Bavencoff Bourgogne Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Bourgogne Chardonnay is fresh and bright. The aromas are expressive with Honeysuckle, Broom and Mushroom. A nice balance between the acidity and the fruitiness, complementing the minerality. It will drink well during its youth but will gain some extra aromatic complexity after a few month in the cellar.
Very pleasant as an aperitif. Our Bourgogne Chardonnay also goes very well with cold meats, fish, grilled and marinated vegetables as well as goat cheese.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
100% Malolactic fermentation done.
Aged 14 months. 80%of the wine was aged in Stainless steel tanks with 20% was aged in French Oak barriques (228 liter barrels).
Review:
Wine Enthusiast (April 2025), 90 pts
Bella Union by Far Niente Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.
The 2021 Bella Union Napa Valley Cabernet possesses beautiful and intriguing aromas of dark plum, black cherry, hints of clove and barrel spice. The palate is well-structured with velvety tannins complemented by generous layers of fruit flavors of blackberry, fig, and raspberry preserves that give way to a melting finish.
Review:
With small percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, this exquisitely aromatic and textural Cabernet begins with a perfume of crushed violets and black cherry. Concentrated flavors of blackberry liqueur, vanilla, and sandalwood flow across chewy, velvet- lined tannins.
-Tasting Panel 95 Points
Dark plum in color with abundant aromas of dark chocolate, black cherry, and sun-ripened blackberry with a hint of cedar. Layered flavors of blackberry and raspberry pie filling, accompanied by notes of cinnamon, chocolate, and nutmeg play on the palate. Smooth and focused with refined tannins and a medium finish.
Bellevue Cotes de Bordeaux-Castillon Cé Ma Cuvée is made from 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc
The wine is made with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Average age of the vines is 50 years old (everything is between 40 and 60 years old).
Cé Ma Cuvée is a tribute from Michel Lydoire to his 2 daughters:
Cé is for Céline. She is like the Merlot grape varietal. Pleasant and calm.
Ma is for Marina. She is like the Cabernet Franc grape varietal. Tough and with a lot of character.
The color is deep and inky.
The nose is spicy, fruity and oaky with some nice vanilla and coconut aromas.
The mouthfeel is complex, with ripe red and black fruit flavors. Some spiciness and integrated oak flavors.
The wine starts as the Vieilles vignes, but some wine is aged in 500-liter American Oak Barrels for 18 months.
They are using a mix of different toastiness for the barrels. Some high toast and some are medium toast.
This is a fun wine that can be enjoyed with any food, charbroil burgers, grilled vegetables, cheeses ... or even with dark chocolate desserts.
Bellevue Cotes de Bordeaux-Castillon Vieilles Vignes 2020 is 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc.
Average age of the vines is 40 years old.
The wine offers a rich and intense bouquet of blackcurrant, blackberry and strawberry.
It is smooth and full in the mouth with a velvety texture. Acidity combined with firm but well-integrated tannins are a fine supporting cast to the black fruit flavors at the end.
#32 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023
Delicate red in color. The incredibly expressive bouquet offers notes of sandalwood, herbs de Provence, and Red Delicious apples. On the palate, freshly picked red huckleberries provide tart and lasting succulence with a hint of baking spice. The sandy soils of the Chehalem Mountains offer salinity and minerality on the finish that is complemented with dark cherry and rhubarb.
Review:
Supple, richly textured and elegantly complex, this Pinot opens with a burst of fresh raspberry, then unfolds with notes of forest floor and brown baking spices, plus a touch of licorice as it builds tension toward refined tannins.
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
The first impression of this stunning red is of brilliant red raspberry fruit, as pure as a sunbeam. Yet an inky depth plays counterpoint, rumbling beneath, dark and a bit spicy, grounding the fruit with tannins from the silica-based soils of Bergström’s estate vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains. The tension between these two elements is gorgeous, the fruit saturating and full, and yet it has an energy and drive giving the texture a lifted, graceful feel.
-Wine & Spirits 95 Points
Sokol Blosser Big Tree Block Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
1970 was winding down when our founders, Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser pulled their ’68 VW Camper up to an abandoned prune orchard some 30 miles southwest of Portland. These moonstruck kids had little farming experience and just a basic knowledge of winemaking. What they did have, in abundance, was a passion for growing the Pinot Noir grape and creating world-class wine. Soon after settling on this extraordinary land, they planted their first vines and cinched their place as pioneers in Oregon’s budding wine industry.
Review:
A very impressive wine for the striking sense of spice, white-pepper and briary, forest notes, across red cherries. The palate has sapid, focused style with such taut yet silky tannins holding long and true. Pure red cherries here. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Pago de Carraovejas Ribera Del Duero is made from 90% Tempranillo, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot
The most honest interpretation of the Carraovejas Valley.
Body, structure and balance with a vibrant background. Delicacy, harmony and passion for detail are perceived in a wine that reflects the unique character of the valley in an outstanding way.
The 2022 vintage was characterized by cool winter months and extremely low rainfall, reaching limits that had not been observed for years. Due to the good rainfall of the previous year, the vines had good accumulated water reserves, which allowed the vineyard to have a good phenological cycle and normal development. Budding and flowering were perfectly developed in each of the varieties worked, and a homogeneous and balanced development of the plants was achieved. The summer was excessively hot, with several episodes of heat waves, which were mitigated by drip irrigation. Veraison, which was slower than in previous years, and ripening began in early August and the berries developed very uniformly. Harvest began on September 12 and ended on September 28.
Pago de Carraovejas 2022 is the most honest reflection of the valley to which it owes its name. An environment in which the vines climb the slopes to form a unique landscape. On the surface, its tertiary soil of limestone marl, clay and sandstone outcrops force the vines to self-regulate and give their best. Plots that converge in an orography marked by its unique mesoclimate. The vineyards are distributed from the middle zones to the moors that exceed 900 meters in altitude; from the gentle undulation that descends towards the stream, to the plots that exceed 30% slope. South- and north facing slopes, each with its own personality, create the profile of the Carraovejas Valley.
The grapes for Pago de Carraovejas 2022 were harvested by hand after an initial selection of bunches in the vineyard. Subsequently, in the winery, a double selection was made: first by cluster then by berry. Gravity must production allows maximum respect for the raw material. During the fermentation process, indigenous yeasts and lactic bacteria from our own estate were used. The wine was aged in French and American oak barrels for 12 months. The entire process was marked by precision and care in every detail. For greater protection, the wine contains sulfites. Finally it was clarified with natural egg white and bottle in spring of 2024.
Review:
Freshly cut vanilla, dark cherries and ripe plums on the nose, with a touch of blue flowers. Medium to full body with firm, fine-grained tannins and a juicy, medium-long finish. Drink now or hold.
-James Suckling 92 Points