Winner! Been awhile since I’ve been “wowed” by a wine, but this really delivered. It’s everything special about southern France, it’s not a huge wine and had a bit of heat that dissipated by Night 2, but the aromatics and flavor profile was just so spot on, so beautifully complex & engaging, so regionally specific - it was like a textbook. Believe this was about $20 give or take and I’m going back for a case. — 18 days ago
Great find from Friuli - an underrated region for BDX varietals: this showed its age w/bricking edges to its deep ruby color, wafting dusty herbal tinged red fruit, currants & cassis, peppery and just a bit squirrely, very engaging nose & flavorful palate. Med bodied, easy going, pliable tannins and enough acidity to keep things moving. Drink now — 22 days ago
Interesting rendition of Syrah from Spain: blind I would say Monastrell - really dark & inky, wafty nose of dark fruit, deeply ripe, smoky, gnarly, as it gained air it threw some cocoa & spices, coffee, musty attic, old books, pepper. Rich broad across palate, touch hot - ripe verging on baked black fruit compote, baking spices. Decent length on finish. — 4 days ago
Not the best RDP I’ve had but still pretty solid and glad to see these wines in the market. Inky w/wafting dark fruit aromas, smoky, peppery, bit of animal/iodine minerality to it, on the palate it is fleshy & supple and this is where it fell off a bit for me. Aromas didn’t translate but nice mouthfeel and decent finish. — 13 days ago
ESF
Sleeper! Can’t recall what I paid for this, but it was stunning: immediately showed gorgeous notes of all manner of red fruit & cassis, strong vein of minerality along with sweet schisty soil, loam, clay, spice, white pepper a ton of other notes. Reminded of CDP and Gigondas. Such purity, beautiful old vine material handled well - oak accented/enhanced - all polish & a fine cut. Captivating complexity as it unwound over the course of a couple of hours. Dead sexy — 4 days ago