Begude Bandol Rouge is made from 90% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache.
Eye: dark ruby colored
Nose: Intense, aromatic, fresh and elegant
Mouth: Structured on black fruits flavors, lightly woody , tanins are strong an firm in their early days (<5years) Good acidity give freshness backbone and great fruit/alcoholic balance . Delicate final on spices.
Opening: Decant 4-6 hours before serving
Soil: Clay-limestone Culture: Organic without pesticides nor chemicals additives Yield: 20 hectoliters/hectare Harvest: Manual in small cases Winemaking: Double sorting, 100% destemming, skin contact, with daily sticking in order to optimize color and aromatic extraction Alcoholic fermentation 15 days followed by malo lactic fermentation. Aging: 18 months in oak cask Bottling:
Grilled lamb, meat cooked with sauce, southern French cuisine and tasty dishes (tajines, couscous, paellas).
Review:
"Inviting spicy oak, malt and blackberry cream scents. Powerfully structured tannins, spicy liquorice and clove flavours as well as bramble fruit; very long finish. Its best years are far into the future. Terrific stuff."
- Decanter World Wine Awards 2020, 97 pts & Platinum Medal
Beckstone Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Muscat Canelli and 1% Malbec.
Deep ruby in color with a nose of sweet fruits, the wine opens with notes of ripe strawberries and a delicate dusting of cocoa powder. Earthy spices begin to layer mid-palate, as well as notes of blueberries and a balanced minerality. The finish is soothing with a lingering sensation of dark caramel and toffee.
Over 13,000 years ago sudden ice dam ruptures at Glacial Lake Missoula led to a series of cataclysmic floods that swept across eastern Washington and down through the Columbia River Gorge. These ‘Missoula Floods’ were instrumental in the creation of loamy soils – a gritty mix of sand, silt, and clay deposits that offer a diversity ideal for viticulture. At Beckstone, we source the highest quality fruit from these rich, layered soils at the Wallula Vineyards overlooking the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. ‘Beck’ is an archaic noun that refers to a mountain river, especially a swiftly running stream with steep banks. Our Cabernet Sauvignon honors these historical floods and the ancient balance of sediments that is evident in the wine.
Bavencoff Montagny Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Montagny presents a typical robe of a Burgundy Chardonnay: A pale yellow color with discreet green reflections. The color will change to golden yellow with age. On the nose, it develops delicate honey and vanilla aromas. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied, it offers a slightly oily texture typical of the great whites of Burgundy, rich and fresh flavors (vanilla, honey, golden apple, toast). The finish is long and mineral.
This wine goes perfectly with veal in sauce, scallops in butter and herbs, and most fish. Also to drink with hard mountain cheeses: Comté, Beaufort.
Bavencoff Bourgogne Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Color of medium intensity, purplish in its youth at present, changing to ruby then garnet, after several years in the bottle.
The nose offers intense aromas of cherries, kirsch and fresh strawberry. The palate is the perfectly balanced between round tannins and an elegant freshness. It is harmonious and medium-bodied with a silky and elegant texture and a delicious lingering finish.
Alcoholic fermentation in stainless tanks for 3 weeks. Malolactic fermentation : 80% in stainless tank and 20% in one year old casks (Allier).Manual harvest.
Produced from 100% Pinot Noir planted on clay and limestone soils.
Grilled or boiled red meats, roasts, mild game, soft cheeses like Camembert and Brie.
Bastgen Kestener Paulinshofberg Riesling Kabinett is 100 percent Riesling.
Kesten is a small village right by the Mosel surrounded by steep vineyards called Paulinsberg (=hills of Saint Paul). The vines grow on bridle clay slate near the river - a classic terroir that has been cultivated with vines ever since Roman times. Riesling is the most typical grape of the Mosel region that produced a fruity Kabinett with beautiful peach aromas on the nose, rich and ripe fruits on the mouth with honeyed notes and a refreshing acidity. This is a very pleasing wine.
They meticulously tend 4.5 ha (11.11 acres) of which 80% is Riesling. The soil is made of slate. Their vineyards are located in Kesten and Brauneberg, on a steep terrace, and planted to 50-year old vines. Fortunately for Bastgen, they own part of the famous Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr. The vines produce very small, ripe berries that are very tasty.
The grapes are strongly selected, only minimal amounts of botrytis are tolerated. At time of the harvest the grapes are fully ripened with a golden color and tart acidity. After a natural sedimentation process the fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks under cool conditions. The wine remains on the lees until April, then is gently filtered once, and bottled.
Review:
"This prototypical Mosel Kabinett has depth and vibrancy all packed into a light-bodied frame. Not super-sleek, but enormously refreshing with super-expressive white peach, yellow apple and honeysuckle aromas. Super-crisp finish. Delicious now, but excellent aging potential too! From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap."
- James Suckling (November 2023), 94 pts
Bastgen Blauschiefer Riesling is 100 percent Riesling.
Bright, clean, fresh and zesty. Grapefruit like flavors. Fruity aromas and a nice minerality, typical of the Riesling grape grown on blue slate soil. Round, rich and a very long finish.
They meticulously tend 4.5 ha (11.11 acres) of which 80% is Riesling. The soil is made of slate. Their vineyards are located in Kesten and Brauneberg, on a steep terrace, and planted to 50-year old vines. Fortunately for Bastgen, they own part of the famous Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr. The vines produce very small, ripe berries that are very tasty. Excellent with oysters, seafood and deliciously refreshing on it's own.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Nicolas-Jay 'l'Ensemble' Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Winemaker Tasting Notes | A bright, magenta color with pinkish red edges shows intensity, youthfulness and concentration. Aroma sequences immediately leap from the glass with freshness and vigor. There are red berries, freshly cut straw, rhubarb and elegantly perfumed red flowers. A blood orange zest intermixes with Herbes de Provence, cranberries and tight-grained French barrique. The structure of the wine is medium + at first, but as the wine unfolds in the mid-palate it begins to tighten and constrict. Acid levels are earnest in this wine, but there is a broad density that seems to take a combative stance to its brightness as the finish expands into chalky minerality, tangerine spice and an underlayment of crushed river rock. It's silky, pretty and elegant, but with a grit and willpower that suggests an exquisite vintage made by an experience and sensitive winemaking approach.
Vintage | The beautiful 2021 vintage began with a warm dry winter followed by a wet and cool late Spring. Despite rain during bloom, yields were high and the vines soaked up the nourishing moisture early in the season. June also brought a heat dome with temperatures breaking 115 degrees in the Willamette Valley. Luckily, this unprecedented heat came at a time before the grapes were susceptible to damage and the growing season continued warm but without issue. A cooler August was a sigh of relief as we neared harvest. Grape ripening slowed down and the very healthy and abundant fruit began showing signs of ripeness in early September. We began picking on September 4th with 2 separate chardonnay vineyards and finished on September 27th with our latest and highest elevation chardonnay site – Spirit Hill. Harvest was beautiful and dry with only one small rain event toward the end, ideal for a successful vintage. The fruit was pristine and yields comfortable, leading to moderate alcohol levels and bright acidity. Our first vintage made entirely here at the Nicolas-Jay estate, the wines are showing purity of fruit, beautiful texture and tension and are sure to continue to evolve for years in bottle.
Review:
A jeweled ruby hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir L'Ensemble needs a little time to open in the glass before revealing aromas of fresh pine, ripe cherry liqueur, and toasted spice. Supple and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannins, it delivers elegant freshness and wonderful purity through its long, mouthwatering, seamless finish. Drink 2025-2037.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points