Search results for: 'mostly a one plot'

93 Points! Blueberries, dark plums, tea leaves and crushed rocks on the nose with a touch of manuka honey. It’s full-bodied, firm and compact. Solid tannin frame. Lots of juicy black fruit, but still tightly wound. Drink from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Bright, juicy, and firm with chalky tannins, this wine surprises with boldness. Youthful notes of cherries and wildflowers emerge. Though austere and tight, its lively, crunchy palate promises potential, marked by refreshing oak spice. - Decanter Magazine

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Blend of six different parcels from a selection of old vines. Some vineyards are in the hills – Vireuils and Meix Chavaux – and contribute freshness and tension, others at bottom of hills just under the 1er crus – Marcausses, Vignes Blanches and Pellans – contribute body, and the parcel of Millerands rests on gravel and gives finesse. Vines are trained 1/3 Cordon de Royat and 2/3 Guyot. Pneumatic pressing and static settling. Aged in barrels with 20% new wood.

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95 Points! A wine with purity and integration, offering black-cherry, blueberry and orange-peel aromas and flavors. Hot stone, too. Full-bodied and very tight with integrated tannins that go on. Needs time to show it all. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! This red is opulent and bursting with cherry, raspberry, rose and earth flavors, and an underlying spiciness from the new oak. Harmonious and long, refined tannins detail the finish. Best from 2023 through 2043. - Wine Spectator

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The Capuano-Ferreri Santenay Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2021 is a white wine with a bright, clear, and brilliant appearance. It offers a complex aromatic profile, featuring notes of white and yellow fruits, floral hints, and subtle toasted or smoky minerality. On the palate, expect a creamy vanilla and oak character, along with a touch of lemon and herbaceous notes. The wine is known for its balance, featuring a mineral backbone and a medium body with medium acidity. 

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100 Points! This dry riesling has a hypnotic beauty that leaves no doubt how this wine redefines what peachy means in the context of this grape variety. As it aerates, a wealth of wild berry and flower nuances develop and expand. Given the mind-bending concentration of this wine, it is staggeringly fresh and absolutely precise. Then comes the finish, which is like a prima ballerina dancing on pointe off into the distance. Drink from release. - JamesSuckling.com

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93 Points! A dark red color, the 2023 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley is deeper on the nose with mocha, candied flowers, crushed berries, mint, and vanilla bean aromatics. The palate has the most ripeness and richness, a more immediate feel in the range, and a more opulent though well-managed sensation. Drink over the coming 5-7 years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

79% Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Teldeschi Ranch
14% Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Mounts Ranch
7% Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah, Mounts Ranch

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94 Points! Youthfully intense, the 2022 Chardonnay burst from the glass with flinty stone and dusty dried herbs, complicating green apples and hints of incense. This is round and surprisingly supple yet complex, with brisk acidity and citrus-laced pit fruits that take on a more tactile feel as crunchy minerals settle in toward the close. A lemony concentration lingers over a gentle tug of fine tannin as a note of sage resonates. In a word—stunning. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

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93 Points! A light beautiful color of red marks the visual appeal of the 100% varietal 2022 Grenache, grown at high elevation on the producer’s estate around 2,400-feet. There’s a beautiful perfume to the wine, a combination of wild strawberry and lilac, accented in blood orange. Tobacco, white pepper, and garrigue play along the full-bodied palate that tastes more delicate than it is, the tannins smoothened into rounded submission. This should age well another 5-7 years. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

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What isn't in a name? It doesn't say it on the label but Duband’s Vosne-Romanée comes from 90% “Les Barreaux” (medium-steep slope above Richebourg and Cros Parantoux; 300-340m; p.1950s) and 10% “Aux Ormes (gentle slope east of village center; 235m; p.1990).

I repeat, 90% of this wine comes from the vineyard next to Richebourg and Cros Parantoux.  Look 'em up, pick your jaw up off the floor, then click and buy this wine. Insane value here.

 

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100 Points! What a stunning nose of crushed berries, fresh flowers, sandalwood and light vineyard dust. Black olives, too. Very complex. Full-bodied with a beautiful, dense palate of blackberries, chocolate, walnuts and cigar box. Fantastic length and composure. The tannin just rolls over the palate. Very structured. The most classically structured wine ever from here. Goes on for minutes. Outrageous and so polished. A blend of 48% carmenere, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 1% petit verdot. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com Learn More

94 Points! The 2023, 2024, and 2025 vintages represent the best consecutive trio DuMOL has seen in modern history. Despite relentless July heat and mildew pressure, the season remained calm and orderly with lower sugars and lower acidity than 2023. The 2024 Chardonnay Wester Reach is a golden yellow hue and reveals aromatics of pineapple, lemon marmalade, honeysuckle, and delicate toast. It’s full-bodied on the palate, yet juicy and approachable, with excellent freshness and broad appeal. - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

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Privateer's Queen's Share is made using the traditional Cognac technique of redistilling the seconds - the transitional distillate between the rich hearts and bitter tails.

The result is a spirit of outstanding quality, deep complexity, and exceptional character.

Our Queen's Share Single Cask barrels are aged in American oak casks and bottled at cask strength.

With tasting notes of golden raisin, honey, macadamia nut, and toasted coconut, the Queen's Share is equally delicious on its own or in your favorite cocktail.

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95 Points! The 2017 Syrah Rockpile Vineyard is another huge success in the vintage. From a great site in the Rockpile AVA of Sonoma County, its deep purple color is followed by a great bouquet of blueberries, iron, crushed rocks, ground pepper, and hints of smoked game. Structured and tannic on the palate, it reminds me of a young Cornas and needs 4-5 years of bottle age. It’s seriously impressive, though, and should have 15 years of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

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93 Points! The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Roberto Corona Vineyard, from a site on the Oakville bench, is the richest of these 2009 Cabernets from Rivers-Marie. It bursts from the glass with jammy, opulent fruit and a big, full-bodied personality. Blue and black fruit, mint, licorice and sweet spices wrap around the finish. The 100% new oak comes through here. I am not sure this wine needs all the oak and makeup. There is plenty of pedigree already. - Antonio Galloni, robertparker.com

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95 Points! From 97% Tempranillo, the rest Merlot and Albillo Mayor, the 2021 Reserva spent 28 months in French oak barrel and has quite a bit of toastiness on the palate. The tannins are smoothened and round, with a hint of chalkiness and grip. From a sizable percentage of old-vine grapes, it has an ethereal freshness and full-bodied layers of dark berry, leather, anise, and dried herb. It should offer 15-20 years more of aging. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

#ArzuagaTrio

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A natural, light amber color; the nose is punchy with upfront aromas of light tobacco and toasted oak with spicy fruit – raisins and plums. With time light notes of vanilla become evident. On the mouth luscious and tropical fruits with a soft, buttery and almost creamy texture. Dry a slightly bitter, soft tannins are rounded out by toasted oak and nutmeg. A hint of black pepper finished off with a touch of ginger as it lingers with it’s soft, dry finish. Learn More

93 Points! This is the second year for Berliquet under the Canon team, and it is proving to be an excellent addition to the stable of wines - with a more powerful, cocoa bean, espresso and blackberry fruit character than its sibling (and neighbour, as Canon is within walking distance of Berliquet), but still with the mouthwatering, gunsmoke, salted caramel and saffron hit of a limestone-dominant terroir. 45hl/ha yield, 45% new oak for ageing. Thomas Duclos consultant. - Jane Anson

94 Points! The 2019 Berliquet is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, sweet spices, violets and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with terrific depth at the core, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins, it concludes with a long, mineral finish. It's produced from a 9.5-hectare vineyard that encompasses three soil types: Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau (like its sibling, Château Canon); the slope, characterized by deep clay; and then sandy, colluvial soils at the foot of the slope. Right now it's planted with 70% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, but the percentage of the latter is increasing as replanting progresses. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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98 Points Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
"The most firmly constructed wine of the Calon stable, yet it still delivers the combination of finesse and concentration that defines the best wines of 2025. Graphite, slate, iris, cassis, crushed violets, espresso, and cocoa bean unfold in layers. A slow unroll of complexity and one of the standout wines of the vintage."

96-98 Points Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
"Dark in color, with an aromatic display of red, purple, and white flowers alongside black fruits and berries. The palate is refined, powerful, and focused, offering endless waves of ripe fruit, spice, mint, and peppery chocolate. Long, restrained, and beautifully balanced."

95-97 Points Wine Advocate
"A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2025 offers dark berries, rose petals, violets, and subtle oak notes. Full-bodied and layered with terrific energy, ultra-refined tannins, and a long, penetrating finish."

95-97 Points Neal Martin, Vinous
"Immense clarity and precision with blackberry, cedar, and subtle sous-bois aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannins and a distinctive marine character that adds complexity and personality. Classical, elegant, and beautifully balanced."

95-97 Points Antonio Galloni, Vinous
"A total head-turner. Aromatic and structured, packed with intense fruit and equally potent tannins. Dried herbs, crushed rose petals, and mint linger throughout a wine that promises extraordinary longevity."

95-97 Points The Wine Palate
"Seductive notes of iris, fresh blueberries, and black currant jelly lead into a full-bodied palate marked by bright fruit, firm tannins, and tremendous tension. Long, mineral-driven, and exceptionally pure."

95-97 Points Jeb Dunnuck
"Ripe plums, cassis, black raspberries, smoky tobacco, and violet notes emerge from this Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend. Full-bodied, polished, and lush, with ripe tannins and a great finish. A Saint-Estèphe that combines early appeal with serious aging potential."

95-96 Points James Suckling
"Aromas of ripe black currants are complemented by menthol and fresh herbs. Medium-bodied with firm, slightly chewy tannins and a savory finish. Plenty of character and complexity."

96 Points Decanter
"Crystalline blackcurrant fruit, licorice, tobacco, and smoky notes. Softly chewy, layered, and beautifully controlled, with a juicy core of strawberries and cherries and Calon's signature mineral grip on the finish."

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From the winery: 

The words “classic” and “perfect” were tossed around a lot after the 2012 growing season, and this vintage will always be remembered for its lack of drama! Winter was unseasonably dry, followed by a beautiful spring that led to a very productive flowering and fruit set. Summer and early fall were characterized by fairly mild temperatures with plenty of sunny days that allowed the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly with no major heat spikes. Interestingly, it was ZD’s latest start on record, with our first cabernet not coming in until the second week of October! If there were any challenges during harvest it was finding open fermenters for all of the beautiful cabernet fruit coming in to the winery at a frenetic pace, as harvest came to a dizzying finish the first week of November.

As always, ZD’s Cabernet is produced from several small intensely farmed vineyards in the Napa Valley and the final blend consistently results in a unique wine layered with remarkable flavor and balance. Each vineyard lot was fermented separately in small open top tanks with regular hand punch downs ensuring a gentle extraction of tannin and color. After one year in American Oak barrels and frequent blind tastings at the winery, the vineyard lots were blended and barrel aged for an additional year before bottling in July 2014.

This wine is big and unctuous with a firm structure that gives it excellent aging potential. Aromas of cassis and black cherry mingle with hints of plum, star anise and sweet vanilla. The combination of fruit, oak and tannin integrate seamlessly to provide a long, powerful finish. Enjoy!

Revisited in 2021
It has been a pleasure to revisit this Library Cabernet from what was considered a spectacular vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Looking back at the original notes and tasting it now clearly demonstrates how well Napa Valley Cabernet ages in a “classic” and “drama-free” vintage. This wine has a beautiful medium ruby color. Aromas of jammy raspberry and ripe cherry mingle with subtle hints of cola, clove, earth and cedar. The tannins have softened nicely but still provide a wonderful backbone that continues to support the core of ripe fruit and delicate acidity that will benefit this wine as it continues to develop for years to come.

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