Displaying 16826 - 16850 of 23456
Score
Byron
2010 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County
88 Points James Laube, Wine Spectator 88 points. Very good.

A classy Pinot for the price, rich and gutsy, with intense plum and raspberry fruit and firm tannins. Drink now through 2020. 14,000 cases made.

Freemark Abbey
2012 Chardonnay Napa Valley
87 Points Charles Olken, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine One Star - 87 points

Youth proves both an asset and a slight liability here for, while fresh and alive, the wine is also a bit cramped and a little coarse at the end. It marries moderately deep, ripe-apple fruit with a well-measured complement of gentle oak, and, if just a touch too chalky to really charm at the moment, it will be helped by service with food and should be much improved by a brief stay in the bottle.

Cambria
2011 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir
87 Points Jeb Dunnuck, Robert Parker Wine Advocate 87 points.

A pretty, elegant and fresh effort that has loads of charm, the 2011 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard has plenty of sweet cherry, raspberry and spice to go with a medium-bodied, pure and supple feel on the palate. Juicy acidity emerges on the finish and the focus here is on beautiful Pinot Noir fruit. Enjoy it over the coming handful of years. Drink now-2016.

Kendall-Jackson
2012 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
87 Points Charles Olken, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine One Star - 87 points

Graced with a light touch of sweet oak and mildly suggestive of fresh butter with a constant complement of fairly juicy, ever-so-slightly-candied apples as its major motif, this one may not vie with its more serious cousins in terms of depth or complexity, yet it tastes and feels like real Chardonnay. It is both bright and balanced with welcome acidity diminishing the effects of its very slight residual sugar, and it is tasty and affable right to the end. GOOD VALUE

Kendall-Jackson
2012 Avant Chardonnay
86 Points Charles Olken, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine 86 points - Good Value

Simple, clean and very direct in its mildly juicy, reasonably lively, apple-like fruit, Kendall-Jackson’s 2012 Avant is all out in front with nary a hint of complexity or potential. It is, however, a very likeable wine at the price, and its slight trim of sweetness makes it eminently well-suited to service with various chicken dishes as well as being a pleasant pour on its own. GOOD VALUE.

Kendall-Jackson
2011 Grand Reserve Chardonnay
86 Points Charles Olken, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine

If a bit slow to start and never showing much more than a smattering of mild, green-apple fruit in the nose, this wine proves to be both a bit richer and better defined as Chardonnay on the palate. It is reasonably well balanced with enough acidity to be useful with a wide range of foods, and it has the structural legs to last for a couple of years.

Murphy-Goode
2011 Pinot Grigio California
Fred Tasker, Miami Herald, FL Wine Pick

Light and crisp, with flavors of ripe pears and golden apples.

Arcanum
2008 Arcanum
96 Points Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2008 Arcanum is a monumental achievement and my favorite wine in an already impossibly impressive collection. The blend sees Cabernet Franc (77%), Merlot and a very small part of Cabernet Sauvignon. Like many Tuscany growers, Tenuta di Arceno is betting on Cabernet Franc's performance in the warmer corners of Tuscany. The integration here is absolutely beautiful and the wine glides smoothly over the palate with the perfect balance of extraction, glycerin, residual sugar and acidity. The aromas span the spectrum, from bright cherry to dark chocolate. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030.

Arcanum
2008 Valadorna
95 Points Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2008 Valadorna is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and is named after the remote vineyard where Merlot finds its preferred growing conditions. This is an immensely modern and monumental wine that oozes forth with thick layers of sticky Indian spice or cardamom followed by black current, candied plum and toasted espresso. There's a pretty touch of sweetness that fits perfectly within the super-rich embroidery of the wine. It will be fascinating to see how it evolves over the next decade or so. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030.

Arcanum
2008 il Fauno di Arcanum
94 Points Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot, the 2008 Il Fauno di Arcanum opens with an inky dark color and perfectly ripe aromas of plump cherry and blackberry. Beyond the enticing fruit aromas is a long list of spice and tobacco-related characteristics. This is a thickly layered and opulent Tuscan blend that is enhanced by territory-driven aromas of grilled herb and rosemary oil. The best part for me, however, is the soft richness this wine delivers in the mouth. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2027.

Tenuta di Arceno
2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Strada al Sasso
92 Points Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Strada al Sasso is a compelling wine with power and sheer intensity. Ripe fruit and black currant mingles with exotic spice, espresso and leather. The finish is extra long and smooth. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022.

Tenuta di Arceno
2010 Chianti Classico Riserva
91 Points Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2010 Chianti Classico Riserva opens to a large-scale taste profile with bold cherry, blackberry and dark spice. Firm tannins wrap around the velvety finish. The folks at Tenuta di Arceno have taken great care at pairing each variety they grow with the various soil types found on their large estate in the southern part of the denomination. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022.

Tenuta di Arceno
2011 Chianti Classico
89 Points Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2011 Chianti Classico possesses great energy and finesse. This elaborate and sophisticated interpretation of Tuscany’s most historic wine delivers bold and modern tones of vanilla spice, cedar wood and black fruit. Sweet cherry and baking spice complete a pretty picture. The plush sweetness you taste on the close is divine. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2020.

Matanzas Creek
2012 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County
Peg Melnik, Press Democrat, CA Wine Pick - Four Stars

A bright and lively sauvignon blanc with notes of nectarine, spice and a hint of lemongrass. Crisp and clean.

Tenuta di Arceno
2010 Chianti Classico
Rebecca Murphy, The Dallas Morning News, TX Wine of the Week

This is a rich and supple Chianti with ripe cherry and strawberry flavors and notes of licorice and cedar. The ripeness of the fruit is balanced with zesty acidity and dusty tannins. It’s sophisticated enough for a formal dinner with roasted or grilled red meats, but it won’t talk down to a sausage pizza.

La Crema
2012 Pinot Gris Monterey
Bill St. John, Chicago Tribune, IL Wine Pick

A quiet rendition, subdued in aroma, with delicate but sufficient acidity, juicy-smooth and flavorful; neither Italian nor Alsatian in style.

Cambria
2010 Barbara's Clone 667 Pinot Noir
94 Points Anthony Dias Blue, Blue Reviews EXTRA

Rich, juicy and deep with black cherry, caramel and soft oak; lush and dense with finesse, elegance and complexity; long and lovely.

Freemark Abbey
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
92 Points Anthony Dias Blue, Blue Reviews EXTRA

Smooth and ripe with plum, spice and herbal notes; complex, tangy and built to age; juicy and complex.

Freemark Abbey
2011 Merlot Napa Valley
91 Points Anthony Dias Blue, Blue Reviews EXTRA

Smooth, lush and ripe with plum, blackberry and spice; dense and balanced with good acid structure and a tangy finish; another solid Ted Edwards effort; long and stylish.

Stonestreet
2011 Aurora Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
90 Points Anthony Dias Blue, Blue Reviews EXTRA

Bright, smooth and juicy with grapefruit and tangy citrus; complex, minerally and rich; long and lively.

Cambria
2011 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir
89 Points Anthony Dias Blue, Blue Reviews EXTRA

Smooth and juicy with ripe cherry and earthy notes; tangy, fresh and balanced with good length and style.

Yangarra Estate Vineyard
2010 Ironheart Shiraz
94 Points Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front 94 points.

Opened this, drank a glass, didn't think much of it. Opened the Yangarra High Sands Grenache 2010, drank a glass, thought it was excellent. Wanted more, but the shiraz beckoned. It's grown on sandy ironstone soils. Single vineyard. Northern edge of McLaren Vale. $100. Poured a second glass of it - and liked it quite a bit more, though I still preferred the grenache, mostly because I was trapped in a lazy moment. Oh it's a bad boy all right. All surly, brooding, black mooded and gritty. When the reception goes on your television, now, all you see is black with a scribble of light type, and so it feels with this wine. Bright light summer fruits are minor to the tarry earthen licoricey leathery smack of flavour and alcohol. Tannin, blow some air into this wine and it grows big on you, like an urge, chewy and meaty, spicy, an old wooden pipe in a velvet pouch. It's rustic, bordering on rusty. It asks a bit of you, more than perhaps you'd like. What comes easy leaves empty. I liked it, more and more, it grew on me and in me, but only once I had come to its gravel-voiced terms.

Yangarra Estate Vineyard
2010 High Sands Grenache
94+ Points Mike Bennie, The Wine Front 94+ points.

High Sands is a delineation for this grenache that comes from the highest vineyards on the Yangarra estate from bush vines planted in 1946, of course on sand. The estate is tended biodynamically and a less-is-more mantra follows in the winery, again with attention to biodynamic cycles. Wild yeast, 24 months in used oak, winemaker Pete Fraser at the helm. They call this patch of dirt 'the beach'. 135 cases produced. Immediately you notice the gravelly, dusty texture. A wine for aesthetes in a way, you have to let the wine unfurl a bit, drink in small sips and appreciate structure, appreciate the clarity of fruit and glorious perfume, or get blown away by oscillating in the finer detail. I shared the wine on day two with wine-savvy and non-wine-savvy friends who thought it was the best wine on the table out of a series of luminaries, and drained the bottle first - it's got a lot of easy charm. Definitively shows how grenache and power can work hand in hand, serious stuff here with firm tannins, grunt of fruit and savoury disposition. Impressive, and look forward to seeing the wine with time notched into it too.

Cardinale
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Linda Murphy, Decanter Murphy's top 2010 and 2011 Cabernets

Very supple and caressing, yet vibrant and succulent. Nicely oaked, with rich cassis and hints of cedar and mocha. As suave as Napa Cabernet gets.

Vérité
2010 La Joie
Linda Murphy, Decanter Murphy's top 2010 and 2011 Cabernets

Generously oaked and voluptuous, with supple tannins and rich blackcurrant and blackberry flavours, with a crack of black pepper. Opulent, yet with a refreshing close.