The 2021 Cheval des Andes is seductive and savory on the nose, leading with pure, earth-tinged aromas of pipe tobacco, turned soil, dried herbs and rich yet composed dark fruits. Exotic, dark spice notes and a pleasantly integrated framing of new oak acce...
The 2015 Château Laroque (89% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon) from winemaker David Suire is a beauty offering tons of floral nuances in its ripe red and blue fruits, violets and bouquet garni like aromas and flavors. Ripe, opul...
Bramaterra is sandwiched between the hills of Lessona and Gattinara, and it has a mix of Lessona’s sandy soils with a lot of Gattinara’s volcanic soils. Spanning seven communes, it received DOC status in 1979. The appellation rules permit up to 30% Croatina and up to 20% either of Uva Rara or Vespolina to be blended with Nebbiolo to soften the latter’s tannic structure, particularly in under-ripe years. Gaggiano normally harvests its Bramaterra 7-10 days after the Gattinara harvest.Gervasio was the grandfather who first came to Bramaterra and cultivated grapes. The wine is the product of four small hillside parcels, lower in elevation than Gaggiano’s vines in Gattinara, totaling 5.6 acres. The parcels are farmed without pesticides, harvested by hand, and normally (depends on the vintage) the three varieties are picked at once and co-fermented. The wine is raised in large Austrian casks for around 18 months and then racked into steel where it rests for several weeks before being put into bottle. The 2016 vintage made 1,000 bottles.
-Importer notes (V59)
The 2020 Laroque is even better than the en primeur sample. Dark and enveloping, with tons of class, Laroque is a winner. Succulent dark plum, gravel, spice, menthol, licorice and pipe tobacco give the 2020 tons of nuance. Laroque is class personifed. Win...
The 2023 Laroque might be the best wine David Suire has made since taking over here a few years ago. What I admire most about Laroque is its classicism—there is plenty of that on display here. Bright acids and persistent beams of supporting tannin frame d...
The 2022 Laroque is even better from bottle than it was en primeur. Dark, rich and enveloping, the 2022 is seriously impressive. Black cherry, leather, licorice, dried herbs and mocha race across the palate. The possesses superb depth and nuance while ...
The 2021 Laroque is classy, elegant and polished. A wine of stature and breeding, Laroque is a quintessentially finessed Saint-Émilion. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark cherry, plum, spice, new leather, licorice and menthol. All the elements are v...
A terrific effort from an estate that was long one of Saint-Émilion's sleeping giants, the 2019 Laroque unwinds in the glass with aromas of cherries, licorice, loamy soil, rose petals and sweet tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it's deep ...