Wine
Wine
Attems 2022 Cicinis Collio Sauvignon Blanc
Italian White
Citrus, papaya and sage appear with vanilla, moka and jasmine. Lime and white blackberry are present on the finish. Sauvignon Blanc comes from a single vineyard at the foot of Monte Calvario on Ponca soils. Twenty-year-old vines are cooled by Bora winds and harvested by hand. Fermentation and nine months of maturation take place in concrete egg tanks and barriques, without malolactic fermentation. Alcohol is thirteen point five percent.
Howling Bluff Estate Winery 2022 Century Block Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Kirsch, blackcurrant and raspberry appear with leather, forest floor and pepper. Pinot Noir clones 667 and 777 grow beside the wine shop in the riverbed of the now-dry Three Mile Creek. The block’s name refers to the hundred different species that once grew there. Maturation lasts eighteen months in French oak barrels. Production totalled 250 cases, and the wine can be cellared for up to ten years.
Howling Bluff Estate Winery 2022 Three Mile Creek Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Tobacco, ripe cherry, pepper and clove appear with mulled berries, blackcurrant and baking spices. Pinot Noir clones 667 and 777 come from the Three Mile Creek vineyard, whose oldest vines grow only five metres from the Century Block. Maturation lasts eighteen months in French oak barrels. Production totalled 305 cases. The vineyard has received two Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence and a Red Wine of the Year from the Canadian Wine Awards.
La Miraja 2021 Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato
Italian Red
Violet, rose, iris, jasmine, cardamom, white pepper and lychee appear with wild berries, red cherry and pomegranate. The palate has robust acidity and moderate tannins. Ruchè comes from estate vineyards at 250 metres on calcareous red-clay soils. Hand-harvested fruit is destemmed, basket pressed into stainless steel and kept on the skins for ten days during native fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous. Maturation includes three months in cement and four months in bottle.
Sant’Or Winery 2022 Krasis Achaia Red Wine
Greek Red
Mavrodafni comes from fifty-year-old, rain-fed vineyards in Santomeri, Achaia. The vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically on clay-loam soil with schistose rock. Indigenous yeasts carry out fermentation, and maturation takes place in old oak barrels. The wine is bottled without filtration. Vivid ruby colour accompanies cherry and strawberry jam, earthy and animal notes, a velvety texture and spice. Production totalled 2,200 bottles.
Maison Tardieu-Laurent 2022 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes
French Red
Grenache forms ninety percent of the blend, with five percent Mourvèdre and five percent Syrah. Three quarters of the fruit is not destemmed. Maturation includes ten months in one- and two-vintage Allier and Tronçais barrels, plus twelve months in foudre. Bottling occurs without fining or filtration. Black raspberry, sandalwood, ground pepper, dried herbs, dark cherry and cassis are present with fine, firm tannins and a long, spicy finish.
Howling Bluff Estate Winery 2021 Three Mile Creek Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Sour cherry and raspberry form a tart, cool red-fruit profile with savoury and earthy notes. The vines include Pinot Noir clones 115, 667 and 777 and were twenty-two years old when reviewed. Fruit receives a two-day cold soak. After three weeks, the wine is pressed into French oak barrels and aged there for eighteen months. Further acidic fruit appears on the finish.
Michele Reverdito 2023 Verduno Pelaverga
Italian Red
Pale ruby colour accompanies rose, violet, wild strawberry and spice. The wine is dry and fine, with persistence. Pelaverga grapes are destemmed and vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel, with no barrel ageing. The vineyard covers 0.65 hectares and faces southwest at 290 metres. Stainless steel is also used for maturation. Red berries, dark cherry, mint, camphor and white pepper are present.
Mersel 2020 Lebnani Abyad Skin-Contact White 1 L
Lebanese White
Merwah forms seventy percent of the blend, with thirty percent Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is a still, skin-contact natural white with no residual sugar. Merwah comes from old vines in North Lebanon, while Sauvignon Blanc grows in the Bekaa Valley. Fermentation takes place on the skins in stainless steel. The lots undergo malolactic fermentation, are racked twice and are bottled without fining or filtration. Alcohol is eleven percent.
Tenuta di Biserno 2023 Occhione Toscana Bianco IGT
Italian White
Citron and grapefruit appear with floral, mineral and herbal notes recalling sage. The palate has lively freshness and an enveloping texture, with a savoury, citrus-led finish. The wine is made entirely from Vermentino. Medium-textured soils combine sand and pebbles, while the vines are trained by spurred cordon and Guyot at 6,500 plants per hectare. The colour is bright straw yellow with green reflections.
Ken Wright Cellars 2022 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
American Red
Red and blue fruits, cedar, violet, anise and turned earth form the profile. The palate is balanced, with natural acidity and velvety tannins. Pinot Noir comes from vineyards in the northern Willamette Valley sub-appellations. The vineyards include marine-sediment and volcanic-rock soils and are organically certified. Maturation takes place in stainless steel and neutral French oak. Alcohol is thirteen point two percent.
Denavolo 2017 Dinavolo
Italian White
Rose petal, Turkish delight and herbs accompany tannins and a honeyed finish. Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, Ortrugo, Marsanne and other local grapes make up the blend. Fruit comes from old vines in the upper part of a sloping limestone vineyard. Skin maceration lasts seven to eight months. The wine then spends six months in used barrels. The harvest yielded about two thousand bottles.
Ochota Barrels 2018 Texture Like Sun
Australian Red
Forest fruit, spice and liquorice are present. The profile is supple, with fine tannins and a fruity finish. The blend includes Pinot Noir, Grenache, Gamay, Mourvèdre, Pinot Meunier, Gewürztraminer, Fragola, Riesling and Chardonnay. Fruit from certified-organic vines grows on clay over limestone. The grapes are destemmed and undergo a five-day cold soak. Some varieties are co-fermented, while others ferment separately. After basket pressing, the wine rests in stainless steel before blending and bottling. It is vegan.
Arrowleaf Cellars 2021 Archive Pinot Noir Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
Dark cherry, tobacco, earth, rose petal and subtle integrated oak are present. Grapes from the Wendell, Ritchie and estate vineyards are destemmed and partially crushed. A low dose of cultured yeast is used alongside early wild-yeast activity. Malolactic fermentation and twelve months of ageing take place in French oak. The palate is rich and concentrated, with a long complex finish. The wine is vegan.
Domaine de la Tournelle Macvin du Jura Blanc NV
French Fortified
Chardonnay juice makes up two thirds of the blend, with one third Jura pomace. The pomace spends three years in cask. The juice settles statically for twelve hours before assembly. The finished blend remains in cask for twenty-four to thirty-six months. Bottling is unfiltered and without sulphur dioxide. Alcohol is seventeen percent, with residual sugar between 180 and 220 grams per litre.
San Polo 2022 Rosso di Montalcino
Italian Red
Morello cherry, blackberry, black cherry, vanilla and small fresh-fruit notes are present. The wine is bright ruby red. The palate is warm and soft, with medium structure, balanced tannins, freshness and aromatic persistence. Sangiovese is harvested by hand from the Rossa and d’Oriente vineyards. Fermentation in concrete lasts fourteen to sixteen days. The wine spends twelve months in lightly toasted large barrels.
Bunan 2014 Moulin des Costes Rouge Bandol
French Red
Blackberry, raspberry and red-fruit notes accompany delicate oak. The palate is rich and balanced, with smooth tannins. Mourvèdre makes up seventy percent of the blend, with twenty percent Cinsault and ten percent Syrah. The grapes are organically cultivated and harvested by hand. Maturation lasts eighteen months in traditional foudres and barrels. The colour is dense ruby red.
Mendall Alícia 2023 Cendra Rosa
Spanish Red
Red fruit, strawberry and cherry define a light, vibrant and juicy profile. Garnacha Tinta grows on clay-loam soils with limestone at 350 metres. The fruit is hand-harvested and destemmed, with fourteen days of maceration. Alcoholic fermentation uses native yeasts in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation also takes place. The wine remains in stainless steel for four months and is bottled without filtration, clarification or added sulphites.
Château de Cérons 2016 Cérons 375 mL
French Dessert
The colour is bright yellow. Restrained apricot, peach and lemon-zest notes appear with candied orange peel and vanilla. The wine is sweet and medium-bodied. Botrytis spice, mushroom powder, tension and length are also present. Botrytised berries are selected in successive passes, pressed slowly and fermented naturally in barrel. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle form the blend, and maturation in barrel lasts two to three years.
Radio Boka Tempranillo 3 L Bag-in-Box
Spanish Red
The colour is clear and medium-intense ruby-red. Clean, medium-intense aromas recall red cherries, strawberries and mature plums, with cinnamon and vanilla. The palate is medium-dry and medium-bodied, with balance between acidity and soft tannins. The profile is rounded, juicy and fruit-led, with gentle spice and a smooth texture. The wine contains thirteen percent alcohol by volume.
Markham Vineyards 2021 Napa Valley Merlot
American Red
Ripe raspberry, plum jam and caramel from oak ageing are present. Red fruit, minerality and velvety chocolate-covered cherries accompany structure, mid-palate weight and a long, round finish. The blend is ninety-one percent Merlot, seven percent Cabernet Sauvignon and two percent Malbec. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel with fifteen days of skin contact. The wine spends sixteen months in oak barrels, thirty percent new.
Domaine des Marnes Blanches Coup de Jus 2021 White Rabbit Jacquère
French White
Jacquère is sourced from Savoie and pressed as whole clusters. Natural fermentation takes place in a concrete egg. Maturation lasts ten months in concrete egg, demi-muids and barrels. The wine is lively, taut and saline, with a light spritz. Fruit comes from organically farmed vines on yellow marl. Bottling is done without fining or filtration.
The Prisoner Wine Company 2017 Saldo California Zinfandel
American Red
Zinfandel forms eighty-five percent of the blend, with Petite Sirah and Syrah composing the remainder. The wine is deep ruby-black, with licorice, cherry, baking spice and black pepper. Dark cherry, blackberry, dark plum, raspberry, vanilla and chocolate are also present. The palate is dry, rich and smooth, with soft, velvety tannins. Maturation takes place in French and American oak, twenty-five percent new.
Harvey & Harriet 2020 Red Blend Paso Robles
American Red
The colour is medium ruby-purple. Aromas include Bing cherry, red raspberry, blueberry, roasted rhubarb, cardamom and brown sugar. Vanilla and spice sit with grilled meat, olive tapenade, cedar and molasses. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec make up the blend. The wine is full-bodied, with firm, grainy tannins and juicy acidity.
Manoir de la Tête Rouge 2016 Pierre à Feu Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame
French Red
Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon come from thirty-year-old vines on Jurassic limestone with flint. The two varieties are co-fermented after hand harvesting from two parcels. Dark ruby colour accompanies elder-bark notes, firm acidity and fine, slightly angular tannins. Iron oxides in the soil are associated with sanguine, meaty and metallic notes. The vineyards have been farmed organically since nineteen ninety-eight and biodynamically since two thousand ten.
Pierre Amadieu 2021 Les Capelets Saint-Joseph
French Red
Syrah grows on steep granite and gneiss slopes and is harvested by hand. Fermentation takes place at controlled temperature in stainless steel, followed by maturation in oak. Blackcurrant and raspberry sit with leather and liquorice, while red fruit and violet accompany mineral, cocoa and animal notes. The profile has roundness and silky tannins, and alcohol is thirteen percent by volume.
Louis Jadot Château des Jacques 2014 Moulin-à-Vent
French Red
Floral notes and deeper red fruit sit with modest vanilla and salinity. Wood and pepper are also present. The wine is vibrant and full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins, acidity that emerges late, a mineral background, grip and length. Gamay is drawn from eight Moulin-à-Vent terroirs, including Rochegrès, Carquelin, Champ de Cour, Thorins, Vérillats, La Roche, La Rochelle and Aux Caves.
Argento 2020 Finca Agrelo Single Vineyard Malbec
Argentinian Red
Intense ruby colour carries violet reflections. Sweet spices and violets accompany ripe red fruit. The wine is medium-full bodied, with softened tannins, medium acidity and a finish marked by red fruit. Malbec is hand harvested and destemmed; twenty percent ferments in French oak while the balance ferments in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation is followed by ten months in oval concrete tanks.
Sage Hayward 2023 Estate Pinot Noir
Canadian Red
Fruit comes from Falcon Ridge and Raven Hill vineyards on Saturna Island. The site lies in the Southern Gulf Islands, where a cool maritime climate meets dense sand and mudstone over clay with ancient marine sediment. The wine is rich and medium-bodied, with a lingering spicy finish. Pinot Noir is hand-picked from estate vines, and the first plantings on the property date to nineteen ninety-five.
Thibaud Capellaro 2021 Ombre & Lumière
French Red
Grenache, Syrah and Viognier are vinified separately, using a mix of carbonic fermentation, skin contact and direct pressing. The wine spends nine months in barrels and older demi-muids, with no fining, filtration or added sulphur. Fruit comes from vineyards on granite and clay-limestone soils in the Rhône and Ardèche. The vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically without certification, and alcohol is thirteen percent by volume.