicken.
Rinaldi Barbera Appassimento is made from 100% Barbera.
Color: intense ruby red.
Smell: hints of ripe red fruits, cocoa, tobacco and sweet spices.
Taste: it’s complex, velvety and persistent.
Hand harvested. Then the bunches are set on racks to dry for 6 weeks.
20 days of skin contact maceration to extract the color without bringing too much tannins.
No oak, only stainless steel tanks.
It is the ideal companion to red meats, beef stew, brisket and beef ribs and semi-hard cheeses. It is also delicious with a chocolate cake.
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Rinaldi Joyful NV is made from 85 % Barbera, 10 % Cortese and 5 % Moscato
Straw yellow color, fruity with hints of apple and mint.
Joyful is a modern sparkling wine made using the method charmat process with the secondary fermentation made in a stainless steel tank.
Zone of production: Ricaldone’s territory on the hills called "Bricco Rioglio" and "Valmorana" and Celle.
Average altitude: 280 m above sea level, calcareous soil with tufa layers.
Training system: guyot with a cultivation density of about 3500 vines per hectare.
Vinification: manual harvest into crates, usually in September. Soft pressing. Settling in steel vats to have a natural clearing of musts. Further temperature and pressure controlled fermentation.
Joyful is great as an aperitif but also pairs very well with seafood.
Review:
"Golden yellow color. Aromas and flavors of hazelnut, cocoa, and vanilla, dried cherry multi grain bread, valencia orange, and over ripe melon with a satiny, bright, effervescent, dry light-to-medium body and a stimulating, medium-length finish with notes of fruit and nut multigrain biscuit with dried red fruits, toasted hazelnut, watermelon rind, and lime zest. Citrus forward and bright with a subtle hint of salinity makes this sparkling completely crushable yet sophisticated enough to bring to dinner."
- Beverage Testing Institute 93 pts - Gold Medal
Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Red Blend is made from 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot.
Robert Mondavi’s vision was to elevate Napa to the world stage. In celebration of his achievement, our Napa Tier wines are sourced from distinctive vineyards throughout the Napa Valley and truly emulate a classic Napa Valley style.
Nearly half of this year’s blend is sourced from the deep, well-drained soils of Oakville, which provides gorgeously dark, supple wines with fine tannins. Stags Leap District, Oak Knoll, Yountville, and Rutherford also find their place in the bottle, with the varying mesoclimates and soils of these vineyards integrating seamlessly into a 100% Napa Valley blend.
Review:
"Dominated by 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller percentages of the other Bordeaux red grapes, this wine speaks of heritage and prestige. Broad, silky, and powerful, the graceful liquid is enhanced by dark chocolate, white pepper, black plum, violets, and sweet earth."
-Meridith May, Tasting Panel, January/February 2023 Pts. Tasting Panel
Roby Loupiac Semillon is made from 100% Sémillon.
This two-hectare estate is run by Colette Larriaut who inherited from her parents Jean and Denise Boutet. Colette focuses on traditional winegrowing and winemaking methods and keeps the passion and precision required to produce great sweet wines.
Château Roby Loupiac is built over time. More time is allowed to ferment and mature in order to produce a wine of character, a sweet wine marrying candied fruits, white fruits and white flowers with a remarkable freshness. The finish is long and very pleasant.
Loupiac is a very good alternative to Sauternes. It is less sweet and syrupy and has a nice balance and a delicious mouthfeel.
RS is around 60gr/L
Excellent with Foie Gras and Blue Cheese, but also with dessert and particularly with dark chocolate based cake.
Roche Redonne Bandol Rouge Les Bartavelles is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache.
This cuvée is named "Bartavelles" which is French for the "Rock Partridge".
The wine is quite aromatic, with boysenberry, blackcurrant, peppery and graphite notes. Ample in the mouth with a creamy structure, soft, harmonious and elegant tannins. The finish is long and juicy.
Excellent with grilled red meat or game. Also excellent with cheese
Roche Redonne Bandol Rouge Les Bartavelles is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache.
This cuvée is named "Bartavelles" which is French for the "Rock Partridge".
The wine is quite aromatic, with boysenberry, blackcurrant, peppery and graphite notes. Ample in the mouth with a creamy structure, soft, harmonious and elegant tannins. The finish is long and juicy.
Excellent with grilled red meat or game. Also excellent with cheese
Review:
The 2016 Bandol Cuvee les Bartavelles is lush, open and inviting. Marked by hints of pencil shavings and boysenberries, this 95% Mourvèdre cuvée is medium to full-bodied, creamy textured and easy to drink. It should be consumed over the next decade. - Joe CZERWINSKI"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (May 16th 2019), 90 pts
This is a 9 liter imperial also called a Salmanazar .
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru 2014 is made from 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.
Manual harvest; then pressing immediately to avoid oxidation & preserve quality. Free run juice only. Aged six years on the lees.
It matches magnificently with foie gras!
Review:
"Based in Chouilly on the Côte des Blancs, it is obvious this producer will have a Blanc de Blancs Champagne. And very good it is, with some age after six years on lees while still having freshness, crisp acidity and a tight, steely edge. The bottling will benefit from further aging, and it will be at its best from 2022. - ROGER VOSS"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2020), 92 pt
24 Hour Sale!
Roland Champion Champagne Cuvee Aramis Brut is made from 70% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay.
Very nice effervescence, fine bubbles - A nose spawn with notes of mature fruits such as quince and yellow fruits jelly. Aromas of biscuits and honey at the end of the palate, which remains supple, well structured, and with a beautiful length.
Black grapes from Verneuil and Vandière in the Marne Valley, argilo-limestone soil. Chardonnay grapes from Chouilly, “Grand Cru” from the famous “Côtes des blancs”, limestone soil and subsoil.
Review:
"Brilliant pale yellow straw color. Lively, complex aromas of honeyed biscuit, buttery praline, and poached Asian pear with a supple, lively, effervescent, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and an elegant, long creme brulee, white balsamic reduced lemon, spiced nuts and tangerines, and grassy earth and minerals finish with well-integrated, fine tannins. A layered and vibrant champagne with cascading waves of fresh and mature flavors."
- Beverage Testing Institute (November 19th 2012), 95 pts
100% Chardonnay (this grape ages very well) and is produced from the free run juice only. The grapes used result from parcels that have the best maturity.
This Champagne, with its delicate brioche-like notes, shows a flawless balance. Very nice vintage. It matches magnificently with foie gras!
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blancs NV is aged for minimum 30 months (the minimum for NV is 15 months). This cuvee is made from 100% Chardonnay and is produced from the free run juice only. The current release is the result of the blend of the 2005, the 2006 and the 2007 vintage.
Fresh and delicate, its fine bubbles and wide range of aromas will be perfect as an aperitif. This Champagne will also match very well with seafood and shellfish.
dosage : 8 grams per liter
ageing : 30 months on laths
Even if it doesn't say on the label, 100% of the production is RD (Recently Disgorged)
Total Production for this Cuvée : 1,500 cases (9 liter equivalent) per year
Reviews:
"Golden yellow color. Lively, fruity, toasty leesy aromas of honeyed brioche and apple tart with a satiny, tangy, dry-yet-fruity medium body and a sleek, interesting, snappy lemon curd, nougat, and chalk finish with silky, soft, fruit tannins. A classic example of blanc de blanc champagne, delicious."
- Beverage Testing institute , 93 pts
"Spiced with ground anise and ginger accents, this offers notes of poached pear, lemon meringue pie, hazelnut and stony mineral. Very elegant and well-meshed throughout, with a silky finish. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,500 cases made. –AN"
- Wine Spectator 92 pts
"This cuvée made from 100% Chardonnay offers a fresh aromatic nose of light toast, dried yellow fruit and nuances of yeast. On the palate it has a creamy mouth feel of toasted nuts and rich autolytic notes. This is a beautiful wine, rich and complex."
International Wine review 92+ pts
"Small grower. Autumn fruits dominate the aromas of this wine, which is blatantly more like a wine than we normally expect a champagne to be. Some may find that unexpected and even off-putting, while others will find it intriguingly delicious."
- Washington Post - EXCELLENT
"Roland Champion is a small family-owned producer, now with the fourth generation, in the village of Chouilly (”shoo-ee”), which has only Grand Cru vineyards. Made from 100 percent chardonnay grapes, this Champagne offers ethereal grace and poise and harmony; if I were fighting a duel tonight, I would ask for this Champagne as my last beverage. The nose here is about the richness of warm biscuits and hazelnuts, dried fruit and spice, like a Platonic, ineffably light fruitcake; in the mouth, however, it’s about a structure that encompasses an incredible marriage of power and elegance, like the delicacy and strength of the finest bone china. And there’s something porcelain-like about this Champagne, in its notable crisp, lively character, its transparency and its slightly chalky, shale-like mineral elements. Forget the Champagnes that come on with heavy toasty, caramel qualities; here, instead, is a wealth of subtlety and nuance touched with a racy, dynamic edge. Exceptional."
Biggerthanyourhead.net
Rombauer Vineyards Proprietor Selection Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Proprietor Selection is a reserve Chardonnay produced only in exceptional vintages by blending the best barrels from the finest lots. The 2022 represents the 16th vintage in 44 years. Like all of our Chardonnays, this wine comes from Carneros where the cool climate and clay soils offer ideal growing conditions for the varietal.
This wine comes from elite vineyards in the Carneros region owned by the Rombauer family and select growers including the Sangiacomo family, long-term grower partners who have farmed this land for three generations
Expressive and concentrated aromas of grapefruit and lime sorbet with hints of clove are present in the glass. It is rich and intense on the palate with sweet peach, clove, and freshly baked pastry flavors. There is a bright refreshing acidity that gives way to more stone fruit flavors that continue to build on the very long and concentrated finish.
Segries Tavel Rose is made from 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 15% Clairette, 5% Syrah. The age of the vines is 30 years. Traditional vinification at low temperature, "vin de saignée" with a maceration during one night in cement vat.
This is large for a Rose...structured and focused, with the color of dark ruby. The nose is loaded up with fresh fruit. Strawberry, blackcurrant, and raspberry beam from the glass. On the palate, the mouth-feel is ripe and succulent. It has strength, but maintains its fresh and crisp expression. The finish is filled with Asian spice and slight hints of smoke. Drink this juice now or over the next year or two.
In the far northwest corner of the Sonoma Coast appellation, near the town of Annapolis, the vineyard sits just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, and provides a poignant setting for producing pinot noir with elegance, great precision, and intensity.
Review:
The 2021 Pinot Noir Goldrock Estate is deep, rich and explosive. Dark red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, menthol, spice and rose petals are all amplified in this dramatic Sonoma Coast Pinot. The complexity and intensity here are simply unreal. Give this time, there's a lot of wine in the glass.
-Vinous 96 Points