Rare Finds: Wine

Brunella is one of the most historic single vineyard sites of all of Castiglione Falletto, however it hasn’t ever been bottled singularly under the Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva BRUNELLA until 2013. The Brunella vineyard... Read More

Wow. This is really something. Shows such pedigree and strength, yet with finesse and balance. It’s full-bodied with a compact palate that gives this wine density yet tension, together with phenolics that are intertwined... Read More

Aldo Conterno’s Barolo Bussia is produced from five hectares of prime vineyards in Bussia Soprano, the original section of what has become a rather large vineyard in recent years. These five hectares are spread across three... Read More

Aldo Conterno’s Barolo Bussia is produced from five hectares of prime vineyards in Bussia Soprano, the original section of what has become a rather large vineyard in recent years. These five hectares are spread across three... Read More

Aldo Conterno's Barolo Bussia is produced from five hectares of prime vineyards in Bussia Soprano, the original section of what has become a rather large vineyard in recent years. These five hectares are spread across three... Read More

The vineyard “Romirasco” is about 50-55 years old and the vines are replanted from time to time. The main variety of Nebbiolo is Lampia and its rootstock is Rupestris du Lot.

Brunello Montosoli has a deep ruby red colour which turns a garnet red with age. Its bouquet has outstanding character with hints of black cherry, blackberries, raspberries, violet, liquorice, vanilla and a slight accent of pink... Read More

Very nicely done, possess deeply layered aromatics of brambly slightly earthy dark red fruits. Complex and offers more character than the standard 2018 Brunello, a nice step up, shows a nice concentrated core of wild dark berry... Read More

Perfumed and beautiful with raspberry and cherry aromas and flavors. Purity like a mountain stream. Medium to full body with ultra-refined tannins that are so polished and beautiful. Goes on for minutes. Lovely and real. Drinkable... Read More

Guado al Tasso 2020 is an intense ruby red in color. The nose offers notes of small dark fruit with sweet spice and toasted oak. On the palate, pure flavors and refined tannins lead to a persistent finish. This wine can be enjoyed... Read More

Another intense, tightly-wound wine, the 2012 Solaia is likely to require a number of years in bottle before it is ready to drink. Graphite, smoke, plums, black cherries, rose petal and mint meld together effortlessly in the glass.... Read More

Deep ruby red in color, the nose of this red wine offers ample notes of blackberries, black currants and hints of fresh mint. The bouquetlends spicy aromas of white pepper, toasted cinnamon and cocoa. Rich and mouth-filling palate;... Read More

Tignanello 2019 is a deep ruby red color. Its nose offers exceptional complexity with notes of red fruits, strawberries and pomegranate that give rise to delicate aromas of apricots and peaches in syrup accompanied by elegant... Read More

The 2020 Tignanello is an intense ruby red in color. Complex notes of ripe red fruits, especially cherries, are highlighted along with berries and floral notes. Its bouquet is complemented by notes of roasted coffee and cocoa... Read More

The currants and spices are very pretty, with some hazelnut undertones. Medium- to full-bodied with juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Very... Read More

Inspired by the three movements of Beethoven’s ground-breaking “Appassionata” Piano Sonata, there are three Appassionata Pinot Noirs, released at different tempos.

The second movement, Andante (gently, unhurried),... Read More

Compelling aromas of black fruits such as brambleberries, plus blueberries and fresh mushrooms. Asphalt, too. Forest fruits. The tannins just melt into the wine as you taste it. Aristocratic and regal in style and length. A powdery,... Read More

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy 93-95 points

The ‘old vines’ are 100 and the ‘young’ vines are 60. Half the ancient vines have now been pulled out but their replacements are not yet in service. Ripe fresh... Read More

Colledilà stands out for its complex structure and great, modern elegance. A pure Sangiovese that manages to reveal all the magnificent qualities of this grape that are further exalted by the small dimensions of the vineyard... Read More

The 2016 Zinfandel Esola Vineyard emerges from a site in Amador County planted in 1968. The Esola offers notable power and intensity in its red cherry and blood orange profile. A hint of reduction from aging in large format oak... Read More

La Spirale means the vortex; a symbol of life, creation, and the natural formative forces that guide our hands in our agricultural and winemaking pursuits at Bergström Wines. It is also the name of our newest estate vineyard... Read More

Pale to light red in color with an elegant nose of lemongrass, mint, oregano, subtle perfume, rose water, and cranberries. Fresh and delicate with a sophisticated balance of mossy earth and Rainier cherries. The mid-palate is... Read More

This wine was originally known as the Biondi-Santi “White Label Brunello”, but changed its name in 1983, when the Rosso di Montalcino DOC was established. It reflects the signature style of our high-altitude vineyards... Read More

Much more structured, muscular, tannic and intense is the 2013 Quella, which exhibits blackberry notes, licorice, some truffle, graphite and damp earth, huge fruit, a muscular, full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long, moderately tannic... Read More

Making its debut with the 2006 vintage, the name is derived from the German word for a pristine source or an artesian aquifer. This property is steeply sloped facing southwest. The site is an ancient riverbed composed of cobble... Read More

Blackberry, black-truffle, sliced-mushroom and dried-beef aromas. Full-bodied, broad shouldered and amazingly structured and layered. Dense, extremely long and intense. It’s seamless and goes on for minutes. Great wine.... Read More

#81 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2021

The 2018 vintage was a long, slightly cool season, devoid of heat spikes and late rains which offered ample hangtime through a glorious autumn for the fruit to mature without losing its underpinning... Read More

Bruno Clair Chambolle Musigny Les Veroilles is a ruby red color. Nose of red fruits Lots of finesse and good length on the palate.

The 2021 Morey Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy, which has slightly less whole bunches (20%), has a light red cherry and crushed strawberry scented bouquet. The palate is well balanced, quite pretty with fine mineralité towards... Read More

Note: from a .65 ha parcel planted in 1980 that sits directly above Clos de Tart. Ripe yet distinctly cool aromas of plum, floral nuances and spice lead to racy, rich and beautifully detailed medium weight flavors that are unusually... Read More

Note: from a 1.7 ha parcel of vines planted in 1902. A deft dollop of wood easily allows the spicy dark berry fruit aromas to shine. Like many of the wines in the range, the medium-bodied flavors are compact and powerful with... Read More

This is superb wine with dark chocolate, berry and spice. Extremely perfumed. Full body, super silky tannins. Great finish. This is so delicious. Ripe yet fresh. Tannins are polished and elegant. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot,... Read More

There's a phenomenal nose to this wine with crushed berry, wet earth, wet slate and hints of flowers. Full body with a chewy tannic structure, yet soft and polished. Powerful and rich. Muscular and toned. Has form. Slightly... Read More

The 2005 continues to exhibit a European-styled finesse, elegance, and a certain austerity. The wine also shows considerable new oak, lots of acidity, which is almost atypical for this vineyard site, and a deep ruby/purple color... Read More

The softer, lighter 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill reveals no hint of herbaceousness. It offers lots of red and black currants intertwined with hints of blueberry liquor, fewer floral notes, and attractive, medium-bodied,... Read More

Bryant? flagship wine, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill offers a rare but magnificent forest floor/floral aromatic profile with lavishly rich, ripe notes of crème de cassis, blueberry and... Read More

The 2021 CADE Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has beautiful aromas of cherry, raspberry, cranberry, cocoa nibs, baked red delicious apples, dark chocolate, and roasted coffee. In the palate are flavors of rhubarb pie, cinnamon, clove,... Read More

Signature, top of the line wine from this Spring Mountain estate, based on the five grapes used in a classic Bordeaux blend 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28 Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec.... Read More

A gorgeous wine, the 2015 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is bright and punchy, with plenty of red cherry, raspberry and floral notes pushed forward. Silky and racy in the glass, this mid-weight Zinfandel is impeccable. The Carlisle... Read More

The 2014 Zinfandel Papera Ranch is exuberant, rich and extroverted to the core. Sweet dark cherry, plum, mint, tobacco, cedar, menthol and spices flesh out in a hugely appealing wine endowed with real depth and intensity. The... Read More

A rich red/garnet color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Giovanni Neri is a muscular and highly expressive, moody wine with layered and compelling aromas of cigar box, fresh tobacco leaf, dried currants, worn leather, crushed... Read More

This edition of Casanova di Neri's celebrated single-vineyard wine opens to a luminous garnet color and exuberant fruit aromas. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova offers a lot to the bouquet, from sweet cherry aromas... Read More

The Brunello Tenuta Nuova 2018 shows a bright, young and ruby red color. The nose reveals nuances of ripe red berries and its usual pronounced balsamic tones. The palate is distinguished by a great complexity. 2018 Tenuta Nuova... Read More

A jeweled ruby color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova takes things to the next level at this estate. Offering a deeply layered bouquet of kirsch, dark chocolate, crushed rosemary, and lavender oils, on the palate... Read More

The first Super Tuscans were created in the 1970s by Chianti Classico producers who rejected a restrictive government regulation that dictated which grapes were required to go into wines labeled as from the region. As such, to... Read More

Each year, we set aside the best barrels of our Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley to produce Special Selection. Distinguished by extremely fine, velvety tannins and enjoyable upon release or with aging. A wine of structure with... Read More

The flagship is the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill, and this cuvée just about always represents the pinnacle of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The 2017 is 100% estate Cabernet Sauvignon and reveals... Read More

The most sought-after wine in our portfolio, this limited-production Cabernet Sauvignon represents the pinnacle of Chappellet winemaking and embodies the elegant power and complexity of Pritchard Hill winegrowing. Like the great... Read More

This is destined to be a cult status favorite among Petite fans far and wide. Big, dark and brooding it’s a monster of a wine with a surprisingly sweet and sexy side that needs very little coaxing to come out and play. Big... Read More

Bright medium ruby. Brooding, pure aromas of blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, espresso and minerals. Wonderfully dense yet weightless, with a penetrating calcaire energy to its sappy black fruit and mineral flavors. This has... Read More

Bright medium ruby. Brooding, pure aromas of blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, espresso and minerals. Wonderfully dense yet weightless, with a penetrating calcaire energy to its sappy black fruit and mineral flavors. This has... Read More

In many respects, the 2002 may be even more impressive than the 2003. A far more challenging vintage to get everything right, and especially in St.-Emilion, where many disappointments have been produced, this is one of the wines... Read More

Bright medium ruby. Brooding, pure aromas of blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, espresso and minerals. Wonderfully dense yet weightless, with a penetrating calcaire energy to its sappy black fruit and mineral flavors. This has... Read More

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Ausone has a fragrant bouquet compared to the 2006 Pavie, fomenting more secondary aromas such as smoke, cigar box, potpourri and a smear of... Read More

The ripeness is outstanding, dark in color, the aromas are refined, complex and spicy, the tannins are elegant and sexy, with the sensation of a balanced power. It stands up the challenge of the 2018 and 2019 vintages, with a... Read More

Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Cheval Blanc offers up profound notions of baked blueberries, blackberry compote and crème de cassis with suggestions of chocolate mint, new leather and cloves plus a waft of candied violets. Medium... Read More

The pale to medium lemon-gold colored 2005 d'Yquem opens with a provocative, mineral and earth-tinged nose of chalk dust, wet pebbles and dried wild mushrooms over a core of warm apricots, green mango, honeyed toast, ginger... Read More

Pale to medium gold colored, the 2007 d'Yquem delivers powerful scents of tropical fruits?ried mangoes and pineapple paste?ccented by acacia honey, toasted almonds and woodsmoke with hints of chalk dust, kettle corn and... Read More

A deep, quite herbal expression, with liquorice and crushed blueberries to the cassis fruit. Full-bodied, powerfully fruited, dense and deep. Really mouthcoating, intense fruit. The tannins are ripe, fine and plentiful, all saturated... Read More

The 2004 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin continues to show well, and was even more open from this bottle than from one earlier this year. While still youthful, it has beautiful complexity and depth on the palate,... Read More

This wine is produced primarily from the terroir of “La Crau”, with the blend primarily Grenache reinforced by a strong proportion of Syrah, and complemented by Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vacarèse. The red... Read More

The soil at Le Claux is a yellowish limestone marl and produces the most “Burgundian” wine at Saint Cosme. “It’s extremely refined and fresh with lots of bouquet. Its propensity to mature is excellent,”... Read More

For Gazin this is pretty creamy at this early stage, with blackberry and soft vanilla bean spice, impressively gourmet for an estate that is often one of the most austere and buttoned up Pomerols during En Primeur. The walls and... Read More

The 2009 Haut-Brion is deep garnet colored and slightly closed and shy to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal sensuous notions of warm blackberries, plum preserves, mulberries and blackcurrant cordial with touches of star anise,... Read More

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 L'Evangile strides confidently out of the glass with notes of chocolate-covered cherries, vanilla pod, sweaty leather and baked plums plus hints of tobacco leaf and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied,... Read More

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château La Mission Haut-Brion has a very attractive, captivating bouquet: red berry fruit, warm gravel, Hoisin and a pinch of truffle all beautifully... Read More

This has a warmer, more inviting nose than the previous wine, with perhaps a little more Merlot evident? There are scents of decayed red-berried fruits with cedar and a touch of hot bricks and together they make a compelling bouquet.... Read More

The deep garnet colored 2009 Lafite Rothschild bursts from the glass with red and black currant preserves, warm plums, mulberries and kirsch scents plus suggestions of sweaty leather, cigar box and menthol. Medium-bodied, elegant... Read More

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Lafite Rothschild is a little mute on the nose at this stage, opening to reveal warm blackcurrants, baked plums and boysenberry scents with hints of chocolate mint, violets, cedar chest and pencil... Read More

As in the last two vintages, Château Lagrange 2009 is highly marked by Cabernet Sauvignon. The blend for Château Lagrange is made from 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot. The blend is very similar to the vintage... Read More

The 2012 Latour has a potent bouquet of blackberry, graphite and distinctive tertiary notes [instead of more marine scents observed four years earlier]. Initially, the palate is slightly disjointed on the entry and displays a... Read More

#3 on Wine Spectator Top 100 list 2023

Cool and confident, an effortless Margaux that’s a clear success in 2020. Vivid colour in the glass with a delicately perfumed nose. Smooth and graceful on the palate, silky yet rich too, deepening in layers, much more vertical... Read More

This continues to be very tight yet I loved drinking it the other night at dinner. Loads of spices, berries, meat, cloves and chocolate on the nose. Full body with soft, silky tannins and lots of rich fruit. Still chewy. This... Read More

Technical Director/Chief Winemaker Philippe Dhalluin said this was a special year for him, because he considers it his first great vintage?e started in 2004. Deep garnet with hint of brick, the 2005 Mouton Rothschild is evolving... Read More

Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Mouton Rothschild gives up bold earthy notions of underbrush, tilled soil and fungi over a core of crème de cassis, plum preserves and Indian spices with a waft of camphor. Full-bodied with a firm,... Read More

Complexity. That of a terroir, expressed in the wines of Château Palmer. Parcel by parcel, the estate’s teams must nurture it daily. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, protected and enriched by nature in... Read More

Powerful in color, this has the glass staining red and purple colors that Pape Clément does so well. Touches of licorice and cocoa beans, well handled, this gives power with one hand but takes it away with the other as... Read More

A silky, pure, even sexy, Pauillac that excels in the vintage, the 2012 from Pichon Longueville Baron sports a deep ruby/purple color to go with surprisingly ripe notes of black currants, toasted bread, saddle leather and sweet... Read More

Vibrant and deep in color. The nose is a fusion of red and black berries, graphite and spices. The palate's structure is particularly dense and long with chiseled tannins of incredible precision.

Compared to the flamboyant 2018 and the fantastic 2016, this comes in a lower gear, with less potential complexity. I like the ripe cassis, red and black berry aromatics with a lovely tannic finesse, but I wanted more palate density... Read More

Full of pleasure, silky and richly textured, easy to sink into but carefully measured at the same time, addings its layers of orange peel, bloody orange, white pepper spice and truffle slowly but surely as it inches through the... Read More

Tomahawk Vineyard is the pinnacle of the Chimney Rock estate. Comprised of a small group of vines which were planted in 2002, Tomahawk consistently produces intense, massively complex fruit. The ensuing wines are truly world-class,... Read More

This is so complex, with lifting citrus and herb undertones to the blue and red berry fruit. Thyme, sage and lavender, with mocha and clove, too. Full-bodied, full of depth and intensity, with firm yet seamless tannins. Evolves... Read More

Ruby red verging on garnet. The bouquet is intense and complex: fruit-forward, spicy and ethereal, with hints of red berries and various spices. Warm, harmonic with pronounced and soft tannins. A full-bodied wine with a very long... Read More

The Shiraz Viognier is Clonakilla's flagship, a careful selection of the best of the Shiraz Viognier parcels we craft each year from our Murrumbateman vineyard. Deeply aromatic, opulent and powerfully ripe. Plush tannins and... Read More