Hōm Merlot by Robert Eden 2018
Vibrant purple on the meniscus, Hōm Merlot is part of a new collection from acclaimed biodynamic winemaker, Robert Eden of Château Maris. It’s a fresh and vivid Merlot, with aromas of blueberry crumble, black cherries, lilacs, spice, and cinnamon bark. The wines are vinified in the first cellar made from hemp that passively consumes carbon […]
Yarden Malbec 2014
A well-crafted example of an Israeli Malbec, Yarden’s 2014 vintage is generously imbued with aromas of plums, mulberries, star anise, vanilla, and dried herbs. There’s ample, mouth-filling black fruit on entry, couched in ripe, chewy tannins. It’s a wine that will continue to improve over the next five to eight years. 14.0% ABV | Sample Golan Heights […]
Ferraton Pere & Fils Saint-Joseph La Source Rouge 2015
Displaying classic Northern Rhône character, the Ferraton Père & Fils Saint. Joseph “La Source” 2015 is opaque quinacridone violet in the glass with an aromatic profile awash in smoky plums, blackberries, earth, sun-dried tomato, braised meat, and anise. Crafted from 100% Syrah that has been biodynamically farmed and aged concrete and new and neutral oak […]
Domaine Santa Duc Vacqueyras Les Aubes 2010
This bottle disappeared in a hurry—the 2010 Santa Duc Les Aubes is a strapping blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. Blackberry compote, black olives, smoldering embers, venison terrine, and cracked black pepper form the stratified layers of the nose. Full-bodied, earth and underbrush wash over the palate just before a vein of acidity surfaces […]
Mettler Family Vineyards Pinotage 2016
This is not your South African Pinotage—not by a long shot. Bright ruby red, Mettler Family Vineyards’ 2016 Pinotage offers up ripe Rainier cherries, plums, blackberry cobbler, anise seed, and lees-infused notes of yogurt and whipped butter. In the mouth, ultra-silky tannins lending a sense of roundness and polish to this full-bodied Lodi red. The […]
Prie Vineyards Carignane Ancient Vine Spenker Ranch 2016
From 100+-year-old vines aged for 18 months in neutral and new French oak, Prie Vineyards 2016 Carignane is ruby-hued, and from its appearance, unfiltered. Fresh notes of brambly berries, raspberry coulis, spice, white pepper, dried hay anoint the nose. It’s medium-bodied silky, deliciously pillowy tannins. Bright acidity terminates softly in a finish of vanillin and […]
Michael David Winery Inkblot Cabernet Franc 2015
David Michael Winery’s first Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Inkblot bears, and nose that is reminiscent of Loire Cab Franc, though the body is much richer and concentrated. It fairly bursts with aromas of juicy boysenberries, blueberry buckle, violets, cinnamon stick, and cigar box. The aromatic profile reverberates across the palate with bright perfumy fruit that […]
Château de Ribebon Bordeaux Supérieur 2015
Poised and polished, Château de Ribebon is a blend of 60% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from old vines ranging in age from 60 to 100 years—all grown on a gravelly outcrop overlooking the Dordogne River. Aromas of plums, black currants, sweet tobacco, and menthol waft from the glass. Pillowy tannins […]
Emiliana Natura Carménère 2015
Owned by Italian conglomerate Banfi, Emiliana ‘Natura’ is composed of 100% organically farmed grapes. True to the profile I tend to find in Chilean Carménère, the 2015 vintage is brimming with plums, black cherries, wood spice, earth, baking spice, and milk chocolate. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied, and framed in ripe tannins with juicy fruit […]
LXV Secret Craving 2016
LXV’s 2016 Secret Craving is nimble and nuanced, and a departure from the 2015 in that the blend is Cabernet Franc dominant—at 59%, with Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Petit Verdot playing supportive roles. Dried violets, sweet tobacco, balsam wood, and bay laurel are embroidered against a backdrop of Rainier cherry, red currants, and […]