2010 - Present Wine

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This Pinot Noir expresses black fruits like boysenberries and blueberries with subtle floral notes and gentle acidity. The cocoa powder tannins and smoky toasty notes add complexity with a generous earthy textural finish.

This wine pairs well with New Zealand lamb, but rich enough to enhance slow cooked beef cheeks. For a plant-based alternative, try with mushroom or truffle accented dishes to accentuate its earthy character.

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Beautiful salmon-pink in color, the 2024 Arriviste explodes in a festival of aroma with strawberry, blood orange, red apple, honeydew melon, papaya, rose, and tea biscuit. An attack of flavors is dominated by strawberry, sour cherry, and plum, leading to a perfectly balanced mid-palate with delightful acidity. Notes of plum, wet rock, and blood orange linger on the palate, leaving you wanting more.

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James Suckling 91 Points | A very spicy wine with assertive aromas of black pepper, leather and plums. Smooth and supple, with a medium body, light extraction and a fruity finish. Drink now.

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Deep ruby in color with a hint of purple. Intense and complex aromas of ripe red and black fruits, followed by notes of earth and spice. A hint of cloves and pepper. The wine is very well structured, with a perfect balance of elegance and ripe and silky tannins.

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95 points, Wine Spectator. This bursts with bramble, licorice snap, blackberry and mulberry aromas and flavors that are energetic and juicy through the finish, where a flash of iris kicks in. A graphite spine to keep this honest. For fans of the exuberant style. Drink now through 2040.

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James Suckling 92 Points | A deliciously dark-fruited tempranillo that has aromas and flavors of grilled herbs, charcoal and black plums. Hints of soy, too. It’s full-bodied with ripe, mellow tannins.

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Tasting Panel 92 Points  Befitting its name, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Petite Sirah is opaque in hue, but the palate is juicy, glossy, and lusciously crafted, unmasking notes of dark chocolate, sage, and blackberry licorice.

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Tiamo is a line of wines, made with organic grapes, that represent top quality wines from the best growers in their respective regions.

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Santa Julia Natural La Vaquita Clarete is a pale red color with pink reflections. The aromas are fresh and fruity with a soft hint of floral notes. Fresh acidity on the palate - juicy and bold. 

James Suckling 93 Points | Floral on the nose, with watermelon, pepper and bright red fruit. Medium- to full-bodied, voluminous yet fresh, fun and approachable. Made from 80% malbec and 20% torrontes co-fermented over 15 days. Vibrant and enjoyable. No sulfites added.

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Deep red with purple tones in the beginning, changing to garnet red throughout its aging process. The bouquet brings out notes of berries, marmalade, violets, vanilla, fig and almonds, with slight smoky hues. Dry, elegant, harmonious and full-bodied with typical acidic notes during its juvenile stage. Becomes more round and complex over the years obtaining a soft finish.

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Roundness and generosity! Mariflor Malbec has the complexity, the power and sensuality with deep aromas of black fruits and spices which will insure it the longevity, roundness and generosity make it pleasant to taste “primeur” or young.

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Ryder Estate Pinot Noir is lush, silky and balanced. Black cherry and plum aromas lead into flavors of bright red cherry and raspberry with a hint of mocha and toasty oak. Pairs deliciously with BBQ’d pulled pork, stuffed mushrooms and relaxing with friends after a successful high tide sunset surf.

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Grown on clay and gravelly soil, this 100% Cabernet Franc from Chinon, is fruitywith soft tannins and exults aromas of red berries.

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The Wine Advocate 97 Points | The 2020 Aluvional Gualtallary is more floral and expressive, a little more exuberant than the 2019 I tasted next to it. In 2020, they harvested some 10 days earlier than in 2019 (they started in February!), and the wines finished with similar alcohol levels (14%) and even with a slightly lower pH and higher acidity in 2020, so with very good freshness. They fermented with some 30% to 50% of stems in the vinification (they use grapes from three different vineyards that are vinified separately, all in the Monasterio part of Gualtallary) and matured the wine in concrete. This is very young, and the palate reveals the inner notes of thyme and rockrose, the violets and the small berries. The texture is akin to liquid chalk, a mineral and austere wine, with very fine tannins and a long, dry finish.

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Vinous 98 Points | Is it possible to create a wine with structure but without weight? The 2021 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Gualtallary offers a remarkable answer to that apparent paradox, finding the solution in a balanced combination of terroir and careful cellar work. It's almost utopian—a mountain wine with the structure and character of high-altitude vineyards, yet with the agility and freshness of an oceanic red. Purple in hue, it opens with blackberry and plum, layered with mountain herbs, a hint of sour cherry, cassis and floral tones of violet and lavender. Dry and juicy, with a slightly compact feel, the wine glides across the palate with weightless grace, supported by fine, chalky tannins. This wine is a triumph.

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

Decanter 91 Points | Dense and welcoming style with crunchy redcurrant, plum, sun-dried tomato and roses bouquet framed by olive tapenade and smoky undertones. 

Winemaker Description

Rare aromatic complexity with intense tannin structure and robust acidity.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021 

Audrey Frick of JebDunnuck.com writes 99 Points | The 2021 Barolo Acclivi marks the return of this cuvée after the 2020 crop was destroyed by hail. The nose is layered and complex with notes of clove spice, ripe red raspberry liqueur, blood orange, framboise, peppery spices, and pressed floral notes. The palate has lovely, refined concentration, ripe tannins, haunting notes of strawberries that last long on the finish, and notes of leather. While it has the fruit and freshness to drink now, it certainly has the structure to age. It’s one of the more contemplative wines in the range to enjoy over the coming decades.

Keron O'Keeffe  99 Points | Fragrant and loaded with finesse, the 2021 Acclivi is simply magnificent, starting with its beautiful scents of rose, forest berry, menthol, star anise and whiffs recalling sweetgrass. A blend of selected Nebbiolo from the estate’s best and oldest vineyards in Verduno, in the Monvigliero, Neirane, Rocche dell’Olmo and Boscatto sites, the chiseled, elegantly structured and delicious palate reflects the nose, delivering red cherry, raspberry, licorice and crushed mint accompanied by taut, refined tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it well balanced and fuels even more intensity while a cinnamon note lingers on the finish. This is a captivating, extraordinary wine and the best Acclivi I have had to date.

Monica Larner of The Wine Advocate writes 97 Points | This wine was not produced in 2020. The Comm. G.B. Burlotto 2021 Barolo Acclivi is a blend of old-vine fruit from Monvigliero, Neirane and Rocche dell’Olmo, three MGA sites in the village of Verduno. I tasted this sample at two stages with 24 hours between them, and the change was impressive. The wine goes from feeling tight and almost squeaky to relaxed, fragrant and ethereal with aeration. The bouquet reveals layers of lilac, raspberry tart with custard and finely shaved pencil. Drink 2027-2055.

James Suckling writes 96 Points | A graceful Barolo that shows aromas of smoke, licorice, violets, delicate red currants and strawberries. It’s restrained and elegant on the palate, with a slight sweetness, a medium to full body, refreshing acidity and ripe, chewy tannins. Tight and savory. There is a huge structure that’s well covered by the fruit. Drinkable now, but best from 2026 or 2027.

Antonio Galloni of Vinous Media writes 94 Points | The 2021 Barolo Acclivi is a suave, sensual wine. All of this fruit is from vineyards in Verduno. That is very much evident in the wine's aromatic profile and overall weight. Blood orange, rose petal, mint, chalk and spice give the 2021 very pretty top notes. I admire the overall depth and brilliance here. This is a very serious Barolo. Drink 2026-2041.

Varieties

Winemaking

Umani Ronchi Casal di Serra Verdicchio Vecchie Vigne — Marche 2022

Umani Ronchi's Casal di Serra Vecchie Vigne is the pinnacle of the estate's Verdicchio program — and the 2022 vintage is a stunning expression of what old vines can achieve. Sourced from parcels planted in the early 1970s on the Montecarotto farm in the Marche, the wine is fermented in concrete tanks with native yeasts and aged at length in bottle to develop its signature fullness and complexity. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 93 points, calling it "a wine that is as much of a feeling as it is tasty." A benchmark Verdicchio at an honest price.

The nose is a flower shop: mixed blossoms, green herbs, lemon oil, and white gravel. On the palate, the texture is extraordinary — a seamless, hugging mouthfeel with a pleasant pithy bitterness and a long, sea-salty mineral finish. It delivers the depth and elegance that only old-vine Verdicchio can achieve, and will drink beautifully through 2035.

Wine Enthusiast 93 — Jeff Porter: "This Verdicchio is a flower shop in a bottle with elegant aromas of mixed flowers, green herbs, lemon oil and white gravel... an amazing texture that hugs the palate with a pleasant pithy bitterness and sea-salty finish." (Vintage 2022). 

• Producer: Umani Ronchi, Osimo, Marche, Italy
• Vintage: 2022
• Appellation: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC
• Vineyard: Montecarotto estate — old vines planted early 1970s
• Varietal: 100% Verdicchio
• Vinification: Concrete tank fermentation with native yeasts, extended bottle aging
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Mixed flowers, green herbs, lemon oil, white gravel, pithy bitterness, sea-salty mineral finish
• Cellar Potential: Drink now through 2035
• Best Paired With: Grilled branzino, seafood pasta, roasted chicken, fresh ricotta, seared scallops

A 93-point Verdicchio from one of the Marche's most celebrated estates — Umani Ronchi's Vecchie Vigne is the benchmark for what old-vine Verdicchio can be.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022 

Luis Gutierez of The Wine Advocate writes 92 Points | The white 2022 Terroir Històric Blanc is the regional wine that blends grapes from nine different villages, 75% Garnacha Blanca and 25% Macabeo from different soils, slate, clay, granite and alluvial. The bunches fermented for three to five days in stainless steel, and the wine matured in stainless steel for six months. It has 13% alcohol and mellow acidity, 4.5 grams. It has a spectacular nose that is very expressive, aromatic, clean and open with pungent notes of pollen and beeswax. It's juicy, round and clean with persistent and pungent flavors, not very high in acidity, eminently Mediterranean. Really impressive.

In the 1940s, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc cuttings on a gravelly hillside at his Tenuta San Guido estate in coastal Tuscany — an act of visionary defiance that would change Italian wine forever. The first vintage offered on the open market was 1968. By 1994, Sassicaia's reputation was so singular that it was granted its own DOC — Bolgheri Sassicaia — the only single-estate DOC in Italy. It remains the world's first and most celebrated Super Tuscan, still owned by the noble Incisa della Rocchetta family.

The Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri 2023 1.5L Magnum is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Cabernet Franc, aged 24 months in 40% new French oak. The 2023 vintage was shaped by a cold winter, above-average rainfall, and a severe outbreak of downy mildew that forced brutal fruit selection and a 20% reduction in yields — a vintage of pressure and sacrifice that, like the legendary 1985, produced diamonds. The result is a Sassicaia of uncanny openness and generosity in its youth: wild sage, rosemary, dark fruit, crushed stone, rose petal, pink peppercorn, bergamot, and blood orange on the nose; chalky tannins, bright acidity, and a saline coastal freshness on the palate; and a long, persistent, mineral finish. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate awarded it a perfect 100 points. In Magnum — the ideal format for long-term cellaring.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

• Wine Advocate — 100 Points: "Very few vintages of this legendary Tuscan wine deliver the immediate joy, richness and complexity found in the 2023. Uncannily open and generous in its youth. Like the legendary 1985, 2023 was a difficult vintage shaped by a cold winter, yet it stands as proof that great pressure can indeed give birth to diamonds."
• James Suckling — 99 Points: "Very cool, complex and pretty aromas of black currants, fresh herbs, lavender and violet. Crunchy and layered fruit with polished, velvety tannins. A very clear and distinctive Sassicaia with true character of the estate."
• Decanter — 98 Points: "Takes the idea of finesse and elegance to another level. Supple, lifted and fragrant, with pure, crunchy bramble fruits, succulent mid-palate and prolonged freshness. A true-to-life model for the future of Italian reds."
• Jeb Dunnuck — 98+ Points: "Full-bodied yet remarkably lifted, moving across the palate with precision and energy. Saline, coastal freshness adds tension and length. Already compelling, with the framework to evolve gracefully over the coming decades."
• Vinous — 97 Points: "Elegant and supremely polished. Blackberry, gravel, incense and new leather. One of the wines of the vintage. I can't wait to see how the 2023 ages."

Wine Details

• 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc
• Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, Tuscany, Italy
• Aged 24 months in 40% new French oak
• Vintage: 2023 | 1.5L Magnum
• Cellar for decades — Magnum format ideal for long-term aging

St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2021 — Half Bottle (375ml)

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has been one of Sonoma County’s most respected producers since 1979, with a long track record of crafting Cabernet Sauvignon of genuine depth, structure, and value. Their Sonoma County Cabernet is a benchmark for the appellation — a wine that consistently overdelivers at its price point, drawing on fruit from across the county to deliver the richness and complexity that Sonoma Cab is known for. Now available in a convenient 375ml half-bottle, perfect for a solo dinner, a gift, or a first taste of the estate.

The 2021 vintage began slightly early, with the first fruit picked on August 18. Limited rainfall during the growing season produced lighter crops but brought intense, concentrated flavor and color. Consistent summer temperatures — free from lingering heat waves — helped maintain natural acidity for brightness and balance. The result is a deeply extracted, beautifully structured Cabernet.

Generous aromas of crushed wild blackberries, dark red fruits, cassis, and milk chocolate, with savory notes of black olive, sage, and a hint of allspice. The palate delivers black cherry, cassis, herb mélange, and dark chocolate, wrapped in plush tannins and barrel spice, finishing long and rich.

Wine Enthusiast — 89 points

“This deeply extracted Cabernet gives aromas of spiced plum, blackberry and licorice on the nose. The palate brings black cherry, cassis, herb mélange and dark-chocolate flavors wrapped in plush tannin and barrel spice that lingers across the finish.” (Vintage 2021). 

Food Pairings

Grilled ribeye, braised short rib, lamb chops, aged cheddar, and hearty pasta with meat sauce.

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Sonoma County, California
Vintage: 2021
Format: 375ml (Half Bottle)
Score: 89 points Wine Enthusiast

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

Decanter 91 Points | Peach and fresh strawberry on the nose with touches of blossom. Crisp and light on the palate, beautifully refreshing.

Producer Description 

This easy sipping white blend shows off each of its grapes. Full of green apple notes, a touch of stone fruit, a beautiful floral touch, and a hint of peppery finish, this wine is a delight. All stainless steel fermented for a bright, crisp Austrian gem. 

Sonsierra Tempranillo Rioja Alta Cosecha — San Vicente de la Sonsierra 2024

Bodega Viñedos de Sonsierra is one of Rioja Alta’s most storied cooperatives — founded in 1962 when over 240 grape farmers in San Vicente de la Sonsierra pooled their vineyards to make a shared dream come true. Generations later, those same family vineyards — cultivated with practices perfected over centuries in the high-altitude, continental climate of Rioja Alta — produce this Cosecha Tempranillo: a pure, honest expression of the grape that defines Rioja. At under $13, it is one of the most exciting values in all of Spanish red wine.

Cherry red with a vivid purple rim. The nose is expressive and varietal: blackberry, raspberry, and violet, with a swirl revealing licorice and mineral notes characteristic of Rioja Alta’s iron-rich soils. On the palate, it is fresh and lively, with sweet fruit, a retronasal loaded with berry and licorice, and a clean, inviting finish that makes you reach for another glass.

• Producer: Bodega Viñedos de Sonsierra, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Rioja Alta, Spain
• Vintage: 2024
• Appellation: Rioja DOCa — Cosecha
• Varietal: 100% Tempranillo
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Blackberry, raspberry, violet, licorice, mineral, fresh berry finish
• Best Paired With: Rice dishes, red meats, legumes, river fish, charcuterie, soft cheeses

A cooperative-grown Rioja Alta Tempranillo at an honest price — Sonsierra is the benchmark for what everyday Cosecha can be.

Hermann J. Wiemer · Semi-Dry Riesling · Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes · 2024

Hermann J. Wiemer is the founding father of Finger Lakes Riesling. A German-born viticulturist who trained in the Mosel before planting vines on the western shore of Seneca Lake in 1979, Wiemer proved that New York could produce world-class Riesling — and the estate he built continues to set the standard decades later. Their Semi-Dry Riesling is the wine that converts skeptics: sourced from early picks in vineyard blocks surrounding Seneca Lake, it carries residual sugar with the grace and balance that only great Riesling terroir can deliver. Certified Sustainable. JS:92. At $24.99, it’s one of the most versatile and crowd-pleasing bottles in the Finger Lakes canon — the wine you bring when you’re not sure what everyone drinks, and it always wins.

The 2024 opens with aromas of wildflower honey, ripe Bosch pear, peach, apricot, and sweet florals. On the palate: succulent and fruit-forward with a refreshing lightness — the residual sugar is perfectly balanced by bright acidity, finishing juicy and barely dry with fantastic vitality. Drink now through 2029.

“Rippling with peach, apricot and sweet floral aromas… succulent but also very fresh in the juicy, barely dry finish. Fantastic balance and vitality at the end. Sustainable.”
— James Suckling, 92 Points (Vintage 2024). 

• Producer: Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard (est. 1979)
• Vintage: 2024
• Appellation: Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, New York
• Varietal: 100% Riesling
• Style: Semi-Dry (off-dry)
• Certification: Certified Sustainable
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Wildflower honey, Bosch pear, peach, apricot, sweet florals, bright acidity, juicy barely-dry finish
• Cellar Potential: Drink now through 2029
• Food Pairings: Spicy Thai, Vietnamese pho, sushi, soft-ripened cheese, fruit tarts, light charcuterie

JS:92 · Certified Sustainable — Finger Lakes Riesling from the man who started it all.

Winemaker Description

Compelling and fresh, this wine is redolent of grapefruit and red berries

One would be hard-pressed to find anyone as devoted to the concepts of ‘sustainable’ and ‘local’ as Thierry and Céline Tissot. Their vision is of a sustainable ecological future with a thriving local economy to pass on to their two children. All one has to do is admire the privileged vineyards the Tissots farm along the steep mountainsides surrounding their village of Vaux-en-Bugey. Here, Thierry has committed to replanting with traditional local varieties, namely altesse and mondeuse.

Meanwhile, Céline has implemented her experience as an agriculture engineer and enologist, employing strictly sustainable agriculture, with a particular focus on insect diversity. Their efforts earned organic certification in 2019. Their vineyards are surrounded by sub-alpine forests brimming with  biodiversity—birds’ nests, foxes, ladybugs, spiders—which Céline loves to share on social media as they work the vines with their dog Maya. The Tissot vineyards had never seen any herbicides, having been abandoned to the forest before the introduction of chemical treatments. The couple have steadfastly carried on this legacy with respect and dedication to their principles.

This méthode traditionelle sparkling wine is made with organically-farmed, estate gamay and mondeuse. As an Extra-Dry, it has an exceptional balance that will play well at the beginning and end of the meal (or throughout your picnic!). Céline and Thierry Tissot are showing that top quality méthode traditionelle sparklers can be made in Bugey, transmitting a clear and unique Bugey identity. The Tissots have been pushing the envelope with the development of their traditional method sparkling wines with a long lees-aging regimen.

Bodegas Valduero Una Cepa — Ribera del Duero 2019/2020*

• *Mixed inventory - you will be delivered either vintage 2019 or 2020. If you prefer a particular vintage text us at 212-724-6767.
• Bodegas Valduero is one of Ribera del Duero’s most respected estates — and Una Cepa (“one grape”) is their purest expression of the appellation’s defining variety: 100% Tempranillo, aged 18 months in barrel and a further 12 months in bottle before release. Ribera del Duero sits on a high plateau at over 800 metres elevation in Castilla y León, where the extreme continental climate — scorching days, cold nights, and a short growing season — produces Tempranillo of exceptional concentration, structure, and longevity. The 2019 vintage delivered outstanding conditions across the appellation. Wine Spectator awarded it 92 points; Decanter 90. Deep ruby in color. The nose is expressive and classic: blue fruit, tobacco, and cocoa. On the palate, it is lively and expressive, with fresh black cherry and currant flavors backed by cocoa, spice, and licorice, framed by well-integrated tannins, rounded structure, and a long, lively finish of real elegance. Drink now through 2030.

Expert Reviews - Viintage 2019

Wine Spectator 92 — “Lively and expressive. Black cherry and currant flavors are fresh and juicy, backed by cocoa, spice and licorice notes. Well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity give this a balanced structure.”

Decanter 90 — “Blue fruit, tobacco and cocoa nose. The palate is juicy and savoury with rounded tannins and well-integrated alcohol. Long, lively finish. Rather classic.”

• Producer: Bodegas Valduero, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y León, Spain
• Vintage: 2019
• Appellation: Ribera del Duero DO
• Varietal: 100% Tempranillo
• Aging: 18 months in barrel + 12 months in bottle
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Blue fruit, tobacco, cocoa, black cherry, currant, spice, licorice, rounded tannins
• Cellar Potential: Drink now through 2030
• Best Paired With: Roast lamb, beef stews, suckling pig, aged Manchego, hearty game dishes

A 92-point Ribera del Duero at an honest price — Valduero Una Cepa is the benchmark for what single-varietal Tempranillo can be.

Expert Reviews- Vintage 2021

Tim Fish of the Wine Spectator writes 95 Points |  Supple, richly textured and elegantly complex, this Pinot opens with a burst of fresh raspberry, then unfolds with notes of forest floor and brown baking spices, plus a touch of licorice as it builds tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2032. 1,100 cases made.

Clive Pursehouse of Decanter writes 94 Points | Elegance is personified in this 2021 bottling of Bergström's renowned Silice. So-named for the sandy silica soils, the hallmark of the hilly Chehalem Mountain vineyard source. Beautiful bright fruit aromas are further framed by touches of tomato leaf, pine bough and mossy forest floor. The palate is marked by fleshy red raspberries, early season blackberry and fine grain tannin that provides a structure that shows this wine's longevity. (Drink between 2023-2031).

Erin Brooks of The Wine Advocate writes 94 Points |  Medium ruby-purple, the 2021 Pinot Noir Silice Vineyard blossoms slowly to pomegranate, blackberry, watermelon, dried herbs and aniseed. The medium-bodied palate is loaded with wild berry fruit. Combining power and elegance, it's silky and seamless in the mouth, and a flourish of spicy accents across the finish hints it has more to reveal over the next 2-3 years in bottle.

Memo Summary Notes

The 2021 Bergström Silice Pinot Noir is a highly acclaimed, estate-grown wine that gained significant fame after being named the #32 Wine of the Year in the 2023 Wine Spectator Top 100.

Named "Silice" (French for silica) due to the deep, sandy marine soils of the vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains, this wine is known for its ethereal perfume and mineral complexity rather than heavy weight.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

Vinous 91 Points | The 2022 Barbaresco is a fine entry-level offering from Giacosa. This perfumed, mid-weight Barbaresco is all charm. Crushed flowers, bright red fruit, blood orange, spice and mint open first. Silky, polished tannins give this pliant, alluring Barbaresco tons of character. A delight.

Memo Summary Notes

Carlo Giacosa is a fourth-generation family estate in the heart of Barbaresco. 

Expert Review — Vintage 2022

Wine Advocate — 93 Points | Herbal and spicy, keeping freshness while reflecting the dry, warm vintage conditions. A powerful white with excellent aging potential. An unusual and compelling blend of 86% Sauvignon Blanc and 14% Verdejo — a little à la Bordeaux. Fermented and matured on lees in barrel for seven months.

Winemaker Description

Clean and bright, with fragrant aromas of white flowers, elder, and acacia, layered with refreshing notes of ginger and citrus — mandarin, grapefruit, and lime. On the palate, stone fruits emerge: apricot, nectarine, and ripe melon. Persistent, creamy, and unctuous, with fresh, crystalline acidity that makes this a highly age-worthy wine.

• Producer: Abadía Retuerta
• Classification: Vino de Pago (Spain’s highest single-estate designation)
• Appellation: Sardon del Duero, Castilla y León, Spain
• Blend: 86% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Verdejo
• Aging: Barrel-fermented, 7 months on lees
• Vintage: 2022
• Format: 750ml

Winemaker Description 

The 2022 Slander delivers a medium ruby core with a lucid rim that's almost translucent. Aromatically, bing cherry, briar fruit and some raspberry give way to ripe strawberry and associated red fruits. Bright and enveloping on the entry, notes of fresh strawberry, watermelon, thyme and a hint of funk come through. Spicy on the finish, the wine closes with a flash of blue fruits and lift.

There’s a soul to this business and that soul isn’t just from the people who make wine, it’s from everyone who loves wines that make them feel something.” Dave Phinney

Pheasant's Tears | Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane | Tibaani | Qvevri Amber Wine | Kakheti, Republic of Georgia | 2024 | Organic

Pheasant's Tears is one of Georgia's most celebrated natural wine producers, founded by Gela Patalishvili — an 8th-generation winemaker from the Kakheti region — and John Wurdeman, an American painter who fell in love with Georgia and its ancient wine culture in 1998. Since 2007, they have farmed their vineyards with minimal intervention, using wild yeasts and traditional qvevri winemaking to best showcase the extraordinary terroir of Kakheti. The name comes from an old Georgian tale claiming that only the best wine could make a pheasant cry.

Tibaani is a sub-zone of Kakheti, in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, where the ancient Georgian grape varieties Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane have been cultivated for millennia. This blend of the two varieties is vinified in the traditional Georgian manner: fermented and aged in qvevri — traditional clay amphorae buried in the earth — with a full month of skin maceration, producing a wine of remarkable depth, texture, and complexity. The wine is unfiltered and unfined, allowing for natural sedimentation in the bottle.

The 2024 is deep golden in the glass. The nose offers honey blossom, dried apricot, quince, and a hint of walnut, with an earthy, ancient quality that speaks directly to the qvevri and the land. On the palate, full-bodied and dry with a nutty, textured richness, bright acidity, and a long, complex finish. A wine of genuine character that transports you to the cradle of wine civilization.

Made from certified organic grapes. Pair with roasted meats, spiced lamb, charcuterie, aged hard cheeses, washed-rind cheeses, and dishes with Caucasian or Middle Eastern spice profiles. Decant before serving; a little sedimentation is natural and expected.

• Producer: Pheasant's Tears
• Grapes: Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane
• Sub-zone: Tibaani, Kakheti, Republic of Georgia
• Style: Qvevri Amber Wine (Orange Wine)
• Vintage: 2024
• Farming: Certified Organic
• Vinification: Fermented and aged in qvevri (buried clay amphorae); 1-month skin maceration; unfiltered & unfined
• Bottle Size: 750ml