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Rocca di Frassinello Poggio alla Guardia
An unoaked Merlot/Cabernet blend from Tuscany. Roast plums and chocolate with dusty tannins. Delicious and simple.
Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi Riserva Piano Montevergine
Excellent fruit from a great wine region and made expensively. Layers of creamy oak lushness that feel like layers of cashmere unfolding to show a wine of charcoal, flesh, and porcini mushrooms. Powerful and awe-inspiring bottle of wine.
Saintsbury Pinot Noir Stanly Ranch
A remarkable Pinot from Carneros; Ginseng tea and roasting spices on the nose, followed by rich berry fruits which turn into a pleasant farm-meets-forest moment that fades into a mineral-laden and gently tannic finish.
Louis Martini Cabernet Monte Rosso Vineyard
Mark our words: a best effing bottle of Gallo wine ever. Yeah, LM is owned by Gallo, and it’s atypical of us to review such wines. However, this is such a gem that it’s worth picking up. Black currant and tobacco crown a classically structured Cabernet that offers clarity and sumptuousness, a rare balance in northern Cali Cabernet. Layers of berry and tree fruits compounded with layers of briar and dried spice notes. Excellent.
Domaine Faiveley Mercurey
A simple and pretty Pinot Noir with a saddle of earth and fresh cherries. Very nice for the price.
Joseph Drouhin Chorey les Beaune
At the bottom of Corton, below all the grand Cru fruit, lies Chorey. While not as grand as its bigger brothers, this is also a fraction of the price. Ripe bing cherry and damp firewood rise above a firm and light texture, finishing with spice and cherry. Best value in Burgundy.
Morey-Blanc St Aubin 1er Cru
Old Vine Chardonnay from Premier Cru vineyards above Puligny-Montrachet in Burgundy. A no-brainer for burgopiles: with its hints of sea salt and peaches and a lush texture cleaved with enough acidity to keep the oak notes from dominating: vibrant, decadent, and exciting.