Flora Springs 2019 Holiday Blend – Two Turtle Doves

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$95.00USD

Every year Flora Springs produces holiday wines, this year with a beautiful etched bottle (and a three pack of three different holiday etchings and blends) featuring turtle doves. A cabernet dominate blend, this offers soft, bright fruit of black cherry, blackberry, huckleberry, boysenberry, with back notes of green tea leaf, sandalwood, Asian pear, vanilla, camp fire and light dusty mocha. 18 months of aging in French and American oak barrels rounds out the fruit. They don’t make much but it makes a unique gift. 230 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.2

2020 Halter Ranch Libelle Sparkling Picpoul Blanc, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida District, Wine Revieew

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$85.00USD

This is a really interesting wine.  It is made from 100% Picpoul Blanc in the Methode Champenoise style.  Picpoul Blanc isn't all that common but is usually found in the Rhone Valley or the Languedoc in Southeastern France.  This is (to the best of my memory), the only time I have seen a sparkling Picpoul.  The grapes are grown using organic and sustainable methods in California's Central Coast.  The wine is silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  There is a nice mousse of tiny sized bubbles that are persistent in the glass.  Very pretty.  The nose starts out showing some tropica

2019 E. Guigal Hermitage, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$65.00USD

The best wines from Guigal are generally considered his Cote Rotie's but the Hermitage doesn't lag far behind.  On the other hand, their Hermitage is much more affordable and is certainly worth looking at.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, clay, spice, some oak, violets and smoke.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Well balanced.  On the palate, there is plenty of black raspberry fruit but overall this wine needs time.  Plenty of impenetrable depth.  Great texture.  Long finish.  Ideally hold this for another seven to ten years and drink over the ne

2014 J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Farconnet, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A

It was nice to revisit this wine (See https://www.intowine.com/reviews/2014-jl-chave-s%C3%A9lection-hermitage-...) as it gets closer to full maturity.  This wine has really exceeded all of my expectations.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, slight dried floral note and a fresh earthiness.  Full bodied.  great texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with some underlying funk and hints of va

2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Maison Bleue, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$65.00USD

This was the first vintage of this wine as it replaced the La Petit Chapelle bottling.  It seems to be a bottling made for more immediate drinking than the La Chapelle bottling.  It is a very classic Hermitage nevertheless and at age 8, this seems to be just settling in.  Purple in color with ruby hues, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, and smoked herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with a slight floral (violet?) note and smoke.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and should easily go another ten years.  Ni

2019 Yann Chave Hermitage, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A

Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, clay, black pepper and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and youthful.  Delicious.  Black raspberries, roasted herbs and black pepper  Long finish.  This is a big wine that will benefit from another five to ten years in the cellar.  It will drink well for twenty years, but if drinking soon, then give it a few hours in a decanter.  It will work with bigger foods.  Roasted duck should work nicely.

2020 Tardieu-Laurent Hermitage, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$79.00USD

Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is initially quite spicy.  With air, there is also black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat and slight roasted herbs.  Medium to full bodied.  A nice backbone of  acidity. On the palate, black cherries, black raspberries, and black pepper with underlying char.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well already and quite open.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  Very nice on its own, this would be great with a Braised Lamb stew.  

2011 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2011
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$175.00USD

This is one of the superstar wines from Hermitage.  The vintage is good but not great and the wines are maturing perhaps a bit sooner.  That said, what a treat to drink a mature bottle of this wine.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, a bit of chocolate, black pepper, cloves and slight bacon fat.  Full bodied.  Tannins mostly resolved.  Good balance.  On the palate, there is a nice complexity.  Layers of black raspberries, roasted herbs, and black pepper.  Moderately long finish.  This is delicious and at or close to peak.  No hurry

2017 J.L. Chave Sélection Hermitage Blanche, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$80.00USD

Just a great showing for this wine.  It can be difficult to know when to open a white Hermitage with age on it.  The wines are mysterious, shutting down and opening up on their own schedule.  This bottle seemed old at first but kept getting "younger" as it opened.  Golden in color (darker than expected), clear and bright.  The nose is interesting with pears, slight orange peel, hints of wax and maybe a bit of a floral tone.  Full bodied.  On the palate, at first this seemed a bit oxidized but not shot.  With air, those flavors disappeared to be followed by pears, slight citrus and char.  Go

2020 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage Blanc Chevalier de Sterimberg, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$65.00USD

A white wine from one of the top producers of Hermitage, Paul Jaboulet.  A 60/40 blend of Marsanne and Rousanne.  It seems to  be a bit "lighter" in style but that works very well.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great.  It has a fresh air quality along with slight pineapple, a bit of wax, and some apricot.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, red apples and slight citrus.  Long finish.  This is tasty on its own and will work well with sea food or fowl.   Drink over the next ten years.  

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