Organic + Biodynamic Wine

Expert Reviews

Decanter 95 Points | This has a ripe plummy fruit, with lots of depth from the notes of spice and smoke, and a firm core, yet absolutely no rough edges at all, just a polished elegance that lingers interminably on the palate. The de Montille family is from Volnay and this holding is among the central, historic parcels of the domaine. There are two parcels: the upper part, which is partly destemmed, and the lower section with more limestone gravel in the soil, where the oldest vines are found. This latter fruit is always fermented as 100% whole-cluster. Drinking Window: 2025-2036

Tim Atkin 95 Points |  Domaine de Montille is the largest owner of Rugiens-Bas with 1 hectare 02 ares, and these vines are approximately 55 years old. Two-thirds whole clusters were used here, and the resulting wine explodes with aromas of mulberries, twigs, anise and dried wildflowers. It's incredibly intense and even feels full in body thanks to its excellent vinosity. 2025-38.

Vinous 93 Points | The 2020 Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er Cru comes from two parcels is 90% whole cluster. Brambly red berry fruit is mingling with black pepper, clove and touches of undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with quite succulent tannins, more rondeur here than the other Volnays, plush and quite luxuriant wiht a sensual and very pure finish. Superb. Drink: 2025-2048. 

Winemaker Description

Frédéric Lafarge described the 2020 "growing season as really pretty easy as we escaped the frost risk and there was very little disease pressure. Despite the hot and very dry conditions, our vines didn't really suffer much hydric stress. The vegetative cycle was extremely advanced though and remarkably, the flowering was finished by the end of May and there are vintages that I can remember when it hadn't even started at that point! We picked most of the fruit between the 22nd and the 28th of August. 

I say most of the fruit as we waited to pick the aligoté between the 6th and the 17th of September. In both cases, the fruit was super-clean, in fact there was almost no need to sort. Yields were by no means high though at 30 hl/ha they were much better than the 18 hl/ha we realized in 2019. Potential alcohols were similar to those of 2019 as well as nothing was higher than 13.5%. As we have been doing for several vintages now, we destemmed the Caillerets, Pitures, Clos du Château des Ducs and the Mitans by hand.

We did a very soft vinification over a period of 13 to 14 days as the skins were thick and the extractability of the polyphenols high, so it wasn't necessary to manipulate the fruit much to obtain the necessary stuffing for the reds. Regarding the quality of 2020, what strikes me the most about them is the purity, though they also have really beautiful balance. I don't necessarily like them better than our 2019s, but they do offer two different and highly attractive expressions. Stylistically, they remind me of either a slightly less ripe 1990 or perhaps the 1959 vintage."

Readers may recall that I could scarcely have been more enthusiastic about the Lafarge 2019s but the quality of their 2020s is just as good if not better. If you can find them, don't hesitate as they are, almost across the board, stunning. 

Winemaker Description 

Castello dei Rampolla d'Alceo is a premium, proprietary blend of Cabernet and Petit Verdot grapes exclusively from the renowned Panzano in Chianti region of Tuscany. This organic and biodynamic red is sure to tantalize your taste buds with its complex bouquet and flavor profile.

Expert Reviews

Vinous 96 Points | The 2009 d'Alceo comes across as much more classic in style and structure than the 2008. According to Luca di Napoli, the trick to 2009 was harvesting on the early side. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, plums, mint and licorice all take shape in the glass Over the last few months, the 2009 d'Alceo has softened a bit, releasing expressive, floral aromatics, brighter shades of fruit and striking inner perfume, but it remains quite vibrant in the context of a vintage in which so many wines are quite a bit riper in style. The 2009 is a wonderfully deep, resonant d'Alceo that should offer a wide drinking window starting in a few years. It certainly looks like Rampolla nailed the vintage.  Drinking 2019 - 2039.

Antonio Galloni, 96+ | My absolute favorite wine of 2022 was a bottle of the Castello dei Rampolla 2006 d'Alceo that I had the good fortune to drink at dinner during a work event in Tuscany last year. I remember the wine vividly, and if I were to review it again, it would certainly merit a perfect score. With that profound inspiration in mind, I feel especially optimistic toward this outstanding group of new releases from Maurizia di Napoli and her talented team. This historic estate has farmed according to organic and biodynamic methods since 1994, making it one of the first in Italy to do so. In truth, I have found some inconsistencies along the way over the many years I have reviewed and adored these wines. Such is the magic of artisanal winemaking. But thanks to that memory of that 2006 d'Alceo, I remain in awe of Castello dei Rampolla today. 

96 Points Wine Advocate: The 2019 Marienburg GG Fahrlay is perfectly ripe and concentrated on the densely aromatic nose that intertwines ripe, intense and flinty fruit with fascinating notes of crushed stones and herbs, yet everything is already marvelously interwoven and balanced as well as pure, precise and crystalline, with lemon zest notes. Full-bodied, intense and crystalline on the palate, this is a rich, concentrated, perfectly ripe and aromatic Fahrlay with a long, intense, elegant, crystalline and persistently salty finish. This would be rich and bolder if there were no old vines in blue slate. This is an impressive wine that was bottled just a few days before I tasted it in September 2020. (10/2020)

Jancis Robinson 17.5 Pts: Beautifully scented with citrus, crushed stones and a delicate floral note that reminds me of spring and that is also somehow a little bit spicy. This is theoretically trocken but there is clearly some residual sugar to balance the acidity and it is quite noticeable, giving a roundness in the mouth and ripeness of yellow plums. Firm, fresh and long, with depth that comes from the texture as much as the full fruit -

“The 2019 vintage is the best vintage I have ever tasted for German riesling in my four-decade career.” - Stuart Pigott, author and reviewer for James Suckling

 

Winery:

The Cidrerie du Vulcain has produced terroir ciders in the canton of Fribourg, in Switzerland, since 2006. Jacques Perritaz, after meeting Eric Bordelet in Normandy, decides to use "forgotten" fruits from isolated and untreated old orchards from the Pays de Fribourg, with a custom press to make natural ciders. Since 2013, he has started planting an orchard of 4 hectares in old varieties with juice, cider, perry and calva called Les Vergers du Vulcains. His orchard is cultivated in organic farming.

The Trois Pépins Dry Cider is made from apples, pears and quince partially fermented using the "guillage" (“foaming”) technique (fermentation of the juice recently funneled, which pushes the foam called yeast out of the barrel). It’s a Pure Juice Cider; fermented with its native yeasts and coarsely filtered. Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description

François de Nicolay succinctly described the 2020 growing season as "dry and hot with enough of both to create at least some degree of hydric stress. There wasn't much disease pressure though and the fruit was super-clean when we arrived at the harvest. We chose to begin picking on the 17th of August and continued through to the 26th and brought in yields that were only about 60% of normal though with better acidities than we obtained in either 2018 or 2019. 

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 90 points Opening in the glass with aromas of cherries, berries, loamy soil and peonies, the 2020 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses is medium to full-bodied, with a velvety attack and a deep core of fruit, framed by lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish.  —  Outstanding.

Alan Meadows 90 Points | An earthier and not quite as spicy array is comprised by notes of red and dark berries with a similar plethora of pretty floral nuances. The mouthfeel of the medium weight flavors is again super-sleek thanks to the moderately fine-grained tannins supporting the firm, youthfully austere and sneaky long finale. At least some patience advised. 

Winemaker Description

Situated in the southern part of the Appellation, this estate goes back eight generations and is currently run by brothers Daniel and Frederic Coulon, and Daniel’s sons Victor and Antoine.  The Domaine owns 32 hectares of vineyards, the farming of which has been certified biodynamic by Demeter since 2010. 

Made from old vines of different varieties growing together, with moderate yields, the 2021 Boisrenard is characterized by the silky weave of its tannins and its generous fruit. A wine of immense depth.

Expert Reviews

 

Winemaker Descripton

The 2020 Les Titans Estate Syrah is packed with all the aromas that make lovers of cold climate Syrah seek high and low in a never-ending search for more. The nose smells like a juicy hangar steak with aromas of tarragon, iron, black olive, and blood intermingling with blue fruit. The wine is soft and round in the mid-palate and much more approachable on release than is typical for our Syrah due to a warmer 2020 vintage. There is still refreshing acidity and brightness on the finish but it is not as wound up. It tastes a little like an excellent Cornas in a cool year. Winemaker Description.

Expert Ratings 

Jeb Dunnuck: 98 Points | The 2020 Syrah Les Titans is ripe and more brooding, with savory tones of olive, blackberry, plum, and ripe earth. Full-bodied and pure, it has a fantastic, gripping structure and is more grounded but weightless. Drink 2025-2040.

Robert Parker 93 Points | Medium ruby-purple color and gregarious aromas of cassis, menthol and bitter chocolate plus wafts of blueberry. The terroir of the West Sonoma Coast, and specifically our estate vineyard in Annapolis, imprints all of our wines in very precise ways. This is abundantly evident in our Syrahs which have a combination of red fruit aromas, high acidity, low alcohol, and meaty, savory notes that you will not find in Syrah from any other region, This singularity is why more people should grow Syrah out here. It is why we should grow more Syrah. But, there is a catch. It is very tricky to grow a variety that has a tendency to be affected by various diseases in a cold, wet place like the West Sonoma Coast. Those of you who have been drinking our Syrah for the past two decades are aware our production amounts vary from year to year and have been meagre at times. The wines are fantastic but we have had to change trellising, nutrient protocols, pruning methods—just about everything—to get the plants to yield a decent-sized crop and to be healthy. Starting this winter, we plan to rip up a few underperforming blocks (not just low yielding but also the least exciting tasting blocks) and will start anew with Syrah cuttings from the blocks that are healthy and make wines we like.

Winemaker Description

Fragrant aromas of fresh red fruits, herbs and an elegant vegetal character. Crisp acidity balances the richness of the body. The aftertaste is complex and long. 

Winemaker Description

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Syrah. Deep red in colour which lingers in the glass. The ageing in oak is noticeable, well blended with fruity aromas which give it finesse and complexity.

Mouth-filling and complex, smooth and well balanced on the palate. This is a wine which shows slightly smoked red fruit. 

Winemaker Description

This wine is intense ruby red in colour with youthful highlights. On the nose, there are notes of almonds, violets and oranges which are intertwined with aromas of coffee and vanilla. It is a full-bodied wine with well-balanced acidity.

The rounded tannins from the Sangiovese are lifted by the cassis concentration of the Cabernet on the long, concentrated finish. 

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 93 Points |  Blueberries and blackcurrants with bark and licorice. Full body and round, chewy tannins. This is very fresh and bright with some sage and stone character. From organically grown grapes. Needs time to soften. Drink after 2023.

Vinous 92 Points | The 2017 Ghiaie della Furba opens to a bouquet of minty herbs, camphor and smoke before deepening further to display dusty red currant and spice box. This is velvety and fleshy in feel, with stimulating acidity that enlivens its spicy black fruit and building mineral tones. It tapers off with persistence, power and grippy tannin, the perfect mix for a long evolution. The Ghiaie della Furba is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah and 20% Merlot that refines in barrique, half new and half second pass. It's important to note that production was down by 40% in 2017 due to trost.

Winemaker Description

The nose is open and expressive with great complexity. There are ripe black fruits (blackcurrants, elderberries) alongside more spicy characteristics.  Very attractive in the mouth with firm yet silky tannins. Aromatic, spicy with a fabulously generous weight. The finish is long and delicate.

Expert Reviews

95 Points Wine & Spirits | Robert Eden pulls this wine from his biodynamically tended vineyards in the rocky, windy highlands of La Livinière. A blend of syrah with grenache and carignan, it’s a wine you can sink your teeth into, and it responds with juicy black fruit, spicy and fresh, and notes of mint, licorice and rose. Vinified in cement eggs and vats, it retains a sense of cool, stony clarity that brings light to its darkness and beams them into long-last- ing fragrance. It’s at once firmly structured and ethereal, a balance that makes it addictive as well as potentially long-lived. Best Buy.

90 Points Decanter | Ripe raspberry aromas, notes of black fig, acacia, peppery spice, Dark berries on the palate, meaty hints and touch of oak. Blend: 75% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 5% Carignan.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 88-90 Points | Derived from holdings in La Buissière, Les Herbues, Les Chardanes and Les Gammaires, the 2021 Chambolle-Musigny is another pretty middle-weight, offering up aromas of red berries, peonies and spices, followed by a medium-bodied, ample and enveloping palate.

Winemaker Description

Zesty garnet red. Rich and spicy. Ripe cherry aroma, pleasant for its smoothness.

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator | Elegant, with a supple texture backed by lively acidity, framing sour cherry, cocoa and tobacco flavors. Finishes with tannins and a hint of leather. Best from 2016 through 2026. 3,000 cases made.  –BS

Vinous 91 Points | Claudio Icardi's 2010 Barolo Parej is one of the more accessible wines of the vintage. Rose petal, spice, cinnamon, plum and game notes all flesh out in the glass in an inviting, textured Barolo with good length and plenty of personality. The tension and acidity of the vintage are tempered by the softness of the fruit, but they kick on the finish. This deceptively mid-weight 2010 Barolo could use another few years for the tannins to soften a touch. -- Antonio Galloni 

Winemaker Description 

Sourced from some of the Central Coast’s most acclaimed Pinot Noir vineyards, this wine displays alluring aromas of ripe cherry and juicy red raspberry, with hints of briar patch and caramel. On the palate, the lush berry flavors glide across soft, supple tannins with an undercurrent of bright acidity, adding poise and polish to a long, focused finish. 

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | A great taste of this iconic estate without breaking the bank, this bottling is light in the glass with aromas of dried cherry, scorched earth and chaparral spice. The palate combines cranberry sauce and toasted sagebrush with an ample tannin profile. 

Expert Review 

Vinous 99 Points | The 2020 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru was picked on 26 and 28 August at 28.7hL/ha. As usual, I leave it for 5-10 minutes to open in the glass, predisposed not to show everything upon first pour. It reveals lovely dark berry fruit, sous-bois, clove and haunting sea spray notes (picture yourself walking along the pebble beach at Whistable and the tang of shucked oyster shell in the salty air). The palate is medium-bodied with very fine and pliant tannins. Harmonious to a tee with a perfect silver bead of acidity, long and languorous, this fans out with ineffable ease on the finish. Stunning. 500 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.

Expert Reviews 

Wine Spectator 95 Points | Dense and muscular, with cherry, strawberry, rose, mineral and eucalyptus flavors in the grip of assertive tannins. Despite being lithe and light-bodied, this red finds equilibrium in the end, with the red fruit lingering on the finish. Best from 2026 through 2045.

Vinous 93 Points | The 2017 Barolo Pira is a powerful, intensely savory wine. Dark cherry, herbs, leather incense and licorice all add to an impression. The Pira Barolo is one of the most reticent wines in this entire collection. It is hard to read today, despite its obvious weight and character. 

Winemaker Description

The "Sangioveto" of Badia a Coltibuono comes from the vinification of Sangiovese grapes aged in barrique. The place of origin is that of Monti in Chianti, in the province of Siena, where there are the vineyards of the Stucchi family that since 1846 is the owner of the company Badia a Coltibuono: always linked to tradition, The Stucchi family is also particularly attentive to everything related to the protection of the environment; all the wines of Badia a Coltibuono in fact have the BIO Certification. After the manual harvest, natural fermentation begins with autochthonous yeasts and subsequent maceration on the marc for 5 weeks. The aging takes 12 to 16 months and takes place in oak barrels. Finally, aging in bottle for a minimum of 6 months.

A wine with an intense ruby color, with floral aromas, red fruit and spicy notes. In the mouth it has a good body, harmonious and full-bodied. Good freshness and flavor and an enviable persistence.