633 products
Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Sainte Claire Biodynamic 2023 750ml
Critic Notes
Neal Martin writes: The 2023 Chablis Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire comes from 50-60 year old vines. Clearly a level up from the regular cuvée. This displays more mineralité and nuance on the nose with hints of white truffle. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity, quite tensile with pleasing weight. Very harmonious on the finish. This is worth seeking out. - Drinking 2025 to 2035. - Vinous 90
Pommery Champagne Brut Royal 750ml
Winemaker Description
The Pommery Brut Royal shows a pale yellow color with light green accents. On the nose, it is vivacious and cheerful, fresh, easy, fine, delicate, and open. It has notes of citrus and white flowers combined with small berry notes. Elegant and vibrant in the mouth, it opens with initial notes of berries.
The wine is round, ample, and delicate, with a nice finish. Clear end notes without any dryness. This wine is harmonious and never grows tiresome to the palate.
Enjoy it at any time of day or night.
Expert Reviews
Lettie Teague writes: Champagne Pommery Brut Royal - Although I’m generally not big on glossy Champagne boxes, the groovy Pommery package with its paisley design was pretty eye-catching; happily, the wine inside was good too. A lithesome, compulsively drinkable dry sparkler with notes of citrus and pear and a long minerally finish, the non-vintage wine is a blend of three main Champagne grapes—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier—in equal amounts. Corporate-owned Pommery Champagne claims to have introduced the first successful dry “Brut” style Champagne to the world in 1874—it’s certainly a style they do well. A terrific aperitif. - Wall St. Journal, Dec. 16-17, 2023
Chateau Simard Saint Emilion 2011 750ml 90 pts Falstaff
Expert Reviews - Vintage 2011
Wine Advocate 91 points | The dark ruby/purple color is accompanied by loads of cassis and cherry jam notes intermixed with hints of licorice, incense, roasted herbs and underbrush. Full, fleshy and already irresistible, this 2011 should drink well for a decade. One of the finest Simards made in many years, this estate has gotten serious now that proprietor Alain Vauthier is overseeing the winemaking. From a well-placed vineyard planted in decomposed limestone below Pavie, this sleeper of the vintage is a St.-Emilion fruit bomb. Robert M. Parker, Jr.
89-91 Points James Suckling | A wine with plum, berry and cherry character. Medium body with integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Better after 2015.
Vinous | Bright ruby-red. Sappy, pure aromas of plum syrup, black cherry, graphite and botanical herbs, lifted by a strong floral topnote. Dense, sweet and suave, with intensely flavored, slightly candied red fruit and floral elements. Finishes with rich, spreading tannins and vibrant red berry flavors. When I observed that this is denser and more refined than the very good Simard, I saw Pauline Vauthier's eyes light up: "It's so true: but there's nothing one can do," she said. "The high-density plantings at Haut-Simard [10,000 vines per hectare vs. Simard's 6,000] make all the difference." I would add that in a year like 2011, Haut-Simard's soil, which features more clay and less sand, also place it at an advantage.
La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2022 750ml
Winemaker Description
Aromas of raspberry, cranberry, black licorice, and exotic tea notes. Flavors of red cherry, plum, and boysenberry, subtle hints of espresso and cocoa nib underpin notes of spice and toast. Firm yet integrated tannins and bright acidity drives a long finish.
#1 Top Value Wine Wine Spectator, February 2024
Expert Reviews
James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator writes 89 Points | A ripe, friendly, open style, with black tea and anise notes infusing a core of raspberry and cherry compote flavors. Shows a light sandalwood echo on the finish. Drink now through 2026. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
Samantha Cole-Johnson of Jancis Robinson writes | Pale ruby with a purple hue. Fresh red and black cherry with a light spiciness. Sweet fruit on the palate. Viscous, with fine-grained tannins and high, fresh acidity. Fresh finish with light spice. 100% French oak, 22% new; 8–9 months in barrel. Drinking 2023 to 2028.
Pol Roger Champagne Brut Reserve 750ml
Winemaker Description
Pale gold in color with delicately toasty aromas alongside fruit and complexity. This wine is creamy and beautifully balanced with a dry, harmonious finish.
Expert Reviews
93 Points Decanter | Richly biscuity on the nose, with steamed rice, fresh pear and citrus blossom complexity. Creamy mousse dissolves into red apple peel, lemon and stone fruits, with a depth of honeyed biscuits. The Reserve NV from Pol Roger is a blend of base wines from at least three vintages. With 6 months of post-disgorgement ageing, the wine is ready to enjoy now.
James Suckling 92 Points | Fresh Amalfi lemons, pear skins, apples, rhubarb and hints of anise on the nose. Excellent depth and flavor concentration here, with a medium body and creamy bubbles. Fruit and spice deliciously integrated.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 92 Points | The current release of Pol Roger's NV Brut Réserve is quite dramatic, bursting with aromas of mandarin oil, honeycomb, elderflower, fresh bread and musky peach. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it's generous and textural, with a rich core of fruit, lively acids and a pillowy mousse.
Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | The nonvintage Champagne from this producer always has richness from the Pinot Noir in the blend. This bottling also has a touch of toast, showing some bottle aging. Put the two elements together and this satisfyingly ripe wine is ready to drink.
Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points | Equal parts Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier make up the NV Champagne Reserve Brut, with 8 grams per liter dosage. The nose is bright and fresh with green apple and lively lemon lime citrus as well as fresh pastry. The palate is dry though generous, with fruit upfront of ripe red berries and grapefruit. Well-suited as an aperitif, it is ready to drink now or over the next 10 years.
Grgich Hills Chardonnay Estate Grown Napa Valley Chardonnay Biodynamic 2021 750ml
James Suckling 93 Points | Aromas of dried orange peel, lemon grass and hay. Medium-bodied with lovely complexity. Herbs and dried citrus meld together, with a hint of white tea adding intrigue. Well composed. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Mike Grgich, who turned 100 in April 2023, emigrated from Croatia to California in 1958 and worked his way up as a winemaker until, in 1973, he produced the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that triumphed in the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting. His own winery, then Grgich Hills Cellar, was founded as a partnership in 1977. Grown near San Pablo Bay, the estate Chardonnay is fermented and aged in barrels and foudres, 40% of which are new French oak. Ronan Sayburn MS: Gunflint reductive nose with green cardamom, cucumber skin, oyster shell and seaweed. Smoky subtle oak. Lean, tight and mineral. Eugenio Egorov: Hints of citrus and caramel with a touch of vanilla on the nose. Creamy and vibrant with beautiful citrus and balanced acidity. Ben Gubbins: Struck match, toast and lime aromas. The palate is firm and citrussy, holding tight through a citrus and pineapple finish. Drinking 2023 - 2030.
Robert Parker 92 Points | A non-malolactic wine—made in the spirit of the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that impressed at the Paris tasting in 1976—Grgich's 2020 Estate Grown Chardonnay features gentle toasty notes, a hint of roasted hazelnut, plus bright pineapple and citrus fruit. It's medium-bodied, zesty and refreshing, with a long, clean finish. Drinking 2022 - 2026.
Jeb Dunnuck | The 2020 Chardonnay is enjoyable, with attractive melon and stone fruits as well as a medium-bodied, easygoing style on the palate.
Jancis Robinson | Subtle aromas of mixed stone fruits pick up a bit of rich spice on the palate as well as notes of lemongrass carried through a long finish. It is not as refined as the Miljenko’s Selection though it retains an overall sense of restraint and a lot of length.
This 2020 Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay entices you with aromas of fresh peach, citrus, and honeysuckle followed by bright fresh acidity and a beautiful chiseled minerality leading to a finish that is layered with undertones of passion fruit, white peach and a hint of Madagascar vanilla. Winemaker Description.
Chateau Larose Trintaudon Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2019 750ml
Expert Ratings
James Suckling writes: Blueberry, blackcurrant, and black cherry in the nose with some sweet tobacco and moss. Full-bodied with chewy tannins that are polished and savory. Fruity yet reserved finish. Give this two or three years to open. Try after 2023. - James Suckling 93
Jane Anson writes: A Cru Bourgeois Superieur as of the 2018 vintage, giving a good display of understated Médoc charm with its 2019 vintage. Blackberry and black cherry fruits, firm tannins, well measured with an elegant frame. Violet edges to the colour also suggesting bright acidities, a little austere overall at this stage but great potential to develop over the next few years in bottle. - Decanter 90
Brilliant colour of good intensity with very slight notes of development. The dominant aromas are crunchy damson, black peppercorn. Fresh fruit returns on the palate with wild plum, and a definite balance between the tannic structure, the freshness coming from the acidity and the fat and smoothness provided by the alcohol. A great classic, full of elegance and finesse. To be decanted 30 minutes before tasting.
Winemaker Notes
Dark and very intense colour of deep ruby. Ripe aromas of small black fruit dominate (blackcurrant, blackberry), though with good freshness. The palate is fleshy, with a nice touch of tannin. Long, caressing finish. To be watched during ageing, which will seek to bring out the harmony and the balance.
Blend: 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot
Chateau Greysac Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2018 750ml
Expert Description
James Suckling writes: Some nice, floral character to the plum and berry aromas and flavors. Some leaves. Medium-bodied with medium, polished tannins and a medium finish. Drink or hold. - James Suckling 90
Neal Martin writes: The 2018 Greysac has a well-defined bouquet of wild strawberry and raspberry fruit laced with cigar box and smoky aromas. The finely balanced palate offers sappy red fruit laced with black pepper and tobacco. I admire the cohesion here, and there is fine weight on the finish. Definitely a cut above a lot of Cru Bourgeois Médocs, though it deserves 2–3 years in bottle. Drinking 2023 - 2030. - Vinous
James Lawther MW writes: Big and bold with plenty of dark fruit and chocolatey oak. Sweet and generous on the palate, the oak again evident but integrated and the fruit present. Perhaps more winemaking than terroir. Drinking 2023 -2028. - Jancis Robinson 15.5
Rombauer Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley 2023 750ml 92WE
Jonathan Cristaldi writes: What a refined and expressive 2022 Rombauer Chardonnay that isn't even remotely styled in the over-the-top richness that public opinion would suggest. In short, get a bottle and be humbled if you think this is a butter bomb -- because it's not. Candied ginger and lemon peel aromatics with elegant baking spices. Round and warm on the palate with grip and expressive acidity, and attractive ginger and salted lemon peel notes. Enjoy this wine now for its youthful exuberance and refreshing acidity, or hold it for a few years and revel in the warming, rich character that will emerge, but above all, please make your best roast chicken ala Julia Child and live life to its fullest on that night—100% Chardonnay aged in 9 months in American and French oak barrels (30% new). Drinking 2024 -2028. - Decanter 92
Maison l'Envoye Two Messengers Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 750ml
Winemaker Description
The nose is fresh and approachable, opening up with a vibrant mixture of sour cherry, rhubarb, iron essence and graphite. The palate is succulent and filled with tart cranberries and blueberries. Generous acidity and polished tannins bring into being a dynamic yet harmonious Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne BLUE LABEL Brut Reserve 750ml
Expert Review
Lettie Teague writes: Nicolas Feuillatte Réserve Exclusive Brut, Produced in very large quantities (over 10 million bottles yearly), this non-vintage bottling is produced by a sizable group of Champagne growers, too. Founded by Nicolas Feuillatte in 1976, the company now sources grapes from a staggering 6,000 growers—one out of every three growers in Champagne, according to the company’s press materials. The wine is an equal-parts blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (40% each), with 20% Chardonnay blended in. It’s fresh and clean and easy to drink—a real crowd-pleaser—with a crisp acidity and pleasant citric note. According to a 2023 Nielsen report, in France it is the most popular Champagne brand of all. - Wall St. Journal, Dec. 16-17, 2023
Le Volte dell'Ornellaia Toscana IGT 2022 750ml
Expert Reviews
James Suckling 93 Points | Very aromatic, with raspberry, orange peel and floral aromas. Nice transparency. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and a crisp, crunchy finish.
Wine Spectator 92 Points | A fresh, expressive red, this also exhibits tension, lending energy to its black currant, cherry, licorice and cedar flavors. Graphite and salty accents add detail on the long, tightly wound finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2033. 15,000 cases imported. -
Pecchenino Langhe Nebbiolo Botti 2022 750ml
Winemaker Description
Pecchenino winery is managed in a sustainable fashion: Orlando is convinced that the quality of his wine is strictly related to the natural health of his vineyard.
His main objective is that of growing the best possible grapes with the lowest possible impact on nature. In the vineyards, he opts for organic compost and avoids the use of any chemical products for weed or pest control; his treatments in the vineyards are all natural unless it becomes absolutely necessary.
Roederer Estate Brut NV Sparkling Anderson Valley California 750ml
Expert Reviews
Michaela Morris writes: First overall in the sparkling category. Louis Roederer's outpost in California's cool Anderson Valley is a stylistic chip off the old block. The blend includes a considerable portion of reserve wine that's been oak-aged, making for a rich, weighty mouthful of creamy bubbles. Malolactic fermentation is suppressed in order to preserve acidity but a healthy dosage of 12g/l adds to its girth. What this sparkler lacks in zip, it makes up in texture and concentration. Lots of baked apple and toasted cashews here. - Decanter 92
Eric Asimov writes: Roederer Estate, the Mendocino County outpost of the excellent Champagne house Louis Roederer, has long been not only one of California’s biggest sparkling wine producers, but one of the best. This is, not surprisingly, made with Champagne grapes, pinot noir and chardonnay, but grown in Anderson Valley terroir. It doesn’t taste like Champagne. It’s more herbal, less mineral, but it’s got a good Champagne’s freshness and elegance. - Eric Asimov’s New York Times Article Dec. 21, 2023
Castello dei Rampolla Chianti Classico Biodynamic 2021 750ml
Winemaker Description
"Maraschino cherry, pomegranate, smoked meat, earth and rosemary flavors highlight this sleek red, which is defined by vivid acidity and solid tannins, with a dry, sinewy finish. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2037. 3,000 cases made, 1,250 cases imported."
Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021
Jean Loron Chateau Mirande Macon Villages 2022 750ml
The Macon-Villages Château de Miarnde has an open and intense nose of citrus fruits, pears and hints of butter. On the palate it is juicy and full, the long finish has touches of creamy notes and finishes crisp and fresh.
Jean Loron's Château de Mirande Macon Villages is aged without contact with wood and ages for 6 months on the Lees, which gives the wine depth and structure. It also comes from a vineyard with Chardonnay vines that are on average forty years old, which gives the wine complexity and further depth. Winemaker Description.
Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2023 750ml
Our Professional Review
Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com | A bright, energetic Sancerre that drinks beautifully. Excellent aromatic purity and precision with a lovely melange of cries and white orchard fruits that mingle with perfectly balanced mineral notes and refreshing acidity. Well rounded and long on the finish. Perfect with all types of seafood, salads and vegetarian fare.
Expert Review
Rebecca Gibb MW of Vinous writes | The 2023 Sancerre is filled with elderflower, lime and green aromas. It is a medium-bodied style that's tender and supple from three types of chalky soil in the appellation. The clay-chalk portion of the soil brings volume and body, while the chalkiest soils provide some gentle tension. A spritz hint brings much-needed tension in this gentle acidity year. This is a step up from most 2023s in this high-yielding year. Drinking 2024 to 2028.
Antinori IL BRUCIATO Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Bolgheri 2022 750ml
Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022
Audrey Frick of Jeb Dunnuck writes 93 Points | An opaque purple blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, the 2022 Il Bruciato is luxurious with notes of blackberry liqueur and some blue fruit coming through along with notes of violets, olive, and black licorice. Full-bodied, with a weightless and seamless feel, it has no harsh edges and offers ripe tannins with a supple texture, fresh acidity, and clean ripeness through a rather long finish. This gorgeous wine checks a lot of boxes and is drinking beautifully now. It offers a lot of finesse as well as a wide drinking window. Drink 2024-2040. -
Monica Larner the Wine Advocate write 91 Points | The popular Marchesi Antinori 2022 Bolgheri Rosso Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato is a blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that offers generous black fruit, prune, black plum, spice and light toast. The wine tapers down to mid-weight texture on the palate, and this little pause in intensity happily serves to elevate its food-friendly appeal. This hot vintage reveals ripe fruit characteristics with soft tannins and an accessible style… Drinking 2024 to 2027.
James Button of Decanter writes 91 Points | This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah offers fresh aromas of dark berries and menthol, combined with ripe, opulent red and black fruits with floral overtones in the mouth. Sweet touches of vanilla and liquorice are followed by Mediterranean herbs and spice on a cool finish. Just lacking a bit of mid-palate punch. Drinking 2024 to 2028. - Decanter 91
Chateau Cote de Baleau Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2020 750ml
Expert Ratings - Vintage 2020
Jane Anson writes 94 Points | They do such a good job of enrobing the limestone austerity enough to give a whiff of gunsmoke and toasted oak, without obscuring the blueberry and raspberry fruits, along with salinity and a tingle of minerality. Mathieu Cuvlier director, consultant Julien Viaud. Drinking 2025 - 2040.
Jeb Dunnuck writes 94 Points | Another killer wine in the vintage is the 2020 Château Côte De Baleau, which comes from a cooler, north-facing vineyard on the eastern side of the appellation. Almost all Merlot, it offers a medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling, layered style that carries plenty of ripe tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and textbook Right Bank Merlot notes of red and black cherries, leather, dried flowers, and chalky minerality. It picks up more and more minerality with time in the glass and is a bonafide mineral bomb. Give it just a few years in the cellar and enjoy it over the coming 15-20 years.
Georgina Hindle of Decanter writes 90 Points | Lashings of liquorice and dark chocolate combine with ripe blackcurrant and plums, giving a serious tone to this wine. It's well built, with good support from gently chewy and present tannins, with a long, minty, salty finish. There are touches of dried fruits to this, raisins and prunes, but the acidity is well balanced and this has a nice weight in the mouth. A little drying by the finish. Heft and power, but not brutish. Drinking 2024 - 2034.
James Suckling writes 93 Points | Aromas of currants and blackberries with spiced chocolate, dried herbs and wet stones. Medium- to full-bodied with fine tannins and vivid acidity. Structured and meaty. Shows freshness and juiciness to its deep, dark-fruited character. Toned, firm finish. Drink from 2025. -
Julia Harding MW of Jancis Robinson writes 16+ Points | Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Dark-fruited and a little closed on the nose. On the palate, firm, chewy but balanced. Lots of dark, not-overworked, fresh fruit. Straightforward with smooth tannic finish and enough freshness thanks to both acid and tannins. Not overdone. Drinking 2026 -2036.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown of the Wine Advocate | The 2020 Cote de Baleau is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 15th to 30th September and weighing in with an alcohol of 14.2%. It is being aged for 16-18 months in 20% new oak barrels, 60% second-fill barrels and 20% in vats. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little swirling to coax out youthful notions of crushed blackberries, mulberries and kirsch, plus hints of tar and dried Mediterranean herbs. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with crunchy red and black fruits with a chewy texture and lively backbone lifting the finish. Drinking 2023 - 2032
Bodegas Muga Rioja RESERVA 2020 750ml
Our Professional Review
Winemaker Description
This 2020 vintage has a bright ruby-red color, with medium depth and a garnet-tinged rim. On the nose you discover an intense, complex wine. Aromas of wild fruits of the forest (blackberries and blueberries) come to the fore, with hints of spices. On the palate it is long, elegant and nicely balanced. Its sharp acidity is perfectly integrated and it has soft tannins. The finish is very long and full of fruit.
This wine will be an excellent accompaniment to meat dishes like a ribeye steak, as well as with charcuterie and all kinds of casseroles.
Expert Review
James Suckling 92 Points | Ripe but fresh nose of currants, blackberries, chocolate and plums. Not a big red, rather fluid and medium-bodied with soft tannins. A juicy, drinkable Muga Reserva that is already appealing. (2020).
Wine Spectator 91 Points | A rich, savory thread of tobacco, smoke and ground coffee underscores flavors of creamed cherry and blackberry fruit, black olive, orange peel and cocoa powder in this fresh and focused red. Medium-bodied and well-knit, with lightly chewy tannins firming the finish. Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. Drink now through 2030. 80,000 cases made, 15,000 cases imported. (2020).
Expert Ratings
Luis Gutiérrez 94 Points | The 2019 Reserva, sold as Crianza in Spain, comes from a dry and warm year with low yields and concentrated wines. The grapes from the Haro zone, the four from Rioja, Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano fermented destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and 80% of the volume matured in French oak and the rest in Centro European and American oak, 20% of them new, for 22 months, during which time the wine was racked every eight to nine months. This is serious and young but balanced, nuanced and complex. They are shortening the time in oak, as they feel they have better and younger barrels and think the wines need less time in oak and more time in bottle. This is very Muga, very Rioja and very good. There is only one master blend that is bottled at different times. I tasted a bottle that was filled in April 2022 (because of the lack of availability of bottles!). Drinking 2022 - 2027.
James Suckling 94 Points | This is a structured and linear Muga Reserva with a creamy and fine-tannined backbone and graphite, cherry, plum and black-truffle character. Medium-bodied, racy and beautiful. 70% tempranillo, 20% grenache and 10% mazuelo and graciano. Delicious now, but will age beautifully in the cellar.
Muga Reserva is a modern and stylish interpretation of a Reserva. Aromas of dark fruit: plums, and blackberries adorn the nose. Medium-bodied with firm tannins, hint of cinnamon and dark chocolate. A deep and satisfying finish.- Oscar Garcia M., 67 Wine Buyer
Melville Pinot Noir Estate Santa Rita Hills 2022 750ml
The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate was vinified with 40% whole clusters and matured in used oak. The nose is bursting with cranberry, pomegranate, mushrooms, woodsmoke and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate has a core of earth and spice-laced fruit. It has a frame of chalky tannins and juicy acidity and a long, nuanced finish. (v. 2022)
Points Wine Enthusiast | Baked cherry and boysenberry aromas meet with dark earth, star anise and eucalyptus leaf aromas on the nose of this appellation cuvée. There's a rich body to the palate, but the ripe cherry flavor stays vibrant and energized, bolstered by green sage and lemon-peel elements. (2022).
Winemaker Description
The aromatics instantly permeate the glass, ripe red plums, cloves, and orange zest. When tasting, the flavors of Bing Cherry, raspberry and blackberry race over the entire palate and are followed by black tea and tarragon. A harmonious backbone of silky tannins and energetic acidity give this wine real verve.
Adelsheim Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 750ml
Our Professional Review
Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com | A very pretty expression of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, this delicious 2022 shows plenty of aromatic complexity with layered fruit with a lovely earthy character. In the mouth, the flavors unfold to reveal raspberries, spiced plums and baking spices supported by elegant tannins that linger delightfully on the long finish. Drinking perfectly right now, this is a perfect accompaniment to salmon, poultry and vegetarian cuisine. - Bart Hopkins, 67 Wine Buyer
Expert Review - Vintage 2022
Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points | With a youthful transparent red hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is perfumed out of the gate with notes of fresh red cherries, sweet herbs, wet stone, and a hint of purple flowers shining through. Approachable and medium-bodied, it has a delicate, savory, juicy feel, with fine tannins and a light, earthy note of beetroot on the finish. This is a very charming wine to drink over the next few years.
Winemaker Description
With its broad array of origins and clones, this 100% Pinot Noir displays aromas of cocoa, pomegranate and raspberry on the nose and the palate as well as a light touch of nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. True to Adelsheim's house style, it is elegantly textured with seamlessly integrated, silky, polished tannins.
Gerard Boulay ROSE Sancerre Sibylle ORGANIC 2023 750ml
Our Professional Review
Bart Hopkins writes: One of our favorite recommendations for the past three years, Gerard Boulay Sancerre Rose is made of 100% Pinot Noir and is certain to make your mouth water! The wine is balanced between juicyness and acidity, with obvious red berry notes. Boulay’s Sibylle Rose is made from mature 35 to 40+ year old vines, in the village of Chavignol, where many believe the best Sancerre is made. - 67Wine Buyer
Winemaker Notes
Unlike many Sancerre Roses, Gerard harvests his Pinot specifically to make rose by direct press, then into tank. It is not a selection of young vines as he has no young Pinot vines. What makes the rosé one year could make red another, and vice versa, depending on what the vintage gives.
Varietals: Pinot Noir. Organic: Practicing. Vineyard: From 35-40 year old Pinot Noir vines on the steep hillsides in front of the Boulay home in Chavignol. Orientation: Multiple parcels, varied exposure. Soil: Steep clay hillside. Viticulture: Gerard works the soil manually and lets nature make the wine. Vinification: Tank fermented. Boulay adds no yeast and minimal amounts of SO2. Aging: Tank aged. Production: 200 cases annually.
Critic Notes
Antonio Galloni writes: The 2023 Rosé Sibylle is redolent with crushed berry fruit, rosewater, spice, mint and orange peel. Sensual and layered in the glass, the 2023 possesses lovely textural resonance to play off its effusive aromatics. It’s a gorgeous wine from Gerard Boulay. Drinking 2024 - 2026. - Vinous 90
La Rioja Alta Rioja Vina ARDANZA RESERVA 2017 750ml
Our Professional Review
Oscar Garcia of 67Wine.com | Every release from Vina Ardanza La Rioja Alta is simply beautifully crafted to almost perfection. Reservas at the winery are aged up to maximum craftsmanship and release to the market until the wine team feels its aged consistently.Winemaker Description
Intense cherry red color, marking the garnet on the edge of the glass. Of great aromatic power, first of fruity character (cherry, currant, red plum) giving way then to balsamic and spicy notes (pepper, licorice, clove, vanilla, toasted caramel and nutmeg). Fresh and balanced in the mouth, with fine and silky tannins. Ample aftertaste that combines red fruits and spices with a fresh and long character.
Pair with roast lamb, red meats, barbecues, large game, spicy fish casseroles, smoked and aged cheeses.
Expert Reviews
James Suckling 95 Points | A more vibrant and fruitier expression of Ardanza this year with strawberries, mussels, warm spices and berries. Round and silky on the palate with lovely spices and a long, nicely saline finish. A nice touch of creaminess works really well here and further extends the finish. 80% tempranillo and 20% garnacha. Drink or hold. (2017).
Robert Parker 94 Points | 2017 was not an easy harvest, but it produced some beautiful and classical wines, like the 2017 Viña Ardanza Reserva, which shows a little more advancement and polish and is ready to drink. It was produced with 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha from their vineyard La Pedriza in Tudelilla. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in American oak barrels, 36 months for the Tempranillo and 30 for the Garnacha (that was harvested 15 days later), with six rackings. It's ripe and aromatic, tertiary, with 14.5% alcohol and mellow acidity, a medium-bodied palate and sleek tannins. It has a pungent note of clove and pepper, some licorice and ink and the cherries in liqueur from the Garnacha. An updated classical Ardanza. (2017).
Wine Spectator 92 Points | Baked cherry, raspberry ganache and warm fig flavors are ripe and expressive, with a pleasing counterpoint and added detail from rich notes of loamy earth and leather, plus accents of bay leaf, vanilla and red licorice. There's a supple generosity on the palate, trimmed nicely by fine-grained tannins and a tang of orange peel acidity. Tempranillo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2032.
Xavier Flouret Sancerre Blanc French Blonde 2023 750ml
Winemaker Description
Mineral driven, elegant and refreshing. Inviting floral aromas with bright, clean citrus flavors on the palate.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley 2022 750ml
Cakebread Napa Valley Chardonnay opens with aromas of ripe golden apple, white peach, and light oak. On the palate, apple and pear characteristics are balanced by fresh acidity, and the finish is clean, with appealing hints of apple and lemon intermingling with notes of minerality.
This is a versatile pairing wine—enjoy it with grilled seafood and nearly any selection of cheeses. Winemaker Description.
Critics Notes
MaryAnn Worobiec writes: Light and juicy, this glides along with a harmonious, fruit-forward mix of juicy green apple, lime sherbet and lemon meringue. Details of ginger, lemongrass and shortbread linger in the background. Drink now. - Wine Spectator 90
Alix Carlin Sancerre 2023 750ml
Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay Carneros 2022 750ml
92 Wine Spectator: Powerful, with richness to the concentrated salted butterscotch, peach pastry and dried apricot flavors. Delivers details of spices and honeycomb, with elegant, fresh acidity weaving in and out to highlight the flavors.
Winemaker Notes
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux VACQUEYRAS Cuvee Azalais Biodynamic 2021 750ml
Domaine Olivier Foucher Sancerre Blanc 2023 750ml
Bart Hopkins writes: A classic mineral driven Sancerre with a lovely bouquet of freshly squeezed lime, lemon zest, gooseberry and peach blossom with a pleasant grassy note. Crisp and lively in the mouth, deliciously refreshing, with excellent precision and energetic focus on the finish. - 67Wine Buyer
Concours des Ligers - The bright pale yellow color opens on an expressive and attractive nose that associates the smells of citrus with those of exotic fruits (passion), with a hint of banana. The mouth with a lively attack offers a fleshy matter, "fat", a beautiful balance between freshness and roundness, as well as fruity aromas (lychee) that persist in a fine and gourmet finish. Beautiful Sancerre. - Concours des Ligers Silver Medal
Winemaker Notes
Domaine Olivier Foucher is a small, 10 hectare farm located along the slopes of the town of Morogues in the Menetou-Salon appellation of the Loire Valley. Olivier created the estate in 1992 and grows Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, making wines that are incredibly complex and at the same time dangerously drinkable. Menetou-Salon is an appellation located directly west of Sancerre. While the wines of Sancerre are more well known (and consequently more expensive), the wines of Menetou provide as good quality at a better price. The terroir in this region is laden with the limestone-rich, calcareous soils from millions of years ago, leftover from when the region was under sea; it is quite similar to the terroir of Chablis Grand Crus.
The Domaine Olivier Foucher Menetou-Salon is spectacularly fine and polished. This 100% Sauvignon Blanc is always beautifully represented here at the shop and the superior quality is consistent with each new vintage. Light lemon in color, the wine has a delicate floral scent, with a touch of lime zest and tangerine on the nose. The palate is full of white-fleshed fruits — particularly peach and pear — that blend with more exotic, softer notes of grapefruit and papaya.
Wave after wave of mouth-puckering acidity and a mineral-packed finish will keep you coming back for more! Perhaps the most impressive feature of the wine is its impeccable balance of flavor intensity, structural tension and length: everything is where it should be, making this Sauvignon Blanc almost too easy to drink. This is an exceptional seafood wine — think oysters, scallops, smoked trout, shellfish — but it is also perfect for a salad of fresh greens with apples, goat cheese and walnuts.
Cristom MT JEFFERSON CUVEE Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 750ml
James Suckling | A lively, precise and well-composed pinot with notes of sour cherries, red currants, crushed roses and mild spices on the nose, followed through to a medium body with bright acidity. It’s crisp and spot-on, with succulent wild berries at the center and verve throughout. (2022).
Vinous | Wildly exotic, the 2022 Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée captivates with its seductive blend of dried flowers, incense, rosemary and dried strawberries. This is wonderfully fresh, nearly crunchy in feel, with stimulating acidity offsetting its tart red fruits and hints of sour citrus that pucker the cheeks. The 2022 finishes with youthful tension, lightly structured yet cooling and fresh, leaving suggestions of tart raspberry. About 52% whole cluster fermentation. (2022).
Benanti Etna ROSSO Sicily 2022 750ml
A versatile wine that can be paired with red meats and cheeses but also with fish or white meats. Very suitable for by-the-glass consumption.
Benton Lane Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 750ml
Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc LES SETILLES 2022 750ml
"An equally fresh if less spicy nose freely offers up its aromas of apple, pear, white flower and a touch of orange peel. The mouthfeel of the medium weight flavors is also quite lovely while the lingering, balanced and equally dry finale is sufficiently tightly wound to repay a few years of keeping. This too is very good for its level." Burghound
The aromas of white flowers, peach, grilled almond and lemon peel dominate on a mineral-tinged background. The attack is full and warm on the palate with a lively and long lasting finish.
Alvaro Palacios PRIORAT Camins del Priorat 2022 750ml
Winemaker Notes
This bright red bursts with flavor, violets, crisp cherry and ripe berried fruit. The wine has fine tannins that are a sleek frame for the expressive profile, with a long finish.
Critic Notes
92 Points Wine Spectator |This elegant red shows lovely balance and accessibility, offering fine-grained tannins enmeshed with flavors of ripe black raspberry, plum, crushed pine and milled pepper, plus a lively touch of mandarin orange peel. Lingering and lightly chewy on the finish. Garnacha, Samso, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2032. (2022).
Josh Raynolds writes: Shimmering violet. Vibrant blackberry, cherry and floral aromas are complemented by hints of licorice and succulent herbs. Concentrated bitter cherry and dark berry preserve flavors stretch out and turn livelier with air. Gently gripping tannins give shape and focus to a long, spicy finish that shows very good clarity and repeating florality. Drinking 2022 to 2028. - Vinous 92
Alison Napjus writes: This elegant red shows lovely balance and accessibility, offering fine-grained tannins enmeshed with flavors of ripe black raspberry, plum, crushed pine and milled pepper, plus a lively touch of mandarin orange peel. Lingering and lightly chewy on the finish. Garnacha, Samsó, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2032.- Wine Spectator 92
Zekun Shuai writes: Hints of stewed herbs to the nicely baked cherries, strawberries and some hibiscus and dark spices. Fruity, medium-bodied on the palate with fine-grained tannins and a fresh, medium-long finish. Drink now.- James Suckling 91
Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 2022 750ml
Winemaker Description
It is a delicious and supple wine, synonymous with sharing and conviviality, adapting perfectly to meat dishes in sauces or more simply grilled. Its aromas make it a Châteauneuf-du-Pape accessible to many tasters, from beginners to the most experienced.
Expert Review
Nicolas Greinacher writes: Ripe red fruits, dried herbs and a pinch of white pepper introduce the 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is pale, ruby-colored, medium to full-bodied and concentrated. Inviting and round, this 2021 red is neatly balanced by refreshing acidity and closes with a bright finish. Drinking 2024 - 2033. - Vinous 90