Freddy R. Troya

9.3

El Esteco – Torrontés 2024
Valles Calchaquíes, Salta – Argentina 🇦🇷

Overview
An expressive Torrontés sourced from two extreme high-altitude vineyards in Salta—Chañar Punco (+2,000m) and Cafayate Valley (+1,700m). These altitudes rank among the highest vineyards in the world, bringing extraordinary freshness and intensity to the grape.

Aromas & Flavors
Vivid notes of lime zest, orange peel, and honeysuckle, accented by white flowers and a touch of tropical lychee. The aromatic lift is both exotic and elegant.

Mouthfeel
Light yet rounded, with crisp acidity balancing a soft, fleshy texture. Clean, refreshing, and persistent on the finish.

Food Pairings
Excellent with ceviche, Thai curry, or empanadas salteñas. Also perfect as a standalone aperitif on a warm day.

Verdict
A vibrant, high-altitude Torrontés that captures both freshness and aromatic charm. Fans of Viognier will find familiar pleasure in its floral exuberance and rounded texture.

Did You Know?
Salta’s Valles Calchaquíes boast vineyards among the world’s loftiest, where strong sunlight and cool nights create wines of striking aromatic intensity and balance.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
For me, Torrontés is one of Argentina’s most distinctive calling cards. This 2024 bottling shows exactly why—it’s not just a white wine, it’s an experience of altitude, purity, and personality. — 8 months ago

Vanessa

9.1

Oh, hello, Friulano!! A local specialty of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the far northeast of Italy. 🇮🇹

This beautiful wine is the Livio Felluga Friuli Colli Orientali DOC Friulano (2021).

Livio Felluga was an early adopter and pioneer of modern production techniques in the region, employing the use of stainless steel tanks, delicate grape pressing, and temperature-controlled (cooler) fermentations to produce clean, varietal-driven and refreshing white wine styles the region is now known for 🙌🏻👏🏻

The fruit used to make this wine hails from the Colli Orientali DOC, situated on hillside sites, stretching along the border of Slovenia, benefiting from higher altitudes, and cooling Alpine breezes, in support of a firm acid structure.

👁️ This wine has a medium lemon hue with a medium (+) bouquet 👃🏻 of white peach, green apple, Meyer lemon, clementine peel, green mango, white blossom, mint, basil, rosemary, white pepper, and wet pavement (petrichor).

👄 On the palate, this wine has a rich texture and weighted mouthfeel, balanced by medium (+) acidity, supporting its structure, while adding freshness and lift. Flavors are consistent with the nose – well-defined and concentrated.  Alcohol is medium (13.5% ABV) with a warming presence.

We paired this lovely wine with smoked salmon canapés made with lemon-marinated cucumbers and crème fraiche, lemon zest, shallot, fresh dill and chives on Norwegian crispbread, and was a stellar match-up! 🤩

Cheers to the pioneers who’ve shaped the evolution in wine styles we’ve come to know and love! — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Vines are planted on small, steep cirques with an eastern/south-eastern exposure at altitudes of between 250 and 300 metres. Medium lemon color with muted aromas of citrus, stone fruits and nutty floral notes. On the palate flavors of apple, melon and lemon citrus with notes of honey and nutty oak. Medium+ finish, vivid acidity and ends with nutty mineral character. Nice! — 3 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Liguria is a coastal region in Italy, nestled in the northwestern corner of the country, hugging the Ligurian Sea, with steep mountains defining the landscape.

It offers an ideal mix of warm, dry conditions, moderating influences from the coast and varying altitudes, and nutrient-poor soils (which is good for vine growing!). However, its dramatic topography limits the amount of wine that can be produced from this region…

With that background, we were thrilled to be sipping a glass of this beautiful Ligurian white wine made from the Vermentino grape. What a pleasure to envision us sitting on a terrace overlooking the sea!

Leaping out of the glass was tangerine peel, grapefruit, green apple, passion fruit, pineapple, boxwood, white citrus blossom, elderflower, and wet stone -- a delicious confluence of pronounced fruit and floral aromas and flavors.

It was vibrant, youthful, and fresh, yet also concentrated and juicy, adding a level of richness to the mouthfeel.

Lvnae, Colli di Luni D.O.C., Vermentino, ABV 12.5. Vintage 2019. A fantastic value at $25 / bottle.

Salute! — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Phil Gurin

8.9

Nicely acidic and we thought it was French. Very drinkable — 7 years ago

Benjamin Hall Jr

9.0

I’m beginning to enjoy the other varietals (than Malbec) produces in these Argentine Andean souls at high altitudes more and more. This 70% Cab / 30% Syrah blend is a lovely example of a refined mix giving intense new world character with the subtleties of old world wine making. The terroir comes thru in notes of gravel and rosemary. The fruit is big but it mildly dissipates in a most pleasant way. Drank it with a cheesy vegetable casserole with mushrooms and herbed garlic tomato sauce base... a great pairing! — 8 years ago

Ken Venezio

9.2

From the winemaker: Radian Vineyard is a radical and challenging site with high altitudes, vertical canyons, and difficult soil compositions. A stressed vineyard makes the best wines. Interesting cola or cherry cola on the nose. Earthy and medium bodied with a balance of fruit and a damp soil. Soft tannins and a nice finish. — 8 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.3

Great. Touch chardonnay like. Quite acidic. I kind of like it. Green Tea! Honey. From Etna - Sicily at 750 meters. 2500 feet. Very southern vineyard only altitudes allow them to make great wine. — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.3

Let’s talk about VIÑA SASTRE!

This is a family-owned and -operated winery (since 1992) from Ribera del Duero DO, located in the broader Castilla y León region of Spain.  

Ribera del Duero is highly regarded for having many old vines (50-100 yrs + in age) and a quintessential “continental climate,” with extremely cold winters and hot summers, vineyards planted at high altitudes (a plateau called the Meseta Central), and thus a large diurnal range…

All of these factors help enable the production of highly structured and age-worthy wines (with deep concentration, tannins, alcohol, acidity). This wine is no exception!

It’s a deep ruby wine with medium (+) intensity in aromas / flavors including ripe red and black currant, blackberry, black cherry, red plum, violets, tobacco, nutmeg, clove, pencil shavings, coconut, vanilla, cocoa nibs, and mocha notes.

On the palate, it’s dry, with medium(+) acidity, a full body, high alcohol, and medium(+) tannins that are fine-grained, with a long, elegant finish.

Cheers to delicious wines that offer a sense of place! 

Viña Sastre Ribera Del Duero Reserva Pagos Viejos (2017). — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Pooneet K

9.1

Another Brunello producer I have not tried before - quite nice. Quite restrained - apparently the Brunello comes from higher altitudes which shows. It’s not quite Ragnaie in terms of the high altitude character but it’s a nice wine for sure. Perfect with some local Cinta pork. — 4 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

Pinot in a Riesling bottle! The Winery is close to Stuttgart less than 20 Miles from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz in Württemberg/Germany. There is a ton of fruit in this, quite dark. More Oregon than Burgundy. Super elegant. Tannins fully resolved. Dark cherries, hint blueberries and crushed marble, touch orange juice. Drink now. Given the diversity of terroir altitudes/mountains and different styles and affordability Germany is now in my opinion the leader in Pinot Noir and this is another prime example. Lyle when will you get a Pinot from the Ahr grown on Slate? — 5 years ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.0

Surprisingly well balanced and a great value. Definitely taste the syrah and carignan. — 7 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

Girolamo Russo “a’Rina” 2016 Etna Rosso 🇮🇹 $25
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Nerello Mascalese (94%) and Nerello Cappuccio are the yin and yang of red grapes that grow exceedingly well in the wild and high altitude clime atop the Sicilian volcano #MountEtna.
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A hell of a bargain at about $25 as this crushes most Bourgogne/Hautes-Cotes under $50 and would give pricier versions a run for their money. It is also more complex now and ready to consume when compared to many similarly priced, well made “Langhe” Nebbiolo wines. From the @coravin this was ready to go and opened up well with 10-15 minutes in the glass.
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A youthful medium ruby color, fairly transparent. The nose suggests to me a red Burgundy, possibly a Beaune or Chassagne-Montrachet red from the wildness of the Etna character. A deep underpinning of rocky minerality, hints of ash, rose petal and purple florals, with dabs of red cherry and red plum fruit, sweet spices with hints of old leather jacket and unsmoked pipe tobacco. The palate is juicy and fresh, with refined, silky, ripe tannin that are youthfully firm. Excellent density and persistence, but light as a feather. Medium+ on the finish.
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Etna red wines are commonly described as having similarities to nebbiolo from Piedmonte and pinot noir from Burgundy. There are for sure some similarities, but make no mistake that Etna wines, when made well, refract the wild and volcanic Etna terroir well and are genuine in their own right. •
The complex volcanic soils of Etna, combined with some of the highest elevations for vineyards in Europe at 3,000+ feet, can produce wines with immense complexity and freshness. A sense if refinement comes across in the density without excessive weight, allowing for transparency of terroir. Most vines are trained in the traditional bush-vine method, which works well in the rocky soils that see a lot of wind and sunlight at these high altitudes.
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#GirolamoRusso #aRina #NerelloMascalese #NerelloCappuccio #EtnaRosso #Sicily #Italy #GiuseppeRusso #coravin #winesolutions #wine #winelover #somm #sommelier #instawine #wineporn #naturalwine #vinnaturel #winegasm #winegeek #vin #vino #vinos #vinhos #wein #ilovewine #winetasting #winetime — 8 years ago

Her Mir Tage

9.7

DRC Richebourg 2017: A fragrance untainted by the world～

The 2017 DRC Richebourg is a perfume explosion—a captivating interplay of woody clove and spice, both flamboyant and impeccably controlled. As we tasted, I asked my friends if they knew of a perfume that echoed this wine's aroma. They replied they had never come across one, but would purchase it without hesitation if they did. To my nose, the closest relative would be L'Artisan Parfumeur’s Dzongkha.

It offers that bracing, airy coolness with smoky, peppery spices, laced with the subtle sweet-herbaceous touch of magnolia and clove—reminiscent of the complex scent that washes over you the moment you push open the massive door of an ancient, solitary temple: the crisp, thin air of the high altitudes meeting the first ethereal wisp of incense smoke. Then unfolds layers of ancient wood, the dust of old books, musk, and earthy vetiver. The overall character is intensely crystalline, spiritual, and weightless—evoking visions of high plateaus and vast wilderness, of isolated lamaseries. Some DRCs also possess a temple-like quality, but theirs is a temple down here among us, bustling with devotees and heavy with the common smoke of popular devotion— a more earthly presence. — 10 months ago

KRISTIE

8.9

Style = Bold and fruit forward. Flavors = Fresh black and red fruit, with a long and supple finish.

This single vineyard Malbec was handpicked from the high altitudes and cool weather of the prestigious Valle de Uco. This exceptional terroir provides to this expressive Malbec bold and fresh fruit characters, with hints of spice and floral notes. — 3 years ago

Elyse King

8.9

Les Cassagnes de La Nerthe is produced in the Southern Rhône Valley in France by a property owned by the Richard family, who also manage the famed Château La Nerthe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The same team creates this elegant and fruit driven wine.

The wine is a blend of organic Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes grown in sandy and limestone soil containing shards of calcareous rocks, providing high quality natural filtration. The average age of the vines is over 40 years old. The vineyards are located at altitudes up to 600 feet above sea level. The gently undulating slopes produce high quality grapes that turn into fleshy and balanced wines. The grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted after arriving at the winery. The grapes are lightly crushed, and color and tannins are gently extracted with several daily pumping overs of the tanks. Co-fermentation of the three varieties occurs over a long maceration (3 to 4 weeks). The final blend is aged on fine lees in stainless steel tanks for 9 months before bottling. — 3 years ago

Sagee Aran

8.9

A nice Bordeaux blend from the Shomron area at altitudes of 700 to 900 meters. Good dark color, medium nose, missing on the palate. — 4 years ago

Marcus Weber

8.9

Falanghina, Biancolella and Pepella grapes. Grown with altitudes of up to 600 meters above sea at amalfi coast, wide temperature ranges and manually harvesting.
Dazu: Risotto al Limone - Artischocke - Wilder Thymian / Zicklein - Myrte - Zitrone / Cime di rapa — 5 years ago

Taylor

9.0

The kinda backwards wine you drink when your household grows from 4 to 7 within a day with the majority of those creatures having four legs. This wine will take you to altitudes you need to go when trying to acclimate to your new surrounds by giving you a burst of fruity ambiance notably resembling sweet raspberries and black fruits, yet smokey enough to remind you of your age. Highly recommend during these kinds of dark days, stay thirsty my friends. — 6 years ago

with Christian

Ben Rossen

8.9

1st of 3 Mendoza Malbecs for NYT Wine School. Uco Valley, high altitudes, calcarean soil, fermented in concrete eggs. Medium/deep purple, blackberry and mint on the nose. Blackberry, plum, boysenberry, mint, pepper, and minerals on the palate. Needed a lot of time to open up. Some alcohol burn. It’s good and well made but doesn’t change my overall impression that Malbecs are kind of boring. — 7 years ago