Zach Quintanilla

9.1

Dark fruit, vanilla, silky tannins. Essence of pine — a month ago

Vanessa

9.1

Burgundy 🇫🇷 is renowned for its Chardonnay, but did you know that Aligoté is the second most planted white grape in the region? 👀

Some of the finest Aligoté comes from ‘Bouzeron,’ an appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise region (north of Mâconnais, south of Côte d’Or).

In a land of Pinot Noir & Chardonnay, Bouzeron AOC is 100% dedicated to producing Aligoté 🙌🏻. In fact, it first became a legally-recognized AOC in 1998 thanks in part to the efforts of Aubert de Villaine, the winemaker behind this beautiful bottle. 👏🏻

Interestingly, Aubert is also a co-owner & co-Director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) (and, as an aside, was on the tasting panel for the 1976 Judgement of Paris 😆)…

Yet, instead of devoting himself exclusively to DRC — one of the world’s most famous and prestigious estates — he and his wife, Pamela (a California native), were enchanted by the possibilities of Aligoté, and terroir of Bouzeron, where they put down roots through “Domaine de Villaine”.

This wine is Domaine de Villaine Bouzeron AOC (2019). It has a shimmering lemon robe and bouquet of white blossom, just-ripe white peach, yellow apple, pear, citrus, fennel, and wet slate notes. It’s remarkably fresh on the palate with mouth-watering acidity balancing the warm (14% ABV) and fruit-driven profile. It’s positively delicious!

We’re pairing it w/ pan-seared sea scallops, roasted asparagus, & lemon-herbed farro…

Cheers to nurturing the diversity of Burgundy in all of its splendor! 🥂
💙🤍♥️ — a year ago

with Deked1

Willie Carter

9.0

You already know what it is. There’s not much to even say about it because you already know it’s delicious. Quite delicious. Romance in a bottle? Absolutely. Pale copper with salmon accents and energetic effervescence. The nose features sumptuous cranberries and raspberries, as well as baked apple tarts. Some wild strawberry notes to go with the brioche aromas.

This is no hidden gem of a wine, you’ve all tasted it before and you know how good and reliable it is. A benchmark and always impressive. Pleasing, not racy, acidity and that hard to describe essence of quality. 40/30/30 CH/PN/PM and those red grapes truly shine here. The palate references the nose with more sparkling red berries and autolytic notes. Impressively long finish of pure elegance. Flabbergastingly lovely. — 2 years ago

Drew Reynolds

9.2

Basically grape juice. Sweet. Hint of apples — 6 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

A new tasting experience on several levels. Had never heard of or tasted this grape varietal, Schioppettino. I was looking for a lighter red off the menu at Settimo, Guy Grossi’s new Brisbane venture. Chosen purely because of its location in Friuli ie. cooler climate. The Somm was in the dark but the wine ended up being a revelation. Red cherry and cranberry - intense white pepper on nose and palate. Dried red florals. Love this style. Will be on the lookout for this Cuvée in the future. — a year ago

with Hugh and Georgina

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

A 7 grape blend: 42% Cab Franc, 25% Merlot, 15.5% Syrah, 6% Cab Sauv, 6% Petit Verdot, 4.5% Sangiovese & 1% Alicante. Deep Ruby with aromas of ripe dark fruits, cedar and spice. On the palate flavors of blueberry and blackberry with herb and woodsy notes. Fine soft tannins, long finish ending with fruit and mineral character. Very nice! — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Martínez, now run by Manuel, Isabel & Isaac Muga Caño. Deep Ruby, aromas of sweet red and black fruits with pepper spice, unmistakable Muga. 4 grape blend from the Haro district (70% Tempranillo, rest Garnacha, Mazuelo & Graciano), palate shows cherry and currant flavors with espresso, vanilla & toasty oak tones. Soft full tannins, lively acidity on a medium+ finish ending with an earthy mineral character. Nice value! Great vintage! — 8 months ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

Sweet florals, spice, lemon curd and mint create a thoroughly inviting bouquet as the 2021 Nosiola Fontanasanta opens in the glass. This is soothingly soft, traversing both savory and sweet. It's perfumed, like liquid flowers mixed with the essence of apple as it flows across the palate. The 2021 finishes savory, nearly salty in style, with lingering citrus hints. (Eric Guido, Vinous, May 2023) — 2 years ago

Peg Hanssen

10

A fabulous find!! Grasevina is a dry, fresh, aromatic white wine with apple-like notes. It’s typically considered to be a neutral and easy-drinking wine. The everyday wine of Central Europe, Grasevina is also known as Welschriesling. Recognizable features of the grape are its acid and slight almond-like bitterness. Belje began in 1697 when Roman Emperor Leopold gifted the estate to Prince Eugene of Savoy. The wine is straw yellow with hints of light green. The wine itself is beautifully fruity and flowery, fresh and crisp acidity that resembles citrus with the slightest hint of sweetness. This wine is well balanced, finishes with a beautiful orange peel note and a nice bite. An exceptional food-friendly wine that is unfairly overlooked and underappreciated.  Surdyks March 2023 $13.99 (Reg $16.99) — 2 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Such a great value (and Calatayud generally is a wildly underrated region for Grenache). Nose has concentrated essence of framboise ooze, along with a bit of spice and crushed rock dust. On the palate, it’s got dense flavor concentration, very pure fruit, nice acids (especially for a Grenache), and a bit of dusty tannins. So good. Should have gotten a case. — 3 years ago