Austin Hohnke

9.3

Big and animal. Lots of good funk and wild sappy fruit. Delivers pretty immediate pleasure, but on the bigger side of Burgundy. Aged in clay amphorae and barrel. — 7 months ago

Vanessa

9.3

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.👌🏻👌🏻
— 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.3

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)
— 4 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.2

Just a fantastic execution of 100% Marsanne, keep your eye out for the Sierra Foothills - I believe this is going to be the next frontier in CA. 4 months on the skins in clay amphorae. “Peachy, mineral notes” Bravo, Adam! — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Just a great wine. 100% amphorae aged and fermented Cabernet Franc from vineyards in Muscadet. Much more open than last bottle. Gorgeous pure berry fruit. Mid season cherry. Some cassis. Spice. Resin. Almost smells like an e an m Grand Cru. Unreal florals, herbals and spice. Sick nose 9.6 nose. Leather. So complex. Just sick. Just noticed 11.5% alcohol. Deep, tannic and ripe. Big tannins but so elegant and finesse driven. Obvious structure and tannins place all over the mouth. Sappy and barely sweet with immense power and depth. Concentrated tiny berry fruit. Juicy and pure. So long and deep but also has so much more fruit, structure and other good stuff in reserve. So good. — 6 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.4

2019 Le Hameau. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot. First vintage of this parcel selection in the commune of Cantenac, aged for 16 months in amphorae (2/3) and barriques. Le Hameau stands for finesse, whereas Le Plateau (in Soussans) delivers more power. — a year ago

Atticus Honore

8.9

Heavy acid with some roundness, aged in amphorae — 2 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.1

150 days in amphorae. Passion fruit, bergamot, curry. — 3 years ago

John Tan

9.0

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 — 3 years ago

Scott C

Founder / Co-director SR Wine imports

9.1

Lovely . Red fruits , floral . Elegant . Made in Amphorae. Really nice — 4 years ago

Some Dude

8.9

Delightful wine that paired even with sauerkraut and asparagus. We had it with orchestra and its light, cherry-fruit approach l, followed by acidity and just the lightest touch of mineral on the finish. If it reminds you of orange wine that’s because they make it in amphorae like the Georgians. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Mid Ruby and initially not giving much on the nose. After a while in decanter and vigorous swirling barnyard and red cherry notes showing its “natural wine” origins. Very savoury on the light to medium weight palate. 8 years is about the maximum for a naturally made wine in my experience. Visited this winery in Sicily several years ago and saw their earthenware pots (amphorae)in the ground where the wine is fermented and sits on skins. — 6 years ago

Namho Kim

9.0

Sucha hipster wine. Idk what it is but i can’t stop drinking it. A bit of fizz. Color is like a elegant burgundy almost. Kinda similar to the zibibo bianco but of course more tannin. Can imagine the amphorae that aged this thing — 6 years ago

Ming L

9.4

I asked the Somm to recommend a wine from Andalusia to pair with the region’s cuisines. Without hesitation, he picked out this bottle from a winery based in Ronda, a town I visited more than 10 years ago and have vivid memories of.
This is the flagship bottling of the winery with 100% Petit Verdot aged 12 months in clay amphorae.
It’s rich and savory just like to cuisine, and also has the lively acidity and aromatic intensity to counter those richness. What a great pairing! — a year ago

Vanessa

9.2

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. — 3 years ago

with Deked1

Martinez

9.2

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 — 4 years ago

Russ W

9.3

Crazy good Grenache. — 5 years ago

Eric Kememes

8.9

Dope rich fruit medium smooth tannins not crazy as broadcast — 6 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.2

Biodynamic. Aged in amphorae for 18 months, revealing all the quality of the grape variety, without aging notes:
Malbec: black plum, eucalyptus, menthol, chalky, coffee roast, caramel. Opulent and fresh with a lingering finish of complexity. Very nice bottle, to be enjoyed with savory dishes as well as with chocolate-type desserts. Gastronomic !

Biodynamic. Élevé en amphore pendant 18 mois, laissant transparaître toute qualité du cépage, sans notes d’élevage:
Malbec: prune noire, eucalyptus, menthol, crayeux, torréfaction café, caramel. Opulent et frais avec une finale rémanente de complexité. Très belle bouteille, à déguster avec des plats salés autant qu’avec des desserts type chocolatés. Gastronomique.
— 6 years ago

Jan Laursen

9.0

12 år på bagen, men stadig livlig og vibrerende og med en fin rygrad af garvesyre — 6 years ago