es

This is a fine gran reserva from a great vintage. Aromas of vanilla, cedar, earth and spiced black fruits lead to a fresh pure palate with tomato-like snap. Cherry, cassis, tobacco and chocolate flavors finish smooth and clean, with just enough tannic grip. Drink through 2022.

fr

Classic botrytis sweet and dry flavors bring out the rich honey and lemon juice. The wine also has freshness, a tight edge of orange and sweet chutney spice. A great example of sweet Gaillac.

it

Lean and linear, this offers white spring flower and citrus impressions. It's simple but well made and refreshing.

us

This wine is entirely Cabernet, using grapes from the southerly Coombsville area and warmer St. Helena. As such, it's wonderfully balanced, with a sprightly burst of acidity brightening succulent flavors of black cherry and dark chocolate. The use of 100% new French oak sounds excessive on paper, but it's perfectly integrated, providing a jacket of sweet buttered toast that in no way overshadows the fruit. Enjoy it now and over the next 10 years as it ages.

es

Given that this is Merseguera, a variety that normally doesn't rank that high, this is impressive. Aromas of honey, peach, apple and melon are more composed than loud, while the palate is layered and braced by fresh acidity. Flavors of apple and green plum are lightly oaked, while the finish is lemony and long.

us

The aromas are light, with notes of yellow apple and spice. The palate is rounded in feel, showing a lovely sense of texture.

us

This wine's clean lines of honey, chamomile, Gala apple and ripe Asian pear grow more tropical the longer it breathes. Its medley of flavors includes candied lemon, white peach syrup and melon, but a honey-laced chamomile tea note comes out strongest.

au

Phil Sexton's wines under the Giant Steps label are becoming more consistent, and the 2014s may be his best yet. This is a medium- to full-bodied wine, with a supple, creamy texture and lingering notes of spring flowers and black cherries. Subtle oaking adds brown sugar and mocha shadings to the crisp finish. Drink now–2022.

us

This is from the vineyard that surrounds the winery, and the bottling receives both Estate and Dundee Hills designations—best of the best. It's a pungent, pleasant wine upon entry, with rather pale strawberry fruit. It quickly moves through the midpalate and turns lean, with tomato leaf and green tea astringency. There is a slight impression of alcoholic heat. Though accessible and interesting, it somehow falls short of what it could/should be, given its provenance and price.

es

This offers friendly apple and stone-fruit aromas. This is a prototypical brut Cava with modest peach and nectarine flavors. The finish is fruity, clean and pleasant. Drink with ease or blend into a sparkling-wine cocktail.

fr

Reuilly has the peculiarity of having rosés from Pinot Gris, even though its reds are from Pinot Noir. This perfumed wine with its pale color brings out the slightly dusty character of the grape. That's contrasted with the intense acidity and black currant fruit flavors. Drink now.

at

A gently floral nose that also acknowledges hints of fern and fig leaf provides a fitting entry to this elegantly nuanced Grüner, which subtly plays between those aromas and more citrus. Gentle but focused and concentrated, it accentuates depth rather than power.

de

Aromas of brioche and caramelized sugar waft amidst apple jelly and quince in this elegantly pétillant Riesling sparkling. It's strikingly brisk, but the mousse feels lavish and comforting. The finish is marked by a meandering salty tang.

us

Whiffs of exotic spice lend flair to berry and cherry aromas on this sparkling blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Exuberantly pétillant, it's fresh with cranberry acidity and tart red-plum and cherry flavors.

it

This brawny, earthy 11-year-old opens with aromas of leather, game, tobacco, graphite and mature plum. Given its age, it's surprisingly youthful, displaying dried dark cherry, fig, prune, black pepper and tobacco flavors alongside an assertive, tannic backbone. Drink through 2018.

us

Merlot (78%) takes the lead on this blend, with the rest Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), Cabernet Franc (6%) and Petit Verdot (2%). Fragrant aromas of green tea, flowery herb, barrel spice and cherry aromas are followed by concentrated, silky-soft red- and black-fruit flavors and exquisitely integrated tannins.

us

Round and rich, this wine takes on renewed complexity in the glass. Seductive in earthy red and black berry fruit and exotic spice, it offers naturally realized structure in a stylized package that should remain interesting for years.

pt

This is a strongly mineral wine, textured and rich at the same time, with fine acidity. Blackberry fruit dominates the palate, with rich tannins and cool freshness. It tastes of terroir, a true Dão from the granite soils. Drink from 2016.

us

High in acidity, this features a pleasant saltiness matched by an austerity of lemon and pear. It's a lighter, brighter style of the variety that stands out for its zestiness and slight layering of herb and ginger.

us

Sourced from one of the finest vineyards in Oregon, this brings ripe, fleshy, full-bodied fruit flavors front and center. It's a mix of red and black berries, with plump plum, blackberry and mocha all in the center ring.