Search Results
Every month we sample over 600 wines. We introduce about 50. (You'll find the ones we reject at our competitors.) Scroll below to check out some favorites that really get our blood going!
Etienne Doue "Cuvee Selection" Brut Champagne NV
91+
Our Score
(12/2018) Imagine, a serious and quite scrumptious artisan Champagne that sells for roughly $10 to $15 per bottle LESS than the big production brands. Crazy! A better grower Champagne simply cannot be found at this price! Etienne, with help from daughter Virginie, crafts this wine from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Creamy orchard fruit and yellow flower flavors swirl across the finely moussed palate. Totally enticing, and simply delicious.
(12/2018) Imagine, a serious and quite scrumptious artisan Champagne that sells for roughly $10 to $15 per bottle LESS than the big production brands. Crazy! A better grower Champagne simply cannot be found at this price! Etienne, with help from daughter Virginie, crafts this wine from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Creamy orchard fruit and yellow flower flavors swirl across the finely moussed palate. Totally enticing, and simply delicious.
$
3299
Discount:
750 ML
Evodia Aragon Garnacha 2016
89
Wine Advocate
91
Jeb Dunnuck
(2/21/2018) "Another project between Eric Solomon and the Roussillon's Jean-Marc Lafage, the 2016 Evodia comes from higher elevation vineyards and is mostly Garnacha (there's 5% Syrah) aged in a mix of tank and demi-muids. This deep ruby/purple colored is a gorgeous, naked expression of Grenache that just knocks it out of the park. Blackberries, blueberries, pepper, licorice and hints of asphalt all emerge from this plump, sexy, opulent, and shockingly concentrated wine that has incredible charm and character. It's the best 10-dollar bottle of wine I've tasted in years."
(2/21/2018) "Another project between Eric Solomon and the Roussillon's Jean-Marc Lafage, the 2016 Evodia comes from higher elevation vineyards and is mostly Garnacha (there's 5% Syrah) aged in a mix of tank and demi-muids. This deep ruby/purple colored is a gorgeous, naked expression of Grenache that just knocks it out of the park. Blackberries, blueberries, pepper, licorice and hints of asphalt all emerge from this plump, sexy, opulent, and shockingly concentrated wine that has incredible charm and character. It's the best 10-dollar bottle of wine I've tasted in years."
$
799
Discount:
750 ML
Foradori Vigneti delle Dolomiti Teroldego 2015
91+
Our Score
92
Decanter
(10/2017) "From young Teroldego vines sourced from 16 parcels. Fruit, 30% whole bunch, is fermented in concrete tanks then aged half in oak, half concrete. This is Foradori's signature wine: refreshing and juicy, with a purity of dense red and black fruit, lifted violets and a peppery edge making it deliciously quaffable."
(10/2017) "From young Teroldego vines sourced from 16 parcels. Fruit, 30% whole bunch, is fermented in concrete tanks then aged half in oak, half concrete. This is Foradori's signature wine: refreshing and juicy, with a purity of dense red and black fruit, lifted violets and a peppery edge making it deliciously quaffable."
$
2299
Discount:
750 ML
Guiborat "Prisme.13" Grand Cru Champagne NV
93
Our Score
(12/2018) Richard and Karine Fouquet farm eight hectares in the Grand Cru villages of Cramant and Chouilly. They sell most of their fruit to large houses, retaining a small amount to bottle under their own Guiborat label. While designated as nonvintage, the "Prisme.13" consists entirely of fruit from the excellent 2013 vintage. Disgorged in early 2017, it is replete with high-pitched tension and chalk-themed minerality. The palate is generous and concentrated, giving ripe lemon and yellow apple fruits on the long, complex, nicely textured finish.
(12/2018) Richard and Karine Fouquet farm eight hectares in the Grand Cru villages of Cramant and Chouilly. They sell most of their fruit to large houses, retaining a small amount to bottle under their own Guiborat label. While designated as nonvintage, the "Prisme.13" consists entirely of fruit from the excellent 2013 vintage. Disgorged in early 2017, it is replete with high-pitched tension and chalk-themed minerality. The palate is generous and concentrated, giving ripe lemon and yellow apple fruits on the long, complex, nicely textured finish.
$
4799
Discount:
750 ML
Hidden Ridge Vineyard "55% Slope" Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
97+
Wine Advocate
(3/3/2016) "The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 55% Slope comes from the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard planted at 1,700 feet. This is a remarkable wine and reminiscent of the great classics from the golden era of the Mayacamas on the Napa side (such as the 1968, 1970, 1973 and 1974) come to mind when tasting this beauty. It is simply loaded. Dense purple in color, the wine has notes of licorice, crème de cassis, Asian plum sauce, cedar wood and earth. Full-bodied, opulent and irresistible already, it is capable (because of the impeccable balance and purity) of aging 20-25 or more years. This is a modern-day classic that could compete with very finest Cabernet-based wines in the world. Drink Date 2016 - 2041."
(3/3/2016) "The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon 55% Slope comes from the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard planted at 1,700 feet. This is a remarkable wine and reminiscent of the great classics from the golden era of the Mayacamas on the Napa side (such as the 1968, 1970, 1973 and 1974) come to mind when tasting this beauty. It is simply loaded. Dense purple in color, the wine has notes of licorice, crème de cassis, Asian plum sauce, cedar wood and earth. Full-bodied, opulent and irresistible already, it is capable (because of the impeccable balance and purity) of aging 20-25 or more years. This is a modern-day classic that could compete with very finest Cabernet-based wines in the world. Drink Date 2016 - 2041."
$
8999
Discount:
750 ML
Justin Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
90
Our Score
(12/2018) Justin Baldwin is one of the pioneers of Paso Robles. After 30 years, he still makes a great bottle of Cabernet! Bright and full of black cherry, cedar, loam, tobacco and dill flavors, the 2016 Justin is truly charming from the get-go. An ideal partner to lasagna, barbecued brisket, flank steak and all things hearty.
(12/2018) Justin Baldwin is one of the pioneers of Paso Robles. After 30 years, he still makes a great bottle of Cabernet! Bright and full of black cherry, cedar, loam, tobacco and dill flavors, the 2016 Justin is truly charming from the get-go. An ideal partner to lasagna, barbecued brisket, flank steak and all things hearty.
La Rioja Alta "Vina Alberdi" Rioja Reserva 2012
91
Our Score
90+
Wine Advocate
(2/28/2018) "Cropped from an extremely dry year, the 2012 Vina Alberdi was saved by some rains in late September. The aging lasted two years, the first one in new American oak barrels and the second in used ones. It felt livelier than the 2011. This 2012 has some aromas of raw meat, with marked toast from the American oak (all the American oak barrels are built by their own coopers), with a good combination of fruit and spice, tradition and modernity. It's approachable and easy to drink, but a little more time in bottle should polish it even further. 500,000 bottles produced. Drink 2018-2023."
(2/28/2018) "Cropped from an extremely dry year, the 2012 Vina Alberdi was saved by some rains in late September. The aging lasted two years, the first one in new American oak barrels and the second in used ones. It felt livelier than the 2011. This 2012 has some aromas of raw meat, with marked toast from the American oak (all the American oak barrels are built by their own coopers), with a good combination of fruit and spice, tradition and modernity. It's approachable and easy to drink, but a little more time in bottle should polish it even further. 500,000 bottles produced. Drink 2018-2023."
$
1879
Discount:
750 ML
Obsidian Ridge "Obsidian Ridge Vineyard" Red Hills of Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
91+
Our Score
(12/2018) Crafted by Vin Chicago alum, Alex Beloz, this latest release of Obsidian Ridge continues to impress, showing a tremendous amount of depth and elegance. A harmonious balance of black cherry, blackberry and cassis fruit flavors are layered with oak-driven complexities of mocha, cedar and baking spice. The finish is long and smooth with silky tannins that glide across the palate. The value of this mountain grown Cab is exceptional - it beats Napa at its own game. As the winery likes to say, "The grapes don't know which county they're in."
(12/2018) Crafted by Vin Chicago alum, Alex Beloz, this latest release of Obsidian Ridge continues to impress, showing a tremendous amount of depth and elegance. A harmonious balance of black cherry, blackberry and cassis fruit flavors are layered with oak-driven complexities of mocha, cedar and baking spice. The finish is long and smooth with silky tannins that glide across the palate. The value of this mountain grown Cab is exceptional - it beats Napa at its own game. As the winery likes to say, "The grapes don't know which county they're in."
$
2799
Discount:
750 ML
Patricia Green Cellars "Freedom Hill-Dijon Clone 115" Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2015
94
Vinous, Josh Raynolds
94
Our Score
(1/2018) Like the regular Freedom Hill Pinot, this bottling is sourced from one of the greatest vineyards in all of Oregon. Unlike that wine, this offering is made exclusively from a specific clone of Pinot Noir, known as Dijon 115, named after its Burgundy homeland. Explosive flavors of wild black cherry, wild strawberry, clay and red rock earth are layered with nuanced sweet wood spice and a very long, very impressive structure featuring medium-plus tannins and medium-plus acidity. This wine is so subtly beautiful and so young that if you popped it open and drank without allowing it to breathe, you'd miss most of what is waiting for you. Give this several hours in a decanter or several years in your cellar. It is such a special bottle, we'd hate to see you miss out on all the nuanced flavors hiding inside!
(1/2018) Like the regular Freedom Hill Pinot, this bottling is sourced from one of the greatest vineyards in all of Oregon. Unlike that wine, this offering is made exclusively from a specific clone of Pinot Noir, known as Dijon 115, named after its Burgundy homeland. Explosive flavors of wild black cherry, wild strawberry, clay and red rock earth are layered with nuanced sweet wood spice and a very long, very impressive structure featuring medium-plus tannins and medium-plus acidity. This wine is so subtly beautiful and so young that if you popped it open and drank without allowing it to breathe, you'd miss most of what is waiting for you. Give this several hours in a decanter or several years in your cellar. It is such a special bottle, we'd hate to see you miss out on all the nuanced flavors hiding inside!
R. Lopez de Heredia "Vina Tondonia" Reserva Rioja 2006
95
Wine Advocate
(2/28/2018) "The red flagship 2006 Vina Tondonia Reserva was inspired by the vineyards of the Medoc but produced with local grapes, 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, which achieved 13% alcohol in 2006. It always matures in used American oak barriques for some six years. The oldest of all the reds I tasted, it was also the one with more freshness, which speaks to the quality of the vineyard. Drink 2018 - 2028."
(2/28/2018) "The red flagship 2006 Vina Tondonia Reserva was inspired by the vineyards of the Medoc but produced with local grapes, 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, which achieved 13% alcohol in 2006. It always matures in used American oak barriques for some six years. The oldest of all the reds I tasted, it was also the one with more freshness, which speaks to the quality of the vineyard. Drink 2018 - 2028."
$
3499
Discount:
750 ML
