Lingua Franca Bunker Hill is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pale yellow-green color with a predominantly mineral aroma of flint, river stone, green apples, and green olives, later fresh herbs, lemon zest and yellow flowers emerge. On the palate it is precise and taught, with wet stone and saline notes, crisp green apples and thyme. The finish is persistent and firm, with a mouthwatering mineral quality. This is a vintage with finely chiseled features at Bunker Hill. Our Bunker Hill Estate Vineyard in the South Salem Hills and is the oldest source of fruit for any of our wines, having been planted in 1995 to CH76. It is among the earliest of the Dijon-clone plantings in Oregon, situated on the remnant of a pioneer farm.
Review:
Estate bottled, the 2022 Chardonnay Bunker Hill is the counterpart to the Chardonnay Estate. It pours a bright pale yellow with a tinge of green and has a lovely incense of delicate toast lifting from the glass, followed by notes of white flowers, fresh green pear, and pleasing reduction. This wine comes from a site where the grapes get thicker skins from the wind, leading to firmer structure, and on the palate, this wine is medium to full-bodied, with a pithy, chalky texture. Drink 2024-2034.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
Lismore Estate Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah.
A careful selection of the best of the vintage that exemplifies the extraordinary terroir of Lismore.
An exotic experience which shifts your mind to another place. Cassis, brambles and succulent cherry. White pepper, classic garrigue and the strong floral perfume of crushed violets. Light and elegant, but structured with a fresh acidity. To experience the best this wine has to offer, decanting is suggested.
The grapes were fermented 40% whole bunch in a 5000 litre wooden fermenter with gentle pigeage throughout. The process allowed for a long extraction period which lends to the fruit expression of this wine. The wine was left for a 30 day extended maceration on the skins and then pressed in a traditional baskets press. Matured in 500 litre barrels for 10 months (35% new). Time in the bottle will allow integration, the deepening of layers and full expression of the fruit.
Review:
Bursting with purple flowers and savory, spicy notes, the 2022 Estate Reserve Syrah was made with 50% whole-cluster fruit, offering a crunchy, red-fruited nose that pops with delightful tertiary expressions of turned earth and pencil lead. Light to medium-bodied and with 12% alcohol, the wine compresses slightly to show an earthy, graphite edge on the palate while slightly stemmy notes sway with fine-grained tannins across the mid-palate. Flavors of potpourri with spiced cherry skin somersault with red and purple flower essences before finishing with hints of pink peppercorn over the elegant and elongated finish. Just under 5,000 bottles were produced after the wine spent 11 months in 25% new oak barrels.
-Wine Advocate 96 Points
Ripa Della Volta Amarone della Valpolicella 70% Corvina, 20% Corvinone, 5% Oseleta and 5% Spigamonte.
The vineyards are located at an elevation of 300-600 metres above sea level, with a south-southwesterly exposure. Training system: Guyot.
It features an intense red color with garnet highlights. The nose offers up a rich variety of aromas with fruity notes of cherries, morello cherries and plums, spices and hints of chocolate. It is round and caressing with soft, mellow tannins balanced by excellent acidity that enhances its drinkability and ageing potential.
It is a wine with a marked personality, great finesse, elegance, and extraordinary longevity.
It pairs well with main dishes such as game and roasts, but also cured meats and mature cheese.
Review:
Strong, dark ruby with a light garnet edge. Intense and very clearly defined nose with notes of ripe plums, dark forest raspberries and some tobacco in the background. Round on the palate with plenty of supple tannin, pleasantly dry, firm pressure in the finish.
-Falstaff 92 Points
In 2007, production was just less than 5000 kg per hectare. This wine is prepared with Tempranillo 100% grapes from our vineyards.
The grapes are initially subjected to a six-day pre-fermentation cold maceration below 14ºC. They then undergo 30 days of alcoholic fermentation at a controlled temperature of 28ºC, after which the wine is removed from the tanks without pressing the grape skins. The malolactic fermentation is slow and relaxed at a temperature of 20 ºC for 28 days without the addition of bacteria.
The wine is aged for18 months in new French oak barrels and is decanted into new barrels every six months. At the end of this period, the wine is blended and bottled without undergoing any type of filtration, clarification or cold treatment.
Prepared with Tempranillo grapes (100%), this wine has a ruby red colour with very pure, intense garnet tones.
Its bouquet has fine complexity with tones of ripened fruit, especially cherries, blue berries and black currants, which are in harmony with tones of good wood, spices (vanilla and coconut) and a liquorice undertone.
In the mouth, this wine displays great balance, proving pleasing to the taste, sweet due to the maturity of its tannins and exuberant on account of its pleasant level of acidity.
Vineyard:
Pago de los Capellanes, Pedrosa de Duero.
Variety composition:
100% Tempranillo.
Type of soil:
Clayey and chalky.
Aging:
18 months in barrel and remainder on rack.
Type of oak:
100% French oak, medium toast.
Serving:
Uncork and decant one hour before serving at a temperature of 16-18 ºC.
The 2019 Ribera del Duero Reserva is also terrific, with gorgeous aromatics of black and blue fruits supported by Asian spices, lead pencils, cedarwood, and violets. It's beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, has a concentrated, powerful mouthfeel, and ripe, integrated tannins.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Crafted with precision from six pedigreed sites comes a wine that beams with pale straw hue. The newest vintage brings wonderful aromatic intensity: candied lemon peel, white florals followed by crisp green apple. A creamy and viscous texture on the palate is buoyed by white nectarine and dried apricot that’s balanced with a vibrant acidity, bringing focus to the wine’s finish that lingers with hints of flinty mineral notes.
Review:
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot
Review:
"This is a wine for the ages. Aromas of thyme, the blackest of cherries, licorice, bay leaf and spice are followed by outright delicious, plump fruit flavors. There's a whole lot of primary fruit, with ample structure to hang it all on, along with plenty of depth and intensity. The finish is near endless. It flat-out impresses, with remarkable intensity. Best from 2028 to 2038. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN."
- Wine Enthusiast (September 2021), 95 pts
"A firm, polished red with aromas of blackberry, iodine, tobacco leaf, cocoa and cedar. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Structured, layered and focused. Lots going on, with a long finish. Try from 2023."
- James Suckling (May 2021), 95 pts
"Incorporating 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot from a mix of sites in the Columbia Valley, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Père De Famille reveals a healthy ruby/purple hue to go with beautiful cassis fruits interwoven with notions of dried rose petals, violets, cedary spice, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied, reasonably well concentrated, yet elegant and beautifully balanced, it opens up nicely with time in the glass and will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 20 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 95 pts
Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
WHAT IS THE CARNIVAL OF LOVE?
This is as life should be – a Carnival of Love. A place where everyone wants to be, and no one wants to leave.
TASTING NOTES:
Intense in colour, flavour and aroma, our 2021 Carnival of Love Shiraz captivates the palate from the first sip. Powerful yet delicate, lifted aromas of red cherry, blackberry and turkish delight evolve, while subtle hints of mocha linger. Infectious chocolate cherry, fresh plum and liquorice add to the complexity, while creating a seamless structure and lingering finish.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
The grapes were grown on the Gateway vineyard in McLaren Vale. Barrel fermented and matured in 100% American oak, using 100% new barrels. The required Marquis Fruit Weight™ for the Love Series is 85% – 95%. The Actual Fruit Weight for 2021 Carnival of Love 88%.
Alcohol: 16.5%
pH: 3.66
Reviews:
Another sensational edition of the Mollydooker ‘Carnival of Love’ Shiraz from 2021 — and I am not the least surprised. I’ve had every edition of this wine for more than a decade. This bottling was as usual aged in all new American oak. On the nose this takes on dense black currant jelly, cigar box and shades of creosote with Arabica bean. The palate is soft and inviting with its plush texture and seamless mouthfeel as this effortlessly glides throughout the drinking experience. A joy to drink now so young, this will easily cellar for another ten years and potentially more. But why wait?
- Owen Bargreen 96 Points