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Wine Scores
Below is a listing of the wine review scores we frequently reference in our notes. While these sources remain an excellent source of information, we always recommend that you trust your own palate. Scores in these publications often represent the personal taste of an individual critic, which may not always coincide with your own. We have a huge team of excellent wine professionals that can match wines you've had in the past with new arrivals that meet your flavor profile.
- Allen Meadows - Burghound
- Connoisseurs Guide
- Gambero Rosso
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
- International Wine Cellar
- Wine & Spirits
- Wine Enthusiast
- Wine Spectator
- The Wine News
- Malt Advocate
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Staff Favorites - Greg St. Clair
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Reviews
2008 Convento Muri Gries Lagrein Kretzer (Rosé)
Review Date: 7-11-2009
Fraise de Bois. Okay that's French, but the wine is just bursting of strawberries. Great body and acidity, Lagrein makes great Rosé. Second highest-rated Italian rosé in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
Drink from
2009
to
2010
Price: $14.99
Adami "Dei Casel" Extra Dry Valdobbiadene Prosecco (Was $16.99)
Review Date: 7-9-2009
I like slightly richer Prosecco and this Adami Extra Dry is just the answer. Full, rich, full of delicate fruit and just a wonderful mouthfeel. Drink it very cold, and you'll love it
Drink from
2009
to
2009
Price: $12.99
2004 Angelo Germano Barolo
Review Date: 7-9-2009
I visited Germano in May 2009 and came away very impressed with the wines. They are real, straightforward and accurate representations of wines from La Morra. This Barolo is really good, the tannins are balanced with enough fruit and length to give it a great mouth feel, and the aromatics are lovely. The classic tar and rose (ore rose)aromatics gradually open as the wine airs, it is wonderful. Have it with Brasato al Barolo or Risotto con Porcini.
Drink from
2009
to
2018
Price: $29.99
2005 Angelo Germano Langhe Nebbiolo
Review Date: 7-9-2009
I visited Germano in May 2009 and came away very impressed with the wines. They are real, straightforward and accurate representations of the wines from La Morra. This Nebbiolo is just singing, open and drinkable, aromatic and classically styled. Open one now and drop a few more into the cellar, you'll love them.
Drink from
2009
to
2014
Price: $19.99
2004 Antonelli Sagrantino di Montefalco
Review Date: 7-9-2009
Last April I had an experience I've never had before...a Sagrantino that was beginning to become drinkable! The 1998 Antonelli was really opening and the tannins weren't overpowering the flavors. It was a wonderful experience and proved to me you just have to put Sagrantino at the bottom of your childrens' cellar! However, I do know that Sagrantino lovers adore the power of this wine and are quaffing it regularly at the new LA Italian wine hot spot Terroni on Beverly.
Drink from
2009
to
2024
Price: $34.99
2006 Argiano Non Confunditur
Review Date: 7-9-2009
I'm not a huge fan of pasticcio blends, but this wine is magnificently blended and really lives up to the Super Tuscan moniker at an excellent price point. 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Syrah and 20% Sangiovese, all extraordinarily balanced, supple and flavorful. An excellent BBQ wine or just plain ol' knockin' a few back.
Drink from
2009
to
2012
Price: $21.99
Ca Berti Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro "Robusco"
Review Date: 7-9-2009
I love the purple froth that bursts from the glass when the wine hits the bottom. Lovely bold, and powerful aromatics. In the mouth it is slightly sweet and the tannins make it seem much drier. The real key to this hand-harvested hilllside vineyard is the addition of 15% Malbo Gentile that really softens the tannins that normally dominate this wine and give it a really fun and flavorful finish. Serve it cold, have it with BBQ, burgers or just with your friends.
Drink from
2008
to
2010
Price: $11.99
2007 Cantina Frentana Costa del Mulino "Cococciola"
Review Date: 7-9-2009
Don't try to say this three times fast after drinking half the bottle! This grape varietal Cococciola is really dynamic, full bodied and shows great mineral concentration and with out any wood! Have it with sea bass; you'll love it.
Drink from
2009
to
2011
Price: $15.99
Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth Liter
Review Date: 7-9-2009
If you have never tasted this product you must. If you think you know what vermouth is think again; this will absolutely blow you away. Inordiately complex, so full of spice, balanced...it is really good. Try it on the rocks with a twist and a splash, straight up or in a Manhattan.
Drink from
2009
to
2059
Price: $25.99
2004 Catabbo Molise Rosso (Was $17.99)
Review Date: 7-9-2009
100% Montepulciano from the least known region in Italy...Molise! This wine has exceptional complexity, it is spicy, earthy, yet still full of fruit. It is really exciting. Rich and fleshy in the mouth and very well balanced. This is the best wine I've ever had from Molise.
Drink from
2009
to
2012
Price: $11.99
2005 Moretti Montefalco Rosso
Review Date: 7-9-2009
This is excellent Montefalco Rosso, supple, soft, and layers of fruit complexity. This is an emminently drinkable wine with Sangiovese at its base with Sagrantino and Merlot. Long and intriguing a great wine just to drink or with your favorite pasta.
Drink from
2009
to
2011
Price: $17.99
2004 Moretti Sagrantino di Montefalco
Review Date: 7-9-2009
Supple and fruity up front; a Sagrantino that won't rip your tonsils out!
Drink from
2009
to
2011
Price: $31.99
2004 Moretti Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito 500ml
Review Date: 7-9-2009
I've always felt that passito was the best way to enjoy Sagrantino. The sweetness masks the tannins and doesn't distract; in fact, it isn't as sweet as some Paso Robles Zins to me. Have it with a spicy Chinese Beef dish or with Parmigiano Reggiano. It is wonderful.
Drink from
2009
to
2011
Price: $36.99
2005 Olek Bondonio Barbaresco
Review Date: 7-9-2009
Olek is not your average Italian name. In fact, Oleks mother is Polish. Olek is not your average winemaker either... he's a snowboard champion and surfer who looks more like he's from Newport Beach than Barbaresco. Yet the guy can make wine! Classically styled, aromatic with great body and finish. Always best in a Burgundy glass and will age wonderfully in your cellar.
Drink from
2009
to
2018
Price: $44.99
2007 Vigneti Reale "Norie" Negroamaro
Review Date: 7-9-2009
I'll stipulate right up front that I am not a a fan of Negroamaro in general because usually they lack what this wine has in spades: great acidic balance, ripe yet focused and fresh fruit, multi levels of complexity. At this price it is way outside of the quality for wines in this price range. Outstanding!
Drink from
2009
to
2011
Price: $12.99
2006 Andrea Mutti Timorasso "Castagnoli"
Review Date: 2-4-2009
Tim Orasso, doesn't he play bass for....what band was that? No, this is a scintillating new variety from Piedmont called Timorasso. Incredibly spiced with flavors that just jump out of your glass, grip, aging ability, this variety has got it all. No oak just pure vinous intrigue, balance and power more like Rhone Viognier with focused fruit and mineral couched in a powerful body. Try it with grilled halibut or salmon.
Drink from
2009
to
2013
Price: $24.99
2004 Batic Pinela Vipava Valley, Slovenia
Review Date: 2-4-2009
The glass bottle itself is enough to let you know this is no ordinary wine! Powerful, focused, pure fruit and mineral with a touch of skin contact. This amazing white wine from the Pinela grape comes from one of Slovenia's best producers and it absolutely floored me. Okay, what's it like? Perhaps, and not to limit the wine, it is closest to Loire Valley Chenin that is imbued with intense, wild herb aromatics and balance. Very limited production and only 10 cases imported to the West Coast.
Drink from
2009
to
2014
Price: $29.99
De Faveri Prosecco DOC Extra Dry
Review Date: 2-4-2009
Superb Prosecco, this wine has an extraordinary mousse, focus, minerality and drinkability. Very small production great flavors.
Drink from
2009
to
2010
Price: $19.99
2004 Manincor Reserve del Conte
Review Date: 8-12-2008
I am enraptured with the 2004 Manincor Reserve del Conte; it is truly seductive. A supple, complex blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and lagrein that, although it’s aged in used barrique, the wood is so supremely integrated you wouldn’t know it at all. The cabernet gives this wine its backbone, structure and a rather Graves-like flavor, tobacco, gravel and earth. The merlot lends a little mid-palate weight, some sweet cherry flavors, sweetens the tobacco and rounds out the cabernet’s edges. The lagrein (supposedly a descendant of syrah) adds muscle, color, and aromas of coffee, game, sage, plum and spice. The combination is complex, full-bodied, drinkable, with a significant palate weight yet balanced, long and leaves a resounding finish. If you like Bordeaux, California Cabernet or just damn good red wine this is a wine you need to try! Any red meat dish would be a fine match, a rare pepper steak comes to mind!
Drink from
2008
to
2012
Price: $18.99
2004 Vecchie Terre di Montefili "Anfiteatro"
Review Date: 8-12-2008
The 2004 Vecchie Terre di Montefili “Anfiteatro” (2 red glasses Gambero Rosso) is pure sangiovese and extraordinary. This amphitheatre produces sangiovese that is stunning--it isn't like Brunello with a dense, sweetish palate richness, this is more like Volnay: clear, focused, energetic, elegant yet dramatic, with uncompromising purity. This is sangiovese from Chianti and not just Chianti but Panzano. Panzano is home to Fontodi, La Massa, Castello dei Rampolla, Villa Cafaggio, Casaloste, Le Fonti, Le Cinciole; the densest concentration of quality producers in Chianti. Sangiovese loves air and when you wish to drink this wine decant it 3-5 hours ahead of time or if you don't' have the time get physical with it, splash it around, power decant and you'll see that core of fruit begin to unwind before your eyes. Like the Bruno di Rocca the Anfiteatro will age easily for 10-20 years
Drink from
2008
to
2020
Price: $49.99
2004 Vecchie Terre di Montefili "Bruno di Rocca" (was $39.99)
Review Date: 8-12-2008
The 2004 Vecchie Terre di Montefili “Bruno di Rocca” (2 red glasses Gambero Rosso) 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% sangiovese is a powerful, rich and juicy wine. This isn't sweet Napa Cab, this is dense, focused, layers of complexity, earth, sky, soil and grape a symphony of masculinity. The sangiovese is a subtle overlay, a titanium veil giving structure and lightness, the power to extend the richness of the Cabernet without losing its power. Bruno di Rocca is young now and exciting yet capable of aging 10-20 years.
Drink from
2008
to
2020
Price: $29.99
2004 Vini Biondi Etna Rosso "Outis" (Was $39.99 end of vintage)
Review Date: 8-12-2008
Ciro Biondi’s 2004 Vini Biondi “Outis” is a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio. Never heard of these grapes? Well I was so impressed with this grape blend I have become hopelessly smitten and I assure you, you will too. The wines show a (and I use this comparison with great reservation, but there is no other way to say it) pinot noir or nebbiolo mouthfeel, texture and richness. It doesn’t taste like Burgundy or Barolo, but it surely feels like it. Scintillating aromatics of earth, dark cherry. Lithe tannins give structure yet not rigidity. It is full-bodied yet graceful, with powerful flavors that take time and attention to discover; they aren’t rude, they don’t jump out of the glass and onto your face, they are well-mannered, practiced yet raw.
Drink from
2008
to
2012
Price: $26.99
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