2020 Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi Priorat
$93.89 (750ml) In Stock- Buy Now
97 DE / 96 WA / 95 JS
Dark in colour but not opaque. There’s exciting freshness on the nose, with no excessively ripe fruit or overt oak getting in the way. A rounded, spherical, mouth-filling wine, but there’s no heaviness, it’s remarkably fresh and fast on the palate for such a concentrated wine. Long, focused and precise, with that characteristic slatey minerality that Palacios spotlights with his Priorats. Powerful but not overly concentrated, with a natural vibrancy, expansiveness and mineral base that gives this wine its power and architecture. Raspberry-laced finish, but the fruit really is secondary to the extremely mineral expression.--Matt Walls, Decanter
The single-vineyard 2020 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes (lieu-dits) in Gratallops, a blend of 83% Garnacha, 12% Cariñena, 4% Picapoll—a grape with low sugar and high acidity (good for climate change) that he regrafted some four years ago—and 1% white grapes: Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo, all fermented in oak vats with 10% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 15 months. It has good ripeness, 14.5% alcohol and a soft texture with nice balance, good freshness and fine tannins. 18,778 bottles and some other larger and smaller formats produced. It was bottled in May 2022.-Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
2019 Marcoux Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
$158.89 (750ml) In Stock- Buy Now
97 WA / 97 JD / 97 VM / 97 WS / 96 DE
Marcoux's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is full-bodied, dense and tannic. Hints of crushed stone and dried garrigue appear on the nose, alongside blackberries and black cherries. It's basically pure foudre-aged Grenache from two lieux-dits—Charbonnières and les Esquierons—although the old vines undoubtedly include the odd interplanted variety. This terrific wine finishes long and silky, with layers of unfolding fruit and spice, including a dash of salted licorice. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.--JC, The Wine Advocate
Also a true gem of a wine, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes includes all three terroirs of Charbonnière, Esqueirons and Galimardes and is all Grenache. It’s a ripe, opulent, incredibly sexy wine that’s just about overflowing with notes of raspberries, blueberries, Provençal herbs, violets, and flowers. It’s a big, exuberant Grenache offering sweet tannins, a broad, mouth-filling texture, no hard edges, and a great finish. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following two decades.—Jeb Dunnuck
2018 Yalumba Tri-Centenary Vineyard Grenache
$56.89 (750ml) In Stock- Buy Now
96 JS
Aromas of blueberries and wild herbs, as well as raspberries and a complex, spicy and fragrant edge. Blood orange and pomegranate here, too. The palate is smoothly emulsified and has red-cherry, raspberry, orange and blood-orange flavors. Pithy kick on the finish and plenty of concentration. Very resolved. 100 days on skins. Drink over the next decade. Screw cap. –James Suckling
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