The 2019 Cabernet Franc from the Uco Valley contains 10% of Malbec and spent 15 months in foudres. Violet in hue. The raw nose offers a whiff of stem and herbal hints with a touch of sour cherry and a fruity backdrop. Quite smooth... Read More
The 2019 Syrah Estate Vineyard is an elegant, supremely classy wine. Sage, tobacco, mint, black pepper and lavender lead into a core of beautifully layered dark blue/purplish fruit. Silky and polished, the Estate Syrah is an absolute... Read More
The 2019 Syrah Hudson Vineyard is incredibly primary. Readers will have to be patient with the 2019, as it needs at least few years in bottle to develop the full range of Hudson Syrah aromatics. Today, it is the wine's depth... Read More
On a shortlist of annata wines to buy from Piedmont this year is the Brovia 2019 Barolo. Made from a blend of fruit from Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba, this wine delivers a very sharp and chiseled performance... Read More
The 2019 Barolo Albe offers aromas of pressed roses, apricot, and tea leaf that are followed by a wine with great tension and balance, medium body, driving notes of orange citrus and dusty earth, and a clean finish. It is long... Read More
The tank-aged 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Bel Ami is a blend of 50% Grenache, 20% each Mourvèdre and Syrah, and 10% Cinsault. Floral and mocha notes combine on the nose, while the concentrated fruit marries raspberries, black-skinned... Read More
In this seamless expression of Syrah, the nose weaves through dark fruit and purple flower aromas with nothing obtrusive. The palate is also cohesive, loaded with purple fruit and flower flavors dusted in pepper and dried herb.... Read More
This too is moderately reduced and hard to evaluate. There is excellent volume and mid-palate density to the punchy and alluringly textured middle weight flavors that culminate in a very firm, delicious and serious finale. This... Read More
Lovely, leafy aromas of fresh garden herbs, drying tobacco leaf, bay leaf, grilled plum and baked strawberry. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, slightly tense tannins. An array of juicy red and black fruit and berries on the palate.... Read More
A honest red with aromas of plums, black pepper and crushed stones. Medium-bodied with polished tannins and crunchy acidity. Shows tension and structure, but delicious already. Better after 2022.
Ripe black cherries, dried flowers, black olives and cloves on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, silky tannins and a juicy, flavorful finish. Better from 2023.
The 2019 Les Tourelles de Longueville is a blend of 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 68% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, harvested from the 18th of September to the 11th of October. It is being aged in French oak barrels,... Read More
This too is firmly reduced and all that can be discerned is a whiff of herbal tea. The bigger, richer and more powerful medium weight plus flavors terminate in an austere, compact and much more complex finale. This appears to... Read More
The Mastrojanni 2019 Brunello di Montalcino has a pretty bouquet with dark fruit and something exotic that recalls camphor ash, wood fire ash, garrigue and dried herb. It is rich and evenly concentrated with fine chalk on the... Read More
The 2019 Syrah Estate has a medium ruby-purple color and is bursting with blackberry jam and blueberry aromas with broody tones of cast iron, chargrill, aniseed and dried herbs. The palate is lovely, with a balance of bright berry... Read More
The 2019 Maniacal is a blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre, with scents of spicy blackberries and blueberries, blood orange, dark spices and dried flowers. The medium-bodied palate is seamless and fresh,... Read More
Ripe berries and blackberries with some currants. Fresh and bright. Medium-bodied, firm, and silky. Linear and tight. Very focused. From organically grown grapes. Sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc. Drink or hold.... Read More
The 2019 Zinfandel Oakley Road is bright and effusive, with tons of character. Sweet red berry fruit, rose petal and mint are beautifully layered together. Creamy and resonant in the glass, the Zinfandel is quite expressive today,... Read More
The 2019 Left Bank Red Cuvée is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% each Cabernet Franc and Merlot, all aged 20 months in 60% new French oak. Gentle herb nuances bump up against cherries and raspberries on the nose, while the... Read More
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena comes from alluvial soils, and its dense purple hue is followed by a rich, powerful, concentrated wine loaded with ripe black (and some red) fruits, smoked tobacco, scorched earth, chocolate,... Read More
The 2019 Merlot is a fabulous wine that punches well above its weight, and its modest price, too. Inky, deep and savory, with tons of cool-climate finesse, the 2019 Merlot is fabulous. It's not too often that a wine so clearly... Read More
A bright magenta/ruby color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is floral and expressive with aromas of wild roses, raspberry liqueur, blood orange, and fresh pine. Medium-bodied, it’s graceful throughout, with refined tannins,... Read More
Smoked spices, chocolate, black olives and cured meat on top of the rich black cherries and blackberries. Ripe and flavorful on the palate with a medium to full body coated by opulent fruit and creamy tannins. Long and flattering... Read More
Aromas of redcurrants and cherries with salt and white pepper, following through to a medium body with firm, chewy tannins and a juicy, salty finish. Drink or hold.
The 2019 La Vizcaína La Poulosa was the first vineyard to be harvested, so the wine is a lot fresher than in the past. They now control almost 100% of the vineyards they use, which has also translated into more precision.... Read More