Made with whole cluster, spontaneous fermentation from grapes grown midway up the hill in the Champs Pimonts climat. A relative bargain for a Burgundy 1er Cru in these times of exceedingly high prices for the region. Available in Canada only at Ellement; talk about exclusive!
Dessus les Vermots refers to 1 of the 29 Lieux-dits of Savigny-lès-Beaune between the Hill of Corton and Beaune. Care must be taken to harvest at the right time; too early will result in an unripe, green- tasting wine, too late and the wine loses its vital freshness. It benefits from a meticulous, customized vinification. Roundness, volume, power, and balance are all here, and in just the right proportions.
Handcrafted Grenache with the grape's signature combination of high-toned red fruit and floral notes and punchy high alcohol. This wine comes from Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards but is declassified to Vin de France because the appellation favours blended wines.
One of California's premier Syrah producers. Arnot-Roberts consistently show how California can make deep and balanced wines without heavy extraction or alcohol.
The red robin, who graced this wine with its name and image, is a symbol of Lombardy. The wine gets two years in barrel and is a blend of wines from all three of Arpepe's vineyards.
The Grumello wines from Arpepe come from limestone soils at high altitudes, making graceful Nebbiolo that brings high toned floral aromas with weightlessness on the palate.
From a vineyard planted at an altitude of 450m, this wine has a bouquet of cool, fresh-turned forest loam, with a warm minerality and herbaceousness on the palate.
Ashes & Diamonds' flagship full bodied Red blend uses Napa's forgotten grapes: Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Grown on their own vineyard, by Massican founder Dan Petroski, this is one of Napa's best wines.
This bold Cabernet Sauvignon from Diana Snowden Seysses shows how great the grape can be (it sometimes seems to be the Royale with Cheese of wine - tasty, but usually the same anywhere in the world), with cassis, dark cherry, and baking spice aromas while keeping the body, acidity, and tannin in balance.
Cappellano's outstanding single-vineyard Barolo in this case marries a cool vintage to classic Piedmont winemaking in large oak casks and extended aging. This is a gem for the cellar! To Cappellano's credit, they refuse to provide samples to critics unless said critics agree to review the wine without a score (Teobaldo hated wine scores).
Grab one of these while you can, we have but a handful. They're hard to find even in Alba.