Sitewide Sale - Reds

Our Professional Review - Prior Vintage 2015

Oscar Garcia 67Wine.com | Marques de Vargas Rioja Gran Reserva 2015 is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, and 10% Mazuelo. Aged for a total of 24 months in oak, (16 months in French oak and then 8 months in American oak). The grapes were hand-harvest from their premium "Pradologar Estate vineyard" and then hand-selected at a sorting table for quality control. Only indigenous yeast from the vineyard is used for fermentation.  It is important to take note that Marques de Vargas is aiming to preserve the varietal correctness over the long extended ageing that is typical for the Gran Reservas of the region.

Expert Review - Vintage 2016

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 95 Points | Cedar and sandalwood aromas give way to flavors of tea, tobacco, dried cherry, forest floor and orange peel in this expressive red. Round on the palate, supported by muscular tannins and juicy acidity. Big but graceful, mature yet lively, in the traditional style. Drink now through 2030.

Wine Advocate 94 Points | The top of the range is only produced three or four times per decade, and the current vintage is the 2005 Gran Reserva 890, which refers to the year, 1890, when the winery was created. It all starts by selecting grapes from their oldest vineyards (over 40 years old), harvested into 350-kilogram cases that are transported in refrigerated trucks to the winery, an improvement implemented in 2005. 2005 was an excellent vintage, and this 890 might challenge the exceptional 904 released some four years ago. Here the Tempranillo is complemented by 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in 199 oak barrels for six years with ten rackings. It's a very balanced and polished classical Rioja with moderate alcohol (13.5%) and good acidity (6.1 grams of tartaric); it also has a silky texture, resolved tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel. It has complexity but is a little closed, and it feels a little evolved, at times even a little tired. The fruit feels quite ripe, with some liquor notes. The palate is polished, with fully resolved tannins and fine acidity. It was bottled unfiltered in March 2012. 57,036 bottles and 1,312 magnums were produced. 2001, 2004 and 2005 are the only 890s in the decade. The next one will be the 2010.

James Suckling 98 points | The aromas to this are stunning with dried strawberry, stone and fresh mushroom. Full body and very tight with incredible depth and structure. It goes on for minutes. One of the greatest ever? The new 1964? Available January 2018.Vinous 97 points Shimmering garnet. Aromas of dried cherry, potpourri, vanilla, cigar box and exotic spices; a smoky mineral quality builds in the glass. Sweet, concentrated and seamless on the palate, offering cherry compote, red currant and rose pastille flavors that put on weight and pick up a spicy nuance on the back half. Conveys a suave blend of power and delicacy and closes sweet and gently tannic, with superb persistence and an echo of candied flowers and red fruits. This bottling and the 2001 are the only Selección Especial versions of the 890 Gran Reserva that have been produced by La Rioja Alta. Drinking window: 2021 - 2036

Expert Review

John Gilman 96 Points | This is my first taste of Domaine des Closiers top bottling, les Trezellières, which is made from a parcel of old vines and given fully two years aging in barrel, with somewhere between ten and twenty percent of the casks new. The 2019 les Trezellières is beautifully deep and refined aromatically, delivering scents of black cherries, cassis, Cuban cigar wrapper, a very complex base of soil, a touch of Cheval Blanc-like menthol, a gentle dollop of tree bark, cedar and a topnote of cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, elegant and rock solid at the core, with great focus and complex, superb soil undertow, fine-grained tannins and a very long, pure and classy finish.

The small percentage of new oak gives this wine more refinement than the les Coudraies bottling, but because it is no more than twenty percent new oak, the wood influence is far more subtle out of the blocks than in Clos Rougeard’s Le Bourg bottling, which is the closest comparison I can think of for this brilliant young Saumur Champigny. Give this beautiful wine plenty of time in the cellar to properly resolve its tannins and completely blossom! (2019). 

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 95 Points | Deep garnet with a hint of purple to the color, the 2014 Pontet-Canet gives a very serious, classic Pauillac nose of blackcurrant preserves, baked blackberries and warm black plums with suggestions of menthol, pencil lead, woodsmoke, cassia and cast-iron pan plus a hint of baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with black and blue fruit preserves with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and bold freshness, giving lift to the long, exotic spice-laced finish. It is approachable now, but really should start to make jaws drop in another 4-5 years.Wine Enthusiast 96 points This is a finely structured wine with dark tannins and intense black fruits. The estate, with its biodynamically grown fruit, has given an impressively pure wine, packed with tight serious tannins and a fine structure of black-plum skins and intense acidity. It is direct, firm and with a huge potential over many years. Drink from 2027.  Cellar Selection

Decanter 96 Points | Classic Cabernet nose of cassis. Lovely purity and depth with a silky texture that caresses the palate - more obviously Pontet-Canet than Pauillac. An extremely fine wine almost in a class of its own.Jeb Dunnuck 96 points A final blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2014 Pontet-Canet is brilliant stuff, and I was able to taste this wine from barrel as well as multiple times from bottle, both at the estate and from a bottle purchased in the United States. It offers a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, tobacco leaf, and minerals, as well as an unmistakable Pauillac lead pencil characteristics that I just adore. Possessing full-bodied richness, a rounded, surprisingly opulent, sexy texture, awesome purity, and sweet, succulent tannin, it’s a sensational 2014 that might just surpass what they accomplished in 2015. This is a 2014 you won’t regret buying in bulk as it’s going to keep for 2-3 decades and be drinkable for the vast majority of it. Bravo to Alfred Tesseron and his team!James Suckling 98 points A stunning wine for this vintage although it’s still a bit shy on the nose (more spice than fruit showing than now). There’s wet earth, too, but on the palate it’s bursting with ripe yet subtle flavors. Very long and complex finish that goes on and on. 

Winemaker Description

100% Pinot Noir 60% estate grown fruit from Olivet Ranch vineyard in the Russian River Valley and 40% from Failla’s other single vineyard sources.

Expert Review

Vinous 92 Points by Antonio Galloni  | The Failla Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is a fabulous wine at this level. Sweet spices, rose petal, mint and succulent cherry/plum notes all lift from the glass. Supple and beautifully layered throughout, the Sonoma Coast hits all the right notes. A final burst of fruit rushes across the palate on the refreshing, inviting wine. There is so much to like.

Winemaker Description

The 2017 Barbaresco Pora Riserva is a medium body wine with intense mineral and spicy aromas, balanced ripe tannins and elegant finish.

Try with pasta dishes, risotto or white and red meat. 

Expert Reviews

Jancis Robinson 17/20 Points |  Barbaresco. Mid developing ruby with orange tinges. Deep leafy cherry with hints of orange and black tea leaves. Supple and fresh acidity with succulent cherry fruit and lots of soft chewy tannins. Very long and juicy with plenty of stuffing, but with an elegant palate weight and ready now.  Drinking 2022 -2030. 

Vinous 93 Points | The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Pora is rich, creamy and layered, with a bit more generosity than is typically the case. Sweet red cherry, red plum, spice and rose petal are amplified in a radiant, open-knit Barbaresco that will start drinking well in a few years' time.  Drinking 2025 - 2037.  - Vinous 93

Robert Parker 94 Points | The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Pora (with 13,333 bottles released) is usually the first wine I taste each year when I review this set of Riservas from Produttori del Barbaresco. That's because it usually appears as the most delicate, and the intensity of each successive bottle increases after this one. But these schematics are a bit more difficult to align in a hot and dry vintage such as this that produced richer and more succulent fruit across the board. The Pora is redolent of red and purple fruit with a little more blackberry and plum compared to previous editions. The tannic strength of the wine is also more elaborate. Pora works very well in 2017.  Drinking 2025 - 2048.  

Winemaker Description

Medium to medium-dark ruby-red. Very cool, stately aromas of red cherry, cola, and fresh tobacco leaf. On the palate, medium-full bodied. Flavors of red fruits and blood orange take front and center stage, persisting through the long, smooth finish. Not a wine of bombast but instead, one of elegance, purity, and quiet confidence. Wonderful now, this can be enjoyed through at least 2028.

Expert Ratings

94 Points Wine Spectator | Few Zinfandels show this much nuance and detail, yet there's an elegant power to this red, with cherry and raspberry flavors that mingle with orange peel and fresh sage. Ends with refined tannins.

93 Points Jeb Dunnuck | The 2020 Zinfandel Papera Ranch is ripe with fresh berries, raspberry preserve, and baking spice. Its gushy fruit up front gives way to a note of raspberry seed and refreshing lift on the finish. Drink 2023-2032.

Winemaker Descrption 

The Croix des Rameaux originates from select Brouilly plots, home to venerable vines ranging between 60 and 90 years old. The wine benefits from a semi-carbonic maceration lasting three weeks and subsequently matures in neutral barrels for 6-8 months. A minimal addition of sulfur – a mere 10mg during bottling – ensures the wine retains its vibrant freshness and vitality.

Winemaker Description

Since 1993, Overture has been an expression of place across time. In keeping with an internal desire to underscore the importance of the growing season, Opus One has taken the necessary steps for Overture to become a vintage-dated wine. In doing so, Opus One intends to emphasize the diversity of our estate with a renewed focus.

Over the years our winemaker, Michael Silacci, and his team have come to deeply understand the individual blocks within the vineyards. Farming practices may then be adjusted at the block level to enable the vines to fully capture the quality of the estate.  The majority of our vineyards are planted in alluvial soils in the extreme western part of the Oakville, AVA, at the foot of the Mayacamas mountains. 

The fruit is harvested and vinified with the same care, precision, and attention to detail as Opus One. Unique aromatics, flavors, and textures are recognized as ideal for Overture — more red fruit, herbal characteristics, soft tannins, and creamy texture. 

Winemaker Description

The color is bright, deep morello cherry-red. The nose reveals aromas of blackberries, raspberries and ripe strawberries with just a touch of tobacco and spices such as clove and cinnamon. It is a medium-bodied wine with elegant structure, balanced acidity and very ripe, elegant tannins. The finish is moderately-long, dominated by red fruits and followed by sweet vanilla and black pepper. 

Expert Review

89 Points Wine Enthusiast | Clove, thyme and dried fennel aromas complement fruity black-cherry notes on the nose of this Agiorgitiko from Skouras, a 1986 winery in the Nemea region of Greece’s Peloponnese. The light-bodied palate has ripe red and black fruits plus faint cinnamon flavors, indicative of the winemaking process: This wine is fermented in stainless steel and aged in old French barriques for a year. It then sits six more months in the bottle before release. The results are easy drinking and enjoyable, with balanced fruit and acid followed by velvety tannins on the long finish.

Winemaker Description

The Neyers 2019 Vista Notre Zinfandel is brimming with bright red berry fruit, while bristling with black peppercorn spice. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Rating

91 Points James Suckling | A rich, fruity red with lots of dried fruit, including raisins. It’s full and flavorful. Hints of chocolate and nuts at the end. Not over the top.

Powerful and driven, State Ranch captivates the nose with a perfume of mixed wild berries, black cherry and aromatic herbs. At once juicy and concentrated, layers of black plum, black currant, and clove flavors unfold on the tongue. Polished tannins melt into the palate, beautifully framing the wine from the entry to the long, silky finish. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

Coming from a classic, Bolgheri vintage, Promis shows a bright, ruby-red color. The nose has hints of spice such as cinnamon and star anise along with pronounced red fruits like strawberry and black cherry. 

The tannins are juicy and persistent all culminating in a salinity that is a classic hallmark of good vintages in Bolgheri. 

Coming from a classic, Bolgheri vintage, Promis shows a bright, ruby-red color. The nose has hints of spice such as cinnamon and star anise along with pronounced red fruits like strawberry and black cherry. The tannins are juicy and persistent all culminating in a salinity that is a classic hallmark of good vintages in Bolgheri. 

Expert Reviews

Expert Reviews

Winemaker Description

This beautifully balanced and deeply concentrated Zinfandel boasts elegant, complex layers of crushed clove, fresh blackberry, and creamy mocha on the nose. A velvety texture of fine- grained tannins provides structural weight to the ripe fruit flavors of plum compote as well as violet, thyme, and black pepper. 

Winemaker Description 

A powerful and well built wine, a deep ruby colour with violet tints. Complex nose of vanilla, fruits and griotte-cherries.

The attack is rich and firm; the mouth expresses long lasting nuances of vanilla and pepper. This is a smooth and rich wine with a very good length. 

Expert Reviews

Monica Larner writes:  The 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with small percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It opens to an impenetrable, full-bodied approach with dark fruit, pencil shaving, toasted oak, Spanish cedar, campfire ash and iron ore. For sure, this is an especially concentrated and oak-driven vintage of this iconic wine. It absolutely requires more aging time. It feels quite tight and firm in its youth. The concentration is abundant.  Drinking 2026 - 2045  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 95

Audrey Frick writes:  The 2020 Ornellaia is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in 70% new French oak for 18 months, with another 12 months in bottle prior to release. Flush with herbs and menthol, blackberry, and cedar, it is full bodied and fills the sides of the mouth with rounded fruit of luxurious plum, black cherry, and toast, with supple and velvety tannins. Drink 2026-2046.  - Jeb Dunnuck 96

Jancis Robinson writes: Deep, lustrous crimson. Very sumptuous nose followed up by a hedonistic palate that finishes especially fresh. Ripe but not too-ripe fruit – a drier (much less sweet) vintage than usual which should age well. Unusually, there is some vestige of tannin on the finish. It's certainly possible to drink now if it's aerated before serving but ideally, I'd keep this awhile. Savoury persistence.  Drinking 2024 - 2028  - Jancis Robinson 18

Bruce Sanderson writes:  Inviting aromas of blackberry, black currant, anise, cedar, vanilla and tobacco draw you in to this red, which is sleek and open on the palate. This is so well-balanced, it's approachable now, yet there's a bit of reserve too. The fruit flavors are prominent on the finish, along with mineral and spice notes, while the lasting impression is a salty, flinty element. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2045.   - Wine Spectator 96

Antonio Galloni writes:  The 2020 Ornellaia is a gorgeous, elegant wine. Seamless and wonderfully deep on the palate, the 2020 is super-refined from the outset. Even with all of its depth, the 2020 retains terrific freshness and cut to play off its soft, succulent fruit. Overall, the 2020 looks to be a relatively accessible Ornellaia that will drink well with minimal cellaring. I especially admire the precision and understated finesse here.  Drinking 2027 - 2045  - Vinous 96

James Button writes:  Estate director Axel Heinz called 2020 ‘a classic Ornellaia,’ and picked the theme of ‘La Proporzione‘ (proportion) to describe its character. Indeed, the blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot marks a return to a more typical blend following the pendulum swings of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2019, and 51% Merlot in 2018. Fine-grained and beautifully textured, its finely integrated tannins support a concentration of black fruits lightened by red berries. Aromas of black cherry, liquorice, dark chocolate, cedar and damp earth make for a fragrant wine, accompanied by menthol and balsamic streaks which run through the wine and impart plenty of freshness. It finishes with a stony and salty element along with some chocolatey and woody hints. Tight and moreish, its ripeness of fruit combined with freshness and structure adeptly tells the story of this earlier-ripening vintage. It lacks complexity in the mouth – this will come with time – but the array of aromas gives a hint of what is to come.  Drinking 2023 -2050  - Decanter 96

Georgina Hindle writes:  Black bramble fruit on the nose, heady, expressive, forward and open. Aromatic and inviting - on the riper, jammy side. Lithe and supple, this has an energy and weight giving plush tannins but with an austere, mineral grip. A curious combination but one that serves to give a round, interesting mouthful with both balsamic black and sweet blue fruits with touches of wet stone, cola and liquorice. Dark and brooding, a little sombre right now, clearly powerful with concentration and you can tell it's been well worked - feels controlled but still quite tense and constricted. The overall texture is sublime and I do love the dark sticky liquorice and bitter orange zest but this isn't quite giving the wow factor. Nice layering, linear and pure, tannins a touch dry on the finish. Refined and austere. Has a touch of ripe jamminess that detracts a little from the charming elegance you know this wine can have. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.  Drinking 2026 -2046

James Suckling writes:  Alluring aromas of lead pencil and currants with crushed stone and iodine. Full-bodied with hemmed in tannins that are tight and focused. Very fresh and energetic with wonderful length and intensity for this vintage. Needs four or five years to come together. Better in 2028 and onwards.  - James Suckling 98

Winemaker Description

Garnet-red with violet hues. It is full-bodied with nicely integrated tannins and a persistent elegant finish.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022 

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points | The 2022 Pinot Noir Les Dijonnais comes from the oldest vines on the property, planted in 1995 with all Dijon clones. Bottled in late January of this year, the wine sports a vibrant ruby hue and shows off notes of wild raspberries, mixed berries, a hint of fresh violets, clove spice, forest herbs, and brambly earth. It’s chiseled in its structure, with coiled tannins and a good deal of youthful tension, and also offers mineral persistence, with wonderful salinity and dark undertones of earth. It demands another few years in cool cellars to soften and expand as it evolves and will drink well over the long haul. Drink 2026-2040. 590 cases were produced.

Winemaker Description 

Planted in 1995, the Dijon block is now in its prime, delivering the complexity and elegance one expects from carefully tended twenty-six-year-old vines. The 2021 “DJ,” as it is known in-house, shows characteristic black raspberry and rose hip notes. Consistent with previous vintages, it displays Asian five spice, briar and even hints of blood orange coupled with a refreshing acidity and persistent finish. It is a superior vintage, one of the best of the decade. While the 2021 Les Dijonnais Pinot Noir is delicious right now, it will reward patience after a few years in a cool cellar.  Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description

An exciting, yet friendly wine, bursting with aromas of fresh, muddled strawberry, bright cherry and pomegranate with hints of forest floor, toasted caramel and five-spice. The flavors combine to create a fruit-driven front palate and very subtle oak influence. The finish leaves you wanting more, with nice acid and flavors of strawberry sauce, pomegranate and spice to create great weight for an excellent food wine, as well as a charming drinking experience by itself.

Expert Ratings

Our Professional Review

Oscar Garcia Moncada 67Wine.com | 20-35 year old vines. Certified Organic and Vegan; 100 % Tempranillo entirely aged in concrete vats. Not filtered but lightly clarified. Notes of red berries on the nose with an enticing mouth-feel. Red currant, juicy blackberry. Medium-bodied with crisp and enticing finish.

Winemaker Description 

The Flying Bicycle" is Germán Blanco's new project in Rioja Baja. With the help of an old friend and fellow oenologist, Javier Collio, Germán sources fruit from certified organic vineyards in the Navarra part of the appellation. The vineyards are dry-farmed and have an average age of thirty-five years old, grown in a mix of clay and limestone. The wine is made in a cellar in San Adrian, following the Milú philosophy: "happy wines made from happy grapes" is how he defines it. The grapes are de-stemmed and fermented in cold temperature from native yeasts. A slight maceration before the end of fermentation helps to make a delicate and fresh wine; no oak is used, and the wine stays in concrete tanks from five to six months.

Winemaker Description

Roter Multschak from Meinklang is an exciting red wine. Made from two Austrian indigenous grape varieties, it surprises you with its fun character. On the palate is fruity, tiny bit fizzy with cherry and pomegranate flavours.

The low amount of tannins allows you to drink it chilled.

Winemaker Description

The house brand red is a blend of Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and Pinot Noir, which is matured in large used wooden barrels. The Zweigelt brings fruit and charm, the Pinot Noir juiciness and the Blaufränkisch character and structure.

The Blaufränkisch also dominates the nose with dark aromas, ripe black cherries and plums, some eucalyptus and a slight smokiness of bacon. On the palate it starts fresh and animating, a fine and mellow tannin spreads directly on the tongue, again cherry and fine tannins.

The house brand stands for fresh drinking fun and goes well with stews and autumnal cuisine, for example with pumpkin.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling writes:  A spicy red with plenty of blue and red fruit, plus a touch of bell pepper. Generous and lively palate, with a very unusual interplay of youthful and slightly developed aromas and slightly sappy tannins, but they add freshness to this dada wine! This is a solera-type cuvee based on the 2020 vintage, with wines going back to 2012. A crazy blend of pinot noir, merlot and zweigelt. Drink now.  - James Suckling 92

Jancis Robinson writes:  Crimson. Pale rim. Good freshness and zest and absolutely ready to drink. Nice graininess. A wine with a story. Dry end but very distinctive.  50% Zweigelt, 20–25% Blaufränkisch, 20–25% Merlot and the remainder Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Made using a solera-type system containing multiple vintages going back to 2012. The wine spends three weeks on the skins before moving to barrel.   Drinking 2023 - 2027  - Jancis Robinson 16

Winemaker Description

In the hands of Hannes Schuster, Sankt Laurent becomes a focused expression of the soils in and around St Margarethen. Sankt Laurent is thought to be related to Pinot Noir, a crossing of the noble grape and another variety of unknown origin, native to Burgenland. The Schuster always shows earthy yet fresh mineral-rich notes of cherry and red berries which explode on the palate.

Silky tannins, delicate spice and a lovely long finish are signature characteristics. As all the Schuster wines, it is organically farmed with meticulous work in the ideally situated vineyards. This Sankt Laurent was fermented with native yeasts and spent one year in used 500 Liter Stockinger barrels. Winemaker Description. 

Winemaker Description

90 Points Wine Advocate | The 2021 Sankt Laurent Burgenland blends the fruit of 14- to 34-year-old vines cultivated in Sankt Margarethen, Zagersdorf, Oslip and Donnerskirchen. Aged in large, used barrels for 10 months, this release displays a bright cherry color and a pure, fresh and reductive nose of cherries, red berries, black pudding, earth and grass. Silky and fresh on the palate, this is a charmingly fruity, light to medium-bodied red wine with remarkable finesse, juiciness and fruit intensity. If at all, this autochthonous red is reminiscent of a refreshing Gamay from the Loire Valley. A great drinking pleasure indeed. 11.5% stated alcohol. Diam cork. Tasted in April 2023.

Winemaker Description

Hand harvested, destemmed manually using the zaranda (traditional bamboo screen) and fermented in open top lagars of raulí (native pink oak of Chile).

Free run juice is transferred into pipas (or barrels) made of raulí for several months after harvest on the fine lees.

Sustainable, organic, dry farming

Winemaker Description

Dark ruby in color, it offers aromas of crushed herbs with hints of black pepper. Silky smooth mouth feel with concentrated smoky black fruit and earthy flavors, with silky tannins and a long finish.

Critic Notes

90-92 Points Burghound | Allen Meadows writes:  An ultra-fresh nose features notes of both red and dark currant that enjoy pretty top notes of violet and rose petal plus a touch of earth. There is excellent precision to the super-sleek and precise middle weight flavors that terminate in a balanced finale that is less rustic than usual and with only a touch of rusticity. This offers especially good quality for its level and is recommended. From 60+ year old vines; note that this now has the 1er portion declassified into it and the domaine will continue to do this going forward; the 1er portion accounts for about 2/3 of the cuvée.  

90-92 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate | William Kelley writes:  Offering up aromas of raspberries and plums mingled with sweet spices and petals, the 2020 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Fourneaux is medium to full-bodied, seamless and concentrated, with tangy acids and a long, fragrant finish. As readers may remember, this cuvée derives from a single parcel, two-thirds of which is classified as premier cru. 

Winemaker's Notes: The Fournaux vineyard is classified as 1er cru and village depending on the parcel. Chandon used to make a Fournaux 1er Cru, but as of 2018, they started to blend two thirds 1er Cru fruit with one third village level to make a 'super' Savigny village, preferring this blend to making two different cuvées. It's aged for 18 months in neutral barrels. 80% whole cluster. Very pretty with nice density and complexity. 

Expert Reviews

97 Points Wine Spectator |  Expressive and lush, this red shows ripe cherry, plum, earth, tobacco and leather notes, backed by a rigid backbone of tannins. This is vibrant too, leaving a long aftertaste of fruit, mineral and savory accents, with fine harmony and complexity. (BS) (2015).

96 Points Jeb Dunnuck | The 2015 AdAlberto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is ripe with black cherry fruit, sassafras, and anise. The palate is fruit-forward and approachable up front, with notes of black raspberry, tea leaf, and clove, and its more classic structure coming through on the finish. This wonderful wine has freshness while expressing the sunny character of the 2015 vintage. AdAlbreto was not produced in 2013 or 2014, and this is a welcome return from winemaker Giacomo Bartolommei. 

96 Points James Suckling |  Lots of dried and sour cherries on the nose with earth and dried leaves. Smoke and cigar box, too. It’s full-bodied with ultra fine tannins and delicious orange peel and a touch of leather on the finish. Really impressive texture.  

96 Points Wine Advocate | Tasted from an unfinished shiner bottle, the Caprili 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva AdAlberto is a single-vineyard expression that has drawn its fruit from the same site since 2010. The wine is dedicated to the paternal figure Alberto Bartolomei (grandfather to the current owners) who planted these vines in 1965. You can definitely taste the age and authentic character of those plants in the concentration and richness of the fruit, presented here with the abundance that only the 2015 vintage affords. The wine is smooth and enduring, and the tannins just need a few more years of bottle age. This is a small-production wine with just 4,000 bottles made. 96+ 

95 Points Vinous: | The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Ad Alberto Riserva from Caprili harnesses the ripeness of the vintage and melds it beautifully with savory earth tones. There are masses of dark florals and sweet herbs, as mineral-laced wild berry fruits come forward. With further coaxing notes of licorice, brown spice and baker’s chocolate evolve in the glass - does it ever end? It’s silky and pliant, providing an initial burst of ripe dark berries before giving way to a mix of sour citrus and fine tannins. Its structure is formidable, yet so are its primary fruits, coming across as perfectly balanced and full of potential. (EG) 

94 Points Decanter | An homage to winemaker Giacomo Bartolommei’s great grandfather Alberto, this Riserva is from the estate’s Madre vineyard, planted in 1965 and serving as a mother block for new plantings. This evokes Tuscany’s slightly unkempt wildness with Mediterranean scrub, dried flowers, sun-soaked berries and sea breezes. It’s full, with voluminous ripe fruit corseted by dry, chalky tannins. Flavours are somewhat oxidative in character, though not tired, and the structure is solid. The finish reverberates with salted liquorice. 

94 Points Wine Enthusiast |   Earthy aromas of new leather, truffle and blue flower mingle with camphor and baked plum on this full-bodied red. On the fleshy palate, velvety tannins envelope dried cherry, prune, licorice and tobacco before closing on a hint of game. Best 2022–2030.