Rainy Saturday night at home listening to Lady Blackbird. Smoky, sultry, spellbinding. Fresh, with lots of finesse. Stewed fruits on the nose with hints of minerality. Some spice on the palate. Subtle hints of dried longan.
Blend of Niellucciu, Sciaccarellu, Minustello, Carcaghjolu, and Moresconu. Northwest- and south-facing vineyards on a windswept clay-limestone terroir. The estate has been certified organic since 2002 and the vines have been farmed according to biodynamic principles since 2006. The yield for this cuvée was 25 hl/ha. After hand-harvesting and sorting, the grapes are 100% destemmed and vinified with indigenous yeasts in clay amphorae. The wine is neither fined nor filtered. No SO2 added.
** Note: This wine will benefit from some time to breathe prior to drinking. **
“A rich, intense nose with notes of ripe fruit and spices. The palate has great volume, finesse and freshness – a pure and balanced wine. The amphora, this ancient vessel of winemaking, has been mastered to perfection by Canarelli.” Cave Pur Jus — 2 years ago
Lovely . Red fruits , floral . Elegant . Made in Amphorae. Really nice — 3 years ago
Heavy acid with some roundness, aged in amphorae — 3 months ago
This variety – Nosiola – is an ancient, regional specialty of Trentino-Alto Adige in Northern Italy, known for its distinctive hazelnut aromas that occur naturally, not from long-term oak or bottle aging (which can also contribute nuttiness in white wines). In Italian, “nocciola” means hazelnut, a clear etymological link.
After learning about this unique variety, we had to track down a wine made from it. When we discovered that Azienda Agricola Foradori makes a single variety expression, we were sold!!
This wine was made biodynamically, with ancient practices in the winery, including 8 months of skin contact in clay amphorae. The resulting wine is alive, awakening as it breathes, and evolving from sip to sip.
It first opened with notes of lemongrass, lemon verbena, fresh mint and basil, and delicate white pepper. As it evolved, it took on notes of geranium, white blossom, honeydew, grapefruit pith, elderberry, and wet stones. With even more time, I detected some of that hazelnut character, although, admittedly, it could have been the power of suggestion leading me there…
One thing is for certain: it’s delicious, layered, and like nothing we’ve tasted before. — a year ago
The 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion comprises 45% whole bunches and matured for two years in 80% new oak plus foudres and amphorae. Complex on the nose, this offers black olive and brine tinged black fruit, crushed stone and light minty aromas, quite intense in the context of the vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit on the entry, quite Rhône-like in flavour profile, hints of fennel and thyme interwoven into the red fruit, persistent on the finish. Delicious and distinctive. Tasted at the Les Carmes Haut-Brion vertical at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, October 2022)
— 2 years ago
This is a stunning Garnatxa blend from Priorat (Catalonia), Spain!!
It’s comprised of mostly Garnatxa (Grenache), along with Syrah, and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from three parcels in the sun-soaked village of Gratallops, where Daphne Glorian purchased her first vineyard – Clos Escales – back in 1989 when she founded Clos i Terraces. 🍇
In making this move, she joined equally passionate and pioneering winemakers Álvaro Palacios (L’Ermita) and René Barbier (Clos Mogador) in a rebirth of production practices in the region; as a group (with other similar-minded producers) they altered the trajectory of Priorat’s profile as a source of tip top quality wines rivaling the best on the world stage. 👏🏻
Priorat is one of only two regions carrying the “DOCa” / “DOQ” quality designation (the other is Rioja), subject to various stipulations including regular auditing by a tasting panel. ✅
This particular wine is “Laurel” which is Clos i Terraces’s second wine, next to Clos Erasmus, one of Priorat’s finest and most sought-after wines. Yet it tastes like a flagship wine in and of itself.🫶🏻🫶🏻
It is absolutely beautiful, with a medium ruby hue, medium (+) intensity of ripe and fresh strawberry, red cherry, red plum, violet, black licorice, fennel, clove, baking spice aromas and flavors. It’s dry, with medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) body, high alcohol (14% ABV), and medium tannins that are fine-grained. 😆
This wine vinified and aged in a combination of vessels, including, large oak vats, concrete tanks, second and third fill French oak barrels, and clay amphorae, lending to its texture and complexity.👌🏻👌🏻
— 6 months ago
Excellent Priorat. Blend of Garnacha (60%) and Cariñena (40%) from the Les Planetes vineyard, a northeast-facing plot on slate/llicorella soils in Porrera. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 17 months in oak foudres and clay amphorae. Dark fruit, minerals (graphite) and smoke on the nose. Some floral notes. Full-bodied, round, structured. Good freshness — 2 years ago
Sagee Aran
This blend of CS, Merlot and Syrah aged beautifully. Tanins are super soft and velvety. A full body, thick and powerful red, powerful nose and aftertaste. Acidity and sweetness balanced perfectly. — 2 months ago