A crisp, clean, toasty Alsatian sparkling wine. Aromas of lemongrass and lime zest. Dry and mouth-watering. Pair with shellfish. Drink: 2024-2026. Score - 91. (nataliemaclean.com, Aug. 24, 2024)
100% Gamay. Crushed red fruit aromas, some herbal notes. Palate with crunchy fruit, quenching acidity, and a spicy, savoury finish. Score - 89. (Panel, Decanter World Wine Awards, 2025)
This single-vineyard Riesling was sourced from 18-year-old vines and harvested between October 3 and October 6. Whole bunches were gently pressed, and the juice was cool-fermented and aged in stainless steel. This preserved the purity of the wine's lemon, apple, lime and grapefruit tones and allowed the minerality to remain sharply defined. This wine will drink through the early 2030s+.
Syrah can achieve impressive results in Niagara, as this wine illustrates. Spicy and fruit-forward, it has a good structural underpinning and will pair nicely with pepper steaks, charcuterie, or prosciutto pizza.
Sales of this wine have resulted in the donation of 200,000 meals to Ontarians in need, a third of whom are children. The wine is bright and fresh, with apple, peach, grapefruit, and racy minerality. Perfect for roast chicken or pork chops.
From vines planted in 2007, this Pinot is from one of Niagara's most recognized producers. The 2023 vintage is one that favoured Pinot Noir. This appealing wine engages immediately with generous aromas of black fruit, leather and spice. The palate is savoury and round with excellent replays from the nose complemented by earth and cherry notes. Drink through end of the decade+.
It does not matter whether they be the single vineyard chardonnays or the conglomerative sku that acts as the geological sum of the total bill. In the world of Thomas Bachelder the intention is 'to define the dolomitic origins of our crazy-quilt patchwork of post-glacier melt/flow terroirs.' L'Ardoise is a clean, pure and representative slate of these notions, a chardonnay intent on helping to unearth what matters most, that being soil and place, to deliver this and more into a poured glass. The 2023 succeeds with its mix of fruit, acid and barrel, with ease and just enough complex depth to keep us asking for more. And posing new questions, to travel further and begin to discover the single terroir bottles made by Mr. Bachelder. Drink 2025-2028. Tasted October 2025. Score - 91. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)
A fresh and linear red with blackberries, blackcurrants and dark chocolate. Medium-bodied, very polished and refined on the palate with a lively finish. Linear at the end. This has more cabernet franc than normal. Malbec, merlot, syrah, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and cabernet sauvignon. Drink or hold. Score - 94. (jamessuckling.com, Feb. 7, 2024)
Intensely expressed and instantly appealing, the wine shows green rockmelon, feijoa, kiwifruit and lemon peel aromas, leading to a splendidly flavoursome palate that's filled with juicy fruit flavours with lively acidity, finishing persistent and delicious. At its best: now to 2027. Score - 94. (Sam Kim, wineorbit.co.nz, Aug. 2024)
Wine has been made in what is today the country of Georgia for an astounding 8,000 years. Crafted from Saperavi grapes grown in Kakheti, this wine brings spicy dark cherry and blackberry fruit, floral notes, structured tannins, and a hint of oak. It'll pair nicely with smoked meats or steaks.
This wine is everything you want in a Pinot Grigio. It's balanced and fresh, with apple, pear, and mouth-watering acidity. There's a delectable touch of fresh herbs that adds just a smidgen of complexity. Enjoy this as a sipping wine or with antipasti or fish.
It's immediately enticing on the nose, showing rockmelon, kaffir lime, crunchy apple and fresh fig aromas, followed by a succulent palate delivering terrific fruit purity and intensity. Wonderfully fruited and flavoursome with a lengthy, satisfying finish. At its best: now to 2027. Score - 95. (Sam Kim, wineorbit.co.nz, Aug. 2024)
The Donatella Cinelli Colombini 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne (with 8,700 bottles coming to the market at the new year) has a slightly darker character with more savory tones compared to the already toasty classic Brunello from the same vintage. Made with organic fruit, the wine shows hints of fireplace soot, Viennese coffee and grilled herb over a full-bodied texture. The tannins are well managed and so is the acidity. This is the first vintage in which 'Prime Donne' has earned recognition as an official 'vigna,' or vineyard, in the appellation. Drink date: 2026-2040. Score - 94. (Monica Larner, robertparker.com, Nov. 21, 2024)
A solid red with mushroom, bark, blackberry and black-truffle character. Full and layered with open tannins and a long, persistent finish. Creamy and polished. From a single vineyard with vines averaging 50 years old. Best from 2026. Score - 98. (jamessuckling.com, Sept. 26, 2024)
A racy style, this reveals black cherry, blackberry, licorice, spice, iron and underbrush notes. Solid tannins lay the groundwork for future development, while the fruit lingers. Balanced and long, this red picks up more balsamic details on the chalky finish. Best from 2028 through 2047. Score - 95. (Bruce Sanderson, winespectator.com, June 30, 2025)
A bright red color with orange highlights, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino is very pretty, with a delicate rustic hint that I find quite attractive. It reveals attractive red fruit on the nose, with notes of cranberries, wild herbs, and just a subtle hint of saddle leather and blood orange. Mid-weight, it's light on its feet while delivering wonderful energy and freshness, with snappy ripe red fruit, a refreshing, angular feel, and mouthwatering saline and acidity. This is certainly one of the highlights of the 2020 vintage. Drink 2025-2040. Score - 97. (Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com, Jan. 22, 2025)
Bright, shiny ruby red. Fresh cherry, fresh peach on the nose, reminiscent of candle wax, wild berry cordial, pear yoghurt, very fruity with floral hints. Exciting fruit on the palate too, embedded in tightly woven tannins, with elegant drive and progression, beautiful length, pithy, stony finish. Score - 96. (Othmar Kiem & Simon Staffler, falstaff.com, Oct. 16, 2024)
Resplendent with a thousand different colours this regal glass of Brunello alternates notes of lemon, face powder, sandalwood, white pepper, linden, rose petals, pink grapefruit and guaranà. In the background the notes of green tea leaves and peppermint give a notable freshness to the matrix. Medium bodied, perfectly mature tannins of a silky character and a very fine finale which exalts from the centre palate onwards to the dynamic, smooth closure. Better from 2024. [Will cellar into the 2040s.] Score - 97. (Raffaele Vecchione, winescritic.com, Oct. 19, 2022)
This wine comes from 30-year-old vines planted in granitic limestone, chalk and clay soils. It offers classic notes of lychee, rosewater and grapefruit, with spicy accents. This vintage also brings some tropical fruit to the table. Try it with sweet-and-sour fish, or tofu wrapped in seaweed. Enjoy through 2028.[Concours Général Paris did not include a tasting note.] Score - Gold. (Concours Général Paris, 2024)
Calm, cool, and collected with a label soothing to the eyes in mint-green. Discreetly aromatic with lime leaf, elderflower, ginger, almond, and fennel on the nose. Zesty but balanced with gentle lees and flavours of cucumber, white tea and mineral that mark the palate. Features a pleasant texture and notable persistence. Enjoy now or hold another 2-3 years. Tasted October 2024. Score - 90. (Sara d'Amato, winealign.com)