Ponzi Vineyards Laurelwood Chardonnay 2022
Laurelwood District, Willamette Valley, Oregon
January 30, 2025 - Situated along the Northern ridge of the Chehalem Mountains, the Laurelwood District boasts ancient soils of fractured basalt layered over with a fine, windblown sediment called loess. A decade-long effort by the Ponzis, alongside their neighbors, has resulted in the recognition of Oregon’s first soil-based AVA, the Laurelwood District.
James Suckling - March 15, 2023 "Showing bright Sicilian lemon, white grapefruit, matchstick, apricots and white tea aromas. Clean and deliciously creamy, with a medium to full body and focused finish."
Jeb Dunnuck - September 14, 2023 "A medium yellow hue, the 2021 Chardonnay Laurelwood District is juicy with notes of melon, wet stone, candied citrus, and a rounded touch of oak spice. Medium-bodied, with fresh energy…
Gary Farrell Winery Russian River Selection Chardonnay 2022
Russian River Valley, California
January 15, 2025 - The Russian River Selection bottlings are quintessential Russian River Valley wines blended from some of the winery’s top vineyard sources. This layered and complex Chardonnay brings together fruit from several premier Russian River Valley vineyard sites.
James Suckling - April 04, 2024 "Fruity and creamy chardonnay with notes of mangoes, candied lemons, honeysuckle and pralines. Medium- to full-bodied with vivid acidity that gives it backbone and highlights its minerality. Balanced and fresh."
Masciarelli Marina Cvetic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva 2020
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC
December 24, 2024 - The Montepulciano Marina Cvetic represents an intense and remarkable expression of one of the historical vines of Abruzzo. The 100% Montepulciano comes from eight of the estate's top parcels, across an altitude of 500 to 1,200 feet above sea level, on soils of calcareous clay and lime. In these vineyards, we find not only the traditional Abruzzo pergola vine training, but also Simple Guyot and Spur Cordon as well.
James Suckling - October 17, 2024 "Complex notes of cocoa, rose petals, mulberries and dried mint on the nose, followed by a layered, full-bodied and meaty palate. The tannins are resolving nicely."
Far Mountain Fission Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Valley, California
December 05, 2024 - Fission is a pure mountain wine, with a dark depth of fruit chiseled by the cool elevation of its two vineyard sites. A wine of texture, with the intensity and sappy concentration we associate with old vines, it builds into powerful tannins that remain refined, almost cloaked by the seductiveness of the fruit and the gently building structure. The name "Fission" references the textural and mineral characteristics that the unique volcanic soil brings to this wine.
James Suckling - December 05, 2023 "Lovely fresh thyme, currant and lead pencil. Black berry. Black olive. Pine cone and pine needles. Bay leaf. Medium to full body, with round and firm tannins and not too…
Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année 2015
Champagne
November 20, 2024 - La Grande Année: The Great Year. This Champagne is the embodiment of everything that makes Bollinger the producer that stands apart in Champagne. La Grande Année, or LGA, preserves the traditions of the past and symbolizes the word "hand-crafted" so strongly that an overused word suddenly becomes the only appropriate definition.
James Suckling - April 12, 2024
Wine Spectator - September 25, 2024 "This expressive Champagne features a rich, well-spiced range of flavors chiseled by well-honed, integrated acidity, which lends a racy feel to the ripe black cherry and mulberry fruit and notes…
