"Lis" is a one-of-a-kind wine and one of two white blends at the top of this winery's quality ladder.  This Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc blend is fermented in 500 litre barrels and then allowed to age on the lees in these same barrels with judicious stirring for 11 months.  This builds the creamy midpalate which is framed by the high natural acidity of these grapes from this part of Friuli.

San Lorenzo, where these vineyards sit, enjoys a "mistral-like" wind as in the Rhone Valley, and the grapes develop high sugars as well as high acidity and thick skins.  The resulting wines are rich and dense but at the same time bright and drinkable.

"The 2012 Lis, a blend of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, is a classic Lis Neris wine built on texture and layers of flavour. Nothing stands out, as all the elements are masterfully fused together. The 2012 is rich and intense, but never heavy, with Sauvignon most clearly felt in the aromatics, while the Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay come through most clearly in the wine's mid-palate. 2015 - 2018"

 

 

 

 

 

This is classic Sangiovese and a staff favourite - animal, leather, tobacco on the nose with elegant mouthfilling cherry fruit through the palate. A late note of licorice continues through the finish. Merlot adds a touch more roundness to the palate and deepens the cherry core. This is a classy yet subtle wine, that will appeal to those who enjoy quality Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile.

 

 

It is a very classic Barbaresco - elegant with ripe and spicy fruit, great depth and complexity. The mild and ripe tannins provide this wine with gentleness and finesse, but also strength and opulence. It shows very long ageing potential.

"Pio Cesare's 2011 Barbaresco is gorgeous. The super-classic bouquet laced with sweet red cherry, orange peel, mint, spice and white pepper is enticing. Generous and layered on the palate, the Barbaresco captures plenty of the warm resonance that is so typical of the year. The 2011 is a blend of fruit from several sites in and around Treiso mostly done in cask. It is the more traditional of the estate's two Barbarescos and also less expensive than the flagship Il Bricco, but here I find more personality, charm and tons of the allure that makes Barbaresco so compelling. The 2011 should age gracefully for years based on its depth, but it is absolutely delicious today."

 

 

We receive very little of this beautiful wine each year, it is a winery well known to the discerning collector, and considered one of "The Appellation's Most Profound Wines", Robert Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide #7.
 
What differentiates this wine from the more well-known Côte Rôties like Guigal's and Rostaing's, is the use of neutral Burgundy barrels for ageing, purchased from the best estates.  Jasmin lets the fruit and soil sing, not battle oak for the palate's attention.

"Ruby-red. Aromas of cherry pit, blackberry and licorice, with a smoky quality emerging as the wine opens in the glass. Fleshy and broad for a Jasmin wine, showing good heft to its juicy bitter cherry and blackcurrant flavours. A mineral element adds lift to the smoky finish, which is framed by silky, even tannins."

 

 

Alex Gambal's wines are all made "the old way".  Following manual harvesting of the Pinot Noir the grapes are 100% de-stemmed, not crushed, and cold macerated for 5-8 days.  Ten days to two weeks later the alcoholic fermentation is complete, and they gently press the grapes, reassemble the free run and press juice and, by gravity, put the wine in barrel. 

The malolactic fermentation occurs naturally in barrel and wine rests on its fine lies for 10-16 months. Then they rack the wine once just before bottling and bottle by gravity without fining or filtering, all the while respecting the phases of the moon and the planets.

The resulting wine from these "old vines" of such hallowed terroir is a satiny, sexy, exotic Pinot Noir that will simply mesmerize your palate.

 

 

Pomarium is one of two distinct plots, or "lieu dits" as the French would say, within the Peay estate vineyard on the far-Sonoma Coast.  It is a masculine, dark and savoury Pinot Noir.  The other, called Scallop Shelf, presents a more minerally texture and higher aromatics.

Prior to founding Peay with her husband Nick Peay and brother-in-law Andy Peay winemaker Vanessa Wong honed her skills at  Peter Michael Winery as winemaker and assistant winemaker from 1996-2000. She also has spent time working at Château Lafite-Rothschild and Domaine Jean Gros in Vosne-Romanée as well as in California at Hirsch Winery and at Franciscan.

"One of the real surprises in this tasting, the 2013 Pinot Noir Estate Pomarium has really blossomed over the last year. The Pomarium possesses quite a bit more tannin and structure than the Ama, along with a darker flavour profile that tend towards the dark red/purplish end of the spectrum. Violet, lavender, mint, cloves and crushed rocks add further shades of dimension. This is an especially vertical, structured Pinot from the Peay family."
94 points, Antonio Galloni  vinous.com, Feb 2016

 

 

What I like most about small-production, single-vineyard wines is the feeling that I am buying a tangible piece of that vineyard in that vintage.  When  a winery only makes 260 cases of a wine from a great vintage like 2012 and from such remarkable terroir as Howell Mountain, that feeling is palpable.  This is so much more than a delicious, interesting beverage, it is a living "slice of history".

 

Being the most inland and northern viticultural area in Napa Valley, Calistoga would be expected to be the hottest as well.  While many days per year can reach over 100 degrees, the Chalk Hill Gap to the west draws cool air into Calistoga and thus produces the most dramatic diurnal (day to night) swings in the valley, sometimes being 50 degrees cooler at night than in the day.    This swing helps produce "big" red wines balanced with elegant acidity.

"The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a pretty wine from Chateau Montelena. Expressive floral and savoury notes add complexity to the dark, pliant fruit in a soft, open Cabernet that is already quite tasty. I expect the 2011 will drink well early, but then again, these wines can be deceptively age worthy. That said, there are no hard edges or vegetal notes at all. Montelena's 2011 Estate impresses for its balance and overall sense of harmony."

 

 

Mt. Veeder is the southernmost appellation in Napa, except for Carneros which is split between Napa and Sonoma.  The soils are marine in origin rather than volcanic, laid down millenia earlier on a Pacific seabed, they are actually sedimentary with ribbons of sand, limestone and shale.

The slopes are very steep, the vineyards are difficult to farm, the soil is very poor and the grapes grown here are intense and concentrated. The resulting wines are some of the most long-lived in Napa Valley.  Below is an image of the vineyard itself, taken by yours truly.

O'Shaughnessy's Mt. Veeder Cabernet is 100% varietal - prodigious, monumental, skyscraperific.....just an amazingly outrageous wine.  The "perfect storm" wine of amazing stature and an open-knit, high quality vintage that screams "drink me!"
 
"The fabulous 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder is another glorious example of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, its opaque purple colour is followed by a meaty, bloody, prime rib-like character intermixed with crème de cassis and floral notes. Deep, full-bodied, opulent and incredibly intense and pure, it is superb example of Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder. Drink it now or cellar it for 20-25 years."
97 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Oct 2014