Search results for: 'paraje de canyon'

93 Points! The appellation series Malbecs are typically made in the same manner, seeing 11-13 months in 100% French oak, a small percentage of it new. Here, the 2022 Malbec Appellation Paraje Altamira is from the cooler region of Altamira, where it retains acidity and freshness while offering crisp red fruit and silky texture, lasting for days on the palate. It should age well another 10-12 years as well. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

92 Points! Another highlight of the Catena Appellation range is the 2022 Appellation Paraje Altamira Malbec, opening with the region's signature purple-flower note and accented with fresh herbs and a citrus-driven zest quality. On the palate, it combines a svelte, seamless purity with lifted, focused energy that runs through the crunchy, high-toned finish. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

93 Points! There's a little more ripeness and concentration in the 2020 Parajes, which matured in well-seasoned (at least fourth use) barriques and a 5,000-liter oak foudre. It's a little rounder and creamier, a more powerful wine (it was bottled 15 days before I tasted it) with a nice Bierzo character. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points, Tim Atkin's Wine Value of the Year! Wild and floral, with notes of rose petal, tarragon, and spring meadow herbs, this 100% Monastrell from Jumilla’s Valle Estrecho shows bright grip and chalky tannins. Aged seven months in old concrete tanks from the 1960s, it’s textured, vibrant, and deeply rooted in the fruit character of Monastrell and the stony, calcareous soils. It finishes with a bright lemon peel twist. - Tim Atkin

We can tell you that the grapes for the Westerly Cabernet Sauvignon Happy Canyon Fletchers Reserve 2021 came from Happy Canyon and were crafted under the guidance of a top-flight, renowned winemaker. The nose has that opulent aroma of dark red fruits, cocoa, vanilla, and spice. The palate is plush and creamy offering that same profile of black cherry and cassis, spice, dark chocolate, vanilla, and maybe a hint of clove. This is deep, dark, plush Cabernet that has all the richness Cabernet fans crave and the kind of luxurious palate feel that elevates the experience. This wine showcases Happy Canyon at its best in the outstanding 2021 vintage, sexy stuff!

His most expressive Cab yet. There have been bigger Westerlys but I don't believe there has been better. Plush mouthfeel here, excellent work on those firm Happy Canyon tannins, this stuff just tastes expensive...but it isn't...and the price this year is even lower!

97 Points! A sophisticated and complex red with blackberries, blueberries, sea shells, terra cotta, crushed stone and sea salt. Medium-bodied, savory and juicy on the palate with a creamy yet firm texture. Opens and softens in the end. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96+ Points! From silty soils at the estate Jardín Altamira site, the 2021 Malbec Appellation Altamira is another benchmark example of Altamira's distinctiveness. A broad, expansive and expressive bouquet of crystal-clear purple flower aromas bounds from the glass, supported by a rich yet measured bed of black and purple fruits. The palate is both wide and broad, with a laser-focused, tensile core, releasing into a finish that is equally high and refreshing yet deep and grounded. This is all about flowers and textural breadth, sitting lower in the mouth with a pronounced horizontal richness, juxtaposing the equally fantastic Appellation Gualtallary bottling, which exudes a more vertical, stony profile with a distinctly herbal bouquet. Even while attempting to correct for vintage variation, I find the Altamira wine a touch more complete and three-dimensional, but it really is splitting a hair. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

97 Points! A sophisticated and complex red with blackberries, blueberries, sea shells, terra cotta, crushed stone and sea salt. Medium-bodied, savory and juicy on the palate with a creamy yet firm texture. Opens and softens in the end. - JamesSuckling.com 

96+ Points! From silty soils at the estate Jardín Altamira site, the 2021 Malbec Appellation Altamira is another benchmark example of Altamira's distinctiveness. A broad, expansive and expressive bouquet of crystal-clear purple flower aromas bounds from the glass, supported by a rich yet measured bed of black and purple fruits. The palate is both wide and broad, with a laser-focused, tensile core, releasing into a finish that is equally high and refreshing yet deep and grounded. This is all about flowers and textural breadth, sitting lower in the mouth with a pronounced horizontal richness, juxtaposing the equally fantastic Appellation Gualtallary bottling, which exudes a more vertical, stony profile with a distinctly herbal bouquet. Even while attempting to correct for vintage variation, I find the Altamira wine a touch more complete and three-dimensional, but it really is splitting a hair. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

93 Points! I was able to taste three 2021s from Woodward Canyon. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series checks in as 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc and was brought up in 30% new French and Hungarian oak. It's a perfumed, exotic, pretty red that has both red and blue fruits as well as some underlying sappy flowers, truffle, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. It's beautifully balanced, has fine tannins, and a pure, layered, seamless profile that will evolve gracefully over the coming 15 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! From the Duncan family of Silver Oak fame comes Timeless, a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant proprietary blend crafted by winemaker Nate Weis with grapes from the Duncan's Soda Canyon Ranch Vineyard. The site is a 113-acre ranch in the estate in the benchlands of the Vaca Mountains just north of Napa. The blend is rounded out with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. In 2020, this wine offers a fragrant, bright, and lifted nose with lovely red and black currants, savoury sagebrush, tobacco, and dried red florals with blood orange. Medium-bodied with a gorgeous tapestry of crunchy red cranberry, plums, and cherry. Crushed stone mineral notes form a solid base from which baking notes of dark chocolate emerge. The tannins are persistent, building, and turn chalky as they resolve. This wine has plenty of acid grip and a beautiful, quiet intensity. It has excellent cellar potential. - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter

96 Points! The fifth vintage release of Timeless from the Duncan family of Silver Oak continues to showcase its hallmark style—where elegance meets Napa mountain muscle. This Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant proprietary blend is crafted by winemaker Nate Weis using grapes from the Duncan family's Soda Canyon Ranch Vineyard, an estate spanning 45.7 hectares in the benchlands of the Vaca Mountains just north of Napa. Unlike Silver Oak, which is aged in American oak, Timeless is aged entirely in French oak. The 2021 vintage exudes alluring blackberry and black cherry fruit, lifted by toasty cedarwood, rose petals, and dried apricots. Ripe and powerful tannins frame the wine, which displays remarkable concentration and depth, with a darker fruit profile than previous releases. Those tannins build through the full-bodied finish, making 2021 the most powerful and structured vintage yet while still retaining a thread of freshness and vibrancy. The blend includes 5.6% Petit Verdot. - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter

93 Points! Fermented with one-third whole clusters, the 2023 Syrah Estate exudes a lovely balance between high-toned energy and grounded depth. The nose is classically bright, savory and herbal before the palate takes a deep, darker-fruited turn, showcasing a beautiful, velvety texture supported by sturdy tannins. It finishes on a lifted yet weightless note with impressive precision. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

98+ Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with 10% Cabernet Franc, has opened significantly since I tasted it in March of 2022. Deep ruby in color, its aromatics have become more layered, with ringing tones of violet complementing blueberry, black cherry and redcurrants, plus sparks of aniseed, prosciutto and desert herbs. The palate is plush and supple, offering alluring spicy accents and generous, yet never onerous, fruit. Refreshing bursts of acidity call you back to the glass, and it finishes with fantastic length. It blossoms considerably as it spends time in the glass, alluding to continued evolution in bottle. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

98 Points! The 2020 Cheval des Andes was harvested from the last of February for the first time ever. It was Gabillet's second vintage at Cheval des Andes, and that year, he had to start without waiting for Pierre Olivier Clouet and Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc; when they arrived, they had finished picking the Malbec, which surprisingly was fresher in Las Compuertas (because of the higher percentage of clay?) than in Altamira (where the vines suffered more stress), saving the freshness. They now harvest using cold trucks (for the first time), and they also started earlier in the morning (six in the morning, impossible earlier in Mendoza...), which he reckons was very good for the precision of the wine. They used 40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 400-liter oak barrels and 20% 2,500-liter foudres, half of them new and with an élevage of 15 months on average, depending on the lots and varieties from 12 to 18 months. The final blend was 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, which makes a comeback as it was not used since 2016. The key was to finish the fermentation of the Petit Verdot without skins, and that way, they have been able to use it in the blends of 2021, 2022 and 2023 in small but increasing percentages. This is slightly riper than 2019, with a little more alcohol (14.5%) and with very good structural tannins but saving the freshness, and it has the spicy side from the Petit Verdot (Gabillet talks about white pepper). The wine has the ultra sleek and polished texture and the elegance and the balance that is the signature here; the wine is very clean and precise. I see very good regularity across the three vintages I tasted next to each other—this 2020 and the 2018 and 2019. Overall, this is a triumph over the adverse conditions of the vintage. They produced their usual 100,000 bottles (since 2018), as they are renewing their vineyards and want to keep the volume stable. They produce this volume from the 36 productive hectares they have in Las Compuertas and Altamira. There are some more changes: in 2020, they went for a lighter bottle, weighing 100 grams less than the one they used in 2018 and 2019, but close to 300 grams less than the bottle from before. It's also a slimmer bottle, always thinking about the environment. They are very focused on agroecology, accelerating the regenerative viticulture and using cover crops; they have planted 1,900 trees in the last three years, creating small clusters of biodiversity for birds. They have transplanted some centenary olive trees and keep their sheep and lamas on the property. Very green-minded. - Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

97 points, Vinous' #6 Wine of 2024! Light and elegant, the 2021 Cheval des Andes is 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot. It achieves a feat that only cool years can provide: smooth texture, agile palate and just the right amount of freshness for a nuanced build. As it breathes, it begins to reveal notes of fresh cherry and plum, with a hint of menthol, maraschino cherries and a touch of pepper. It opens further with aromas of sandalwood and oak that complete the framework. This is a somewhat leaner, more ethereal Cheval than other years, but it has a higher level of precision. It's a wine inspired by Bordeaux, executed in a Bordeaux style, with Mendoza terroir. A wine without edges, it’s a polished red in the early stages of a long, balanced life. - Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous Media

98 points! The finest vintage of this wine I've tasted, the 2021 Cheval Des Andes is based on 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Malbec, and the balance Petit Verdot. It has a decidedly Bordeaux-like nose of ripe currants, leafy tobacco, cedarwood, and a kiss of flowers, with perfectly integrated background oak. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. It has this remarkable sense of purity and class, and while it's incredible today (especially with a decant), I wouldn't be surprised to see it evolve gracefully for two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 points! Complex aromas of blueberries, pie crust, fresh flowers and currant bush with hints of baking spices like nutmeg. Medium- to full-bodied with extremely fine tannins that are integrated and gorgeous. Graceful and refined, with super length. Interestingly, 20% of the wine was aged in large oak casks (2,500 liters), mostly from Slovenia. Try after 2027 but a joy to taste now. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Since Gerald Gabillet's arrival in Mendoza in 2018, Cheval des Andes wines have gained in elegance and precision. In a great vintage like 2021, the results are spellbinding. Near-equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, with 3% Petit Verdot; the fruit comes from an old vineyard in Las Compuertas and a newer property in the Uco Valley. A fruity, floral wine, with minty hints and a subtle layer of oak that contributes spice and cedar notes. The palate is silky and energetic, with a vibrant freshness and polished, grippy tannins that channel it nicely into the long, perfumed finish. - Decanter Magazine Learn More

From the winery:

Sourced from a steep ridge in the Alisos Canyon of Santa Ynez with an incredibly diverse terroir that's loaded with limestone and fossils. Planted to original budwood from Château de Beaucastel, we got advice from other producer friends of ours in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Bandol who insisted that "Counoise is the grape of the future" for their Mediterranean climates. 

We fermented in whole bunches and were super happy with the results. The floral aromatics of Counoise were a perfect marriage with the mineral-rich terroir of Alisos Canyon. After aging it for ten months in neutral French oak barriques, we bottled it without fining or filtration.

This juicy red has the joy and freshness we love in Cru Beaujolais, the structure and chewiness we look for in old-styled producers of the Southern Rhône, and the tightrope elegance that brought us to Santa Ynez.

94 Points! The 2024 Malbec Terroir Uco Valley was made from grapes grown in Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira. Aged 90% in concrete and 10% in large barrels for 15 months, it offers a primary expression with notes of pennyroyal, violet and mountain herbs alongside red cherry fruit. Dry and marked by a chalky texture and intense flavor, it delivers a compact palate with gentle grip. The 2024 is a pure, primary Malbec with uncommon intensity. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous

93 Points! The 2021 Malbec Reserve from Altos Las Hormigas, sourced from Paraje Altamira and Gualtallary in the Uco Valley, boasts a lean, precise character. Planted in chalky soils, it's a rich purple in the glass. The expressive nose presents enticing blueberry, violet, sage and other herb aromas. It has a compact, focused profile on the palate, with chalky tannins that contribute to the lean texture and a refreshing mouthfeel that highlights the wine's taut structure. The long, nuanced finish allows the wine's spare beauty to really come through. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous Media