Americas
The North American wine producing reputation can largely be attributed to the global fame and success of Napa Valley and Sonoma County in the United States. Although technically ‘new world’, its wines have the same devoted fan base (and often first-growth prices) as many classic European wines. Free from the shackles of European winemaking law, one can find a variety of cooler climate Cabs, Merlots, Pinots, Chardonnays and Rieslings that will entice all wine lovers.
South America is an exciting new melting pot of styles and flavours with a range of soils types and altitudes – taking international varietals and finishing with French winemaking techniques, or in the case of Argentinian Malbec, adopting a largely unloved grape and making it their own.
Americas
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Jeb Dunnuck (97)
The 2015 Palengat is a Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blend that includes 13% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. This gorgeous red offers a deep, rich, opulent style in its blackcurrants, baking spice, tobacco leaf, and graphite aromas and flavors. Possessing beautiful purity, ultra-fine tannin, a big, rich, concentrated style that somehow stays light and graceful, it's a sensational, elegant wine that will keep for 15-20 years.Inc. VAT£1,828.79 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97)
One of the finest examples of this cuvée I’ve tasted is the 2016 Champoux Vineyard, which comes from one of the top terroirs in the state and is in the slightly cooler Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The blend in 2016 is 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc, all aged 18 months in just 25% new French oak. Young, full-bodied, and primordial, it has incredible potential but is going to need 4-5 years of bottle age. Thrilling notes of blueberries, cassis, lead pencil shavings, and bouquet garni all define the bouquet and it has remarkable purity and elegance. It picks up more floral and high-toned notes with time in the glass and is a brilliant bottle of wine that will keep for 2-3 decades.Inc. VAT£461.24 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Deep ruby with purple highlights, the 2017 Champoux Vineyard is a stunning success with elegance and complexity bursting at the seams. Seductive blackberry essence, dusty plum skin, dark cherries and cassis waft out of the glass with delicate dusty floral tones, dried tobacco and graphite nuances. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is balanced with rich complexity and an elegant mineral tension before offering up a clearly delineated fruit frame compounded by focus, precision and finesse. At present, the wine has a pleasingly tannic edge and finishes with a mineral tension and red-fruited succulence that continue to evolve in the mouth. Simply stellar!Inc. VAT£436.46 -
Vinous (91)
Bright ruby-red. High-toned, slightly porty aromas of blackberry, blueberry and licorice. At once silky and penetrating, with the superripe dark berry and violet flavors saturating the palate without leaving any impression of heaviness. This highly concentrated, long wine displays palate-saturating tannins that are serious but not dry, reaching the front teeth.Inc. VAT£1,294.18 -
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Flirting with perfection, the 2016 Sorella checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% each of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot. Coming all from the Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, its saturated purple color is followed by a La Mission Haut Brion-like bouquet of black and blue fruits, gravelly, minerality, smoke tobacco, and chocolate. Deep, multi-dimensional, full-bodied, and with beautiful complexity, it’s a magical wine as well as the finest wine from this estate to date. Bravo!Inc. VAT£761.39 -
Wine Advocate (97)
A resounding success, the deep ruby-colored 2017 Sorella displays beautiful purple highlights and explodes from the glass with aromas of blackberry, cigar box and dried tobacco with hints of graphite and dusty purple flowers. Full-bodied, the wine is ripe and round, with an immaculate mouthfeel, showing an impressive depth of flavor. With succulent red and black fruit expressions and soft cinnamon spice tones from oak, the wine is a whirlwind of complexity across the mid-palate. Emerging with a balanced structure and lifted tannic backbone, the wine lingers with persistence and intention, as flavors of dusty bitter dark chocolate, black plum and spiced dark cherries flutter across the finish. Bravo, this is absolutely stunning and will drink amazingly for the next two decades to come.Inc. VAT£502.62 -
Duckhorn Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 embodies the opulence and complexity of the famed Duckhorn winery in Napa Valley. A treasure trove for the fine wine connoisseur, this Cabernet Sauvignon is a testament to the fusion of the dynamic Red Mountain terroir and an unwavering commitment to winemaking excellence. With careful selection from respected growers, the grapes are harvested at the exact point of maturation, in order to capture perfect ripeness and full-bodied complexity. Aged in premium French oak barrels, Duckhorn Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 emits a spectrum of layered flavours, graced by notes of cherries, blackberries and rich cocoa. The finish is long and captivating, enhanced by structured tannins and a refined minerality. As with all Duckhorn wines, this particular Cabernet Sauvignon is cultivated with meticulous attention to detail, resulting in a seductive, sophisticated expression of the Red Mountain region's best qualities. A glorious indulgence for any discerning palate.
Inc. VAT£424.48 -
Vinous (96)
(72% of this wine came from Champoux vineyard): Dark red-ruby. Pungent aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice and cedary oak. Wonderfully suave and fine-grained, boasting terrific concentration, intensity and energy to its dark berry and African violet flavors. This very suave Cabernet finishes with terrific cocoa-powder length and substantial but refined mounting tannins. Paul Golitzin told me that he always aims to get two tons of fruit per acre--either by nature or through crop thinning. And he noted that his family now has full viticultural control over all of their properties. (15.2% on label, like all of the Quilceda Creek '15s)Inc. VAT£1,899.59
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Jeb Dunnuck (97)
The 2015 Palengat is a Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy blend that includes 13% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. This gorgeous red offers a deep, rich, opulent style in its blackcurrants, baking spice, tobacco leaf, and graphite aromas and flavors. Possessing beautiful purity, ultra-fine tannin, a big, rich, concentrated style that somehow stays light and graceful, it's a sensational, elegant wine that will keep for 15-20 years.In Bond£1,485.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97)
One of the finest examples of this cuvée I’ve tasted is the 2016 Champoux Vineyard, which comes from one of the top terroirs in the state and is in the slightly cooler Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The blend in 2016 is 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc, all aged 18 months in just 25% new French oak. Young, full-bodied, and primordial, it has incredible potential but is going to need 4-5 years of bottle age. Thrilling notes of blueberries, cassis, lead pencil shavings, and bouquet garni all define the bouquet and it has remarkable purity and elegance. It picks up more floral and high-toned notes with time in the glass and is a brilliant bottle of wine that will keep for 2-3 decades.In Bond£365.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Deep ruby with purple highlights, the 2017 Champoux Vineyard is a stunning success with elegance and complexity bursting at the seams. Seductive blackberry essence, dusty plum skin, dark cherries and cassis waft out of the glass with delicate dusty floral tones, dried tobacco and graphite nuances. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is balanced with rich complexity and an elegant mineral tension before offering up a clearly delineated fruit frame compounded by focus, precision and finesse. At present, the wine has a pleasingly tannic edge and finishes with a mineral tension and red-fruited succulence that continue to evolve in the mouth. Simply stellar!In Bond£345.00 -
Vinous (91)
Bright ruby-red. High-toned, slightly porty aromas of blackberry, blueberry and licorice. At once silky and penetrating, with the superripe dark berry and violet flavors saturating the palate without leaving any impression of heaviness. This highly concentrated, long wine displays palate-saturating tannins that are serious but not dry, reaching the front teeth.In Bond£1,040.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Flirting with perfection, the 2016 Sorella checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% each of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot. Coming all from the Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, its saturated purple color is followed by a La Mission Haut Brion-like bouquet of black and blue fruits, gravelly, minerality, smoke tobacco, and chocolate. Deep, multi-dimensional, full-bodied, and with beautiful complexity, it’s a magical wine as well as the finest wine from this estate to date. Bravo!In Bond£615.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
A resounding success, the deep ruby-colored 2017 Sorella displays beautiful purple highlights and explodes from the glass with aromas of blackberry, cigar box and dried tobacco with hints of graphite and dusty purple flowers. Full-bodied, the wine is ripe and round, with an immaculate mouthfeel, showing an impressive depth of flavor. With succulent red and black fruit expressions and soft cinnamon spice tones from oak, the wine is a whirlwind of complexity across the mid-palate. Emerging with a balanced structure and lifted tannic backbone, the wine lingers with persistence and intention, as flavors of dusty bitter dark chocolate, black plum and spiced dark cherries flutter across the finish. Bravo, this is absolutely stunning and will drink amazingly for the next two decades to come.In Bond£400.00 -
Duckhorn Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 embodies the opulence and complexity of the famed Duckhorn winery in Napa Valley. A treasure trove for the fine wine connoisseur, this Cabernet Sauvignon is a testament to the fusion of the dynamic Red Mountain terroir and an unwavering commitment to winemaking excellence. With careful selection from respected growers, the grapes are harvested at the exact point of maturation, in order to capture perfect ripeness and full-bodied complexity. Aged in premium French oak barrels, Duckhorn Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 emits a spectrum of layered flavours, graced by notes of cherries, blackberries and rich cocoa. The finish is long and captivating, enhanced by structured tannins and a refined minerality. As with all Duckhorn wines, this particular Cabernet Sauvignon is cultivated with meticulous attention to detail, resulting in a seductive, sophisticated expression of the Red Mountain region's best qualities. A glorious indulgence for any discerning palate.
In Bond£315.00 -
Vinous (96)
(72% of this wine came from Champoux vineyard): Dark red-ruby. Pungent aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice and cedary oak. Wonderfully suave and fine-grained, boasting terrific concentration, intensity and energy to its dark berry and African violet flavors. This very suave Cabernet finishes with terrific cocoa-powder length and substantial but refined mounting tannins. Paul Golitzin told me that he always aims to get two tons of fruit per acre--either by nature or through crop thinning. And he noted that his family now has full viticultural control over all of their properties. (15.2% on label, like all of the Quilceda Creek '15s)In Bond£1,544.00
