Mas de la Dame La Gourmande Rosé 2018
A blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah,10% Mourvedre, and 10% Cinsault, the 2018 Mas de la Dame La Gourmande Rosé is rose gold in the glass and opens with a bushel basket of ripe red berries, pit fruit, and mandarin oranges, and wind-blown minerality. In the mouth, it’s lighter than the nose belies—the acidity a […]
Au Contraire Chardonnay 2016
The 2016 Au Contraire Chardonnay is a full-bodied effort, offering up classic aromas of orchard fruit—bruised pear and yellow apple followed by freshly buttered wheat toast and preserved lemon. Lots of juicy yellow fruit and creaminess at the core; the interplay of acid and toast is nicely done. Aged eight months in stainless steel and […]
LXV Wine Summer Satine 2018
In the past, LXV’s Summer Satine has always been a Condrieu-style Viognier, the newly released 2018 vintage holds court as a flaxen-hued Arneis, sourced from the only vineyard in Paso Robles that grows it. Ebullient notes of pear, underripe pineapple, and lemon zest are followed by lighter tones of citrus blossom, crushed herbs, and crisp […]
Boutinot Les Six Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne 2016
Grown in ‘agrilo-calcaire’ or chalky clay, Boutinot’s 2016 Les Six Cairanne is composed of 50% Grenache, and 10% each of Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise, and Cinsault—it exhibits black raspberry, black cherry, Damson plum dried herbs, incense, and spice on the nose. There is too a lovely resinous piney note that reemerges on the finish. In the […]
Királyudvar Tokaji Furmint Sec 2014
An aromatic kaleidoscope of Bosc pear, greengage, lily of the valley, corn shoot, almond paste, and smoky minerality, the 2014 Királyudvar Tokaji Furmint Sec is a vibrant shade of burnished gold in the glass. A mouthwatering and tensile acid spine brushes up against mid-and-fore palate texture from aging on lees. All in all, a gorgeous […]
Herdade do Rocim Olho de Mocho Reserva Branco 2014
The color of burnished gold, the 2014 Herdade do Rocim Olho de Mocho Reserva Branco offers up nuanced, complex aromas of quince paste, lemon curd, clover honey, marzipan, and golden raisins. At this stage in development, it’s softly textured—aging in terracotta and cement amphorae, as well as the presence of lees during aging, has graced […]
Mt. Beautiful Rosé 2018
Salmon-hued with pale gold highlights, the 2018 Mount Beautiful Rosé emits genial aromas of strawberry cream, cantaloup, golden raspberry, and dried rose petal. Light and refreshing, pink pomelo and lemon pith notes emerge at the mid-palate with just a touch of texture that gradually fans out across a lengthy finish. 14.5% ABV | Sample Mt. […]
Burbank Ranch Picnic Meadow Rosé 2014
62% Grenache, 38% Mourvedre Copper-hued, Burbank Ranch’s 2014 Picnic Meadow Rosé is citrus driven, with tones of mandarin and orange creamsicle. In the mouth, it continues in that vein, with creaminess at the mid-palate that is tinged in orange pith and white grapefruit. The finish is softly focused, a gentle dwindling of flavor, it’s past […]
Château Peybonhomme-les Tours Le Blanc Bonhomme 2016
A blend of 50% Sauvignon blanc and 50% Semillon grown in clay-limestone soils, with 40% fermented in new barrels with the balance fermented and aged in concrete. It’s the color of goldenrod and emits prodigious waves of pungent musk melon, persimmon, and grilled pineapple along with a whiff of smoky nut oil and wet stone. In […]
Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir North Canterbury 2017
The 2017 Mt Beautiful Pinot Noir shows layered complexity—black cherries, seedy black raspberries fruit cavort with lighter tones of mocha, cola, and warm rosewood. In the mouth, there’s an undercurrent and pleasant savoriness that weaves in and out of fine-grained tannin. It’s tart and slightly tightly wound at this stage in its development; cranberries, Kukicha […]