Search results for: 'paraje de chewi'

96-98 Points! Displays potent, mineral-accented dark berry preserve, olive paste and incense aromas that are complemented by floral oil, pipe tobacco and exotic spice flourishes. Chewy, densely packed and sharply focused on the palate, offering intense, spice-laced blackberry, blueberry, bitter cherry, violet pastille and smoky bacon flavors that turn livelier with air. Closes on an emphatic mineral note, with solid thrust, gripping tannins and superb, floral-tinged persistence. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

A legendary alpine herbal liqueur that dates back many hundreds of years. While comprised of a multitude of alpine herbs, the most prominent is Génépy, a petite variety of artemesia (often translated into English as “mountain sage”) found principally in the high mountains of the Savoy. Its bright herbal and fresh flavors have long been associated with the mountain air and adventure.

91 Points! A bit of bottle maturation has steered this rich, yet lively Sauternes to a very appealing harmony. Plenty of candied-citrus and some cooked-pineapple character, well balanced by the crisp acidity, making this an ideal wine for blue cheese. Drink or hold. Second wine of Château Suduiraut. - JamesSuckling.com

95+ Points! This 2019 Langi Shiraz is so aromatic: brooding and dark, spicy and mid-weight, layered with Middle Eastern spices, black and purple fruits, clove, mint, licorice and bone broth. The wine is awesome. It's really balanced and complete. Its the product of a warm season, but it wears it so well. The tannins have an über attractive gravelly aspect that I really like ... chewy but fine. So good! 14.8% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com

95 Points! Packed with cherry and raspberry fruit, this red also exhibits rose, mineral and Mediterranean scrub aromas and flavors. Coiled tightly, picking up eucalyptus and gripping tannins on the finish. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! Aromas of dark berries, light caramel, coffee, balsamic, smoke and dried strawberries follow through to a medium body with firm, chewy tannins and lots of new oak. Yet, it turns crisp and lively at the finish. Needs three or four years to open. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Racy red bramble berries with notes of hibiscus, pomegranates, cochineal and cherries. Some chewy tannins add more gravity to the otherwise medium-bodied palate. Juicy, firm and stony in the medium-long finish. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! A fresh, balanced red, with fragrant hints of dried rosemary and thyme, resin, and milled pepper accenting the core of creamy black raspberry and black plum fruit, enmeshed with fine, taut tannins. Stony finish. Garnacha, Samsó, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. - Wine Spectator

97 Points! Along with the 2022 vintage, the 2021 Domus Aurea performed even better than during my initial tasting, which was made especially clear in the context of the entire vertical. It is a spectacular example of Alto Maipo, beautifully capturing the distinctive herbal quality endemic to this site with a pitch-perfect combination of resinous, herbal aromas that meld with black fruits, purple flowers, sweet tobacco, cedar and well-integrated, high-quality new oak. The palate is rich, concentrated and staining in its intensity yet remains lifted and refreshingly light on its feet. It concludes with supremely refined, persistent, measured tannic grip, perfumed lift and a focused, chalky undertone. This is an effortlessly beautiful reference point for the region that should develop without issue over the next two decades.

I adored these recent releases from Quebrada de Macul, all of which beautifully showcase the supreme elegance, understated nature and aromatic complexity of which the best expressions of Alto Maipo are capable. Situated in the foothills of the Andes in Peñalolen in gravel and silt colluvial soils, the vines date from the 1970s and originate from pre-phylloxera plant material. A total of 40 hectares are planted and separated into four blocks, of which only one goes into the production of the Domus Aurea bottlings. The wines undergo a five- to seven-day cold soak before fermenting at cool temperatures in stainless steel, then spend 18 to 20 months in light and medium toast Darnajou and Dargaud & Jaeglé barrique, up to 80% new for the Domus. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

92 Points! Strawberries, blueberries and violets with woody notes. It’s full-bodied with a balanced, juicy texture, tight and fine tannins and a medium, savory finish. Try after 2022. - James Suckling

From the importer:

After years working alongside some of Portugal’s most gifted winemakers and with many New World growers, Alexandre “Alex” Guedes—voted in 2025 as one of the country’s top five new winegrowers—joined Quinta da San Michel in 2018 after his first harvest at the estate, where he unexpectedly met his future bride. Under Alex’s steady, inquisitive hand, and guided by the disciplined mind of a winemaker nearing his Master of Wine, Quinta da San Michel is poised to become one of the most promising voices in Portugal’s Atlantic wine frontier. Their vineyards span two striking terrains: Janas, between the Sintra Mountains and the Atlantic and new plantings on the legendary sandy soils of Colares—some on the valley floor in meters-deep sands, others above coastal bluffs on calcareous sands and limestone bedrock facing the ocean’s salt-rich winds. San Michel is focused on historic local varieties, like Malvasia de Colares, Arinto, and Galego Dourado, and soon joined by the infamous red Ramisco, each deeply tied to this mythical viticultural coastline. Their wines from clay and limestone echo the great vineyards of France’s Côte d’Or but carry a maritime salty freshness and stout, architectural structure, while those from sand promise wines of delicate filigree, resurrecting the past glories of Colares where Malvasia and Ramisco have thrived ungrafted for centuries.

Galego Dourado, the newcomer, was planted in 2020 on a 0.3-hectare soft slope. It’s direct-pressed and fermented in steel, then given a brief six-month rest on lees in a well-seasoned six-year-old 228-liter French oak barrel. This approach captures the variety’s freshness while allowing a slow, quiet layering of texture.

94 Points! The purity of fruit to this young second wine are very impressive with blueberry and blackberry character. Citrus undertones. Medium to full body and a bright finish. Drink in 2021. - JamesSuckling.com

92-94 Points! The 2011 Pinot Noir La Caprice, which was harvested before any damaging rains arrived and is above the fog line on the Sonoma Coast, exhibits classic notes of black raspberries, graphite, flowers, red and black fruits, spice and forest floor. Not quite as rich or dense as the 2010, or as structured and chewy as the 2009, the evolved, seductive 2011 should provide enormous pleasure over the next 10-12 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

97 Points! Blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, mushrooms and earthy notes. Spices as well. It’s full-bodied with an unctuous texture. Balanced and savory with a fine, chewy tannin structure. Flavorful finish with length. One of the best ever from here. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

This cuvée is a selection of Nebbiolo from the younger vines of the various “cru” in Barbaresco supplemented by grapes from the neighboring village of Neive.  The average age of the vines is 30 years.  The wine is fermented in stainless steel for 10 days to 2 weeks and then is refined in large oak barrels for an additional year before being bottled.  An astonishing value … as are all of the fine wines from this remarkable estate.

93 Points! Elegant, refreshing and harmonious, with a lacy mousse and notes of apricot, lime peel, quince and biscuit. Well-honed by chiseled acidity, this expands nicely through the mineral-driven finish. Drink now through 2029. - Wine Spectator