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 Kestener Paulinshofberg Riesling Spatlese is 100 percent Riesling.
Yellow color with green highlights.
Beautiful peach aromas on the nose, rich and ripe fruits on the mouth with a refreshing acidity and honey notes. 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.
Bavencoff Bourgogne Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Bourgogne Chardonnay is fresh and bright. The aromas are expressive with Honeysuckle, Broom and Mushroom. A nice balance between the acidity and the fruitiness, complementing the minerality. It will drink well during its youth but will gain some extra aromatic complexity after a few month in the cellar.
Very pleasant as an aperitif. Our Bourgogne Chardonnay also goes very well with cold meats, fish, grilled and marinated vegetables as well as goat cheese.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
100% Malolactic fermentation done.
Aged 14 months. 80%of the wine was aged in Stainless steel tanks with 20% was aged in French Oak barriques (228 liter barrels).
Bavencoff Meursault Blanc is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Clear golden and green robe. Meursault shows a green golden color, leaning towards bronze as it ages. Limpid and brilliant, it exhibits silver highlights. The young wine is redolent of toasted almonds and hazelnuts in a floral and mineral (flint) setting. Butter, honey, and citrus fruits are also present. On the palate it is rich and ample with a nice balance between freshness and smooth nutty flavors. .
Aged in French oak barrels (50% new).
Noble and fine-textured fish or meat, blue cheeses and foie gras.
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.
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
Begude Bandol Rouge La Brulade is made from 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache.
"La Brulade" is the name of a select slope located at an altitude of 400 meters overlooking the Mediterranean sea between La Baie d'Amour (the town of La Ciotat) in the South and La Sainte Baume in the North. This is one of the highest parcels in the Bandol appellation.
The wine is only produced in exceptional vintages. This carefully selected blend is made of 95% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache, aged in large French oak barrels for 24 months.
The wine shows a deep purple color. It is fresh and fruity on the nose with intense garrigue aromas. Structured, elegant and well-balanced on the palate with strong tannins. Licorice, ripe black fruits, garrigue flavors and some peppery freshness on the finish.
The 35-year old grapes are grown on clay and limestone soils and are farmed organically. Yield is very low - 15hl/ha. The grapes are harvested manually.
Winemaking: Double selection, destemming, crushing before skin contact fermentation. No filtration. Aging for 24 months in French oak casks (600L).
Grilled meat (lamb, beef, boar), Mediterranean cuisine, spicy dishes.
Review:
"Complex nose with deep black berry fruits, spice and hints of polish. Really lovely texture with layers of creamy red and black fruits, spices and powerful but super fine tannins. Great expression of the appellation; powerfully long."
- Decanter World Wine Award 2020 - 97 pts & Platinum Medal
Belle Glos Balade Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Dark violet in color with aromas of dark fruit and toasted brioche with a hint of baking spice. Bold and sophisticated on the palate with blackberry, boysenberry, French toast, black pepper, and a trace of cinnamon. This wine is beguiled with complexity and a light refreshing approach, yet not overly bold on the palate.
Review:
Dried cherry, baked plum and a full spice rack of aromas show on the nose of this bottling. Tense, slightly sappy tannins frame the sip, where black plum, stewed cherry and bay leaf flavors lead into a wood smoke-kissed finish.
-Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
Belle Glos Clark and Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Deep ruby red in color with scarlet highlights, Clark & Telephone opens with bountiful aromas of red fruits of cranberry and raspberry jam, laced with clove, cedar, and holiday baking spices. Bold and complex flavors of crushed ripe cherry, cranberry and blueberry pie linger on the palate. The texture is rich and lively, and leads into a warm and structured finish.
Review:
Packed with ripe, juicy boysenberry so luscious it tastes freshly picked. Preternaturally generous, with mint, dark chocolate, and hints of sandalwood and clove incense.
-Tasting Panel 96 Points
Belle Glos Eulenoch Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Ruby red with aromas of ripe cherry and juicy blackberry with hints of cocoa. Rich and opulent offering flavors of bakers chocolate, blackberry, and sweet pipe tobacco. Well rounded with supple, refined tannins and a mouthwatering, long finish.
Review:
Brimming with boysenberry, lavender, and black tea, this expressive, well-structured Pinot Noir made with freerun juice aged in (60% new French oak for nine months is equal parts juicy, dense, energetic, and glossy. Sweet tobacco, vanilla wafer, and pomegranate align with supple tannins. Delicious.
-Tasting Panel 96 Points
Benjamin Romeo Predicador Tinto is made from 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo.
Predicador, or “Preacher,” named after Clint Eastwood’s everyman character in the 1985 film Pale Rider, is composed of 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo. The grapes are sourced from 15 different plots within San Vicente and Briones in Rioja Alta which on average yield less than 2 kg per vine. The wine is fermented in oak and stainless steel with a two-day cold maceration and aged for sixteen months in new French oak. The wine was filtered but not fined. This vintage some La Cueva del Contador, Contador and La Vina de Andres were added for concentration and balance.
The aromatics open up with crushed red cherries, balsamic notes and the sweet baking spices of cinnamon and clove. The fruity and spicy characteristics found in the nose follow through on the palate, along with dried cranberry, black cherry and elegant fine-grained tannin supporting the tart red fruit and adding to its length and depth.
Review:
The red 2021 Predicador has notes of ripe black fruit and dark spices and is a little earthy, powerful, concentrated and generously oaked but balanced and integrated. A modern, powerful red Rioja produced with Tempranillo and complemented with 3% each Graciano and Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha, it has a juicy palate with plenty of power and abundant, fine-grained tannins. It's ripe without excess at 14.7% alcohol. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after spending 19 months in used French oak barrels.
-Robert Parker 93 Points
Colour ,cherry, purple rim. Aroma ,fruit expression, floral, spicy, red berry notes, black fruit, complex. Flavour ,flavourful, fruity, good acidity, long.
-Guia Penin 93 Points
Bernard Cote Rotie Cote Brune is made from 100% Syrah. Wine was aged in French oak barrels for 16 months (25% new)
Like its little sister (Côte Rôzier) the Côte Brune is a 100% Syrah with a beautiful dark and brilliant color. The nose shows grilled and toasted notes and is completed by small red and black fruits. It is a wine with a very good length, nice complexity, finesse, and firm tannins. Its ageing in barrels for 16 months, 25% of which are new, brings a real balance to this wine. A very pleasant, elegant and modern wine that can be cellared for many years.
Pair with roasts, white meat with wine sauce, game, red meat and dark chocolate. To be served between 16 and 18°C. (60-64°F)
Bertrand Bachelet Maranges Rouge 1er Cru Les Clos Roussots is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The Maranges appellation is the youngest of the Côte de Beaune family, making its debut in May 1989. It spans three villages: Dezize-lès-Maranges, Cheilly-les-Maranges and Sampigny-les-Maranges. Several hills and slopes make up the appellation; they face south/south-east, at an altitude of between 200 and 400 meters. This appellation produces mainly red wines comprising 95% of total production.
The Maranges 1ers Crus are spread over seven distinct terroirs: "Les Clos Roussots", which represents the second largest terroir of the appellation, spans the Cheilly-les-Maranges and Sampigny-les-Maranges areas.
The wine boasts a beautiful bright red color. The nose provides subtle harmony between red and black fruits, spices and vanilla. On the palate, this wine is both solid and fresh, harmonious and bold.
Enjoy with a veal roast and sweet potatoes or matured cheeses.
Betz Family Besoleil is made from 55% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah and the rest Cinsault,
Grenache speaks loudly in the Bésoleil with notes of pomegranate, red raspberry, and strawberry leaf. The Counoise and Cinsualt bring bing cherry fruit and blueberry notes to the table, complicated by pepper and garrique. Mourvedre donates a wild meatiness to the blend, and a purple hue. Syrah rounds things out, adding texture, and flesh to the palate.
Review:
"Attractively complex aromas of cherries, kirsch, white pepper, spice, potpourri and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, sappy and succulent, with velvety structuring tannins and bright acids." 94 pts - Robert Parkers Wine Advocate
"Bright raspberry and red-plum fruits with attractive depth and freshness. This has all you want in a Rhône-style blend. Good depth of flavor and focused structure." 93 pts - James Suckling
"Moving more and more from Olsen Vineyard, which is 20 miles northwest of Red Mountain (where they love working with the grower, who is proactive and responsive), the medium ruby/purple-colored 2016 Besoleil is 55% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah and the rest Cinsault, all aged in a mix of neutral barrels. It offers beautiful notes of red plums, blueberries, white and black pepper and herbs de Provence, medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, elegant style, and integrated acidity. It's another beautiful vintage of this wine that will keep for a decade." 92 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck
Betz Family La Serenne Syrah is 100% Syrah
La Serenne is the most reflective of the site/vintage dynamic of our three single-site 2012 Syrahs. Lovers of this wine know that its source, the Boushey Vineyard, is the highest altitude of the three vineyards and is typically the latest harvested. This cool site was accentuated by the cooler season and the results reflect the seriousness of this vineyard and its care.
An extraordinary, nearly impenetrable black purple color leads to a concentrated, inky aromatic impression: smoky black cherry and wild blackberry dominate, but a litany of supporting aromas is already emerging: smoke, violet, mushroom, roasted meat, Chinese 5 spice and minerals. It has a full attack on entry and a big, rich mouthfeel that goes on and on.
Review:
Aromas of blackberries, black raspberries, violets, black and white peppercorns and stones. It’s medium-bodied with fine, tightly knit tannins. Seamless and transparent with a silky texture. Very bright and pure with layers of wild berries and minerals. Tar and dark tobacco, too. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 95 Points
Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Pere de Famille is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot
Review:
"This is a wine for the ages. Aromas of thyme, the blackest of cherries, licorice, bay leaf and spice are followed by outright delicious, plump fruit flavors. There's a whole lot of primary fruit, with ample structure to hang it all on, along with plenty of depth and intensity. The finish is near endless. It flat-out impresses, with remarkable intensity. Best from 2028 to 2038. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN."
- Wine Enthusiast (September 2021), 95 pts
"A firm, polished red with aromas of blackberry, iodine, tobacco leaf, cocoa and cedar. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Structured, layered and focused. Lots going on, with a long finish. Try from 2023."
- James Suckling (May 2021), 95 pts
"Incorporating 10% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot from a mix of sites in the Columbia Valley, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Père De Famille reveals a healthy ruby/purple hue to go with beautiful cassis fruits interwoven with notions of dried rose petals, violets, cedary spice, and chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied, reasonably well concentrated, yet elegant and beautifully balanced, it opens up nicely with time in the glass and will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 20 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 95 pts
Bihan Le Pouilly-Fume is made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.
Its aromas: white flowers (hawthorn and acacia flowers), followed by hints of black current buds, pineapple, apricot or white peaches, depending on the year, with clear mineral notes in the finish. After a couple of years, aromas often evolve to quince and mango. On the palate, it is virile, powerful and long lasting. This Pouilly Fumé is for wine lovers who appreciate full, rich and generous wines.
Pair with seafood, lobster, fish and white meat. Goat cheese is a perfect match too!
Bihan Le Sancerre Blanc 2023 is made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.
Pale, lemon green color, with pronounced citrus intensity. The nose is dominated by lychee, grapefruit and peach aromas; rich and well-rounded in the mouth, showing a pleasant acidity length.
Traditional, in stainless steel tanks. Bladder press grape pressing and reception of the must in the tanks by gravity. Settling of the must 24-36 hours before fermentation. Slow alcoholic fermentation only is done, in order to preserve the aromatic qualities. A racking is done over 3 months later. Clarification and light filtration before bottling at the estate.
To drink as an Aperitif or with food, such as white meat, seafood, crottin de Chavignol goat cheese.
Intense ruby red color. Hints of spices, fruit and flowers, a bouquet that reflects the soil on which it is born, rich in Alberese. In the mouth it is soft, with a pleasant acidity that makes the wine fresh and lively. Sweet and ripe tannins give the wine a pleasant persistence. Riserva dei Colli is an excellent expression of the Estate's Sangiovese, so much so that it bears its name.
Review:
Bordering on opulent, this red features blackberry, black currant, plum, iron and spice aromas and flavors, matched to a velvety texture. Firms up as the resonant tannins emerge, yet remains harmonious and long. Drink now through 2032. 1,700 cases made, 570 cases imported.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
There are wonderful aromas of summer-ripe peaches with tropical fruits and flowers. The silky-smooth flavors are reminiscent of baked apples and toasty vanilla bean. The lively acidity makes this an extremely well-balanced Chardonnay. The finish is long and fruity, with an interesting hint of hazelnuts. This wine’s overall taste profiles is creamy with apricots and lemons.
Bling de la Ferme Blanche Sparkling Millesime is made from 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Clairette.
This is a Traditional Method Vintage Sparkling wine. Grapes are coming from the region of Cassis, but this sparkling wine can't be classified as Cassis AOC as the AOC is strictly for still White, Rosé and Red.
It is made with the local grape variety : Sauvignon Blanc and Clairette.
Fine bubbles, crisp and delicate, citrus zest, lime, stone fruit.
The Factor is predominantly from the Gomersal and Marananga sub-regions of the Barossa, providing dense texture and richness to the palate with subtle notes of olive tapenade, saddle leather and minerals. Ripe aromas of plum and wild blackberries, olive, pepper and spice are all supported by a dark core of espresso roast, ripe blackberries and saltbush. Brooding and densely packed, this lavish wine has ample generosity to cellar for many years, where it will slowly unravel.
Review:
This is quintessential Barossa. The red dirt in the ground rises up in the glass and transports me right back there: middle summer, hot, spicy air blowing across the tops of old vines. It's evocative. This 2019 The Factor is Port-y, concentrated and savory as all hell, with charred barrels, lamb fat, black pepper, salted licorice, pomegranate molasses and aniseed. This is about as big as I can cope with and still enjoy it; it takes density and intensity to a whole new level—no surprise for the vintage, the region and the producer. A perfect storm of thunderous strength. Like staring into the abyss . . . a little bit scary, but transfixing nonetheless.
-Wine Advocate 96 Points
GRAPE
100% Nebbiolo
POSITION
Hillside
EXPOSURE
Southwest
COLOR
Intense garnet red
NOSE
Harmonious bouquet with reminiscences of red rose, raspberries, cinnamon and vanilla
TASTE
Full, fascinating and elegant taste, intense with a good body
TEMPERATURE
Ideal serving temperature is 16/18°C.. Do not expose to abrupt changes of temperature Its fragrance and scents are highlighted if put into a crystal decanter and then poured into crystal stemware with an ample bowl. Swirl it around the glass to finally taste and appreciate it
ALCOHOL
14.5 %