2017
2017
Slobodné Vinárstvo 2017 Alternativa
Slovak Red
Cranberry and sage appear in a bright red with soft, silky texture and a lightly funky note. Made entirely from Frankovka Modrá, the wine comes from the Lopata vineyard in Slovakia's Small Carpathians. Fermentation on the skins lasts four weeks, followed by at least eighteen months in oak. Selected barrels are bottled without fining or filtration, and the wine contains thirteen percent alcohol.
Domaine Chapel 2017 Juliénas Côte de Bessay
French Red
Red cherry and spice sit within a supple, fresh and bright profile. The wine is juicy and light in style, with crunchy red fruit and integrated tannins. Gamay comes from the four-hectare Côte de Bessay plot at the edge of Juliénas, where blue stones and granite are present. A low-extraction, carbonic approach is used in the cellar.
Spier 2017 21 Gables Pinotage Stellenbosch
South African Red
Deep ruby colour is present with caramelized black cherry, blackberry, allspice and dark chocolate. The palate is generous, with dense fruit, velvety tannins, balance and length. Grapes from the Stellenbosch vineyard are hand-harvested, destemmed and individually sorted. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel. The wine matures for twenty months in French, American and Hungarian oak barrels, using both first-fill and second-fill vessels.
Tenute Rade 2017 Historical Nizza DOCG
Italian Red
The nose is fresh, with boysenberry, crushed purple plum, violet, liquorice, grey pepper and bright berries. The palate has juiciness, mineral character, acidity, tension and energy. Juicy purple plum, bright blackcurrant, cornflower, cardamom, toast and nutmeg are present. The tannins are marked near the finish, with a subtle chocolate note in the persistence. The wine is made entirely from Barbera.
Domaine Henry Pellé 2017 Menetou-Salon Les Cris Rouge
French Red
Red-berry fruit, fine perfume and spicy acidity accompany developed tannins in a structured profile. Pinot Noir comes from the family's wholly owned Les Cris vineyard, where clay-limestone soils include Kimmeridgian marl and Portlandian limestone. The parcel's vines are about fifty years old. Chalky minerality and concentrated fruit are present, and the wine has a clearly defined tannic frame.
Contratto 2017 Millesimato Alta Langa Pas Dosé
Italian Sparkling
Pale straw colour accompanies white flowers, ripe apple and peach in a fresh profile with acacia honey, fine creamy bubbles and a juicy finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay come from Bossolasco. The base wine ferments in temperature-controlled steel and rests about nine months. Secondary fermentation takes place in bottle; the wine spends at least thirty months on lees and is riddled manually.
Château du Hureau 2017 Lisagathe Saumur-Champigny
French Red
Cabernet Franc comes from old vines rooted in clay and sand over Turonian limestone. Harvesting is by hand, followed by sorting and complete destemming. Maceration lasts twenty-five to thirty-five days, and malolactic fermentation takes place in tank. The wine matures for eighteen to twenty-four months in foudres and barrels. Its profile combines depth and power with finesse.
Hillside Winery 2017 Mosaic Naramata Bench
Canadian Red
The blend is thirty-three percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc, eighteen percent Malbec, seventeen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and seven percent Petit Verdot. It matures for eighteen months in French oak, forty-two percent new. The tannins are mostly dispersed, leaving a silky, dry texture. The fruit comes from vineyards on Naramata Bench in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
Domaine Nicolas Rossignol 2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
French Red
Pinot Noir grows on poor, well-draining soils. The wine has medium-intensity cherry-red colour. Red fruit, sweet spice and undergrowth accompany silky tannins and lively acidity. The finish has a mineral character. The profile is structured and fruit-focused, and the texture is smooth. The vineyard is managed under a reasoned approach. Maturation uses sixty percent wood and forty percent tank.
Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2017 Santo Spirito Etna Rosso
Italian Red
Dark spice, menthol and wild berry appear with cranberry, strawberry, star anise, blood orange and thyme. The palate is fresh and juicy, with vibrant acidity and tight, fine-grained tannins. The finish is firm. Pomegranate and salty notes are also present. Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio are used, and the red wine contains fourteen percent alcohol.
Frank Cornelissen 2017 Munjebel Classico Bianco Terre Siciliane IGT
Italian White
Grecanico Dorato and Carricante come from vineyards between 620 and 750 metres, with mostly ungrafted vines averaging more than forty years old. Production includes destemming, cold skin maceration, pressing, fermentation and maturation for about eighteen months on the lees. The profile has a deep yellow colour, white-fruit and almond notes, a delicate palate and bitterness from the maceration.
Piaggia 2017 Carmignano Riserva DOCG
Italian Red
Raspberry and strawberry appear with dark ruby and garnet colour. The palate is dense, with a melting texture and a long finish. Sangiovese is joined by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The fruit comes from an old vineyard at Piaggia, about 250 metres above sea level, with southwest exposure and clay and galestro soils. Grapes are harvested by hand and selected in small boxes. Fermentation is spontaneous, and skin maceration lasts eighteen to twenty-eight days.
Comm. G.B. Burlotto 2017 Barolo DOCG
Italian Red
Deep ruby-red colour accompanies ripe berries, cherry, delicate spice, violet, lavender and mineral notes. Dried rose is also present. The palate has fine, structured tannins, acidity, softness and a persistent red-fruit and spice aftertaste. Nebbiolo comes from Verduno in Piedmont. Total skin contact lasts two weeks, alcohol is fourteen and a half percent, and the wine is dry.
Le Piane 2017 Boca
Italian Red
Crushed rose petal, white pepper, cedar and pipe tobacco form the aromatic profile. Minerality and freshness are present. The blend is eighty-five percent Nebbiolo and fifteen percent Vespolina. Fruit comes from thirty- to fifty-year-old vineyards rooted in volcanic porphyry gravel. Fermentation with the skins takes place in open steel and wooden casks. The wine aged four years, was bottled without filtration or fining, and rested for six months.
Nada Fiorenzo 2017 Barbaresco Rombone
Italian Red
Crushed flowers, red berry, cinnamon, mint and star anise are present. The colour is deep garnet red. The palate is savoury and warm, with tannins that become more refined over time. Nebbiolo comes from vines planted in the mid-1960s on calcareous-clay soil with southwest exposure, at an average elevation of 260 metres. Maturation lasts twenty-four months in oak and six months in bottle.
Terralsole 2017 Brunello di Montalcino
Italian Red
Floral character and a menthol note are present in both aromas and flavours. The palate has balsamic character and tannins that are decisive yet gentle. The wine is made from organic, hand-picked Sangiovese Grosso grown in the Pian Bossolino and Fonte Lattaia vineyards. Maturation lasts at least five years in French oak. Production comprised twelve thousand bottles.
Château Cabrières 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
French Red
Dark cherry, fig and dried cranberry appear with light leather and spice. The wine is full bodied and tannic, with 15.5 percent alcohol. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault form the blend. Red plum and kirsch are also present, along with freshness and a spicy finish. Part of the wine was aged in barrels for twelve months. The vineyards belong to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône Valley.
Remoissenet 2017 Bourgogne Rouge Renommée 1.5 L
French Red
Red summer berries, redcurrant and baking spices appear in the aromas. The palate is tangy, with suave tannins, pomegranate jam, red cherry and spice-box flavours. The Pinot Noir comes from estate-owned and purchased Burgundy fruit. Grapes are harvested by hand and fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top French oak vats. The wine matures in French oak barrels, fifteen to twenty percent new, and is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Fontodi 2017 Flaccianello della Pieve Toscana IGT
Italian Red
Sangiovese is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerated for at least three weeks in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. Maturation lasts twenty-four months in Tronçais and Allier oak. Toast, ripe red fruit and violet form the profile. The wine is dry, robust and harmonious, with an intense garnet-red colour. The vineyards are farmed organically.
Merryvale Vineyards 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Plum, blackberry and cherry accompany leather and granite-like mineral detail. Lively acidity, soft tannins, a velvety texture and a long finish are present. The blend is eighty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, ten percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Merlot. Native-yeast fermentation follows a five-day cold soak in small tanks. Maturation lasts twenty-two months in French oak, with fifty percent new barrels, before bottling without fining or filtration.
Domaine Comte Abbatucci 2017 Ministre Impérial
French Red
Small tart redcurrants, mineral and smoky notes appear with fine oak. The palate has depth, sapidity, verticality, breadth, generosity and purity. The blend includes Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Morescola, Morescono, Montaneccia, Carcajolu-Neru and Aleatico. Fermentation takes place in wooden vats. Maturation lasts twelve months in foudre and 600-litre demi-muids, followed by several months in stainless steel and at least six months in bottle.
Julien Guillot 2017 Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée Léandre L’Homme Lion
French White
Bright and vivid, with energy. The palate is rich and salty, with a firm backbone, length, intensity, nuance and layers of complexity. The Chardonnay spent forty-three months ageing, and only one barrel was made. No sulphur was added. The wine comes from the Mâconnais in Burgundy and is certified organic. Precise reduction and texture are also present.
Sokol Blosser 2017 Peach Tree Block Pinot Noir
American Red
Clover florals accompany sweet, juicy brambly berry fruit and light, ripened tannins. Cooked bacon, cherry, caramel and spice are also present, with a complex mouthfeel and soft tannins. The finish includes liquorice. This Pinot Noir comes from the Peach Tree Block in Dundee Hills, within Oregon's Willamette Valley. The vineyard includes Pommard and Dijon 777 clones, and the wine contains 13.5 percent alcohol.
Domaine d’Hélène 2017 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne
French Sparkling
Floral, fruit and mineral character accompany this sparkling Chardonnay from old vines in Oger, Avize and Cramant. The wine was fermented with native yeasts and vinified in both tank and barrel. Production totalled two thousand bottles. Its maker comes from a winegrowing family in Cramant that dates to 1891 and previously worked at estates in Burgundy and Corsica.
Giovanni Rosso 2017 Barolo Cerretta
Italian Red
Bright ruby colour has a fine garnet sheen. Black truffle, rosehip, cranberry, plum and blood orange appear with raspberry fruit. The wine is full-bodied, warm and round, with savoury, gritty tannins. Nebbiolo grows at 350 metres with east-southeast exposure on predominantly limestone soil. Fermentation takes place in cement with approximately twenty-eight days of maceration, and maturation lasts twenty-four months in Slavonian oak.
Henricsson Vineyard 2017 Première Pinot Noir Magnum 1.5 L
Canadian Red
Pinot Noir from Naramata shows body and a generous palate, with cherry, strawberry and spice. The wine spends time in barrel. The estate follows a hands-off approach: fermentations use wild yeast, sulphur additions are minimal, and maturation uses large puncheons and neutral oak, with only twenty to twenty-five percent of the wine seeing new oak.
Taylor Fladgate 2017 Vintage Port
Portuguese Fortified
Opaque black colour at the centre narrows to a purple rim. Fine, linear fruit appears with graphite minerality, violets, citrus, wild herbs and gum cistus. The palate has muscular tannins, while the finish is firm and grippy, with pure berry fruit. The blend includes Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca. Alcohol is listed at twenty percent.
Querciabella 2017 Chianti Classico 3 L
Italian Red
Dark cherry, violets and berries appear on the nose and palate. The finish is fresh. The blend is ninety-five percent Sangiovese and five percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Cool spring temperatures and abundant rainfall accompanied the vintage, and alcohol and acidity are balanced. The wine is made from biodynamic grapes, comes from Chianti Classico in Tuscany and is listed at thirteen-and-a-half percent alcohol.
Tenute Guardasole 2017 Boca
Italian Red
Nebbiolo accounts for eighty percent of the blend, with twenty percent Vespolina. Rosehip and black pepper accompany fresh cherry, blackcurrant, floral notes, medicinal herbs and citrus detail. The wine is dry, with incisive tannins, spice and salinity. Its finish is long and broad. Vines grow below five hundred metres, and maturation lasts at least eighteen months in large oak casks.
Philippe Foreau 2017 Vouvray Clos Naudin Demi-Sec
French White
White-tea tannins, vivid tangerine acidity, honeyed apple and citrus cream appear with ginger and toasted macadamia. The finish is subtly toasty and long. Chenin Blanc is fermented naturally and aged in old barriques. Malolactic fermentation is blocked, and no chaptalisation is used. The off-dry style carries twelve-point-six percent alcohol and comes from Vouvray in the Loire Valley.