Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Spier – Signature Collection – Pinotage – 2024
Western Cape – South Africa 🇿🇦

Overview
An entry-level Pinotage that leans into a more rustic and herbaceous expression of the grape. Designed for casual drinking, it highlights the approachable side of South Africa’s signature variety without aiming for depth or refinement.

Aromas & Flavors
Red and dark berries lead the profile, followed by earthy tones, dried herbs, and a subtle smoky edge. There’s a slightly raw, savory character that reflects a less polished style.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with moderate acidity and firm, slightly rough tannins. The structure feels a bit rugged around the edges, reinforcing its rustic personality.

Food Pairings
BBQ, grilled meats, sausages, burgers, or smoky dishes. Works best with food that can complement its earthy and savory profile.

Verdict
A straightforward and casual Pinotage that shows a more traditional, rustic side of the grape. Not the most refined expression, but a solid introduction to the variety’s earthier profile.

Did You Know?
Modern Pinotage styles vary widely: some producers embrace a cleaner, fruit-forward approach, while others lean into a more rustic, smoky, and herbaceous profile—like this one—reflecting traditional winemaking influences in South Africa.

🍷 Personal Pick
A good reference point for understanding the more rustic side of Pinotage, but I personally lean toward more structured and polished expressions of the variety. (see my other pinotage reviews) cheers! — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

This is the standard Côte Rôtie from Agnes Levet that’s a blend of different parcels. However, the philosophy and approach remain the same as “La Chavaroche” and “Les Journaries”. In the past, this bottling was known as “Améthyste” and only recently became more widely available in the US. “Widely” is a relative word, lol.

Opened about an hour prior to service. The 2021 pours a deep garnet/purple with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with a gorgeous bouquet all of the different varieties and colors of brambles your heart could possibly desire along with all of the seeds and stems, freshly cracked black pepper, dried herbs, some of the animale, purple flowers some hints of old wood and yes, perhaps a kiss of brettanomyces. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is forever long, drying and loaded with even more black pepper. This is giving me total 2014 vibes and if you liked that vintage in the Northern Rhône (as I did), you’re gonna absolutely love this. Drink now through 2036. — 2 years ago

Steven Gullo

9.3

Opens up fairly quick with an earthy nose of rosemary, tobacco, wet leaves. Certainly a traditional approach to winemaking. Elegant and soft tannins. — 4 years ago

Carter White

8.9

Lively, fresh, not much fruit, driven by a mineral core that gives it some grip. — 5 years ago

Some Dude

8.9

So delightful. Wry approachable , but it has the tannins and bones to age well. Get 2, so you can enjoy one now, and another in 10 years. Worked well with oven-roasted salmon, sautéed spinach and steamed sweet potatoes and a tahini lime butter. A lively Mediterranean hillside in the nose, lots of res currant on the approach, and a little pepper on the finish. It has that fresh Beaujolais personality but with decanting and an hour it shows character and depth. — 5 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

As the summer is slipping out of our hands, its time to to pop those complex reds that we’ve been lastning for. Produttori del Barbaresco is considered one of the best cooperatives in the world and its 2016 Barbaresco is a solid proof of that statement.
Restrained at first and needs a couple of hours in the decanter to reach its climax. True to its provenance its clasically crafted, and puts up complex profile of red cherries, rose hip, strawberries, spice, bitter orange and a volatile dried floral lift over a canvas of wet soil.
An offensive approach on the palate with a high acidity and a generous portion of mouth coating tannins that is well accompanied by a pronounced fruit profile with an evolving finish. Very good indeed, but is a couple of level behind to reach the higher tiers. — 6 years ago

Kevin

8.9

Rose buds and grapes, purple fruits; beaten against the rocks, suffocated at high altitude and fed a thin diet of air and cool sun. An up-front approach, not much to linger. Fleeting and delicious. — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.6

I’ve said before that the wines of Chateau Rayas are almost singular in the AOC; certainly one of the purest expressions of Grenache in the world. However, there is another producer that for me, might be an even more archetypal expression of the character of Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Henri Bonneau. Henri’s wines were also predominately Grenache however, they are denser and darker, particularly the Cuvée Marie Beurrier. This is probably more to do with the small addition of other local varieties along with terroir for Mrie Beurrier (Courthézon). Henri had strong feelings about varieties, vine age and cellar practices. He didn’t really like Syrah in CdP (though he had a little of it). He didn’t like ancient vines (most were 30-50 years old and would be torn out and replanted if they were getting up there in the age range) and he believed in extended aging in wood, a collection of very old barrels and foudres. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with his approach, the results were undeniably special.

Opened prior to dinner; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2000 “Cuvée Marie Beurrier” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing (still!). Layered notes of dark brambles, black cherry, garrigue, dried red flowers, beef stew with all the veggies and mixed inorganic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is forever long. This is tremendously well balanced and a wine that I just wanted to keep coming back to…and I did. Drink now through 2040. — 3 months ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.4

Firstly i love the whole approach they gave to what they do, the respect and adoration for their terroir and the belief that we are talking about an instrument to pass on the culture.
"Culture is the only good of humanity that divided between us all, instead of diminishing, will become greater" this sentence on the introduction of the wine gives a very good feeling about them and by meeting them repeatedly i know it being true.
The wine too is in line with all above.
A 90% Malvasia aromatica di Candia finished off with Ortrugo and Trebbiano macerated in 4000l oak barrels for 4 months that retains a fantastic freshness and has a sapid vein that's very unique.
It's more than intriguing, it's a glass you keep looking for. Very persistent flavour.
Stunning!! — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

A decidedly more natural approach to Chablis and I gotta say, this bottle was fantastic. All of the character one would expect from Chablis: bright citrus fruits, crushed shells, chalky minerals and racy acid…just amped up a little more than usual for a village wine. Theres an energy about this that’s truly compelling. Wow. — 4 years ago

Brian Ager

9.1

Grapefruit, lemon zest & creme fraiche come through on the nose & pallate.  The later presenting a smooth creaminess, providing a welcome balance to this wines bright acidity. An elegant approach to Sauvignon Blanc which was stellar by itself but also made a good pairing with a Mexican spiced shrimp bake! ($32) [2/5/22] — 4 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.7

Raul Perez, Mencia wizard and human garden gnome, makes some of the most innovative and highly allocated wines from anywhere. I don’t often drink stuff this good. Sometimes you need to be reminded that average and good wines are made for relaxation and enjoyment and that extraordinary wines are art.

La penitencia could be the best thing I’ve ever opened at home. It’s elegant and bootlegged. The front label probably designed in an Internet cafe, the back label looks like it was cut and glued by a five year old. These things make it lovable because it’s so bad and it’s so good.

Pours a browned purple motor oil. The aromas fly. Perfumes of red and blue colored berries, clove, spice, leather. Like a brand new catchers mitt that needs some oil and some love. Feels of plush berry fruit and flavors of prunes and macerated strawberries and boxed raisins that seem to hang around for about as many years as I waited to open this thing. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.3

One of the 2015s I opened to celebrate my 5yr wedding anniversary. In these early years, fruit forward/approachable wines from Napa are ideal while the other wines from the vintage rest and approach maturity.

After having the 2017 with Will at Mending Wall earlier this year (totally open and accessible), I expected this to be similar, but true to 2015 cabs, this was crazy coiled and tightly compact. The mid palate here is really dense with an extremely gripping and tannic finish. As I find a signature of TRB’s winemaking style, when the site allows it, he has a way of pulling the entire fruit spectrum...this wine showed red (black cherries) blue (crisp blueberries) and black fruits (tart blackberries and currant). The fruit is amazingly fresh, as though it was freshly squeezed. Oak is noticeable but definitely not a detractor. Floral, baking spices like cinnamon and vanilla, sandalwood, and a homemade mixed berry pie straight out of the oven. There is a lasting herbal/graphite type note toward the finish. I followed this over two days and it stayed strong. I’d hold for another 2-3yrs and see if it unfurls further. — 6 years ago

Seth Masterson

9.3

Even at refrigerator temperature the nose is flowing out of the rim of the glass. It reminds me of flowers that release their essence at night like Jasmine. You could sell this as an expensive perfume. It's one of those wines that I hesitate to drink because I know that what happens in my mouth can never match what I just smelled.
But it does hold its own on the tongue. It's not complex, even kind of 2 dimensional in the flavor profile but it's got a great acid quality, clean yet grassy finish, it's a real drinker- anyone could approach a glass of this and they will always say yes to more.
If this app has the option I would give the nose 9.6 and the taste an 8.9 so I'm landing in the middle.
Paired brilliantly with grilled salmon. — a year ago

Vanessa

9.3

Marie-Courtin was established in 2005 by Dominique Moreau, who named her winery after her grandmother – a “woman of the earth” – surely an inspiration behind Dominique’s unwavering commitment to organic & biodynamic viticulture. She’s among the few (but growing # of) producers pursuing organic / biodynamic practices in Champagne, a notoriously challenging climate for mildew & rot.

Champagne Marie-Courtin is a Grower producer located in the village of Polisot in the Barséquannais, specializing in compelling terroir expressions, using a low intervention approach in the winery, with wild ferments and minimal (if any) dosage…

This wine fermented and aged in used (neutral) French barriques, allowing delicate oxygen influences w/out the oaky flavors. It spent 36 months aging sur lie (on the lees).

The result is a precise and chiseled wine with toasty notes next to layers of blossom, lemon peel, bright raspberry, strawberry, peach skin, kumquat, ripe pear, oyster shell, saline, blanched almond, bread dough, pastry, and baked red apple.

This wine represents a singular expression of a particular year, vineyard, and variety – it offers a sensory glimpse into a specific place and time. A magical & lovely wine. Cheers! — a year ago

with Deked1

Byron C Mayes

9.0

Poured through a bottle-top aerator. Shy but inviting nose of dusty black cherry and pomegranate. Austere and full palate of blackberry, black cherry, and tarry black fruit with a stern dose of woodiness. Firm but not unforgiving tannins; juicy medium plus acidity. Long, dark, tarry blackberry finish. Very young and though a vigorous decanting will render it approachable for most, better to hold on to it until at least 2026 (and approach with caution even then). 2016 is an excellent vintage throughout the region and the '16 Rossos are showing wonderfully right now. Drink those until this is ready. — 4 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

8.9

Very pure. Very fresh #Mencia It is an approach to #mencía that I love and that is tricky to get right, because it borders on the green but is just ripe enough. Youthful and juicy. #valdeorras — 5 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.1

Difficult, where I found this wine terrific 1,5 years ago it wasn’t that good yesterday. Very tannic and bitter. Apparently yesterday was an off day to drink wine biodynamically seen. I’m starting to believe this approach more and more — 5 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A rather vivid ruby red color with a wide brim upon opening. After an hour decant the nose displays classic Brunello notes of dried cherries, violets, and smoked tobacco. A bit beefy and meaty with more smoke and grilled meats also show. The plethora of eastern spices compliment the black tea.

Classic, old school Brunello. Can’t beat it. Not modern in its approach, this is more austere than many of the newer models. But that doesn’t mean it’s not inviting. Elegant gets thrown around far too often in wine but it’s appropriate here. Lush and ethereal with that certain something going on.

The fruit on the palate is still lovely and lively. Long, deep notes of cherries and plums. Sandalwood and roasted nuts to go with the cigar box. Leather and dusty earth to die for. Wonderful acidity on the long finish. This is still just a baby so keep waiting but it’s so pretty right now. — 6 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

Remarkable Langhe Nebbiolo from Cavalotto that would outshine most Barolos in terms of quality. To young but there is no denying of its inherent quality. Classical in its approach with a high concentration of red slightly tart fruit, roses, smoke, spice and stones with a slight volatile finish. High acidity and gum coating tannins dominate the palate, strong mid palate and a long finish. An impressive invitation to Cavalottos arsenal. From younger vines in the Barolo zone, 20-35 days submerged cap maceration with 15-18 months in Slavonian casks. — 6 years ago