Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir thrives in Willamette Valley's long growing seasons with cool autumn breezes and sunny days. This culmination of extra time on the vine yields aromatics of crunchy dried leaves, pomegranate molasses, black tea leaves, and tart cherries. Earthy undertones and great textured tannins that continue to smooth out with time - adding to the body and longevity.
Review:
Rich and polished, this Pinot offers multilayered raspberry and blueberry flavors. Shows dusky spice and fresh forest floor accents while building structure toward refined tannins.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Arzuaga Reserva Especial is made from 95% Tempranillo and 5% Albillo.
The wine shows an intense, deep red with purple nuances. Complex, concentrated, and intense on the nose with aromas of ripe black fruits, mint, and cocoa. A mineral and light background of toasted and caramelized tones dominate. Very elegant and complex aromas that evolve favorably throughout the tasting. In the mouth it is fresh and gentle. Elegant mouthfeel, fresh and well-textured, and a long finish that recalls the fruity, spicy and caramelized aromas.
Pair with red meats, roasted or in sauce, ground or bird game, soft or lightly cured cheeses and Bluefish. Alternatively, try to leave a little for the end of the meal and enjoy it with a dessert of dark chocolate.
Review
Style: classic, full-bodied. Color: cherry, garnet rim. Aroma: complex, ripe fruit, black fruit, creamy oak, sweet spices. Flavour: flavourful, round, round tannins.
-Penin 94 Points
Avennia Justine Red Blend 56% Grenache, 31% Mourvèdre, 13% Syrah
Justine reflects our belief that Washington is capable of producing world class blends of grape varieties traditional to the Southern Rhone region of France. The name is inspired by one of the great heroines of recent literature, who also sprung from the imagination of the Mediterranean. Dark, seductive, complex, with a chasm of depth: The Justine is a great reflection of Avennia's mission of expression, and Washington's generous terroir.
Tasting Note: Big black cherry, blackberry, hints of orange peel, fresh herbs and loam on the nose. Plush and round on the palate. Dark earthy fruits from the Mourvedre, along with citrus high notes, mountain flowers, jasmine, and savory herbs. Balanced and complex without forgetting its hedonistic roots in the Southern Rhone.
Review:
A blend of 56% Grenache, 31% Mourvèdre, 13% Syrah brought up all in older oak, the 2016 Justine offers a great core of black fruits as well as lots of peppery herbs, earth, and classic meatiness. It looks to be a great vintage for this cuvée."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 92-94 pts
Named after the French word for Crow, or Raven, this Syrah is certainly as dark as the name implies. Hailing from Discovery Vineyard, perched high above the Columbia River in the heart of the Horse Heaven Hills, these grapes were grown in a very unique terroir. Avennia's approach of old-world style, minimalist winemaking allows for full expression of the fruit, showcasing the elegant and savory side of Syrah.
"Leads with a nice balance of dark fruits—blackberry and blueberry—with more savory elements, including blackberry leaf, olive, charcuterie, and a hint of shiitake. The palate features snappy fresh black fruits, a hint of smoked meat, and a lively finish with plenty of savory elements that make this wine quite interesting. Give it a year in the cellar and enjoy over the next eight years or so." - Chris Peterson, Winemaker
Reviews:
"Aromas of blackberry and violet accented by a note of stems. Sweet, supple wine with dark fruit flavors lifted by a black-peppery topnote and accented by cinnamony Red Hots. For all its high notes, this is essentially a creamy wine with no edges. I suspect it will tighten up in bottle and eventually display a more savory aspect. Incidentally, this will be the last vintage for this bottling because, beginning with vintage 2018, Chris Peterson will introduce some new single-vineyard Syrahs from the exciting new WeatherEye vineyard on top of Red Mountain. This steep site, owned by Cameron Myhrvold and farmed by Ryan Johnson, extends over the ridgeline and onto the northern flank of Red Mountain. The project is called Red Mountain Elevated, and Peterson is making the wines. (14.5% alcohol; done mostly in puncheons; vinified with 10% stems) - Stephen Tanzer”
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2019), 92 pts
"The last vintage for this cuvée, the 2017 Syrah Le Corbeau Discovery Vineyard is similar in style to the Arnaut yet offers slightly more floral notes in its blue fruits, wild strawberry, violets, rose petal, and sappy, forest floor aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, with bright acidity and good balance, it’s a beautiful Syrah that leans heavily toward the fresh, elegant end of the spectrum while still offering tons of character and pleasure.”
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 92-94 pts
Avennia Sestina Red Blend is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc.
The Sestina is a poetic form from Medieval France. Just as a contemporary poet can use an old form like the Sestina to express modern ideas, we use the traditional Bordeaux blend to make modern wines that express Washington fruit. Sestina is our vision for an old vine blend where the focus is on structure, balance, and complexity. This wine is designed for the cellar, but is enjoyable now.
Sestina: This wine is a blockbuster, with black currant, black raspberry, saddle leather, freshly tilled earth, vanilla, and violet on the nose. Exceedingly rich and balanced on the palate, with great poise and structure for long aging. The finish echoes with fresh black fruits, minerally touches, and floral notes.
Review:
The 2020 Sestina showed beautifully, with lots of ripe black fruits, tobacco, and spring flower notes in a medium to full-bodied, fresh, focused, elegant style. It has fine tannins and a great finish and should drink nicely right out of the gate. The tannins here are terrific.
Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 Points
Bertrand Bachelet Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Saint-Aubin is situated in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, between Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet; both white and red wines are produced here but Chardonnay remains predominant. The Saint-Aubin appellation covers a wide area, with an altitude ranging from 300 to 450 meters, and with very varied expositions and soils, which makes each climat unique.
Saint-Aubin En Remilly is located in the south-east of Gamay, a hamlet near the village of Saint Aubin and next to the Puligny-Montrachet et Chassagne-Montrachet appellations. This area benefits from a south-western exposition.
The wine offers a pale yellow color, with gold nuances; a mineral nose, a dense texture on the palate, bringing together substance and tension.
Perfect as an aperitif, pairs very well with firm-textured fish or with shellfish.
Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is made from 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% 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:
The 2018 The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz (the 48th vintage) is named for Nick Waterman (managing director and CEO of Yalumba 2015 - 2022). The 2018 vintage in South Australia (and specifically here, Barossa) was an excellent one: ripe/warm, even and long and produced wines with density, energy and gravitas. This is exactly that: plush and powerful. The fruit forms a perfect dovetail: the enveloping, mouth-filling abundance of the Shiraz, neatly wedged into the folds of the structuring and shapely Cabernet. Very impressive. This is one of the more impressive Signatures in recent times. It will cellar with grace and ease.
-Robert Parker 96 Points
Since its first release in 1962, The Signature has been Yalumba's deep dive into the classic Australian blend from the Barossa and one that honors the people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba. There is a resonance and depth to this release that I really like. Wonderfully pure and concentrated blackberry and plum fruits, layered with spice, dark chocolate, earth, cedar and oak nuance. Succulent and sinewy in the mouth, it flexes considerable muscle, yet remains purely fruited and approachable even at this stage of its evolution. Rich and balanced with fine, ripe tannin and plenty of energy for such depth of fruit. Lovely.
- Australian Wine Companion 96 Points
Freemark Abbey Bosche Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot.
Nestled in the heart of the Rutherford Bench, the Bosché Vineyard has the ideal terroir for growing elegant and balanced Cabernet. The 2019 vintage opens with aromas of chocolate covered cherry, blueberry, graphite, and forest floor. The palate is rich and supple with notes of forest fruit compote, cigar box, mocha, and carob. The tannins are already silky and integrated which means it drinks wonderfully now and will age gracefully for decades. .
Review:
From a valley floor site and a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche offers a great bouquet of both red and black fruits as well as notes of herbes de Provence, loamy earth, and spicy oak. Brought up in two-thirds new French oak, it’s medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, and beautiful overall balance. A brilliant 2019, it will evolve for 20+ year
Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points