The 2022 La Santa de Úrsula is balsamic and reveals notes of rose petals and talcum powder. The fruit is darker (riper), and it has a juicy palate with fine tannins and a long, lingering finish. 8,000 bottles and 100 magnums... Read More

The just-bottled 2022 Táganan Tinto is juicy and primary but with very good balance and no excess. It has less reductive character and is sapid and balanced. They did slightly shorter macerations and used a little more... Read More

Grattamacco is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese, which certainly contributes to the fresher style of this wine. The whole picture is complete only when understanding that the vineyards used for... Read More

A vibrant, balanced and fresh red with raspberries, pomegranates, cherry stones and spice box on the nose. Sleek, tight tannins. Focused, with a very fine structure and wound-up energy.

Next up is the 2020 Grattamacco, which really takes things up a notch. A deep, ruby red, it offers decadent and harmoniously layered armoas of pristine oak spice, fresh leather, mossy earth, tobacco and kirsch. Full-bodied and... Read More

Attractive blueberries, brambles and cherries with spiced orange peel and lilac blossom, as well as some smoky dark spices and cocoa. Full, concentrated and very tense, with tightly packed but very polished and fine tannins. Shows... Read More

This wine looks deep-hued in the glass but tastes immediately lithe and fresh, with a flowing grace in the mouth inviting sip after sip. There’s orange pith, a note of lemon and treacle, forest aromas and a sense of suspension,... Read More

The 2018 Cuvée Howell Mountain is gorgeous. Best of all, it will drink well early, while the Cabernets soften in the cellar. Dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, spice and leather all flesh out in the glass. The... Read More

The 2021 Bolgheri Rosso is floral with ripe raspberry and boysenberry, pine, violet, and balsamic. It is medium to full bodied, with nice concentration in its notes of black cherry, red plum, and turned earth. A great value that... Read More

The 2020 Caves Des Lions comes from vines around the winemaker's house and is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc brought up in new oak. Its inky hue is followed by a great nose of chocolatey dark fruits, espresso,... Read More

The two lives of Mas de Daumas Gassac White Wine

Laid down in a cool cellar (14°-16°C, 57-60°F) even the oldest can happily wait with no problem for many years. However, being laid down in warmer temperatures will... Read More

Coming all from the estate vineyard in Yountville, the 2019 Roberta's Reserve is all Merlot that was brought up in 70% new French oak, with a scant 225 cases produced. It's another totally thrilling vintage for this cuvée... Read More

Complex aromas of rock melon and peach together with floral and lightly honeyed notes, following through to a medium-bodied palate with very good concentration and focus. There’s a lightly phenolic element adding structure... Read More

Another 2020 that's going to demand patience, the 2020 Château Léoville Las Cases is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend that includes 11% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot that was raised in 80% new French oak. It's... Read More

The 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Case Vecie seduces with a beguiling and lifted mix of crushed stone, dusty rose and bright cherry. This is dark and velvety, moody in feel yet seductive and pliant, simply harmonious,... Read More

Valpolicella Superiore Case Vecie derives from the vinification of fresh grapes, mainly Corvina and Corvinone. It borrows its name from the homonymous vineyard located in Grezzana - Valpantena, where the ripening of the grapes... Read More

Not as rich or concentrated as I was expecting, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes still delivers ample layers of dark fruit, hints of cola, mint and spice elements. It's full-bodied, silky and long, but it looks... Read More

SP68 is a road but it is also a young wine. Cool and pleasant, with a delicate taste that it brings the flavour of the sun and the freshness of this land.

A blend of the 2016 and 2015 vintages, the NV Brut Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayères is an especially good rendition of this almost routinely sublime bottling. Unwinding in the glass with notes of pear, wild berries,... Read More

Bright in colour with gold reflections, the aromatics are immediately captivating, with marzipan, acacia, apricot and patisserie all vying for attention. It’s impossibly youthful yet reassuringly mature, a bread basket of... Read More

Pinot Noir takes a slight edge over Chardonnay in the NV Champagne Cuvée Laetitia Brut (60% of the blend), and it has a softer approach aromatically, with a bit more refined sophistication. Here things come into focus with... Read More

Tobacco, tar, dark chocolate, floral touches, bitter blood orange, scrubland herbs - so much going on the nose, really aromatic and expressive in a dark, sticky way. Gorgeously lifted and lively, full of bright and crunchy red... Read More

The 2019 Red Blend Grus is a blend of 75% Syrah, 13% Petite Sirah, 7% Garnacha, 2% Malbec, 2% Cariñena and 1% Petit Verdot from Alcohuaz, Elqui, aged in concrete and foudres. Intense purplish-red in hue. The nose offers... Read More

Jean-Marc Sélèque is a vanguard in the shift toward more artisanal farming & production in Champagne

‘7 Villages’ is the flagship wine for the domaine sourcing from Jean-Marc’s vines in, you guessed... Read More

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is terrific, offering classic darker berry fruits as well as peppery garrigue and sappy flower notes. As with the Boisrenard release, this has plenty of tannins and structure, but it’s... Read More

Light, attractive fragrance, this is very drinkable. Well balanced with lovely acidity. An excellent vintage for his white Côtes-du-Rhône. There's some intensity here as well as freshness.

Very fresh with aromas of lemon pith, white grapefruit, crushed shells and slate. Some biscuits and salted yellow plums. Medium-bodied with beautiful minerality and freshness. Vivid finish.

Mount Etna’s astronomic rise in hipness over the last decade or so has created a sort of gold rush (or oil rush, to use the metaphor used on this wine's label), with producers from all over Sicily, mainland Italy, and... Read More

A white wine produced from Grachetto, Malvasia , Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Garganega, in approximately equal proportions, planted in the “Pagliaro” vineyard, a site with alternating layers of gravel and clay at 1300... Read More

While I wasn't able to get the blend, this cuvée is normally a Bordeaux blend dominated release that includes a handful of Italian varieties. The 2018 Proprietary Red Wine reveals a ruby hue as well as a pretty, elegant,... Read More

The “little sister” to the Estate Red, this Merlot and Petit Verdot blend has deep color to the rim. It sports a nose of vanilla cream soda, plum and blueberry compote, spring garden flowers, and thyme. Silky, sultry,... Read More

Pale yellow, the prologue is slow and abundant and make a nice creamy line from the bottom. The nose is dominated by white fruits like appellant pear, opens on almond notes and grilled almond with hints of dry apricots slightly... Read More

From the most beautiful plot of our vineyards, called by generations of farmers Campo del Guardiano, this selection of Orvieto Classico Superiore is born, which is aged for several months in bottles lying down in a cavity in... Read More

The NV (2017) Initiation is a beautiful, exotic wine. Apricot, orange confit, hazelnut, spice and chamomile give the 2017 a decidedly exotic feel. My impression is that the 2017 will offer its best drinking sooner rather than... Read More