Vinanmeldelser

The soft but flavorful entry into a land of dark fruits, smoke and espresso barely hints at the wine to come. Give it time to breathe and it opens into a wonderfully complex, smooth and creamy wine w…

Just what you want in a Sauvignon Blanc-based white Bordeaux-style wine. It's bone dry and mouthwateringly tart in acidity, while the citrus flavors suggest gooseberries, but don't fall into the trap…

A first for Animale, and a terrific success, despite the almost 16% alcohol. Bursting with ripe berry flavors, this complex and flat-out delicious wine goes well beyond its highly-extracted black fru…

Aurielle's Cabernets have been consistent over the years, offering lots of ripe, modern-style blackberry, blueberry, dark chocolate and oak flavors in a wine that's drinkable now. This '08 is quite s…

Shows the ripe fruit of Balletto's Pinot Noirs, with bright, forward raspberries and cherries. But there's an appealing earthiness, something like wild mushrooms sautéed in olive oil. Oak adds the pe…

The grapes for this Syrah come from the Ballard Canyon area, which is likely to be Santa Barbara's next official appellation. It's a big, full-bodied wine, tannic and dry, with blackberry, blueberry,…

This full-bodied, 100% Cabernet is lightly gamy, offering a sensuous potpourri of wild herbs and brambly berries. It's subtle, lovely, distinctive, smoothly rendered and unusually textural and comple…

A powerful expression of rich red fruit, smoothed by wood aging and nearly four years in bottle. It has layers of acidity, spice, soft tannins and flavors of maturing fruit. It is ready to drink now…

A richly smoky wine, with all its juiciness surrounded by dark tannins. Despite a dominance of Merlot, this is still intensely structured. The wine has so much richness as well as acidity.

Even in marginal vintages like 2008, Atauta manages to shine above the rest. This delivers a gorgeous mix of blackberry blended with complex notes of fine herbs, vanilla and chocolate. It's alert in…

Cometa is an irresistible white wine from the deep south of Italy. It speaks its own Sicilian language but with modern, international accents. Made from Fiano grapes, it opens with a beautiful golden…

A supremely ripe Port from Ramos-Pinto's vineyard in the far east of the Douro. It is finely perfumed, with layered tannins upon structured plum skins and black cherry fruit. It's in a fruity style,…

This is the darkest, biggest, richest of Raymond's 2007 Cabernets. It's ripe and full in blackberries and currants, with a thick coating of sweet, toasty oak, but it's not really drinkable now becaus…

This old tawny Port has developed a green-gold color and extreme concentration. With a beautiful floral perfume, the flavors are of almonds, acidity and a bite of spirit, while overall is the beautif…

In reaction to Mount Etna's volcanic eruptions, local farmers have adopted a unique mix of Christianity and mysticism to protect against imminent dangers. Many vineyard sites are anointed with religi…

Can Washington Mourvèdre really be this good? From the Far Away Vineyard (previously named for owner Art den Hoed) it sure can. Sappy and fresh, this lively wine features ripe red fruits, sharp acids…

Here's a rich, ripe, opulent Syrah, all jammy blackberry, cherry and currant flavors, sprinkled with black pepper and housed in a structure of firm, strong tannins. It's a blend of some of the best v…

Aromas of violet, iris, ripe black-skinned fruit, dried grape and a whiff of tobacco lead the way on this full-bodied charmer. The smooth, structured palate delivers dried cherry, raspberry compote,…

A dark and concentrated sandalwood aroma hits the nose on this bottling from west of Paso, alongside strawberries, red currants, smoked meats and a gravelly rockiness. Licorice, anise and fennel driv…

While the nose is subdued, the palate brings out yellow apple peel and rounded, mellow spice, spiked with pure lemony freshness. Tingling pepperiness around the edges makes this pure apple-lemon comb…

This rich wine is still young and has all its tannins intact as well as ripe black fruits that push out of the dense structure. Wood aging shows in a toasty edge that will round out. Wait and drink t…

This wine, from a new collaboration between San Miguel vintner David DuBois and Santa Ynez winemaker Andres Ibarra, shows excellently on the nose, with apple blossoms, white peach flesh, cold butter,…

At five years, this balanced, ripe wine is both elegant and concentrated. Fine tannins support the red cherry and black berry fruits, with layers of acidity and minerality. The wine, well balanced, i…

Beautifully balanced and elegant, this is made by one of the winemakers at Cardinale and inspired by the Loire Valley. It offers equal parts fruit, weight and minerality, tasting of fresh-squeezed li…