WORLD WINE

Bodega Granbazan is located in Tremoedo, in the Salnes sub-zone of Rias Baixas. Owners Manuel Otero and his nephew Jesus Alvarez own 17 hectares of 30-year-old Albarino vines that is supplemented by long-term contract with growers. Grapes are hand-picked, de-stemmed and undergo six to eight hours of cold maceration, while fermentation is undertaken in concrete and steel tanks using both natural and cultured yeast. I adore their evocative, rather old-fashioned labels with their maritime-themed drawings and equally, more importantly, I loved the wines inside. These are pure Rias Baixas Albarinos that brim over with crispness, flavor and authenticity.

Racy acidity and great structure, this trocken riesling is completely dry with an incredible amount of minerality. Limestone and chalk comes through on the palate with tart flavors of peaches and apricots. A great bottle of wine from a great vintage like 2016.

"If you want to produce fine wine, you have to know what fine wine is all about. So the first thing you have to do is travel and drink the world's finest wines. The second, work on your vineyards meticuously." So says Klaus-Peter Keller, the proprietor of Weingut Keller, arguably the top estate in all of Germany. And we couldn't agree more.
Keller's wines are some of the most sought after, and difficult to get, wines on the market today. Jancis Robinson has described his Rieslings as the "Montrachets of Germany". Not only does he make world class dry, off-dry and sweet Rieslings, but he also makes beautiful wines from "lesser" grapes such as Sylvaner and Scheurebe. Keller also pays just as much attention and puts just as much love into his everyday wines as he does to his Grosses Gewächs (Grand Cru) bottlings.

The "Trocken" is a dry riesling that is deep, complex and racy. High acidity combined with lots of rocky, mineral flavors define the wine, complimented with citrus and floral notes to add complexity. The finish is long, balanced and intense. Enjoy this wine with a simple classic dish like bratwurst and sauerkraut.

MOSEL FINE WINES - 92 POINTS This offers a very fresh nose of mint, lead pencil, white flowers, white peach, grapefruit and smoke. The wine dances on the tongue with subtle flavors of fruits interplaying with slate and white peach. The residual sugar is well integrated into some nice, elegant and zesty acidity, giving the wine great inner harmony. This juicy wine is a superb off-dry Riesling! Now-2030

WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "The 2014 Aalto is produced with Tempranillo from different zones of Ribera del Duero aged in oak barrels, some 70% of them new, for 16 months, a little bit less than in previous years when the wine was aged for some 18 months. They now use some grapes from new vineyards they started planting in the year 2000. The nose has plenty of black fruit, with something earthy, including hints of graphite and lead pencil. It has a classical, somehow Bordelaise, profile with sweet spices and cedar wood; it's ripe without excess. The palate is full-bodied and powerful, with good balance, in an XL style, as the wine hits the scales at 15% alcohol. The tannins are very polished, with some grainy texture and good freshness. This is ready now and should also be able to age nicely in bottle, set to be a commercial success, with the typical Aalto profile."

Bodegas y Vinedos Aalto is a partnership between legendary vigneron Mariano Garcia and Javier Zaccagnini, former President of the governing body of the Ribera del Duero DO. Aalto is sourced from 7 different villages on a variety of soils with vineyard age ranging from 40-100 years and was aged for 24 months in French and American oak.

WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "The 2011 Pago Valdebellon, pure Cabernet Sauvignon, has the cassis and herbal aromas so typical from the variety, but in 2011 it ripened perfectly and also reveals showy, dark aromas of graphite, black pepper and smoke. It does have some aromas of dark chocolate and smoke, but the oak is perfectly integrated and makes those aromas of paprika come out and provide freshness. The palate is medium to full-bodied with classical dusty, grainy tannins, good acidity, and very good balance, a big, powerful and ripe Cabernet which really benefitted from the 2011 growing season. This has to be one of the top Cabernet Sauvignons produced in Spain. Drink 2015-2020."

Abadia Retuerta is part of the prestigious 'Golden Mile' (La Milla de Oro) of wineries located along the Duero River in the autonomous community of Castilla y Leon. La Milla de Oro has a special microclimate and is home to some of Spain's most renowned wineries including Vega Sicilia, Dominio de Pingus and Bodegas Mauro.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The single vineyard Tempranillo is the 2012 Pago Negralada, a plot at 760 meters altitude on deep gravel soils covered with sand; it is a relatively warm soil that provides good homogeneous ripeness of the grapes, vintage after vintage. As with all of the single vineyards, it fermented with indigenous yeasts and went through malolactic fermentation in brad new French oak barrels, where it had an upbringing of 18 months before bottling after a clarification with egg whites. I found the character of orange peel that I frequently saw in the Ribera del Duero reds in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with some rusticity and a little dustiness, with character. There are fine-grained tannins, good balance and a dusty texture that fills your mouth. It has very good balance and it will age nicely. 5,700 bottles, 275 magnums and 18 double magnums were filled from the 22 barrels in one single lot on June 17th 2014."

Abadia Retuerta is part of the prestigious 'Golden Mile' (La Milla de Oro) of wineries located along the Duero River in the autonomous community of Castilla y Leon. La Milla de Oro has a special microclimate and is home to some of Spain's most renowned wineries including Vega Sicilia, Dominio de Pingus and Bodegas Mauro.

#12 TOP 100 2016 WINE SPECTATOR
WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS 'SMART BUY' - "A polished texture carries harmonious flavors of black cherry, cola, licorice and mineral in this focused red. Well-integrated tannins and balsamic acidity lend this a balanced structure. Reserved but deep. Drink now through 2022. 31,150 cases made."

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - “The entry-level red and largest volume of Abadía Retuerta, the 2012 Seleccion Especial, is nothing like the initial oaky versions of it you might remember. This is produced as a blend of Tempranillo with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah from the 54 separate plots that they have identified in their 180 hectares of vineyards. This 2012 matured in French (60%) and American (40%) oak barrels for 14 months, a slightly shorter time than in previous vintages. The casks were one third new, one third second use and one third third use. This is the wine that has improved the most, and it's now a fine, elegant wine with restrained power, true to the place where it's born and the vintage when the grapes are harvested. This is the highly recommended wine from the winery. All grapes ripened properly in 2012 and the Cabernet feels very integrated; there are some spicy aromas intermixed with the wild berry aromas, developing some balsamic undertones, licorice and a little bit of toast. It is very subtle and nicely compact. The texture is very fine with dusty tannins, good acidity and freshness. It is long, balanced and supple, with power and elegance. The wine is approachable now and with stuffing to age. It is a great value and highly recommended."

This is a serious, well-balanced wine with a rich bouquet and deep fruit flavors. This fantastic red blend is from Sardon de Duero, a wine-growing area in northern Spain west of Ribera del Duero. It is part of the prestigious 'Golden Mile' of wineries located along the Duero River in the community of Castilla y Leon. The Golden Mile has a special microclimate and is home to some of Spain's most renowned wineries including Vega Sicilia, Dominio de Pingus and Bodegas Mauro. The Special Selection is produced from the best grapes from each of Abadia's vineyards. It combines the richness of Tempranillo with the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with additional complexity from the addition of Syrah. This delicious wine is an outstanding value and over-delivers for the price!

WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - "Tightly wound, with intense cherry and raspberry preserve flavors, flanked by Asian spice notes. Bittersweet chocolate accents appear on the finish. Needs time to flesh out. Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2016 through 2019. 7,212 cases made."

WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - " The 2007 Finca Bella Vista is the first bottling of this cuvee since the 2004 vintage because 2005 and 2006 were wiped out by hail. The Bella Vista vineyard was planted in 1910 with yields for this wine at a miniscule 0.75 tons per acre. The wine was aged for 15 months in 100% new French oak. A glass-coating opaque purple, it offers up an alluring bouquet of smoke, scorched earth, incense, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium- to full-bodied, velvety-textured, and surprisingly forward, this voluptuous effort has gobs of layered sweet fruit, earth and spice notes, plenty of concealed fine grained tannin, and a lengthy finish. The temptation will be to drink this hedonistic effort without delay. However, it will reward extended cellaring and should be at its best from 2013 to 2022."

WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "The 2006 Finca Altamira is deep crimson-colored with a complex aromatic array of wood smoke, spice box, mineral, espresso, black cherry, and black raspberry. Structured, opulent, and long, it will develop in the cellar for another 3-5 years and provide prime drinking from 2012 to 2021."

WINE ADVOCATE 95 POINTS - "The 2007 Finca Altamira was sourced from a 14-acre, 80+-year-old vineyard with yields of 0.75 tons per acre. It was aged in new French oak for 15 months. Opaque purple/black in color, it has an entrancing aromatic array of pain grille, pencil lead, scorched earth, truffle, black cherry, and plum. Opulent on the palate but with a bit more elegance than the Bella Vista cuvee, it is already revealing complex flavors along with its considerable depth, richness, and length. It will continue to blossom for another 3-4 years and offer prime drinking from 2013 to 2022."

WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "The 2007 Finca Mirador was sourced from a 13-acre parcel in Medrano planted in 1921. The yields for this wine were 0.9 tons per acre with the wine aged for 15 months in new French oak. Purple-colored with a superb display of toasty new oak, lilacs, spice box, black cherry, and black raspberry, on the palate it sports an elegant personality, savory flavors, underlying structure, and a lengthy, 45-second finish. It, too, will drink well from 2013 to 2022."

Working organically since his first vintage in 2004, all the grapes are hand-picked. Vinification is traditional (small wooden press), there is a very prudent use of oak 'a good barrel is a barrel you cannot taste' says Albert, it should 'help the wine express itself not actually add its own mark to the juice'. All wines are then bottled without fining or filtration, making them the most exciting and expressive wines we have tasted from this upcoming region.

80% Carignan, 20% Garnacha 10 months in 1-3 year old French oak barrels 40-75 year old vines Primary violets, black cherry, raspberry, herbs & oak, palate has vim & vigour, rich, broad black fruits, fennel, floral, plum and dark chocolate

We recently held a comprehensive tasting of Proseccos for our staff in order to upgrade our selection of this increasingly popular genre. The winner, especially when price was considered, was this delightful “Garbel” bottling by Adami. “Garbel” is a word from arcane Veneto dialect that means a dry, crisp, pleasantly tart wine. All the Prosecco grapes for this fizz were sourced exclusively from preferred hillside vineyards in the Colli Trevigiani district. Garbel’s 13 grams of residual sugar places it between the Brut and Extra Dry styles giving it the versatility to be enjoyed with a wide range of foods including antipasti and mildly spicy Pacific Rim fare.ROBERT PARKER 88 POINTS - The entry-level Non-vintage Prosecco 13 Garbel is pretty and focused in its floral fruit. This delicious Prosecco shows plenty of energy and focus in an easygoing style. Anticipated maturity: 201 2-2015 .

WINERY NOTES-"Bosco di Gica is the ancient name of the area where the family's best vineyards are located. A blend of 93-95% Prosecco with 5-7% Chardonnay this bubbly displays a straw yellow hue and a fine gentle mousse. The nose is deep with excellent fruit, along with scents of yellow apple and peach plus notes of wisteria and acacia blossom. Wonderful balance and elegance complement a pleasurably crisp spiciness while while displaying a crisp, savoury mouthfeel. Its generous, lingering flavours nicely mirror the nose and achieve perfect balance."

We have been waiting for this one! A Super Tuscan we can pop the cork on and enjoy at our next dinner with friends and family. A 60% Merlot blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from one of the best regions for Bordeaux varietals in the world.
The Bolgheri region is well known for the great Super Tuscans Ornellaia and Sassicaia which have retail prices of over $150. Bolgheri is a unique area in Tuscany where winemakers broke the established rules by using international varieties in their high quality blends. This is such an outstanding area for these grapes that they have become some of the most highly collected wines in the world with prices to match!

The Pellegrini family have been grape growers for many generations and have sold their grapes to some of the Top Super Tuscan houses for many years. Their property, Casavecchia, is adjacent to the highly regarded Ornellaia and shares many attributes of its more famous neighbor. Somehow, even in this high rent district, Aia Vecchia has brought us an affordable interpretation of this fantastic Mediterranean climate location. This fantastic Super Tuscan is drinking exceptionally well right now!

Akilia was created in December 2010 by Mario Rovira, a disciple of Jean-Claude Berrouet of Petrus fame, with whom he had worked at La Fleur Petrus in Bordeaux.The 2011 Chano Villar comes from a vineyard of that name, 2 hectares on a clay and slate soil slope. It’s fermented and aged for nine months in cement vats. Not so deeply colored, the nose has lots of wild berries, some leather and an herbaceous touch. The palate is medium-bodied, supple, and drinkable, with a nice bitter end. 8,000 bottles were produced. Drink 2013-2015.

JAMES SUCKLING - 94 POINTS
A particularly gentle style of Junmai that is an accurate expression of how delicate sake can become as you work your way to the north of Japan. There is a clean and crisp mouth feel to compliment the sake’s slightly sweetened rosewater undertones. Rice is Gin no Sei.Polishing 64%. Alcohol 14.5%.

Akitabare Koshiki Junzukuri "Northern Skies"

Akitabare is the kind of sake one can drink enjoyably for hours at a stretch. Its subdued, understated refinement evokes a sense of the northern province where it is meticulously brewed. Pleasingly dry and quite mild, a well-crafted traditional sake.
This Junmai has a plum nose with subtle grass tones. The first sip has a fairly dry start filled with hints of lemon, plum, and grape skin tones. The viscosity is slick and shimmering and the overall feel is soft and balanced. This Junmai is a classic "three sipper" which means you need to realize three sips to find the soul and beauty of this semi-dry Junmai.

Sake Meter Value: +3
Acidity: 1.8
Prefecture: Akita
Food pairing: Incredibly versatile. Enjoy with a variety of foods.

Alamos crafts quality wines from Argentina, offering the best of the country's high altitude vineyards at an incredible value. Alamos grapes are grown at the foothills of the Andes Mountains at elevations of 3,000 to 6,000 feet, where intense sunlight, cool evening temperatures and mineral-rich irrigation from mountain snowmelt translate to bright aromatics and rich flavors. Alamos Chardonnay offers flavors of ripe apple, apricot and peach with layers of tropical fruit. Oak aging lent this wine aromas and flavors of brown spice and butterscotch, creating a full mouthfeel and lingering finish.

The purple-colored Malbec Blend contains 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Bonarda. The wine was aged in French and American oak. It offers up a nose of cedar, black cherry, and plum leading to a dense wine with plenty of savory black fruit flavor, a forward personality, and good length.

This organic wine is stored in American and French oak barrels for nine months; a quarter of this time is spent in new oak barrels. Rich dark violet colour. Intense aroma of dark berries and plums. The taste has elegant tones of concentrated fruit, coffee and tannins.

WINEMAKER NOTES - Vivid straw-yellow green color with a touch of ripe lemon. Bright and slightly sparkling. On the nose it is intense and elegant aroma with hints of fresh herbs, green apples, citric fruits and grapefruit. On the palate it is persistent, rounded and full-bodied, with a light petillance that gives the wine an impressive and vivacious sense of freshness.

Appearance: attractive straw color with hints of green in the rim. Clean and brilliant.Nose: very expressive and harmonious nose. Fine notes of white fruit (green apples, pear) and lemony aromas. Hints of herbs (basil) and flower blossom base notes. Surprising aromatic intensity.Palate: Clean and textured. Seductive exotic palate of pineapple and mango intermingled with refreshing citrus flavors amplified by minerally accents. Silky but yet full bodied, with long lingering finish. Round and very tasty.

Winemaker's Notes The grapes are hand picked. The whole cluster grapes are directly pressed in a pneumatic press with a long and soft pressing, hence the coral/ light pink salmon color. Cremant Rosé is made by the Champagne Methode. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Afterwards it stays on its lees for 9 months follow by the remuage and disgorging.

The Conterno family has been making wine since the 1700’s and Aldo Conterno is regarded as one of the greatest producers of Piedmont. As a young man, Aldo worked with his brother, Giovanni before striking out on his own in 1969. He developed a reputation as an innovator with a focus on quality and attention to detail and passed this dynamism on to his three sons who now run the business.

Aldo’s small property on the hill of Bussia in Monforte D’Alba has grown into a marvelous 25 hectare estate. The Aldo Conterno Barolo’s are intense and concentrated examples of perfectly ripened Nebbiolo grapes from superior terroirs, grown at a gentle altitude that allows for optimum finesse. The three top ‘Crus’ on the famed Bussia slope produce the three flagship Barolos of the estate.

Radiant and succulent red and blue fruits, new saddle leather, cigar wrapper, violet petals, baking spices and loam waft from the glass of this spellbinding ’13 Barolo Bussia. This wine shows impeccable balance, unfurling on the palate with energy and focus to reveal a seamless structure and silky texture. While you’ll want to drink this wine right away, time in the cellar will make it more harmonious and refined. Once simply Aldo Conterno Barolo and now called Barolo Bussia, this entry-level Barolo from Aldo Conterno has garnered a reputation for being a generous, open, genial wine; it’s a perennial IWM client favorite. Deriving from 12 acres of plots in Bussia Soprano with vines aging between 35 and 40 years, the carefully selected grapes ferment for thirty days, and the wine ages for 27 months in cask, followed by twelve months in bottle before release.

WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - "A fragrant style, offering rose, cherry, earth, mineral and cumin aromas and flavors. Young and tense, yet shows fine potential, with complex flavors, good structure and a long aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2040."

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "It may be a so-called entry level Barolo, but the 2013 Barolo Bussia definitely delivers the goods. Fruit is sourced from three separate points within the larger Bussia cru. These sites are characterized by clay soils with southeast exposures and approximately 25-year-old vines. The quality of fruit is very intense and defined with dark cherry and dried blackberry. Yet the mouthfeel is ethereal, light and buoyant. Keeping in line with the vintage, the tannins are firm and slightly rigid. However, they are well absorbed by the exuberant nature of the fruit. The wine's personality is reminiscent of the Barolo Bussia Cicala. Rating: 93+