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- Aaron Hughes (10)
- Adam Winkel (96)
- Alex Pross (787)
- Alex Leonardini (54)
- Andrew Nunes (1)
- Cary Herrman (3)
- David Othenin-Girard (336)
- Dejah Overby (146)
- Gary Lai (55)
- Gary Westby (537)
- Jackson Kelly (9)
- Jacques Moreira (698)
- Jason Marwedel (73)
- Joel Nicholas (29)
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- John Downing (80)
- John Majeski (295)
- Jonathan Goldstein (2)
- Jonathan Parnell (3)
- Kate Soto (11)
- Keith Mabry (433)
- Kirk Walker (273)
- Lilia McIntosh (44)
- Matthew Landau Hassan (4)
- Michael Benoit (6)
- Michael Pires (14)
- Orazio Campoli (5)
- Rachael Ryan (2)
- Ralph Sands (222)
- Ryan Moses (591)
- Ryan Woodhouse (900)
- Sal Rodriguez (34)
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Staff Favorites
| If you’re going to have Robert Parker or Stephen Tanzer over for dinner, selecting a wine they’ve rated highly will be a nice choice. However, when you’re buying wines for yourself, we’d love to see you find wines that match up your unique palate and pocketbook. We have a large staff of friendly and knowledgeable wine professionals that taste hundreds of wines each week. They can put you in touch with bottles that you are likely to love, often at a much lower cost than the highly-rated gems that often see a run-up in price and frequent availability issues. Like any great group of opinionated professionals, our staff has varied tastes themselves. Often our customers will find a particular staff member with a style that corresponds to their own. That concept works extremely well in our retail stores, and this section is our effort to bring you the same online. Don’t get us wrong, we love the highly rated wines from the press and will continue to offer them, but we think you’re missing out if you’re not augmenting those selections with picks from our excellent staff. Here are their favorites. (Click on a name to see their other selections - or to drop them a line.) Cheers! |
Reviews
2022 Domaine Durieu "Lucile Avril" Châteauneuf-du-Pape
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 9/11/2025 | Send Email
By: Keith Mabry | Review Date: 9/11/2025 | Send Email
Our first vintage with Durieu was 2016—a benchmark year in Châteauneuf, and the wine reflected that quality. It was an instant success, wowing both our team and our clients. What has impressed me most since then is the continuity. Every release since that first vintage has been stellar, and their commitment to elevating Lucile Avril shows in the fact that they even divested other Châteauneuf holdings to focus on making this cuvée truly brilliant.
The 2022 is another triumph. A pristinely ripe vintage, it delivers deeply complex fruit—black cherry, currants, red licorice—layered with violet and savory spice. The structure is powerful yet inviting, with meltingly luxurious tannins that give the wine an almost ethereal weight. Stylish without excess, it has that rare balance that makes each sip call for another.
This is exactly what I want in Châteauneuf, and few producers deliver it as consistently as Durieu. The 2022 Lucile Avril is a superstar of the category, once again reaching remarkable heights.
2021 Cobb "Doc's Ranch Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 9/11/2025 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 9/11/2025 | Send Email
Doc's Ranch is a vineyard immediately adjacent to Cobb's Coastlands estate. Originally planted in 1999, Ross Cobb leased the property in 2017 and has farmed the vineyard ever since, so it can essentially be considered an extension of the same estate. However, what is quite interesting is that despite it's proximity to Coastlands, there are a number of significant differences that make the wines quite distinct from one another. Coastlands has a westerly facing aspect looking directly out over Bodega Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Doc's Ranch faces southeast, just on the other side of a the ridgeline from Coastlands, facing away from the the ocean and is thus more sheltered from the frigid coastal winds and fog. Despite being sheltered from the wind, the vines also fall into shadow in the afternoons when the sun is sinking into the ocean, and the fruit is allowed to develop very slowly and gradually without direct afternoon sun. The soils at Doc's Ranch is made of the same ancient marine sedimentary rock as those at Coastlands, but tend to be more decomposed and sandy. The 2021 Doc's is absolutely stunning. To be honest the entire 2021 lineup from Cobb is world-class through and through. I found the Doc's to be one of the more accessible and refined wines in this youthful line up. Pristine red berries, Coastal Redwood grove, bramble, winter spice, subtle truffle hints, alpine herbs. So fine and elegant, but also with lots of coiled power and ageing potential for decades of enjoyment. I can't think of any producer in the country making better wines in this style than Cobb right now. They're at the top of their game and the wines are truly not to be missed. Put some in your cellar and thank me later.
2022 Canon, St-Emilion
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
Few estates in Bordeaux can claim a success story as remarkable as Canon. Since the benchmark 2015, each release has seemed to set a new standard of excellence. While naming a single “best-ever” vintage feels like a fool’s errand, the 2022 is unquestionably special—and has the potential to become a true reference point for the region.
Here’s the astonishing part: despite Canon’s meteoric rise and its position among the world’s top-tier collectibles, it remains an outright bargain compared to peers that garner the same best-in-class acclaim. That combination of pedigree, consistency, and relative value is exceedingly rare.
The 2022 marries the generosity of the vintage with remarkable density and complexity, offering both immediate appeal and the promise of effortless aging. Lifted, floral aromatics lead to layers of red fruit and cedar, each nuance unfolding with precision. On the palate, bright plum and perfectly ripe cherry give way to an opulent texture, super-fine tannins, and impeccable balance. The limestone terroir asserts itself in a long, mineral-driven finish. Weightless, graceful, and dynamic, every element is present—perfectly tuned and seamlessly integrated.
I’m excited to get the chance to follow this wine over the years. In a world where so many collectible wines seem ever more out of reach, it is bottles like this that remind me luxury in fine wine is still attainable—and keep me coming back to Bordeaux, and to Canon, again and again.
2025 Little Book "Chapter 9 - None for Granted" Blended Straight Whiskey
By: Josh Gelfand | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Josh Gelfand | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
Noe knows. This latest stellar blend from Freddie Noe, the 8th-generation master distiller at Jim Beam and grandson of Booker Noe, to whom the Little Book line is a tribute, showcases his blending artistry at the highest level. Each Little Book release draws from the deepest stocks to craft a singular blend that tells another chapter in the Beam story, and this ninth edition honors the “founding flavors” of American whiskey, spotlighting the caramel, oak, vanilla, and char that have come to define the style.
Five whiskies make up the blend: four bourbons ranging from seven to eleven years old, joined by an eight-year-old rye that lifts the profile with a lively spark of spice. The dark cherry note I so often find in Jim Beam whiskies is here as well, though it plays a supporting role to the rich oaky char and velvety butterscotch.
The nose draws you in with layers of burnt vanilla, spiced oak, dark chocolate, and apricot jam, all draped over a foundation of dense caramel. On the palate, the rye makes itself known, with cinnamon and clove striking first before yielding to waves of butterscotch and ripe black cherries that flow into a long, luscious, and woody finish.
Beautifully balanced and full of character, this whiskey fulfills its promise: a celebration of the timeless flavors that have made American whiskey cherished for generations.
Price:
$149.99
2020 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
This wine comes from one of the benchmark estates in Montepulciano, a pioneer of biodynamic farming with a reputation for producing elegant, pure, and age-worthy Sangiovese. For this bottling, we were able to secure a few barrels from the generous 2020 vintage. The nose is a stunning expression of Prugnolo Gentile: ripe red cherry, plum, and violet, with the sweet spice and vibrant energy that is a hallmark of this iconic producer. The palate is polished and seamless, with silky tannins and a long, mineral-driven finish. It’s a sophisticated and deeply authentic Vino Nobile.
Price:
$17.99
2022 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Super Tuscan
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
I’ve long admired a particular estate in the heart of Bolgheri, known for its powerful and structured Bordeaux blends. In the hot 2022 vintage, their meticulous vineyard work resulted in fruit of incredible concentration and balance. We worked with them to create this special cuvée, which has all the hallmarks of a top-tier Bolgheri red. It’s rich with notes of blackcurrant, cassis, cedar, and Mediterranean herbs. The palate is full-bodied and intense, with powerful but polished tannins and a freshness that defies the vintage. A true taste of Bolgheri's "magic mile" at a fraction of the price.
Price:
$39.99
2019 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Brunello di Montalcino
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
The legendary 2019 vintage demanded a truly special Brunello for our series. I found it on the warmer, southern slopes of Montalcino, from a family estate renowned for its powerful, savory, and terroir-driven wines. This is a classic expression of the Castelnuovo dell'Abate subzone: deep aromas of black cherry, licorice, and balsamic herbs dominate the nose. The palate is structured and full-bodied, with firm, noble tannins and a long, savory finish that speaks to its warm terroir. This is a powerful, old-school Brunello built for the cellar, from a producer who truly captures the soul of southern Montalcino.
Price:
$59.99
2021 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Barolo Mosconi
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
The Mosconi cru in Monforte d'Alba is famous for its powerful, structured, and long-lived Barolos. In a phenomenal vintage like 2021, the wines are electric. A producer I work with, known for their modern-classic style, usually blends their small parcel of Mosconi into their main Barolo. The quality was so exceptional this year that I convinced them to bottle it separately for us. The result is a powerhouse: dark cherry, plum, crushed rock, and balsamic notes are supported by massive but noble tannins. This is a profound, site-specific Barolo that demands time in the cellar and will reward the patient collector handsomely.
Price:
$37.99
2021 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Barolo
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/10/2025 | Send Email
For our classic Barolo, I turned to a rising-star estate whose meticulous vineyard work in the stunning 2021 vintage produced a wine of incredible purity and elegance. This is the definition of a "discovery." The wine offers soaring aromatics of pure red fruits—crushed raspberry, cherry, and rose petal—with a vibrant, energetic palate supported by fine, silky tannins. It’s a beautifully transparent and fragrant Barolo that captures the finesse of the vintage. It’s a chance to get in on the ground floor with a future star of the region.
Price:
$27.99
2021 l'Esprit de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Léognan
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
There are few wines that receive as much quiet acclaim among wine lovers as Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. The Bernard family has found a way to blend Pessac typicité with remarkable purity of fruit, while remaining irresistibly delicious. Some of my most memorable wine experiences over the last decade have included at least a bottle or two of DDC Blanc. That said, it is a rare treat—certainly not an everyday indulgence.
That’s where l’Esprit comes in. The elusive yet remarkable second wine from the estate carries much of the character that has made this address so famous for Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon—light yet rich, with pure stone fruit and citrus, dancing minerality, and a luxurious texture. The superb 2021 vintage adds yet another layer to this gem.
For an affordable yet dynamic taste inspired by one of the world’s greatest white wines, the 2021 l’Esprit de Chevalier delivers remarkable character and charm. It captures the spirit of its legendary sibling while remaining approachable and distinct in its own right. Don’t miss it.
2012 Michel Arnould "Causalité" Verzenay Grand Cru Champagne
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
We've had a lot of great 2012 Champagnes come through here thanks to Gary Westby, who I have personally voted as Champagne Buyer of the Year for the last five years I've worked here. It's only an award in my head, which also means he's won five years in a row and all of you that have interacted with him already know that I have voted with your interests in mind. This Champagne is absolutely delicious, the nose has some sourdough baguette notes at the forefront and then pretty white flowers, a little red apple skin, and then the chalky minerality. The palate is just amazing, more sourdough notes, but also a lot more fruit with red apples, a little hint of underripe rapsberry, and blood orange. The acidity is outstanding, and the depth and complexity are off the charts. This is probably one of the best bottles of Champagne under $100 that we have in the store right now, and that's saying a lot.
Price:
$99.99
2015 Nikolaihof "Baumpresse" Riesling Wachau
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
This is already starting to do the thing. We all love it when a wine does the thing. What's the thing? Oh, right. It's when a wine is just approaching this perfect drinking window in which it's giving you so much more than you thought you deserved. The nose is integrating itself perfectly where everything is stepping forward at once, it's not petrol then honey then fruit, it's this beautiful mélange of highly expressive slightly honeyed fruit and petrol at once, with little touches of nuttiness. The palate is fairly deep and rich, really long finish with a touch of sultanas and just a lot of really ripe and pretty stone fruit, it's hard to express in just letters and potentially numbers how enjoyable this is at every sniff and sip. This is just such a great example of a wine that's already been aged to greatness, and you get to just walk in and buy it. Outstanding.
2017 Trimbach "Cuvée Frédéric Émile" Riesling Alsace
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
I really like wine, if you've read my reviews you've probably clued into the fact that I'm kinda into wines of all kinds. Riesling is a stereotypical favorite of Sommeliers, and I'm no exception. Not that but it's an even nerdier Alsatian Riesling. The nose is everything you want Riesling to be. It's got a rich petrol, really pretty stone-fruit and citrus, some white flowers buried deep, and it's just rich and a little luxurious on the nose alone. The dry palate has really pretty honeyed sort of fruit, along with underripe peach, more petrol, and then at the end there's some really great lingering minerality playing around with the gas and little flicks of fruit. This is eight years old and probably wants another eight or so before you really dig into it, but if you want to enjoy it now it's a really fantastic sip.
2023 Allram "Ried Renner" Grüner Veltliner Kamptal
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
As I taste through all of these Allram wines, it really is impressing me how the pricing does actually track with what I also feel is the overall quality of the wines. This matters because I am a fancy wine review man. However, this isn't always the case with wine, as you've likely found out before. The nose on this is subtle and pretty, there's some stone fruit and some citrus. The palate is has depth but also breadth, there's a vastness to it that is saved and focused by the acidity, bringing everything to a joined point in the finish. This is just really lovely and yet unmistakably of quality. The best pairing I can think of is what the always wonderful and super smart Lilia suggested, which is a pork schnitzel. Yumyum perfection.
2024 Bründlmayer "Kamptaler Terrassen" Grüner Veltliner Kamptal
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
Sometimes down the middle is the best place to be, and this is just an absolutely down the middle bottle of Austrian Gruner Veltliner in the very best of ways. The nose has some lemon citrus, a little bit of green, and just this really super light stone fruit in the very back part of the nosebleed seats. The palate is has a really nice and pleasant heft/mouthfeel, there's a really nice line of acidity through the whole thing, and towards the end there's just a little tiny hint of bitterness that's going to help this pair so nicely. Honestly, this is just a straight up quaffer, a bottle that needs no introduction except to be introduced to my wine glass. If you wanted to have it with food, by all means, I could see fresh cheese, roast chicken, and also a nice piece of salmon working well with this.
Price:
$24.99
2024 Allram Riesling Kamptal
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
Our Austrian wine buyer Alex Pross was talking about how great the 2024 vintage was in Austria and from what I've tasted so far, I totally believe it. This has a kind of exotic nose, there's some lemon zest, soft and fleshy honeyed stone-fruit, but also some lychee and white tea residing somewhere in there. The palate is dry but really pleasantly expressive, I get more of that kind of peach and white tea vibe with a little bit of a phenolic something on the palate tripping me out slightly, but this is just so delicious. This is honestly a crazy good Riesling at this price, it's not going to give you the petrol you're looking for, at least not yet, but it's got everything else in spades. The peach and the white tea note melds with the lemony citrus and the really pretty acidity and it's just this driving palate pleaser. This is going to be the bottles I start putting into people's hands when they're looking for a new dry Riesling to try, it's just that good.
Price:
$17.99
2025 Little Book "Chapter 9 - None for Granted" Blended Straight Whiskey
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
The Booker's lineup remains one of the most famous in the bourbon world, and the highly coveted Little Book releases continue to spark fervor among enthusiasts. This latest edition is no exception and expertly showcases the quality of Beam's whiskey stocks and their blending prowess. This mix of 7-11 year bourbons and a cheeky 8 year rye starts with gooey caramel, toasted vanilla, charred wood, cinnamon and clove. The first pour feels a bit primary with the ethanol making itself apparent, but with enough air in the glass (and maybe a drop of water), the whiskey reveals a more suave and sophisticated nature. Glazed and grilled peach, praline, dusty rickhouse, and a more rye-focused spice start to draw attention from the bold oak, resulting in a long and complex finish worthy of the name. Don't take the fact that we got a decent allocation for granted; these won't last much longer.
Price:
$149.99
2023 Allram "Alte Reben" Grüner Veltliner Kamptal
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
The nose is really ripe, but also subtle and I'm finding myself digging for notes, but that's not a bad thing. The best luxury items are defined by nuance, and wine is my favorite luxury item. I get a little touch of something tropical, and a riper kind of peach note along with a little bit of a rounder note towards the end. The palate has soft fruit on the front but a more savory mid-note and a line of very reasonable acidity the whole way through the palate, it's really a tasty bottle and at a very reasonable price. This is going to excel as a food with, the more savory mid-notes really help harmonizing with the savoriness of the food you're eating it with. Roast chicken would be so great with this, but also let's maybe do a vegetable stir fry or juts a nice salad.
Price:
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2022 Simon di Brezzan Friulano
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
This 2022 Friulano from Simon di Brezzan is a classic expression of one of Friuli's most important white grape varieties. Located in the heart of the Collio Goriziano, a region renowned for its mineral-rich "ponca" soils.
Their Friulano is a benchmark for the style, showcasing the grape's unique balance of subtle fruit, savory notes, and signature almond finish.
The wine pours a pale straw-yellow with greenish reflections. On the nose, it is delicate and complex, offering aromas of green apple, pear, and white peach, intertwined with notes of wildflowers, chamomile, and a distinct hint of bitter almond.
On the palate, it is medium-bodied with a refreshing, crisp acidity and a slightly oily texture that adds depth. The flavors mirror the nose, with a core of orchard fruit balanced by a savory, almost saline minerality. The finish is clean, dry, and persistent, leaving that classic, pleasant almond note. Classic paired with Prosciutto Crudo (Parma or San Daniele).
Price:
Hidden
2005 K&L Discovery Series Bordeaux, St-Emilion
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
What? -- That's what I thought when Ryan Moses, our Bordeaux Buyer Par Excellence told the price of this wine and its 2009 younger brother. Just absolute bonkers pricing, but it's not like we can force them to charge us more. I remember a few years ago our own Gary Westby told me that if you can get Bordeaux for a dollar a year you've found yourself one of the best deals in the business, and here we are just offering to you like it's a casual Tuesday afternoon. This has all the depth and maturation you have come to expect from a well-aged well-provenanced Bordeaux. The fruit is still there, though it's definitely a little bit behind the tertiary aromas that have lovingly and tenderly developed over these last 20 years. There's some stewed black and fruit fruits, a little bit of a compote of the two presenting together as a whole. There's also loamy mushrooms, a little bit of forest floor, and creamy black olive that fades into barrel spice. The palate is fresher than the nose, with a great level of acidity and a surprising amount of tannin for how old the wine is, this feels like it could keep going and lay down for another 10-20 years, just developing more tertiary aromas at the cost of fruit. This is just phenomenal wine at this price, and something you really cannot afford to pass by if you drink Bordeaux, or even if you've ever thought about drinking Bordeaux. This is everything you want from a well-aged bottle of wine and the same price I paid for lunch the other day. Figure it out.
Price:
$19.99
2009 K&L Discovery Series Bordeaux, St-Emilion
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
Yet another wine whose pricing I find to be wicked bonkers, but hey I'm just a salesperson and wine review writer guy and it's good to know your role. This wine costs you, valued reader, less than a dollar per year that it has existed in this world. That's insane. I mean maybe it would make sense, if this wasn't impeccably aged and really delicious Bordeaux. This and it's older brother, the 2005, are both just really wonderful examples of what I like about Bordeaux and also different enough you can get a feel for the vintages and what aging does as well. This has a really charming nose, especially having had a few hours to develop. There's a little bit of creaminess to the fruit, more red than black, with a lot of cherry and even some sweet cranberries. There's also a lot of more savory notes, with dried and fresh tobacco, worn leather, a little touch of oil cured olives, and a dense sort of loamy note in the back holding hands with the barrel spice. The palate is just a little chewy, both from a firm but super integrated tannin profile, but also the leathery tobacco in the back palate. The fruit is very ripe but not quite stewed, with just a little bit of dried notes mixed in. There's a bit of a phenolic note on the finish too, a little bitterness that is going to help ensure that this pairs well with whatever you choose to eat it with. This is such a crazy nexus of great deal and great wine that I'm not sure if I'm able to express strongly enough how much you need to try this wine, but please know that I care about you and I want you to be happy and that's why I want you to try this wine.
Price:
$14.99
Compass Box "Hedonism - 2025 Limited Edition" Grain Scotch Whisky (700ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
This stupendous whisky is truly a benchmark within the history of Scotch whisky. Taking a bold stand before anyone else is the Compass Box style, and Hedonism has been exactly that for the last 25 years. It is proof that blended grain whisky is a legitimate category able to stand on its own two feet and even expand the conversation considerably. It turns out that if you take good grain whisky and put it into great barrels, it tastes pretty damn good! Here a beautiful 20-year-aged Cameronbridge in first-fill bourbon is nearly 50% of the blend, followed by nearly 30% from old vattings of Hedonism from 2022 and 2023. It has an intriguing base. Finally, younger versions of Cameronbridge and Girvan with a little hit of first-fill Marsala barrique add richness and depth. Let's see how good it gets! A vibrant deep copper color (1.0) is surprisingly dark considering the component whiskies. The nose is immediately full of gorgeous confectionary character: sweet buttercream frosting, powdered chocolate, cooked peaches, and exotic honey. There is plenty of depth, not just perceived sweetness. Imagine strolling through a wildflower meadow in the spring, with fresh floral and herbal notes and a slight whiff of earthy underbrush. Very appealing! On the palate it is downright glamorous with butter-drenched brioche French toast, café au lait, sugar cookies, angel food cake, and chocolate-covered nougat. It is a beautiful whisky that is maybe more overtly pleasurable than most on the shelf today. It may lean on the sweet side for some hardcore peat heads, but normal Scotch drinkers and almost any bourbon lover should be in heaven here.
Price:
$139.99
2019 Moulin du La Lagune, Haut-Médoc
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
By: Ryan Moses | Review Date: 9/9/2025 | Send Email
When people think of the finest wines from Haut-Médoc, the shortlist inevitably begins with La Lagune. It doesn’t hurt that they hold the highest classification in the appellation—an impressive ranking as a Third Growth. Hand-crafted and age-worthy, their wines are made under the guidance of one of the region’s greats, Caroline Frey (of Jaboulet fame). La Lagune consistently stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the Left Bank’s finest.
That dedication to quality shines through in their second wine, Moulin de Château La Lagune, whose label highlights the estate’s commitment to biodiversity. The 2019 is a stunner—already drinking beautifully. What stands out most is its freshness and brightness, with brilliant focus and purity, yet still remarkable depth of flavor. Floral and cassis aromas lead into a palate that opens with red fruit—plum and cherry—then lifts with fine tannins and a mid-palate richness that keeps it vibrant and engaging.
This was one of our team’s favorites at a recent tasting and is a wonderful discovery for anyone looking to experience a wine from one of the Left Bank’s finest classified growths at a remarkable value.
2020 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
The Fuligni estate, a historic property on the cooler, eastern slopes of Montalcino, is revered for producing wines of incredible finesse and purity
This is a Brunello that captivates with its perfume. The nose is a soaring and intricate display of wild cherry, raspberry, crushed violets, and sweet spice, with underlying notes of fresh mint, white pepper, and a distinct, stony minerality. This is a benchmark Brunello. It has all the textbook characteristics of Sangiovese in Montalcino.
On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied and silky, with a core of pure, vibrant fruit supported by a framework of ultra-fine, chalky tannins and brilliant acidity. It yummy, really Burgundian.
Aged traditionally in large Slavonian oak casks: it is a wine for the purist and the patient collector.
To me this is the standout of this vintage so far.
2015 Bodegas Casa Juan "Señor de Lesmos" Reserva Rioja
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
"Lesmos" Rioja Reserva remains a staff and customer favorite and we're pleased to offer this latest release from winegrower Angel Escudero. The 2015, is singing at the moment as its had time to soften and mature. Although it's in a perfect drinking window, it will certainly offer a lot of pleasure over the next few years. Ideal with meats and cheeses.
Price:
$19.99
2019 Terroir al Limit Terroir Históric Negre Priorat
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
I normally expect Priorat wines to be fairly big and concentrated so I was pleasantly surprised by this juicy, elegant red. I was even more impressed to discover that this particular wine project is designed to encourage the development of local family owned vineyards as the grapes are sourced from numerous small properties throughout the zone. It's a very expressive and flavorful red that captures the essence of Priorat in a more elegant frame.
2022 Raúl Pérez "Ultreia St-Jacques" Mencía Bierzo
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
This wine has been consistently great from vintage to vintage and this latest release is no exception. It offers delicious dark fruit in a juicy, medium-to full bodied frame with fine underlying tannins and solid acidity. The old vines fruit combined with skilled, low intervention winemaking make this an exceptional red..
2023 Vinos del Viento "Aventura" Campo de Borja
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
This was a pleasant surprise as I was not expecting such depth of fruit at such a modest price. It's a delicious red fermented in concrete that offers fruit-driven aromas of black cherry, plum and blueberry and a fresh and satisfying palate with good length. An outstanding value that's irresistible.
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Mas Codina Brut Reserva Cava Penedès
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
By: John Downing | Review Date: 9/8/2025 | Send Email
It's amazing how dramatically the quality of Cava has increased over the past several years. With improved vineyard practices and extended less aging, these affordable sparkling wines from Spain have become exceptional values. Mas Codina is one of our favorites as it offers a fair amount of complexity and and fruit richness and is ideal as an aperitif of with light eats. It's also a wonderful patio/poolside sipper.
Price:
$13.99
2022 Giovinco Etna Rosso
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/5/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/5/2025 | Send Email
A blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio from their parcels across the mountain. Aged in a combination of tonneaux and large casks, this Etna Rosso is both powerful and elegant. Notes of wild red berries, ash, and spice lead to a structured palate with fine-grained tannins and a long, persistent finish.
Price:
$24.99
2023 Giovinco Etna Bianco
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/5/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/5/2025 | Send Email
From their high-altitude vineyards on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna, this Bianco is a masterclass in tension and complexity. Primarily made in stainless steel to preserve its vibrant, mineral-driven core, about 10% of the wine is aged in wood, adding a subtle layer of texture and spice. It’s a wine that crackles with the energy of its volcanic terroir.
Price:
$24.99
2022 Giovinco "Sgarretta" Nero d'Avola Sambuco di Sicilia
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/5/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/5/2025 | Send Email
So, what makes Nero d’Avola from Sambuca di Sicilia so special? It’s all about balance. In many warmer parts of Sicily, Nero d’Avola can become heavy or overly jammy. Here, in the Sgarretta vineyard, the Giovinco family crafts a wine that captures the grape’s generous spirit without sacrificing elegance.
The calcareous clay soil provides the foundation, building a wine with structure, depth, and a subtle mineral backbone. The hot days ensure perfect phenolic ripeness, yielding classic flavors of black cherry, plum, and a touch of licorice. But it’s the cool nights, thanks to Lago Arancio, that truly define this wine. They lock in a vibrant acidity that brings freshness and energy to the palate, lifting the rich fruit and making this a sophisticated, food-friendly red. Aged for six months in large, neutral oak casks and six months in bottle, it’s a beautifully pure expression of a very special place.
2022 Antinori "Solaia" Toscana
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/4/2025 | Send Email
By: Orazio Campoli | Review Date: 9/4/2025 | Send Email
Solaia is a wine born from a specific place, a testament to the idea that the greatest wines are an expression of their unique terroir. Its story begins on the sunniest part of the Tignanello hillside, in the heart of Chianti Classico, a vineyard considered to be the estate's very best. From this privileged position, Marchesi Antinori cultivates the finest Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese grapes that become the soul of Solaia.
The Tenuta Tignanello estate lies between the Greve and Pesa river valleys, on soils that originated from marine marlstone in the Pliocene period. This ancient ground, rich in limestone, schist, and marine fossils, imparts a distinct mineral complexity to the wine. Throughout the growing season, the vines bask in hot daytime temperatures, allowing for perfect ripeness, while cooler evenings preserve the grapes' vibrant acidity and aromatic nuance.
This harmony of soil and climate is palpable in the 2022 Solaia. The wine is a profound and compelling expression of its origin. The nose is a deep and captivating display of dark fruit—blackcurrant, ripe plum, and blackberry—seamlessly integrated with notes of graphite, cedar, and sweet tobacco that speak directly to its noble terroir. The palate is rich, velvety, and expansive, with a core of concentrated fruit framed by polished, noble tannins.
Defined by the international press as "among the most influential wines in the history of Italian viticulture," Solaia is more than a wine; it is one of the true super wine of the world.
2022 Raúl Pérez "Ultreia St-Jacques" Mencía Bierzo
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 9/4/2025 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 9/4/2025 | Send Email
Nicely straddling the line between traditional and modern, this release from Raul Perez places itself firmly in the former camp. Without going over the top, of course! Deliciously savory, with nicely done back of the throat (light) chalkiness. After these initial flavors and scents, the fruit takes over. Black cherries, blackberries, dried lavender, smoke and some bright minerals. There is even a floral undercurrent with a few nicely placed red fruit flavors. This wine is always enjoyable and also very affordable!
2019 G d'Estournel, Medoc
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 9/3/2025 | Send Email
By: Scott Beckerley | Review Date: 9/3/2025 | Send Email
This gem from Cos d'Estournel is definitely worth looking at! Bright and fresh and bouncy! Red boysenberry fruit with tart cherries, anise, some savory spice and a hint of crunchy minerals. All with a very smooth and silky mouthfeel. The finish lingers and has a very nice tartness to it. So, you buy your Cos d'Estournel and cellar it. In the meantime, you can thoroughly enjoy the "G" on your dinner table tonight. It's too good to pass up!
2023 Matthiasson "Linda Vista Vineyard" Napa Valley Chardonnay
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Kerry Kennell | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
The 2023 Matthiasson “Linda Vista Vineyard” Chardonnay comes from a single Napa Valley site planted on alluvial soils in 1989. Barrel-fermented with native yeast and aged in no new oak, it showcases bright apple, honey, chamomile, and Meyer lemon zest, lifted by a crushed seashell-like minerality. A delicate lemon–chamomile finish lingers, while the low 12.5% ABV makes it an effortless any-time-of-day sipper. Certified organic (CCOF) and vegan, it’s pure in both flavor and winemaking ethos.
2023 Matthiasson "Linda Vista Vineyard" Napa Valley Chardonnay
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Ryan Woodhouse | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
One of my absolute favorite Chardonnays of the moment. And, how fun that it's literally one mile from my house to this vineyard! Linda Vista Vineyard sits just northwest of the city of Napa in the Oak Knoll District. This area has long been famed for Chardonnay. It really hit the big time when Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay took the win against top white Burgundy in the Judgement of Paris Tasting in 1976. That legendary Chardonnay was grown right next door to Matthiasson's Linda Vista site. This very southern part of the valley is significantly cooler than further north, with almost daily fog that beaks up late morning. The soils here are alluvial fans from the eastern slopes of Mount Veeder comprised of ancient marine shale. The vines here are three decades old and deeply rooted drawing complex minerality from the soils. The Chardonnay is crafted in a perfectly honed crystalline style with beautiful freshness and vibrancy. The purity of bright fruit and white flowers works nicely with mouthwatering saline minerals. Such beautiful focus and linear precision. This gives 1er Cru white Burgundy a good run for it's money. An absolute winner at our Insider's Advantage special pricing!
2016 Tahbilk "1927 Vines" Marsanne Nagambie Lakes Victoria
By: Cary Herrman | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Cary Herrman | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
The 2016 Tahbilk "1927 Vines" Marsanne is a wild ride. Right out of the glass it hits with a strong diesel note that carries onto the palate, wrapped up in plenty of funky character. Beneath the funk there's a waxy, textural weight and a salty edge that keeps it lively. Not your typical Marsanne - this one leans hard into the savory, evolved side, with an intensity that fans of bold, unconventional whites will appreciate.
Cesar Florido Moscatel Especial Chipiona (375ml)
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
This is such a pretty pretty pretty dessert wine, which is probably a little surprising since it's got that distinctly brown color that we typically prefer wines not have. This is a sherry and is made with a fun process that partially involves boiling some of the juice to concentrate it and then pour it back into the very very low alcohol (2%) wine that you've made before fortifying it in the end. The nose is super floral with touches of brown sugar and caramel showing through, along with a sort of brighter fruit that it's hard to put my finger on at the moment, and then on the finish a touch of black tea. The palate is pretty much what I've always thought kissing an angel would be like, it's sweet and floral and there's this kind of blackstrap molasses meets dried fruit note in the very finish that is I feel is from the boiled grape juice and really ties the whole palate together amazingly. This is just a fantastic dessert wine, and really is sweet enough to pair with most desserts that you might bring to the table, I would definitely do this more with cake than pie, but poured over some vanilla ice cream this would be insanely good also.
Price:
$21.99
Rare Wine Company "Historic Series - New York" Malmsey Madeira
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
I really love Maderia, it's just perfect for so many things and this is one of my perennial favorites and a bottle I've sold to a lot of customers, their Malmsey which is pretty much equivalent to Tawny port in sweetness, but with a bit of an acid bump in the mid palate which I think helps make it as perfect as it is. To make Madeira, wine is put through a torture test so the other benefit is once you open a bottle it'll stay good pretty much indefinitely, not that it gets a chance in my house. There's just such a deep and intense nuttiness to the wine, it having fully oxidated as part of the winemaking process. There's stewed fruit, bits of crunchy toffee, burnt caramel, a little touch of umami savoriness, and then all those nuts just bolstering the whole thing up. The palate is a little bit fresher due to the acid bump the fruit is more dried, and there's still caramel but also a little bit of salinity on the very finish. This is absolutely fabulous and anyone who appreciates a sweet finish to their meal should give this a look, it's worth your attention.
Barton Distillery 1792 "Full Proof" K&L Exclusive Barrel #267 Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
The fabulous and still underrated Barton Distillery suffers somewhat in the shadow of its much bigger sibling in Frankfort. This lovely little distillery, tucked into a holler on a residential street in Bardstown, is one of the most endearing. It quietly chugs along, often overlooked, but when you taste a truly great barrel you’re forced to reconsider. Maybe it’s the awkward branding - the 1792 Bourbon label has always been a tough one for many people to connect with - or the distinctly un-bourbon cognac-style decanter. Whatever the reason, the cult of Barton is small. Needless to say, I’m a proud member, and it’s a place that has grown on me through years of visiting. Maybe the bourbon is simply getting better. There’s no question this is another excellent example of the remarkable potential of this old distillery.
Alongside the sister cask bottled at 100 proof, this full proof offering at 125 proof forms one half of a duo I consider among the best side-by-side comparisons in the store. Two barrels that were nearly identical straight from the barrel emerge as striking contrasts once bottled at different proofs. Let’s give the full proof a whirl. The color is a deep crimson-russet (1.3), several shades darker than its sibling. The nose is dense and brooding, packed with pungent oak, earthy warehouse floor, dark fruits, and powerful baking spice. It’s tighter and more closed than the Bottled-in-Bond, preferring time in the glass to reveal itself - more contemplative and less communicative, but ultimately louder when allowed the floor. With air, the complexity soars, unfolding exotic woods like mahogany, sandalwood, and birch, dense dark fruit -dried plums and figs- and wild savory notes of hazelnut, bay leaf, and medium-roast Huehuetenango coffee -chocolate, caramel, maple, burnt orange peel.
On the palate, it’s exceptionally juicy - huge cherry syrup and sarsaparilla explode up front. It’s earthy yet lifted, with dried peppermint, chocolate, and more cherries carrying through. This is a powerful bourbon, but the juicy entry disguises its true depth at first. Ultimately it reveals itself to be a stunning barrel, especially when compared to the vast quantities of unnamed single-barrel Barton on the market of similar age that are half as good and twice the price. This one should not be ignored.
Price:
$54.99
| Limit of 6 per customer |
2019 K&L Discovery Series Bordeaux, Pomerol
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
Well, well, another K&L Discovery wine has landed ashore and this time it's from Pomerol. Let's see how we feel about this one, so far it's been a pretty glorious bounty, but you never know which way the tide will turn. Well, there's definitely a real nice level of sophistication on the nose, so that's a big mark in favor. I definitely get the terroir, and there's a really pretty and generous amount of fruit already showing despite having just opened the bottle. Blackberry, cherry, cigar box, barrel spice and just a touch of vanilla round out the really elegant and stately nose. The palate is no different, the tannins are incredibly fine and incredibly well integrated, the palate has pretty fruits reminiscent of the nose, but also this kind of creaminess that I'm really enjoying. The barrel is there, but the fruit wins out ultimately in the finish, which is always something I enjoy in a wine. Yes, Darryl, I like a wine that tastes like fruit, it's made out of fruit, this shouldn't be a controversial opinion. There's a good amount of savory components in the mid-palate and finish, I think that I'm going to have to grab a couple bottles of this to try with a few different meals. I see this going great with a slightly leaner cut of steak like a NY Strip and a moderate potato, or maybe something more like a filet mignon and a fat potato. You just have to find the right balance. Either way, for the price this bottle of wine absolutely slaps and I highly recommend you give a try, because you might have just found your new Wednesday bottle.
Price:
$29.99
2024 Vinos del Viento "Amber" Moscatel
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
I don't always know what to think about natural wines or orange wines, and this one definitely isn't an exception, but I love a challenge and while this is definitely a bit weird it's not unpleasant or stinky in a way that natural wines sometimes can be. The nose is so aggressively floral, a little bit like a tea made out of potpourri, but in a way that somehow is good and a little but alluring. The palate is fairly similar, though there's some fruit underneath all those floral notes, something a little bit like golden kiwi and something kind of like a honeyed white grape. It's really enjoyable in a way I didn't think it would be, and while yes natural and yes orange, it's not funky or off-putting. I feel like I really want to have this with some slightly aged goat cheese or any other mostly fresh fairly soft cheese. Beyond that, my best advice to have a bottle of this with your friends while you all try to describe what you're tasting, because this is definitely a little bonkers in a very fun and surprisingly approachable way.
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Barton Distillery 1792 "Bottled in Bond" K&L Exclusive Barrel #263 Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: David Othenin-Girard | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
I'm totally a Barton lover. There's something about this old-school distillery that really speaks to me. It's not just the majestic water source flowing from the limestone cliff behind the distillery or the obvious choice of location at the base of a holler - a perfect place for moonshining. It's also the contrast between their extremely old, beautiful equipment and the very young, energetic distilling team. The last time we selected barrels at the distillery, they set me up in the warehouse with one of the ops managers. They're always happy to take a moment out of their busy day to sell bourbon, and I'm always happy to have an ops guy willing to answer my endless questions. Many seemingly secret details of this special plant were shared in those moments, but I won't expose them here out of respect for my collaborators. Needless to say, it was endearing.
What makes me love Barton most of all, though, is the way the bourbon (and rye) tastes. It's just damned delicious, delivering its character in such an unpretentious and approachable way. This fun project - taking two nearly identical casks and bottling them at different proofs - is exactly the sort of thing that makes me love what they do. Very few other distillers will let you do something this playful, and we love the ones that do. So let's dive into the 100-proof Bottled-in-Bond, which is really Barton’s sweet spot.
The color is a mellow deep copper (1.0). The nose is boisterous and fun, it's truly one of those happy bourbons rather than that angry, brooding style. Beautiful aromas of banana bread, pistachio cake, caramel-cinnamon frosting, baked apples, and blackberry jam rise from the glass. The palate is soft and round, bursting with sugar candies, orange oil, and caramel sauce up front, then lifting into a spicier character toward the finish. The texture is oily and full, with notes of cherry jam and plummy cola on the surprisingly long descent. This is just really good bourbon to drink - it won’t smack you around too hard, but it’s not so straightforward that it loses interest. A very nice barrel, and if I must pat myself on the back for selecting it, I gladly will.
Price:
$44.99
| Limit of 6 per customer |
Barton Distillery 1792 "Full Proof" K&L Exclusive Barrel #267 Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
Arguably the most prized of Barton's lineup, the Full Proof presents as unadulterated a look at the house style as we'll ever see. The fruit trends toward the darker side here, with fig and black cherry, with more intense spice and wood character. Where the BiB sweetness felt more akin to nougat, this reads as caramelized turbinado. The exhale here makes me feel invincible like I could drink this all day and never suffer adverse effects, though obviously at 62.% alcohol, this one is best enjoyed in small pours and even smaller sips. The perfect evening sipper, it really makes me crave a cigar and a sunset view. And once again, an uncanny value that won't last forever.
Price:
$54.99
| Limit of 6 per customer |
2022 Tormaresca "Torcicoda" Primitivo Salento
By: John Archuleta | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: John Archuleta | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
This one is for the Zin fans - a beautiful juicy and jammy red from Puglia!
I love Primitivo - some folks have a tendency to write it off due to the stereotypes surrounding the varietal, but Tormaresca and the Antinori family hit it out of the park with this wine. All estate grown fruit, they do a masterful job both in the cellar and in the vineyard to make sure there are layers and complexity rather than just another one note wine.
You still get all the lovely dark blue fruit - plum, blackberry, blueberries, fruit jam - but the underlying acidity helps to cut through the plushiness and elevate the mineral notes that come from the Puglianese soil.
Only a touch of spice, a little dark choclate, this wine is the perfect pairing for those end of year BBQ's - definitely a crowd pleaser!
Barton Distillery 1792 "Bottled in Bond" K&L Exclusive Barrel #263 Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Will Blakely | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
Barton's 1792 barrel program remains one of my favorite to this day because of the value and variety on offer. Among their core lineup, the Bottled-in-Bond is typically my favorite for its balance providing both richness and sufficient structure to back that up. The nose starts promising with a delightful mélange of vanilla, marzipan, toasted oak and just a whiff of clove. From the first sip to the last, the palate delivers delicious flavors of maple, nougat, peach cobbler, and the hallmark Barton caramelized banana, all framed beautifully by deep, venerable oak. With just enough spice on the finish to remind you this is Kentucky spirit, it serves as a steadfast reminder of the quality coming from this underappreciated facility. It's growing increasingly hard to imagine finding better or older bourbon readily available at this price point.
Price:
$44.99
| Limit of 6 per customer |
2024 Mendes & Symington "Contacto" Loureiro Vinho Verde
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
This might not be what you're typically thinking of when you think of Vinho Verde. There's no little playful spritz, and it's a little bit higher alcohol than what you might expect (but still a relatively moderate 12.5%ABV). The nose has a lot of lemon, but also touches of stone fruit, both white peach and something that kind of leans towards apricot but doesn't quite get there. The palate is bright and fruity and really deliciously crisp, a wonderful line of acid pushing through the whole palate while the fruit is peach and lemon with a little touch of pithiness on the finish. This is really lovely and a super delicious bottle of white wine. There's definitely some tartness there but it's so refreshing while somehow pushing up against medium bodied, with an impressive depth and lingering semi-saline river rock kind of finish. Just fantastic.
2022 Raúl Pérez "Ultreia St-Jacques" Mencía Bierzo
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
Despite the less than inky color, this wine smells fairly inky and dark, there's also a dustiness to it that I'm finding really appealing with what else there is. The fruit is black with touches of red, blackberry and black currant, maybe with some cranberry skin without the implied crunchiness. Along with the fruit, there's also a lot of savoriness with a little touch of something meaty towards the mid-nose and towards the end also with just a touch of something very slightly figgy. The palate is incredibly enjoyable, first from a textural standpoint, just fantastic mouthfeel and the finest most integrated tannins just cradling the fruit. The fruit on the palate is rich but not as inky or dark as the nose wanted you to think it would be, there's a lot of touches of freshness there and the acidity just keeps the whole thing moving along properly, towards the end there's some herby notes and then the barrel on the finish comes back in giving a little lingering toasty fruit note. Really delicious and another amazingly priced bottle that overdelivers big time. Big. Time.
2023 Teso La Monja "Romanico" Toro
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
By: Aaron Hughes | Review Date: 9/2/2025 | Send Email
I'm not sure I've ever had a Toro wine before, so that makes this extra fun. I also really enjoy that instead of Tempranillo, they call it Tinto de Toro, it's just got a confidence that I find really amusing. The nose on this is pretty bright with lots of pretty fruit and a little bit of a flowing floral note drifting through the whole thing. The fruit is bright red cherry, Tayberry, and slightly underripe blackberry, it's all really lovely and more of a compote than distinct and individual aromas. The palate is bright with an elevated acidity that fights the very slightly grippy tannins, the fruit is really pretty again with cranberry, raspberry, and a touch of pomegranate and a little bit of something inkier like blackberry around the very edges of my tongue during the lingering finish. This is really fresh and bright while also having a little bite of a grip and a touch of savory notes on the finish that'll just help this pair with more and more dishes. I could see having this with both a lighter steak or a nice double-cut porkchop.