Reviews

Browse the most recent reviews about producers.

Make your selections and click "Filter" at bottom.

  • Wine

  • Producer

  • Vintage

  • Score

    -

  • Retail Price

    -

  • Grapes

  • Type

  • Country

  • Reset

Ponzi Vineyards

Avellana Chardonnay 2017

Willamette Valley, Oregon

Oregon Chardonnays present an unparalleled combination of bright acidity, texture and freshness of fruit on the mid-palate. Winemaker Luisa Ponzi’s goal is to allow the wines to express these characteristics each vintage through single vineyard expressions. The successes at Aurora Vineyard are expressed at this youthful vineyard planted in 2006. The site features a fusion of the right clones and rootstock planted on rich Laurelwood soil. Avellana yields a richer, weightier style Chardonnay as compared to the Aurora single vineyard wine.

93

Wine Spectator "Polished and compelling, showing graceful complexity and offering lively apple blossom and pear flavors that linger on the long, supple finish."

Dog Point Vineyard

Pinot Noir 2017

Marlborough

Dog Point's renown as a Sauvignon Blanc producers has done nothing to lessen the enthusiasm around their Pinot Noir, today considered one of the finest in New Zealand. What sets their wine apart is the generosity of the structure, which comes off as rich but not sweet, and the complex mingling of fruit and savory notes.

95

James Suckling "This is very convincing, complex and downright impressive pinot noir. The intense aromas of ripe-cherries and plums are framed in such intensely attractive oak spice and earthy, sous-bois complexity. The…

Dog Point Vineyard

Chardonnay 2017

Marlborough

Several influential voices in the wine industry believe that in time Chardonnay may prove New Zealand's single highest achievement. All three of the Dog Point wines fermented in barrel are small in production, but the Chardonnay is the smallest, and at times indeed the most dazzling.

95

James Suckling "This has such complex and rich style to it with a flinty edge to the peach, grilled-lime and lemon-pith aromas. The palate has really rich textural layering and plenty of…

Dog Point Vineyard

Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc 2017

Marlborough

Section 94 is widely regarded as the most distinctive and greatest Sauvignon Blanc being made in New Zealand today. James Healy and Ivan Sutherland were among the first to begin fermenting their Sauvignon in barrel with wild yeasts, a technique that along with the old vines they use, leads to a full-bodied wine that is less fruit-forward, more exotic, and has immense textural complexity. 

96

James Suckling "This is a very tight, complex and concentrated sauvignon with flint, grilled-lemon and struck-match aromas, as well as passion-fruit pastry. The palate has a smooth textural build with pastry-like texture…

Chateau Montelena

Napa Valley Chardonnay 2017

Napa Valley, California

A true icon. The Napa Valley Chardonnay is the wine that put Chateau Montelena and Napa Valley at the forefront of the wine world in 1976, in what is now memorialized as “The Judgment of Paris.” To great disbelief, the Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay was the top-ranking wine against four white Burgundies and five other California Chardonnays. And as they say, the rest is history.

94

Vinous Media "Montelena's 2017 Chardonnay is bright, focused and tightly wound, with tons of citrus peel, orchard fruit and floral character. Medium in body, with terrific energy underpinning the fruit, the 2017…

Petrolo

Bòggina A 2017

Val d'Arno di Sopra DOC

Every year, Petrolo selects a small lot of Bòggina, a wine made purely from their best Sangiovese grapes, to ferment in amphorae. The choice of amphorae has a historical dimension: Terracotta in Tuscany has a history back to the early Etruscan times. The remains of amphorae and other Etruscan relics can be found throughout the Petrolo property, an area that has been settled for thousands of years.

95

James Suckling "This is a rich yet fresh and bright red with strawberries and hints of citrus. Layered and fruity. Focused dark fruit. Shining. Made in amphora."

Petrolo

Galatrona 2017

Val d'Arno di Sopra DOC

Year after year, Galatrona has quietly been recognized as one of the great wines of Italy and is often referred to as the Petrus of Tuscany. What it truly is, though, is beyond comparison - a wine of utter individuality reflective of the Petrolo estate and its unique location in an all but unknown appellation of Tuscany.

97

James Suckling "This is incredibly fresh for a 2017 with a well-executed, reductive edge; it opens with rosemary, thyme and tea leaves, before moving through blackcurrants, dark cherries, brambleberries, ash, tobacco and…

Petrolo

Bòggina B 2017

IGT Toscana

Bòggina B is a little bit of Burgundy with a Tuscan twist. The wine is made with 100% Trebbiano Toscano. The clone of the Valdarno has been known for its quality since the 1300s, when it was regularly sent to the popes in Rome and the courts of Florence. Petrolo has been using Trebbiano grapes for its sweet vinsanto for decades, but owner Luca Sanjust decided that the time had come for a tribute to the great whites of Valdarno’s past. The wine is made under the guidance of one of Burgundy’s greats, Mounir Souma of Lucien Le Moine.

97

James Suckling "The 2017 vintage of Luca Sanjust’s Bòggina Bianco one again makes the case that this is one of the best whites of Tuscany. The complex perfumes of white pepper, chalk,…

Masseria Surani

Heracles Primitivo 2017

Puglia IGT

This 100% Primitivo is rich and forward, with notes of baking spice, licorice, blackberry and black cherry fruit, as well as hints of chocolate. Despite the boldness of the flavors, the wine retains bright acidity and restrained alcohol levels, keeping it fresh throughout. 

92

James Suckling "Dried cedar, dried red cherries and lots of dried-meat and tar character. Balanced and very tight for this variety, boasting beautiful tension and agile acidity, not to mention concentrated dark…

Tommasi

Ripasso Valpolicella 2017

Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC

This wine is made by refermenting the juice from the Valpolicella on the warm Amarone grape skins, in the typical “Ripasso” method, which imparts a rich character and personality to the wine. The grapes are sourced from three of most prestigious Tommasi vineyards: Conca d’Oro, La Groletta and De Buris.

93

James Suckling "An excellent Valpolicella Ripasso that shows a plethora of dried cranberries, strawberries, nutmeg and red licorice. Medium body, but with a serious backbone of juicy tannins and a solid center…

Rotem and Mounir Saouma

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Omnia 2016

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Omnia, Latin for "all," is a wine that attempts to encompass the full diversity of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation, both in its terroir and vinification. Fruit comes from vineyards in all 5 of the Chateauneuf communes (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Courthezon, Sorgues, Bedarrides and Orange) and aged in foudre, cement and 500 liter barrels.

97

Wine Spectator "Sublime, with a beguiling mouthfeel to the layers of cherry puree, steeped plum and warmed raspberry coulis fruit flavors, melded with rooibos tea, bergamot, incense and jasmine notes. The long…

Tenuta Luce

Lucente 2017

Toscana IGT

Lucente is the second wine of Luce, a wine with contemporary style, immediate and great pleasure, and like its elder sibling, an authentic interpretation of Montalcino and the Luce estate.

92

James Suckling "A very ripe and decadent Lucente that delivers barbecued meat, dried blackberries, vanilla and fruit cake. Full-bodied and expansive on the palate, but not as enormous as the nose might…

Errázuriz

Don Maximiano 2017

Aconcagua Valley

Introduced with the 1983 vintage, Don Maximiano was among the first of the new generation of “Super-Chileans.” The flagship for the estate and a global symbol of how distinct and extraordinary the wines of Chile can be, this world class Cabernet oozes with irresistible fruit that is detailed, balanced and long.

93

Wine Advocate (93+) “I like the austerity of the 2017 Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve—it's more reserved than the 2016, more discrete and less aromatic, with a lot of power on the palate. 2017…

96

James Suckling “Currants, flowers, sandalwood and crushed stone. Some cocoa. Medium to full body and linear, tight tannins. Bright and fresh. Energetic. Shows serious tension and focus. Excellent finish.”

Finca Decero

Mini Ediciones Cabernet Franc 2017

Agrelo, Mendoza, Argentina

As the name suggests, Mini Ediciones are highly limited parcels of wine. From lesser known varieties, these wines are wholly expressive of the Remolinos Vineyard and represent an opportunity to taste a variety rarely seen in a pure form. In 2006, in recognition of its unique potential from the coarse, low vigour soils of our Remolinos Vineyard, the winery first selected a few exceptional barrels of wine to make a well-deserved Decero Mini Ediciones Petit Verdot.

There are no revidews for this wine, yet.

Ponzi Vineyards

Pinot Noir Reserve 2016

Willamette Valley

The Pinot Noir Reserve comes primarily from estate grown fruit on Laurelwood soil in the Chehalem Mountains, including from some of Oregon’s oldest vines. It is hand crafted on a boutique scale, with tremendous attention to detail. An intense wine, it has an explosive nose of sassafras, coffee, sweet plum and spice box; a full and seamless palate with baker's chocolate, blueberry, lavender and tea; and a long and balanced finish. I

94

Wine Enthusiast "Smooth and silky, this lovely reserve is loaded with ripe plum and cherry fruit. Barrel aging (20 months in 30% new French oak) brings cellar, nutmeg and chocolate notes. There's…

Champagne Ayala

Le Blanc de Blancs 2013

Champagne, France

Ayala’s Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay, produced in small quantities in exceptional years only, fully expresses the superb caliber of great Chardonnay from the best crus of the Côte des Blancs. After 6 years of aging in Ayala’s cellars, remarkable minerality and low dosage make this an outstanding wine.

91

Wine Spectator "Toast and spice notes enrich the lemon curd, glazed apricot and candied ginger flavors in this racy Champagne, with a fine, lively bead. Well-knit and bright, featuring a minerally finish."

Château Recougne - Boutisse - Tour Bayard

Château Recougne 2016

Bordeaux Superieur

Chateau Recougne has produced wine for more than 400 years,and has been recognized for nearly as long for producing outstanding wine - its name is said to have come from King Henri IV in the early 17th century, in “recognition” of the quality of its wine. This wine offers pure Bordeaux unadulterated and pure.

There are no revidews for this wine, yet.

Telmo Rodríguez

La Social Rioja 2016

Rioja, Spain

The aim with La Social is to produce a completely pure and authentic expression of Rioja - a delicious, unpretentious, perfect everyday wine to enjoy in a social setting.

There are no revidews for this wine, yet.

Finca Decero

Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Agrelo, Mendoza, Argentina

Agrelo is recognized for red varieties and while it has been acknowledged for its high-quality Malbec it has also become known as the source of some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon emanating from Argentina. The wine has a beautiful, full-bodied structure that comes across effortlessly due to the hallmark Decero refinement.

91

James Suckling "A soft and juicy cabernet with currant and raspberry aromas and flavors. Medium body. Easy finish. Delicious."

Lynmar Estate

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2017

Russian River Valley

The Russian River Valley Pinot Noir showcases the purity and vibrancy of the region with nuanced texture and bright aromatics. At its core, this wine is comprised of Lynmar’s three Russian River Valley vineyards - Quail Hill, Susanna’s and Adam’s - along with neighboring properties that share similar viticultural philosophies.

97

Wine Enthusiast Full review to be posted in December