Red Wine

Winemaker Description

This small winery is the project of Sandrino Quadraroli, the owner of one of the finest restaurants in central Marche, Osteria del Borgia. Always a champion of the wines of his region, starting in 2012 he was finally able to crown his dream of producing wine. 

The 4 hectares estate was planted in 1999, upside down Guyot system, on clay, sandy and calcareous soil 500 meters above sea level on the south-facing hills right above lake Caccamo in the township of Serrapetrona located in the mountainous central part of the Marche region. 

The focus of the winery is the grape varietal indigenous to this sub-region: Vernaccia Nera, not found anywhere else in the world. This grape has a long history, however it was traditionally vinified sparkling and semi-sweet, possibly in order to tame the bold characteristics that this varietal has: crushed white and black pepper. Over the past two decades or so, a new generation of wineries in the area is concentrating on exalting the unique character of Vernaccia Nera and are bottling still, dry wines. The results are fascinating: the wines are distinctive, aromatic, full-bodied but elegant and vibrant, with good minerality and refreshing acidity. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2015

Mike DeSimone of the Wine Enthusiast writes 95 Points | Dark ruby in color, this wine has a nose of black cherry, cedar chest and violet candy. A pleasant floral note is a constant companion to blackberry, anisette, clove and dark-chocolate flavors that are enclosed in a shell of muscular tannins. A soft note of pomegranate permeates the grippy finish. Drink through 2035. 

Winemaker Description 

A 1er Cru RBD from Yolanda and Carolina García Viadero whose mission is to place the Tinto Fino varietal among the world’s best.  Bursts of blackberry and cassis, relaxed opulence and richness.

Winemaker Description

Intense color with purple reflections. The aromas of violets and Mediterranean herbs complement the delicate notes of chocolate and toast from the subtle aging.

Elegant on the palate, with fresh notes that combine with round and sweet tannins. In perfect balance with natural acidity, it is a pleasant and long-lasting finish.

Winemaker Description 

2πr 2021 is an organic red wine made in Priorat, Spain by Gratavinum. The name of the wine is a reference to the perimeter of a circle, and the wine itself is described as having "perfect roundness."

The nose is aromatic and complex, with notes of preserved red fruit, toasty oak, and cacao. The mouthfeel is soft and round, with ripe tannins and good acidity. The flavors are of red fruit, mineral, and wood smoke. The finish is long and fresh.

2πr 2021 is an ideal wine for wine lovers to enjoy with traditional Mediterranean cuisine. It is a complex and well-balanced wine with a lot of personality.

Expert Reviews

Vinous Josh Raynolds 92+ Points | Dark purple. Complex, highly perfumed bouquet of red berries, cherry pit, incense and dried flowers. Spicy raspberry and cherry flavors show a refreshingly bitter quality and are given depth by a note of licorice. Packs a serious punch but there's a surprisingly lithe quality to this wine too. The finish clings with impressive tenacity and repeats the cherry and floral notes. I'd let this wine rest for at least another three years or so. By the way, the 2007 Calvario has put on weight in the last year but also possesses superb energy; I rated it 94 in August. - Vinous 92+

Wine Advocate Neal Martin writes 90 Points | The 2008 Calvario is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 9% Garnacha and 2% Graciano aged for 18 months in new French Allier oak. The nose offers broody blackberry and briary at first, leisurely unwinding to reveal black olive and violet aromas, with the oak well-knitted into the fruit profile. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, sturdy tannins complemented by the fleshy black fruit laced with just a pinch of white pepper towards the much more elegant finish. It deserves a couple of years in bottle. (2008).

Decanter Sarah Jane Evans MW writes 93 Points |  A wine that smells of luxury and plenty of attention, showing the right balance between oak and fruit and a balancing acidity; expressive and charming, solidly built. Impressive, with tightly crafted tannins, and it should improve over time. Drinking 2019 -2023.

Winemaker Description

Israel.

On his small piece of land in the Jezreel Valley in Israel, Saba Yair was producing pomegranate wine for his own pleasure. At the outset only family and friends enjoyed the wine, but very soon the demand grew and the winery grew. Currently it is producing 20,000 bottles a year. Saba Yair's pomegranate wine is produced through a rigorous process which aims to preserve the flavors of pomegranate, with an emphasis on maintaining its health properties.

This sweet, delicious wine could be served chilled as dessert wine or enjoyed on its own.  

It has sweet pomegranate notes to deliver a full body taste. 

Kosher for Passover.

Expert Reviews

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | This wine is now mature, showing richness while also preserving elegance. Earthy, herbal tones are laced through the wine’s juicy fruit texture. Enjoy now for best enjoyment.

Wine Spectator 90-93 Points | Still very primal, but enticing, with sappy raspberry, sweet spice, melted licorice and linzer torte notes that have yet to stretch out fully. There's racy acidity as well, so this should knit nicely.

Winemaker Description

Rescuing and resistant, Queen Isabella has ensured since the attack of phylloxera, in the 19th century, the continuation of vineyards and wine on the islands until the present day. For many...it's not part of the customs.

This "Isabella" the Forbidden, highlights the history of the last 200 years, in an elegant, aromatic, authentic and...simple wine, like all that is good!

A fresh, elegant, spicy and saline red like few others. Ideal partner for grilled and seasoned red meat dishes. Signature of the winemaker António Maçanita.

An Isabella Forbidden and super appetizing.... Another great wine from the Azores Wine Company! 

Winemkaker Description

The grapes are collected from vineyards on the slopes of the Verin Valley. It is a fragrant, light, very fruity and delicate wine, an outstanding example of the Galician Mencía variety.

Winemaker Description

Deep crimson color, refreshing scent of red fruit, a bouquet of finely blended aromas, tannins, and acidity. 

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. 

Expert Reviews

Vinous 93 Points | The 2017 Schioppettino di Cialla is wildly spicy and fresh, with an intense burst of peppery rose and smokey raspberry offset by a dusting of savory spice. This is silky-smooth and sapid with masses of mineral-tinged dark red fruits offset by zesty acidity. It finishes potent with a staining of primary concentration and a coating of sweet tannins. What a beauty, and with the potential for a very long life. In 2017, Ronchi di Cialla lost 30% of their production due to frost at the end of April. Drinking window: 2025-2040. (2017).

The Ronchi di Cialla winery is located within its own valley, like something out of a fairy tale, with roads that curve through rows of vines planted between outcroppings of forest. The family home and cellar sit at the top of a hill, overlooking vineyards in all directions. Ivan Rapuzzi runs the winery with his mother and brother, following the same traditional methods as their father before them. Thanks to Ronchi di Cialla, Schioppettino may be one of the top reds of Friuli in the not-too-distant future. The Rapuzzi family saved the variety from extinction, creating a library of wines that spans decades and proves just how well Schioppettino matures. Today, the variety has its own subzone within Friuli Colli Orientali, Schioppettino di Prepotto, while Ronchi di Cialla enjoys its own unique terroir.

This year, I tasted several back vintages at the estate: 1983, 1992, 2005, 2014 and the recently released 2017. Ronchi di Cialla releases these older vintages at regular intervals and at extremely reasonable prices. As for the 2017 Schioppettino, which hailed from a tough, warm and dry year (there is no irrigation permitted in the appellation), the Rapuzzi family decided to limit the amount of time in wood to one year, down from the usual three to four years, to preserve freshness. Moreover, they lost 30% of their production due to spring frosts. As a result, this is an atypical style of Ronchi di Cialla that will be amazing to follow over the years. Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention the white wines of Cialla, which include an off-dry Verduzzo that’s to die for, the age-worthy Ciallabianco, a blend of 65% Ribolla Gialla, 25% Picolit and 10% Verduzzo, and a varietal Ribolla Gialla. While the entire portfolio is worth seeking out, the Ronchi di Cialla Schioppettino is a must for lovers of deeply complex, age-worthy wines.

Winemaker Description

This wine has dark savory fruit with notes of bay, thyme and leather. Firmer structured and chalky on the palate. In typical Bodegas Ponce fashion, La Casilla manages to express the inherent power and structure of Bobal and it's native Manchuela, but goes so with the sort of grace and style that re-calls Cru Beaujolais 

Expert Reviews

Robert Parker 95 Points | Poggio di Sotto doesn't miss a beat with this very special release. This is a glorious expression of the vintage, and the wine has absorbed the golden sunlight of Tuscany, delivering beautifully ripe, round and subtle fruit layers. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows concentration, but not too much, and richness, but not too much. You get the power and the opulence of the vintage presented with the elegance and grace that is the house style at this venerated estate. Poggio di Sotto is one of the benchmarks of Montalcino, and the winery team continues the tradition with this 22,000-bottle release. There's a lot of red fruit energy deep inside that should stir this wine on course as it ages over the next two decades. (2015).

Decanter 96 Points | On steep slopes in the southeast of Montalcino, Poggio di Sotto's vineyards are cooled by breezes coming off the nearby Monte Amiata. The Brunello is crafted from plots that range in altitude from 200 to 450 metres. Fermentations are spontaneous, maceration lasts one month and ageing is in 30-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks. This demonstrates the generosity of the vintage but is still fresh and graceful. Sweet fennel, underbrush and thyme blossoms give intricacy to pure red cherry fruit. Abundant chalky tannins build stealthily across the palate and provide a welcome dimension of texture, while Sangiovese's appetising juiciness shines through. (2015).

James Suckling 94 Points | There’s a real Burgundian feel here to the sour cherries, five spice, citrus, nutmeg and fresh oregano. The tannins have a beautiful, porcelain-like feel; the acidity cuts a wide and long shape. Delicate, floral and refined. All about grace and elegance. Drink from 2021. (2015).

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 99 Points writes | This is beautifully polished with firm, dusty tannins to the blue fruit, as well as chocolate and cedar character. Some much earthier character, too, from mushrooms to bark. Forest flowers. Perfumed. It’s full-bodied with round tannins and a soft, creamy finish. Some iron and iodine to this. So attractive at the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Better after 2023. (2018).

Decanter Georgina Hindle 96 Points writes |   A less traditional style of wine in Napa Valley, this is lifted and charming with poise, powdery tannins and a chalky finish. Richly perfumed and wonderfully evocative on the nose, it’s seductive and inviting with black cherries, raspberries and blueberries alongside savoury notes of dried herbs. The flavours open and evolve on the palate bringing cocoa, tobacco and pencil lead into play underpinned by supple tannins. It’s powerful but on the leaner side, refined and elegant with a good sense of diretion and drive - everything feels well placed and well defined. Tasted twice and both times were highly enjoyable. A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 2% Carmenére and 1% Petit Verdot. Wines are aged for 20 months in oak, 100% French, 62% new. Biodynamically grown and certified organic. Winemaker Rebekah Wineburg and estate director Rodrigo Soto. 

Robert Parker Joe Czerwinski 94+ Points writes | The dense, purple-hued 2018 Proprietary Red Wine seemed just a bit closed at this tasting, with pronounced cedary notes overshadowing the black cherry fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, with a lush mouthfeel, silky-textured tannins and cocoa powder-like nuances on the lingering finish. (2018).

Vinous Antonio Galloni 93 Points writes |  The 2018 Red Wine is a powerful, driving Napa Valley wine. Scorched earth, iron, chocolate, and leather give the red cherry/plum fruit distinctly savory accents. This is an especially tight wine in a vintage that yielded generally more supple, open-knit reds. Quintessa is one of the first Napa Valley estates I visited, many years ago. Since then, the property has undergone several stylistic phases. It will be interesting to see where things go over the next handful of years here. Drinking 2023 - 2038

Jancis Robinson 18.5 Points writes | Youthful purplish crimson. Vibrant nose with a suggestion of a creamy texture. Dense and savoury and beautifully balanced. Lovely and pure with a great future and tannins almost hidden by the fruit. Attractive savoury note. You could drink this now but it would be a pity. (2018).

Jancis Robinson Richard Hemming MW 17.5 Points writes Luxuriously rich and velvety, opulent but with enough herbal contrast to keep freshness on the nose. Lots of oak and dark chocolate on the palate. Such soft tannins! Really ready to drink. The oak is predominant on the finish. For Napa, this is reasonably restrained, and I'm sure it will develop well. (2018).

92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 2% Carménѐre

Winemaker Notes

The 2018 Quintessa is a wine of perfect harmony, with deep flavors and elegant layers that are apparent even from a young age. Intense aromas of cassis, black cherry, and raspberry intermingle with savory notes of sage and thyme; the 2018 Quintessa continues to unfold as notes of dark chocolate, graphite and fresh tobacco mingle with the fresh fruit. Precise and dense, the wine shows supple tannin that play with flavors of black cherry, dark chocolate, and crushed rocks. The 2018 Quintessa has a perfect balance of fresh acidity followed by bright fruit and minerality at the finish that portends unparalleled aging potential.

Winemaker Description

Red garnet with purple tints. This silky, round wine offers notes of cherry, plum, licorice, and menthol. The tannins are supple, and the finish is long. A wine with cellaring potential of a decade or more. 

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 94 Points | A perfumed nose of spiced cherries, forest berries, dried thyme, cloves and a touch of leather, too. It's full-bodied with creamy tannins and texture. Round with a velvety touch and a rich core of raspberries on the center palate. Some spicy character to the juicy finish. Drink or hold.

Vinous 93 Points |  A blend of 38% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and other permitted varieties, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape aged for one year in a combination of new and old oak barriques, foudre and tronconique tanks. It displays a fragrant perfume of blackberry, raspberry, wild strawberry, licorice, dried herbs, cloves and hints of mint. This is a full-bodied and concentrated red, neatly balanced by lively acidity and framed by velvety tannins, closing with a sapid finish.

Wine Spectator 92 Points | Gamy and earthy, with bright cassis and damson plum streaked with smoked meat, singed garrigue, violet and a note of tar. Boasts black tea tannins that hem in the round palate, with an iodine note and acidity providing balance. Shows sweet spices on the finish. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Drink now through 2030. 

Winemaker Description

The Grapes of Roth is Winemaker Roman Roth's private label, and a true testament to his classic, yet adventerous, wine-making style. Wonderful dark cherry fruit with well integrated oak, classic graphite and great minerality is complimented by a very savory and elegant finish.

Dark red brick in color. Elegant aromas of cassis and fine toasted sandalwood fill the glass. The mouth-feel is rich and concentrated, yet balanced with wonderful fruit of plumbs, prunes and amazing minerality. The finish has layers of ripe tannins and nicely toasted oak with fine classic earthiness, leather and iodine notes. The fruit and alcohol provide great length and make this a very special Merlot that possesses great aging potential and is the perfect partner with food.

This is a wine to be aged. It has a huge maturation curve ahead and will gain many more nuances and facets. Serve just at room temperature. Pair this Merlot with dishes you might think of for big, bold wines: steak, cassoulet, duck and decadent dark chocolate desserts. 

Winemaker Description

Dark ruby red in the glass, with rich notes of chocolate, black currant, ripe blackberry, and marionberry with hints of toasted oak and dark cherry on the nose. The palate is rich and complex with flavors of ripe dark fruits, chocolate cherry, plum, toffee, and blackberry pie. This wine has a lingering fruit-forward finish with firm acidity and smooth velvety tannins. A classic yet complex Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Expert Reviews

94 Points Tasting Panel | Structured like a skyscraper, this bold red stands tall with concentrated notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and blackberry. Its plush palate feel lingers through the lengthy finish.

Antonio Galloni writes:  The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) from Joseph Wagner's (Caymus) Quilt is a boisterous, flamboyant wine to drink now and over the next handful of years. Super-ripe dark fruit, sweet spice, leather and vanillin are front and center. The Quilt Cabernet makes no excuses for being what it is—a tasty, opulent, crowd-pleasing wine.  Drinking 2024 to 2030.  - Vinous 90

James Molesworth writes:  Ripe, rich and soft, with a slow-moving set of boysenberry and plum sauce notes that melds with licorice snap and fruitcake details through the finish. Drink now through 2026.  - Wine Spectator

Winemaker Description

Calcareous limestone with sand. No herbicides (only manual) and they only use a minimal amount of copper and sulfur in the vineyard - aiming towards as minimal an environmental impact as possible. Fermented with skins for three weeks with remontage.  Aged in Slavonian botti of 10-20HL for 18 months followed by time in the bottle before release. No clarification or filtering before bottling. 

Expert Review

Wine Advocate 94 Points | Compared to the Rio Sordo, the Cascina delle Rose 2018 Barbaresco Tre Stelle is slightly more robust and open-knit. This wine shows a more overt concentration that comes across with blackberry and wild cherry. To the palate, it shows a smooth but nicely elaborate texture. There are light touches of crushed stone and even some tobacco on the close. 

Expert Reviews 

Jeb Dunnuck 90 Points | Lastly, this estate fashioned a solid 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mohrhardt Ridge Vineyard, which comes from the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation, and you don’t see many Bordeaux varieties from this region. This inky-hued beauty offers lots of cassis and blueberry fruit as well as sappy green herbs, tobacco, and subtle cedar-like aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied and has ripe, building tannins, good overall balance, and a solid finish. It will benefit from another year or three of bottle age and should drink nicely for a solid decade. (2018). 

James Suckling 93 Points | Aromas of plump red and black fruit. Full-bodied with structured tannins and rich, opulent dark fruit. Chocolate and spice on the palate. Smoke and ash at the finish. Very tasty. Drink now or hold. (2018). 

Vinous 94 Points | The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mohrhardt Ridge Vineyard is another super-distinctive wine in this range. A Cabernet of tremendous character and nuance, the Mohrhardt speaks with distinction. Rich, red berry fruit, rose petal, mint, spice and cedar infuse the Cabernet with striking inner sweetness and perfume. The 2019 feels unctuous and luxurious in the glass, and yet it has plenty of mountain savoriness. The Cabernet has so much sheer personality.  -- Antonio Galloni  (2018). 

Winemaker Description 

Black currant, blackberry and dried herbs on the nose. Mouthfeel is fruity with more berries and hints of licorice. low+ tannins and medium acidity. A nice red wine with soft tannins and appealing fruits. Aromas of red berries and a fun wine to enjoy with tapas or seasonal cuisine. 

Pair with beef, pasta or veal dishes.

Our Professional Review

Rand Sieger of 67Wine.com | Deep ruby color. Earthy crushed raspberry and pencil shaving aromas follow through on a soft, satiny entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium body with a delicate touch of spice and crabapple. Finishes in lingering spiced poached apple, mineral, and wet cedar fade with lightly pithy tannins.

Winemaker Description

Zippy raspberries lead the palate, minerality becomes present after. It finishes with smooth tannins that coat your tongue so softly you barely notice them. Light to medium bodied.

Nose of black fruit and spices and wood. Little tannin, light-med delicate body, lots of cheery and raspberry and finishes spicy and woody with a bit of acid that matches perfectly with the fatty carnitas.

Winemaker Description

Francesco Rinaldi’s estate was first founded back in 1870, when he inherited a plot of land and vineyard house in the heart of Barolo. Though Francesco’s family wasn’t new to the winemaking game-- his cousin, Giuseppe RInaldi, was also producing great Piemontese reds that were completely shaking up the scene. Today, F. Rinaldi wines are produced only from organic fruit and are some of the best deals coming out of the region’s top growing sites.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 93 Points | Revealing an open-knit and immediately welcoming personality the Francesco Rinaldi & Figli 2015 Barolo Cannubi offers a good taste of that inner sunshine and warmth that so beautifully defines this vintage. The Cannubi vineyard is one of the first sites to ripen and the wines tend to show enormous elegance and Nebbiolo fruit purity. This vintage is particularly successful in its showing of wild berry fruit rose hip and chopped mint. The tannins are silky and fine.

Vinous 93 Points | Today the 2015 Barolo Cannubi is an elegant classy wine. The Cannubi also seems to have handled the heat of the summer more gracefully than the Brunate. Silky and sensual the 2015 is very attractive today. The aromatics are perhaps just a touch forward but the 2015 makes up for that with its suave inviting personality. Crushed flowers mint licorice and sweet berry fruit add to the wine's charm. I wouldn't push my luck on aging too much but the 2015 is undeniably appealing. -- Antonio Galloni

Winemaker Description

Exhibiting complex layers of raspberry, plum, and black cherry, accented by crushed roses, pencil shavings, and smoky cedar nuances, this full-bodied, vigorous Merlot bursts with flavors of macerated berries, coffee, and kirsch. Charming and ripe, it firms up to finish with a satisfying longevity.

Expert Review - Vintage 2020 

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points | Very rich and concentrated but also well structured, this wine achieves good balance and an appetizing mouthfeel. Red and black cherries, cinnamon, cedar and toasted oak all contribute to its tasty flavor complexity."

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 95 Points | The 2019 Pinot Noir Estate Scallop Shelf is a nervy, tense wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. This is an especially savory, mineral Pinot, with the fruit moved more into the background. Lavender, rose petal, mint, sage and crushed rocks linger in this vivid, exceptionally polished Pinot Noir from the Peay family.

Wine Advocate 94 Points | The 2019 Estate Pinot Noir Scallop Shelf has a perfume of red berries, dried flowers, blood orange and potpourri with earthy undertones. The palate is seriously styled, with a grainy tannic frame, seamless freshness, broody, earth-laced fruits and a long, spiced finish. I'd give this another year or two in bottle. 600 cases produced.
 
Vinous 94+ Points | The 2019 Pinot Noir Estate Scallop Shelf is a nervy, tense wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. This is an especially savory, mineral Pinot, with the fruit moved more into the background. Lavender, rose petal, mint, sage and crushed rocks linger in this vivid, exceptionally polished Pinot Noir from the Peay family.

Expert Review

Vinous 93 points The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Fellom Ranch is the most reticent of the Arnot-Roberts Cabernets. Intensely savory and earthy, the 2018 offers quite a bit of intrigue, but it will require considerable cellaring. Cedar, spice, tobacco and dried herbs lend notable complexity to the dark fruit flavors. The natural concentration of small berries with little juice and high solids gives the wine its dense, brooding feel. (AG) 93+  

Winemaker Description

Deep ruby red color. The bouquet is rich and complex with aromas of violets, red berries, such as raspberry and red currant, and a fresh hint of red orange. On the palate it is dry, fresh, full- bodied with smooth tannins. Very long and tasty finish, with a pleasant minerality and flavors of violets and berries.

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

Produced from 100% Tinto Fino from vines age 30 years, aged 12 months in French Oak with minimal filtration. The result is a wine with a beautiful ruby colour with deep and intense aromas of red and black fruit with hints of liquorice and spice. The palate elegant and fresh with predominant fruit structure balanced by soft tannins and a lovely expressive finish.

It has the tannic richness of Ribera del Duero Tinto Fino, and smoky power from its oak, but the wine carries itself with some delicacy, its crisp fruit bringing fresh air.

Dominio Romano was established in 2005 when the Pares Balta family decided to to initiate a project in Ribera del Duero. Selecting the finest old and wild Tinto Fino vines in the best terroirs of the region, and farming with the utmost respect for the environment and tradition, the family produces wines that transmit the character of the autochthonous grape.

Winemaker Description

David Chapel has been immersed in the world of winemaker since his childhood. Overnoy, Lapierre and many others, friends with David's late father Alain Chapel, a renowned Michelin-starred chef, have shared their table and their knowledge with him. It is therefore natural that he decides, after a few years of sommelier training, to start his own business in Morgon, at the Lapierre family. 

There he met Michele, an American sommelier on a visit; after a stint in New York, they decided to return to Beaujolais and settled in Regnie-Durette in 2017.

After a 2016 vintage vinified in Morgon, 2017 marked their big debut, picking up grapes and vines from Julienas, then from Chiroubles, Fleurie and Lantignie in 2018. A non-interventionist approach and winemaking that respects local traditions results in wines that are crisp, fresh but with all the depth of the great Beaujolais wine. 

Winemaker Description

Fantastically hedonistic, offering great velvety richness on the palate and exotic notes of black cherry, cocoa, and ash. The Riserva is a selection from the estate's best fruit.

Expert Reviews

Eric Guido of Vinous writes 94 Points | The 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico TB is surprisingly lifted and airy on the nose, with licorice-tinged cherries and rosy florals. This impresses with a push and pull of savory and sweet, as well as a bitter twang of cocoa and spice that further accentuates the ripe berry and plumy fruits within. The contrasts are quite appealing, as a mix of saline-minerals and juicy acids help to add both depth and freshness further accentuated by a hint of sour citrus. Fine tannins linger and also balance the expression through the long and balsamic finale. The 2012 is just a baby today, so give it at least a few more years to come into focus.  Drinking 2024 - 2034.

James Suckling 94 Points | This is a structured and solid Amarone, with dried fruits, sultanas, figs and iron. It’s full-bodied, yet compacted and tannic with a long and persistent finish. One for the cellar, but already impressive to drink.  James Suckling 94

Alison Napjus of Wine Spectator writes 93 Points |  Both juicy and mouthwatering, this rich red shows a lot of personality, offering layered flavors of blackberry pie and raspberry ganache, hints of espresso and sweet smoke, plus fragrant juniper, eucalyptus, lavender and leather accents. Features firm, well-meshed tannins, with creamy edges that meld into the silky flavor range. Drink now through 2035. 

Monica Larner of Robert Parker writes | The Bussola 2012 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva TB (in a heavy glass bottle) is a determined wine with lots of extra power and brawn. The wine shows sweet, air-dried fruit with baked plum and cherry confit. The alcohol content clocks in at 17%, which is way too much on any scale. Despite the high alcohol reading, the wine is still tastes sweet.  Drinking 2022 - 2035.