Search results for: 'RAISE LEFT HAND CLASS'

From the importer: Giuseppe Gorelli’s first Brunello vintage was in 1987 under his grandfather’s label, Due Portine-Gorelli. A decade later, his family sold the estate to Il Palazzone so that Giuseppe could start his own estate with his wife, Gigliola Gianetti, who left Biondi Santi so they could create Tenuta Le Potazzine, which over the following decades collected some of the highest praise awarded to any-classically-styled grower of Brunello di Montalcino.

Gianetti and Gorelli split a few years ago, with their daughters taking over the reins at Le Potazzine, and Giuseppe keeping 6 hectares of their old vines (5ha on the north side of the city of Montalcino, plus one south-facing hectare in Sant’Angelo in Colle) to continue farming himself. His unique situation on the North side of the hill of Montalcino, combined with an immacultate dedication to organic farming, gives a freshness and fine aromas to his wines. The new cellar he built for this final act is simple but spotless, and likewise, his style of winemaking is one of restraint and precision.

92 Points! 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 allspice, clove and white pepper. Persistent and quite convincing on the finish. Give it time for those aromatics to get their mojo back – which they will. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

91 Points! The 2019 Cap de Faugeres is terrific, just as it was from bottle. Rich and expansive, the 2019 is so expressive right out of the gate. Succulent red cherry, spice, leather and tobacco all kicked up in this attractive entry-level offering from Silvio Denz. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

A lighter-handed, less tannic spin on this relative of Zinfandel. Brambly, juicy, yet easy-drinking, a quaffer that actually is better with 30 minutes in the fridge...just like being on the island....

A dymanic new Tuscan red from what was one of the main vineyard components for Castello di Ama's famed L'Apparita!

99 Points! Lots of lavender and violets on the nose, together with graphite, lead pencil, iodine and black olives. Full-bodied with extreme class and balance. The ultra-fine tannins are plentiful, yet integrated, and run the length of the wine. A masterpiece. Best after 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

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

38% grenache blanc 35% sauvignon blanc 14% grenache gris 8% albariño
5% vermentino from mostly Paso with a touch of SLO Coast. Hand-harvested, native yeast fermenetd, 9 months aging in 80% stainless steel tanks, 20% neutral barriques.

42% petit verdot, 26% cabernet sauvignon ,14% sangiovese, 8% petite sirah, 6% tempranillo, 4% touriga all from Paso Rbles exceot the Sangio. hand-harvested, native yeast fermented, aged 20 months in neutral barriques, bottles unfined and unfiltered.

93 Points! This suave Pinot has a mulled edge to its raspberry, damson plum and blood orange notes, sparkling with savory and rose hip details. Ends with light-handed echoes of sandalwood and sous-bois. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! The 2021 Chardonnay Estate Reserve is 100% from Greyton matured for 11 months in 500-litre barrels, 40% new. It has a wonderful bouquet with honeydew melon, apricot blossom and light crushed stone scents that percolate through with time. The palate is very well balanced with tropical hints of passion fruit and guava, but the acidity keeps everything on a tight course, very minerally on the finish. Top class. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

98 Points! The 2021 Barolo Villero soars from the glass with intensely spiced, balsamic-tinged aromatics. Deceptively medium in body, with superb persistence and class, the 2021 is simply magnificent. Beams of tannin shape the unforgettable, persistent finish. This is another wine that demands patience. The Villero is not an easy wine, rather it is a Barolo that offers a more inward, at times intellectual, expression of Nebbiolo. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

From select parcels around Meursault. Vines trained Cordon de Royat. Soil worked with a plow. Hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard with special vibrating table. Gentle pressing. Transfer to fermentation done by gravity. Aged in neutral barrels.

100 Points! Another absolutely perfect wine in this incredible vintage, the 2020 Château Tertre Roteboeuf comes from a tiny hillside vineyard (5.6 hectares) and is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc raised all in new Radoux barrels. This show-stopping wine has everything and reveals a dense purple hue, incredible aromatics of cassis, vanilla bean, burning embers, graphite, and smoke tobacco, full-bodied richness, flawless integration of its tannins and acidity, and a massive finish. The finest wine I've ever tasted from this address, it's not going to hit maturity for another 7-8 years and will be a 30+-year wine. Hats off to the team of François Mitjavile for another singular, sexy, absolutely off-the-charts wine. - Jeb Dunnuck

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98 Points! The 2021 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a towering wine. Just as it did en primeur, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. The Cabernets are very high in the blend, and that comes through in a Saint-Julien endowed with ton of explosive vertical lift. Lavender, dried herbs, mint, spice, rose petal and a kick of orange peel are some of the notes that run through this striking Pichon Comtesse. The aromatics alone are compelling, but everything about the 2021 speaks to class personified. Bright saline notes extend the finish. In a word: sublime. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants and graphite. Metal shavings. It's medium-bodied, with a classy center-palate of fruit and fine, velvety tannins leading to an almost endless finish. This has so much class, especially for the vintage. Very low production. Drink after 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

98-100 Points - Wine Advocate 

"A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that weighs in at 13.3% alcohol, the 2025 Pontet-Canet is one of the finest wines this estate has produced. Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet cassis, wild berries and plums mingled with notions of violet and burning embers, it's full-bodied, ample and velvety, with a degree of structural polish and sensuality that is rare in the Médoc, ripe acids and a long, penetrating finish. Over the last handful of years, technical director Mathieu Bessonnet and his team have revitalized Pontet-Canet's vineyards with well-timed soil work and precise phytosanitary treatments; and since 2023, the careful use of "pieds de cuve" in the winery, along with early blending, more refined barrel choices and cooler temperatures in the chai—plus more precise bottling practices—have conspired to take this estate to new heights of quality and consistency. In 2025, the team formed lower-than-usual "ponts" (whereby the canopies of adjacent vines are braided together in an arch) to retain denser foliage to protect the fruiting zone from sunshine, and they waited to pick late in pursuit of full maturity in Cabernet Sauvignon, finishing on September 23. The result is one of the wines of the vintage.times."

97–98 Points – James Suckling
“A precise and beautiful wine with total integration of the fruit and polished tannins that give a caressing and seductive mouthfeel. It’s medium-bodied with lovely fruit, a gentle nature and an overall softness and gorgeousness. Yet structured.”

96–98+ Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Pontet Canet is a wine of exquisite class. Silky, aromatic, and vibrant, the 2025 is all finesse. Crushed red and purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, and a gentle hint of spice are all wonderfully put together. Pontet-Canet is one of the more refined, sublimely beautiful wines of the year. This could turn out even better than my notes suggest. Tasted two times.”

98 Points – Falstaff
“Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate notes of candied violets, black cherries, some nougat, inviting hint of precious wood, multi-faceted bouquet. Juicy, elegant, ripe heart cherries, fine extract sweetness, ripe, silky tannins, freshly structured, mineral, blackberry confit in the finish, finesse-rich, harmonious style.”

From the importer: Bush-trained Cannonau (also known as Grenache) from a vineyard called Sas de Melas, at 600 meters (about 2,000 feet) above sea level, near the village of Mamoiada. This altitude is unusual for red wines, and gives the wine uncommon freshness (cooler night-time temperatures at altitude mean higher acidity in the grapes). The vines were planted in 2004 and 2010 in soil based on decomposed granite.

The grapes are picked in late September or early October, de-stemmed and crushed, and fermentation begins using indigenous yeasts only, encouraged by a a ‘pied de cuve'* (Luca believes that cultured yeasts don’t give a wine that truly is representative of place.) The wine is left in contact with the skins for 10-12 days, then pressed off. The wine is aged for about 6 months in stainless steel tanks, lightly fined, then bottled without filtration.

Notes: mid-red, with aromas and flavors of red fruits (wild strawberry particularly), blackberry, and hints of mediterranean herbs. Very good fresh fruit notes on the palate, with the freshness typical of such a high growing site; moderate fine tannins.

Domaine de I’R runs along the picturesque Vienne river in the region of Chinon, the heart of Cabernet Franc country. Founded in 2007 by Frédéric Sigonneau, the young winery quickly climbed the ranks to become a top producer of Cabernet Franc. The popularity of his wines is no surprise, as the estate has raised the bar for what Carnet Franc can offer through its sincere attention to taste and quality. The vineyard is managed as naturally as possible, working in harmony with the natural elements to produce a red wine with exceptional flavor and utmost purity. Throughout the entire winemaking process, there are no compromises, and the wines undergo frequent tastings during vinification. Healthy grapes are fermented in raw cement tanks, the porosity of which allows for a smooth, controlled, and gradual fermentation producing an incredibly rich and flavorful red wine.

Designed and sized for expert bartending, the 800 milliliter professional-grade mixing glass accommodates one or two drinks and works smoothly in allegiance with our professional bar spoons and strainers. Features a thickset base, precision pour spout and strong, geometrically faceted sides.

• • 800 mL
• • Lead-free crystal
• • Hand wash recommended

Designed and sized for expert bartending, the 500 milliliter professional grade mixing glass accommodates one or two drinks and works smoothly in allegiance with our professional bar spoons and strainers. Features a thickset base, precision pour spout and strong geometrically faceted sides.

• • 500 mL
• • Lead-free crystal
• • Hand wash recommended

A selection of grapes from some the estate’s oldest vineyards. Soils predominantly sandy, with limestone.
AGE OF VINES: 40 years, on average WINEMAKING: Hand-harvested. Fermented on indigenous yeasts in tank.
Malolactic conversion allowed. Aged in tonneaux for four to five months, then five months in bottle

From the importer: From three vineyards at the foothills of Chaintré: Les Chambardes, Les Pelouses, Les Jonchayes. The vines were planted between 1968 and 1985. Clay-limestone soils. Hand harvested. Fermented in thermoregulated tanks. The wine continues to age in these tanks for ten months before bottling. No fining.