Search Results
Marques de Murrieta "Castillo Ygay" Gran Reserva Especial Blanco 1986
100
James Suckling
100
Wine Advocate
(8/2016) "I have been terribly excited about this wine since I first learned that (part of) it was still in cement waiting to be bottled in September 2013. I consider the rare white Castillo Ygay one of the greatest white wines ever produced in Spain, and the 1986 Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva Especial is a great addition to the portfolio of the winery--an historic wine that is coming back to life. I did a vertical tasting of many of the old, historic vintages of this wine, and they are included in a separate article in this very same issue. This 1986 had seen the light as a limited early release bottled in 1992 and sold around 1995, and some bottles might still be found in the market. But most of it remained unbottled and was kept at the winery, where it stayed in oak for 21 years, followed by some six years in cement vats until it was bottled. It has 13.5% alcohol, an extremely low pH of 2.98 and 6.75 grams of acidity (tartaric). It has a very subtle nose and it's a bit shy, a little closed at first. It was only bottled one and a half years ago, and it's not crazy to say that the wine is showing extremely young. The wine shows more open the day after, when it has developed some nuances of mushrooms and verbena tea. This is mostly Viura with perhaps a pinch of Malvasía Riojana (aka Alarije). The palate is both powerful and elegant, with superb acidity and great length, with volume and sharpness, with a mineral, umami-driven finish. It fills your mouth, tickles your taste buds and makes you salivate. There is nothing negative about the wine; there is no excess oak, nothing blurry, nothing to improve... perhaps the bottle used! I think this is a perfect wine. It seems to be getting younger and younger with time in the glass; it seems to be getting more focused and sharper, and I have no doubt the wine will evolve and last for a very, very, very long time in bottle. I kept the opened bottle for almost one week and the wine didn't move one inch--no oxidation or any signs of fatigue. Having tasted many other vintages, including the also perfect 1919 (which is still going strong at age 97), I have no doubt we're talking about a white for the next 50 years. Looking at the older vintages, I might even be underestimating its life span. The potential next release could be the 1998 in no less than ten years' time."
(8/2016) "I have been terribly excited about this wine since I first learned that (part of) it was still in cement waiting to be bottled in September 2013. I consider the rare white Castillo Ygay one of the greatest white wines ever produced in Spain, and the 1986 Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva Especial is a great addition to the portfolio of the winery--an historic wine that is coming back to life. I did a vertical tasting of many of the old, historic vintages of this wine, and they are included in a separate article in this very same issue. This 1986 had seen the light as a limited early release bottled in 1992 and sold around 1995, and some bottles might still be found in the market. But most of it remained unbottled and was kept at the winery, where it stayed in oak for 21 years, followed by some six years in cement vats until it was bottled. It has 13.5% alcohol, an extremely low pH of 2.98 and 6.75 grams of acidity (tartaric). It has a very subtle nose and it's a bit shy, a little closed at first. It was only bottled one and a half years ago, and it's not crazy to say that the wine is showing extremely young. The wine shows more open the day after, when it has developed some nuances of mushrooms and verbena tea. This is mostly Viura with perhaps a pinch of Malvasía Riojana (aka Alarije). The palate is both powerful and elegant, with superb acidity and great length, with volume and sharpness, with a mineral, umami-driven finish. It fills your mouth, tickles your taste buds and makes you salivate. There is nothing negative about the wine; there is no excess oak, nothing blurry, nothing to improve... perhaps the bottle used! I think this is a perfect wine. It seems to be getting younger and younger with time in the glass; it seems to be getting more focused and sharper, and I have no doubt the wine will evolve and last for a very, very, very long time in bottle. I kept the opened bottle for almost one week and the wine didn't move one inch--no oxidation or any signs of fatigue. Having tasted many other vintages, including the also perfect 1919 (which is still going strong at age 97), I have no doubt we're talking about a white for the next 50 years. Looking at the older vintages, I might even be underestimating its life span. The potential next release could be the 1998 in no less than ten years' time."
$
52900
Discount:
750 ML
Clos i Terrasses "Clos Erasmus" Priorat 2015
99
Wine Advocate
100
Jeb Dunnuck
(2/21/2018) "The 2015 Clos Erasmus has a similar level of purity to the 2013, yet is a riper, sexier wine that has an incredible voluptuousness and depth on the palate that's hard to believe. Kirsch, blackberries, cassis, graphite, liquid rock, dusty earth, and violet characteristics all emerge from this sensational, full-bodied, expansive Priorat that has sweet tannin and a huge finish. While it's a very different wine than the 2013, it's just as perfect. The 2015 is 75% Garnacha and 25% Syrah, aged 20 months in 40% new French Taransaud barrels, with 5% in clay amphorae. There are roughly 250 cases produced and it's a heavenly, singular wine to drink over the coming 15-20+ years. Hats off to winemaker Daphne Glorian!"
(2/21/2018) "The 2015 Clos Erasmus has a similar level of purity to the 2013, yet is a riper, sexier wine that has an incredible voluptuousness and depth on the palate that's hard to believe. Kirsch, blackberries, cassis, graphite, liquid rock, dusty earth, and violet characteristics all emerge from this sensational, full-bodied, expansive Priorat that has sweet tannin and a huge finish. While it's a very different wine than the 2013, it's just as perfect. The 2015 is 75% Garnacha and 25% Syrah, aged 20 months in 40% new French Taransaud barrels, with 5% in clay amphorae. There are roughly 250 cases produced and it's a heavenly, singular wine to drink over the coming 15-20+ years. Hats off to winemaker Daphne Glorian!"
$
39999
Discount:
1.5 LT
Clos i Terrasses "Clos Erasmus" Priorat 2016
99
Jeb Dunnuck
(4/3/2019) "Not far off the magical 2013, the 2016 Clos Erasmus shows the purity and freshness of the vintage yet backs it up with rock star depth of fruit and richness. A huge nose of blueberries, creme de cassis, blood orange, and violets give way to a full-bodied Priorat that has flawless balance and purity, a stacked mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. This is pure, elegant, yet powerful Priorat at its finest. The 2016 is a blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah that spent 18 months in 40% new oak. Give bottles 2-3 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 15-20 years. Maturity 2021 - 2041."
(4/3/2019) "Not far off the magical 2013, the 2016 Clos Erasmus shows the purity and freshness of the vintage yet backs it up with rock star depth of fruit and richness. A huge nose of blueberries, creme de cassis, blood orange, and violets give way to a full-bodied Priorat that has flawless balance and purity, a stacked mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. This is pure, elegant, yet powerful Priorat at its finest. The 2016 is a blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah that spent 18 months in 40% new oak. Give bottles 2-3 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 15-20 years. Maturity 2021 - 2041."
$
16999
Discount:
750 ML
Bodegas El Nido "El Nido" Jumilla 2015
95
Wine Advocate
(12/29/2017) "Following the style of the Clio from the same vintage, the 2015 El Nido is a powerful, ripe and concentrated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Monastrell aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels for 23 months. It's bottled with 16% alcohol, not a shy wine but not one that shows heat, as it keeps the balance in an XL way. It feels concentrated, powerful and young, but the oak is surprisingly more integrated than in the 2014. As it happens with many wines, this is not for everybody, as it has a marked style, but for those who like this profile, this could very well be the finest vintage of El Nido to date. It can be had with powerful food, but it should be better with a few years in bottle. 5,500 bottles were filled in September 2017. Drink Date: 2019 - 2030."
(12/29/2017) "Following the style of the Clio from the same vintage, the 2015 El Nido is a powerful, ripe and concentrated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Monastrell aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels for 23 months. It's bottled with 16% alcohol, not a shy wine but not one that shows heat, as it keeps the balance in an XL way. It feels concentrated, powerful and young, but the oak is surprisingly more integrated than in the 2014. As it happens with many wines, this is not for everybody, as it has a marked style, but for those who like this profile, this could very well be the finest vintage of El Nido to date. It can be had with powerful food, but it should be better with a few years in bottle. 5,500 bottles were filled in September 2017. Drink Date: 2019 - 2030."
$
10999
Discount:
750 ML
Familia Nin-Ortiz "Nit de Nin" Priorat 2015
97
Wine Advocate
(4/27/2018) "The Nit de Nin family has grown with the addition of a new vineyard. The wine produced since 2003 comes from Mas d'en Cacador-this was always named on the label, but it is now also specified in the wine name to distinguish between the new vineyard. The 2015 Nit de Nin Mas d'en Cacador comes from the vineyard mentioned in the name, a famous place in Porrera planted with old vines of Garnacha Negra, Garnacha Peluda and Carinena. It fermented in an oak vat with indigenous yeasts and matured in a similar vat for 18 months. It's heady and ripe, exuberant and very open, a hedonistic, round and lush wine. The palate reveals very fine tannins and great harmony. Drink Date 2018 - 2025."
(4/27/2018) "The Nit de Nin family has grown with the addition of a new vineyard. The wine produced since 2003 comes from Mas d'en Cacador-this was always named on the label, but it is now also specified in the wine name to distinguish between the new vineyard. The 2015 Nit de Nin Mas d'en Cacador comes from the vineyard mentioned in the name, a famous place in Porrera planted with old vines of Garnacha Negra, Garnacha Peluda and Carinena. It fermented in an oak vat with indigenous yeasts and matured in a similar vat for 18 months. It's heady and ripe, exuberant and very open, a hedonistic, round and lush wine. The palate reveals very fine tannins and great harmony. Drink Date 2018 - 2025."
$
8499
Discount:
750 ML
Bodegas El Nido "Clio" Jumilla 2016
Big 1.5-liter magnum bottles of this Vin Chicago favorite!
92+
Our Score
(11/2018) Big, beautiful and voluptuous, the 2016 Clio is a glass-staining purple in color with a nose that exhibits blackberry, blueberry, black cherry and spicy wood tones. The palate is full, rich and explosive with flavors of black and red fruits plus a bit of smoky bacon. The warm and concentrated palate is wonderfully inviting. There's a reason this wine has such a cult following. If you like powerfully fruity, smooth and dense wines, this is for you!
(11/2018) Big, beautiful and voluptuous, the 2016 Clio is a glass-staining purple in color with a nose that exhibits blackberry, blueberry, black cherry and spicy wood tones. The palate is full, rich and explosive with flavors of black and red fruits plus a bit of smoky bacon. The warm and concentrated palate is wonderfully inviting. There's a reason this wine has such a cult following. If you like powerfully fruity, smooth and dense wines, this is for you!
$
8399
Discount:
1.5 LT
Bodegas and Vinedos Raul Perez "Sketch" Albarino 2017
95
Wine Advocate
(2/28/2019) "The impressive 2017 Sketch is vibrant, chiseled, precise and delineated, with great inner strength and a soil-like, mineral, almost salty sensation on the palate. It reminds me of the 2015, more mineral and sharper, with all that it takes for a long and positive evolution in bottle. It feels like one of the finest vintages for Sketch. This is sold without any appellation of origin. 2,000 bottles produced."
(2/28/2019) "The impressive 2017 Sketch is vibrant, chiseled, precise and delineated, with great inner strength and a soil-like, mineral, almost salty sensation on the palate. It reminds me of the 2015, more mineral and sharper, with all that it takes for a long and positive evolution in bottle. It feels like one of the finest vintages for Sketch. This is sold without any appellation of origin. 2,000 bottles produced."
$
7599
Discount:
750 ML
Muga "Prado Enea" Gran Reserva Rioja 2010
97
Wine Advocate
99
James Suckling
(1/18/2018) "The wonderfully silky texture with an added juiciness is what makes this wine so very special. The flawless and seamless nature to the wine is so impressive that it takes you breath away. Plenty of beautiful fruit but what mouthfeel. Drink now and forever."
(1/18/2018) "The wonderfully silky texture with an added juiciness is what makes this wine so very special. The flawless and seamless nature to the wine is so impressive that it takes you breath away. Plenty of beautiful fruit but what mouthfeel. Drink now and forever."
$
6599
Discount:
750 ML
Dominio Basconcillos "Vigna Magna" Ribera del Duero 2014
94
Wine Spectator
(10/15/2018) "This modern red shows a broad, plush texture backed by well-integrated tannins and balsamic acidity. Currant and plum pudding flavors mingle with espresso, licorice and mineral notes, which give way to a finish scented with floral and chocolate accents. Drink now through 2028. 300 cases made."
(10/15/2018) "This modern red shows a broad, plush texture backed by well-integrated tannins and balsamic acidity. Currant and plum pudding flavors mingle with espresso, licorice and mineral notes, which give way to a finish scented with floral and chocolate accents. Drink now through 2028. 300 cases made."
$
6499
Discount:
750 ML
Vinedos de Paganos "El Puntido" Rioja Gran Reserva 2006
95
James Suckling
93
Vinous, Josh Raynolds
94
Wine Advocate
(6/28/2010) "The 2006 El Puntido is purple-colored with a fragrant nose of wood smoke, espresso, Asian spices, black cherry, and blackberry. Dense, round and smooth-textured, this opulent effort is loaded with luscious fruit and has enough structure to evolve for 6-8 years. Drink this lengthy effort from 2016 to 2026."
(6/28/2010) "The 2006 El Puntido is purple-colored with a fragrant nose of wood smoke, espresso, Asian spices, black cherry, and blackberry. Dense, round and smooth-textured, this opulent effort is loaded with luscious fruit and has enough structure to evolve for 6-8 years. Drink this lengthy effort from 2016 to 2026."
$
5499
Discount:
750 ML
