Search results for: 'RAISE LEFT HAND CLASS'

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.

100 Points! Along with the Château Lafite, the 2016 Château Mouton Rothschild is the wine of the vintage from the Médoc and is a truly profound, magical, blockbuster wine in every sense. It’s based on 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in new French oak. Boasting a saturated purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of thick black fruits, lead pencil shavings, new saddle leather, and burning embers, with just a hint of its oak upbringing, this beauty hits the palate with a mammoth amount of fruit and texture yet stays fresh, pure, and light on its feet, with a thrilling sense of minerality as well as building tannins on the finish. It’s one of the most profound young wines I’ve ever tasted, and while it will probably keep for three-quarters of a decade, it offers pleasure even today. Bravo! - Jeb Dunnuck

Discover a rare gem. It’s not every day that you come across a pure carignan wine from low-yield 100-year-old vines grown on the distinct terroir of a limestone plateau. Hand harvested, organic, and biodynamic, this medium-bodied wine is a real crowd-pleaser. Concentrated notes of red fruit meld with licorice and spice to create an incredibly silky and refined finish. Rich in umami and with an approachable earthiness.

98 Points! The 2018 La Conseillante is composed of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.65 pH and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to lure out the youthfully shy, incredible perfume of black raspberries, boysenberries, ripe plums and cinnamon toast, leading to notions of lilacs, clove oil and forest floor, plus a waft of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is a jaw-dropping exercise in finesse, slowly unfurling in the mouth to reveal layer upon layer of bright, crunchy red and black fruits, supported by a rock-solid frame of firm, fine-grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and with an impressive mineral and exotic spice firework display. It's an incredible expression of Pomerol that cannot fail to inspire a resounding 'WOW' from whoever is fortunate to drink it. Tempting to broach now (albeit with a lot of air), try to keep your hands off it for a good 5 years and then drink it over the next 30 years or more. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com