Fefinanes Albarino de 1583 Albarino 2022

Johann Michel Cornas Cuvee Jana is 100% Syrah.

Black raspberry aromas, licorice, sizzled bacon and smoke. Elegant and pure with depth and well-integrated tannins.

Jana is the name of Johann and Emmanuelle's daughter.

Manual harvest, selection of the grapes from the "Chaillot" parcel, full clusters, fermentation in tanks for 3 weeks, daily remontage and pigeage. Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels and aging on the lees for 12-18 months in barrels (new old barrels) The average age of the vines is 11 years. Yield: 25 hl/ha

Review:

"Dark purple. Highly perfumed, oak-spiced black and blue fruits, incense, vanilla and potpourri on the hugely perfumed nose, along with hints of licorice, smoked meat and mocha. Stains the palate with concentrated, spice-laced blueberry, cassis, cherry-vanilla and espresso flavors that turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Broad, polished tannins add shape to a strikingly long, smoke- and spice-driven finish that strongly echoes the floral and blue fruit notes. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2022), 97 pts

Double Diamond Oakville Proprietary Red is made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 25% Cabernet Franc.

"The inaugural release of the 2021 Proprietary Red Wine upholds the level of excellence expected from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. It expresses a fragrant perfume of ripe red cherry, blueberry, and pomegranate, mingled with bell pepper, iron, and vanilla bean. On the palate, generous red and blue fruits are complemented by blackberry compote, dark chocolate, and espresso. The wine has silky tannins, food-friendly acidity, and a lingering finish. It is ready to drink upon release but will cellar well for years to come."

Ruby red in color, this Amarone Riserva offers dense and smokey aromas of dark cherries, raisins, chocolate, and anise, framed by fruity tannins and a spicy finish. With the level of complexity and balance that this wine shows, it will evolve beautifully for 10+ years.

Review:

This is one of those wines where your nose is in the glass for ages, enjoying the complex array of aromas that range from raspberries to dates, perfumed bark to polished wood, pressed flowers to fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, dense and focused with fine, well-integrated tannins, plenty of fruit flavor and an endless finish. A joy to drink even now, but this will age gracefully for many a year.

-James Suckling 98 Points

Realm Cellars Bard Red Blend is made from a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Petite Sirah.

The 2021 is the largest and most complex blend we've ever made with dozens of components from vineyards across the realm of Napa Valley. This vintage includes new vineyard sources from Calistoga, Rutherford and Oak Knoll AVA, allowing us to broaden our painter’s palette. The Bard is generally more approachable in its youth than some of our single vineyard bottlings, but we expect it to age for many years to come. This is our first time using a technical cork for this wine, which should guarantee consistency and improve longevity.
Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Petite Sirah.

Review:

Lastly, the 2021 The Bard checks in as 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah. This beauty has a killer bouquet of cassis, spring flowers, graphite, chalky minerality, and violets. This carries to a full-bodied, seamless, silky, flawlessly balanced effort revealing fine tannins, a good sense of freshness, and a thrilling finish.

-Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points

Pinea is made from 100 percent Tempranillo. 30 months, new French oak barrels

PINEA is born of the founders desire to make a wine on a par with the world’s finest. Its name is inspired by a beautiful and majestic Pinus Pinea tree, which is probably one of the oldest and tallest in the region. Surrounded by old vines, it has been witness to centuries of history.

PINEA is a hand-made, artisanal wine made with the heart. Crafted with care and respect for its origins, it also faithfully reflects the terroir and the passion of everyone involved in its creation. It is made from old vines, grown on clay-loam terrain at high altitude. Our winery is characterized by its minimal intervention approach to precision viticulture, key to ensuring that the grape is able to express itself fully.

PINEA is aged in and blended from new fine-grained French oak barrels of medium toast, which respect the fruit during the ageing process. Perfection is sought at each and every stage of winemaking, in order to successfully create a wine in which fruit plays a leading role, integrated with the complexity of oak. A unique wine. Elegant. Subtle. Perhaps one of the very best in the world.

TOTAL PRODUCTION: LESS THAN 1,000 CASES (13,000 BOTTLES)

Appearance: It is a clean and bright, deeply colored, almost opaque, ruby red wine with a garnet rim.

Nose: It is clean and balanced, and very intense in aromas. As is typical for the varietal, it is rich in black fruit aromas, predominantly blackberry. The use of new oak gives pungent aromas of bitter chocolate, coffee, cedar and smoky notes that give length and depth.

Palate: It has a powerful attack, which fills and envelops the palate from start to finish. Full-bodied, it has high tannins and considerable alcohol, although both are very well integrated. It is perfectly balanced on its passage through the mouth, leaving flavors of black forest fruits, blackberries and spices such as clove and black pepper. It leaves a long, harmonious aftertaste. It all comes together in a finish of smoky, slightly bitter notes, which give it great length and a persistence that lasts a long time after drinking. A complex, well-balanced wine that shows the full potential of oak-aged Tempranillo.

Reviews:

This is a fabulous young wine from the Ribera del Duero, one of Spain’s greatest wine regions. Dark, powerful and plush, the wine is not flamboyant or overdone. Indeed, it’s wonderfully balanced, carrying the alcohol and the “very special French oak” effortlessly and without a trace of heat or woodiness. Tightly wound, it gradually reveals its mineral-infused glory over time in the glass. It’s more savory than fruity, though there’s plenty of the latter. The tannins are barely noticeable because they are so fine and well-integrated. Paradoxically, it’s powerful, yet reticent, and finishes with a delightful hint of bitterness, which, to me, is a hallmark of a great wine. It’s one for the cellar, to be sure. But it you can’t wait and your budget allows you to buy multiple bottles, open and decant one hour before you drink it with garlic-infused roasted leg of lamb this winter.

97 Michael Apstein Dec 8, 2020

Very highly polished, international plush style. Bold, toasty oak, balanced by crunchy blue fruit. Ripe, intense, harmonious, has mile of age to last. - International Wine Challenge 95 Points(Gold Metal &  named one of three best tempranillos in all of Spain)

As dense and dark as a young vintage port, but much less alcoholic, this is a concentrated and elegant Ribera del Duero that has a long, polished finish. Drink or hold. - James Suckling 93 Points

Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is made from 100 percent Sangiovese.

Brunello di Montalcino from Le Macioche is a singular wine. Produced from 100% organically managed mature Sangiovese vines planted in the early 1980’s, Le Macioche Brunello is fermented by indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks.  The wine undergoes malolactic conversion and ageing in 30HL Slavonian oak casks before being bottled unfiltered.  With a brilliant ruby core, and exceptional elegance complementing its ample power, this is as close to a Burgundian expression as Montalcino gets.

Le Macioche sits in the center of the Montalcino appellation, just about 5 minutes due southeast from Montalcino.  Nestled in a prestigious neighborhood among such prominent addresses as San Polo and Fattoria dei Barbi, Le Macioche is unique in that its four sections of Brunello vineyard, spread over 7.5 acres, are all exposed to the Southwest. This, along with the elevation of roughly 1,400 feet above sea level, ensures both exceptional ripening and constant ventilation throughout each growing season.  Such auspicious conditions have enabled Le Macioche to safely exercise organic farming practices with the 2018 vintage marking the estate’s full organic certification.

Brunello di Montalcino from Le Macioche is ripe and supple.  Aromas of dried berries, plum, and sour cherry mix with hints of oak, sweet spice, and leather. This powerful red wine is held in perfect harmony by an undercurrent of brilliant acidity and a structure of firm yet ripe tannins paired against. A substantial wine without ever feeling heavy. The finish is long, balanced, and complex.

Brunello di Montalcino is a wine that may be best enjoyed on its own as an object of contemplation and pleasure. Of course, it will also pair exceptionally well with a variety of hearty main course dishes ranging from the rustic to the refined. Meat is not mandatory, but wild game and fowl are traditional.

Review:

Sitting at 450 metres, Le Macioche is located just southeast of the town of Montalcino. Half of the estate’s six hectares of vineyards are registered for Brunello production. The 2017 vintage represents the first under ownership of the Cotarella family. An appealing mix of cocoa and balsamic herbs greets the nose. Mid-weight and juicy, the palate takes on accents of underbrush and there is great fruit purity and firmness of structure. The finish is savoury with just a hint of those drying tannins that mark the vintage.

-Decanter 93 Points