Vinanmeldelser

92-94 Sweetly juicy wine, the new wood giving high toast to the black currant flavors. It is on the elegant side, although the new wood needs to be tamed to let the fruit come through.

Octavius has always been oaky, but over the years the fruit has come into better balance, and the 2009 may be one of the most successful editions yet released. It's dense and impenetrable at first, o…

Made from a slightly smaller percentage (81%) of estate fruit, with the intention of being approachable earlier, this wine has 19% blended in from Oakville Ranch, Knightsbridge and Young Inglewood, i…

This is certainly dramatic in structure, akin to a young Pauillac from Bordeaux, with concentrated currant, cherry, pencil lead and cedar flavors wrapped into youthfully hard tannins. It needs time,…

A lush Cabernet that feels soft and delicious right now, but has layers of complexity that make it a cellar candidate. Dry and oaky, the wine is enormously rich in blackberry, cassis, cocoa and cedar…

The vineyard is source of high-quality fruit, but also intense mountain tannins that require time to melt. Under those tannins is dramatically rich black currant and carob fruit flavor, easily big en…

Rich and thickly textured, this wine features intense botrytis aromas of dried apricots, backing them up with flavors of honey and orange marmalade. Long and intensely sugary on the finish, with enou…

Made from an early picking of botrytized grapes from the Bernkasteler Lay vineyard, this is a sweet, plump wine, filled to the brim with lush tropical fruit flavors. The aromas show remarkably pure p…

This is one of the most successful Pinots the winery has produced, and I have no doubt it's because the vintage was so cool. The wine is absolutely dry and has bracing acidity, with extraordinarily l…

Bill Smith is better known for his Pinot Noirs, but he founded La Jota and knows a thing or two about Howell Mountain Cabs. This is a big, dry, tannic mountain wine, virtually undrinkable now for its…

This is the best Potelle Syrah I've ever had, but be forewarned: It's an extraordinarily tannic wine that shows its 1,800-foot mountain origins. It clocks in at 13.9% alcohol, yet it's bone dry. The…

Sweet and slightly viscous in texture, this wine lacks some aromatic flourishes, sacrificing complexity for purity of its pineapple, apple and citrus flavors. Yet because of its balanced, crisp acidi…

Just released, this latest non-vintage from Jacquesson is very steely, austere, cool and elegant with apple and citrus acidity. It has freshness and balance. Still young, but very complete.

Sartori hits a home run with this beautiful edition of Amarone Corte Brà. The wine's deep layers reveal balsam aromas of cola and cedar, accented by spicy intensity and a long, smoky aftertaste. Drie…

This 100% Cabernet spent nearly two years in 100% new French oak. As a result, it's enormously oaky in youth. You can barely smell or taste anything beyond toothpicks. But the wine is still young and…

A blueberry-balsamic reduction sauce scent kicks off this rich and opulent wine from the legendary Hearst family. It also shows smoked beef, uncracked peppercorns, black spices, vanilla bean and blac…

This is not from a generally declared Port Vintage year. However, the year did produce some exceptional wines, such as this one. It has a firm tannic structure under opulent black fruits. Beautifully…

Light in color but bursting with aromas of candied cherry, pencil lead, sauteed porcini mushrooms and rain-soaked gravel, this is a fabulous wine from an oceanview vineyard above Corralitos. Italian…

The appellation is showcased in all its glory in this 100% varietal wine, a brooding and weighty experience with a ton of power and concentration. Black currant, wild berry, pencil and tea make for b…

Winemaker Virginia Willcock's latest effort shows that top-flight Margaret River Chardonnay doesn't have to cost three figures. This is fine stuff, a bit funky at first, but opening up in the glass t…

Not many $30 wines can offer fruit from 100-year-old vines, but this one does. It's full bodied and rich, with notes of plum and black cherries supported by hints of chocolate and vanilla. With its l…

Appropriately youthful and flashy, this is textbook Barossa Shiraz, full bodied and rich. Dusty tannins and mouthwatering acids support dark berry fruit, cedar and vanilla. It's drinkable now, but sh…

Dark ruby with tawny gold highlights, this intense wine comes from Ramos-Pinto's Bom Retiro estate. It is dried raisins, toffee with beautifully integrated spirit and acidity. It's a rich wine, with…

This is a beautiful wine, fully expressive of the vineyard and vintage. It's showy in juicy red and black wild berries, with just-right additions of cinnamon and black pepper. Full bodied and concent…