Black Stallion Napa Valley Limited Release Red.
The winery takes its name from a major equestrian area that once occupied the grounds. Its calling card is Cabernet Sauvignon, made in a classic Napa Valley style that offers richness and finesse. While single-vineyard wines are occasionally bottled, most Black Stallion wines are made from small lots cherry-picked from the valley’s disparate winegrowing zones. These are then painstakingly blended to create luxurious, unforgettable wines that capture the depth and brilliance of Napa Valley’s diverse growing regions.
Review:
This blend is softly layered in dense, rich tones of plum and cherry, with a rounded approachability and well-integrated tannin and oak. Chocolate, leather and clove accent the finish.
-Wine Enthusiast 90 Points
Cellar for up to 8 years. No need to decant before serving.
El Enemigo was founded by historian Adrianna Catena, who is also Nicolas Catena’s youngest daughter, and Catena Zapata’s chief winemaker Alejandro Vigil in 2009. These two legendary figures on the Argentine wine scene came together over a mutual love for literature and philosophy, and decided to create their own wine label that would offer a unique taste of Argentina’s exceptional terroir and its Old World winemaking heritage.
Today the brand is responsible for many of the most exciting wines coming out of Argentina, including this sensational single vineyard Bonarda. Bonarda is little-known in Europe these days, but it has a special place in Argentina where it’s considered the nation’s second red wine after Malbec. La Esperanza is a very special 150 year old vineyard that was about to be uprooted when it was discovered by Alejandro Vigil. Luckily he was able to save 5 hectares from which he makes a few hundred bottles of this wine each vintage.
Once in the winery this precious fruit is vinified with wild yeasts and the young wine ages in large foudres that are over 100 years old. The result is a remarkably elegant and vibrant red that’s bursting with luscious red cherries, plums and blackberries as well as hints of dark chocolate. A charming wine to serve with tomato-based dishes thanks to the refreshing acidity, smooth tannins, and bright fruit flavours.
Review:
Blackberry, red-plum and graphite on the nose, as well as herbal and smoky notes. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins. Fleshy texture on the palate with structure and a ink-like feel. Savory finish. Hints of chocolate at the end. Try after 2023.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Bodegas Alto Moncayo Aquilon Garnacha is made from 100% Garnacha.
The wines of Alto Moncayo are crafted to express the unique terroir of windswept high elevation Campo de Borja DO; and to serve as a benchmark for world class Old Vine Garnacha.
Aquilón is "The jewel in the Crown" a selection of the best barrels from the best lots. The vines are 60-100 years old.
Review:
This garnet-colored wine offers aromas of black currant, black raspberry and black licorice, with just a touch of charcuterie. The fruit flavors shine through with subtle notes of crushed violet. It has soft tannic structure, with a pleasant bit of grippiness in the post palate as it leads up to the long, long, finish.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
About the Vineyard
Vineyards in Tabuenca and Borja, planted with indegenous clones of Garnacha starting in the 1920s.
Wine Production
The selected highest quality grapes are placed into small stainless-steel tanks of 7 tons capacity. The must is basket pressed and fermentation is finished in new French and American oak where it complets the malolactic fermentation. Wine is aged in the barrels for 24 months before bottling.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Very deep red, scarlet rim
Aroma: Minerals and vanilla. Hints of raisins and dark Chocolate
Palate: As typical of the vintage, power and intensity with disarming elegance.
Food Pairing:
Goes well with beef, pork, game based stews and rice dishes.
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah Swartland is made from 100 percent Syrah.
Grapes for our Boekenhoutskloof Syrah are picked from selected parcels of the finest Syrah, grown at our Swartland farms, namely Porseleinberg and Goldmine, close to the small town of Riebeek-Kasteel. These vineyards were planted on the rocky bedrock of decomposed Mica-Schist, a unique terroir, finding its expression in our concentrated and structured wines made from this Rhône grape.
The nose is perfumed, forthcoming and fresh, offering an array of rich dark fruits with a spicy, floral, even feral character, derived from complex aromas of dark berries, plums, violets, black olives, star anise and potting soil. The black fruits and earthy character of the nose follow through onto a dark, brooding palate with flavours of wild berries, brambles, liquorice, tobacco, cloves and black cardamom. The mid-palate is concentrated, deep, dense and slightly dusty, with dry, very fine cocoa-powdery tannins lending structure. The wine is very precise, with a medium to full body, a tight, grainy texture and vibrant acidity to balance. Blackberries, blueberries and notes of garrigue and dark chocolate linger on a savoury finish.
Review:
Using fruit from two exceptional Swartland sources – Goldmine and mostly Porseleinberg – this foudre-aged Syrah is fresh, subtle and intensely aromatic, as schist Syrahs often tend to be. Complex, floral and refined with remarkable freshness and palate length. Drink: 2020-2028.
– Tim Atkin MW, 95/100
Busi Chianti Rufina is made from 100% 100% Sangiovese
Fresh, fruity, with classic tart cherry.
Appearance: ruby-red in color.
Aroma: clean, floral notes.
Flavor: well structured and harmonic on the palate; easy drinking with a soft and lingering finish. Ageing potential: 10/15 years.
Adapts well to both light and more substantial dishes.
Production area: amidst the hills of Pelago in the Chianti Rufina D.O.C.G. area, with a soil composition of marly, calcareous clay as typically found in the Arno valley east of Florence. Aspect: south-facing. Altitude: 200/350 m above sea level. Cultivation method: spurred cordon. Harvest period: from the 20th of September until the middle of October. Vinification: the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature (26/28°C) for 10 days before racking and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. After fermentation the wine is put into wooden barrels. Fermentation in stainless steel at controlled temperatures for 7 to 8 days, with an additional 3 to 4 days on the skins. The wine is then racked and goes through malolactic. It is then racked again and stays another 7 months in stainless steel.
A new wine for the new century: BriO de Cantenac Brown was born in 2001.
Through the style of its label, but also through the quality of our work from the selection of the lots to the bottling, it aims at expressing the modernity of our Château.
The lots supposed to be the main part of BriO are pre-selected because of their evolution all through the year, which means that we focus on each different lot of the winery, from the budburst through the flowering to the ripeness control.
A meticulous attention
The lots for BriO often need more work: more leaf pruning, some green harvest, for example on the young vines, to help them to deal with the weather conditions.
Our two labels are made from vines located on a beautiful terroir where you find gravelly soils, and we want the vinification of BriO to lead to an elegant wine with lots of flavours, a compromise between strength and finesse.
So, if you like the fruits, you can start to drink it from 2 to 5 years after the harvest.
The blend between Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot is different for each vintage but the Merlot percentage is usually more important than the one in the Château Cantenac Brown.
The 12 months-long ageing in 20% to 25% new oak barrels is traditional; we rack it every 3 months. Before the bottling, we do the fining with egg whites.
It is on purpose if the bottles of BriO are different from the ones of Cantenac Brown: we want BriO to become a brand on its own, and it’s true that we talk much more about “BriO” than about “BriO de Cantenac Brown”.
We want BriO to be a wine you drink before, during and after a meal; just for your pleasure.
Pulled from a Gentleman's cellar, all wines from this cellar have been purchased by the owner either from the importer or direct from winery. They stayed in his cellar until being moved to the Timeless Wines warehouse.
TYPE: DOCG
GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Sangiovese harvested from the oldest vineyards.
VINIFICATION: Alcoholic fermentation with maceration of the skins (25-30 days) at a controlled temperature and spontaneous malolactic fermentation, both in truncated cone-shaped Slavonian oak vats.
REFINEMENT: In Slavonian oak barrels from 10 to 32 hl for approx. 34-38 months; followed by bottle refinement of at least 6 months.
ON SALE BY:January of the 5th year after the harvest.
NOTE:
Color: intense ruby with garnet reflections.
Perfume: ethereal, of red fruit and vanilla, persistent.
Taste: harmonious, with excellent tannins and structure, very persistent.
Food pairings: roasted red meats, game, mature cheeses.
Review:
A jeweled ruby color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino is forward with licorice spice on the nose and opens to notes of fresh black cherries, pine, and toasted rosemary. Medium to full-bodied, it offers wonderful energy from the start, with balanced, angular structure, ripe tannins, crunchy fresh acidity, and a long finish. Avery well styled Brunello, it will be in its prime in the coming 10-15 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Aromas of redcurrants and red flowers, followed by a touch of pie crust and sandalwood. Full-bodied with steely and sturdy tannins and vivid acidity. Dried-herb character at the end. Masculine and structured. Hold until 2027.
-James Suckling 95 Points
Capezzana Ghiaie Della Furbia Toscana IGT is made from Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Syrah 35%, Merlot 25%.
In 1979 Ugo Conti Bonacossi created Ghiaie della Furba from vineyards planted among the pebble (Ghiaie) rich soils of the Furba stream. Originally planted with clippings from the famed Chateau Lafite estate in Bordeaux, the wine was made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot until the blend was changed in 1998 with the addition of Syrah. The inclusion of Cabernet Franc was slowly discontinued and today the blend includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah and is made only in the best vintages
Review:
This wine starts with pine needles and crunchy red fruit on the nose, with wet slate, cedar and tobacco leaf slowly emerging. The palate turns richer, with cherries, blackberries, dark chocolate, a little tar, coffee and sambuca. Tannins are very firm and the acid vibrant through a long finish.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
The 2017 Brunello has certainly enjoyed the benefits of a careful selection in the parcels (including the Millecento vineyard). The wine has a wide nose. It maintains crisp fruit and floral notes. In the mouth it is elegant, complete and supported by an excellent acidity.
Review:
Aromas of ripe berries and plums with some flowers and nutmeg follow through to a full body with round tannins and a juicy finish. Slightly chewy, but friendly and succulent. Excellent 2017, despite the dry growing season.
-James Suckling 94 Points
Winery Notes:
Each year, we set aside the best barrels of our Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley to produce Special Selection. Distinguished by extremely fine, velvety tannins and enjoyable upon release or with aging. A wine of structure with intense concentration of supple flavors and dark fruits. Special Selection is the only wine in the world honored twice as Wine Spectator magazine’s “Wine of the Year.”
I feel this wine expresses the greatness of California and its hidden pockets where Cabernet can excel. The cold Pacific Ocean running the entire length of the state presents maritime influences – and with each small distance eastward the climate warms. Stony soils, south facing slopes and moderately warm conditions are the keys to producing dark, rich and good tasting Cabernet.
A small release from Caymus Vineyards, this wine is a California-appellation Cabernet Sauvignon – supple, dark and rich, bearing the signature hallmarks of Caymus. It is sourced from sites throughout the state which feature climatic conditions, soils and topography that are ideally suited to Cabernet. This project stems from excitement over California's diverse vineyard land, often in lesser-known areas, with the potential to produce exceptional Cabernet.
Cazaux Vacqueyras Blanc Les Clefs d'Or is made from 50% Clairette, 30% Roussanne and 20% Grenache Blanc.
A wine with lively acidity, expressive aromas of fennel and white flowers. It is long and full in the mouth with minty and anisy aromas mixed with white peach flavors. Refreshing and mineral character.
Clairette grapes are green harvested to concentrate and harmonize aroma. Each grape varietal is hand picked separately. Pressing with skin contact at low temperature. Aged 12 months in stainless steel tank. (No oak)
Enjoy this wine with all sorts of fish starters, squid salad with olive oil and basil. A must try with fresh oysters.
Review:
Pear-scented, medium- to full-bodied, there's plenty of cut and thrust to the flavors, aided by incisive acidity. Ends long on fresh pear fruit. Well balanced and fresh. Sandy soils, facing southeast. - Matt WALLS ."
- Decanter (October 1st 2022), 92 pts
Cazaux Vacqueyras Blanc Vieilles Vignes 50% Clairette, 30% Roussanne and 20% Viognier
The wine has a beautiful golden color.
The aromas are rich and
exotic with mango, almonds, toast, lemon, pineapple white flowers and
papaye. These aromas will develop to honey, butter and pear after ageing
for a few years.
The finish is long, citrusy and toasty.
Terroir: Slopes of sandy soil or grey limestone.
Yield: 25 -30 hl/ha
Age of the vines: 70 years old minimum. The oldest are around 90 years old.
The
grapes are pressed pneumatically after a few hours contact with the
skins.The must is kept at 20°c during the alcoholic fermentation to
optimise the aromas and respect the wine’s suppleness.
Barrel fermented an aged in 228-liter French Oak barrel for 12 months with regular stirrings of the lees.
MaloLactic Fermentation also in barrel.
Enjoy this wine with rich dish, river fish or poultry cooking in creamy sauce. Delicious with a mushroom risotto.
Cazaux Vacqueyras Rouge Grenat Noble 100% Grenache.
This wine is the result of extraordinary weather conditions. The first cuvée was produced in 1992 when violent storms and floods affected the region (especially Vaison la Romaine). The following days were radiant and accompanied by Mistral winds. We could then continue to harvest or more precisely harvest what remained of a rotten crop - but a noble rotten crop!
Following our first involuntary test of 1992, we wanted to reproduce this wine but we had to wait until 1995 to isolate the parcels that were capable of producing this noble rot. Unfortunately, the "noble" phenomenon does not occur every year despite late harvests (October 15).
The resulting wine is offers aromas of small red berries (cherries, raspberries), liquorice, fig, honey, fruit brandy and plum. It is elegant, supple and smooth on the palate with a firm, generous and suave structure. A beautiful length on spices and cherry.
This Grenache nectar marries will with dishes such as pan-fried foie gras in honey and fig preserve, leg of lamb with preserved fruits accompanied by local cereal "epautre" or other sweet and sour dishes.
Cellar Vall Llach Embruix Priorat is made from 27% Grenache, 21% Cariñena, 12% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot. Review: Dark violet in the glass, this wine has a nose of black cherry, lavender and cedar. Blackberry and Mission fig flavors are accompanied by notes of cocoa powder, coffee bean, lavender, orange zest and aniseed. Plush tannins ply the tongue and gums and drop off into a fruit-filled finish. -Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Chakana Estate Red Mendoza is made from 70% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Deep red color with violet hints. Dark fruits and exotic spices with tobacco and mocha hints. Elegant, well balanced, harmonious, long persistence with chocolate flavors.
Vineyard: Gualtallary in Valle de Uco.
2 days maceration on skins in temperature controlled steel vats; 12 days fermentation with selected yeasts allowed to rise to a maximum of 28°C.
Review:
"Notes of fresh blackcurrants and dark cherries with subtle hints of nutshells, cocoa and spice box. Rich and flavorful on the palate with a medium to full body and ripe, glossy tannins. Succulent, lightly spicy finish. Malbec, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Vegan. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (February 2024), 91 pts
Chateau Talbot Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classe is made from 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 5 % Petit Verdot.
The wine presents a delicate and captivating nose of black fruits, fresh tobacco, peppermint and floral nuances. Ripe and juicy fruit flavors of black currants on the palate with well integrated velvety tannins and a beautiful refreshing acidity to the long finish.
For the 2018 vintage, a special packaging with a unique silkscreen printing bottle was created to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cordier Family's acquisition of Chateau Talbot
Pair with red meat, roast pork, game meat, poultry, hard cheeses, poached pear.
"Well-built and rather refined for the vintage, with a deep well of red and black currant paste and plum reduction flavors supported by a deeply inlaid iron note, all of which run the length of the wine. Offers subtle savory, tobacco and singed cedar notes that add range, with a savory echo that leaves a mouthwatering feel in the end. Built to cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. - James Molesworth"
- Wine Spectator (March 2022), 95 pts
Trois Moulins Haut-Medoc Cru is made from 52% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.
Average age of vines: 19 years.
Aged 8 months in French oak barrels (1 year old barrels)
This wine is ripe and firm on the palate. Flavors of black plum skin and blackberry form a rich wine that is approachable at an early age. This wine is weighted enough to balance the intense tannins, with enough acidic structure to lift the finish.
Clos Du Val Yettalil is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec
The 2019 Yettalil opens with aromas of fresh blackberry, ripe plum, and racy cassis layered with hints of violet, bay leaf, and thyme. Beautifully balanced and elegant on the palate, vibrant acidity and polished tannins give way to a concentrated core of black cherry, vanilla, and cedar. The texture is velvety and plush with a backbone of graphite and dark chocolate that lingers through a long finish.
Review:
The 2019 Yettalil is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out with energetic notes of crushed black and red currants, warm black plums, and black raspberries, plus suggestions of cedar, violets, and Indian spice with a waft of tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and well-structured, featuring firm, ripe tannins to frame the muscular fruits, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note.
-Wine Independent 95 Points
Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Vaccarèse and Muscardin, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from old vines located in and around Le Crau. The Grenache is aged in concrete for 12 months while the remainder is aged in demi-muid.
Review:
A bigger, richer wine, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes has a similar style in its peppery garrigue, lavender, scorched earth, and licorice aromatics. It’s slightly darker fruited than the base cuvée and has a rock star of a mid-palate, building, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It’s one stunning bottle of wine to drink over the coming 10-15 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Rich and seductive in style, featuring waves of warmed plum sauce and blackberry purée flavors laced with singed alder, licorice root and tobacco notes, with flashes of ganache and warm earth in the background. Everything stays well-defined through the finish, which offers a late echo of minerality. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Vaccarèse and Muscardin.
- Wine Spectator 95 Points
Weingut Prager Stockkultur Achleiten Gruner Veltliner Smaragd is made from 100 percent Gruner Veltliner.
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.
Stockkultur is a 0.3-hectare plot at the top of Achleiten and was purchased by Toni Bodenstein in 2005. The name refers to the old style of training each vine to a single stake; the traditional method of vine cultivation in the Wachau before the 1950s. The vines planted in 1938 are among the oldest in the Wachau.
Tasting Notes:
Prager’s stylistic signature is that of aromatic complexity coupled with power and tension. High-density planting and long hang times ensure ripe fruit flavors and concentration, yet allowing leaves to shade the fruit lend vibrant aromatics of grasses, herbs, and wildflowers. Minerality is a constant feature of any Prager wine.
Food Pairing:
With minimum alcohol of 12.5%, Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is a concentrated and full-bodied dry white wine. Its intensity of flavor and ripeness of fruit make it ideal with high-integrity ingredients such as seared white fish or sautéed spring vegetables. Grüner Veltliner is a classic accompaniment to Wiener Schnitzel.
Review:
From vines planted in 1937 and picked as the first of the Smaragd wines, the 2020 Ried Achleiten Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Stockkultur (planted with 15,000 vines per hectare) opens with a spectacular deep and complex but refined, fresh and flinty bouquet with intense, ripe pear and biscuit aromas. On the palate, this is a dense and lush yet pure, elegant and complex, wide and powerful but also mineral Achleiten with a long, finely tannic and still sweet finish (due to more than 30 grams per liter of dry extract). Tasted at the domaine in June 2021.
At Prager, I could not determine that 2020 would be inferior to the 2019 vintage; on the contrary, the 2020 Smaragd wines fascinated me enormously in their clear, cool, terroir-tinged way. A 38% loss had occurred mainly because of the hail on August 22, although predominantly in the Federspiel or Riesling vineyards. There was no damage in the top vineyards such as Ried Klaus, Achleiten or Zwerithaler. "Interestingly, the vines are in agony for about two weeks after the hail. There was no more growth, no development of ripeness and sugar," reports Toni Bondenstein. The Veltliner then recovered earlier, while even picking a Riesling Federspiel in October was still a struggle. "Why Riesling reacted more intensively to the hail, I don't know myself either," says Bodenstein. Whole clusters were pressed to preserve acidity and to compensate for the lower extract, and compared to 2019, the 2020s were left on their lees longer. In June, however, the 20s in particular showed outstanding early shape.
-Wine Advocate 96 Points
Ruffino Romitorio di Santedame Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG is made from 90% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino.
Romitorio di Santedame, a limited-production Gran Selezione from Castellina in Chianti, pays homage to a rich history while embracing a bright future. It originates from a single vineyard within the Chianti Classico's "golden basin" (Conca d'Oro) and is crafted from an exclusive blend of Sangiovese and Colorino. The latter is a native Tuscan grape variety that was nearly extinct but has experienced a revival through dedicated research and promotion efforts.
Fruity aromas typical of Sangiovese, including black cherry and ripe plum, with violet and complex chocolate and black pepper notes. The palate offers sweet tobacco and balsamic hints, while its balanced structure with refined tannins and lively acidity makes it suitable for extended aging.
Review:
You feel the oak here, suggesting vanilla and clove character, but it’s very well complemented by the dark fruit, ranging from blackberries to mulberries to dark cherries. Full-bodied, dense and decadent with a regal structure and muscular tannin backbone. The acidity cuts nicely through on the long finish and provides freshness. Drink from 2024.
-James Suckling 94 Points