The 2019 EABA (end all be all) is a blend of 61% Syrah, 24% Mourvèdre, 13% Grenache and 2% Viognier and was made with 65% whole clusters. Fruit comes from several vineyards in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties,... Read More
Saturated ruby-red. An expansive bouquet evokes ripe, spice-tinged red and dark berry, garrigue, potpourri and incense qualities and a smoky mineral topnote. Stains the palate with concentrated Chambord, cherry-cola, candied lavender... Read More
The 2019 Cap de Faugères has tightened up a lot on the nose, showing dense black fruit, tar and graphite scents, quite Left Bank in style. The palate is much more expressive, featuring fleshy red berry fruit mixed with... Read More
This single-vineyard wine, from Aana, is made in a modern style: concentrated and slightly reductive. It shows notes of new oak barrels, lovely red berry fruit (reminiscent of Grenache) and garrigue aromas. So Mediterranean on... Read More
The 2019 Cheval des Andes has a more reductive vinification and élevage, making the wine a bit shy and in need of time to open up, as one of their objectives was to make it more age-worthy. Another objective is to get to... Read More
The 2015 Romangia Rosso Tuderi is thrilling yet quite unique, presenting a beguiling display of cooling white smoke that gives way to cinnamon, spiced black cherries and hints of tropical citrus and animal musk. There are depths... Read More
Including slightly more Mourvèdre and from a cooler, higher elevation terroir, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts-Lieux has more cassis, game, peppery herbs, and olive notes, as well as the classic violets and... Read More
The Santenots du Milieu from Lafon is marvelous wine and among my favourites among the Volnay premier crus, with its perfumed red and black fruit and pleasant floral notes. The texture on the palate is dynamic, with fresh acidity... Read More
Checking in as a final blend of 40% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Fenix reveals a saturated purple color as well as sexy notes of black cherries, currants, ground herbs, chocolate,... Read More
A blend of 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Estate Cuvée is another outstanding wine from L'Aventure in the challenging 2020 vintage, offering singular concentration and elegance. Deep... Read More
The remarkably pretty 2022 Rosso SP68 is perfumed with a blend of violets, roses, white pepper and dried strawberries. This is built on purity, with sweet herbal tones accentuating citrus-tinged wild berry fruits, all energized... Read More
Very expressive, with seductive, gently mulled plum, raspberry and blackberry fruit flavors seamlessly layered together, while hints of black tea, singed anise, apple wood, incense and warm earth filter through on the finish.... Read More
Smoldering incense and salty iron share the stage with ripe red fruit and a lacquer of toasty cedar in this polished, expertly crafted red, which is texturally stunning, with extremely fine tannins effortlessly carrying the weight.... Read More
Very refined, with silky and fine-grained structure carrying alluring bergamot, rooibos tea, incense, dried cherry and lightly mulled raspberry notes along. A long sanguine thread weaves through the finish. Hard to resist now... Read More
The 2020 Seña is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 7% Petit Verdot (a little higher in search of acidity) from grapes harvested early, the second week of March, and fermented mostly in stainless... Read More