RED WINE - 2015

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The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is dense, pliant and wonderfully expressive. Ric Forman's wines are always on the restrained side, but the 2015 packs a good bit of punch. Sweet red cherry, raspberry, sage, mint, and rose petal overtones all add to the wine's precision and nuance. In 2015, Forman took in fruit from Thorevilos, which he co-manages with David Abreu, but ultimately decided to add that juice to the Cabernet Sauvignon rather than bottle it separately. Dollops of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec round out the blend. This is one of the classiest wines of the vintage. ANTONIO GALLONI

The 2015 Dominio Do Bibei blew my mind. It's is a blend of 80% Brancellao and 20% Mouratón from different vineyards, and it has a super elegant, aromatic and ethereal profile within the power and earthy character of the wines from the zone. This fermented and aged in barrels and had an extra élevage in 1,500-liter oak foudre, but the oak is perfectly and neatly folded into the wine, which is nuanced perfumed and really captivating. The palate also reveals great harmony and balance, good freshness and very fine tannins, and the way all of the elements seem to complement each other suggests that this is going to continue evolving slowly in bottle. A great Ribeira Sacra expressing the character through the traditional varieties of yesteryear. 2,021 bottles were filled in July 2017. LUIS GUTIERREZ

After working for Bonserine and Guigal, Christophe Billon now manages his 4-hectare estate in Ampuis. Most of his vineyards are around 30 years old but his grandfather planted the oldest parcel in 1942. Christophe has produced excellent wines over the past vintages and he is starting to be recongised as a rising star in the area. PWS

Small parcels from the villages of San Esteban, Fuentelcésped, Hontangas, Cuevas de Provanco and Trigueros de Valle. 88%Tinto Fino (20% whole bunch) with 10% Garnacha (100% whole bunch) and some Albillo white. Aged 21 months, partly in Darnajou 225 and 600 litres, plus 2 Taransaud 1200 litre foudre in their third year.

Powerful but classy with fine fresh acidity and delightful earthen aromas developing with time open to air. Predominantly in a blue fruit register, with a crush of twig and glycerol tempered by fine minerality. Sweet spices and a vegetal tannin thread in the mouth replicates the woodsiness on the nose. Delicate bitters on the tongue elongate the finish, holding the mouth poised to notice the fine cloud of earthen-blue florals beyond. SCOTT WASLEY

The Geremia, Rocca di Montegrossi's Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is outrageously beautiful in 2015. Racy and pliant, with soft curves, Geremia captures all of the radiant beauty of the vintage. Sweet red cherry, plum, mint, mocha and sweet spice are all fused together. At the moment, there is a touch of new oak that still needs to integrate, but a few more years in bottle should do the trick. Time in the glass brings out attractive floral notes and red-toned fruit character that lend freshness and lift to play off the wine’s more extroverted leanings. The 2015 is a gorgeous Geremia. (96) ANTONIO GALLONI

An enticing nose of prune, walnut, eucalyptus and something like onion seed. Medium-to full-bodied with a layered texture of fruit and mild, spicy flavors that coat the still lightly firm but melting tannins, creating a very long, flavorful finish, where all the elements find common ground. Delicious. So tempting now, but will continue to improve. Best from 2023. JAMES SUCKLING

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Very minerally and salty with lots of dried fruit, currant and floral aromas and flavors. Full body, silky tannins and a fresh finish. Excellent second wine. JAMES SUCKLING

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Since it was founded in 1267, the boundaries of Herdade do Esporão have remained virtually unchanged. Located 180 kms from Lisbon, deep in the Alentejo, in Reguengos de Monsaraz.
The team is led by David Baverstock. Ex - Roseworthy and Penfolds before heading to Portugal to work at icon wineries such as Graham's, Quinta do Crasto and has taken Esporao to the title of Winery of the Year twice and has himself been named Winemaker of the Year twice, including this year.

Poor, stony soils and a tough summer climate that brings hot days and cool nights, followed by a harsh winter. Esporão currently has 194 different varieties planted, of which 37 account for virtually all production.

This is always a blend of the 4 best grapes of any vintage and changes from year to year in both compsition and percentages.

Rich and deeply alluring, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva wafts up to display crushed ashen stone mixed with hints of ginger, dusty florals and black cherry preserves. This is velvety-smooth and pliant in feel, lifted by cooling herbal and mineral tones, as an opulent wave of ripe red and black fruits washes across the palate, leaving a staining of minerals and spice in its wake. It’s long and structured, in need of further time to come fully into focus, yet somehow the 2016 Riserva remains completely fresh, tapering off to inner earth tones and hints of blueberry. Time will reveal further depths. This is an utterly classic Uccelliera Brunello in the making. (97) ERIC GUIDO, Vinous.com

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The 2015 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is absolutely gorgeous. That much is clear. The only thing the 2015 needs is time. Time in the glass brings out the wine's inner perfume and bright, red-toned fruit. Blood orange, spice, mint, licorice and dried flowers linger on the persistent, sculpted finish. Readers should not plan on opening a bottle any time soon, as the Rüncot only starts to drink well at around age ten, at a minimum. There is certainly plenty to look forward to. ANTONIO GALLONI

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

From an old-vine parcel south of Chavanay proper, the 2020 Saint Joseph les Grisieres (tasted from barrel) seems to have held onto more red-fruit character than the regular bottling. It's brighter and fresher yet also full-bodied, intense and wonderfully silky and elegant on the long finish. It should drink well close to release next year and for more than a decade thereafter. (95) JOE CZERWINSKI, The Wine Advocate

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The head oenologist of Rutini Wines Mariano Di Paola, is a prominent figure in the Argentinean wine industry, and has been the head oenologist at Rutini Wines since 1993. He was acknowledged as one the world's top 30 oenologists by Decanter Magazine in 2015.

Yes! Bonarda. The other red grape of Argentina and much overlooked though gaining plenty of interest today and this is a great example. Satsuma plums, dark cherry, a little bitter chocolate and some sweet baking spicy notes. Its mid-weight, soft and supple but has some nice detail and light seasoning from a little mix of American and French oak. Really nicely done with strapping fruit, nicely concentrated and perfectly balanced. Super value!

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Extremely floral, with cut violets, black cherries and blueberries, following through to a medium to full body with firm tannins and tangy acidity, Merlot and cabernet sauvignon. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but better in a couple of years. JAMES SUCKLING

The 2018 Barolo is a very pretty wine to drink now and over the next handful of years. Sweet dried cherry, cedar, tobacco, cinnamon, orange peel and crushed flowers give this mid-weight, ethereal Barolo lovely aromatic presence to match its light-bodied personality. All the elements are nicely woven together. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

The Paolo Scavino 2018 Barolo is a pretty wine with sweet primary intensity that appears as tart cherry and dried raspberry. With Enrico Scavino's signature on the front label, this is a classic package with silky tannins and a long, polished mouthfeel. Fruit comes from multiple vineyard sites across the appellation, and an ample 38,000 bottles were made. MONICA LARNER, The Wine Advocate

Here in its second vintage, the Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli is taking no prisoners. It wafts up with a beguiling and sultry display, with savory cherry sauce and sage giving way to spiced citrus peels, smoky minerals, animal musk and black olive tapenade. Youthfully dense and velvety upon entry, it offers masses of dark red and black fruits, contrasting almost salty nuances with a dark chocolate bitterness that creates tension and complexity. The 2016 builds like a crescendo, gaining in intensity and verve, right up until the moment that its gritty tannins take firm hold of the palate and refuse to let go. Still, echoes of licorice, blackberry and cooling herbal tones linger. It closes up rather quickly in the glass today, becoming monolithic and austere, yet the gorgeous snapshot received over the first ten minutes after opening it delivered a wonderful preview. I can’t wait to see what future vintages hold for the Vigna Montosoli, as it is one of the best young wines I’ve ever tasted from Valdicava. Unfortunately, it is only available in magnum. 

97 Eric Guido, VINOUS

The first vintage of Carlo Alfieri", Eder wrote, "contains the selection of the best vineyards of Marchesi [Alfieri], aged in wood and in the bottle for more than six years and produced in a limited number of 1,750 bottles. Captivating aromas of black cherry and chocolate, a complex mouth that is perfectly balanced by acidity and a sumptuous and extremely elegant finish. A great wine!". (19/20) Christian Eder, editor-in-chief for Italy of Vinum Europas Weinmagazin

The 2015 Pichon Comtesse is a towering wine, as it has always been. Rich, sumptuous and totally hedonistic, the 2015 melds together intense fruit with structure. Far from an easygoing wine, the 2015 is going to need a number of years and will then drink well for several decades. Grilled herbs, smoke, new leather and licorice are some of the many notes that are layered into the dark-fleshed fruit for complexity. As good as the 2015 is today, it also has room to grow. Technical Director Nicolas Glumineau has done a tremendous job with the 2015s at Pichon Comtesse. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in oak, 55% new. (98+) ANTONIO GALLONI

This shows spices, pepper, blueberries and blackcurrants on the nose. Full body, very polished tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Shows such gorgeous texture. Precise and transparent. Try in 2022. (97) JAMES SUCKLING

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva pulls you close to the glass with a deep and seductive display of black raspberry preserves complemented by sweet sage, dried roses and pipe tobacco. With further coaxing, it gains in volume and lift, taking on hints of mint and camphor. This greets the palate with undeniable elegance, casting velvety waves of violet-tinged wild berries and sweet spices across a motivating core of juicy acidity, as a subtle coating of round tannins forms toward the close. While structured and incredibly long, energy remains high, as nuances of cherry pits offset by sour citrus and hints of cedar fade. It’s amazing to experience such energy and purity from a young Biondi Santi Riserva. As pretty as the Annata released last year was, I worried that the extended aging for the Riserva might rob the wine of some of its fruit; instead it is the complete opposite, as this contains the depth and complexity of the best wines of the vintage. I can’t wait to see how the 2015 matures over the next several decades. ERIC GUIDO

The Biondi-Santi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is initially a reticent wine and one that does not immediately subscribe to the overstated abundance and exuberance of the vintage. Give it time. I wrote this review after several tastings over several days so I could ensure a more accurate account of the wine's elegant reveal. Contemplative and exceedingly nuanced in personality, with wild berry, underbrush, ferrous earth and candied orange peel, this has everything to look forward to in terms of its future evolution in the bottle. It displays a pretty ruby color that borders on garnet and polished copper. A silky, mid-weight palate is accented by beautifully managed and silky tannins (this aspect of the mouthfeel is extraordinary), bright freshness and long-lasting fruit momentum. MONICA LARNER

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More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!