Search results for: 'early'

94 Points! The 2023 Bolgheri Rosso highlights the importance of the Cabernet Franc in the blend. In the glass, it displays a purple/red color and is highly expressive with wonderful energy on the nose. Fermented in stainless steel tank, and then in used barrels (3 to 4 years old), the nose reveals lively aromas of currants, graphite, black raspberries, sweet herbs, and floral perfume. The palate is full-bodied, with a refreshing, compact, and angular structure, well-defined tannins, an even spine of acidity, and notes of dusty earth through the finish. An overachiever with exceptional purity, this is an early contender for top lists of the year. Bravo. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

Some of the oldest vineyards in the world thrive in the Mokelumne River AVA between Lodi and the Sacramento Delta. The Bechthold Vineyard is indeed the oldest Cinsaut planting in the world, struck on its own roots in 1882 and farmed organically. Nearby, the Royal Tee Vineyard was planted in 1889, comprising 82% Zinfandel, 8% Carignan and the remainder a mix of Flame Tokay, Black Prince, Mission and Muscat table grapes. The majority of this blend is Carignane from the “1900 Block” of Jessie’s Grove, which includes 10% of the almost extinct white grape Monbadon, also known as Berger. All of these vines are own-rooted, dry-farmed and certified heritage vineyards.

The 2021 Vintage was extremely dry and ”cold, with frosts during the early growing season. The resulting harvest was very light, with less than half the crop expected on many vines. Harvested from early September (Zin) to early October (Carignan).

Moderately dark in color, this wine presents a complex nose with dark fruits, earth and hints of woodruff. The palate presents well-sculpted tannins supported by a good acid backbone that leads to a long, lingering finish echoing the fruits first found on the nose.

Mokelumne River, Lodi, 14.6% Alcohol by Volume, 316 cases produced, <.01 residual sugar, 3.7 pH, 6.5 g/L TA, winemaker is Greg La Follette.

'Junior' Schiopetto? Yeah, kinda. Sourced from the younger vines on the property, this label is meant to be a bit easier access early on, a fabulous intro to the Schiopetto style...

Volnay-Santenots is among the appellation's southernmost sites and closest to Meursault. It's situated on the mid-slope section of the hillside. Michel Ampeau's grandfather acquired the first vines in the early-1900s before his father, Robert, acquired more in the 1950s.

‘Etelois’ has some of the grander neighbors in Gevrey-Chambertin; this perfect parcel borders both grand cru Chapelle-Chambertin and premier cru ‘Petite Chapelle.’ Older vines planted in the early 1960s, soils that couldn’t be better if they tried: this is one heady, handsome and long-hauler Gevrey.

80% Bical, 20% Arinto. Bical is harvested in the beginning of September, the Arinto on the other hand, matures later and is harvested 2-3 weeks later. Vinification happens separately. The wine matures on the lees without batonnage. The wines stabilize naturally during the cold winter. The final blend is made in early springtime when the wine is stable.

The 2004 Proprietary Red represents a natural evolution of Scott Palazzo’s early winemaking vision, building on the foundation laid by the inaugural 2003 vintage. Crafted during the formative years of the estate, this wine reflects Palazzo’s deep admiration for Bordeaux-inspired blends that prioritize balance, structure, and longevity. Produced in very limited quantities, the magnum format was set aside exclusively for Palazzo’s private members and carefully cellared for two decades. This release marks the first time these mature library magnums have been made available to the public, offering collectors a rare opportunity to experience an early Palazzo blend at full maturity in its most age-worthy format.

Tasting Note:
Now beautifully resolved, the 2004 opens with layered aromas of dried red cherry, plum, and fig, accented by notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, and warm baking spice. On the palate, the wine is supple and integrated, with softened tannins supporting savory red and dark fruit flavors. Subtle notes of leather, cocoa, and earthy complexity emerge as the wine unfolds, adding depth without heaviness. The finish is long, smooth, and harmonious, with the magnum format preserving freshness and cohesion, underscoring the wine’s graceful evolution over time.

This is sourced from a handful of select sites throughout Santa Barbara County. 2021 was a pretty normal year down there with a couple early July heat spikes into the upper 70s low 80s. The marine influence and the wind buoy and temper the bright fruit flavors in the resulting wines. Harvest September 9th-25th. 25% new French oak aging.  

91 Points! Based on the 2020 vintage, complemented by reserve wines from 2019, the latest rendition of Agrapart's NV Brut 7 Crus is charming and unusually giving at this early stage, offering up aromas of white flowers, sweet orchard fruit and ripe citrus, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy palate. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

ETA: EARLY WINTER OF 2026

100 Points! With 153 grams per liter of residual sugar—placing it among the 10 most concentrated vintages in the château’s history—the 2023 d'Yquem ranks among the finest wines bottled here under Lorenzo Pasquini’s direction. It unfurls from the glass with a complex, vibrant and remarkably pure bouquet of pineapple, guava, mango, confit citrus, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it combines formidable depth with perfectly judged control, built around a fleshy core of fruit, framed by lively acidity and a crystalline texture and culminating in an endless, refined and ethereal finish. Yquem’s natural power is here masterfully harnessed by the vintage’s freshness and tension, revealing an aesthetic of precision and vibrancy encountered only in the estate’s greatest years—made all the more remarkable by the fact that the château now achieves even higher levels of concentration than a decade ago, without any perceptible increase in sweetness on the palate. - Yohan Castaing, RobertParker.com

100 Points! Power, freshness, depth — after the extremes of 2021 and 2022, this walks the line between the two, exceptional. Mandarin, quince, mirabelle plums, white truffle, fresh fruit and confit fruit, a vibration of slate and steel, opulent but slices closed on the finish. The botrytis came early and quickly in 2023. Francis Mayeur in final vintage as consultant, after many years as inhouse winemaking team, Lorenzo Pasquini director. 154g/l residual sugar, 3.85ph, harvest September 14 to October 11. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

100 Points! Perfect aromas carry through to every milliliter of this wine, showing intense orange peel, honey, butterscotch, saffron, smoke and peat, with hints of coffee and dried apples. Full-bodied but weightless and silky, with an excellent balance of fruit, sweetness and spices. Some peanut brittle, dried oranges and lemons at the end. I can’t get over how wonderful this is now, but it can age forever. 154 g/L residual sugar. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

ETA: EARLY WINTER OF 2026

100 Points! With 153 grams per liter of residual sugar—placing it among the 10 most concentrated vintages in the château’s history—the 2023 d'Yquem ranks among the finest wines bottled here under Lorenzo Pasquini’s direction. It unfurls from the glass with a complex, vibrant and remarkably pure bouquet of pineapple, guava, mango, confit citrus, beeswax and spices. Full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it combines formidable depth with perfectly judged control, built around a fleshy core of fruit, framed by lively acidity and a crystalline texture and culminating in an endless, refined and ethereal finish. Yquem’s natural power is here masterfully harnessed by the vintage’s freshness and tension, revealing an aesthetic of precision and vibrancy encountered only in the estate’s greatest years—made all the more remarkable by the fact that the château now achieves even higher levels of concentration than a decade ago, without any perceptible increase in sweetness on the palate. - Yohan Castaing, RobertParker.com

100 Points! Power, freshness, depth — after the extremes of 2021 and 2022, this walks the line between the two, exceptional. Mandarin, quince, mirabelle plums, white truffle, fresh fruit and confit fruit, a vibration of slate and steel, opulent but slices closed on the finish. The botrytis came early and quickly in 2023. Francis Mayeur in final vintage as consultant, after many years as inhouse winemaking team, Lorenzo Pasquini director. 154g/l residual sugar, 3.85ph, harvest September 14 to October 11. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

100 Points! Perfect aromas carry through to every milliliter of this wine, showing intense orange peel, honey, butterscotch, saffron, smoke and peat, with hints of coffee and dried apples. Full-bodied but weightless and silky, with an excellent balance of fruit, sweetness and spices. Some peanut brittle, dried oranges and lemons at the end. I can’t get over how wonderful this is now, but it can age forever. 154 g/L residual sugar. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

The 2003 Proprietary Red stands as one of the earliest expressions of Scott Palazzo’s winemaking vision and reflects his long-standing admiration for the great blended wines of Bordeaux. Crafted during the formative years of the estate, this wine set the foundation for Palazzo’s later Master Blend philosophy, emphasizing balance, structure, and age-worthiness over sheer size. Produced in extremely limited quantities, the magnum format was held exclusively for Palazzo’s private members for more than two decades. This release marks the first time these mature library magnums have ever been made available to the public, offering a rare opportunity to experience an early Napa Valley proprietary blend with remarkable bottle age in the format best suited for longevity.

Tasting Note:
With over twenty years of evolution, the wine opens with complex aromatics of dried cherry, fig, and plum layered with cedar, leather, and warm spice. On the palate, it is smooth and fully integrated, showing savory red and dark fruit supported by softened tannins and balanced acidity. Secondary notes of tobacco, cocoa, and earth add depth and nuance, while the finish is long, resolved, and graceful. In magnum, the wine retains notable freshness and cohesion, highlighting both the strength of the vintage and the enduring elegance of Palazzo’s early blending philosophy.

Volnay-Santenots is among the appellation's southernmost sites and closest to Meursault. It's situated on the mid-slope section of the hillside. Michel Ampeau's grandfather acquired the first vines in the early-1900s before his father, Robert, acquired more in the 1950s.

Clay-limestone soils that are notably more red in appearance than its neighbors, signifying a greater presence of clay and a higher content of iron which lends more structure.

92 Points! From the early-picked grapes from the single vineyards, Mittelbach’s 2019 Riesling Smaragd Bergdistel offers a pure, fresh, elegant and slightly flinty bouquet of white stone fruits and crushed stones. Round and almost creamy on the palate, this is a juicy, fleshy, textured and mild Riesling with a well-structured, stimulatingly grippy finish and very fine tannins. Good length. 13% alcohol. Tasted at the domain in June 2021. - Stephamn Reinhardt, robertparker.com

Butterfly absinthe is an award winning modern rendition of a classic pre-prohibition absinthe produced in Boston in the early 1900s.

BUTTERFLY remains true to both the recipe and methods employed by the original distiller. Only the finest botanicals are used in this hand-crafted absinthe recreating an absinthe last enjoyed in the days of pre-prohibition America.

Butterfly Absinthe is made from only the highest quality ingredients – many of which are grown on farms a short distance from the distillery in Couvet, Switzerland.

This comes from vines planted just after the turn of this century. Soil is thin and shallow, made up of schist and gneiss on top of granite, and harvest is by hand on the early side because the aim here is to have a Viognier with freshness and tension rather than voluptuousness. Ferments are spontaneous and two-thirds of the wine is aged in steel while the rest is brought up in older barrels and demi-muids.

La Escribana is a vino de pasto from the Pérez family’s holdings in the famed Macharnudo vineyard (La Escribana & San Cayetano). After a green harvest in early August to reduce production and provide a small amount of “green wine” for distillation or adjusting the acidity of the final wine, La Escribana is picked in late August and pressed into stainless-steel tanks for fermentation. It sees a year of biologic aging in 80-year-old botas before bottling.

ETA: Early Winter 2026

Jeb Dunnuck, 96 Points A blockbuster of a Les Forts. Deep ruby/plum hue followed by textbook Latour notes of currants, melted crayon, graphite, and lead pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and concentrated on the palate, with a powerful structured mouthfeel, remarkable purity, perfectly ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. It might be the finest Les Forts I've tasted. Hitting 13.1% alcohol, it's approachable today yet has another 30 years of longevity. Drink 2026-2056.

James Suckling, 96 Points Blue fruits and lead pencil come through here. Medium to full body. Firm and silky tannins and a crisp and citrusy finish. Nice zest. Floral and fruity. Al dente fruit. Needs four or five years to show its excellence. Try after 2028.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 95 Points The 2020 Les Forts de Latour is superb. Hints of gravel, dried herbs, game and licorice weave through a core of dark red/purplish fruit. Spice, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco follow. The purity of the flavors is just striking. Initially a touch reticent, the 2020 fleshes out beautifully with a bit of air. I would give this at least another year or two in bottle. A magnificent Forts de Latour.