Alain Jaume Vacqueyras Grande Garrigue is made from 65% Grenache Noir, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 5% Old vines Cinsault

Deep, intense hue. Aromas of fresh black fruit a little meaty, with dried herbs smells. On the palate, the richness of the tannins harmonizes with the smoothness of the wine. The finish is long, with spices aromas, licorice. A typical wine from this specific terroir called "Les Garrigues".

Soil type Vacqueyras is located right next to Gigondas AOC. It mostly streches on Sarrians territory, where is the famous plateaux named “Les Garrigues”. This area is made of clay and rocks. The beautiful landscape of the “garrigue” is typical of the mediterranean area. The wines itself smell the spices, the dried herbs…you will taste the “Garrigue” in your glass, welcome to Provence … Winemaking & ageing Traditional winemakeing methods, temperature controlled fermentation. Long soaking on the skins.

Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is made from 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% divers.

In contrast to Chaupin, which is made from old-vine Grenache on sandy soils, the cuvée Vieilles Vignes is from old vines of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah along with smaller percentages of other permitted varieties that are grown in these old vineyards. The wine is sourced from 4 terroirs: pebbly clay, sand, gravelly red clay and sandy limestone. Vieilles Vignes is always the most powerful and concentrated Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvée made at Domaine de la Janasse.

Review:

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes also saw some stems (the estate started keeping some stems with the 2016 vintage) and was 75% destemmed, with the blend being 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, Cinsault, and Terret Noir. As usual, it’s a more powerful, black-fruited wine comparted to the Cuvée Chaupin and has lots of crème de cassis, liquid violet, crushed stone, woodsmoke, and peppery herbs. It displays the vintage’s purity and freshness yet brings the concentration as well as the structure. I’ll be shocked if it’s not in the handful of top wines in the vintage.
-Jeb Dunnuck 96-98 Points

La Ronciere Licanten Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Franc.

 Intense aromas of black fruits, notes of dark chocolate, and roasted coffee. The palate is round with polished, juicy tannins and a finish that leaves a lasting impression.

Hand-harvested and field-sorted. An additional sorting occurs at the winery before the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled micro-fermentation tanks. Aged in French oak for 10-12 months. : Diverse soils derived from metamorphic rock. Includes Licorellas (same as Priorat) and Lutitas rock complemented with a series of alluvial and granitic soils. Quartz and mica are both abundant in the soil profile.

Review:

Married with 8% Syrah and 7% Cabernet Franc, this very well-priced Cabernet Sauvignon uses grapes from three different soil types - granite, schist and sandstone. Mint and mountain herb aromas are a prelude to a fresh, elegant, grassy palate with stony intensity, sinewy tannins and layers of bramble and blackcurrant leaf. 2025-35

-Tim Atkins, MW 94 Points

La Ronciere Selva Oscura Sparkling Extra Brut is made from 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay.

Selva Oscura was born to further complement La Ronciere’s cold-climate wine program. Only early, thin-skinned varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can ripen in the cold, rainy Araucanía Province. Grape maturity often comes with great difficulty, but the resulting wines reach the bottle with intense freshness and vibrant aromas. Planted in volcanic soils and surrounded by ancient forests, this is a place where vines have developed under adversity and grown to deliver unique wines, with inspiring character and personality.

Review:

96 points -Tim Atkin MW

Alain de la Treille Merlot is made from 100 percent Merlot.

Anne Delaroche Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge is made from 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault

Very deep garnet red color. Bouquet of small red berries and hints of spices. Rich, round and full in the mouth with a long finish.

Pairs well with game, duck, guinea fowl, pigeon, osso bucco, eggplant cake and flavorsome cheeses.

Anne Delaroche Cotes du Rhone Rose Bejot is made from 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah.

Very charming pale rosé color. The wine displays lots of fresh fruit aromas such as strawberry and watermelon. The palate is focused and very well balanced with again some strawberry and ripe red fruit notes. The finish is quite pleasing and long with a little spiciness and freshness to it.

Bindella Vino Nobile di Montepulciano  is made from 85% Sangiovese, 15% Colorino del Valdarno, Canaiolo nero and Mammolo.

Elegant, with typical hints of iris, rose and red berries together with balsamic notes after several years of ageing in the bottle. Balanced, pleasantly tannic and well-bodied on the palate.

A wine of great authenticity to accompany pasta with elaborate sauces, red meat, truffles and soft or mature cheeses.

 

Castello di Bossi Gran Selezione is made from 100% Sangiovese.

Gran Selezione is the newest quality designation to have been added to the DOCG classification system in Chianti Classico. Gran Selezione takes quality controls a step further than Riserva-- which previously occupied the top tier-- by banning the use of any purchased, or non-estate-grown fruit, in the inclusion of a wine labeled Gran Selezione. This coupled with longer aging requirements (30 months minimum) and minimum levels of alcohol set to 13% designates a band of wines from Chianti Classico producers representative of the appellation's highest quality potential with often limited availability.

Review:

There’s purity to the cherry, strawberry, rose, mineral and herb aromas and flavors in this solidly built red, which shows excellent balance and length. The muscular finish begs for more time for the beautiful fruit to assimilate. Best from 2025 through 2042.

-Wine Spectator 96 Points

Hominis Fides is typically the most elegant of Château de Saint Cosme’s three single-vineyard Gigondas. “Grenache grown in the sandy soil produces marvelously textured wines as well as extremely refined tannins; a very special and stylish wine,” says Louis Barruol. The wine features aromas and flavors of pepper, truffle, graphite, and smoke.

Grenache is the pale-colored, red-fruited, and potpourri-scented red grape variety of the southern Rhône and can be paired with both rustic and sophisticated dishes. Full-bodied Grenache-based wines are ideal with stews, braises, and grilled meats, while lighter versions can work well with dark fish and tomato-based dishes such as ratatouille.

Review:

Deep, vivid ruby-red. Intensely perfumed, mineral-tinged scents of medicinal cherry, redcurrant and cassis are complemented by suggestions of star anise, white pepper and pungent flowers. It offers densely packed bitter cherry, red berry liqueur, lavender and licorice flavors that open up very slowly with air. Extremely primary but highly promising, with a long, spice- and mineral-tinged finish shaped by youthfully firming tannins. Made with 100% whole clusters; raised in barriques, one-third of them new.

-Vinous 95-97 Points

Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux is made from 95% Grenache, 5% Syrah.

Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the benchmark wines of the appellation. The property has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1490. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992 making a dramatic shift to quality and converting to biodynamics in 2010.

Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux is the estate’s oldest vineyard and sits near the entrance to the winery. “It was first planted in 1870 following phylloxera. My uncles thought it wasn’t producing enough fruit and planned to uproot it in 1914,” says Louis Barruol, but “World War I interrupted that plan.”

The 1.8-hectare Le Claux—meaning “Clos” in old French—is a field blend of predominately Grenache. Louis Barruol believes 10% of the vineyard is from the original 1870 planting. Vines are replaced by massal selection and the average vine age is 60-years. The wine is made with whole cluster fermentation from indigenous yeasts, is aged in 20% new 228-liter barrels, and bottled without fining or filtration.

Tasting Notes

Brilliant violet color. Displays pungent, mineral- and spice-accented cherry, black raspberry, potpourri and licorice aromas, along with hints of savory herbs, vanillo and incense. Chewy and tightly focused on the palate, offering bitter cherry, dark berry and Moroccan spice flavors that unfurl slowly through the back half. It closes with firm tension, chewy tannins and excellent tenacity, leaving resonating cherry and floral notes behind. All barriques, a third of them new.

-Vinous 95-97 Points

Le Poste’s cool microclimate and limestone soil make it one of Saint Cosme’s most structured, aromatic, and mineral intense wines of the estate. This wine always walks a knife's edge of power and finesse thanks to its deep fruit and precise structure. The wine features aromas and flavors of iodine, violet, pepper, and ash.

Grenache is the pale-colored, red-fruited, and potpourri-scented red grape variety of the southern Rhône and can be paired with both rustic and sophisticated dishes. Full-bodied Grenache-based wines are ideal with stews, braises, and grilled meats, while lighter versions can work well with dark fish and tomato-based dishes such as ratatouille.

Review:

Deep magenta. Expansive, spice- and mineral-tinged black raspberry, kirsch and boysenberry aromas are complicated by suggestions of incense, lavender and smoky minerals. Alluringly sweet and focused in the mouth, offering densely packed red and blue fruit preserve, floral pastille and exotic spice flavors that smoothly balance weight and finesse. This wine shows superb finishing clarity and mineral lift on the penetrating and impressively long finish, which features polished tannins and resonating fruit, floral and mineral notes.

-Vinous 95-97 Points

Cueva de las Manos Cabernet Sauvignon Organic is made from 100 percent Malbec.

Cueva de las Manos translates to "Cave of Hands". There are a series of caves in Patagonia containing stenciled paintings of hands, dating back over 9,000 years ago. The caves have been named a World Heritage Site, and they are the inspiration for the label on these wines.

The wine offers an intense bouquet on the nose, with notes of green pepper. On the palate it is smooth and well-textured with a long and elegant finish.

Pair with game meats and pasta with heavy sauce.

Cueva de las Manos Malbec Organic is made from 100 percent Malbec.

Cueva de las Manos translates to "Cave of Hands". There are a series of caves in Patagonia containing stenciled paintings of hands, dating back over 9,000 years ago. The caves have been named a World Heritage Site, and they are the inspiration for the label on these wines.

Cueva de las Manos Malbec is deep purple in color. Fruity intensity on the nose with floral notes. A juicy texture, mild tannins and good structure balanced by a well-integrated freshness. Clean and pure finish.

Gaec de Brangers Menetou Salon Blanc 100% Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and refreshing with rich, ripe lime and grapefruit aromas. Elegant, beautifully rounded, harmonious and well-balanced, a mineral sytle and a smooth and long finish. It is ideal as an aperitif and a great match with shellfish, smoked and grilled salmon, goat cheese.
DOMAINE DU GAEC DES BRANGERS is owned by the CHAVET family, which is one of the most reknown winemaking families of the Menetou-Salon Appellation. Philippe Chavet has been running the estate for 25 years and each year, his cuvees are awarded in the international competitions and by the international press.

Unoaked

12.5 ABV

Average age of the vines is 20 years old. Traditional winemaking in temperature-controlled stainless steel tank.
Slow fermentation at low temperature.

Ideal as an aperitif, any cooked fish such as smoked and grilled salmon, and with goat cheese.

The Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay Les Fremiets Premier Cru is from a parcel that is up-slope, and the wine is very calcaire, or limestony; you literally taste the stone in this elegant, intensely perfumed wine. Pair with veal filet mignon, squab, beef steak and roast duckling.

Review:

I really like this terroir and the 2021 is an absolutely classic example of this fine premier cru, offering up a refined and pure bouquet of black plums, dark berries, coffee bean, a complex base of dark soil tones, a nice touch of new oak and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very elegant in profile, with a superb core, lovely soil signature, ripe, suave tannins and a long, vibrant and complex finish. Fine, fine juice. 2033-2080.

93 pts- John Gilman, View from the Cellar #102

 Tim Atkin 93 Points

Domaine La Maionnette Rose Cotes de Provence is made from 60% Syrah, 20% Cinsault and 20% Grenache.

The plots of Domaine de la Maïonnette benefit from a clay-limestone soil and are located on a plateau surrounded by hundred-year-old oaks. Bordered by the Provencal scrubland, the vineyard enjoys a dry climate typical of the region.

An emblematic cuvée of the estate, this Cotes de Provence rosé reveals concentrated aromas of citrus fruits and white flowers, and a beautiful structure. The fresh palate brings out sweet candy notes, gooseberry and litchi, and delivers bright acidity and ample length on the finish.

In 1996, building on their tradition of excellence established at Duckhorn Vineyards, and their growing love of Pinot Noir, Dan and Margaret Duckhorn came to Anderson Valley to found Goldeneye. Anderson Valley has since earned acclaim as one of the world’s greatest Pinot Noir regions. Representing the pinnacle of our winemaking portfolio, Ten Degrees is made from only our finest lots, making it a Pinot Noir of unparalleled grace and grandeur.

Reviews:

From the best lots on the Golden- eye Estate, this wine aged in French oak for 16 months. Scents of wild cherry and sage are off the charts. Undeniable vibrancy, generous fruit, and floral notes create a mael- strom of flavor and texture that complements the wine's intensely high energy. Earthy, salty notes manifest in a kiss of soil, balsamic, cinnamon, and cedar.

-Tasting Panel 96 Points

A beautiful blend of the best barrels of all the single vineyards and it shows wonderful complexity and thoughtfulness. Layered and complete, giving you so much flavor and deliciousness.

-James Suckling 96 Points

Jean-Claude et Nicolas Fayolle Hermitage Rouge Donnieres is made from  100% Syrah.

Made from 40-year-old vines planted on granitic and rocky soils in the Lieu dit "Les Donnieres" at the bottom of the Hermitage's hill.

Intense inky ruby red color. 
The wine has plenty to offer with red and black fruit aromas, as well as a good minerality. 
The finish is very long, clean and juicy and offers a great spicy mouthfeel.

Soil is clay, silica and round pebbles.
Hand harvested in small crates. The grapes are then pumped into tanks (full cluster, not destemmed). 
It will stay in this tank for 15 days for the skin contact maceration and the Alcoholic fermentation.
Tey will also use the "rack and return" technique (delestage).
Then the wine is transfered into neutral French Oak barrels where the wine will complete the Malo-Lactic fermentation.

Delicious with grilled red meat such as venison or lamb and most cheeses.

Review:

Cedar and cracked pepper notes mark the nose of the fully destemmed 2019 Hermitage les Dionnieres, backed by ripe blueberries and black cherries. Smooth, ripe and creamy in feel, this full-bodied yet supple Hermitage looks to be a top-flight effort. With the concentration and balance evidenced on the long, silky finish, it's delicious now and should still be going strong well into the next decade.

-Wine Advocate 94 Points

"Glass-staining violet. Deeply pitched black and blue fruit, licorice and floral pastille scents are sharpened by a spicy cracked pepper flourish. Youthfully chewy and focused on the palate, offering ripe blackcurrant, bitter cherry and fruitcake flavors that take on a mineral nuance on the back half. Closes on a resonating blue fruit note, with a solid punch and chewy tannins framing a long, spice- and smoke-accented finish. All whole clusters. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2022), 94 pts