Wine
Wine
Yannick Alléno & Michel Chapoutier 2023 Guer-Van Crozes-Hermitage
French Red
Smoked lard and speck appear with freshness in this Syrah. The structure is tight and velvety. The grapes were fully destemmed, and maceration lasted four weeks in concrete vats with regular pump-overs. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentations were carried out with indigenous flora in barrels. Maturation lasted twelve months in previously used barrels. The vines grow in brown and colluvial soils derived from metamorphosed granite.
Summerhill 2004 Cipes Traditional Cuvée
Canadian Sparkling
Honeyed yellow apple, caramel, toasted nuts and earthy umami accompany marmalade, ginger and key lime pie. Seashell minerality appears with a creamy mousse and mouthwatering acidity. The blend is eighty-seven percent Chardonnay, twelve percent Pinot Noir and one percent Pinot Meunier. Made by the traditional method, it spent at least eighteen years on its lees before small-batch disgorgement began.
Le Vieux Pin 2024 Désir Rosé
American Rosé
Very pale baby pink in colour, with strawberry sorbet, sour cherry, watermelon and violet. The Cinsault comes from Wahluke Slopes in Washington. After four hours on the skins, the juice was gently pressed. The wine spent five months in stainless steel. River stones, mandarin peel and fine spice are also present, together with a sleek, saline and slender profile. Alcohol is thirteen percent.
Spearhead 2024 Dual Citizen Clone 777 Pinot Noir
American Red
Ripe black cherry, raspberry and pomegranate appear with floral notes, dried herbs and exotic spice. The palate is silky and dense, with balanced structure. Vibrant freshness continues through the finish. Fruit comes from Cherry Hill Vineyard in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills. The wine was made by Spearhead winemaker Grant Stanley from Oregon fruit as a replacement release.
Domaine La Paleine 2024 Saumur Blanc
French White
Apple, pear, white flowers and honey appear in a dry, medium-bodied Chenin with present acidity and a delicate texture. The wine has no oak character and contains less than 1.2 grams of residual sugar per litre. It carries Organic and Biodynamic classifications. The grapes are hand harvested, and fermentation uses indigenous yeasts in stainless steel; maturation lasts twelve months in stainless steel.
Comtesse de Malet Roquefort 2022 Bordeaux Rouge
French Red
Ripe red fruit and subtle spice accompany a supple palate, fine tannins and freshness. The blend is ninety percent Merlot and ten percent Cabernet Franc. Grapes are selected rigorously, with most sourced from family properties. The vines grow in sandy clay soils. The wine honours Countess Isabeau, the first Malet Roquefort owner of Château La Gaffelière in 1705.
Summerhill Cipes 2012 Blanc de Blanc
Canadian Sparkling
Golden yellow colour accompanies honey, apple, straw, citrus, mango and a hint of biscuit. The palate includes citrus, lemon cream, apple, pineapple, peach and melon, with abundant mousse and a medium-long finish. Brioche, key lime and lemon are also present. This sparkling white comes from the Okanagan Valley in Canada and carries 12.5 percent alcohol.
Italo Cescon 2021 Cabernet
Italian Red
Intense ruby-red colour has violet reflections. The bouquet includes woodland, fruit, spice and herbal notes. Concentration accompanies dry tannins, fruit, oak and lively freshness. The blend contains seventy percent Cabernet Sauvignon and thirty percent Cabernet Franc from Fagarè, Vallonto and Fontanelle, where the soils are alluvial clay. Grapes are hand-harvested in late September, and the wine matures twelve months in oak followed by twelve months in bottle.
Gál Tibor 2011 Egri Bikavér Superior
Hungarian Red
Ruby colour accompanies smoky and spicy oak notes, with blueberry and plum. The dry wine is full-bodied, with medium alcohol and acidity, substantial youthful tannins, spice and toast. Its structure is firm and the finish is long. Maturation lasted eighteen months. Alcohol is 14.5 percent, and production totalled 5,500 bottles. The wine comes from Eger in Hungary.
Clos du Tue-Boeuf 2019 La Guerrerie Touraine
French Red
Ripe redcurrant, blackcurrant and blackberry appear with violet and spice. The palate is ample, dense and fruity, with fully integrated tannins. This is a fresh, fruit-driven red made without added sulphur. The wine carries fourteen percent alcohol and comes from Touraine in the Loire Valley. The family estate works sixteen hectares across Touraine and Cheverny on flinty clay over chalk.
Truchard Estate 2017 Roussanne
American White
Floral aromas of pineapple, honeysuckle and jasmine include brioche and vanilla. The palate is crisp, with pear, honeydew melon and apricot. Bright acidity accompanies a lengthy finish of citrus, mineral and spice. Whole clusters were pressed, and the wine matured for six months on its lees in French oak, with twenty percent new wood. Alcohol is 14.1 percent.
Bow & Arrow 2020 Rhinestones
American Red
Juicy dark cherry and black raspberry appear with dried thyme, spice and soft earth. The blend contains sixty percent Pinot Noir and forty percent Gamay from Johan Vineyard. Maturation takes place in a mixture of concrete and old barriques. The wine is classified as Organic and Natural. Its conception was inspired by Cheverny, bringing the two grape varieties together in a pure, refreshing red.
Domaine Buronfosse 2020 Marcus Térentius Varro Chardonnay
French White
Chardonnay comes from a 0.3-hectare vineyard on a limestone plateau at the base of Rotalier Mountain in Jura. The vines grow in a cool mountain setting. Maturation lasts about nine months in neutral barrels. The estate's white wines are kept topped up rather than aged oxidatively, and the growers favour a fresh style. The property covers four hectares in Rotalier.
Forge Cellars 2020 Dry Riesling Classique
American White
Mandarin orange and cardamom accompany a vibrant profile. This dry Riesling comes from sites along the southeast shore of Seneca Lake, with gravelly loam, clay, shale and limestone soils. Harvest ran from October 14 to 28. Residual sugar measures 3.1 grams per litre, total acidity 6.3 grams per litre and alcohol 12.5 percent. A savoury mineral note appears, and the medium-bodied palate has persistence.
Dormilona 2022 Orenji
Australian White
Blood orange, grapefruit and guava accompany tannin in this skin-fermented white blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Part of the fruit ferments on skins in open-top tanks for two weeks, while a second component spends eight weeks on skins in a concrete egg. Elevage takes place in concrete and neutral barrel. The wine is bottled with minimal sulphur, and the vineyards are managed organically.
Synchromesh 2022 Storm Haven Vineyard Gold Digger Block Riesling
Canadian White
Lime and quince accompany pear-skin texture, linear lime acidity and a long, lean, dry finish. The Gold Digger block is named for metallic elements scattered through its gravelly soils, where they glimmer and reflect light toward the vines. The site also contains sandy loam, shattered slate and granite. Residual sugar is sixty-four grams per litre, while alcohol is 8.39 percent.
The Wine Umbrella 2020 Co-Syrah
Canadian Red
Black plum and black raspberry sit near the edge of sweetness, with pepper, super-ripe fruit aromas and flavours, a silky texture and a long, smooth delivery. The blend is ninety-one percent Syrah and nine percent Viognier. It is a juicy, weighty red. A portion of the profit supports the British Columbia chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier and its charitable work.
Uva de Vida 2019 Sol del 19
Spanish Red
Wildflowers, spiced fruit, violets, cherry and blueberry accompany fresh earth and an earthy umami note. Graciano accounts for seventy percent of the blend, with thirty percent Tempranillo. Fruit from clay-limestone soils is harvested by hand in small boxes. Maceration lasts eighteen days, native yeasts carry out fermentation, and maturation lasts twenty-four months in stainless steel. The wine is unfined and unfiltered, with no added sulphites.
Quails’ Gate 2022 Dijon Clone Chardonnay
Canadian White
Honeyed peach and flint accompany a smooth, creamy texture and a clean, mineral-driven finish with stony character. Chardonnay combines Dijon clones 96, 95, 76 and 548 from selected South Kelowna vineyard blocks. The fruit is hand picked and whole-cluster pressed. Production includes French-oak barrel fermentation, fifteen months in barrel, full malolactic fermentation and some bâtonnage.
Les Lunes 2022 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
American Red
Dark fruit, cassis, cherry, leather, dried herbs and olives accompany fresh acidity, firm tannins and a long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon comes from organically and regeneratively farmed vineyards across Napa and Sonoma counties. The fruit is fully destemmed, with separate spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak and polyethylene. The wine is aged in those vessels and bottled without fining or filtration.
Pentâge 2018 GSM Dirty Dozen Vineyard
Canadian Red
Bright raspberry, ripe red cherry, cranberry and black cherry accompany baking spice. The medium-bodied palate has soft, silky tannins and gentle structure. Grenache accounts for forty-seven percent of the blend, with forty-three percent Mourvèdre and ten percent Syrah. Each variety spends fifteen months in oak barrels, twenty percent new, and the finished wine records 13.5 percent alcohol.
Swerwer 2022 Red Blend
South African Red
Crushed plum, wild blackberry, cherry and anise accompany fynbos, dried herbs, fine black-tea tannins and a lingering saline finish. The palate is juicy. Cinsault and Grenache from granite soils are co-fermented with ten percent Tinta Barocca from a drier, clay-soiled vineyard. Native yeasts are used for fermentation, and the wine spends eleven months in large, old oak foudre.
Swerwer 2021 Chenin Blanc
South African White
Citrus pith, Bosc pear and fynbos accompany a fine texture and a saline finish. Chenin comes from four dry-farmed, granitic Paardeberg vineyards, with vines averaging forty years. Around five percent of the fruit receives skin contact. Native fermentation and ten months on lees take place in older French barrels, while the finished wine is medium bodied.
Craven Wines 2024 Pinot Gris
South African Red
Coppery colour and chalky tannin accompany Pinot Gris from the Newlands vineyard, planted on Koffieklip soil in Stellenbosch. The fruit is destemmed into concrete tanks and receives a light pump-over once daily. Skin contact lasts six days. Fermentation and ageing take place entirely in concrete, including six further months after pressing. Alcohol is 12.95 percent.
Roland Lavantureux 2018 Chablis
French White
Pear and lemon appear with a touch of wet walnut. The palate has concentration, mid-palate weight and salty preserved-lemon freshness, with a bright finish. Chardonnay comes from a five-hectare parcel in Lignorelles. The estate vinifies each parcel separately, and this wine receives twenty-five percent barrel élevage. The profile is long and direct, and alcohol is 12.5 percent.
Domaine Tatsis 2020 Limnio
Greek Red
Raspberry, tart cherry, ripe red fruit, white pepper and herbal notes accompany a medium-bodied palate. Rustic tannins, fresh acidity, a light green vegetable note and an earthy character are also present. Limnio is the sole grape variety. The wine is aged in old French oak barrels and bottled without additional sulphur. The fruit is certified organic, and the wine carries the PGI Macedonia designation.
Intellego 2020 Chenin Blanc
South African White
Hay, naartjie, peach and cut apple appear with fresh acidity and a gently savoury finish. The medium-bodied wine is made entirely from Chenin grown on a single Paardeberg hillside vineyard of nineteen-year-old bush vines. Hand-harvested fruit is whole-bunch pressed with solids, and spontaneous fermentation takes place in neutral 500-litre French foudres. The wine ages eleven months on gross lees without bâtonnage and is bottled unfined and unfiltered with a small sulphur addition.
Garnet Valley Ranch 2021 Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Clear garnet-red colour appears with lush berries, delicate flowers and earthy undertones. Raspberry, dark cocoa, anise, a silky texture and soft balance are also present. Estate-grown Pinot Noir ferments in small concrete tanks with fifty percent whole clusters. Basket pressing and ageing in neutral barriques and small concrete tanks are also used. The finish is smooth and lingering, and alcohol is 12.5 percent.
Carranco 2022 Villa dei Baroni Etna Bianco
Italian White
Green apple and citrus fruit accompany a complex, saline and intense profile. The palate shows freshness and softness. Carricante accounts for the entire blend and comes from Contrada Carranco in Castiglione di Sicilia. Vinification takes place in stainless steel, and the wine spends six to seven months in cement on the fine lees. Alcohol is thirteen percent and the designation is Etna Bianco DOC.
La Rivolta 2022 Le Mongolfiere a San Bruno Aglianico del Taburno Rosato
Italian Rosé
Cerasuolo pink colour accompanies floral notes and a light fruit character led by strawberry. The palate is lively and flowing, with clear salinity. Aglianico accounts for the entire blend. Fermentation and maturation take place in stainless steel, and the wine records 14.5 percent alcohol. The grapes are organically grown in Campania under the Aglianico del Taburno designation.