The attractive red-beet and milk-chocolate nose leads you into a full-bodied, tannic wine that’s built for long aging. Plenty of ripe plum on the very bold, almost massive palate. Expands nicely as it aerates, but you need... Read More
The 2019 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County brings more up-front fruit, with lots of ripe framboise and strawberry notes as well as flowers and spice. Pure, up-front, wonderfully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has nicely... Read More
Notable for its pure cherry and kirsch aromas and flavors, this red is also stylish and graceful. Rose, wild thyme and stony mineral elements come into play as this develops on the palate. Beautifully integrated, fresh and firm,... Read More
A beautiful, elegant Saint-Emilion that will be loved by both modernists and traditionalists out there, the 2019 Château Bellefont-Belcier comes from a south-facing, limestone terroir just beside Château Pavie and... Read More
The 2019 Château Laforge is more up-front and charming, with medium-bodied aromas and flavors of savory red and black fruits, leafy herbs, iron, and tobacco. It has good acidity, ripe tannins, and, as with all of the releases... Read More
A new Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, freshly minted this year (from the 2018 vintage). I would put this right up there with the best vintages from Lilian Ladouys. It feels extremely silky, with such plump blackberry fruits that you... Read More
Bursting from the glass with notes of plus, sweet red berries and hints of licorice, the 2019 Mangot is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with beautifully powdery tannins and a succulent core of fruit. Giving, charming... Read More
The aromas to this are really amazing, with a potpourri of spices and dried flowers, as well as redcurrants, sweet plums and even some peaches. Full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins that spread across the... Read More
The 2019 Cheval des Andes has a more reductive vinification and élevage, making the wine a bit shy and in need of time to open up, as one of their objectives was to make it more age-worthy. Another objective is to get to... Read More
A perfumed garnacha with aromas of redcurrants, melon, pomegranate, lemon and rosemary. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and lively acidity. Bright and pure. Juicy and fleshy with soft power. Balanced and delicate with an infused... Read More
This is a second label for Owen Roe that delivers a lot of quality and value. Aromas of freshly brewed coffee, plum and whole tangerine are followed by flavors that are defter and more elegant than the aromas might suggest. SEAN... Read More
Aromas of raspberry, watermelon, crushed stone, nutmeg and lemon. Medium-bodied with tight tannins and bright acidity. Wild and mineral at the end. Sustainable. Drink or hold.
Silky, elegant and wonderfully nuanced, the 2019 Gattinara Il Putto is seriously impressive. All the elements are impeccably balanced. Soaring aromatics meld into a core of bright, red-toned fruit. Medium in body, yet deep and... Read More
Once again, the amphore demonstrates its advantages in very ripe vintages as the nose is appealingly fresh with an even spicier array of plum, violet, anise and cinnamon scents. The delicious middle weight flavors possess a gorgeous... Read More
This isn't as spicy as the En Caillerets but there is fine complexity to the mix of plum, dark cherry and earth scents. I very much like the texture of the more powerful if less refined medium weight flavors that flash a taut... Read More
With its combination of flinty brightness and candied-citrus richness, this sophisticated chardonnay is just beginning to open up. Only medium-bodied with finely delineated contours and a tantalizing finish that pulls you back... Read More
This producer, with vineyards that are in the process of conversion to organic, has made a dense, richly structured wine. Generous black cherry fruits and ripe tannins promise plenty of aging. The property lies just up the slope... Read More
