2021
Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2021
"Crafted from old vines (70 to 80 years old) on clay, gravelly soils, the 2021 Chinon Vieilles Vignes is instantly brilliant in the glass. Despite a slight reduction, it offers up aromas of blueberries, cassis, flowers, violet, rose petals and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, layered and structured, it’s seamless and enveloping with powdery tannins and delicate notes of violet and blueberries on the finish. It's approachable now but also built to evolve with grace." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate
Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 2021
"This site is known to produce relatively dense, powerful wines in ripe vintages, yet the 2021 Chinon Coteau de Noiré stands out as exceptional. It unfolds in the glass with aromas of lead pencil, licorice, dark wild berries and cassis. Full-bodied, dense and chunky, it’s seamless and velvety with a layered core of fruit framed by powdery, generous tannins that segues into a long, mineral finish framed by perfectly controlled power. I appreciate wines like this that purely express the terroirs and are capable of long aging. Keep it over the next decade." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate
Domaine Philippe Alliet Chinon L’Huisserie 2021
"The 2021 Chinon L'Huisserie is derived from 23-year-old vines planted on flinty clay soils. Offering up a reduced, complex bouquet of violet, blueberries, cassis, cedar and licorice, it’s medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a layered, structured mid-palate complemented with bright acids and a penetrating, mineral finish that is a hallmark of this cuvée in recent years." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate
Domaine Roland Lavantureux Epineuil Rouge Les Fauconniers 2021
Elio Grasso Barbera d’Alba Vigna Martina 2021
"Raised half in new oak and half in used barrique, the 2021 Barbera D'Alba Vigna Martina is a brooding and dark beast with an opaque dark purple color and forward oak spice notes of bourbon, baked plum, black cherries, menthol, and dark earth. It feels hot on the nose and is full-bodied on the palate, with ripe tannins and tangy acidity. Its ripe, oaky profile demands more time in bottle to show at its best. This is a robust, nearly full-bodied red to cellar for another couple of years and drink over the following 6-8. It's quite powerful, but it’s going to appeal to a lot of New World drinkers." - Jeb Dunnuck
Château L’Innocence de Séraphine Pomerol 2021
"The colour of this wine is a dark black cherry with good concentration right to the rim and displays great elegance on the nose of fruit that is finely delineated, showing of blackcurrant, damson and dark chocolate notes. Elegantly poised on the palate, it mixes dark black fruits with liquorice, chocolate and tobacco and is underpinned by a svelte bed of tightly grained tannins. It is nicely structured with perfumed fruit and cherries, touched with notes of white peach and sage, it delivers a fine persistence well into the finish where the tannic grip remains in harmony with the wine. Fresh, long, and quintessentially Pomerol." - Winemaker's notes
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Falkirk Grenache 2021
Garmón Continental 2020
"The 2020 Garmón is a 100% Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, aged for 20 months in primarily French oak barrels. Purple with a garnet sheen. The fruit-forward nose offers dried plum, blackcurrant and aniseed-like herbs intertwined with oak layers. Dry and plush from the oak, the wine's chalky texture grows more pronounced as it goes on, foregrounding a restrained but juicy, polished, lingering finish. The 2020 is a balanced, modern expression of Ribera del Duero." - Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous
Luciano Sandrone Barbera d’Alba 2021
"Starting with thick concentration and inky darkness, the Luciano Sandrone 2021 Barbera d'Alba has cooked fruit aromas and some savory tones too, such as leather, spice and a hint of dusty licorice root. The style is big, and this wine is conventional with big juicy sensations. It's all very elaborate for a Barbera d'Alba, but we are talking about a vintage that naturally delivers extra concentration. Production is 25,000 bottles." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
BLANKbottle Pierre Le Cois 2021
"The X-factor - The PIERRE-LE-COIS-EFFECT as I call it. The guy and nowadays often, the girl in the bakkie. The eyes who look holistically at the big picture and apply knowledge and experience within the comfort of like minded wise minds - enabling the application of practices to guide these vines to the ultimate expression of themselves. Season upon season. " - Winemaker's notes
J.L. Chave Sélection Crozes-Hermitage “Silène” 2021
J.L. Chave Sélection Saint-Joseph “Offerus” 2021
"Shockingly good given the difficulties in Crozes during the growing season (it rained - a lot), the 2021 Crozes-Hermitage Silene has a pretty, complex, elegant perfume of red berries, spring flowers, cedary herbs, and pepper, with some classic Northern Rhône bacon fat. Nicely textured, medium-bodied, and elegant, with good ripeness, it's a rock-solid, classic, old school-styled Crozes to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years." - Jeb Dunnuck
Domaine Lafarge-Vial Fleurie “Clos Vernay” 2021
Domaine Lafarge-Vial Fleurie “Clos Vernay” 20221, “A slightly riper yet cool and wonderfully fresh nose combines notes of spice and pepper with those of both red and dark gamay fruit. There is solid volume and lovely mid-palate density, though here too the finish is a bit lean with a touch of asperity.”– Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine Lionnet Cornas Terre Brûlée 2021 Magnum
Domaine Lionnet 2021 Cornas Terre Brulée 2021 Magnum, "Youthful purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh black and blue fruits, star anise, olive, violet and tobacco. A smoky mineral accent builds steadily in the glass and energizes the spice-laced, dark berry liqueur, smoky bacon and floral pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Clings with strong tenacity on the youthfully tannic finish, leaving behind sappy blue fruit, cracked pepper and mineral notes. " - Josh Raynolds
Domaine Lionnet Cornas Pur Granit 2021
Domaine Lionnet Cornas Pur Granit 2021, "Saturated magenta. Vibrant, mineral- and smoke-accented scents of blackberry, cherry liqueur, pipe tobacco and exotic spices, along with a sexy floral component. Fresh and sharply focused on the palate, displaying sappy, finely etched dark berry, floral pastille and spicecake flavors, plus a touch of botanical herbs. Finishes long and gently sweet, with a hint of star anise and firming tannins." - Josh Raynolds,
Alain Voge Cornas Les Chailles 2021
"The younger vine cuvée from this great estate is the 2021 Cornas Les Chailles, which is from a mix of terroirs. Its deeper ruby hue is followed by a solid perfume of ripe blackberries, red plums, ground pepper, and flowery incense. This carries to a medium-bodied Cornas with bright acidity, a supple, layered mouthfeel, and just ripe tannins. It should be an outstanding wine and certainly does well in the vintage. " - Jeb Dunnuck
