Any price
Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion
Massolino Barolo Parussi
The 2015 Parussi is bursting with lovely juicy, wild forest fruit and grenadine notes underpinned by an intense, mineral freshness and fresh walnut-like tannins. A beautiful Barolo that closes with a super long, mint-and-lavender-and-cherry-scented finish. The iron-rich, 'blue clay' soils here are a little lighter, more oxygenated, with more silt and less clay than Serralunga. This makes for more vigour in the vines and a completely different style of wine. The Massolino family were attracted by the excellent south-easterly and south-westerly exposure of the vines, the vineyard's situation at 300 metres above sea level on the crest of the hill, and the 45-year-old vines. Today, they are the only Barolo producer to bottle a single vineyard wine from this cru. A traditional Barolo, 15-20 days of fermentation and maceration at 31-33°C; aged in oak barrels for about 30 months and left to mature in bottles placed in special dark, cool cellars for about a year. Founded in 1896, Massolino Winery, is based in and around the town of Serralunga, one of the prime sub-zones of the Barolo DOC. The Massolino familys greatest asset is of course their 23 hectares of (mostly) Serralunga vineyards, including choice parcels of such famous sites as; Margheria, Parafada and the legendary Vigna Rionda. We say mostly as the Massolino clan recently purchased a slice of the Parussi cru in Castiglione Falletto. Serrralunga, on the eastern edge of the Barolo DOCG, produces some of most profound and long lived Barolo. It is the home of great names such as Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosas Falletto vineyard. The wines often have an extra stuffing of intense Nebbiolo fruit as well as a remarkable minerality that plays on both the freshness of the tannins and gives the wines a certain ferrous edge when young. It is fair to say that Massolino holds the most remarkable collection of vineyards in Serralunga, amongst the smaller, quality focused producers anyway. The quality strides at this estate over the last 10-15 years have been remarkable with significant advances made, particularly in the vineyards. Certainly there has also been refinements in the cellars, firstly by Franco Massolino and then by current winemaker Giovanni Angeli (ex Vajra) who has been working with Franco since the 2005 harvest. As always however, it has been the work in the vineyards and the search for expressive and perfectly ripe fruit that has driven the rise in quality at this estate. The resultant improvement here has been very good news for both the commune and Barolo in general. Today the wines of Massolino sit comfortably among the finest of the region they are wines of wonderful purity and elegance. They are exclusively aged in large casks, so they are traditional and yet they offer the best of the old and new worlds: pure, aromatic, textural, deeply flavoured wines that are at the same time precise, vibrant and distinctly regional. These are wines that score extremely highly on our deliciousness scale. Equally important, these wines are remarkably well priced when compared to the other top producers of the area.
Daniel Gomez Jimenez Landi Las Iruelas Grenache, Sierra de Gredos, Castilla Y Leon
Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi Las Iruelas Garnacha Las Iruelas (taking its name from the Valle de Iruelas) is Dani Landis 1er cru single-vineyard, or vino de parcela Garnacha that from vines that sit 1000 metres above sea level in the village of El Tiemblo. Like all of Dani Landis wines, the fruit comes from biodynamically grown, hand-tended old vines. These vines are 60+ years-old and sit on steep, east facing slopes. The rich and complex Sierra de Gredos soils are made up of sandy granite, schist, quartz and clay. The wine is made with the same care as all of Landi's wines, both the 1er crus and the village style. Whole bunches are fermented in open vats using natural yeasts, managed with pigéage, and aged for 16 months in 500L French oak barrels. The wine style shows bright acidity, juicy red cherry fruit and a muscularity owing to the use of oak. With just a couple of years bottle age, the tannin settle, the red fruit develops and the wine achieves a new level of sophistication. Discover Landi >
Domaine Lionnet Terre Brulee , Cornas, Cornas
Domaine Lionnet Pur Granit , Cornas, Cornas
Nervi Conterno Gattinara Nebbiolo
Nervi is a historic, benchmark Gattinara producer with 28.5ha of highly-prized Nebbiolo vineyards across the appellation, in the northern part of Piedmont. The modern Nervi was founded in 1906 by Luigi Nervi. The Gattinara wine is drawn from across the estate, including declassified material from both Molsino and Valferana. The Nervi family ran the estate until the 1990s, and in 2011 it was purchased by investors who brought in the leading Barolo figure Roberto Conterno as a consultant. "Gattinara represents the purest expression of the northern [Piedmont] zones." Vino Italiano -- David Lynch and Joe Bastianich In May 2018 Conterno purchased the estate. Gattinara was awarded DOC status in 1967, and upgraded to DOCG in 1990. Gravelly clay soils remnants of an ancient collapsed volcano -- are rich in granite and other minerals including iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese. The terroir gives the wines a distinct minerality which sets them apart from the neighbouring appellations. Molsino matures for at least four years in large oak vats.
Nervi Conterno Molsino Nebbiolo
Nervi is a historic, benchmark Gattinara producer with 28.5ha of highly-prized Nebbiolo vineyards across the appellation, in the northern part of Piedmont. The modern Nervi was founded in 1906 by Luigi Nervi. Molsino is one of the estates two top named sites -- a historic cru with mentions in town records as far back as 1471. The Nervi family ran the estate until the 1990s, and in 2011 it was purchased by investors who brought in the leading Barolo figure Roberto Conterno as a consultant. Gattinara represents the purest expression of the northern [Piedmont] zones. Vino Italiano - David Lynch and Joe Bastianich In May 2018 Conterno purchased the estate. Gattinara was awarded DOC status in 1967, and upgraded to DOCG in 1990. Gravelly clay soils remnants of an ancient collapsed volcano -- are rich in granite and other minerals including iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese. The terroir gives the wines a distinct minerality which sets them apart from the neighbouring appellations. Molsino matures for at least four years in large oak vats.
Penfolds Bin 707
Bin 707 is a Cabernet Sauvignon reflection of Grange, intensely-flavoured fruit, completion of fermentation and maturation in new oak, expressing a Penfolds understanding of multi-vineyard, multi-region fruit sourcing. Bin 707 was first vintaged in 1964. The wine was not made from 1970 to 1975 when fruit was directed to other wines, nor in 1981, 1995, 2000, 2003 or 2011 (when fruit of the required style and quality was not available). Full bodied and with proven cellaring potential, Bin 707 retains a secure place among the ranks of Australias finest Cabernets.
Penfolds Max's Shiraz
Penfolds Max's Shiraz is a tribute to former Chief Winemaker, Max Schubert, a legend in Penfolds history. His constant pursuit of excellence paved the way for those who followed in his footsteps, growing the brand's status and heritage in the process. Fruit-driven and generous in flavour, this fine red has a contemporary, persistent palate with subtle tannins leading to a soft, oak finish.
Yering Station Reserve Shiraz Viognier
Yering Station Reserve wines are produced only in years of outstanding quality. The Shiraz Viognier is co fermented, made up of 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier. A wonderful vintage in 2012 where fruit was able to ripen to maturity in cool conditions