Junior Players Wines

This is the perfect Spring and Summer Nebbiolo from the heart of Barolo! This is young vine Nebbiolo from the Cru of Bussia, where the Fenocchio family lives and has made wine for 5 generations. When the vines reach 20 years of... Read More

The 2022 Negre is 100% Garnatxa Negra from Montsant, fermented with whole clusters and stabilized in stainless steel tanks. Bright garnet in hue, this delicate wine reveals aromas of orange peel, chocolate and a faint sponge cake... Read More

Very floral, the 2022 Château Haut-Batailley Verso has beautiful black raspberry and cassis-like notes as well as hints of spicy wood and violet, medium to full body, a rounded, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish.... Read More

Juicy fruit with crushed stone and a crunchy undertone. Blue fruits. Floral. Medium body. Linear fine tannins and a crisp finish. Citrusy undertones. Salty and minerally, too. Drink after 2025.

This irreverent red blend comes from the dynamic duo of Robert Joseph Huff and Jaam Jibril Moynihan, two young winemakers with a mission to provide affordable, well-crafted, crushable wines. This foot-trod blend of 80% Pinot Noir... Read More

The super bargain of the portfolio has to be the red 2017 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza, which this year shows more development and faster aging, with more tertiary notes than the other reds from 2013 and 2014 that I tasted... Read More

This is Southold’s first vintage since relocating from Fredericksburg to Bordeaux, and it’s a strong start. Rouge Clair is a Clairet, a traditional Bordeaux style that sits between red wine and rosé. Deeper... Read More

The 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Lapo is bright, vibrant and full of energy. Crushed flowers, red-toned fruit, chalk and white pepper abound. As is so often the case, the Ser Lapo is one of the hidden gems in the Mazzei range.... Read More

Darkly alluring, the 2021 Teroldego smolders up with a spicy bouquet of crushed black cherries, sweet sage and dusty rose. It is elegant and refined, with polished red berries that coast along a core of stimulating acidity. This... Read More

The 2022 Malbec Tikal Amorio comes from Paraje Altamira in San Carlos. After ten months in oak barrels, with one-third in concrete vats, it features aromas of currant, black tea, rosehip and violet, with floral hints and touches... Read More

It was interesting to taste the red 2022 El Mentridano next to the 2023; the 2022 is darker, riper and more concentrated, with 14.5% alcohol and a Mediterranean nose of berries, flowers and aromatic herbs. It has a medium to full-bodied... Read More

This has black plums, mocha and cloves on the nose. It’s medium- to full-bodied and dark-fruited with chalky tannins and a hint of bitter cocoa at the end. Drink now or in 2026.

After obtaining his enology degree in Spain, Mauricio Veloso Estuardo spent the next five years making wine around the country, including stints in Bierzo where he first learned about low-intervention winemaking. In 2011, Mauricio... Read More

Lots of dried strawberry, umami, seaweed, and bark with some savory undertones. Some flowers. Medium body. Creamy and flavorful. Lovely deliciousness at the end. It’s made from different parts of Paul Hobbs’ top vineyards... Read More

The 2023 Ventoux Megaphone is similar to the Pigeoulet yet brings more richness and depth. Framboise, wild strawberries, resinous herbs, and sappy flowers all define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, with a supple, layered... Read More

The 2022 Armé is another gorgeous wine in this range from Marietta. Bold and racy in the glass, with generous forward fruit, the 2022 is all charm. Succulent red cherry, spice, blood orange, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco and... Read More

The 2023 Zinfandel Old Vine was raised in 600-gallon foudre with a small proportion (8%) in new oak, and it’s roughly 90% Zinfandel along with an eclectic field mix. The nose opens to bright peppery spice, fresh cut flowers,... Read More

Racy fruit with hawthorn, rose hips, red berries and cherries. Linear, with a nice structure, but nothing heavy from the fruit flesh in the middle. Fine-grained, with medium body and a chewy but juicy finish. Needs two more years... Read More

A rich blend of raspberry sauce, grilled sage, cocoa and brown spice forms a seductive bouquet as the 2022 Pinot Noir Classic opens in the glass. This opens with a pretty inner sweetness while displaying an energetic core of ripe... Read More

The 2016 Reserva Señorío de P. Peciña is a blend of 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Garnacha from the Sonsierra area in Rioja Alta. Aged for 36 months in American oak barrels, this garnet wine offers sour... Read More

The organic Brancaia 2023 Chianti Classico shows lovely primary intensity with dark cherry and blackcurrant. Barbara Widmer and her team strive for freshness and an easy-drinking experience with this charming wine. Maintaining... Read More

The 2023 Cabernet Franc is aromatic, bright and nicely lifted. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, white pepper and dried herbs open beautifully, giving the 2023 gorgeous aromatic presence and breadth. The purity of the fruit is front... Read More

Smoke and forest fruit with a hint of mint. Extracted and big but youthful. Plummy, with ripe red fruits and some savoury notes, spice, smoke and a hint of fennel. Concentrated, with great acidity.

Entirely new wine this year from Ducru Beaucaillou plots in Haut-Medoc (in Cussac Fort Médoc, just over the border). This has a juicy balance, and round supple tannins, approachable but with ageing potential if you want... Read More

Lovely balance of berry and chocolate with some walnut undertones. It’s medium-bodied with a round, pretty finish. Fresh and tight at the end. Nice softness. 66% merlot, 24% cabernet sauvignon and 10% petite verdot.... Read More

The 2021 Armé Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 10% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. It has pretty tones of blueberries and black cherries with nuances of lavender, thyme and underbrush. The palate is medium-bodied, chalky... Read More

The 2023 Barbera d'Alba is a terrific entry-level offering from Altare. Bright acids drive through a core of dark plum fruit, mocha, licorice and new leather. Sleek and racy.

The 2022 Carménère Reserva Legado from Isla de Maipo was aged in oak casks (30%) and very old barrels (70%) for 7 months. Purple in hue. The nose delivers subtle notes of ash, with ripe black and blueberry aromas,... Read More

The 2022 Syrah PS bright, punchy and full of character. This gorgeous cool-climate Syrah hits all the right notes. Hints of black pepper, lavender and clove play off a core of dark-toned fruit. Most of this fruit is from Hines,... Read More

A dynamic wine, Benanti Etna Rosso is crafted from a select blend of grapes harvested from vineyards located on the northern, south-eastern, and south-western slopes of Mount Etna. These diverse vineyard sites benefit from the... Read More

The 2024 Willamette Valley Reserve Pinot Noir is, as always, a great indicator of what to expect from Patricia Green Cellars’ wines from the vintage. In this vintage’s case it is even more than that. This wine has... Read More

Once again, Poggerino’s Piero Lanza puts out one of the most successful annata of the vintage thus far. His 11 hectares in Radda sit mainly on Galestro soil with an underpinning of clay rather than sand, giving seriously... Read More

This larger production bottling for the winery always delivers, starting this vintage with pomegranate, raspberry jam, toasted herb and light pepper aromas. The palate is lively in peppery spice and layered in floral geranium... Read More

Winemaker Notes: We are inspired by Chinon and seek to craft a style of Cabernet Franc that is light, fresh, and approachable. It was fermented whole cluster in open-top fermenters and aged in 100% neutral French oak barrels for... Read More

The 2023 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley mixes rosy florals with lavender and dried strawberries. Lifted and graceful in style, it offers bright red berry fruits and crisp mineral tones that swirl throughout. A gentle saline tinge... Read More

A cascade of violets and lavender gives way to wet stone and crushed blackberries as the 2022 Red Blend opens in the glass. This is juicy in character, with a balance of tart wild berry fruits and perfumed inner florals. Hints... Read More

I was quite impressed by the harmony of the 2017 Finca San Martín, which shows remarkable integration of all its components, good ripeness without any excess and integrated oak (it matured in 60% new American and 40% second... Read More

From a vintage that delivered great results across the region, the 2021 Chianti Classico Fonterutoli is a bit darker, more powerful and concentrated than your standard entry-level Chianti Classico. Cherry and dark plum cede to... Read More

The 2022 Woodcutter's Shiraz is a brilliant entrée to Barossa Shiraz. It exhibits all the earthy, red gravel, ironstone characters that infuse the tannic structure, while fleshed out by dense, purple fruit. It has levity... Read More

Salted plums, savory berries, cooked grapefruit and touches of chalk and moss. Juicy and medium-bodied on the palate with good mid-palate volume and a long, flavorful finish. Remains ethereal in nature. 20% whole clusters.... Read More

Tasting Notes: Ripe rainier cherry, red plum and blackberry are nestled between notes of rose petal, cedar and turned earth. The wine is vibrant and lively on the palate with a generous finish.

The 2022 Pétalos is Mencía & others from Bierzo. About 30% of the grapes come from Corullón, with the rest from the valley. In an infusion-like style, the 2022 offers pomegranate, dried flower and violet... Read More

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the Uco Valley and was 60% aged for 11 months in used barrels. An intense garnet red in hue. It offers attractive notes of pyrazines, blackcurrant and blackberry along with a hint of mint.... Read More