Domaine de la Sangliere Côtes De Provence Rosé 2015
Domaine de la Sanglière’s basic Côtes De Provence Rosé is all nervy mineral verve, with the merest touch of tantalizing underripe melon and raspberry shining through. Fruit is nearly absent on the palate, as though it has been brushed clean, or is a layer that has been artfully peeled away. What remains in its place […]
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-St.-Vivant 1999
Breathtaking, transcendant and pure, the 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-St.-Vivant is a woven tapestry of raspberries, cinnamon bark and fresh pastry, along with subtle touches of earth, underbrush, and lilting minerality. More diaphanous than the ’99 La Tâche or Richebourg, the words that this wine conjures are vibrant, ethereal, fine-boned and mineral-edged. This is […]
Château de Roquefort Corail Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015
Château de Roquefort Corail Côtes de Provence 2015″ width=”200″ height=”200″ /></a>An old-school blend of 35% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Cinsault, 5% Carignan, 5% Rolle, and 5% Clairette, Château de Roquefort’s 2015 Corail Rosé dances and shimmers in the glass with abundantly pretty notes of Queen Anne’s Cherries, market strawberries, and fine mineral nuance. It’s quite […]
Château de Berne Pur Côtes De Provence Rosé 2015
The Berne Pur Côtes De Provence 2015 is quite possibly the palest Provençal rosé I’ve seen on the market, clear at the rim with a very pale salmon hue visible at the widest part of the glass, my dinner companions and I wondered if this is because of heightened demand for very pale rosé, it’s […]
Herdade do Esporão Esporão Reserva 2013
A brawny, if slightly gamey and wild blend of Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Trincadeira, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2013 Esporão Reserva Tinto is all plums, spice, vanilla and earthiness. In the mouth, it really shows it’s heft, with equal doses of tart sour cherry and raw cranberry-esqe acidity dowsed in firm tannins and a bit of […]
Falesco Montiano Lazio IGT 2012
Subtle but not subdued, the 2012 Falesco Montiano is crafted from 100% single-vineyard Merlot. Sweet Italian plums, black cherries, underbrush, dust, worn leather, decaying rose petals and sandalwood lead into a wine that is fuller and a touch lusher than one might expect for an Old World Merlot. Fine, polished tannins aptly frame red and […]
Alamos Red Blend 2014
The parent company of widely-distributed Alamos is Catena, a winery that is one of the foremost in Mendoza. Alamos is easy and very drinkable considering it’s price point. The 2014 Red Blend has a nose that is bursting with dark Hudson cherries, juicy plums and a playful whiff of wild underbrush. The attack is equally […]
Pike Road Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2014
One of the better in the under $20 Oregon Pinot category I’ve tasted of late, the 2014 Pike Road is an off shoot winery managed by the Elk Cove team. Replete with twiggy black tea notes, rose petals, cranberry compote, iron ore and dried blood, it’s clean and linear on the palate, more red fruited […]
Cornerstone Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Michael’s Cuvée 2012
Black currant, smoky blueberries, cassis, and mint. Cornerstone Cellars 2012 Michael’s Cuvée doesn’t disappoint. It’s opulent, with palate-drenching blackberries and blueberries, lovely purity of fruit with seductively sueded tannins. A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, this cuvée was assembled from the historic Oakville Station Vineyard (read that as To Kalon) 57%, 28% […]
Quinta de Gomariz Vinho Verde Grande Escolha 2015
A refreshing blend of Loureiro, Alvarinho and Trajadura, QG or Quinta do Gomarez’s Grand Grande Escolha 2015, expresses fleshy peach and pear, flavors that are brightened by leaner notes. A citrus and mineral-saline edge, especially on the finish, endows this well-crafted Vinho Verde with a more serious edge. 6.0 RS 11.5% ABV | Sample Quinta […]