Wine Reviews

This lovely wine business, created under the aegis of Rene Barbier, Fernando Zamora (Clos Mogador) and Christopher Cannan (Clos Figuera), has put the Garnacha of Montsant in the who's-who of essential grapes varieties for inclusion in the wine cellars of all those who love Mediterranean red wines. The first official vintage, the 2004, catapulted...
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Dominio de Atauta was founded in 1999 in Soria, on the eastern boundary of the Ribera del Duero, at a time when hardly anyone believed in its vineyards. Herein resided the success of the bodega which was able to spot the magic of an area sitting at about a thousand metres altitude and possessing extremely old and virtually untapped vineyards. ...
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The big surprise, with a capital "S", of 2013, is brought to us by two totems of the wine world, Benjamin de Rothschild and Vega Sicilia.  12 years ago they started working together on creating  new winery from scratch in one of the world's most classic wine regions: Rioja.  It is located in San Vicente de la Sonsierra to be precise, where the...
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The 80’s, when Juan Carlos López de Lacalle managed the Laguardia cooperative and spent his time “swimming” through a sea of maceration carbonique, are long gone. This technique was prized and popular with the famous "cosecheros" of La Rioja at the time.  But López de Lacalle had greater ambitions and he slowly set about building the business he...
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Drum roll please for this boutique Champagne house, the author of an uninhibited Champagne which has attained cult status mostly in the last decade, little by little. Located on the slopes of the village of Avize, its small production is a far cry from the glamorous, glitzy Champagnes which abound in the region.  Anselme Selosse is considered a...
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This is one of the oldest houses in Champagne which started on its current journey in 1910. Located in Mareuil-sur-Ay, it has always positioned itself as a traditional Champagne house for connoisseurs rather than a big, international Champagne house.  As a consequence, it is not even recognized by the general public who do however know its other...
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Franciacorta is located in the heart of Lombardy and stretches between Brescia and Lake Iseo.  It describes three concepts: a wine, a production method (traditional or classic) and the region where Italy’s finest quality sparkling wines are produced. The Ricci Curbastro family has over one hundred years of history behind it, its first sparkling...
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This is a splendid example of a Priorat bodega, created in 1998, which quickly made ​​a name for itself in the market and which has enjoyed international critical acclaim since its first release with the 2002 harvest.  Run by the Castillo-Bairaguet husband and wife team, it is by definition a family winery which has only 10 hectares of vineyards...
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This interesting business was set up in the middle of the last decade by South African, Eben Sadie and German, Dominik A. Huber, who are possibly the best representatives of what has been termed Priorat's "second revolution".  The bodega is located in the village of Torroja del Priorat and its style is distinctly Burgundy-inspired. They produce...
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