2013
2013
Palmaz Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
American Red
Raspberry liqueur rises first, grounded by the mineral scent of wet stones warming in the sun. Black and blue fruit unfolds across a concentrated palate before moving toward sweet black tea. The Cabernet combines generous aromatic depth with firm but measured structure, finishing gently and with a calm, persistent sense of balance.
Beaumont 2013 Pinot Noir Icewine
Canadian Dessert
Lush without losing shape, with ripe strawberry, raspberry and black cherry layered alongside apricot, orange marmalade and honey. The palate is rich and concentrated, while a bright line of acidity keeps the sweetness poised. Hints of caramel, hazelnut and honeysuckle deepen the finish. Serve lightly chilled with berry desserts, soft cheese or dark chocolate truffles.
Lopez de Heredia 2013 Vina Tondonia Reserva Rioja
Spanish Red
Dried berry and restrained black fruit open with wild herbs, balsamic lift and sweet spice. The palate is rich yet finely controlled, with a smooth, developed texture held by firm, elegant tannins and chalky grip. Cedar and vanilla sit quietly behind the fruit, leading into a layered, savoury finish. Serve with roast lamb, braised beef or aged manchego.
Domaine Jacques Girardin 2013 Santenay Les Terrasses de Biévaux
French White
Pale gold colour accompanies yellow flowers and vanilla. The palate is ample, round and rich, with freshness and balance. Chardonnay from the elevated Biévaux slope is made as a still white Santenay and aged in barrel. Production totalled 13,200 bottles. The vineyard is arranged on terraces. Its vines average thirty years of age, and ageing lasts twelve months in French oak.
Salton Classic 2013 Reserva Especial Tannat
Brazilian Red
Blueberry and prune lead this full-bodied Tannat, with smoke, chocolate, vanilla and dried herbs adding savoury depth. A brief passage through American oak rounds the palate, leaving the structure balanced, the tannins soft and the dark-fruit finish lingering. Serve at cool room temperature with roast pork, duck, pasta in a rich sauce, grilled red meat or firm cheese.
Domaine Fouassier 2013 Sancerre Les Romains 375 mL
French White
Pear, chalk and ripe fruit characterize this white wine, with a lively mineral profile and a lemon-toned finish. Sauvignon Blanc grows on southwest-facing clay-and-flint slopes formed over Upper Cretaceous geology. The palate combines saline liveliness with a rounder, fuller close. Oyster preparations, creamy dishes, curries and seafood are listed among the pairings, with service around twelve degrees Celsius.
Cornellana XL 40 Years 2013 Red Blend Reserve
Chilean Red
Carménère forms eighty-five percent of the blend, joined by ten percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Syrah. Fermentation uses wild yeasts, and the wine matures for twelve months in French oak. The profile is full-bodied and silky, with balanced acidity. This organic red comes from Peumo in Chile's Cachapoal Valley. It suits red meat, mature cheese or game.
Foppiano 2013 Lot 96 Petite Sirah
American Red
Deep purple in colour, with blackberry, currant and freshly baked blueberry-pie aromas. The palate is round and full, with red cherry, nutmeg and cedar, supple tannins, lively acidity and a long spicy finish. Made from Petite Sirah grown in California's Sonoma County, the wine is full-bodied yet smooth and contains thirteen point nine percent alcohol.
Pentâge 2013 GSM
Canadian Red
Syrah and Grenache each account for forty percent of the blend, with Mourvèdre making up the remaining twenty percent. Red fruit and savoury, meaty notes accompany red cherry, liquorice, olive, fresh pepper and spice. The palate enters with fresh, high acidity. Maturation lasts eighteen months in a combination of new and neutral French oak. The wine comes from Skaha Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
Domaine Marcel Deiss 2013 Muscat de Bergheim
French White
Fresh lime, star anise and pineapple appear in a lively, crisp profile. The palate is balanced, with a rich, voluptuous mouthfeel and aromatic character. Made from Muscat grapes in Alsace, this white wine contains twelve percent alcohol. It can be served as an aperitif or alongside salmon, asparagus, veal in cream, pear tart or lemon-meringue tart.
Podere Pradarolo 2013 Velius Rosso
Italian Red
Ruby in colour with violet tones, the wine offers persistent fruit, pronounced acidity and evident tannins. It is made entirely from organically grown Barbera on clay-loam soils with active limestone. Maceration lasts about ninety days with native yeasts and no sulphur. The wine spends fifteen months in large oak, followed by at least six months in bottle, and is bottled without filtration or stabilization.
Stina 2013 Pošip Brač
Croatian White
Green and white fruit sit with spice in a dry, yellow-green wine. The palate is rounded, with pronounced acidity, solid length and a warming finish. Floral and grapey fruit also appear alongside yeast-lees notes, juiciness, chalkiness, weight and crisp bite. The wine comes from limestone soils on Brač in Croatia and contains fourteen percent alcohol by volume.
I Mandorli 2013 Vigna alla Sughera Toscana IGT
Italian Red
Transparent red colour accompanies a slender Sangiovese profile with delicate fruit and a soft finish. The Vigna alla Sughera parcel faces northeast on a medium slope at Belvedere di Suvereto and has clay-silt soil. Its two component parcels are vinified separately. Maturation comprises eight months in large wood, eight months in cement and twelve months in bottle, while vineyard work follows biodynamic practice.
Clos Marie 2013 Les Métairies du Clos Vieilles Vignes Pic Saint-Loup
French Red
Black raspberry appears with violets, wild herbs, crushed flowers, leather, pepper, garrigue and spice. Red fruit, freshness and a structured tannic profile are also present. Grenache, Carignan and Syrah grow on clay-limestone soils. The grapes are harvested by hand and partly destemmed before a long maceration. The vineyard is farmed organically, and the wine contains fourteen percent alcohol.
Domìni Veneti 2013 Vigneti di Jago Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italian Red
Leafy underbrush, menthol and dark spice appear in the aromas. The robust palate has dried fig, raisin, clove and powdered sage, with raspy tannins, alcoholic warmth and an astringent finish. Bright fruit, cherry, plum, warm spice, peppery earth and a muscular tannic structure are also present. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and other locally permitted grapes come from the Jago microarea in Valpolicella Classica.
CedarCreek 2013 Platinum The Last Word
Canadian Red
Dark liquorice, black cherry, cooked plum and graphite appear across the profile. Cassis, wild blackberry, spice-box notes and anise are also present, with bright acidity, structurally sound tannins and a warm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec were co-fermented for one month. The blend then spent twenty months in French oak. The fruit comes from Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley.
Speri 2013 Vigneto Monte Sant’Urbano Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italian Red
Spiced plum, pipe tobacco, crushed mint, leather and smoke appear with dried cherry, raspberry compote, star anise and graphite. Fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity accompany the full-bodied, velvety palate. Prune, raisin, dark spice and cedar add further detail. Sweet softness is present in the finish. The grapes are dried for more than 100 days. The wine contains 15 percent alcohol.
Domaine Schoenheitz 2013 Herrenreben Riesling Alsace
French White
Ripe pear, yellow plum and peach appear with rounded fruit and bright acidity. The palate is lively, taut and long, with a dry finish. Riesling grows at altitude on two-mica granite. The vines are forty years old, and maturation takes place in tank. Ripe lemon and pineapple are also present. Residual sugar is three grams per litre, and alcohol is 13.5 percent.
St. Supéry 2013 Élu Napa Valley Red
American Red
Vibrant deep red and purple colour accompanies black plum, blackberry, anise, graphite, dark cocoa, espresso and toasted barrel. Cassis, black pepper and black liquorice are also present, with length and fine-grained tannins. The blend is sixty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty-two percent Merlot and nine percent Malbec, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot making up the balance.
Roger-Constant Lemaire 2013 Les Hautes Prières Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Champagne
French Sparkling
Pale gold colour and abundant bubbles accompany apple, flowers, wax, honey and orange peel. The wine is round, creamy and balanced, with generous effervescence, candied and honeyed flavours, fern, vegetal notes and persistence. It is a Blanc de Blancs made entirely from Chardonnay. Vinification excludes malolactic fermentation, and the wine spends nine months in 225-litre oak barrels.
Dom Ruinart 2013 Blanc de Blancs Brut
French Sparkling
Ripe pear, orange pith, brioche and toasty lees appear with a stony nuance. The palate is smooth and expansive, with citrus and orchard fruit, minerality and smokiness. Sweet citrus oil, toasted nuts, dried white flowers and smoke are also present. A creamy, textural palate has lively acidity. The finish is saline. This dry, full-bodied Blanc de Blancs is made from Chardonnay.
Burrowing Owl 2013 Malbec
Canadian Red
Deep purple-ruby colour accompanies Bing cherry, Damson plum, blackberry, vanilla, liquorice and cocoa. The wine is medium to full in body, with silky texture and ripe, round tannins. Sweet black cherry, baked plum, pepper and wet earth are also present. Grapes were hand-harvested from the Eva Vineyard, and maturation lasted twenty-one months in mixed oak barrels.
Smith Woodhouse 2013 Madalena Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Floral perfume, fresh cassis and berry aromas accompany dark spice, chocolate and mint. The palate is fresh and ripe, with crunchy, fine and elegant tannins and a very long finish. This single-estate Vintage Port comes from Portugal's Douro Valley. The blend includes Touriga Franca, Sousão, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Cão, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional. Alcohol is 20 percent, and the wine is vegan.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2013 Ethos Reserve Chardonnay
American White
Toasted oak, poached pear, butter and nutmeg accompany pear, crème brûlée and Golden Delicious apple. The Chardonnay is rich, full-bodied and textured, with peach and a long finish. Fruit comes primarily from Canoe Ridge Estate and Cold Creek vineyards. The wine spends nine months on its lees in French oak, using thirty-six percent new, sixty percent one-year-old and four percent two-year-old barrels.
Bixio Poderi 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Silver DOCG
Italian Red
Intense ruby colour with garnet variations accompanies red fruit, sour black cherry and vanilla. Plum, vanilla, spice and oak appear with a vigorous, aromatic and warm profile. Corvina Veronese, Corvinone and Rondinella come from the Badin estate. The grapes dry for sixty to ninety days before fermentation, followed by at least two years in large oak and four months in bottle.
Whitehall Lane 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Ripe red and black fruit, juicy fruit, plum and dried berry appear beside terracotta. The wine is full and concentrated, with velvety tannins and a refined, lasting finish. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 86% of the blend. Merlot contributes 8%, while Malbec and Petit Verdot each contribute 3%. This Napa Valley red was made in the United States.
Domaine Comte Abbatucci 2013 Il Cavaliere Diplomate d’Empire
French White
Pale yellow colour accompanies ripe yellow fruit, exotic fruit, hints of maquis, natural freshness, power and a long finish. The vineyard faces north to northeast on granitic, sandy-silty soil. Vermentino is blended with Brustiano, Biancu Gentile, Genovese and Rossola Bianca. Whole clusters are pressed before fermentation in 600-litre demi-muids. Five white varieties compose the finished blend.