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Porto |
1 |
17.5 (JR) |
$348.00 |
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Jancis Robinson (17.5)Blackish crimson with medium rim. Heady and ripe on the nose. Subtle and savoury. Satin-smooth palate entry and a very dry end but really exciting and herbal in the middle. Very much in the Taylor's idiom. Neat and ambitious.
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Hawke's Bay |
1 |
96 (WO) |
$292.00 |
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Wine Orbit (96)Revealing elegance and sophistication, the engaging bouquet shows Black Doris plum, dark cherry, warm spice and toasted nut characters with nuances of truffle and floral. The palate displays outstanding concentration and focus, while offering rich texture and expansive mouthfeel, superbly framed by loads of fine, polished tannins. Multi-layered and magnificently flowing to an impressively long silky finish. The wine is gloriously composed and expressed, promising to evolve gracefully. The wine exhibits classic Te Mata elegance, freshness and refinement within a perfectly formed structure.
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Hawke's Bay |
1 |
98 (BC) |
$401.00 |
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Bob Campbell MW (98)Bright, youthful blended red of cabernet sauvignon (52%), merlot (33%) and cabernet franc (15%). This is classic Coleraine with cassis, cedar, floral, blueberry, a suggestion of wood-smoke, anise and spicy oak flavours. Terrific depth and an exquisite balance between fruit sweetness and acid/tannin structure. It will be a long-distance runner.
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Hawke's Bay |
1 |
100 (WO) |
$461.00 |
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Wine Orbit (100)Destined for a long life, this majestic offering shows cassis, dark plum, hint of tobacco, cedar and floral aromas on the nose. The palate is packed with rich fruit intensity combined with layers of silky texture and complex flavours, wonderfully supported by perfectly pitched chalky tannins, making it sturdy and structured with a seemingly endless finish. Flawless and spellbinding. A blend of 59 cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot & 4% cabernet franc. At its best: 2029 to 2049.
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Tuscany |
1 |
98 (DC) |
$401.00 |
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Decanter (98)Today covering almost 17 hectares, the estate's Cabernet Franc is subject to a broad as much as a severe selection, which has improved the wines. It was sourced from a single plot in 2008, while this 2016 comes from 10 different plots. The French clones (326 - 327) can be problematic according to winemaker Pierre Seillan: 'With too high yields, too much herbal character is achieved, while with a tight leaf canopy it wouldn't ripen properly'. Cabernet Franc is not new to producing outstanding wines in Tuscany, and Seillant is not new to managing this grape variety in pursuit of excellence. Crimson in colour, it has a super restrained Cab Franc character of cassis and eucalyptus, with an almost citrus flavour in depth and a sweet, toasty finish of milk chocolate, liquorice and cacao powder. This 2016 is sleek and concentrated, with ripe, refined tannins and refreshing acidity. A full and tense wine.
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Piedmont |
1 |
94 (WA) |
$352.00 |
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Wine Advocate (94)The Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2010 Langhe Virtus is a blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is always a late release, and there's a big risk to that with so much bottle and vintage variation to account for. However, this 2010 expression has all its ducks in a row. The bouquet is concentrated and thick, with plenty of power and depth. The bouquet shows dark fruit, with licorice, camphor ash and ink. This is a treat for people who love the magic of old wines. Exactly 8,433 bottles were made.
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Piedmont |
5 |
95 (VN) |
$334.00 |
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Vinous (95)The 2016 Boca is fabulous. A burst of sweet red cherry, cedar, tobacco, leather, woodsy and earthy notes gives the Guardasole Boca a real sense of assertiveness. Powerful and exuberant, yet within the classic framework of Boca, the 2016 has an untamed, wild personality that is impossible to miss. Readers need to spend some time with the 2016, as it has a lot to say. The 2016 is complex and introverted, but there is a lot going on. I would be tempted to cellar it for a few years, as the tannins are a bit overpowering today.
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Trentino Alto Adige |
4 |
93 (VN) |
$285.00 |
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Vinous (93)The 2021 Terlaner Riserva Cuvée Nova Domus lifts up with an airy bouquet that blends ground ginger with dusty dried flowers, crushed green apples and spice aromas. This washes across the palate with silky textures and ripe orchard fruits. Sour citrus notes add contrast, guided by brisk acidity. The 2021 finishes full of youthful tension and lightly tannic, leaving a spicy sensation and a bitter lemon rind tinge that class the taster back to the glass.
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Trentino Alto Adige |
1 |
95 (WA) |
$198.00 |
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Wine Advocate (95)The Cantina Terlano 2018 Alto Adige Pinot Noir Riserva Monticol is fresh and even wild with forest bramble, tart cassis or cranberry. The winemaking style hones in on freshness and brightness, all this thanks to high-altitude mountain winemaking, with plenty of floral detailing focused on violet and Alpine wild flower. These results are fine and silky, and take note of that pretty freshness that gives lots of life and energy to the finish. Some 45,000 bottles were released. This is a Pinot Noir to serve with an Asiago cheese made in the Alps.
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Trentino Alto Adige |
1 |
94 (JS) |
$333.00 |
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James Suckling (94)What a beautiful fragrance this very elegant Alpine pinot noir has! Fine red-berry and dried orange-peel aromas with delicate spice from oak. Wonderful integration of generous body and fine tannins, building gently at the long, structured finish. From vineyards between 500 and 600 meters above sea level. Drink or hold.
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Trentino Alto Adige |
1 |
93 (VN) |
$408.00 |
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Vinous (93)The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Quarz is youthfully coy, opening with an airy bouquet that mixes crushed rocks with dried flowers, hints of petrol and nectarines. This is pure pleasure on the palate, soft and round, with juicy acidity and ripe citrus-tinged orchard fruits that swirl as salty mineral tones penetrate deeply. The 2022 finishes with outstanding length and tension, leaving hints of sour melon and a tart lemon rind tinge. The 2022 is intense and built for the cellar.
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Catalunya |
1 |
95 (WA) |
$461.00 |
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Wine Advocate (95)The south-facing Cariñena vineyard used for the 2018 Dits del Terra is worked biodynamically and is in the process of being certified organic. The grapes fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 50% oak foudre and 50% in concrete. The 2019 will be 100% concrete. You can immediately notice the cooler year and the longer ripening cycle here compared with the 2017; there is more depth here, and the quality of the tannins is completely different and provide for a more elegant mouthfeel. The oak is neatly integrated and folded into the structure of the wine. It comes through as medium-bodied, powerful and elegant. It should develop nicely in bottle. 2,006 bottles were filled in September 2020.
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California |
1 |
95 (JD) |
$575.00 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (95)Spiced orchard fruits, dried pineapple, toasted bread, and beautiful spicy nuances emerge from the 2018 Chardonnay Bentrock Vineyard, a slightly more generous, rounded beauty that has good concentration, plenty of acidity, and a great finish. It's going to impress over the coming decade.
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Burgundy |
1 |
94-97 (IB) |
$1,490.00 |
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Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-97)70% whole bunches, in the trimmed stem version. Dense black purple, and a very rich dark raspberry fruit with some black cherry. Almost exaggerated but in fact not. Thibault notes that elements of finesse became apparent later in the vinification rather than at the start which is interesting. Work at the end paid off. This becomes so much more stylish than one could imagine from the initial attack. Long classy and charming.
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Burgundy |
1 |
89-92 (BH) |
$583.00 |
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Burghound (89-92)A brooding and very earthy nose is more deeply pitched and very Gevrey in character. The rich, concentrated and more powerful medium-bodied flavors are firmly structured and serious while exhibiting touch of bitter pit fruit and youthful austerity on the balanced and highly persistent finish. Créots always needs time in bottle to develop and this excellent example will be no exception. Recommended
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Loire |
5 |
- |
$213.00 |
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Loire |
3 |
94 (WA) |
$217.00 |
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Wine Advocate (94)From Souzay-Champigny and cultivated on clay-limestone terroir with just a 30-centimeter layer of clayey sand before the Seonian limestone is present, the 2019 Saumur Blanc Clos Romans has a straw yellow color and a deep yet subtle and complex bouquet of white fruits intertwined with the flinty limestone aromas. Pure, fresh and juicy, with great finesse and mineral tension, this is a refined and highly elegant Saumur Chenin with a persistent, sustainably structured finish. It's an impressive wine and one of the finest dry Chenins I have had from the Loire this year. Tasted in June 2021.
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Loire |
1 |
95 (VN) |
$164.00 |
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Vinous (95)The 2019 Saumur Champigny Clos de L'Echelier is round and gently calm, almost meditative, but the chalky soil keeps things fresh and moving along despite the warmth of the growing season. There's delicacy on the midpalate and chalky finesse and fine tension on the lengthy finish, which is scented with red fruits and flowers. Outstanding stuff.
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Loire |
4 |
- |
$193.00 |
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Loire |
1 |
93 (WS) |
$148.00 |
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Wine Spectator (93)Vivid, with a lovely beam of cassis and dark cherry puree racing through, flanked by hints of graphite and alder and scored by flashes of bay, olive and sweet tobacco through the finish. A Loire red lover's dream. Drink now through 2026. 42 cases imported.
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Loire |
1 |
96 (VN) |
$219.00 |
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Vinous (96)From vines planted in 1904 that sit on both flint and limestone, which is a rare combination in Saumur-Champigny, the 2019 Les Memoires is all purity of coulis-like fruit. It offers incredible concentration yet floats in the mouth like a weightless cloud. If there were a Cabernet Franc equivalent of Chambolle Musigny, this would be it. I love it. The finest of chalky tannins are just present on the finish, as if to remind you this is a red wine.
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Loire |
4 |
92 (VN) |
$146.00 |
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Vinous (92)Limestone, clay and ripe, cooked raspberry with a hint of spice. At first it has an open structure but then concludes relatively firm and tannic for a Roches Neuves. Combines with a line of fresh acidity making for a taut conclusion.
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South Australia |
1 |
96 (HWC) |
$215.00 |
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Halliday Wine Companion (96)A full-bodied shiraz that reflects cunning winemaking. Whole-berry fermentation has put a rich gloss on the palate without overloading the tannin structure. The predominantly black berry fruit is shot through with licorice, spice and an airbrush of dark chocolate.
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South Australia |
1 |
97 (JS) |
$250.00 |
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James Suckling (97)I have tasted this producer's wines for a time now and adore the grenaches. Often my preference is for the Sands of Time cuvée but in 2021, a vintage of such effortless quality, This Charming Man ascends. Bitter red-fruit, orange-pastille, tea-tree, dried-thyme, bracken and sandalwood riffs are beautifully compressed by a phalanx of brushwood tannins. Mid-weighted Nebbiolo vibes. Very fine. Extremely long. An exquisite grenache. Drink or hold.
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Western Cape |
1 |
96 (VN) |
$161.00 |
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Vinous (96)The 2020 Rocking Horse is a blend of 35% Sémillon, 28% Roussanne, 16% Chardonnay, 15% Chenin Blanc and 6% Clairette Blanche, whole-bunch-pressed and matured in used oak. It has a well-defined, flor-like bouquet offering brioche, grilled walnut, bales of straw and smoke. The fabulous palate presents a sensual honeyed texture effortlessly counterbalanced by acidity. Very harmonious, revealing dried honey, walnut and ginger on the finish. This is a masterclass in winemaking and it will age brilliantly in bottle... if you can resist pulling that cork.
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Western Cape |
1 |
97 (CE) |
$141.00 |
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Christian Eedes (97)32% Roussanne, 29% Semillon, 19% Chardonnay, 16% Chenin Blanc and 4% Clairette Blanche sourced from the Cape winelands. Sensational aromatics of green, white and yellow fruit, flowers, herbs and spice plus a touch of flinty reduction – very expressive but not at all vulgar or overwrought. The palate has great fruit definition, a lovely line of acidity and finish that is long and dry. Precisely made, the whole very much more than the sum of the parts.
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Tuscany |
1 |
97 (JS) |
$1,330.00 |
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James Suckling (97)Violets and lavender with dark fruit and hints of dark chocolate. Sophisticated nose. Medium-bodied with fine tannin structure that gives this finesse and beauty. It’s very long and goes on for minutes. Precision. 68% sangiovese with the rest in cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Drinkable but better in three or four years.
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Marlborough |
1 |
97 (DC) |
$196.00 |
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Decanter (97)Subtle and elegant nose displaying aromas of apple, gooseberry, meyer lemon and fresh herbs. A lovely playful wine with a crisp acidity and juicy, ripe fruit energy. Polished and textured on the palate.
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