Martha-Marie Kleinhans

9.0

Nice but young... 23.98$
90+/100 - Our Score
(1/2017) If you have not yet had a wine from the talented Benoit Ente, then it’s time to get your feet wet with this outstanding entry-level Bourgogne rouge. Checking in at only 12.5% abv, the style of Ente’s wines is one of restraint but there is no shortage of elegance or complexity. Still youthful, the wine is a bit tight upon first opening, but as time goes by this gorgeous Pinot Noir opens up and reveals layers of dried cherries, strawberry, dried leaves, subtle smoke, forest mushrooms and minerality.Two small parcels, totalling .52 hectares, comprise the blend for this tiny production Pinot. Enjoy it now with seared tuna loin, baked salmon or roast pork, but make sure to stash a few bottles away to try in a few years. — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

9.2

Loved it - 11.99 on 2/17
Domaine Lafage
"Tessellae - Vieilles Vignes" Carignan 2014
92/100 - Wine Advocate
(3/26/2016) "A crazy value, the 2014 IGP Cotes Catalanes Tessellae Carignan Vieilles Vignes is one of the best examples of this variety from the Roussillon, and the fact that it sells for a song is just icing on the cake for the consumer. Coming all from schist soils and 70-year-old vines, raised 12 months in a mix of concrete tanks and demi-muids, it offers tons of black raspberry and black cherry fruit, licorice and dried spices to go with a super sexy, heady, seamless style on the palate that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this blockbuster over the coming 2-3 years."
— 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

6.8

Blech.... Acidic... — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

8.9

Loved it - $16.99

Oregon Pinot Noir 2014
88+/100 - Our Score
(4/2016) A tasty Oregon Pinot Noir value here from owner/winemaker Pam Walden. Sourced from fruit grown in the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon's Applegate Valley, this soft, easy to drink Pinot offers charming red fruit flavors, an easy texture and balancing acidity on the back end. Try partnering with seared tuna steaks, grilled chicken thighs or enjoy it all by itself. — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

9.4

Love it - JD exclaimed! 10.99 on 2/17

Gonnet Selections
"Le Plaisir" Pays d'Oc Pinot Noir 2015
88/100 - Our Score
(9/2016) Real Pinot Noir at a great price. This cuvee was bottled exclusively for our Chicago-based importer by Guillaume Gonnet, co-owner of Font de Michelle in Chateauneuf du Pape. Fresh, fruit-forward and soft, this is a best-in-category value. — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

8.8

Jammy young CdR - a keeper for 9.99$

Chateau Saint Jean
"Plan de Dieu" Cotes du Rhone Villages Rouge 2014
89/100 - Our Score
(2/2017) This gritty Grenache-based Côtes du Rhône Villages is from the highly regarded zone of Plan de Dieu. Flavors of black cherry, raspberry, pepper, cigar ash and dried red earth are supported by medium tannins, medium acidity and a medium body. This is more of an old school rustic CdR than a juicy, fruity version. Try with pot roast or hearty soups.
— 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

9.0

Jammy, reliable CdR... — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

9.0

Lovely with a small bite - $13.79
Tridente" Castilla y Leon Tempranillo 2013
91/100 - Our Score
91/100 - Vinous, Josh Raynolds
(1/2016) "Glass-staining ruby. Highly perfumed black and blue fruit, incense and violet aromas pick up a suggestion of five-spice powder with air. Supple, seamless and concentrated, offering juicy boysenberry and floral pastille flavors and an enlivening jolt of white pepper. The tenacious floral finish is framed by velvety tannins." — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

8.9

Lovely - 21.99 on 2/17
For the 2014 Hamacher "H" he uses fruit from eight highly respected vineyards throughout Willamette Valley, with different clones, soil types and elevations. Juicy and loaded with black fruits (black raspberry and black cherry), spice and earth, the resulting wine completely over-delivers. Richly textured, it is just pure class. — 8 years ago

Martha-Marie Kleinhans

7.9

Sour but pleasant... 21.99 on 2/17
G. D. Vajra
Langhe Nebbiolo 2013
90+/100 - Our Score
90/100 - Vinous, Antonio Galloni
(12/2015) "The 2013 Langhe Nebbiolo is a beautiful example of the vintage. A dark, inviting wine, the 2013 possesses striking aromatics, expressive fruit and a classic, mid-weight feel. Sweet red cherry, plum, spices and licorice inflections add the closing shades of nuance. The Nebbiolo is a blend of mostly fruit from Sinio, which is just outside the Barolo appellation, in a spot where some growers sourced fruit for their Barolos in the days when there was less regulation. Young vine fruit from both Bricco delle Viole and Ravera rounds out the blend." — 8 years ago