The grapes come from the property owned vineyards in the municipality of Grávalos, south of Monte Yerga at the foothills of the “Cordillera Ibérica” at an altitude between 700–800 meters above sea level. A very high located area where you obtain fresh wines with little alcohol content and with very fine and elegant aromas.
The Pinot Noir variety originating in Burgundy is one of the three most important varieties in Champagne. Harvested around the second and third week of September. The collection of the grapes is done manually, selecting the grapes, preventing any deteriorated grapes from reaching the press or not complying with the quality required to elaborate our cavas.
Raspberry pink with steely glare. Fine bubble that forms a small rosary of slow evolution. Fruity aromas of strawberry, raspberry and flowers (rose petals). Pleasant and potent in the mouth with light acidity and a bubble very well integrated. Persistent and elegan
Review:
Wine Enthusiast Magazine (December 2023), 94 pts
Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir.
Jean Grivot’s 38.3 acres spread across 22 appellations with vineyards in the communes of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Besides the three grand crus, there are 8 premier crus including the much lauded Les Beaux Monts and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée. The grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermentation is spontaneous.
About the Vineyard:
Clos de Vougeot grand cru was acquired by Étienne’s grandfather, Gaston Grivot, in 1919. The total holding is 4.6 acres from the middle of the vineyard to the lower wall and the average vine age is 40 years old. A good Clos de Vougeot should be a complete wine without any one feature standing out. It is a perfect balance of power, aroma, and flavor.
Wine Production:
The grapes are destemmed and maceration à froid usually lasts just a day or two. The alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous and malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 40-70% percent for the grands crus.
Tasting Notes:
The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 40-70% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.
Food Pairing:
Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Review:
This round version is packed with ripe black cherry, violet, graphite and tobacco flavors. The silky texture and vibrant acidity work in tandem, while refined tannins provide support without getting in the way. There are a few edges to be worked out, yet this is long and concentrated.
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
Domaine Sipp Mack Alsace Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rosacker is made from 100 percent Grand Cru Pinot Gris.
Rigor and diligence were the key words for this emotional 2016 vintage!
The year starts with heavy rainfall and low temperatures, severely delaying the growing cycle. The month of May sees temperatures increase and the tropical atmosphere favors the development of mildew. Finally, the dry and sunny summer allowed our heavy soils to avoid maturity blockages linked to water stress. The 2016 harvest started in early September and ended 7 weeks later, a record!
In the cellar, the sanitary condition was very good, the wines developed freshness, complexity and fine, ripe acidity.
SITUATION
Fresh notes of mango and peach, enhanced by a sweet sensation, dominate the palate. The finish is long thanks to a lively acidity. It will go perfectly with white meats, firm fish and cheeses with character.
Review:
Ripe, pristine notes of yellow pear on this wine's nose come with notions of creamy banana and vanilla. The palate carries rich, concentrated fruit, but in a precise fashion that channels the rounded ripeness into smooth generosity. A vein of freshness and smidge of sweetness give the fruit staying power and verve. Together they present an off-dry wine with immense potential and elegance. Drink by 2045.
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
Dr. Loosen Riesling Eiswein is made from 100 percent Riesling.
This vibrant, racy dessert wine conjures flavors of densely packed pear, apple and guava, with an intense, nervy edge in the aroma. It is luscious, silky and juicy on the palate, with bright acidity giving it a crisp, dynamic finish.
Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet.
This Napa Valley wine is a blend of their Howell Mountain fruit and a small quantity of valley floor fruit that they purchase. This valley floor fruit contributes to the wine’s earlier approachability and softer tannic structure.
Review:
I loved the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which I think is a step up over the 2018, although both 2019s show a much more elegant profile. Ripe currants, plums, roasted herbs, violets, and incense notes all shine in this medium to full-bodied, ripe, supple, layered beauty, which has fine tannins and a gorgeous finish. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 15 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot.
Dark, exotic spice-with star anise in the lead—opens on a complex nose layered with sweet tobacco, savory herb and olive notes, and a lovely vein of graphite minerality under briar-kissed blueberry. The palate is electric, its deceptive power couched in chalky, tight-knit cannins. Black raspberry joins blueberry, with wet slate and soil-driven, iron-rich minerality spilling into a long, perfectly balanced finish, serious and hedonistic at once.
Review:
So many graphite and pencil shaving aromas here with blue fruits. Slate and tar undertones. Black and red currants. Some ash. Medium-bodied with open grained tannins. So much iron and rust with lead and mussel shell. Then turns to pine cone and cedar. Really complex and flavor intensive. Love to drink it now as a young wine. This evolves all the time. It will age beautifully. Better in three to five years. But I can’t wait.
- 97 Points James Suckling
Fayolle Hermitage Blanc Les Dionnieres is made from 100% Marsanne.
Fayolle Hermitage Blanc Les Dionnieres boasts a superb golden yellow color and extraordinary smoothness and creamy, honeyed aromas of hazelnut, peach and apricot developping into scents of iris, narcissus and lime blossom. Pure and crisp, a solid texture and a clean finish.
Delicious with poultry, veal, seafood, shellfish, veal and most cheeses.
Fenocchio DOCG Bussia Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo
The color is deep garnet red and the bouquet is fine and pleasing, with intense scents of spiced rose and licorice. The flavor is dry, warm, full bodied and balanced with pronounced tannins and a persistent aftertaste. A wine particularly adapted for aging.
Traditional method of long maceration: natural fermentation without added yeasts for 30 days in stainless steel tanks.
The Barolo Bussia, with its structure and body characteristics, pairs well with dishes of meat, game and aged cheeses, typical dishes of the local cuisine, as well as with many rich international dishes.
Review:
" Pleasant dried-cherry aromas, colored with nutty spice and dried leaves. Full-to medium-bodied with fine, firm and velvety tannins and a long finish of candied-cherry and chocolate. Give it a few years to meld together better. Best from 2025."
- James Suckling (January 2022), 93 pts
Fullerton Three Otters Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir - 40 years old
11 months in 25% new Oak and 75% neutral
Bella Vida Vineyard is perched high in the heart of the Dundee Hills. This picturesque site provides elegant fruit from the storied Jory soils of the AVA. LIVE certified.
Aromas of cherry and raspberry flow into finely-tuned layers of cedar, cocoa, licorice, and baking spices. The palate pulses with energy as the silky tannins and gorgeous mid-palate captivate your senses. A radiant and profound experience.
A co-fermentation of Dijon clones 113, 667, and 777, this wine expresses the volcanic soils of the Dundee Hills elegantly, yet powerfully. Upon arrival, the grapes were immediately de-stemmed into an open-top two-ton fermenter. Following a seven day cold soak, the wine started fermenting slowly at a cool temperature. To manage extraction, we utilized one to two punch-downs and one pump-over per day, with two rack-and-returns at the beginning and middle of fermentation. As fermentation neared the end, the must was heated to achieve a peak temperature of 94° F resulting in optimum extraction, and then we immediately chilled the wine to extend the time on the skins, while switching to one pump-over per day to limit harsh, seed-tannin extraction. After a total of 19 days on the skins, we drained and pressed the wine, keeping the free-run and press fractions separate. This bottling contains only the free run fraction. Following two days of settling, the wine was racked to barrel and aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak and one month in tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Review:
Vivid red. Displays fresh red/dark berry and pungent floral aromas, along with suggestions of cola, mocha and five-spice powder. Appealingly sweet and energetic on the palate, offering intense black raspberry, cherry-cola, spicecake and rose pastille flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Fine-grained tannins frame the well-defined finish, which lingers with impressive, red fruit liqueur-driven persistence. (all de-stemmed fruit and 25% new French oak). - Josh Raynolds" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (June 2019), 93 pts
Fullerton Three Otters Rose is made from 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Gris (7-50 years old)
This Willamee Valley blend hails mainly from three different vineyards in the north, east, and south of the Willamee Valley, with a smaering from five of our other sites. The soils of the vineyards represent the breadth and diversity of the Willamee Valley with both sedimentary- and volcanic-based soils.
Acid: TA 5.6 g/L
pH: 3.45
Aging: 100% stainless steel
Bottled Unfined
Clones: Pommard, Wadensville, Dijon 113, 114, 115, 667, and 777
The story of Fullerton’s rosé originates from the 2012 harvest. Winemaker Alex Fullerton and his father and proprietor Eric Fullerton couldn’t decide on a house style for rosé, so they held a friendly competition. They each made a rosé to see whose would win over a crowd. Though the wines were destined to be boled separately, Alex got curious and tried blending the two. Voila! The sum was better than the parts, and a tradition was born. Alex now makes one rosé that is whole cluster pressed and tank fermented, yielding a very crisp and light colored wine, while Eric crafts his rosé from a more robust extraction, which yields a darker and fuller-bodied wine. The two lots are then blended to taste, delivering a crisp, fresh rosé with wonderful structure. The juice spent three weeks on the gross lees prior to fermentation to extract aroma precursers, and then six months on lees post-fermentation.
Pairs with soft cheeses, chicken/turkey.
Gaja Ca'Marcanda 'Camarcanda' Bolgheri is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon & 30% Cabernet Franc .
Color : Deep garnet.Aroma : Initial aromas evoke violet, cassis, dark licorice and a spicy note of black pepper, leading to undertones of aromatic herbs, incense, dried rose petals, clove and cedar.Taste : Sleek and intense on entry with elegant herbal, light black pepper and cassis flavors on the mid palate.
Review:
After Bolgheri’s torrid and parched 2017 growing season, more moder-ate conditions in 2018 brought the vines and their wines shimmering to life. All of the wines at Ca’Marcanda fermented spontaneously in 2018, which Gaia Gaja attributes to the balance in the musts. This wine, a blend of cabernets sauvignon and franc, is taut and energetic, its flavors of crunchy plum and blackberry laced with notes of licorice, tobacco and graphite.
-Wine & Spirits 96 Points
The Ca' Marcanda estate does not make a Bolgheri Superiore, although this bottle would qualify as such. The 2018 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and you definitely feel those full-throttle varietal aromas with big intensity and clarity. Spicy greenness comes forward as grilled rosemary and lavender essence, but the wine boasts nice depth and dimension, and enough textual richness to smooth it all out. This was a slightly cooler vintage with some sporadic rain showers throughout the summer. These conditions might explain the sharper side of those Cabernet aromas. As the wine moves over the palate, it reveals more substantial aromas of black fruit, spice and baker's chocolate. This vintage is slightly thinner than the hot 2017 expression before it and the classic 2016. However, this wine should certainly play forward positively in terms of its aging potential.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
Dense and fluid at once, this red delivers plum, black cherry, licorice, olive, bay leaf and spice flavors. Ripe and balanced, with a lingering, spicy, tobacco-tinged aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2033. 1,500 cases made, 225 cases imported. — BS
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
Grace Town Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi is amde from 98% Old VIne Zinfandel + 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Ruby red in color, with red fruit, raspberry, and spice on the nose. This wine is medium in body, with notes of ripe cherry, cedar box, cinnamon, anise, black pepper, and hint of smoke on the palate. It has a long, silky finish.
Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Les Origines (MAGNUM) is made from 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah
Matured in vats (grenache) and in oak casks (syrah and mourvèdre).
Deep and brilliant, purple-red colour. An exciting nose with aromas of black fruit (blackcurrant, cherry) spices and vanilla. This great aromatic complexity is found on the palate : the spices and ripe fruit appear with an elegant woodiness and harmonious tannins. The finish has good aromatic length and introduces a touch of liquorice and pepper.
A terrific Châteauneuf du Pape with great concentration and finesse.
Best between 2 and 20 years. Best to decant if young (less than 5 years old).
Soil type Extreme north of Châteauneuf du Pape. This plateau is made with a high quantity of red clay mixed with rocks. This area is considerated to be one of the best to produce rich and powerful red wines. By definition, LES ORIGINES will always deliver a great complexity and ageing potential. Winemaking & ageing Harvest is sorted by hand, destemmed and crushed. Fermentation temperature is controlled at 30°C. Vatting period of 18 to 20 days. Matured in vats (grenache) and in oak casks (syrah and mourvèdre).
Review:
"The 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape les Origines offers up scents of lavender and thyme on the nose, accenting red berries and cherries. This full-bodied effort reveals an intriguing tautness on the palate, with tart, redcurrant and pie-cherry notes juxtaposed against hints of dark chocolate. It seems to have tightened up a bit since I tasted it last year. The tannins are more prominent here than in many 2018s, suggesting that a couple of years in the cellar wouldn't hurt, as there's ample concentration and plenty of fruit-driven length on the finish. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue 251,October 2020), 94+ pts
Harney Lane Old Vine Zinfandel Lizzy James Vineyard is made from 100 percent Zinfandel.
Unabashedly ripe, but keeping true to it’s vineyard driven Zinfandel fruit notes of dark morello cherry, blackberry and pomegranate jelly. This full-bodied wine is deep with concentration, supple and polished with a careful measure of sweet oak that supports the generous fruit flavors.
Lizzy James Vineyard is registered as a Historical Vineyard by the Historical Vineyard Society; The vineyard name is the middle names of our children which were given to them in honor of grandparents.
Sub-appellation : Mokelumne River
T.A. : 6.5 g/L
pH : 3.8
R.S. : 0.4 %
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
The Cabernet Sauvignon Casey’s Lakeview is similarly inky bluish/purple to the rim. Tasting like blood, this wine is dense and rich with lots of chocolate, espresso, earth and spice. It is deep, full-bodied, and again, a masculine style of wine that needs at least 4-5 years of cellaring and should keep for 25 or more years.
Lakeview Vineyard is the winery’s mid-block vineyard planted to a combination of clone 6 & 337 Cabernet Sauvignon on 101-14 rootstock. Excellent drainage from the rocky and chalky soils plus plenty of sunlight throughout the day produces wines of bold character with mouth filling flavors.
Organic farming methods are used to produce this Cabernet Sauvignon Casey's Lakeview vineyard. Vines are 17 years old. Ageing in French oak barrels (85% new) for 20 months, then 12 months in bottle prior to release. Non-filtered.
Review:
"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Casey's Lakeview Vineyard is the most overt of these wines. Superripe black cherry, plum, chocolate and licorice add to an impression of flamboyance that sits on the edge of being too much. The effects of the drought are felt in the wine's slightly roasted profile. - Antonio Galloni"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2016), 91 pts
Heritage School Julies Creekside Cabernet Sauvingon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Cabernet Sauvignon Julie’s Creekside Vineyard is an impressive, opaque purple colored wine that is super-concentrated and extracted with relatively sweet tannins, a touch of chocolate and espresso, a full-bodied mouthfeel and pure, dark, primordial fruits. This is a big, masculine, concentrated wine set for long-term aging. Saying that, it has a certain accessibility, but won’t hit its prime for at least another 8-10 years and keep 25-30.
Review:
"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Julie's Creekside Vineyard is dark, sumptuous and surprisingly open-knit for such a young wine. Black cherry, plum, game, rose petal, sage, smoke and earthy notes underpin a core of intense dark red cherry and plum fruit. Soft contours and generous, super-ripe fruit add to the wine's near and medium-term appeal. - Antonio Galloni"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2016), 93 pts
Le P'tit Paysan Le Ptit Pape is made from 62% Grenache, 19% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre, 3% Counoise, 2% Cinsault
Oak: Mixture of one and twice used barrels for 11 months and puncheons
Playful interpretaion of a domestic, baby, Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Cherry blossoms, dusty road, red plums, herb de Provence. Rosewater and red cherry on the palate, nimble with medium body. Grippy finish with firm Grenache tannins and hints of olive and sagebrush.
Fermented in several lots ranging from 0-50% whole cluster. Fermeted to dryness on skins.
Aged in neutral barrels for 11 months. From limestone rich soils
I Brand Melon de Bourgogne Chalone is made from Melon de Bourgogne.
The Graff Family began working in Chalone in the early 60s, with Dick Graff as the driving force behind the Chalone Vineyard, building, with the support of his brothers and a gaggle of stockholders, the original 1919 planting to international fame. After selling the Chalone group and Dick’s untimely death in a plane crash, the family’s land holdings have shrunk progressively to just this 160 acre parcel, owned by Dave Graff and his children. On those 160 acres is a small 3 acre vineyard planted in 1989 to Syrah, Mourvédre and Melon de Bourgogne. The site has depleted, granitic soils. The Melon de Bourgogne in Chalone was originally thought to be Pinot Blanc. Dick Graff distributed cuttings of these vines as far as Oregon. In the 1970s, a visiting ampelographer correctly identified the vines as Melon de Bourgogne. These vines were selected from the older ‘Pinot Blanc’ planting and can legally be labeled as either (but we like accuracy).
The wine comes from a tiny parcel of 30+ year old Melon planted on depleted granitic soils. The warm days and cold nights of the Chalone AVA produce a perfect balance of concentration and acidity, which Ian Brand amplifies with a few days of skin contact. The pure aromas of light peach, pear and gardenia are slightly toasty on the nose. The palate is defined by lemon-skin and grapefruit-pith grip, with a touch of baked apple in the midpalate.
Imperial Stag Reserva Iconic Red Mendoza is made from 55% Malbec and 45% Syrah.
This is a single vineyard planted with Malbec and Syrah with low yields (2.5 ton per acre for the Malbec and 3.5 ton per acre for the Syrah).
Bright and intense, full bodied red wine with violet hues at the lips. Elegant and savory, with silky persistence. Captivating aromas of currants, raspberries and other red fruits. Distinct tobacco and chocolate aroma melded with honey and amalgamated notes of pepper and nuts from its passage through French oak barrels.
Pair with venison of course ! but also duck, lamb and strong cheeses.
Review:
“Benefiting from the addition of 15% Cabernet Franc for the first time, this is a structured assemblage of Malbec and 40% Syrah. The oak is a little sweeter and more assertive than on the other Imperial Stag wines, but there’s plenty of palate weight to cope. Dark chocolate and Asian spice aromas are joined by plum and blackberry fruit. 2024-29.”
Tim Atkin 2024 Best of Argentina Report, points 91
J Lohr Signature Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Cabernet Franc 6% Saint Macaire 4% Petit Verdot 4% Malbec.
J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon was first produced to honor the 80th birthday of founder Jerry Lohr. This limited release was specially selected and blended from the exceptional 2016 vintage in Paso Robles. It is both a tribute to Jerry's pioneering efforts in the region and our red wine portfolio's ultimate expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. VINEYARDS & CELLAR Beck Vineyard, in the Creston District of Paso Robles, is a unique, high elevation site that sits at 1,700 feet above the early morning fog line. Its calcareous soils and cooling afternoon winds are perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet from this vineyard ripens early with excellent color, purity of fruit, and phenolic maturity. Incorporation of Cabernet Franc brings freshness to the blend, while the rare Bordeaux variety, Saint Macaire, brings density and a savory character. Petit Verdot and Malbec add structure, color, and a component of bright fruit. The hand-harvested grapes were held separate at harvest and berry-sorted into six-ton open top tanks for fermentation. Maceration took place on the skins for five days, before early pressing to achieve ideal tannin extraction. Aged 19 months in 100% new French oak from coopers Nadalie and Sylvain.
Review:
The nose on this luxury-level bottling is pure and refreshing, offering aromas of black cherry, loamy soil, dried mint and caramel-laced coffee. The palate is framed by upright tannins, yet is soft enough to enjoy now, showing deep flavors of black currant, dried herb, milk chocolate and toffee. Drink 2020–2040.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Michel Thomas Sancerre Blanc Silex is 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.
Intensely aromatic and concentrated Sauvignon from the Silex soils, this is a wine of great concentration and excellent balance. Aromas of fresh herbs, with flavors of citrus, ripe gooseberry, apple and a hint of gunflint. A delicious apéritif and the classic match for goat cheese or asparagus.
The special bottling "Silex" is limited each year to between 400-500 cases. They grow grapes on three soil types: 40% Terre Blanche-Argilo-Calcaire, 40% Caillottes-calcaire, 20% Le Roc-Silex. This wine come from the hardest stone soil on the vineyard giving it pleasant notes of fruit and a very dry flavor: This wine is bottled using traditional methods without filtration, allowing for a authentic and natural taste to the wine.
A delicious apéritif and the classic match for goat cheese or asparagus.
Paul Hobbs Russian River Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Sourced predominately from the estates that are defined by their proximity to the coast and Russian River climate, the wine displays vivid crimson and aromas of violet, Morello cherry, and black tea. Velvet tannins on the palate ride along a juicy backbone of flavors such as cranberry, Blood orange, and Damson plum. The finish is long, powered behind a crisp acidity and appealing red clay-like minerality.