Wines

90 Points! Supple and vibrant, with aromatic orange blossom, peach and cantaloupe accents that glide on the finish. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

90 Points! A fresh and fruity white with aromas of sliced apples, fresh pears, lemons and peach pits. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a clean, bright palate. Juicy peach notes. Sustainable. Drink now. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

From the importer: The domaine’s top red wine is the cuvée Charles de Batz, which was the original name of d'Artignan. The wine is composed of 90% Tannat with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that are between 50 and 100 years old. After being completely destemmed, the Cabernet and Tannat are fermented separately in cement tanks. During this time, a bit of micro-oxygenation or microboullage takes place. The wine then goes into oak (50% new) in an underground cellar where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. After 12 months in wood, it is blended and bottled after a very light filtration.

Very ripe, rich Madiran that takes no prisoners. This wine succeeds in obtaining more fruit than tannin! The color is nearly opaque—wine doesn't get much darker than this. It displays notes of black fruit (blackcurrant and blackberry) along with just a hint of red fruit. There is a cedar-like creaminess to the oak which is extremely well-integrated. Tannins pick up on the finish but, let's face it, this is Madiran and that is to be expected. These tannins seem to dissolve when the wine is matched with richly flavored meats like leg of lamb, duck, goose or game.

From the importer: Barrialto Sobre Lías Santa Brigida, bottled from a single 500L butt, is a blend of two different albariza soil sub-types. Palomino grapes from Pago Balbaína Baja near Jerez (albariza tosca cerrada soils), with grapes from Pago Maína, near Sanlúcar, (albariza barajuelas soil). Rafa says that the tosca cerrada albrariza lends the blend balance and fitness, while the barrajuela albariza lends a dry minerality and herbal salinity. Each wine Rafa produces is a unique snapshot of a place, time, and soil type in his vineyards in the Jerez region. As a result, production of these authentic treasures is in the hundreds of bottles, and they are exceptionally limited, coming to the US market in tiny allocations.

Hand-harvested palomino grapes (from 40+ year-old vines) are de-stemmed and pressed, followed by spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts from the vineyard without temperature control in a 500L ex-Manzanilla cask. After fermentation, it rests for nine months on its fine lees with bâtonnage in the same barrels before being racked into a stainless steel tank to settle before bottling unfined, with only a light paper filtration and minimal additional sulfur used before bottling.

Hey, we are as picky about Oregon Pinot Blanc as we are about everything else. Yes, it is crisp, bright, and fresh, as they are expected to be. The surprise here was that there was fruit (apple, pear, citrus), texture, and some character as well. It is a small thing that makes a huge difference within the category. It's not a genre that typically moves us. Suffice it to say it's a big deal for us to actually talk about it. Can't remember the last time that happened. This one should make some friends.  As a bonus, it's also priced as an everyday go-to ($16.98).

92 Points #55 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2017! A mouthwatering Pinot Gris, with exotic notes of papaya and grated coconut accenting the peach, anise and almond blossom flavors. Sleek acidity focuses this through to the spicy, mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2029. - Wine Spectator

From the importer: Grown on rare limestone soil with heavy topsoil of loam and clay. The vines are 15 to 39 years old and do grow low yields around 45 to 65 hl per hectare. It is a curious fact, that most of the wines are located on today’s french side of the border but we are still allowed to produce german wine there as the family owns the vineyards for many generations already.

The grapes were hand harvested and destemmed. Before pressing, the grapes were macerating for 12 to 24 hours days to extract all the flavors and aromas from the grape-skins into the juice. The lightly pink-hued juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks and 2400 liter oak-barrels and afterwards let on lees for almost 5 months after fermentation to gain even more flavor and complexity through the lees-contact.

The NV Solear Manzanilla is 100% Palomino from the Gibalbin and Santa Lucia vineyards grown on albariza soils, and averaging seven years aging under a veil of flor. The perfumed nose is dominated by roasted almonds, dry flowers (chamomile), bread dough and a whiff of sea breeze. The medium-bodied palate is crisp and penetrating, with a long finish. A subtle Manzanilla, ideal for tapas and sushi.- Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! Extremely perfumed with violet and blueberry aromas that follow through to a full body with creamy, refined tannins. Wonderful depth, due to the compact fruit and vertical line of tannins. Black pepper to the dark fruit. Better in two or three years. Try after 2022. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! A full-bodied red with aromas of black cherries, blackcurrants, violets and black licorice. Tannic and chewy with a firm core of dark fruit. Try from 2023. - JamesSuckling.com

The NV Fino Jarana, aged in Jerez, has a beautiful, classical Fino nose of chalk, dry hay, dry straw (esparto) and nuts, while the palate is very dry, intense and pungent, long, with a pleasant bitter finish. It’s both intense and fine.- Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com