Featured Wines - December 2020

Aromatic, vibrant, and beautifully textured, the deeply colored 2019 Thistledown Gorgeous Grenache Old Vine Small Batch No. 1 (94 points – Wine Orbit, 92 points – The Wine Front) positively sings from the glass from the moment it is poured. Pure and juicy, this boldly flavored and nicely balanced Grenache offers a seductive nose of crushed strawberry, wild blackberry, and subtle spice tones. In the mouth, it explodes on the palate with forest berries, spice...

Simone Santini has once again fashioned a pure, exemplary Vernaccia di San Gimignano in 2019. In fact, his 2019 Tenuta Le Calcinaie Vernaccia di San Gimignano is every bit as compelling as the estate’s 2015 Vernaccia di San Gimignano, which made Wine Spectator’s Top 100 List. Rare among Tuscan white wines for its flavor, freshness, and longevity, Vernaccia di San Gimignano owes its 800-year reign as the region’s most lauded white wine...

Make no mistake, there is no wimp in David Finlayson’s 2017 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, nor will you find this to be a New World tannic monster devoid of a soul. On the contrary, the 2017 David Finlayson Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon (90 points – Wine Enthusiast, 90 points – Tim Atkin MW) is very much classy Cabernet Sauvignon, and it can hold its own against Cabernets costing more than twice its price. Produced from three exceptional clones...

Born on the beautiful Greek island of Crete, home to the ancient Minoan civilization and some of the finest food and wine in modern Greece, the 2018 Douloufakis Dafnios Vidiano brightens the glass with a splash of sunshine and caresses the senses with apricot and tropical fruit aromas. In the mouth, creamy tropical fruit and mineral flavors provide palate pleasing pleasure and a salty fresh finish that conjures images of the deep blue Aegean Sea...

Born in an outstanding vintage, the 2016 Château Maurac Haut-Médoc (92 points – Wine Enthusiast) captures the essence and exceptional quality of the much touted 2016 Bordeaux vintage. For openers, the 2016 Château Maurac is a deeply colored wine whose youthful bouquet provides an amplifying draught of blackberry, cedar, fennel, and plum to entice the nose. Yet, it’s in the mouth that the 2016 Château Maurac truly begins to reveal its true potential, power...

The light, bright, seductively creamy Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines Brut N.V. makes a beautiful statement, offering an elegant beguiling aroma, an impressive array of lively flavors, and impeccable precision. Beautiful citrus blossom, almond, and white peach scents dominate the nose, while flavors reminiscent of white peach and Mirabelle plum enliven the palate. The wine’s nicely balanced floral and fruit flavors are infused with...

“Beautiful, captivating, and entrancing” are just some of the words our tasting panel members used to describe Castello Tricerchi’s 2015 Brunello di Montalcino. From the moment this elegant, sophisticated Brunello exited the bottle, it caught our attention, first with its brilliant deep ruby robe and then with a haunting, nearly intoxicating aroma replete with scents of roses, ripe cherries, and exotic spices. Juicy, harmonious and mouth filling...