Masseto 2020 is a wine that has embraced all the key traits of the vintage. It displays excellent concentration both in terms of colour and bouquet. They remain persistent and vivid in the glass without subsiding over time. The potency of this wine returns on the palate with beautiful length and balsamic flavours. The integrity of the tannin reveals the ageing potential typical of Masseto.
Review:
Intense and full on the nose, fragrant with ripe black fruit, floral aspects and soft spicing. Round and full on the palate, it's rich and muscular yet tight and neatly coiled with a liquorice, graphite, pepper, cinnamon and clove tang that gives this immediate but enjoyable spice. Feels well worked, juicy with high acidity that lifts the palate and gives freshness and brightness alongside really quite mouthwatering strawberry and raspberry fruit with such captivating dried floral and bitter orange rind aspects. Tannins are super fine and so well integrated yet this maintains a grip and hold from the very beginning through to a long and sustained finish. Nuanced and complex, still packing a punch in terms of power, but this feels sophisticated, suave, purposeful and controlled. Not elegant, this is more of a caged animal with it's full potential yet to be unveiled, but it is classy. A truly delicious wine with so much purity and sense of place. Malolactic fermentation in 100% new barroques, with each batch kept separate for the first 12 months of ageing before being blended and returned to barriques for another year, totaling 24 months. The wine was then aged for a further 12 months in bottle before being released.
-Decanter 100 Points
My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 6% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah, 3% Petit Verdot.
A homage to Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery became an obsession. Sourced from exceptional vineyard sites around Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and south to Edna Valley, this wine is cultivated meticulously by the farmers who have become My Favorite Neighbors. With their dedication to the land, we are able to craft a world class wine without any shortcuts or compromises. Welcome to our Neighborhood.
The 2022 My Favorite Neighbor is everything you’ve come to expect from our flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from our favorite Paso Robles growers who lend their neighborly spirit to the wine. Effusive aromas of raspberry and currant reveal notes of blue fruit and purple flower. On the palate, juicy red fruits are interwoven with hints of black cherry, cinnamon and toasted oak. Structured tannins carry into a long, chewy finish. Whether it’s a casual backyard barbecue or a fine celebratory meal, this versatile wine has you covered for summer and beyond.
Never Look Back Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
A full-bodied, richly textured Cabernet Sauvignon with intense black fruit, well-integrated French oak and a smooth, lingering finish.
One glass of this rich, lush Cabernet Sauvignon and you’ll never look back!
Try this with prime rib, roasted lamb or grilled mushrooms.
Paul Hobbs George Menini Estate Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Brilliant ruby red in the glass, the 2022 vintage follows the color with matching aromas of wild mountain strawberry, raspberry, and cherry infused with hints of black tea. On the palate, this wine has the texture of thick satin, evolving seamlessly with subtle energy and pleasant tension. Elegant, fine-grained tannins run through a lingering, juicy finish.
Review:
Wow, a super well-structured, vital wine with oodles of generous black fruit flavors on a firm frame that will help it age well and improve with time. Black cherries, blackberries, blueberries, forest floor nuances and a slight smoky, stemmy character from using mostly Calera-clone grapes, with 15% whole clusters and 30% new French oak. Great interplay between layered fruit and a fresh, crunchy texture. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.
-James Suckling 98 Points & #54 in Top 100
Paul Hobbs Russian River Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Sourced predominately from the estates that are defined by their proximity to the coast and Russian River climate, the wine displays vivid crimson and aromas of violet, Morello cherry, and black tea. Velvet tannins on the palate ride along a juicy backbone of flavors such as cranberry, Blood orange, and Damson plum. The finish is long, powered behind a crisp acidity and appealing red clay-like minerality.
Pierinvaletta Organic Barolo Langhe is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo .
Elegant with a good structure and a long pleasant finish.
No filtration before bottling.Wine was aged in Oak foudre for 24 months.
Average 40 years (oldest vines are 70 years old)
Pair with meat, steak.
Opus One is made from 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec, 1% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot
Opus One 2021 is made from 93%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Petit Verdot 2%, Merlot 0.5%, and Malbec 0.5%.
The Opus One 2021 effuses seductive, dark-fruit aromas of crushed cassis, blackberry, and black cherry with subtle hints of violet, vanilla, and baking spices. Bright and fresh on the attack, concentrated flavors mirror the aromas and are coupled with an exceptionally plush, creamy texture in the mid-palate from the fine-grained tannins. Poignant notes of black tea, licorice, and dark chocolate lead to
Of the great European wine families, the Rothschilds are perhaps the best known. And Baron Philippe de Rothschild is perhaps the best known of this great family. At the age of 20, Baron Philippe took on the management of Château Mouton Rothschild from his father Baron Henri. Philippe’s vision changed the world of wine: he invented Château bottling, commissioned great artists to illustrate his wine labels – and, in partnership with Robert Mondavi in 1979, created Opus One.In the 1980s, after her father’s death, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild left a stage career that included the Comédie Française and the Renault-Barrault Theatre Company, bringing her own exquisite style and creativity to the design, construction, and operation of Opus One.Among great New World wine pioneers, Robert Mondavi is an international icon. Bringing a passion for excellence to everything he did, Robert Mondavi led a renaissance in California fine wine for over six decades. Among other accomplishments, he introduced temperature-controlled fermentation, French oak barrel aging, and high-density viticulture to a fledgling American wine industry. But life was not only wine for Robert Mondavi: he broadened the American cultural palate by marrying fine wine to food, music, and the arts. One of few Americans to have received the French medal of the Legion of Honor, Robert Mondavi showed extraordinary vision as co-founder of Opus One.
Review:
An enticing aroma of violets, cherry blossoms, fresh blue and black fruit and great structure define this beautiful, age-worthy wine. Subtle layering of fruit and oak spices between firm, fine-grained and supportive tannins gives it a calm intensity. So elegant and polished. Hints of cinnamon and graphite accent blackcurrant and blueberry flavors that linger and grow in a long finish. Already attractive to drink, but best after 2029.
-James Suckling 99 Points
Octopoda Pinot Noir Russian River is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
10 months in 40% new French oak
Beautiful garnet color with aromas of bing cherry, red raspberry, baking spice and subtle vanilla notes. On the palate, flavors are of concentrated red and blue fruit, with a core of cherry and dark raspberry with purple violet floral notes. Medium bodied with balanced acidity that lifts the flavors