Chip Habegger

8.9

Decent sake but could have offered more. Don’t hide the bite as much as I wanted. Maybe that was the light profile. More cool fruits and veggies than anything deep. — a month ago

Andrea Watt

8.9

Cherry, oak, smoke, and a touch of pepper. I’d have never guessed it was Pinot noir on a blind test but it’s fruity with the tannins and boldness of a Cabernet Sauvignon. — 6 months ago

Scott Soren

9.6

Valdicava is still my fav Brunello producer. Notes of burnt cherry, Tuscan sun Tobacco, and sandalwood. In a real good place. Long finish with silky tannins. Just yesss — 9 months ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

(Disgorged 1/18)- This has always been my favorite Blanc de Noirs and one of the first “ah ha” Selosse wines for me some years ago. The south facing La Côte Faron is particularly “Selossien” and therefore in my mind very singular, with its oxidative complexity, textural richness and generous sun kissed ripe fruit expression. Like all Selosse wines, it’s layered and particularly aromatic for Champagne with intense caramelized red berry fruit, licorice and wildflower honey. The palate shows tremendous volume and intensity with a powerful, full bodied and satiny texture and a long, vibrant, mineral finish. So good. — 2 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

The 2021 Clio is a blend of 70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the 1936-planted Zingla Vineyard in Jumilla. Aged for 23 months in French and American oak, this garnet-hued wine offers complex aromas of herbs and plums, complemented notes of mint, balsamic and ash. Concentrated and rich on the palate, it flows with a silky texture, culminating in a velvety finish. This is a ripe, sun-kissed red with a precisely executed barrel-aging regimen. (Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous, September 2024)
— 3 months ago

Austin Hohnke

9.0

Very pretty and on the delicate side. Packaging nails the tasting notes with cucumber, green tea, and melon rind, though I also get the banana that many tasters mention. From a small brewery, and a prefecture known for its pristine water sources. Pair with Kumamoto oysters or scallop sashimi. Environmentally sustainable, energy efficient brewery. Alcohol stands out to me at 15.5%. — 7 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Taking its name from the sea and sun – the two forces of nature that shape its character. Pale lemon, aromas of Stone and tropical fruits, with floral and sweet spice notes, from a cooler climate, more hang time on the vine. On the palate flavors of apple, peach & apricot with lemon zest and toasty vanilla notes. Smooth long finish, well balanced, nice acidity, ending with fruit, vanilla oak and mineral character. Sip’s well now. Pair this with some pan sautéed white fish with a Beurre Blanc sauce. — a year ago

David Peifer

9.2

Stone fruit and citrus. Easy drinking and delicious for a spring or summer day in the sun. — 4 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Leaner than the El Puntido. This is more classic Tempranillo. Drier & earthier.

Beautiful wine. Ripe, juicy & slightly candied & floral fruits of; mid to dark cherries, black raspberries, black raspberries, dry blue berries. Cherry cola, dry tobacco w/ ash, dry leathery, barrel staves, muddy herb mix, dark, dry spices, steeped, sun tea, mid; clove, nutmeg, vanilla, limestone minerals, crushed limestone/dry rocks, dry flowers that are black, red w/ dry lavender, round, high acidity with a high, dry tannin finish that falls on to the wild, dry, earthy, wildest finish that is balanced for many minutes.

Paired this with/ a dry rub tri-tip and a burgundy marinaded Cardiff Crack tri-tip. Both very different and enjoyable, but liked the dry rub with the Rioja.

Photos of, my visit to the Bodega, old oak vats that are decades old, neutral wood that is still used as of 2015 when I visited & been repaired endlessly, old wood press and tasting room outside their cellar/tasting room. — 6 months ago

Catherine Leith

9.0

Crisp. Strong notes of stone fruit and grapefruit with a mineral finish. — 2 years ago