The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru has a peppery nose, clove and white pepper, quite open and expressive with rose petal notes emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with mulberry and raspberry fruit, good body here, a little sin...
Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, Indian spices, peonies and smoked duck, the 2020 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode is medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, its deep core of fruit framed by sweet tannins and lively acids, concl...
The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru has another expressive, quite marine-influenced bouquet with brambly red fruit, leather and tobacco scents that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, lightly spice...
The Sassetti Livio Pertimali 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is quite bright and lifted with cherries and fresh fruits that pop from the glass. The primary intensity is radiant in this wine, setting it apart from many of its peers. It covers the palate with m...
The 2020 Pinotage Estate is fermented in open-top fermenters and is raised for 16 months in 80% new oak. It has a very pure and precise nose that is a masterclass in what this sometimes derided grape variety can do. The palate is medium-bodied with pli...
The 2021 Chenin Blanc Old Vine is 25% aged in concrete egg, 50% neutral oak and 25% stainless steel. It is very different from the "Original": wax resin, lanolin, white linen and traces of yellow fruit. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead...
This shows plenty of smoky aromas with hints of tar, spice and plums that follow through to a medium to full body with slightly chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Very typical. Very drinkable. Drink now.
At each tilt of the glass, the 2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium reveals something new. At first, it shows gingery spice, white smoke and yellow flower notes, then it evolves into sour melon, young mango and wet stone aromas. Finally...
A dense, tightly wound version, displaying cherry and berry fruit, earth and underbrush flavors wrapped in a grip of dusty tannins. Gains fruit, allowing the vibrant acidity to focus and extend the finish. Sangiovese, Colorino, Canaiolo and Merlot. Best f...
A firm-textured and fresh Morellino with black-cherry, orange-peel and mineral aromas and flavors. Medium body, creamy mouth-feel and a delicious finish. Drink or hold.
The Le Macchiole 2020 Bolgheri Rosso is 50% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a powerhouse wine that has become a steady little engine for the estate economy, growing from a production of 36,000 bottles to 140,000 bott...
The 2015 Taurasi Riserva Radici is elegance personified, captivating with a deeply seductive bouquet that blends black cherries, rose petals and cloves with hints of underbrush, smoky minerals and crushed ashen stone. With each tilt of the glass, it se...
The 2021 Barbera d'Alba is a joyous wine. Rich, supple and explosive, the 2021 offers up tons of jammy red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and mocha. The purity of the fruit here is just remarkable. The 2021 was done entirely in cement. It's a...
Broad and open-knit, this harmonious red integrates fine tannins with a fragrant overtone of cured tobacco, featuring baked currant and fig, fresh and loamy earth, black licorice twist and milled pepper. Fresh and focused on the finish, where the tobacco ...
The Michele Chiarlo 2019 Nizza Cipressi is a generous and abundant expression of Barbera with an inky dark color. The bouquet reveals blackberry, blackcurrant and lots of rich primary fruit. Cipressi is fermented in steel and aged in large oak casks for o...
The St. Michael-Eppan 2021 Alto Adige Sauvignon Sanct Valentin feels like an ice cube on the palate that refreshes and revives. This is a sharply tonic and lean wine with great tension and energy. The bouquet opens to passion fruit, lychee, green papaya a...
Welcome to the mineral-driven wines of the Muscadet region. with subtle charm they represent some of the most value driven, age worthy white wines on the planet. Showcasing a crunchy minerality with vivacity and freshness, this wine is aromatic with green apple, citrus, and white peach. With air or aging, mint and eucalyptus emerge with a dry finish of salty ocean air and pithy citrus fruits
The 2017 Vintage Port is a field blend, mostly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão and Sousão, aged for 18 months in old wood vats. It comes in with 99 grams of residual sugar. This was bottled in May 2019, about a month before tasting, but I made...
The 2019 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for 18 months in old wood vats. It was bottled May 4, 2021, and has 100 grams of residual sugar. It was in bottle only a bit more than two months when tasted, but it seems quite brilliant, even so. Very concentr...
As to the reds, the 2020 Vacqueyras Vieux Clocher is medium-bodied and incredibly Provençal, with lots of spiced red fruits, leather, Provençal herbs, and loamy earth notes. A blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and the rest Mourvèdre, it has outstanding po...
This is so spicy, meaty and flavorful. Hints of blackberry. Full to medium body, fine tannins and a flavorful finish. Tastes like syrah. Delicious. Drink or hold.
Here's a new submission from St. Michael-Eppan, and a great value. The 2021 Alto Adige Pinot Grigio Fallwind is lean and fresh with an easy, rather neutral bouquet. You will recognize apple, quince, lemon and dried flower. The wine's lean-bodied approach ...
A fruity and bright Nipozzano with currant and cherry aromas and flavors. Juicy and vivid, with some fine tannins. Linear and bright. Lovely energy. Drink now.
The 2021 Pelaverga Verduno is classy and elegant to the core. Crushed red berry fruit, sweet floral notes and a kick of citrus are all laced together. Burlotto's silky, polished Pelaverga is about as good as it gets for this quirky variety. Aging in st...
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Manso de Velasco in the Curicó Valley was 60% aged in 11% new barrels and 40% in foudres. Vivid garnet in color. The bold aromas include potent black currant notes along with sour cherry, herbs and hints of pepper. Intense i...
The 2021 Barbera d'Alba is bright, effusive and charming. Crushed flowers, vibrant red-toned fruit, spice and mocha are all amplified in this joyous, youthfully exuberant Barbera. Medium in body and exuberant, the Barbera is an absolute delight. Vineya...
The 2021 Barbera d'Alba Aves is a selection of the estate's best Barbera. A wine of gravitas and tension, the Aves is lights-out in 2021. There's plenty of the depth of past editions, but less overt concentration and oak imprint than in the past. In th...
The 2021 Dolcetto d'Alba is quite understated in this vintage. As always, the use of stems in the Dolcetto lends floral and savory brightness that is quite attractive and distinctive. Medium in body and gracious, the 2021 is an absolute delight. In 202...
Deep ruby, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bull By The Horns has pleasingly herbal touches of bay leaves and dried herbs over a core of blackcurrant, game meat, tar and pencil shavings. The full-bodied palate has abundant, grainy tannins, uplifting, juicy aci...