The Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino boasts a rich and savory side that this wine wears very well. There is a beautiful level of dark fruit that folds into the wine's velvety texture. Blackberry and plum envelop the palate, adding elegant full-bodied volume and fine tannins along the way. The wine is aged in traditional Slavonian casks ... Drink date: 2025-2042. Score - 95. (Monica Larner, robertparker.com, Dec. 14, 2023)
[Though not certified sustainable, this wine is produced using sustainable practices.] Crème brûlée and caramel aromas meet with a lemon-peel twist on the nose of this bottling. Lime-like energy extends across the candied yellow apple and pineapple flavors of the palate. Best Buy. Score - 89. (Matt Kettman, Wine Enthusiast, July 1, 2024)
Vanilla and chocolate to the fresh black plums and blackberries. Juicy and tight on the palate with firm, lightly grippy tannins and lots of sappy fruit. Bright acidity. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold. Score - 91. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, June 14, 2023)
This wine's estate fruit is sourced from Foris's Cedar Ranch and Maple Ranch vineyards, which are both situated in the southernmost reaches of the Rogue Valley. It shows complex aromas of plum, cherry, spice, and dried flowers. On the palate it's structured, balanced and earthy, with finely detailed raspberry, cherry and cranberry. Enjoy through 2028+ alongside braised beef or hearty vegetable stews.
Elegant and aromatic, with detailed hints of star anise, dried thyme and mocha winding through the core of ripe black cherry and boysenberry fruit. Fine-grained tannins are well-meshed and lightly chalky in texture, emerging to firm the focused finish. Tempranillo and Graciano. Drink now through 2030. Smart Buys. Score - 92. (Alison Napjus, winespectator.com, Aug. 31, 2024)
Fresh, racy, light and vibrant with citrus, green vegetal notes, fresh green herbs and chalky minerality on the long finish. Score - 91. (Rhys Pender, MW, winealign.com)
The 2023 Narcissist Riesling is a graceful off-dry style with aromas of stone fruit, lemons and petrol. Flavours are consistent with lovely notes of peaches, spring blossoms and savoury herbs. Well-integrated brisk acidity carries the wine and creates a juicy character. Outstanding concentration with minerality and a lingering finish - deliciousness comes to mind. Drinking window: 2024-2028. Score - 92. (Magdalena Kaiser, decanter.com, Nov. 16, 2024)
This Pinot Noir is made in a bold, fruit-forward style that offers up rich, ripe black cherry, plum and raspberry deftly supported by oak spice, white pepper, clove and earth. It has the substance and the potential to see 2030+.
Produced using the local Mauzac grape combined with dashes of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, this vintage Blanquette de Limoux offers spring flowers, herbs (suggesting chamomile and fresh hay), lemon, apricot, apple and pear. Well-defined toast and mineral tones on the close and a luxurious mouthfeel make it quite a delight. Pair it with seafood or sip throughout any meal.
100% Malbec. Sleek dark berries and violet florals with a classy balsamic lift. Textured and pure with glossy tannins and acidity and a rich cocoa, vanilla finish. Score - 95. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2024)
This graceful, enjoyably complex Cabernet offers generous black cherry, cassis, spice and forest tones. Sourced from prime sites in Paso Robles and Lodi, it balances its heft with freshness and will be a great option for steak or hearty veggie stews.
The prized Cave Spring Vineyard (CSV) is nestled near the top of the Beamsville Bench and consistently produces top Riesling from vines that are now over 30 years old. The 2022 CSV is intensely complex, with notes of apricot, honeysuckle and beeswax. The palate is weighty, with layers of texture from time on lees and several hours of skin contact at pressing. The textural components are dancing in harmony with the dazzling acidity. Almost fully dry, this wine is pushing boundaries and expressing the greatness of Niagara's Riesling terroir. Drinking window: 2024-2032. Score - 94. (Magdalena Kaiser, decanter.com, Nov. 16, 2024)
A beautifully bright, spacey and detailed blend of 56/25/19% grenache/shiraz/mourvédre with a snappy minerally line, chewy, powdered granite tannins and loads of bright red berry raspberry and red plummy fruit. Spicy, too, with a gentle floral facet, gingerbread notes and a really easy-drinking vibe. I like it a lot. Drink from: 2024. Drink by: 2032. Special Value. Score - 93. (Dave Brookes, winecompanion.com.au, Oct. 22, 2024)
A new wine for me, the 2020 Vieux Chevrol is fabulous. Readers will find a classically built, midweight Lalande de Pomerol that emphasizes energy and focus more than volume, as is often the case in this appellation. Inky fruit, gravel, rose petal, spice, mint and mocha are all finely cut. This is a gorgeous wine. Drinking window: 2025-2035. Score - 90-92. (Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, June 1, 2021)
A tensioned and pretty pinot noir for the money with dried strawberry and hints of chocolate. Medium body. Firm and tensioned palate with complex fruit and a delicious finish. Drink now [through 2027+]. Score - 92. (jamessuckling.com, Feb. 1, 2024)
The 2022 Malbec Catena Appellation Paraje Altamira comes from the Uco Valley. Aged for up to 13 months in French oak barrels (both new and used), this purple-hued wine reveals crystal-clear, fruit-forward aromas with hints of balsamic and lavender. On the palate, it is dry, rich and juicy, delivering intense flavors and supple textures. Drinking window: 2024-2032. Score - 92. (Joaquín Hidalgo, vinous.com, May 30, 2024)
Roses, violets, incense and spice introduce the 2022 Rosso L'Um. It is pleasantly sweet inside, with crisp wild berry fruits and zesty acidity to balance. The 2022 finishes fresh with a wild berry resonance and chalky minerality that adds a lovely inner tension. The L'Um Rosso is a remarkably fresh blending of Sangiovese and Merlot. Drinking window: 2024-2028. Score - 90. (Eric Guido, vinous.com, Oct. 10, 2024)
This wine is sourced from some of the oldest soils in Burgundy. The soils of the Côte Chalonnaise were formed between 160 and 220 million years ago and play a significant role in giving Pinots from Mercurey their telltale firm acidity, chalky tannins, and broad red cherry and strawberry tones. Savour this with duck breast or beef bourguignon.
This dark ruby-colored wine has a nose of ripe cherry and caramel. It is bright at first sip, offering velvety tannins and pomegranate, red-plum, milk-chocolate and aniseed flavors. The finish is marked with a note of candied orange peel. Score - 91. (Mike DeSimone, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 31, 2023)
Been some time since last tasting the cracker of cracker sparkling rieslings and sometimes a higher yearning, learning and ripeness of fruit will make hay with its scintillant host. As is the case with this most recent Thirty Bench aged on lees for 12 months. No loss of zest or appetite for the crunchy one and yet get a mouthful from a bite into a dripping August nectarine. Drink 2024-2027. Last tasted August 2024. Gold Medal winner at the 2024 National Wine Awards of Canada. Score - 92. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)