LXV Wine Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
The 2016 Reserve Cabernet is brimming with earthy, soulful tones of underbrush, black cherry, blackberry, sandalwood, white pepper, and cinnamon bark. On the palate, it’s nimble for a Cabernet, and still tightly-wound at this stage in its development with fine, black tea-infused tannins that firmly anchor the core of this wine, a streak of limestone […]
Domaine Trouvère Bricolage Rouge 2012
Oxblood red, the 2012 Domaine Trouvère Bricolage Rouge offers up an expressive, slightly rustic nose of leather, freshly turned tilth, dried mint, dark chocolate shavings, and a touch of balsam wood. Seven years on, the tannins are fully integrated—fine and sueded, they house dark fruit tones of plum and roasted black cherries—their pitch and amplitude […]
Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016
The bottle, a Napa Valley Cabernet from Louis M. Martini tumbled headlong off the rack before I could grasp it—most of it instantly lost save for a glass which I ran through a filter. It’s a classic Napa Cab, totally opaque with a violet rim and glass-staining legs followed by heady aromas and flavors of […]
Clos du Moulin Aux Moines Bourgogne ‘Aux Seurrets’ 2014
The vines that makeup Clos du Moulin Aux Moines Bourgogne ‘Aux Seurrets’ bottling are located in a small parcel just outside the village of Pommard. Established in the 1970s and seated in clay-loam soils, the 2014 vintage is awash in brambly red berries, wild strawberries, damp earth, barnyard, and a pleasant top note of rancio. […]
LXV Wine Crimson Jewel 2017
Glinting, translucent garnet in the glass, the 2017 Crimson Jewel is brimming with earthy sensuality. Amarena wild cherries and Mirabelle plums rest beneath lighter, more ethereal notes of baker’s cocoa, underbrush, chalkboard dust, dried oregano, and basil. Stylistically it’s a touch lighter than the 2015 vintage—round and elegant on entry, pleasant tannic grip imparted by […]
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 […]
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 […]
Écluse Rendition 2016
Inlaid with dark, throaty aromas of plums, macerated blackberry, crushed lavender, char, and sweet tobacco. The 2016 Écluse Rendition is a full-throttle Rhône-style blend that’s classic Paso Robles, one that’s nicely framed in well-structured, integrated tannins and a burst of bright acidity to balance out ample juicy black fruit at the mid-palate. 375 Cases Produced […]
Alloro Vineyard Riservata Pinot Noir 2016
Blended from a selection of blocks across the winery’s 78-acre estate, the 2016 Alloro Riservata is clean and precise. Black cherries and black raspberries lie beneath more ethereal notes of lanolin, dried herbs, forest floor, and blooming florality. Aged in 35%-45% new French oak barrels—in the mouth, it’s exquisitely balanced with ultra-fine, sueded tannins twining […]
LXV Cira Vineyard Reserve Merlot 2015
LXV’s 2015 Cira Vineyard Reserve Merlot opens with pie cherries, macerated strawberries, cola, mocha, graphite, and spice followed by a pastry note that’s steeped in vanilla bean. As with all of LXV’s Reserve wines long aging in 53% new French oak has resulted in a wine that’s softly focused with satiny, well-integrated tannins and lovely […]