Xavier Vignon Ventoux Rouge is made from 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah.
Deep dark ruby color with crimson reflects, the wine offers on the nose some hints of black fruits, Provencal spices and garrigue. The mouth is ample with a great freshness yet some concentration. Medium finish with hints of red and black fruits.
The rest of the blend was aged in concrete to preserve the fruit purity.Some grapes (Grenache & Syrah) are co-fermented for more complexity. A small batch of extremely old Syrah has been aged in barrel.
Most of the time, Ventoux offers superb climatic conditions especially in the higher altitude parcels. In 2016 for instance, grapes were harvested in a perfect sanitary state. Both technological and polyphenolic ripeness were close to perfect.
Spicy Pork ribs - Satay chicken skewers - Valencian style Paella - Steamed sea eel with black soya and garlic
Xavier Vignon Ventoux Rouge is made from 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah.
Deep dark ruby color with crimson reflects, the wine offers on the nose some hints of black fruits, Provencal spices and garrigue. The mouth is ample with a great freshness yet some concentration. Medium finish with hints of red and black fruits.
The rest of the blend was aged in concrete to preserve the fruit purity.Some grapes (Grenache & Syrah) are co-fermented for more complexity. A small batch of extremely old Syrah has been aged in barrel.
Most of the time, Ventoux offers superb climatic conditions especially in the higher altitude parcels. In 2016 for instance, grapes were harvested in a perfect sanitary state. Both technological and polyphenolic ripeness were close to perfect.
Spicy Pork ribs - Satay chicken skewers - Valencian style Paella - Steamed sea eel with black soya and garlic
Review:
Dense, fruit-driven and textural red from Ventoux. Cassis, dark cherries, blackberries and dried violets on the nose. Medium to full body with fine tannins. Juicy and fruity with a velvety core of berries and spices in the finish. Drink or hold.
James Suckling 90 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.
Situated in the heart of Coonawarra’s terra rossa strip, The Menzies Estate vineyard lies on a flat plain, approximately 70km from the coast. Given the terrain and influence of the cooling Bonney upwelling, Coonawarra is an ideal location to grow premium Cabernet Sauvignon. Our soil is red sandy loam over limestone, which is classic Cabernet Sauvignon country. The grapes for The Menzies 2017 are from vines planted in 1994 and 1996. Bunches are usually small with small berries, giving concentration via an ideal skin to juice ratio favouring the making of fullbodied reds.
Experimentation, innovation, minimalist intervention, and small batch winemaking has resulted in The Menzies' reputation as a wine of longevity, elegance, and structure.
Aromas of fresh rosemary, mulberry, 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, 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.
Review:
The 2017 The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon is looking good next to the 2016 tasted beside it. It is fresh and vibrant, with layers of complexing dark earth characters, with cigar box, black olive brine, cassis, bramble, milk chocolate and cracked black pepper. This is very good, and it has what I am coming to recognize as a "Yalumba red character": dried herbs, particularly oregano. The juicy splay of fruit through the finish is a highlight.
-Wine Advocate 95 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.
Situated in the heart of Coonawarra’s terra rossa strip, The Menzies Estate vineyard lies on a flat plain, approximately 70km from the coast. Given the terrain and influence of the cooling Bonney upwelling, Coonawarra is an ideal location to grow premium Cabernet Sauvignon. Our soil is red sandy loam over limestone, which is classic Cabernet Sauvignon country. The grapes for The Menzies 2017 are from vines planted in 1994 and 1996. Bunches are usually small with small berries, giving concentration via an ideal skin to juice ratio favouring the making of fullbodied reds.
Experimentation, innovation, minimalist intervention, and small batch winemaking has resulted in The Menzies' reputation as a wine of longevity, elegance, and structure.
Aromas of fresh rosemary, mulberry, 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, 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.
Review:
The 2018 The Menzies Cabernet Sauvignon is luscious and velvety in the mouth, with a lustrous core of shimmering purple Cabernet fruit. The tannins are typical of Coonawarra in that they are firm, yet they are seamlessly inlaid into the fruit, which feels as if it spills over the edge of the glass. Seductive but rigid, it will have a long life in front of it, make no mistake. You get cassis, resin, licorice, raspberry, gravel/iodine, bay leaf, dark chocolate, after dinner mints (the only brand to be had is the After Eight mints, of course), and notions of cedar spice. Brilliant. 14% alcohol, sealed under cork.
-Wine Spectator 95 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
A very deep purple, red in color. This wine showcases Shiraz with its depth of Barossa Valley and the alluring, aromatic freshness of Eden Valley. Vibrant aromas of dark cherries, anise and red raspberry. A distinctive wine with richness and dark berry, fruit compote palate. Perfectly balanced, elegant and refined.
Enjoy with beef filet, roast beetroot and horseradish, or Korean fried cauliflower.
This blend of Barossa Valley (67%) and Eden Valley fruit hails from five parcels averaging 80 years old, the oldest planted in 1854. Intensely concentrated in hue and muscular flavour. Spicy and mineral to the nose and palate, with glimpses of violets. Its iodine and liquorice-edged black cherry and blueberry flavour is succulent, but still in the grip of the sinewy, charry oak, making for an imposing, slightly austere finish. A powerhouse.
Saturated ruby. Heady aromas of ripe dark berries, cherry liqueur, vanilla and incense, with smoky mineral and exotic spice accents building in the glass. Seamless in texture and deeply concentrated, offering palate-staining black and blue fruit, floral pastille and mocha flavors that turn sweeter with air. At once plush and lively, finishing extremely long and smoky, with repeating dark berry and floral notes and velvety tannins.
-Vinous 96 Points
A very deep purple, red in color. This wine showcases Shiraz with its depth of Barossa Valley and the alluring, aromatic freshness of Eden Valley. Vibrant aromas of dark cherries, anise and red raspberry. A distinctive wine with richness and dark berry, fruit compote palate. Perfectly balanced, elegant and refined.
Enjoy with beef filet, roast beetroot and horseradish, or Korean fried cauliflower.
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
Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is made from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% 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:
A full-weighted, archetypal Aussie blend. Cabernet and shiraz, both from the Barossa. The top wines of Yalumba have undergone considerable refinement in recent years. The tannins, better managed; the fruit, more restrained; the oak, judicious. Here, an example. Fresh and lithe. Scents of anise, bay leaf and kirsch, with a nourishing core of beef bouillon. An expansive sweetness grows in trajectory, with a douse of menthol at the finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Yalumba The Steeple Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
The nose is immersed in blueberries and plums leading into very inviting red spices, cranberries and pomegranate. Medium to full-bodied, it is generous with plump fruits and dark cherries. Textural, intriguing and velvety smooth.
Review:
This reminds us of the classic Australian reds of the 1950s and 1960s. Very deep and rich, yet so vibrant and youthful, this has fresh-herb and savory complexity alongside the black-fruit aromas. Great muscular tannins on the powerful palate give it wonderful vitality and clarity. Just a touch of eucalyptus. Very long finish with a wonderfully velvety texture. From vines planted in 1919. Excellent aging potential.
-James Suckling 97 Points
Ruby red in color, this Amarone Riserva offers dense and smokey aromas of dark cherries, raisins, chocolate, and anise, framed by fruity tannins and a spicy finish. With the level of complexity and balance that this wine shows, it will evolve beautifully for 10+ years.
Review:
Dense garnet, with a nose of walnut husks, toasted black pepper, sour cherries and ash. Smooth and soft on the palate, with a full body and ripe, silky tannins balanced by zesty acidity. Lovely fruit with an extremely long, nutty aftertaste.
-James Suckling 95 Points
Ziata Meteor Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bold and intense, this Cabernet Sauvignon from the Meteor Vineyard in Coombsville is full-bodied and berry-driven, with rich spice undertones and a firm structure.
After 20 years of marketing Napa Valley and its wines, Karen Cakebread launched her own project in 2008 with two major goals in mind: to create beautifully structured wines that reflect the vineyards from which they come, and to be involved in every aspect of making the wines.Karen started ZIATA, named in honor of her mother, Mary Annunziata, in 2008 with three varietals: Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, which she chose for their food-friendly qualities. She hired Anne Vawter, a protégée of Heidi Barrett, as winemaker and sourced grapes from sustainable sources, working closely with the grape growers through the growing season, knowing that efforts made in the vineyard would create better wine than those manipulated in the cellar. Jennifer Williams : I find winemaking to be both an art and a trade—you learn by doing and working the vineyards, ensuring the fruit is the best it can be long before it’s picked is at least half the work of the winemaker.
Zombie Zin Zinfandel is made from 95% Zinfandel and 5% Syrah
Be careful if you go out at night. The Zombie Zin is designed to be consumed in hiding with the only friends you have left... post apocalypse.
The Zombie Zin is sporting a new label design with a torn look, that suggests a window into another world. The colors are more vibrant earth-tones and the capsule is a deep red.
The Zombie Zinfandel is very dark in color, almost a black-purple. The aromas are of ripe, dense black fruits and a hint of dried herbs. The flavors are complex and rich, sporting succulent blackberries, powdered cinnamon, cola and cherry jam. Just a hint of black pepper in the long finish.
The grapes for the Zombie are sourced throughout California, mostly from the dry, hot sandy soils of the Delta region and the Central Valley. The final blend benefitted from some inky Syrah grapes that came from the Central Coast. The wine was fermented in Stainless Steel and aged for about a half a year in American oak.
Pairs well with bloody BBQ meats, sinister soups with eye of newt, bubbly caldron of fleshy stew.
Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira is made from 100 percent Malbec.
Deep red in color, the Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira expresses great fruity character with notes of red fruit. Grand structure and acidity on the palate with mineral with notes of wet stone and graphite and a long finish.
Review:
Quiet complexity that needs time in the glass. While it is brooding and deep, there is also a perfumed, floral and herbal aspect that makes it so attractive and unforgettable, even at such an embryonic stage. Freshly crushed blueberries, dried licorice, decadent violets, crushed stones and ash on the nose. Satin-textured tannins on the palate, which are tense, chalky and seamless. Powerful and juicy with impeccable balance. A great, cerebral and intrinsic malbec from Argentina. You can drink now, if you want, but it is a wine that you’d want to keep for the next two decades. A real charmer, especially for the wine nerds. Buy this and try!
-James Suckling 99 Points
Fenocchio DOC Nebbiolo Langhe Bussia is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
The color is a deep ruby red with garnet reflections and an intense and fruity bouquet of plum and cherry. The flavor is dry with good body, well balanced tannins and harmonious with hints of licorice and rose.
Parcel is 2 hectares (5 acres) planted at 300 meters above sea level.
Pairing well with all types of food, from appetizers to cheeses with red and white meat.
Fenocchio DOCG Bussia Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo
The color is deep garnet red and the bouquet is fine and pleasing, with intense scents of spiced rose and licorice. The flavor is dry, warm, full bodied and balanced with pronounced tannins and a persistent aftertaste. A wine particularly adapted for aging.
Traditional method of long maceration: natural fermentation without added yeasts for 30 days in stainless steel tanks.
The Barolo Bussia, with its structure and body characteristics, pairs well with dishes of meat, game and aged cheeses, typical dishes of the local cuisine, as well as with many rich international dishes.
Review:
" Pleasant dried-cherry aromas, colored with nutty spice and dried leaves. Full-to medium-bodied with fine, firm and velvety tannins and a long finish of candied-cherry and chocolate. Give it a few years to meld together better. Best from 2025."
- James Suckling (January 2022), 93 pts
Loring Cooper Jaxon Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir
Aged 10 Months in French Oak (15% New)
A special blend in honor of Cooper Jaxon Loring - the next generation of Loring. We don't limit the wine to any
specific AVA, but rather look for a blend that is big, bold, and super tasty!
Juicy and vibrant, with aromas of raspberry puree, blackberry and spring flowers.
Vines are planted on Arroyo Seco Sandy Loam soils on the following vineyard sites: Rancho La Viña, Kessler-Haak, Clos Pepe, John Sebastiano, Aubaine, Rosella's and Sierra Mar.
Vinification is traditionnal with minimal intervention.
Wine went thought Malo-Lactic fermentation and was bottled without filtration.
pH 3.61
Clones: Pisoni, 113, 115, 667, 777, 23
Pairs well with steak and lamb, spicy foods & mild cheeses.
Review:
"This fun and whimsical label from Brian Loring delivers his rich style of Pinot Noir at an affordable price, offering aromas of black cherry, forest herbs, damp sage and crushed slate. The palate is earthy, offering flavors of dark berry, fennel frond, roasted meat and clove. Matt Kettmann"
- Wine Enthusiast (June 2019), 92 pts - Editors' Choice
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon offers an incredible aroma of big black, rich fruit, spring flowers, graphite and toast. Full-bodied with stunning concentration and flavors of dark cherries, black plum, melted milk chocolate. Well integrated French oak, this well balanced wine has supple, but ripe tannins and a lengthy finish. From a single vineyard in Oakville. 14 months in 60% new French oak, Excellent value for Oakville-Napa Valley. Just 350 cases produced.
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
Schwarz Nitschke Block Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
This Bethany vineyard was planted by Jason Schwarz's parents in 1968 and has been tended to by the hands of his family ever since. The vines are dry-grown and produce small crops of intensely flavored fruit.
A display of the purest blood-plum and black cherry, with cracked black peppercorn and streaky bacon over some seriously fine oak. Some subtle herbaceous qualities, nettle and thyme bring life to an otherwise immense nose. Very juicy on the palate, deeply flavorsome, long and with mouth-coating tannin for a very textured, very focused Barossa classic.
Slow cooked beef ribs, grilled meats, wild game and grilled vegetables.
Review:
From a single 55-year-old vineyard in the Bethany subregion of Barossa, this is a modern, finessed and approachable Shiraz, with open-knit aromas of succulent red and black berries, florals, clove and earthy spice. The palate shows restraint and silkiness. Fine tannins are neatly woven between the juicy fruit. Drink now or cellar up another decade or so.
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
Schwarz The Grower Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz.
Dedicated to all the Growers we work with, whose hard work and dedication to their craft enable us to purchase lucious fruit year after year. The Grower range is a testament to the amazing growers Jason has forged long-term relationships with since 2001.
The full spectrum of Barossa Shiraz's aromatic capability is here on show: from scorched earth, bitter couverture chocolate just-dried raisin, sweet red licorice and cola bean, all heady, defined and un-wound for all to see. Here. The fine line between luxurious fruit and energy is walked gracefully, it's warming and full-blooded nature tethered by lifted acidity.
Pair with marbled steak or rich beef stews, roast beef, grilled bbq meats.
Viejo Isaias Juana Cabernet Franc is made from 100 percent Cabernet Franc.
Cabernet Franc has an intense bright velvety red color. In the nose this wine reveals a complex expression marked by fresh berries followed by hints of floral aromas. It also displays some smoke and vanilla from the oak barrels. It is rich and balanced in the mouth with an elegant tannic structure and long fresh fruit end.
Vineyard information:
Location: Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, on the highest area of the Mendoza river - Mendoza.
Altitude: 950m above sea level.
Soil: Stony, from Alluvial origins
Coming from our estate vineyards in Perdriel and Lujan de Cuyo.
Aged in 50% French and 50% American Oak barrels for 12 months. First and second use only.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Excellent when paired with red meats, pasta with spicy sauces, matured cheeses.
Review:
"Hints of plums and dark berries with some dried flowers, following through to a medium body with round tannins and a juicy finish. Bigger in nature. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (March 2022), 92 pts
Boroli Barolo Brunella is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
A clear ruby red color, with very light orange reflections. A net aroma in which liquorice stands out at first, immediately followed by a fruity scent; the aroma makes you scent it again and again to discover different and pleasant facets. The fruity aroma magnificently prevails after a few minutes in the glass. A very enveloping, fresh and harmonious taste, with a delicate and tasty presence of wood. A long lasting taste that invites to sip it slowly again and again.
Tasting Notes
Brunella is distinguished by a careful selection of grapes, perfect destemming, long macerations with submerged cap. The barrels for Brunella are specifically chosen by the winemaker.
Wine Production
Brunella is one of the most historic single vineyard sites of all of Castiglione Falletto, however it hasn’t ever been bottled singularly under the Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva BRUNELLA until 2013. The Brunella vineyard occupies the western crest of the Villero hillside and complete surrounds the Boroli winery. The vineyard is a monopole—owned entirely by Boroli and is the most prestigious wine in the lineup. As it occupies the best exposed section of the Villero hillside, La Brunella expresses power, drive, complexity, and extraordinary length and ageability.
About the Vineyard
The Boroli family is a family of entrepreneurs, with roots in Piedmont dating back to 1831. The family started their winemaking business in1997, when Silvano and Elena Boroli felt an ardent desire to step away from the pressures of their publishing business and reconnect to nature. Silvano and Elena grew the company until their son, Achille, stepped in to run the wine-growing and production business in 2012.
In the 2012 grape harvest Achille decided to radically change the methods used in vineyards and wineries, aiming for the highest quality in Barolo and its crus. He cut production levels, updated the winemaking technology, and focused on low intervention methods to raise the quality of the Boroli wines be on par with the finest Barolo wines.
Review:
Solid and centered, it displays a splendid Mediterranean character reminiscent of rosemary, wild thyme, marjoram, lemons, and red plums. Full body, perfectly extracted tannins of commendable beauty, and a slender yet disturbingly charming finish. Wow! Better from 2024
-WineCritic.com 96 Points