Tom Casagrande

9.1

Really great value in a straightforward, honest, balanced Grenache. It’s grown within the Faugeres appellation but can’t claim the AOC apparently because it’s from deep sandy soils and not schist. No matter! Rayas grows Grenache in sand so there’s great precedent! Nose shows sappy kirsch-y fruit, lots of savory, mineral notes, and a touch of vanilla and spice. Soft and light-footed in the mouth. Quite dry, savory, and saline. Very soft tannin. Alcohol is relatively low at a stated 13.5. Drinking well now, it will certainly last a year or two longer, though I don’t think it will improve. I love wines like this. So food flexible. — 6 months ago

ESF

8.9

Priorat made for the masses: this was a very accessible med bodied fruit driven crowd pleaser - I mean there was some of the mineral schist that you look for, but it was hidden in the background. Smooth & juicy gobs of red fruit - fairy well balanced, not a bad effort at all w/approachable price point of $21 — 2 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Aromatic, mineral, spicy with ripe, honeyed apricots plus a fistful of dried, salty herbs. Precise & pure in the palate with brilliant, juicy acidity, just the right amount of fruit and beautiful minerality.
Brilliant stuff for 12€. Unbeatable price/quality ratio. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Rich crimson in colour. Ultra savoury on nose and palate - lacking the fruit it had a few years ago - still with M+ acidity and M- Tannins. Aromas of rose petals, earth and gravel. Have loved the Mencia grape from the first time I tasted it. It has the ability to produce flavoursome dry reds from old low yielding hillside plots on poor schist dominated soils. One of the 1001 Wines. — 5 years ago

Barberry Garden

9.2

Tasted blind while knowing the list of wines. Guessed the bottle. The first sniff reveals a fistful of peonies and violets (sorry, Lena), which led my thoughts to Fleurie. Add some sour cherries, strawberries, a tiny bit of barnyard, and underbrush. Sophisticated, concentrated, juicy, smooth, round and flavourful wine with good acidity. Wonderful evolution in the glass.

Tasted on 2023-07-21 — 9 months ago

Delectable Wine

Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.

9.4

The 2019 Pinot Noir Elliott is a deep, dense wine, but always within the context of the Ceritas Pinots. There’s real depth and gravitas here, tempered by a style that seeks finesse more than power. Small clusters and small berries on a site rich in blue schist and quartz yield a distinctive Pinot built on resonance and power. Clean mineral notes support the bracing finish. The 60% whole clusters are very nicely balanced. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago

Adam Beasley

9.2

Candied yellow fruits on the nose with a slatey minerality. Super dry on the palate with underripe tropical fruit and vanilla cream. Lots of tension and energy. These guys just make killer wine. — 4 years ago

Barberry Garden

9.0

Almost 3 years ago, I was looking at the bottle of Fistful of Flowers and considered buying it. I was hesitant. Not least because of excessive sediment flocks swimming in the bottle. And once I decided to give it a try, it was already out of stock.

Today I completed my gestalt with a different vintage. And actually, I am glad that I tasted 2020 because even Fistful of Flowers needs some time to settle down and become more cohesive.

Interesting blend of Vermentino and Moscato Giallo. The aroma like butterflies bursts from the glass and fills the room with its gifts. Field flowers, honey, ripe peach, cinnamon, cardamon, candied orange peel. All that with a nice musk touch that is more prevalent in the aftertaste. It is well-balanced, fresh and flavourful. My favourite part is the salty-musky finish. Overall, it’s definitely good. Maybe it’s a little bit too bright or even vulgar, but it has some charm.

— 2 years ago

LM Segal

9.7

Despite a 2+ hr decant this was a coiled titanium spring. Shy nose gave only wafts of schist (full of schist?), and led the palate with steely black fruit. I watched Zach Snyder’s Justice League last night. This Musigny is Superman’s new black suit. Power and force. Timeless. Impenetrable. Awesome. Don’t touch this for at least 10 years. 🙏 my friend! — 3 years ago

Martinez

8.9

Fresh, mineral-driven blend of Palomino Fino and Doña Blanca from 115 year old vines from Valdesacia, a tiny parcel at an elevation of 750m on sandy soils over a bedrock of quartz and schist. Very dry. Good acidity. — 5 years ago