Chris MacLean

9.0

More muscle this vintage? — 19 days ago

with Sarah

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Martínez, now run by Manuel, Isabel & Isaac Muga Caño. Deep Ruby, aromas of sweet red and black fruits with pepper spice, unmistakable Muga. 4 grape blend from the Haro district (70% Tempranillo, rest Garnacha, Mazuelo & Graciano), palate shows cherry and currant flavors with espresso, vanilla & toasty oak tones. Soft full tannins, lively acidity on a medium+ finish ending with an earthy mineral character. Nice value! Great vintage! — 10 months ago

Frank Lin

8.9

Amazing rich aromas. Great balance of fruit and structure. Wonderful recommendations at Chapeu. Should look for it. — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2021 vintage. Above the average, non lieu-dit expressions of of CDP rouge in terms of pricing. As for the performance? Bad-*ss spicy Grenache riding hard to set the tone. Big spice finish. Light-medium body. Needs air time but for those relatively unfazed/unafraid of tannins, PNP and rock on. Love this producer and the authenticity that shines through in the effort. 02.26.25. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.0

From a lesser known “produttori” in Piemonte. Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema (what a mouthful) is a tiny cooperative in, you guessed it, Carema.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Fairly consistent throughout but I think I preferred the energy on Day 1. The 2016 Riserva pours a pale garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of pomegranate, slightly bruised strawberry, toe jam (yeah, well…I’m not wrong), alpine herbs, roses some balsamico and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and saline with a silky texture. Until now, my only experience with the Carema DOC has been with Ferrando’s Etichetta Bianca and Etichetta Nera. While this bottle didn’t have the same drama as those wines from Ferrando, this was a very good example of Carema. Drink now and through 2031. — a year ago

Robert Stackowiak

9.1

Beautiful fragrance. Light cherry, vanilla on the palate. April 2023. — 2 years ago

romo

9.3

Called 90s Barolo. Looks at that color! — 5 months ago

Steve Rura

9.5

Hell yes. Raspberry nose. Red fruit overlayed with crushed dry rose, savory herbs, spicy black pepper, red licorice, assertive tannins and a delicate acidity. Unconventional but absolutely great Chateauneuf du Pape. Give it a lot of air, and drink it slowly over the course of an evening. With cheese ravioli and Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. Divine. (Also not a blend, but 100% Grenache) — 6 months ago

Eric Urbani

9.3

We tasted nine Minervois Red Blends (Languedoc region of France), an unknown AOC to our group. This was designated a “vin de table” because as a single-varietal, it did not conform to the Minervois arcane AOC rules. I loved it anyways — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured. Isabel’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is a bit of an outlier when compared to most CdP Blancs. While others tend to work with Grenache Blanc, she has instead focused her attention on Clairette which makes up 80% of the blend with Roussane rounding (no pun intended) out the balance. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in a mix of glass demi-john and old foudre, the 2021 Blanc pours a very light straw color. The nose is a fascinating and luxuriously perfumed blend of peach, yellow flowers, fresh asparagus, and pastilles. The fruit is confirmed on the palate with some added minerals for good measure. Acid is medium and quite lovely, giving a very nice lift to everything. The finish is long and savory. Drink now through 2031 with ease. Could go beyond that…but why? — 2 years ago