Search results for: 'marker a tone'

93 Points! The 2022 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains) is gorgeous. Bright, vibrant and bristling with energy, the 2022 is an absolute delight. Dark red cherry, orange peel, spice and dried herbs lend notable aromatic presence. Pretty floral overtones appear on the finish, adding expansive breath. Stems range from 33% to 67% depending on each of the various lots that go into the blend. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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Shun Gin • Hashiri Gin • Nagori Gin

This special three-bottle set from Bar Agricole captures the rhythm of the Japanese agricultural calendar through gin. Inspired by the traditional seasonal markers used in Japanese cuisine and farming, each expression highlights a different moment in the life cycle of botanicals. Distilled in small batches using carefully selected ingredients, the collection showcases how fresh botanicals evolve throughout the year, from the earliest shoots of spring to the final flavors of the harvest. Presented in three 350ml bottles, this set offers a unique opportunity to explore the seasonal philosophy behind Bar Agricole’s craft.

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Hashiri Gin – “First Harvest”
Bright and energetic with lifted citrus, young herbs, and fresh green botanicals. The palate is vibrant and crisp with subtle juniper, delicate floral tones, and a clean mineral finish that emphasizes the freshness of early season ingredients.

Shun Gin – “Peak Season”
Full and expressive with layered citrus, balanced juniper, and fragrant herbs. The texture is round and harmonious, showcasing botanicals at their moment of perfect ripeness with a long, aromatic finish.

Nagori Gin – “Late Season”
Richer and more contemplative with deeper herbal tones, subtle spice, and hints of dried citrus peel. The palate is smooth and structured with warm botanicals and a lingering, savory finish that reflects the final harvest of the season.

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Bringing the two Agave varietals Espadin & Barril together creates a perfectly balanced profile that on first impression, one perceives a smokey nuance. The cooked agave gives forth aromas of vanilla, chocolate, and caramel, light herbal tones such as rosemary, eucalyptus, mint, and wisps of floral notes including lavender and orange blossom. As the liquid develops, the imprint on the palate is sweet and silky, the fruity aromas decant to citrus, leaving delicate smoky tones in the mouth. Learn More

95 Points! A linear and racy young Cotes de Bordeaux with blueberry, mineral and crushed-stone character. Violets as well. Medium-bodied, refined yet structured. Plenty of energy here. Persistent finish. 75% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! From an estate purchased by the Durantou family in 2009, the 2022 Château Montlandrie comes from limestone and clay soils and is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 50% new French oak. It's another sensational wine in the lineup, and it exhibits a deep ruby/purple hue as well as textbook limestone-influenced aromatics of black raspberries, black cherries, crushed stones, and flowers. I love its overall balance, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, seamless, layered mouthfeel, and sweet, present tannins. It will keep for 15+ years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Focussed and so fine, the tannins are beautifully detailed and so well integrated giving this bite and cool freshness straight away with a crushed stone flavour and texture on the palate. Feels crisp and fresh, blue fruits, mint and slate. Delicate and very fine, almost weightless with such a silky overall texture. Maybe missing a tad more density and plushness but there’s no faulting the cool aspects and well worked tannins. A nice easy juicy expression, really very approachable still with terroir markers and a sense of charm now. I love this, smooth, easy, refined. Classy and elegant. Ageing in 50% new oak. Harvest 8 September - 23 September. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

96 Points! The 2022 Chateau Montlandrie is made from 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in French oak, 50% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gallops out with intense notes of wild blueberries, red currant jelly, and black raspberries, leading to hints of sandalwood, tar, and rose oil. The full-bodied palate is chock full of bright, energetic red and black fruit preserves flavors, framed by firm, grainy tannins and great tension, finishing long and minerally. Love it. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

94 Points! The 2022 Montlandrie is a powerful, driving wine. Beams of tannin and acid run through a core of bright red-toned fruit, lending notable energy and tension throughout. A wine of size and volume, Montlandrie offers tremendous intensity as well as vibrancy. Gorgeous. Drinking window : 2025-2037 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

 

 

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Nose: Banana bread, butterscotch, red apple, cinnamon, graham cracker

Palate: Raisin, vanilla extract, burnt sugar, toasted hazelnut, coffee, roasted peanuts, candied cinnamon, crème brûlée

Finish: Smooth warmth with gentle spice and lingering oak tone

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94 Points! Slightly more high-toned, with layers of black cherries and cassis fruit. Iodine and pressed violets seep through with aeration. Very composed, the Merlot adds a soupçon of opulence. The palate is medium-bodied, again high-toned with mulberry and blueberry fruit and a dab of salted licorice. The finish seems to indicate some Petit Verdot wanting a say in matters. It's just delicious from start to finish. - Neal Martin, Vinous, October 2023

94 Points! Soft truffle and tobacco, this was a hot year that comes through in its exotic cinnamon spice flavours, and its freshly cut rosemary and sage herbs that sit against bilberry and black cherry fruits. There are still tannins here, now fully integrated, and a kick of fresh acidity that adds a mouthwatering feel from the mid palate. - Jane Anson, July 2021

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97 Points! The expressive flavors of ripe cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and rose are offset by thick, dusty tannins and accents of wild herbs and menthol. This red stays vibrant throughout, with a long aftertaste of red fruit and savory notes. Delivers layers, freshness and the potential for aging. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! The expressive 2021 Brunello di Montalcino opens with an array of crushed violet and lavender tones before giving way to citrus-laced blackberries and cherries. Cool-toned and wickedly fresh, it possesses a solid core of mineral-infused wild berry fruits and blue and purple inner florals that arch throughout. Sweet tannins frame the finish beautifully as hints of balsamic spice and pomegranate linger incredibly long. The 2021 is a radiant beast in need of taming. It's hard to put this glass down. - Eric Guido, Vinous

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100 Points! Rose petals, sandalwood and currants with some plums and fruit tea. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Incredibly straight and minerally. Toned muscles here. Tannic. Traditional and unwavering. Try in 2024. - James Suckling

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93 Points! The 2021 Pommard 1er Cru Les Fremiers is lovely, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, licorice, loamy soil and spices. Medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, it's rich and concentrated, with lively acids and a cool, classic profile. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2021 Pommard Les Fremiers from Domaine Louis Boillot is another very elegant young wine, with loads of pure red fruit and excellent fidelity to its underlying soil. The nose wafts from the glass in a mix of cherries, pomegranate, quince, peonies, woodsmoke, dark soil tones, pigeon, just a hint of fresh herb tones and a gentle framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and soil-driven, with a fine core of red fruit, chewy, well-integrated tannins, tangy acids and a long, focused and beautifully balanced finish. - John Gilman, View From The Cellar

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94 Points! Dark currants with blackberries and a touch of pencil shavings. Good perception of freshness despite the ripe black fruit. Tight, full-bodied and fine-grained on the palate. Long, structured and juicy. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Give it two or three more years. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Blackcurrants, smoky tobacco, crushed stone, and graphite emerge from the 2022 Echo De Lynch-Bages, ripe, concentrated, structured second wine. It has more than a small resemblance to the Grand Vin in a rounder, more mouth-filling style that will have two decades of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Blue fruits, subtle perfume, a juicy blackcurrant and stony minerality on the nose. Supple and juicy, a real sense of fun with detail to the fine tannins. Well balanced, gorgeous texture, depth and characterful. A great second wine still with terroir markers, a salty finish, chalky texture and grippy tannins. Still concentrated and serious, there’s an intensity to the fruit but really well delivered. Will be a beauty. 91 IPT. 3.69pH. Ageing 14 months, new and one year old oak barrels. 3.9 g/L total acidity. 91 IPT. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

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97 Points! Rich, sumptuous, and beautifully layered, the 2020 is all class, all refinement. Silky tannins, expressive red-toned Sangiovese fruit and lifted, soaring aromatics give the 2020 tons of finesse. This sensual Gran Selezione is lights out. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

 

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Color: Deep amber 

Nose: Pronounced with cardamom, cinnamon, floral tones, vanilla, cola spices, nutmeg

Palate: Medium body, leading with vanilla bean, orange peel, honeysuckle, butterscotch, caramel; darker hints of dark chocolate, black licorice, cola spices

Finish: Long and warming—with apple, toffee, oak, star anise, and a touch of pepper (peppercorn)

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91 Points! Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, rose petals, dark chocolate and sweet soils tones, the 2020 Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières is medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with succulent acids, powdery tannins and an attractively seamless profile. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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98 Points, Suckling’s #5 World Wine of the Year! Tense and savory, with layers of spicy herbs and black pepper, together with pure, elegant fruit wrapped in blood-orange zest. The structure is tightly wound, with firm, deeply rooted tannins and almost endless length. The mid-palate unfolds with bitter oranges, seashells, iron and crushed bricks, adding complexity. This is built for the cellar and needs some time. Better from 2029. – JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The 2023 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard is impossible to ignore, offering an array of crushed cherries and minty herbs, along with a hint of clove and stone dust that tempt the senses. Elegance defines the feel, as velvety textures are supported by cool-toned acidity while red and blue fruits swirl across the palate, leaving a crunchy mineral tinge toward the close. A web of fine-grained tannin adds structure and poise as the 2023 finishes with outstanding length and energy, leaving inner rose tones and a pleasantly bitter twang to linger. Fabulous. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

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95 Points! The 2021 Big Easy is fabulous. In fact, this is one of the finest editions I have tasted of Fess Parker's Grange-inspired wine. Succulent red-toned fruit, mint, plum, rose petal and a kiss of new American oak build into the heady, sumptuous finish. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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93 Points! The 2020 Coste della Sesia Ca' du Leria is seriously impressive. Deep, layered aromatics lead into an expansive core of dark red-toned fruit. Readers will find a wine of notable dimension and class. The 2020 opens beautifully with time in the glass. Clerico at his finest. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

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95 Points! The 2021 Syrah Estate has a medium ruby color and smoky, flinty tones that give way to cranberries, blackberries, juniper, resinous herbs and cured meats. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and very fresh with a core of savory fruit, generous meaty and flinty nuances and a long, savory finish. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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Most of the fruit in this Bourgogne Blanc comes from the area of Charnay,  just  North  of  Pouilly. This is 100% Chardonnay, vinified in stainless steel tanks. High-toned aromatics of calcaire, apple and pear skin. In the mouth the wine is vibrant  and fresh, with good tension and very fruit-driven: lemon oil, tangerine, smoke, wet chalky stones.

 

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93 Points! Notes of pastry, roasted pineapple, minerals, cashews and fine lees on the nose. This is a flavorful and round verdejo, but subtle and tactile, with a bright streak of acidity passing through the palate and leaving a broad but fresh-toned mouth-feel. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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95 Points! The 2019 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard is totally beguiling. High-toned aromatic, mid-weight structure, silky nuanced and super-expressive a wine of tremendous allure and deceptive beauty. Not totally immediate as most wines are in this range, but rather a Pinot that demands the full attention of the taster. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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