Featured Wines - July 2018

The 2017 Barista Pinotage continues Val de Vie’s hot hand with South Africa’s signature grape variety. In fact, the 2017 Barista Pinotage is the finest example we have tasted of Barista’s special Pinotage, which says a lots since our experience spans a string of impressive vintages of this wine. Named after the coffee machine and the attendant who brews and dispenses espresso and lattes, Val de Vie’s 2017 Barista tastes like no other Pinotage. In fact...

The 2017 Domaine des Blaïs Côtes de Provence Rosé truly captures the beauty, scent, and warmth of the sun-drenched Provençal countryside along with the region’s rarified air and illuminated landscapes, all of which shimmer beside the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Domaine des Blaïs is bottled in a strikingly elegant flute bottle known as a “flute à corset,” a distinctive sensual Provençal bottle that recalls the region’s fecundity, colorful outdoor cafés...

The 2016 La Posta Pizzella Family Mendoza Malbec captivates with rich berry aromas, refined complex flavors, and silky smooth tannins – attributes rarely seen in the vast majority of lesser Malbecs. If one is accustomed to brawny, simplistic Malbec, La Posta’s Pizzella Malbec will come as a revelation. Awarded 92 points by James Suckling, this Malbec from Uco Valley, Mendoza, delights the palate with cherry, dark berry, and plum flavors infused with savory...

Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau’s 2016 Vouvray Sec provides an ideal introduction to Vouvray and the mercurial Chenin Blanc varietal. For starters, it offers a beautiful robe with a golden glint as well as a heady bouquet that offers the taster seductive scents of acacia flower, pineapple, and quince. Although from the aroma one may think that this Vouvray is sweet, Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau’s 2016 Vouvray Sec actually retains little residual sugar. (Sec means dry.)...

Wildberry’s 2014 Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will convince any wine lover of Margaret River’s supremacy as a viticultural region. Many scientists and viticulturists have identified Margaret River as the finest place on earth to grow grapes, and Wildberry’s 2014 Reserve Cabernet adds further testament to that finding, having received 95 points from James Halliday and 92 points from The Wine Advocate. Abundant winter rains, gravelly...

The 2013 Robertson Constitution Road Chardonnay more than lives up to its lofty reputation as one of Robertson’s two flagship offerings. From the moment this sun-kissed wine flowed into our glasses, it captivated the entire tasting panel. This world class Chardonnay offers an entrancing set of aromatics, full, round flavors, impeccable balance, and a long, satisfying finish. According to Jacques Roux, specialty winemaker at Robertson Winery, the 2013 Robertson...

Although Argentina is best known internationally for its full-bodied Malbecs, it is more often Argentina’s old vine Cabernet Sauvignons that garner the greatest scores and provide the grandest red wines to grace the tables of the great steak houses of Buenos Aires and Mendoza. Casarena’s Owen’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a prime example, having garnered 94 points from The Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez. This deeply colored Cabernet Sauvignon...