Cazaux Vacqueyras Rouge Cuvee Saint Roch 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre.
Deep color. Intense and persistent red fruits, such as strawberry and black cherry. Expressive and delicate at the same time. The finish is long and the tannins are quite round and well balanced.
Grapes are hand picked, destemmed 100% but not crushed. About 20 days fermentation according to vintage. Aged in stainless steel tanks for 12 months and an additional 12 months in enamel coated concrete tank. No fining, light filtration.
Enjoy this wine with meat cooked in red wine sauce (such as Boeuf Bourguignon).
Gravas Sauternes is a blend of 100% Sémillon.
The wine shows a lovely pale golden color with deep golden highlights. Round and well-balanced offering complex aromas of candied fruits backed up by a hint of exotic fruit (mango, guava) and white flowers. On the palate, it is ample and fleshy, leading into a silky and long finish.
The wine pairs well with white meats, scallops, exotic and spicy dishes, foie Gras, Roquefort blue cheese, chocolate desserts.
DAOU Vineyards Bodyguard Red is made from 65% Petit Verdot, 35% Petite Sirah.
The 2020 Bodyguard is the newest edition to this exceptional collection from winemaker Daniel Daou. Bold and brooding, it displays a vivid, deep purple hue accompanied by an intense nose of chocolate-covered blueberry, black raspberry, Zante currant, pencil lead and damp forest floor. Secondary layers reveal notes of kirsch, fennel, black olive and a hint of cool wintergreen. A lush palate of black plum, dried cherry and blackberry is supported by a firm structure with polished fine-grained tannins. Highlights of dusty leather, dried sage and truffle add layers of complexity that complement the rich, dark fruit. The finish strikes an impressive balance of power and grace, with lingering notes of currant, dark chocolate and crushed stone minerality that enhance the fullness of the experience.
Review:
Dr. Loosen Riesling Eiswein is made from 100 percent Riesling.
This vibrant, racy dessert wine conjures flavors of densely packed pear, apple and guava, with an intense, nervy edge in the aroma. It is luscious, silky and juicy on the palate, with bright acidity giving it a crisp, dynamic finish.
Review:
This is extremely rich, yet the acidity keeps it on its toes. The palate is rich, sporting rhubarb and apricot flavors that are laced by hints of earth, coriander seed and honeyed oolong tea. It has an appealing sweet tart character that takes over and is matched by super suave texture. Shows incredible persistence through the long finish. Drink now through 2050.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Filippino Elio Barbera d'Alba Superiore is made from 100% Barbera.
This 100% Barbera shows an intense fruity bouquet with subtle vanilla and toasty notes. Full and spicy flavors, and a good body.
The grapes are pressed and the stalks are removed. The must ferments at about 26°C for 6-9 days. After racking, before the end of fermentation, the new wine is put in 225 liter Allier barriques for long months, depending on the vintage and the wine’s structure. It is subsequently moved into stainless steel vats to rest for some months before bottling.
Finca Sobreno Seleccion Especial Toro is now called Finca Sobreno Tempranillo Reserva Toro.
Finca Sobreno Tempranillo Reserva Toro 100% Tinta de Toro from selected old-vines plots and aged during 14 months in American oak.
Production: 8,500 cases/year.
Deep dark cherry red color with dark purple tones. Powerful yet elegant nose, refined and stylish with ripe berry fruit, spicy complexity with scents of clove, sandalwood, vanilla, chocolate. Muscular, elegant yet silky smooth taste shows fruit preserves/jam blackberry and chocolate truffle. Concentrated and rich but not sweet with superb length. A good match for venison or wild boar with a fruit-based sauce.
Soil types
The wine is 100% Tinta de Toro from selected old-vines plots (over 40 years old)
The soil is formed by sediments of sand, clay and lime-stone, which produce a dark lime-bearing topsoil, with fine and coarse sands.
Harvest: In Toro summer temperatures were lower than usual and only rose over 40°C on a few days, which compensated for the dry conditions. Fresher nights from mid August also helped vines to reach optimum ripeness in the six weeks leading up to harvest –which was carried out between September 19 and October 10- and tamed alcohol levels. Tempranillo (Tinta de Toro) grapes ripened well – bunches were small and clusters were loose and healthy. Yields were low but the wines show intense color, good fruit profile and ripe tannins, which will be help to achieve roundness and good mouth feel in the finished wines. The fresher summer also resulted in slightly lower alcohol levels and a slightly higher acidity and this bodes well for quality in wines destined for ageing.
Winemaking and aging: Following a careful selection, the grapes were destemmed, crushed and the must underwent cold maceration at 7º C for five days prior to fermentation, which took place at a constant 28º C. The total maceration period lasted approximately 20 days. This wine was aged in new and one year old American and French oak barrels for 14 months, followed by another 24 months minimum in the bottle.
Winemaker: Oscar Martin
Technical specification:
TA: 4.88 grams / liter
pH: 3.62
SO2 free: 76 mg/l
RS: 2.23 grams / liter
A good match for venison or wild boar with a fruit-based sauce.
The Grade Cellar Kingly Project Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
"This is a noble expression of Cabernet Sauvignon" in full regalia, with decadent aromas and a mouthfeel viscous and sleek. "This vintage of the Kingly Project Cabernet Sauvignon enters the scene" -- Thomas Rivers Brown
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Kingly Project is fabulous. A wine of vertical power and thrust, the 2019 soars out of the glass, showing magnificent intensity from start to finish. Black cherry, scorched earth, licorice, plum and chocolate give this substantial Cabernet tons of complexity. I would cellar the 2019 for at least a few years to allow the tannins to soften. -
- Antonio Galloni 97 Points
In 1992 the Hill-Smith family counted themselves amongst those fortunate enough to own a vineyard upon the famous Coonawarra terra rossa soil over limestone. Experimentation, innovation, minimalist intervention and small batch winemaking has resulted in The Menzies’ reputation as a wine of longevity, elegance and structure.
Deep crimson with a plum hue. Aromas of fresh blackcurrants, mulberry, ozone, violets and exotic spices. Take a sip and you will feel the poise and tension for which great Cabernet is renowned. A wine of great complexity with flavors of blackcurrant jubes, bitter chocolate and mulberries, wrapped in divine tannins and a lovely sweet, dark fruit finish. With decanting in its youth it is enjoyable as an elegant full-bodied red wine.
Wonderful with a chargrilled rib eye on the bone or porcini mushroom, thyme and quinoa risotto.
Review:
Prune plums and blackcurrants. Violets, lavender leaf and black cherry. Olive tapenade, rosemary and crushed black peppercorn. The wine is held together by a fine mesh of grape and subtle oak tannins, intertwined with pure Coonawarra cabernet fruit. It’s chiselled in its dimension, and you might miss it, as it has such great drinking pleasure. Fruit purity, lovingly handled equals total seduction.
- Australian Wine Companion 95 Points