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
This Moscato is reminiscent of honeysuckle and rose petal. The quality is equivalent to a top level Asti Spumante DOCG. Sweet sparkling wine obtained from a careful selection of the Moscato grapes. It has a pale straw yellow color with fine foam and bubbles. Tropical fruit flavors, refreshing.
Excellent to match desserts, fruit and dried pastries.
Toza Crianza Jumilla is made from 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre). Toza Crianza is a classic example of the Monastrell variety from the Mediterranean region, made from hand harvested old vines and aged 12 months in oak barrels. This Spanish red is rich, toasty, round and velvety.
Pair with red meat and game casseroles and well-cured cheeses.
Tres Ojos Garnacha Calatayud is made from 100 percent 85% Old Vine Garnacha (40-50 year old vines) and 15% Tempranillo.
The wine has a brick red color with a bouquet of red raspberries, spice and white pepper. The palate is incredibly concentrated and rich. The modern styles of Garnacha in Spain are continuously being perceived worldwide as wines of extraordinarily good quality. This wine is fruity, juicy and shows a great depth, ripe tannins, length but yet with wonderful elegance and lightness.
The wine ferments for 7 days at 30ºC, followed by 14 days maceration on the skins. Aged 12 months in large stainless steel vats. Cold stabilized and lightly filtered before bottling
Enjoy with sausages, roasted meats, aged cheeses etc.
Winemaking: This wine is a classic Bordeaux blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.
. The 2010 growing season was moderate, thus promoting slow ripening and full flavor development. We hand-harvested and fermented each variety separately, then moved the wines to barrel, where they aged twelve months. Once we determined our blend, we returned the wine to barrel for an additional twelve months, to 'marry' the varietals. We used tight-grained French oak barrels (45% new) from coopers Taransaud, Vicard and Bossuet.
Winemaker Notes:
Complex, rich aromas foretell rich flavors of black currants, allspice and a hint of clove. The wine is full bodied, with velvety texture, smooth tannins and an extensive finish. Beautifully balanced, this Cabernet will age for ten more years.
Alcohol: 14.25 percent by volume
Review:
"Savory, dried red capsicum with cedar, cocoa powder and dried mushrooms on top of black cherries. Juicy and layered with some currants and savory earthy spices on the palate. Not quite deep, but a very elegant and savory expression of cabernet with a very long, subtle finish. A little sweet-sour, but quite refined and approachable, too. Drink now."
- James Suckling (June 2022), 93 pts
Rich aromas of honeycomb, baked apple and toasted bread. The palate is firm yet rich — a seamless expression of restraint and elegance. The silky texture extends through a lingering finish with hints of Mandarin orange peel and sweet Asian spice. This Chardonnay will continue to develop over the next five to seven years.
Trouillet Lebeau Macon Solutre Pouilly is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The Macon-Solutre-Pouilly is produced from the 2 hectare-parcel called "Au Rompay", which is the highest of the estate, located at the southern tip of the Mâconnais in the Mont Pouilly, across the famous Solutré Rock. The grapes are usually harvested in the very last days, bringing freshness and minerality to the wine.
The nose opens generously with sweet notes of candied and citrus fruits. The maturity and ripeness of the fruit combine with an aromatic freshness and a real delicacy in the mouth. The wine is structured, but still lively on the finish.
Trouillet Lebeau St. Veran Les Condemines is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The wine comes from 70-year-old vines that are ideally located on a south-facing slope in the village of Leynes, on a clay-limestone terroir. Aged 100% in Burgundy barrels, offering a fruity, powerful and charming wine. Beautiful expressive aromas of ripe yellow fruits. Rich, generous, full, crisp and well-balanced on the palate.
Turley Kirschenmann Vineyard Zinfandel is made from 100 percent Zinfandel.
Organically farmed, own-rooted, head-trained and dry-farmed vines planted in 1915 in the silica-rich sandy soils of the east side of the Mokelumne River AVA. Marking the 10th vintage of this wine, bright ripe red fruits, raspberry preserves, and white pepper burst forth from the glass. Precise on the palate like a perfectly seasoned piece of meat, with more red berries and a sumptuously complex texture.
Review:
Turley Zinfandel Buck Cobb is made from 100 percent Zinfandel.
Organically farmed head-trained vines planted at 1500' in the granite and quartz soils of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Primarily savory and red-fruited, with characteristics of black pepper, dried meats and fine-grained tannin texture.
This would be an excellent pairing with wood-fired pizza.
Valle del Cua Bierzo Mencia is made from 100% Mencia.
A black cherry color with intense violet hues. Aromas are dominated by ripe red fruits, minerals and blue flowers. Fine, concentrated and exquisite on the palate, it is fleshy, fragrant, and full bodied.
Average age of the vines: 45-55 years
Vineyard's altitude: 450-480 meters above sea level
Pre-fermentation maceration: 3-5 days at 4-6 degres celcius
Alcoholic fermentation: 6-10 days
Maceration: 4-10 days
Malolactic fermentation: 5-9 days
Ageing: 2 months in stainless steel tank and then 2 months in the bottle.
Valminor Albarino Rias Baixas is made from 100 percent Albarino.
Albariño is a Portuguese grape, native to the Miño River region, which separates Galicia & the Rias Baixas DO from Portugal. Albariño has a characteristic citrus aroma & high acidity.
Valminor Albarino presents a yellow straw color. On the nose, the wine shows a wide fruity range of aromas, with notes of fresh grapefruit, apricot and melon. In the mouth, Valminor combines fruity flavors and freshness with a rounded acidity, resulting in a balanced wine that boasts an opulent taste and slight spritziness.
Verite La Joie Red is made from 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc,5% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec.
The 2018 La Joie displays a brilliant violet core with a thin rim of bright ruby. Generous fruit-for- ward aromas of ripe black currant and black cherry are followed by earthy notes of fresh conifer, dried mushroom, black olive, dusty clay, anise and clove. The palate is rich and structured; possessing similar flavors of the nose, refined tannins, well-balanced acidity and a complex, luscious finish.
Review:
Blackberries, black mushrooms, violets, flowers, and dark tobacco. Black truffle, too. Full-bodied, yet in check and pretty. The fine tannins frame the wine perfectly. Really long and focused. Seamless. Elegance with power. This will age incredibly well, but already so gorgeous to try. 76% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot, 7% cabernet franc, 5% petit verdot and 3% malbec. Try after 2026, but attractive now.
-James Suckling 99 Points
Viejo Isaias Juana Cabernet Franc is made from 100 percent Cabernet Franc.
Cabernet Franc has an intense bright velvety red color. In the nose this wine reveals a complex expression marked by fresh berries followed by hints of floral aromas. It also displays some smoke and vanilla from the oak barrels. It is rich and balanced in the mouth with an elegant tannic structure and long fresh fruit end.
Vineyard information:
Location: Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, on the highest area of the Mendoza river - Mendoza.
Altitude: 950m above sea level.
Soil: Stony, from Alluvial origins
Coming from our estate vineyards in Perdriel and Lujan de Cuyo.
Aged in 50% French and 50% American Oak barrels for 12 months. First and second use only.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Excellent when paired with red meats, pasta with spicy sauces, matured cheeses.
Review:
"Hints of plums and dark berries with some dried flowers, following through to a medium body with round tannins and a juicy finish. Bigger in nature. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling (March 2022), 92 pts
Viejo Isaias Malbec Clasico is made from 100 percent Malbec.
Time in oak: 40% in American (first and second use) oak barrels for 8 months. Time in bottles: 6 months minimum storage before placing on the market.
Vessels: stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation: controlled, with selected yeast. skin contact maceration: 20 days.. Malolactic fermentation: 100%
Excellent when paired with red meats, pasta with spicy sauces, matured cheeses.
Vibrantly red, with blue and purple glints. It has complex aromas of plum and ripe fruit, evoking dry fig. In the mouth, it is velvety, long, with a rich aftertaste, full of fine, sweet, ripe tannins.
Vineyard information:
Location: Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo, on the highest area of the Mendoza river - Mendoza.
Altitude: 950m above sea level.
Soil: sandy.
Year of plantation: 2000
Plant density per hectare: 3500
Wine production per plant: two 750cc bottles, approximately.
Yield: 80 qq/ht.
Dark ruby color. Aromas of cherry, currant, vanilla bean and hint of tar. Full-bodied, with flavors of cherries, cocoa powder and oak. A touch of sweetness on entry with a little bit of air with soft tannins that are starting to integrate well.
The latest step in the project is Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) Dioro. The earlier Valsacros were made from a field selection of the older vineyards. Now, thanks to the new facility Amador has been able to build an upmarket version of Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) with a four-stage selection process that includes an initial field selection of the fruit followed by a second table selection as the grapes come into the winery. After fermentation wine from selected tanks is transferred to new French oak barrels for 12-14 months of barrel age. Finally, the best barrels are set aside for Dioro and the remainder used to "upgrade" the normal Vinsacro.
Vinsacro Dioro is a blend of grapes from 100+ year old "vidau" vineyards where many varieties were planted together in the same plot.
Today the grapes are harvested and vinified separately. The final blend depends on the vintage but typically it's Tempranillo (50%), Garnacha (20%) and remaining 30% is a mix of mainly Graciano (10%) & Mazuelo (10%) with a little of Monastrell (5%) & Bobal (5%).
Bright dark color, balanced acidity and sweetness. Taste of cinnamon, vanilla, liquorice and clay. Pleasant finish with bitter herbs.
In 1904 Cherubino Valsangiacomo produced the first vermouth bottle, afther 100 years, the fifth generation of the Valsangiacomo familly STILL making it with the ancestral formula devised by Benedetto Valsangiacomo.
Red Vermouth, flavored fortified white wine base, together with aromatic mediterranean herbs such as fennel, chamomille and tyme, sweeted with sugar, and grape must caramel.
Ideal as an aperitif, on the rocks with an orange slice. Also very good with cured and pickled products.
Volker Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot.
Volker Eisele Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of vineyard blocks from throughout the entire estate. Varying terrain, different clones, and different rootstocks produce a patchwork of flavor identities between the vineyard blocks and their resulting cuvees, brought together in a blend that is essentially a snapshot in time of a dynamic, ever-changing vineyard.
The 2015 Volker Eisele Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant garnet color in the glass. The nose is extroverted and effusive with bright red aromas of ripe cherries and plums, with a touch of peach and hint of anise and white pepper. In the mouth, the wine shows excellent oak integration, with prominent flavors of juicy huckleberries, milk chocolate, and sweet barrel spices. The lengthy finish carries nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla through to the end. ~Molly Lippitt, Winemaker.
Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Aromas of cedary oak, currants, black cherries and ripe plums are rich and concentrated on the palate. The firm tannins underlying the wine's core provide balance, leading to a long, lingering finish. The 2011 vintage is reflected in this wine, favoring balance to overt ripeness.
Weingut Prager Achleiten Riesling Smaragd is made from 100 percent Riesling.
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 a 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.
Achleiten sits east of Weißenkirchen and is one of the most famous vineyards in the Wachau. The steeply-terraced vineyard existed in Roman times. Some sections have just 40 cm of topsoil over the bedrock of Gföler Gneiss, amphibolitic stone, and slate. “Destroyed soil,” as Toni Bodenstein likes to say.
Tasting Notes:
Austrian Riesling is often defined by elevated levels of dry extract thanks to a lengthy ripening period and freshness due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night. Wines from Achleiten’s highly complex soils are famously marked by a mineral note of flint or gun smoke, are intensely flavored, and reliably long-lived.
Food Pairing:
Riesling’s high acidity makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. Riesling can be used to cut the fattiness of foods such as pork or sausages and can tame some saltiness. Conversely, it can highlight foods such as fish or vegetables in the same way a squeeze of lemon or a vinaigrette might.
Review:
The 2020 Ried Achleiten Riesling Smaragd offers a well-concentrated, fleshy and spicy stone fruit aroma with crunchy and flinty notes. It needs some time to get rid of the stewed fruit flavors, though. Full-bodied, fresh and crystalline, this is an elegant, complex and finely tannic Riesling that needs some years rather than a carafe to polymerize the tannins and gain some finesse. Tasted at the domain 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 94 Points
Light yellow-green, silver reflections. Yellow stone fruit nuances with a mineral underlay, notes of peach and mango, a hint of tangerine zest, mineral touch. Juicy, elegant, white fruit, acidity structure rich in finesse, lemony-salty finish, sure aging potential.
-Falstaff 95 Points
Wimmer Gruner Veltliner is made from 100 percent Gruner Veltliner.
Crisp lime flavors, white pepper and lentils, followed by a mouthful of mineral notes and gooseberry. A long lingering finish
Belle Glos Chardonnay Glasir Holt Vineyard is made from 100 percent Chardonnay
Positioned near the ocean on California's Central Coast, the Glasir Holt Vineyard sits on the western edge of Santa Rita Hills. Although Wagner’s intentions were to grow Pinot Noir on this vineyard, a small portion of the land had an enticing chalky-like characteristic to the soil, primarily due to the high PH level and its calcareous nature. Always one to rise to a new challenge, Wagner wanted to try something new and plant Chardonnay vines. Due to the maritime impact of the ocean, cool days, and cooler nights, he was able to grow this beautiful, mineral-driven Chardonnay, resulting in a classic, elegant style of wine, mirroring the rest of the Belle Glos portfolio.
“No other vineyard that we have farmed throughout California’s coast could match the character and quality of the Chardonnay at Glasir Holt,” says Joe Wagner. “It is a more than an exceptional place and it shows in the grapes and in the wine. With the winemaking, we took a very traditional approach to allow for the purist expression of what Mother Nature gave us, which was a glaringly articulate embodiment of the soil and climate. So much so, that I could not deny its place as a vineyard designate to sit alongside it’s Belle Glos brethren.”
In the cellar, the whole clusters were lightly pressed to separate all the solids and juice before sitting for about 24 hours. The liquid then went through a native yeast fermentation prior to fermenting in 10% concrete tanks and 90% new French oak barrels. During the fermentation process, malolactic fermentation occurred, which elevated the body of the wine, while the remaining lees were stirred once a week. The wine was aged for 12 months before it was put into bottle to be enjoyed by all!
Pearmund Cellars Old Vine Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Warm buttery flavor, hint of pear and apple. Full-bodied and lush to the palate. Aged nine months in French oak