2014
2014
Ca’ del Bosco 2014 Annamaria Clementi Riserva Dosage Zéro Franciacorta
Italian Sparkling
Golden and finely beaded, with baked apple, ripe stone fruit and freshly made pastry layered over acacia honey, wet stone and discreet oak spice. The palate is creamy yet controlled, adding hazelnut, ginger, almond and bitter lemon around a firm mineral core. Long lees ageing brings depth without sacrificing precision, leaving an elegant, savoury finish.
Louis Roederer 2014 Cristal Rose Champagne
French Sparkling
Citrus peel and yuzu rise first, followed by red forest fruit and a fine mineral note. The palate is precise and finely layered, combining delicate fragrance with real power and structure. A persistent mousse and vivid acidity keep the finish focused, long and quietly complex. Serve in generous white-wine glasses with lobster, salmon, roast poultry or delicate mushroom dishes.
Silver Oak 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
American Red
Chocolate and graphite lead, with cassis and blackberry adding a quieter dark-fruit core. The palate is smooth and composed, layering blackcurrant, raspberry and orange zest with nuanced vanilla, cocoa and a gentle savoury edge. Fine tannins keep the Cabernet measured as the fruit and oak detail settle into a lingering finish.
Petterino 2014 Gattinara DOCG
Italian Red
d’Arenberg 2014 The Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon
Australian Red
A poised Cabernet Sauvignon with violet, cassis and dark plum carried by a subtle minty lift. The palate is sleek and concentrated, shaped by fine, chalky tannins rather than sheer weight. Notes of baked capsicum, tobacco and cedar add savoury depth through the finish, while the fruit remains clear and composed. Decant now or cellar for further dried-fruit and cedar complexity.
Greywacke 2014 Pinot Noir
New Zealand Red
Black Doris plum, raspberry, black cherry and strawberry conserve lead a fragrant, generous Pinot Noir. Cinnamon and clove add savoury spice around a dense, lively palate. Fruit from Marlborough's Southern Valleys was hand-harvested, chilled and sorted, with partial whole-bunch fermentation before sixteen months in French oak. The finish is long and energetic, balancing ripe fruit with fine structure.
Château Vartely 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Select
Moldovan White
This dry Sauvignon Blanc shows golden-straw colour with pale green reflections. Citrus and blackcurrant-leaf notes define the fresh aromatic profile, while the palate is soft and refreshing with fine citrus fruit and delicate acidity. Classic temperature-controlled vinification preserves the direct white-wine character. Serve it with fresh vegetables, seafood, shellfish, fish, salads or goat cheese, preferably between ten and twelve degrees Celsius.
Finca del Marquesado 2014 Crianza Rioja
Spanish Red
Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano form the red blend. The profile includes red and black fruit, oak, spice and balsamic notes. The wine comes from Rioja DOCa and carries 13.5 percent alcohol. Serve it between 16 and 18°C with roasted vegetables, grilled meats, game dishes, cooked sausages or firm cheeses. Vegetable casseroles are also listed among its pairings.
Quinta da Costa do Pinhão 2014 Gradual Tinto
Portuguese Red
Rock rose, plum, wild blueberry, violet and cassis define the fruit and floral profile. Fine, tight tannins lead to a salty, lingering finish. The blend draws equally from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz grown in Pinhão at three hundred to four hundred and fifty metres. Native fermentation uses schist lagares with foot treading and stainless steel, followed by twelve months in French oak.
Zenato 2014 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 375 mL
Italian Red
Dark fruit, raisin and toasted notes meet black cherry, vanilla, black pepper, nutmeg, oak and tobacco. The palate is lush and smooth, with velvety tannins. Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina form the blend. Grapes from Sant’Ambrogio in the Valpolicella Classica area are harvested and dried by the traditional method. The wine contains 16.5 percent alcohol.
Culmina 2014 Merlot
Canadian Red
Plum, cherry, blackberry, anise, sweet and savoury spices, and toasted oak form the profile of this Merlot. Ripe dark and red berries meet toasted vanilla spice in a supple, smooth texture. Fruit from Arise Bench on the Golden Mile Bench is bottled unfiltered and unfined. Maturation lasts sixteen months in French oak, with fifteen percent new barrels.
Domaine de la Jaufrette 2014 Vacqueyras Rouge
French Red
Mushroom, leather and light smoke are present. The red blend comprises sixty-five percent Grenache, fourteen percent Syrah, eleven percent Mourvèdre, four percent Counoise, four percent Cinsault and two percent Terret. Fruit is hand harvested, not crushed or destemmed, and the varieties are vinified together with long vatting. Maturation takes place in foudres and new wood for six to twelve months.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2014 Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre
French White
White-gold in colour with green reflections, this Chardonnay is aromatic and marked by mineral and spice notes. The palate is taut, rich and oily. Freshness, minerality, fruit and ripeness are present. Apple, plum, lemon and floral details appear together with apple blossom and gooseberry. The finish is delicate, harmonious and long, with salinity and a steely character.
Telmo Rodriguez 2014 Pegaso Granito
Spanish Red
Blackberry, black cherry, thyme, rosemary and earthy notes accompany a deep ruby colour. The palate is fleshy and concentrated, with firm tannins, mild acidity and a mineral finish. Orange, lime, bark, forest floor, spice and red fruit are also present. The texture is balanced and expands across the back of the palate, adding length. This is a dry Garnacha red.
Donkey & Goat 2014 Stone Crusher Roussanne El Dorado
American White
Deep orange-gold in colour, this skin-contact Roussanne shows floral, apricot and nutty notes. The palate is dry and light-bodied, with chewy tannins and mineral character. Fermentation takes place on the skins for twelve days in an open-top wooden vat. Maturation lasts ten months, with sixty percent in neutral French oak. The finish is long, with stone fruit and spice.
Lopez de Heredia 2014 Vina Bosconia Reserva Rioja DOCa
Spanish Red
Intense ruby colour has light brick edging. Ripe red fruit, floral notes, lavender and withered leaves accompany vanilla, cinnamon, clove, leather, coffee, tobacco and balsamic notes. Wild berries, earth and integrated oak are present with sinewy tannins, acidity and a long finish. The blend is eighty percent Tempranillo, fifteen percent Garnacha, three percent Mazuelo and two percent Graciano. Ageing lasts five years in American oak, with two manual rackings each year.
Cakebread Cellars 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
American Red
Fresh smoky cassis, blackberry and boysenberry appear with cedar, black-tea spice and sweet oak. The palate is concentrated, with black fruit, firm structure and a long savoury finish. The blend is seventy-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, sixteen percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Franc and two percent Malbec. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, followed by twenty months in French oak, thirty-five percent new. Alcohol is 14.2 percent.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2014 Forster Pechstein Riesling Grosses Gewächs Trocken
German White
Subtle, exotic yellow-fruit aromas accompany a tight, dense character, mineral salinity and a long, fresh finish. Basalt occurs at the surface, alongside red sandstone-derived soil and sandy loam, with clay and limestone about two metres below. Riesling ferments in 2,400-litre Doppelstück barrels and remains on full lees until July. The wine is filtered once and bottled in mid-August.
La Fiorita 2014 Brunello di Montalcino
Italian Red
Brilliant, intense ruby colour accompanies blackberry, goji berry and a subtle liquorice note. The palate is dense and interwoven, with dark berry fruit, pithy vivid tannins and a long salty finish. Dark cherry, toasted almond, cinnamon and black pepper are also present. Maturation includes one year in French tonneaux and one year in Slavonian oak.
Mvemve Raats 2014 MR de Compostella
South African Red
Green herbs, peppercorn, laurel, blackcurrant leaf and plum skin are present. Ripe plum and berry flavours accompany fine tannins with a pronounced dusty grip and a long, dry finish. The colour is deep ruby. Mineral, dark berry and dark chocolate notes are also present. Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot make up the blend.
Kistler 2014 McCrea Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain
American White
Pineapple paste, honey-nut, guava, cashews and brioche appear with a satiny texture and zippy acidity. Dried pear, almond, savoury herbs and dried flowers are also present, together with a persistent finish. The vineyard lies on the eastern bench of Sonoma Mountain. Its soils combine volcanic material and limestone. Floral and citrus-blossom aromas and a chalk-like fruit core are part of the site profile.
Olivier Leflaive 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Pierres
French White
Chardonnay grows on clay-limestone soil over a rocky bank at 230 to 250 metres. The grapes are hand harvested, pressed immediately and gently, and lightly filtered. Ageing lasts sixteen months in barrel, including four months after the lots are assembled; twenty percent of the oak is new. Citron, earth, pear, sap and mineral elements appear in an intense, structured profile with a long, supple finish. Alcohol is twelve-and-a-half percent.
Penfolds 2014 RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz
Australian Red
Medium-deep crimson colour accompanies dark berry and dark chocolate aromas, together with meaty vanilla notes. Dense blackberry, praline and graphite flavours meet fine, grainy textures, persistent acidity and savoury mocha oak. Roasted chestnut and polished leather are also present in a balanced profile. The fruit is entirely Shiraz from the Barossa Valley, and maturation takes place only in French oak.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
French White
Chardonnay comes from the domaine's oldest vineyard and is aged equally in stainless steel and old barrels. Bright pale-yellow colour accompanies peachy fruit salad. Petrol, citrus, white flower, pear and sea-shore elements are present. The wine is plush and very ripe, with a creamy texture and a faint phenolic quality. Mineral complexity and a strikingly long finish are also present.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
French White
Chardonnay comes from a Chablis grand cru climat situated between Valmur and Blanchots. The site once had enclosing walls. Pale golden colour carries green glimmers. Mineral and honeyed notes join citrus and white stone fruit on a delicate nose. The palate is powerful, dense and fleshy with lively acidity. A mineral and saline finish is also present.
Sea Smoke 2014 Ten Pinot Noir
American Red
Ten Pinot Noir clones from the estate vineyard form the blend, which ages sixteen months in French oak, seventy percent new. Vanilla, warm cherry sauce and caramel appear with berry fruit and purple flowers. Chipped-slate minerality is accompanied by dried thyme and bay leaf. Red currant, raspberry and cherry are finely textured. Chocolate and savoury notes are present. The finish has sandalwood and thyme.
Hickinbotham 2014 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz
Australian Red
Deep garnet-purple colour accompanies warm red and black fruit preserves, mocha, vanilla, yeast extract and lavender. The profile also includes blackcurrant, rhubarb, old books and Chinese five spice with earthy, savoury elements. Full-bodied, firm, rich and concentrated in character, it has velvety, fine-grained tannins and a long finish. The blend is fifty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon and forty-four percent Shiraz.
E. Guigal 2014 Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde
French Red
Kirsch, blackberry, toasted nuts and spice meet a medium-to-full body and a seamless, elegant texture. Black pepper, liquorice and game add further detail. The blend is 96 percent Syrah and 4 percent Viognier. Plots lie on steep slopes: Côte Blonde has siliceous limestone, while Côte Brune is rich in iron oxide. Oak ageing lasts 36 months.
Contrada Santo Spirito di Passopisciaro 2014 Animardente Etna Rosso
Italian Red
Anise, red liquorice, red flowers, dried strawberry, leather, tobacco and walnut shell accompany raspberry, wild cherry and herbal tannins. The Nerello Mascalese comes from ungrafted vines more than sixty years old at 500 to 700 metres on Etna. Fermentation uses wood and stainless steel, followed by six months of maturation. Alcohol is 14.5 percent. The wine is lighter-bodied and textural.
Domaine Billaud-Simon 2014 Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu
French White
Lemon and crisp green apple appear in a ripe, juicy Chardonnay. Citrus, spice and floral notes accompany a mineral, finely cut profile with roundness and substance. The wine has a textured, tight character and persistent mineral detail. Fruit comes from Mont de Milieu in Chablis Premier Cru. Ageing takes place in both tank and barrel, with fifteen thousand five hundred bottles produced.