$25 - $50 Wine

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

The Wine Spectator 91 Points | A waft of roasted nut on the nose enriches the palate's lively range of steeped apricot, Mandarin orange peel, pastry cream and chamomile notes. Racy acidity gives the complex profile fine definition and carries this on the well-spiced finish. Drink now through 2033.

Decanter 91 Points | This Umbrian Chardonnay from Antinori's estate is vinified and aged partly in stainless steel and partly in wood. The 2023 is toasty and slightly tropical, with a mineral, stony quality which runs through the core, and lovely bright acidity. It finishes with some zesty lemon peel and Mediterranean herbs. Nicely balanced and very fresh.

Winemaker Description - Vintage 2023

Bramìto della Sala has an intense and bright straw yellow color. The nose is dominated by notes of white flowers and light hints of chamomile accompanied by Golden Delicious apple and delicate vanilla aromas. Fresh and pleasant on the palate with full expression of the varietal character. 

Winemaker Description 

Vibrant coral and rose quartz color with bright aromas of melon, citrus and dried herbs with ample orchard fruits and mineral salinity.  Always one of the finest rosés in California.  

This Rosé comes from two incredible sites: Luchsinger and St. Amant Vineyards. The rocky, volcanic site enjoys a warm growing season suitable to Touriga Nacional. Touriga is a late-ripening grape that needs some heat to mature and the Luchsinger site is a perfect match for this hearty variety.

This vineyard, farmed by the Spencer family since 1972, is composed of sandy granitic loam, and benefits from cool air descending the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains which helps moderate ripening.

The grapes have a vibrant personality with fine tannins and bright acidity. The fruit from both of these vineyard sites is crushed lightly prior to pressing to release some color, then fermented with native yeasts and aged in stainless steel.

Winemaker Description & Memo Notes

The Umathum Zweigelt Rotburger Classic 2022 is a standout example of Austria’s most-planted red grape. Produced by Josef "Pepi" Umathum, a pioneer in biodynamic viticulture in the Burgenland region, this wine is celebrated for being "crushable" yet sophisticated.

The name "Rotburger" is used here as a nod to the grape's historical name (Zweigelt is a cross of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent).

Tasting Notes
    •    Appearance: Deep ruby red with a youthful purple rim.
    •    Nose: A "cherry bomb" on the nose—expect intense aromas of sour cherry, blackberry, and raspberry, accented by a distinct black pepper spice and a touch of damp earth or flint. 
    •    Palate: Fresh and juicy with medium body. It features vibrant acidity and soft, silky tannins. The palate mirrors the nose with tart red fruit and a savory, spicy finish.
    •     Structure: Fermented with natural yeasts and aged for one year in large, neutral Austrian oak barrels (foudres) to preserve the purity of the fruit rather than adding heavy oak flavors. 
        
Pepi Umathum is one of Austria's best known producers. In the Burgenland growing district called Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl), he counts as one of the great champions of the traditional Austrian grape varieties. His main holdings are Rotburger (Zweigelt), St Laurent and Blaufrankisch with a bit of Welschriesling, Roter Traminer, the extremely rare Gelber Traminer, and the unusual ancient Lindenblattriger (Harslevelu in Hungary).
Pepi has embraced the intricacies and harmonies of biodynamic viticulture, and for most of his wines, which are all hand-harvested, he prefers to use large barrels of native Austrian oak, which underscores the clear fruit aromatics of the wines. Some of the high-toned single vineyard bottlings are matured in smaller oak barrels and barriques, and are first released three years after the vintage. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2023 

Vinous 95 Points | The 2023 Vouvray Sec Le Mont is precise, upright and flinty. It's less immediately charming than the styles we've seen in recent warmer vintages, but it was only tasted three weeks after bottling—this is one to revisit. There's just the right amount of juicy, peachy flesh within this light-bodied yet concentrated wine. It has the potential to charm but does so without showing off. Flinty and tightly sewn together, it has curves in the right places, but you're just going to have to wait for it to take shape.

Winemaker Description 

Le Mont wines are often the estate's most reticent, but develop the strongest perfume with age. Mineral-driven with a crystalline purity, this is the precision we've come to rely on with Le Mont.

Expert Review

Scott and Jenny Schultz of Jolie-Laide make highly distinctive wines from grapes that are not among California’s usual suspects. The trousseau gris grapes for this bottle were farmed organically and stomped by foot. The wine is lively and aromatic and will go with a wide range of savory and sweetish things.- Eric Asimov “20 Wines for the Thanksgiving Table”, New York Times, Nov 2025

Winemaker Notes

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

James Suckling 91 Points | Spiced apples and pears with hints of citrus peel and raw almonds on the nose. Tense and juicy with medium to full body and a compact, lightly phenolic texture. Vivid and lingering. Drink or hold.

Winemaker Description 

'Shale and Stone' on the label is reflective of the deep minerality of the vineyard's ancient fractured shale soils and the freshness of the varietal. With long sur lie aging in concrete, it is taut but generous, and full yet bright on the palate.

Expert Review - Vintage 2024

Vinous 94 Points | The first of the two white wines, the 2024 Versante Nord is a blend of varieties sourced from six different vineyards at varying altitudes from the north side of the valley, which receives more sunlight during the day. This wine offers a wealth of power, with notes of salted pineapples, fresh sage, smoky earth, and saline. It’s bright with acidity, salinity, and a light wild side, though very well-managed. It had been bottled just three weeks earlier, so this tasting was a preview prior to its release. Drink over the coming 8-10 years.

Winemaker Description

Vibrant and mineral-driven white from the cooler northern slopes of Mt. Etna. Made from native Sicilian varieties grown on volcanic soils, it’s a wine of precision, tension, and layered complexity. Saline, citrusy, and full of energy, this is a must-try for lovers of terroir-expressive whites. A rising star from one of Etna’s most exciting young winemakers.

To get an idea of what this wine is, Eric Guido of Vinous Media said of last year’s vintage - 91 Points - A pretty blend of crushed yellow apples, lemon zest and ginger wafts up from the 2023 Uve Bianche Versant Nord. It splashes across the palate with tart orchard fruits and crunchy mineral tones enlivened by a core of sour citrus. Spice nuances embellish the close. This ends with a flowery concentration and sour lime, crisply refreshing yet potent and long. Fantastic.

Expert Review - Vintage 2021

The Wine Spectator 93 Points | Offers cherry and plum fruit framed by earth, mineral and wild herb flavors. Poised between elegance and power, this red is beautifully balanced. Dusty tannins support the fruit on the long finish. Best from 2026 through 2042. 26,000 cases made, 4,000 cases imported.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous writes 93 Points | The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva II Grigio da San Felice is a dark, dense, rather somber wine. Black cherry, leather, tobacco, incense and dried herbs reinforce that initial impression. A Riserva of substance and power, the 2021 has a ton to offer. It's an especially fine edition of II Grigio.

Tamlyn Currin writes:  This is utterly scrumptious. It's an arpeggio of sweet, audaciously ripe, red-berried, violet-flushed fruit that soars through the glass. Untrammelled freshness. The fruit is the flautist of the vineyard. Dauntlessly about the fruit but at the same time it's not speciously 'fruity'. It's complex. The tannins are silky but have fine-powdered chalky grip. There is spice, a little liquorice bark and a whisper of leafiness – that sort of green-purple petalled velvetiness of woodland violets. And the purity of fruit fills every molecule of the long finish. Bravo!  Drinking 2024 to 2031.  - Jancis Robinson 17

Winemaker Description 

Deep ruby red. Rich, long-lingering aromas are redolent of violets and wild red berry fruit. Il Grigio is a full-bodied wine, lean and firm, with succulent tannins and a tangy acidity. Ideal when accompanying meat-sauced first courses, roast pigeon, grilled steak.

Expert Notes

Stephan Reinhardt writes:  The 2021 Sand & Kalk is a pure Weissburgunder (a.k.a. Pinot Blanc) that was vinified in 600-liter oak barrels (5% new) for almost a year. Bottled in September this year and released in November, the wine offers a clear and aromatic, very elegant and balanced bouquet of ripe, white and yellow seed fruits. Medium-bodied yet dense and intensely fruity, with fine phenolic grip and delicate citrus bitters, this is a textural and very elegant Pinot Blanc with a refreshing and stimulating bitter finish with lingering lemon aromas. This is another excellent white that should be paired with raw fish, freshwater fish, seafood, white meat or cheese. This is a lovely, uncomplicated but structured terroir wine for the Buchertberg in Vulkanland Steiermark. Marketed as Landwein, though. 12.5% stated alcohol. Screw-cap closure.  Drinking 2023 to 2030.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91

Winemaker Description 

Seductively fresh Pinot Blanc with orange zest, honeysuckle flowers, and lemongrass and a luscious texture from the bit of skin contact that we greet us like a big soft hug. He manages to coax an intense amount of flavor out a relatively neutral grape, and we think it could go with anything from a bitter green salad with winter citrus to roasted chicken, pork tenderloin or seared scallops. This could easily be our everyday white! 

Because it has a nice, round body and prominent fruit, it also works as a Chardonnay alternative for those seeking a white with a bit more meat on the bones.

The HERRENHOF was a former wine estate of the Vorau Abbey. I started this project in 2006 from scratch, without vines. It required me 15 years to rebuild the winery. Since I have always been very close to nature, it is clear to me that I grow and vinify my wines exclusively organically. I want to bring the taste of the land where I grew up into the bottle of wine. Gottfried Lamprecht. 

The wine project at the HERRENHOF is pretty young. I've started to recutivate vineyards on this perfect slope in the year 2006 completely from the scratch. My mission: I want to present the Buchertberg, the place where I grew up in a bottle of wine. Because wine just can do that! Everything is harvested by hand of course. What makes me a special wine grower? I ferment 100% in barrels. 50% of my barrels are made of wood from my own forest. This brings my wines much closer to my terroir - closer to the Buchertberg, the place where I grew up. After fermentation the wines stay on their lees till bottling. Prior bottling I just about 20mg of Sulphur or less, or nothing and anything else. It depends on the wine.

Warehouse stored item - please allow two to five business days to fulfill.

Chablis achieves its highly distinctive mineral character due to its cool northerly climate and its highly calcareous soil. The Domaine Louis Moreau Petit Chablis is fresh and aromatic, with notes of apple and citrus on the nose. Bright acidity and a roundness on the palate.

Warehouse stored item - please allow two to five business days to fulfill.

James Suckling 95 Points | A fine-tuned, elegant Barolo with aromas of dried cherries, dried roses, licorice and mint. Full-bodied, it shows smoothness, density, weight and soft tannins despite the structure, with refreshing acidity and a long, vibrant finish full of savory flavors. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

Warehouse stored item - please allow two to three business days to fulfill.

James Suckling 92 Points | A juicy, vibrant and fruity blend of malbec, bonarda and petit verdot. Aromas of red cherries, berries and touches of citrus and potpourri. Fresh and brambly, with a medium body and small-grained fruit tannins.

Winemaker Description 

The perennial favourite Tokaj dry white wine, made of Furmint grapes. Excellent accompaniment to any type of dish. Perfectly balanced acidity, pleasant and long finish.

xpert Reviews - Vintage 2017

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.

Wine Advocate 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.

Vinous 93 Points | Viña Ardanza is a wine that embodies the long history of Rioja. The 2017 Gran Reserva Viña Ardanza is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha sourced from Rioja Alta and Oriental. Aged for up to 36 months in American oak, it presents a ripe profile with aromas of black fruit, earth and balsamic, complemented by cedar and vanilla. On the palate, it is dry and rich, with a juicy texture and fine, polished tannins that culminate in a bold and lingering finish. This is a vibrant red wine with harmonious balance

The 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.

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 Rating - Vintage 2023 

The Wine Spectator 92 Points | Brimming with verve, this Zin offers fresh flavors of black cherry, raspberry, briar patch and savory pepper that end with snappy tannins.

Vinous 90 Points | The 2023 Zinfandel Juvenile is bold, juicy and super-expressive, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Bright red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and new leather build nicely in this tasty, mid-weight offering from Turley.

Winemaker Description

Aromatically the wine has a nose full of juicy dark cherries, blackberries, just ripened raspberries, and some savory thanksgiving spices. On the palate there are notes of salty dried meats as well as brambly fruits paired with silken tannins. Winemaker Description. 

Our Professional Review

Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com writes | This super delicious Italian red is made from a blend of organically grown Barbera and Bonarda grown in the Trebbia Valley (hence the name Trebbiolo) in Emilia Romagna. Plump and juicy, with brambly red and black fruit aromas on the bouquet that expands generously on the palate. Velvety textured with sweet, supple tannins and a more-ish drinkability, this is a wine of pure pleasure. Serve it with pizza, strong cheeses and savory wild game.

Expert Revew - Vintage 2021

Wine Spectator 90 Points | Packs a weighty core of cherry preserves and plum, with black licorice notes, toasted apple wood and a firming spine of iron. A formidable, serious red, laced with ripe yet subtly grippy tannins through the singed herb–flecked finish. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

Jeb Dunnuck 90 Points | Pouring a bright transparent red hue, the 2023 Langhe Nebbiolo Ochetti is attractive and expressive on the nose, with pure notes of wild strawberries, fresh flowers, dusty earth, and fresh herbs. The palate is also nicely detailed, with refreshing acidity, fine tannins, and a citrus-noted finish.

Expert Review - Vintage 2016

Luis Gutiérrez writes:  The estate red 2016 Reserva comes from a late growing season and was produced with local varieties like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and others from their 86 hectares of vineyards at 590 to 805 meters in altitude on limestone, sandstone and marl soils. The grapes were picked late with good ripeness and health and fermented with natural yeasts in stainless steel and open-top oak vats and then matured in oak containers of different sizes for 20 to 21 months. These are more classical wines, with a more evolved nose, with high ripeness and some balsamic and medicinal notes. It has a dusty palate with Nebbiolo-like tannins.  Drinking 2022 to 2028.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 93+

Alison Napjus writes:  There's a bright, buoyant feel to this fluid red. Its frame of mandarin orange peel acidity and chalky tannins is well-meshed with a dark and expressive core of macerated blackberry and black plum skin. Fragrant notes of leather, dried flowers, mountain herbs, licorice and paprika add depth to the fruit profile and linger on the finish. Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano. Drink now through 2040.   - Wine Spectator 93

Our Expert Review

Debra of 67Wine.com writes 91 Points | This cool climate chardonnay, energetic, lively, fresh and concentrated , comes from Melville's Santa Rita Hills Estate.  

Polished, refined, linear with ample depth, shows a harmonious balance of acidity and  flavors of ripe apple fruits, citrus and a spicy finish.

For 'old world' chardonnay drinkers, this 'new world' chardonnay may just appeal to you. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

Vinous 94 Points | The 2023 Chardonnay Estate is exquisite. Floral and lifted, with striking precision, the Melville Chardonnay makes such a strong case for why Chardonnay is so ideally suited here. Lemon confit, jasmine and light tropical inflections are some of the notes that grace this sublimely elegant white. Bright acids pull it all together on the finish. I would give the 2023 six months to a year in bottle, as it is pretty tightly wound at this stage.

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points | Ripe lemon and citrus fruits, some minty herbs, and chalky minerality all emerge from the 2023 Chardonnay Estate Sta. Rita Hills, a clean, vibrant, focused Chardonnay that has solid acidity, beautiful overall balance and texture, and a great finish. The estate comes all from the Melville Vineyard and was raised in neutral oak. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points: From a large, 113-acre estate, this wine is dense, structured and full of dark coffee and spice flavors allied to rich tannins. Blackberry fruits shine through this texture promising aging. Drink from 2026.
Cellar Selection

James Suckling 92 Points: Sweet currant and berry aromas with some very flowers follow through to a medium body, with firm and creamy tannins and a flavorful finish. I like the walnut and chocolate undertones. 59% merlot, 37% cabernet sauvignon, 3% petit verdot and 1% cabernet franc. Better after 2023.

Decanter 91 Points: Lovely, expressive nose of sweet ripe fruits. The tannins are a bit too present at the moment, they take over and have a drying effect due to quite high acidity. There is definitely a core of ripe dark fruits with herb and liquorice edges but this needs more time to integrate

Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points: This château continues to bring the goods, and their 2019 Château Lilian Ladouys offers a medium-bodied, supple, elegant, and certainly delicious style as well as complex notes of redcurrants, darker mulberries, cedary spice, and dried herbs. It shows the elegant, more mid-weight side to the vintage, yet the balance is spot on, it has ripe tannins, and it’s going to keep for 15+ years. Best After 2022

Decanter Magazine 91 Points: Lovely, expressive nose of sweet ripe fruits. The tannins are a bit too present at the moment, they take over and have a drying effect due to quite high acidity. There is definitely a core of ripe dark fruits with herb and liquorice edges but this needs more time to integrate.

The Wine Advocate 90 Points: Offering up aromas of sweet berries, cherries, licorice and spices, the 2019 Lilian Ladouys is medium to full-bodied, ample and charming, with a giving, easygoing profile and a clean, precise finish. It's a competent effort that shows none of the appellation's stereo typically hard edges. Best After 2021

Winemaker Notes

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Luis Gutierrez writes:  The white 2020 Blanco is a little closed, young, clean and tender with subtle oak. They produced a little bit more in 2020, and the wine has less oak and less buttery sensations, a change that started with the 2017 vintage, which seems to have found its style harvesting earlier to retain freshness; it has 13.04% alcohol and a pH @ 3.23 and matured in larger oak containers, 500-liter oak barrels and some concrete for 12 months. It's floral and expressive, a blend of Viura with 20% Garnacha Blanca that they still consider work in progress but moving in the direction they want to go. 16,200 bottles and 100 magnums were filled in March 2022.  Drinking 2022 to 2028.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 93

James Suckling writes:  A delicious, creamy white with aromas of apricots, baked peaches, hazelnuts, white chocolate and nougat. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a ripe and creamy palate. Lovely buttery pastry and nougat character, with a fresh finish. Drink now  - James Suckling 93

Pedro Ballesteros MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Pierre Monsour write:  Round and warm on the nose, with fine notes of smoke. A mouth-filling wine that's fresh and expressive.  Drinking 2024 to 2027.  - Decanter 90

Winemaker Notes

Contino Blanco 2020 shows a very intense nose, marked by its aging in barrel. It is fresh and fruity wine, a true reflection of the identity of our vineyard. San Gregorio offers a Garnacha Blanca with great complexity and volume. The soils are clayey-calcareous, with medium stoniness, key for good drainage.

Blend: 80% Viura, 20% Garnacha Blanca

Winemaker Description

This full-bodied Syrah shows robust and pronounced aromas of blackberry, black currant, violets, black peppercorn, Herbes de Provence, and licorice. Spiced dark fruit flavors reveal themselves on the palate finishing with a mouth-filling, savory richness.

Expert Reviews 

92 Points James Suckling | Attractive nose of grilled herbs, blackberries, olives, chicory root and peppercorns. Savory and gently chewy with medium to full body, grainy tannins and an inky finish. (2020).

91 Points Jeb Dunnuck | Coming from a mix of sites, the 2020 Syrah Columbia Valley is an up-front, fruit-loaded, charming Syrah revealing tons of darker berry fruits, some peppery, meaty notes, medium to full body, plenty of creamy background oak, and a great finish. It's a good value and will put a smile on your face any time over the coming 5-7 years.

90 Points Robert Parker | Displaying herbal notes of sage and a soft, meaty essence, the 2020 Columbia Valley Syrah presents a nose filled with notes of spiced plum and dusty cherries. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers a fresh, spicy sensation with a kiss of oak over the peppery finish. 

90 Points Decanter | A blend of Syrah from four different Washington vineyards throughout the larger Columbia Valley AVA. Aromatics of rich dark fruits mingle with notes of pepper and clove. The palate is intensely ripe, with kirsch, black cherry and black plums. There are notes of white and black pepper spice and savoury anise notes to finish. (2020) 

90 Points Vinous | The 2020 Syrah opens with a delicate blend of fresh sage and plum sauce forming its bouquet. This is softly textured and lifted in feel, with crisp red and black fruits complemented by sweet spice. It finishes youthfully grippy yet lively, leaving hints of citrus and a bitter balsamic twang. The 2020 is beautifully balanced and eager to please.

Winemaker Description

Winemaker, Eli Ben-Zaken, crafts this wine by allocating a portion of premium grape varietals - Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc - destined for the winery's flagship wine, Domaine du Castel Grand Vin. The grapes are picked early to ensure that the resulting wine has enough acidity to offer the crisp and tart nature of a rose that is expected.

Then, the grapes are pressed and the juice is left in contact with the grape skins for just enough time to achieve the wine's impressive salmon hue. This has enchanting floral and berry aromas leading into a wonderful soiree of tart citrus and red fruit flavors on the palate and capped by a pleasing mineral finish. This rose is best in its youth.

A blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Malbec and 18% Cabernet Franc from high-density vineyards planted at 700 metres altitude, west of Jerusalem.  

Winemaker Description

The beautiful dark ruby saturated color hints to the lushness of the wine to come, and the nose confirms this impression, popping with a berry bowl of both bright and darker fruit. Boysenberry, cherry, and blueberry dance over sandalwood and baking spice bottom notes, while a scent of purple flowers adds a pretty touch. Plush and supple berry compote juicy goodness takes you through to the lingering finish.

This crowd-pleaser Pinot will be happy accompanying fish to fowl, along with savory side dishes that include mushrooms or earthy roasted root vegetables. An aged Gouda makes the perfect cheese match.

Expert Review

94 Points Wine Enthusiast | This silky, fruity and refined wine shows great balance between generous red cherry, raspberry and dark plum flavors, and refreshing acidity and moderate tannins. It’s poised to drink soon but OK to allow it to mature further. 

Winemaker Description

‘Mollydooker’ is old Aussie slang for a left handed boxer and our Boxer always punches well above his Fruit Weight™. Did you notice he has two left-handed gloves?

The 2022 Boxer boasts a robust foundation of dark fruit, black cherries, moccha, and a hint of clove spice that comes alive in the glass. Its velvety texture delivers notes of fresh plum, balanced tannins, and a subtle touch of toasted oak, all of which enhance the richness of the fruit. This wine offers a complex experience with multiple layers that are sure to impress.

Winemaker Notes

Expert Review - Vintage 2014 

93 Points James Suckling: A very pretty wine now with cedar, mushrooms and dried red fruit. Medium body, fine tannins and a subtle, polished finish Winemaker Description  A clean, bright, pretty red color, developing to maroon. Intense and highly complex aromas. Notes of stewed fruit. Sweet and warm hints from the barrel, and spicy nuances in the background (cinnamon). Nice and long on the palate. Slight acidity is offset by the sweet notes of toasted oak and fruit. The wine has a very long finish, marks by hints of stewed fruit and oak.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

The Wine Advocate 93+ Points | The 2023 Albariño, which represents their take of the vintage, was produced with grapes from 165 hectares of the 14 hectares they own. It goes back to the alcoholic degree of 2021, 12.5%, compared with the 13.5% of 2022. 2023 seems to be somewhere in between those two previous vintages: cooler and with a better distribution of rain than in 2022 but with warmer temperatures than 2021. The wine is still very young and primary, a little reductive even, with a balsamic hint that should go away with a little more time in bottle. This matures in stainless steel with lees until it's bottled. It has varietal notes of white flowers and grass. It's fresh and balanced, light to medium-bodied, easy to drink, sapid and tasty, with an almost salty twist in the finish despite its young age. It has a pH of 3.2 after going through full malolactic. There will be around 95,000 bottles, but not all the wine has been bottled yet, kept in stainless steel with the lees and the natural carbonic gas. The bottle I tasted was bottled in May 2024, but all bottles have the bottling date on the back label.

Tim Atkin, MW 93 Points | Pithy, nuanced, and poised, with aromas of laurel and wet stone, and flavors of lemongrass and green apple.

Peñín Guide to Spanish Wine 92 Points | White fruit, ripe fruit, hint of anise, and floral aroma, free-flowing.

Winemaker Description

Highly regarded for crafting world-class white wines from albariño with incredible transparency, flavor, and depth, Do Ferreiro has become a reference point for the variety. They farm over 175 tiny plots of albariño by hand, all located in the heart of the Salnés subzone of Rías Baixas. The valley’s proximity to the ocean, ideal climate due to the natural protection by mountain ranges, and decomposed granitic soil have gained the reputation for being the ideal region in Rías Baixas for producing profound, terruño-driven albariño wines capable of improving in bottle. Do Ferreiro does not blend other grape varieties into their albariño wines, as is common in Rías Baixas. Farming is practicing organic, and fermentations are exclusively carried out by native yeasts.

Do Ferreiro Albariño is a blend of the best fruit from different zones and terroirs within the Salnés Valley and it is the wine that defines the winery. It is serious and balanced, complex and very complete with fully developed aromas and flavors, with a long, harmonious palate featuring vibrant acidity and a strong mineral, stony component. Do Ferreiro is a very dry, varietally correct wine that is really representative of the Salnés Valley terruño. Expressive and harmonious,  combining power and freshness; Do Ferreiro Albariño is capable of developing in bottle for 10 years or more.

Vinification – Bunches are hand-selected in the vineyard, handpicked, and placed in small crates. Grapes are destemmed, cold-macerated for a few hours, and pressed. A natural yeast fermentation begins using a pied de cuve from the winery’s historic Cepas Vellas vineyard, followed by aging on the lees for six to nine months without bâtonnage in stainless steel tanks. No malolactic fermentation, unfiltered, light bentonite fining.

Expert Review

San Francisco Chronicle | Brendel likes to say that they have a secret ingredient: dirt. Their range of wines are made from some of the best sites in Napa’s most renowned regions, including the eastern side of Rutherford (the main component here), the highest elevations of Howell Mountain, two diverse sites in St. Helena, and a steep plot in Oak Knoll. Each vineyard is chosen for its quality and unique aptitude, with soil types ranging from volcanic to clay to bring out the best in each grape in their array of wines. It’s, as they put it, good dirt.

Winemaker Description 

The 2021 Brendel Cooper’s Reed Cabernet Sauvignon is a fresh and vibrant take on Napa Valley’s famed grape varietal. Harvested under moonlight, the fruit is crushed at cool temperatures and then thoughtfully monitored throughout fermentation. After a 7-10 day fermentation, the wine is gently pressed to oak casks where it is allowed to mature for 9 months prior to bottling. Fruit is sourced from prized vineyards in Napa and Sonoma, giving the wine its mouthwatering structure, and elevage in upright oak casks preserves the bright red and black fruit characteristics.
– Brittany Sherwood, Director of Winemaking

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

James Suckling 92 Points | Currant, blueberry and violet aromas follow through to a medium body with firm, fine tannins that give the wine form and focus. Chocolate and hazelnut emerge in the undertones. Drink or hold.

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot features alluring aromas evoking cassis, black-skinned berry and underbrush. The concentrated palate offers black plum, tobacco and mocha alongside polished tannins.

Expert Notes

Jim Gordon writes:  This smooth and sleek Port combines fresh fruit with good, mature nut, honey and fig flavors to be enjoyed before a meal if chilled and for dessert at a warmer temperature. Plenty of ruby in the color, with less amber than many tawnies, and accompanying fruitiness that is characteristic of Noval. Drink now.  - James Suckling 92

Jeb Dunnuck writes:  Quinta Do Noval's NV 10 Year Tawny offers up a semi-opaque ruby hue as well as a tons of cigar wrapper, chocolate, espresso, and candied black olive aromas, just to name a few. It's complex, medium to full-bodied, and rounded on the palate, with plenty of fruit as well as complexity. Aged in oak in a solera system for multiple years, this is in a sweet spot for me, with a solid mix of sweet fruit and some complex, spicy, tertiary nuances.  - Jeb Dunnuck 92

Richard Mayson, Rod Smith MW, Demetri Walters MW write:  Warm aromas of coffee, red fruit and cocoa, followed by soft yet rich and spicy flavours of nutty red fruit, flowing onto a gently spirity finish.  - Decanter 90

Mark Squires writes:  The NV 10 Year Old Tawny was bottled in 2016 with a bar-top cork and 106 grams per liter of residual sugar. Medium in body--well, it's a 10, not a 40--this has fine freshness and perfect balance. The juicy, delicious finish is irresistible and has more intensity of flavor than most 10 Year Olds. Although I tend to look first for freshness in this category, it is also nice to find some complexity and intensity of flavor, too, as here. This is nicely done. This showed way better at 58 degrees Fahrenheit than it did at 70.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 91

Winemaker Notes

The 10 Year Old Tawny port shows outstanding intensity of color, complexity, concentration, and depth of flavor. Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca predominate among the traditional grape varieties. 50% of the grapes come from the estate (a large part of these now coming from the replantings at Noval in the mid nineties) and 50% from traditional suppliers of "A" category grapes. 100% of grapes are trodden by foot in lagares, a traditional, costly and rare approach, and the wine is aged in oak barrels of 640 liters until bottled. 

A favorite of restaurateurs because it remains fresh for weeks after opening, the Noval Tawny Port has beautiful complexity with vibrant young fruit that blends with the attractive and characteristic dry fruit and nut aromas. It is rich and smooth on the palate, with an elegant structure and long finish. Winemaker Description.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020

Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) 88-91 Points | Medium-bodied, fresh, fruity, floral, and soft with polished fruits.

The Wine Independent 91 Points | Sweet berries with spices; creamy and polished tannins; velvety texture.

Vert de Vin 90 Points | Fruity, with pulpy and generous fruit, precise and firm tannins.

Winemaker Description 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020

James Suckling 93 Points | This is very classic with firm, racy tannins and dark, juicy fruit. Lots of chocolate and currants. Very balanced. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet sauvignon.

Decanter 90 Points | Rich and heady fruit aromas on the nose, expressive and full. Nicely bright red and black fruits on the palate, clear and clear - a touch of smoke, tobacco, white pepper and cedar spice suggests the wood needs to soften a little bit but the fruit is really well presented, crisp and with bite. Lovely licks of stone and salty minerality put you in the Médoc and this has an easy style to it with a long, fresh finish. Cool, classic and darkly charming.

Winemaker Description

To celebrate the 2020 vintage, Goulée by Cos d’Estournel is renamed G d’Estournel. This wine displays a unique profile: the balance and aromatics of a fresh vintage are accompanied by an acidity and a quality of tannins usually observed in warmer vintages. Goulée by Cos d’Estournel 2020, carried by the richness of the Merlot, is essentially delectable, and marked by notes reminiscent of salty sea breezes and a black pepper touch that lend it a great energy. 

Winemaker Description

Bright garnet with high-toned red and blue fruit aromas, tinged with wet stone and violets. On the palate, lush, but with bright acidity to balance the red cherry and pomegranate fruit. White pepper, slate and herbal aromas overlay the core of fruit on a juicy, fresh finish.

Pair with roast game or poultry, or ratatouille.