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Stunning Pinot from the cool, high-altitude Colchagua Valley. Grown on volcanic soils and aged in concrete egg and neutral oak. Light, bright color with high aromatic intensity of fresh strawberries and red fruit such as currants and raspberry. On the palate, mineral with high acidity, along with ripe, soft and persistent tannins. 

Very aromatic with bright, structured strawberry and raspberry fruit, wet leaves, and stoney minerality. Sustainably farmed. Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description

This wine comes from plots of bush-trained vines on poor, sandytextured soils in the Rioja Alta area. The vines are an average of morethan 35 years old and smaller yields. They are harvested with great care and transported to the winery in small containers. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainlesssteel tanks at a controlled temperature of 28ºC, with prior bleeding-off and a long maceration of three weeks in contact with theskins. Ageing in French and American oak barrels (90%-10%) over 28 months, followed by subsequent bottle conditioning for at least 4 years until it is leaves the winery.

AWARDS
93 Silver Medal · International Wine Challenge (v. 2011).

90 Puntos · James Suckling (a. 2010).

90 puntos · Guía Repsol (a. 2010).

90 puntos · Wine Spectator (a. 2009).

91 puntos · Wine Enthusiast (a. 2009).

91 puntos · Wine Wine Advocate (a. 2008).

SENSORY EVALUATION

Look: Ruby red with a noticeable rim. Excellent brightness and clarity.

Aroma & palate: On its first contact with oxygen, it appears clean but reticent. Then, sweet notes of oak appear, cinnamon, clove and candied fruits. Infinite nuances that change with the passage of time.

On the palate, it is subtle and pleasant, with great finesse uponentry and through the mid-palate.

The tannins are extremely well polished and it has a serene acidity that maintains a long finish.

SERVING & FOOD PAIRING

White meat, oven-baked fish. Cured meat and dark chocolate desserts. 

93 Silver Medal · International Wine Challenge (v. 2011).

Winemaker Description

Franck Balthazar is yet another tiny domaine in the region whose wines have become highly sought-after over the last decade; worldwide demand now far exceeds production. Predictably, market prices reflect this growth. Balthazar is a fastidious farmer and careful winemaker, which has earned him tremendous respect from his neighbors on the Cornas hill. All whole clusters are used here, no new oak, and as little sulfur as possible. If you ever encounter the unsulfured “Sans Soufre” Cornas bottlings in France, especially at any restaurants in the area, jump on them, as they are amazing but generally don’t hold up to extended shipping journeys. It’s a very strong case for the “drink local” argument. The 2020s have turned out fantastic.

Expert Review

Vinous 97 Points | Dark magenta. Highly perfumed, mineral-accented red and dark berry liqueur, candied violet, smoky bacon and Moroccan spice qualities on the nose, along with olive and black pepper nuances. Offers vibrant, palate-staining and spice-laced cassis, bitter cherry, floral pastille and smoky mineral flavors that show impressive depth and a bracing undercurrent of juicy acidity. Expands steadily with air and finishes wonderfully long and gently chewy, with polished tannins, resonating spice and floral notes.  Drinking 2026 - 2034/

Winemaker Description

Intense and bright in appearance. Pale straw color with attractive highlights. The nose is strong and clean with intensity and finesse from the prolonged aging under flor. Reminiscent of the sea with saline and iodine notes. Extraordinarily dry on the palate but with a smooth and harmonious finish. Subtle salinity and a lingering flavor.

Expert Review

90 Points Wine Spectator | Very high-pitched, with bright chalk, chamomile, salt and lemon seed notes. The vigorous finish has serious cut.

Winemaker Description 

Still family owned, D’Oliveira date back to 1850, working with cellars built in 1619, so they know a fair bit about making madeira.

The wine has an average age of five years, leading to an inviting, nutty, slightly toasty nose, with flavours of grapefruit, lime, hazelnuts, and orange peel.

The high acidity makes the wine taste dry on the palate, with a smooth, long, and memorable finish. 

Winemaker Description

The estate is situated in Ramat Raziel, west of Jerusalem. It is produced in the "Methode Traditionelle". Brut Nature - Zero Dosage. 

Bottled by Domaine Du Castel. It is a dry wine.

Winemaker Description

Deep and ruby red color. Intense and fruity notes of ripe red fruits and sweet spices. Strong personality, harmonious structure and well-complexed tannins, with a long finish.

This wine pairs well with red meats, seasoned pecorino cheese and steak. 

Winemaker Description

An open-knit nose of wild plum, almond and orange with underlying notes of salted bread. On the palate, the wine shows considerable body and a complex array of flavors including lemongrass, peppermint and quince. As the wine breathes scents of orange blossom and honeysuckle come to the fore and mingle with the soft, spicy accents of cumin and nutmeg.

Winemaker Description 

Delicate profile, floral with notes of citrus, a hint of pineapple and banana. Fresh taste, pleasantly acidic with a long finish. 

Straw yellow with greenish reflections. Delicate profile, floral with notes of citrus, a hint of pineapple and banana. Fresh taste, pleasantly acidic with a long finish.

This light, refreshing Bianco Toscana is a versatile and very drinkable wine to complement many dishes and to capture the heart.

Ideal as an aperitif or to accompany fish and vegetables.

Expert Reviews - 2022 Release 

James Suckling writes 99 Points | Sweet-berry, walnut, licorice and violet aromas that follow through to a full body with round, chewy tannins that are polished and beautiful. Notes of iron, too. The tannins are broad and mouth filling, giving a caressing and exciting texture on the palate. If you give this a year to two to soften, it will deliver even greater richness and flavor. A blend of 2008, 2010 and 2011. Great after 2023.

Luis Gutiérrez of the The Wine Advocate writes 98 Points | The NV Único Reserva Especial 2022 Release is a blend of wines from 2008, 2010 and 2011, mostly Tinto Fino with some Cabernet Sauvignon mixing lots from the Único wines from those years. In the past, the blend was older vintages, but now it's wines that are around the same age as the Único. It has the complexity of mixing terroirs, vintages and grapes with parameters very similar to Único, 14.5% alcohol and good balance with a pH of 3.83 and 5.4 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). In the blend, they look for keeping the style of past blends, combining the more aged notes of the older wines and the freshness of the younger ones. I was very pleasantly surprised by the performance of this Reserva Especial, which seems to be going back to the character of the blends from yesteryear, with more finesse, elegance and nuance. This is perfumed, elegant, harmonious and balanced. It has very fine, already polished tannins and integrated acidity. 2008 and 2010 are cooler years, and they seem to give the blend this freshness and elegance. It has all the components, and especially the balance between all of them, to age nicely in bottle. 16,961 bottles and 201 magnums were filled in June 2018.

Winemaker Description 

Unico Reserva Especial bears witness to the past, it pays homage to the history of Spanish wine and their traditions. A non-vintage wine combining the balance between the best vintages and harvests, it faithfully reflects the magic of a legendary land. Unico Reserva Especial 2022 is a blend of the 2008, 2010, and 2011 vintages and a blend of 95 % Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 5 % Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is suitable for drinking now, but it can be aged for up to 40-60 years, if stored in the ideal conditions. It offers an infinite complexity that is gradually revealed, in every sip, the palate immensely silky and elegant. A true work of art!

Expert Review

Wine Advocate 96 Points: The 2014 Extra Brut Les Chemins d'Avize Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is fabulous. Rich, ample and potent, the 2014 possesses tremendous density from start to finish. Apricot, spice, dried flowers, graphite and lemon confit all build in a Champagne of enormous resonance. The pedigree here is evident. Chemins d'Avize is a blend from the Chemin de Plivot and Chemin de Flavigny lieux-dits. It was vinified in neutral oak and bottled with dosage of two grams per liter. Disgorged: June, 2021. 

Winemaker Description 

Pale yellow. Anised notes. Fine and flexible, fresh in the final. Fresh citrus fruit and herbs on the nose, powerful and mineral on the palate. 

Pair with shellfish, whitefish, sauerkraut. 

Winemaker Description

Forest Glen Winery produces full-flavoured, smooth red wines that are aged in small American oak barrels and are ready to be enjoyed without further bottle aging. 

Winemaker Description 

Intense ruby red with violet shadings, nearly opaque with traces of garnet
Bouquet. Expansive and persistent with sweet fruits, notes of blackberry, black cherry and a subtle nuttiness. Sweet spices lead to a mineral finish

Soft, sweet, voluptuous body, persistent and velvety. The tannins are thick and sweet, the acidity is well balanced, cutting the density and heaviness, while giving structure. Long finish, persistently fruity with notes of underbrush, forest fruit, and complex, intense spices.

Expert Reviews | Vintage 2020 

96 Points James Suckling | This Spatlese beams you up to Cloud 9, from where you have a wonderful view over the beautiful Mosel Valley. In spite of the considerable concentration, this is super-delicate and precise on the barely medium-bodied palate. Enormously long finish, where you barely feel the natural grape sweetness. Drink or hold. 

95 Points Wine Advocate | The 2020 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese is pure, clear and flinty on the concentrated nose that is reminiscent of a fresh fruit salad served on a slate plate on an early summer morning. Light, lush and highly finessed but seriously structured on the palate, this is a savory, very clear and elegant Sonnenuhr Spätlese with great precision and finesse and highly stimulating salinity and mouth-watering grip on the finish. Rating: 95+ 

Winemaker Description 

Orange and tangelo, overripe peach and bergamot; juicy and firm, solid yet voluptuous, vaporous and long, plump yet muscular (how many ways can I say it?); a rococo opulent wine yet also seriously devout in its terroir, even as it blushes and giggles. SOS: 2 (8-27 years). 

Winemaker’s tasting notes:  2022 Intercept Chardonnay is medium bodied with notes of ripe peaches, shortbread, and spiced apples. Rich from barrel fermentation and sur-lie aging, the wine has bright acidity with a lingering toasty oak finish. 

Winemaker Description

Syrah Laide translates loosely to Pretty-Ugly, a French term of endearment to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful, a dogma that is applied to each cuvée. "Hawks Butte adds slightly more density and fruit while still wildly fresh with lithe tannin and Halcon compliments with brooding structure. Violet, camphor, white pepper and cedar" - Jolie-Laide 100% Syrah, grapes were planted on two vineyards (Halcon and Hawkes Butte) both at high elevation. 

Grapes are left on stems, crushed by foot and fermented with very light punch downs. The juice is then placed into neutral oak for 10 months. 12-25ppm added SO2 depending on vintage and cuvée. 

Winemaker Descrption

Nestled high in the granite and limestone soils of the Gabilan Mountain Range in the Chalone appellation of Monterey County. Coastal Marine influence of the nearby Monterey Bay combined with high elevations create large diurnal swings that experience much less fog than the valley below make for low yielding fruit with complex concentration and purity.

Foot crushed and fermented whole cluster and aged in neutral barrique.

Dusty red strawberry and cherry complimented by notes of orange zest and spice flow into soft tannin with fresh juicy acid. 

Expert Reviews 

Expert Review

91 Points Wine Enthusiast | This second wine of the Haut-Brion's newly acquired Château Quintus is rich, with layers of black plums and dense juicy tannins. A dark Merlot-dominated wine, it's smooth and likely to be ready soon. Drink from 2017. (2012).

Our Professional Review

Rand Sieger of 67Wine.com | The Scharzhofberg is considered by many to be the most prestigious vineyard in the Mosel region.  Sipping this beautiful Spatlese from Von Hovel reminded me why it has earned that vaunted reputation.

The nose is stately elegant while at the same time, quite powerful. Yellow fruit and bright white berries marry nicely with lemon zest, spice box, and just a touch of reductive sharpness.  A very definite honey sweetness stretches across the palate with just the right amount of lip-smacking tartness to tie it all together.  Finishes smooth and silky with a lingering trail of honey and brown sugar.

This is one to savor by itself as dessert in its own right, but would be a lovely accompaniment to simple shortbread biscuits, or raspberry tart.

Winemaker Description 

Century-old, pre-phylloxera, ungrafted vines planted on a blue slate hillside of dizzying steepness renders a wine that’s nothing short of profound. It offers intense flavor, integrated juiciness, sensuous texture and extraordinary length and intricacy with guaranteed potential for long maturation.

Gernot Kollmann started his career at the Immich Batterieberg winery in 2009. Since then he has led the house to new successes. Connoisseurs are fascinated by the house wines because they reflect the Moselle and especially the Riesling in an intensive and individual way.

The Immich Batterieberg Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling brings sweet and tart pleasure into the glass. Enchanting herbal bouquet Its bright straw-yellow dress suits the Immich Batterieberg Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling admirably. Spicy flint and dried herbs inspire in the bouquet. Here the Riesling flatters the nose in a clear and light way. Ripe plate peach, a hint of citrus zest and apple blossom find their way into the aromatic spectacle.

The Immich Batterieberg Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling on the palate The mineral-fruity nose of the Immich Batterieberg Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling is followed by a full-bodied and crystal-clear pleasure on the palate. The dried garden herbs and the spicy slate combine on the tongue with apple compote and juicy peach wedges. Balsamic accents and a sinewy body give the wine a lot of elegance, even in the long finish. The fruit of the Immich Batterieberg Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling is pleasantly restrained and leaves plenty of room for spicy and mineral notes.

For this reason, the Riesling is ideal as an accompaniment for the exclusive kitchen on special occasions. Baked veal cheeks on risotto, steamed zander and grilled trout welcome him with joy at their side. Gernot Kollmann creates a fine Riesling from a steep site.

For the Immich Batterieberg Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling, the winemaker chooses particularly long-grown vines with deep roots. The plants have been growing on the blue slate soil for more than eighty years. The Ellergrub site is known for exceptionally elegant wine.

The Immich Batterieberg Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling does not disappoint either. Gernot Kollmann ferments the wine with great patience and calm. Under his hands, the Riesling unfolds its natural potential and absorbs the terroir around the steep slate slope. Great enjoyment from a great location.

Producer Description 

The Maestro Sierra Oloroso, aged 15 years, is dark amber with flavors of walnuts, butterscotch and figs. Dry but with great intensity.

Winemaker Description 

The treasures of El Maestro Sierra are many. From the back of their building they have a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1832 the master carpenter José Antonio Sierra founded El Maestro Sierra. As one of the top coopers in the area, José Antonio was the person who made the barrels for all of the big Sherry houses. After years of making barrels for everyone else, he came to the conclusion that he could produce Sherries that were better than what the big Sherry houses were cranking out, so he went about opening up his own little winery.

This little up-start Sherry producer was not welcomed in the world of nobility-owned Sherry houses and so the local gentry did everything they could to stop him. Fortunately the quality of his sherry prevailed over their efforts and José Antonio Sierra became one of the top Almacenistas (stockholders) of high-quality Sherries. Poking fun at his struggle, the label depicts an allegorical fox hunt with the nobles hunting El Maestro Sierra’s fox.

This Amontillado is aged for a total of 12 years under flor and oxidatively in American oak casks. Very explosive aromas of salts and almonds. The palate offers similar flavors in a very elegant framework.

Expert Review

The Wine Advocate 90 Points | The non-vintage Fino offers up aromas and flavors of sea salt and roasted nuts. It is excellent as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to sushi.