Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Pale golden color, complex aging, 34% new French oak-15 months, 30% stainless-4 months; 18% in Foudre for 9 months; rest concrete egg for 14 months. Aromas of stone fruits, oak, nuts, floral and spice. On the palate flavors of peach and pear with honeysuckle, integrated toasty oak and nice citrus tang. Long finish, ending with a wet stone mineral character. Outstanding! Will age well! — 4 months ago

Vanessa

9.3

This is a stunning Garnatxa blend from Priorat (Catalonia), Spain!!

It’s comprised of mostly Garnatxa (Grenache), along with Syrah, and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from three parcels in the sun-soaked village of Gratallops, where Daphne Glorian purchased her first vineyard – Clos Escales – back in 1989 when she founded Clos i Terraces. 🍇

In making this move, she joined equally passionate and pioneering winemakers Álvaro Palacios (L’Ermita) and René Barbier (Clos Mogador) in a rebirth of production practices in the region; as a group (with other similar-minded producers) they altered the trajectory of Priorat’s profile as a source of tip top quality wines rivaling the best on the world stage. 👏🏻

Priorat is one of only two regions carrying the “DOCa” / “DOQ” quality designation (the other is Rioja), subject to various stipulations including regular auditing by a tasting panel. ✅

This particular wine is “Laurel” which is Clos i Terraces’s second wine, next to Clos Erasmus, one of Priorat’s finest and most sought-after wines. Yet it tastes like a flagship wine in and of itself.🫶🏻🫶🏻

It is absolutely beautiful, with a medium ruby hue, medium (+) intensity of ripe and fresh strawberry, red cherry, red plum, violet, black licorice, fennel, clove, baking spice aromas and flavors. It’s dry, with medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) body, high alcohol (14% ABV), and medium tannins that are fine-grained. 😆

This wine vinified and aged in a combination of vessels, including, large oak vats, concrete tanks, second and third fill French oak barrels, and clay amphorae, lending to its texture and complexity.👌🏻👌🏻
— 7 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Light reddish in color with light intensity.

Really pretty nose, with nice elegance.

Light to medium in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Showing raspberries, cherries, red currants, light wood, spices, wild flowers, chocolates and tobacco.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Barbaresco with some nice age to it. Elegant and rich. Complex with good structure.

This 8 year old Barbaresco is still young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years. I had the 1998 not too long ago and it was so much better.

Easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

100% Nebbiolo grapes were aged for 5 years in Oak and Concrete tanks.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$80. — 4 months ago

Justin Martin

9.2

Honey and concrete. — 8 months ago

Turd Ferguson

9.3

50:50 Grenache/Mourvedre. Whole cluster, neutral oak and concrete. Juicy and elegant. Sneaky fine tannins. 13.5%. Winner. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.4

I’ve enjoyed the wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape for almost 20 years and, along with a few DOCG’s in Italy, it’s one of the regions I have the most experience with. That being said, I’ve become very judicious with my buying over the last 5 years or so, concentrating on a small handful of producers that I’ve naturally gravitated towards. Domaine Charvin is one of those. No destemming, aged in concrete, no luxury cuvée, modest pricing. They’re just so old school and I just love it. The 2017 Charvin Rouge pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, it’s initially a bit reticent but changes dramatically with about 15min of air at which point it begins to really strut. First with bruised strawberries and whole fields of garrigue. With a little more coaxing, ripe brambles, spiced meat, and lavender join the party. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins (which seem to build with air), medium acid and fairly high alcohol though it never felt like a hot mess. In fact, the wine is beautifully balanced with ample structure providing a foundation for the abundance of fruit: red and black brambly fruit, with Herb de Provence, espresso and a touch of leather and dark olive. The finish is long and satisfying. A lovely Charvin that should deliver in style well past 2030 — 2 years ago

Tom Barras

9.5

High toned but restrained floral and lemon/grapefruit aromas and flavors. Medium bodied, balanced. Dry, juicy; light, skin-contact, mouth coating finish. Overall, rather Classy and Elegant — 6 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Terre di San Leonardo is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (40%), and Carmenere (10%), run by the Gonzaga family since its inception in 1724. Wine is fermented with ambient yeasts in concrete tanks and 20% is aged in French oak barrels. Ruby with aromas ripe red fruits and floral notes. On the palate flavors of rich plum and blackberry with herb, light spice and slight earthy notes. Medium+ finish, fine soft tannins, ending with fruit, floral and earthy mineral character. Tremendous value! — 7 months ago

Philip Patston

9.2

Superb with Lamb at Easter. — 10 months ago

Vanessa

9.3

We absolutely love exploring the world’s many expressions of Pinot Noir!  It’s a lifelong endeavor and we’re here for it. 😆

Tonight, we’re taking a sensory trip to South America and, more specifically, Río Negro, Patagonia 🇦🇷 – the most southerly wine-producing region of Argentina – where Antarctic currents, winds descending from the Andes, & high latitudes offer cooling influences, ideal for producing elegant Pinot Noir styles.

Bodega Chacra was established in 2003 by Tuscan Piero Incisa della Rocchetta (grandson of Sassicaia’s founding father) in search of purity and nuance in fruit expression from the terroir of Patagonia. 🍇
 
Piero now partners with esteemed Burgundian winemaker (and friend) Jean-Marc Roulot in the production process, each contributing their respective oenological “genes” to the final wine, which is first and foremost a child of the earth in Mainqué, Río Negro. 🌱
 
Paying utmost respect to the land, Bodega Chacra cares for its vineyards organically and biodynamically aided, in part, by the arid, windy conditions that naturally mitigate fungal pressure in the vineyard. Their fruit is harvested by hand, allowing for selectivity and the use of whole bunches during fermentation. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This wine is called ‘Cincuenta Y Cinco’ (fifty five) because its fruit comes from vines first planted in 1955, carefully preserved by the team at Bodega Chacra, whose oldest vines actually date back to 1932!

This wine was fermented in cement vats using native yeast, adapted to the environment and matured 11 months (50% in concrete, 50% in French oak of various ages) before release. ⚖️

In a word this wine is ethereal.
 
We served it with a slight chill. Its pristine, berry and cherry fruit profile, complements the delicate cherry blossom, peony 🌺 and baking spice notes. It’s light on its feet w/ medium alcohol (12% ABV) and bright acidity.  It’s lovely & perfumed.

Cheers to Bodega Chacra and all of the beautiful Pinots of Patagonia! — a year ago

with Deked1