"The soil is composed of tuffeau (a chalky, porous limestone) & some clay. The vyd is located in the village of Rochecorbon on the top of the hillsides, with ideal SE sun exposure." Typically, "Yieldling ≈48 hl/ha, the grapes are immediately pressed with a pneumatic press & are vinified separately by parcel. Vinification & controlled juice settling takes place in s/s tanks over 2-3 mos native yeasts & Vouvray Yeast 905. The wine ages on fine lees for 6-9 mos without the use of malolactic fermentation, fining, or cold stabilization. R.S. is 4 g/L. The finished wine is bottled after a light filtration. ≈1,250 cases produced."

N: CLOSED; Peaches atop minerals? Intensity lurking?

P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt met by bracing acidity which subtly directs the flow into & through the LONG, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a TANGY/swtness (70:30). Notably drier/higher in acidity than I'm accustomed to for this AOC, & the sheet upon which I recorded my notes didn't SAY "sec". For now & through '22, + might still improve? My VG+/EXC-. [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's $14.95.]

Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.

N: CLOSED; Potentially attractive hints of butter/lemons?

P: LM body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt/oak beautifully counterbalanced by an acidity which seamlessly transitions into a LONG, BALANCED, pleasantly tangy/swt finish. For now & I'd expect through '21. VERY nicely done! 13.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC. [This vendor's $31.95 is $3 < wine-searcher's lowest.]

N: Closed; Butter, sandalwood, undertones of spice

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish oak/frt pleasantly counterbalanced by an acidity which fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, tangy/swt finish with just a HINT of very, VERY slight bitterness. A classy rendition of the oak-centric style, which, nonetheless, I'd drink by '20 JUST to be on the safe side. My EXC-; [DO check with this vendor if interested in their *very* COMPETITIVE price!]

“Harvest began on 8/29 & ended 9/13/16. Sugar levels ranged from 22.7-25.9° Brix. The frt was whole cluster pressed directly to barrel for primary fermentation without settling using Montrachet yeast. Post fermentation the wines were barrel aged for 11 mos sur lie in 50% new Francois Freres oak, 45% once used, & 5% in a Stockinger Foudre. 15% of the wine went through spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Post bottling the wine was aged for 10 mos. 705 cases produced & released 4/1/18.”

N: CLOSED, but sensing butter

P: Med, poss MF, body; Very RNDISH entry with nice, ALMOST swtish OAK/frt met by an acidity which somewhat works its way from an oaky harshness into a LONG, VERY slightly bitterish finish. I'd drink this during the next 6 mos or so, IF I were to drink it. My VG; 87 pts John Gilman (1/1/19). [DO check with this vendor if interested in their *very* COMPETITIVE price!]

Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.

N: Vanilla with smoky aspet & notes of spice; Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent PUCKER which fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, BALANCED, TANGY/swt (60:40) finish to the dusty tannins. Approachable now IF one enjoys/craves high acidity, but DESERVES/needs through '21 (& can take longer), then EASILY making its 15th. My EXC-/EXC; 13.5% ABV. [This vendor's $29.95 puts it in the TOP quartile of wine-searcher's postings.]

"Grown on soils of clay & limestone;" Typically, "Fermented in s/s tanks (supposedly 45% whole bunch this vintage), using naturally occurring yeasts; Aged for 18 mos in 1, 2, & 3 yr old FR barriques; Bottled unfined & unfiltered."

N: Slightly closed; Fragrant plums, poss wild straws, with undertones of smoke? Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt fairly quickly met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. NEEDS through '22 (mostly for the acidity to meld), then approaching its 10th. Nicely done! My EXC-; 92 pts ea Decanter (Atkin) & Jasper Morris, 88-91 Burghound, 89-90 John Gilman, 88-90 Vinous (Martin), 87+ WA (Kelley), and 16/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding, barrel). [This vendor's $86.95 puts it in the TOP 15% of wine-searcher's somewhat skewed entries.]

“The vyds used for making this 100% Poulsard are composed of clay & limestone marl & marne soils from the early Jurassic. The 35 yr old vines face W, allowing them full afternoon sun exposure.” Typically, “After harvest (≈30 hl/hl), the clusters are sorted rigorously to ensure quality. Xavier de-stems the grapes, then allow them to macerate @ cool temps for 3-4 days for ideal aromatics to develop. Only the free-run juice is vinified, so that tannins are kept to a minimum. Vinification takes place on indigenous yeasts @ low temps in s/s tanks. The wine is racked off its lees before undergoing malolactic fermentation in tanks (‘sans ouillage’), followed by a light fining before bottling. No filtration is made to preserve the aromatic complexity of the wine as much as possible.”

N: Slightly closed; Straws, flowers; Intensity lurking?

P: Lt/LM body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent PUCKER which evolves into a LONG finish with a TANGY/swtness (70:30) to the few, firming, very, VERY fine tannins. A high acid style (@ least somewhat reminiscent of Beaujolais) for now & through '22? While *I* found this interesting & enjoyable (CERTAINLY as a change of pace), my guess is that it wouldn't be for many (MOST?), making my VG+/EXC- trend towards the lower unless one is a fan of lighter, high acidity reds. [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's $22.95.]

100% Grenache from 50-60 yr old vines planted in red limestone soils with some clay/pebbles; Typically, vinified for 4 wks in oak vats with easy cap punchings & pumping overs; Aged 8-9 mos in large oak barrels & 600 L casks, followed by 4 mos in enamel vats; ≈350 cases bottled unfined & unfiltered.

N: Closed, but RIPE berries; Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt quickly met by an astringent pucker which somewhat resolves by the LONG, balanced finish with a BITTER/swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS a BUNCH of time (through '23?), then EASILY making its 10th. Has potential, though! 16% ABV; My EXC-, higher eventually? 93 pts Suckling, 92-94 ea Dunnuck, Vinous (Raynolds), & WA (Czerwinski), 92 WS, 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson (Hemming), & 3(*)/5* drinkrhone.com (oak vat/casks)! [This vendor's $27.95 is $2 < wine-searcher's lowest.]

Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.

N: CLOSED; Garrigue & (guessing) RIPE berries; Intensity lurking

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which surprises me as to how MUCH it works itself out by the LONG, BALANCED finish with an attractive tangy/swtness to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS through '21, then EASILY making its 10th. A potentially elegant style! 16% ABV; My EXC, EXC+ eventually? [This vendor's $55.95 is $3 < wine-searcher's lowest posting.]

1,500 cased produced; 94-96 pts Vinous (Galloni) & 92-94 WA

Corked :(

[Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

From vines planted (in the 1990s?) by “grafting bud wood from centurion vines onto de-vigorating rootstocks on a rocky knoll above the Martinelli Winery Tasting Room, placing them 1m x 2m apart, equating to about 2,000 vines/acre; 966 cases produced."

N: Attractive, ripe berries (boysenberry jam?) with notes of flowers?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which pretty much works itself out by the LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/SWTNESS to the few, firming, dusty tannins. For now & through '21. 16.4% ABV; My VG+/EXC- in a flirting with R.S. style, though trending towards the lower for poor QPR, however. 96 pts WA (Brooks), 95 Vinous (Galloni), & 91 WS. [Check with this vendor if interested in their competitive pricing.]

A partnership between Tony Biagi & Kimberly Jones

"Cépage: 88% C.S., 8% P.V., & 4% C.F. from a Vyd of rocky, volcanic soils @ 1,400 ft in the eastern hills of Napa Valley; The 7 blocks we work with are comprised of 3 clones of C.S. (7, SEE, & 337), 2 clones of C.F. (332 & Saunders), and 1 clone of P.V. (400)."

N: RIPE berries, poss with undertones of choc?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt which stays in contact with the init frt as it transitions into a LONG, balanced, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. For now with food, may improve for 6-12 mos, then drink through '23? An elegant style for current consumption, though I have to wonder 'bout the QPR -- *particularly* if cf'd to what's available from other than this AVA. My EXC-; 94-96 pts Dunnuck, 93-95 WA (Perrotti-Brown), & 92-95 Vinous (Galloni). [Check with this vendor if interested in their COMPETITIVE price.]

This was very, VERY generous of you, Dr. Tom! THANK you *so* MUCH for sharing it! :)

Decanted for > 1 hr

N: LOVELY cherries with smoke & undertones of pyrazines, poss minerals?

P: LM body; Very NICE, ALMOST swtish fr met by a hint of astringent pucker which QUITE works itself through by the LONG, BALANCED, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the few, dusty tannins. At its peak (perhaps a TAD beyond?), but should hold for 4 or 5 yrs more? 12.5% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. [This appears to have garnered at LEAST 91 pts from Jean-Marc Quarin, and 90 ea WA & Jeff Leve (8/13/15). [Purchased @ $154.95, though not sure IF this vendor has more.]

Christine, THANK you for sharing a wine that was TOTALLY new to me! :)

"100% Schioppettino planted in 1982 in calcareous mineral base soils with a high presence of iron sesquioxides;" Typically, “Hand harvested, de-stalked, & brought to must by way of soft-pressing; Extremely long maceration with principal fermentation along with the grape skins, refrigerated with well water @ a controlled temp not > 25°C; After racking, the wine undergoes an additional 35 days of fermentation. The wine is then stored in n°316 s/s tanks, followed by aging for at least 2 years in 2000 L oak casks. After bottling, groups of 500 bottles each are placed in large chests, which are then stored in a temperature controlled warehouse for additional aging.”

N: Cherries, spice; Seems bright

P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it morphs into a LONG, BALANCED finish with an attractive tangy/swtness to the FEW, unoffensive, yet firming, very, VERY fine tannins. For now & through '21, I'd suspect. VERY nicely done! 13% ABV; My EXC-/EXC (90-93/100 using that metric).

THANK you for allowing me the opportunity to retaste this, Arturo! :)

Hand picked from vines grown in limestone, chalk, & clay soils quite high on the hillside, and that ave 35 yrs old with an ave yield of 40 hl/ha; Fermented "traditionally" in temp controlled, s/s vats with complete malolactic fermentation; Aged 8-10 mos in s/s vats; 3,600 cases imported.

N: Closed; Minerals with toast & undertones of lemons

P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt/oak nicely counterbalanced by an acidity which subtly directs the process into & through the LONG, balanced, POSS very, VERY slightly bitterish, TANGY/swt (65:35) finish. For now & through '21. A nicely styled food wine! 13% ABV; My VG+/EXC-. 90 pts Suckling (Feb '19) & 89 WS (7/31/19). [This vendor's $20.95 puts it in the top 1/3 of wine-searcher's entries.]

Note: 1st tasted on 6/22/19

THANK you for sharing this bottle from your cellar, Arturo, PARTICULAR since I'd yet to taste a wine from this producer! :)

"77% C.S., 16% Merlot, 5% P.V., & 2% Malbec sourced from > 60 Jordan Estate vyd blocks & 16 family growers (90% Alexander Valley, 8% Mendocino County, & 2% Dry Creek Valley); Lots kept separate by vyd; 12 days extended maceration; every lot reevaluated after primary fermentation; malolactic fermentation completed in upright oak casks before assemblage to create our 'barrel blend'. Aged 12 mos in 69% FR & 31% AM oak barrels, 41% of the total barrels being new (73% FR, 27% AM); The 'barrel blend' was then reassessed, & only the top lots were combined for the final master blend, which was egg-white fined & filtered before bottling June 30–August 5, 2014. Released 3/1/16; 13.69% ABV, 0.02% R.S., 0.65 g/100mL T.A., & 3.55 pH;”

N: Slightly closed; RIPE, poss jammy, with notes of vanilla?

P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which somewhat resolves by the LONG finish with a TANGY/swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. NEEDS into '21, then drinking through '25? My EXC-/EXC; 95 pts winereviewonline.com (Rich Cook, 2x), 93 winealign.com, 92 ea Wine & Spirits and RJonWine, 91 WE @ $55, 17/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding, barrel), and Platinum @ '16 Sommelier Challenge Int'l Wine Comp. [As of mid Oct '19, wine-searcher still shows 1 source @ $55].

Yet another winery with which I was unfamiliar, Robert. THANK you for sharing it! :)

96% Sangiovese & 4% C.S. from the Money Rd Ranch estate vyd; Typically, "14 mos in med toast FR barriques (30% new); ≈900 cases produced."

N: CLOSED, but guessing RIPE?

P: LM body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which QUITE resolves by the LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the few, unoffensive, but still firming, dusty tannins. For now & approaching its 20th? NICELY done! 14.5% ABV; My EXC.

Esther, I *quite* appreciated you sharing this WA Sangiovese, 1 of the *very* FEW I've tried from there! :)

260 cases made.

N: Slightly closed; RIPE, a bit of funk?

P: LM, prob Med, body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which quite resolves by the LONG, balanced finish with a very, VERY slight tanginess & a bitter/SWTNESS to the few, firming, dusty tannins. For now & through '21. Nicely done! 14.3% ABV; My EXC-/EXC.

Rick, 'TWAS *gracious* of you to share this LOVELY Brunello! :)

"The Pianrosso Vyd covers 11.69 hectares (29.22 acres). The soil is medium grain with good levels of marl, dating from the Eocene period. The altitude of this large vyd varies from 240-360 m." Fermented "in s/s & glass concrete vats, temperature-controlled via cooling plates & jackets. Aged roughly 36 mos in 7.5-62 hl Slavonian oak barrels, followed by over 8 mos in bottle."

N: Slightly closed; Smoke & sour cherries

P: Med, poss LM, body; Rndish entry with NICE, almost swtish, sour cherry frt fairly quickly met by an astringent pucker which pretty much works itself out by the LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS through '21, then drinking for 4-5 yrs more... min. A potentially elegant style down the line! 15% ABV; My EXC, poss more down the line? 98 pts WE & "Cellar Selection" @ $80, 96 winealign.com , 95 WA, 94 ea Suckling & Decanter (Morris), and 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson (Speller). [This vendor's $65.95 now puts it in the top 15% of wine-searcher's entries.]

Note: Also tasted on 4/6, 4/13, & 6/15/19, TNs fairly consistent all 4x.

Opened for ≈8 hrs prior to Private Preserve being applied

100% Colombard which first undergoes 6 hrs of skin-contact, then a gentle pressing, ff'd by a cold temperature fermentation, & finally 3 mos of aging on the lees; 11.5% ABV, 6.13 g/L T.A., & 3.15 pH.

[All notes from Day 2]

N: A melding of grn apples & grass, poss some tropical frts, with undertones of minerals

P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by crips acidity which evolves into a LONG, TANGY/swt (65:35) finish with POSS a very, VERY slight bitterness. For now & through '20, poss ''21? My VG+, easily EXC- *if* the QPR of this vendor's $6.95 is taken into consideration. 87 pts & a "Best Buy" from WE @ $9, and 85, 86, & 88 from winealign.com .

Note: Also tasted on 5/26 & 9/15/18, + 8/10 & 9/28/19