Wine Disclosures

  I first tasted this wine at the winery, directly from Karas (Armenian for Amphora) halfway finished.  It was bursting with floral aromas, juicy-fruity-spicy cherryish characters and bold tannins, suggesting great potential in bottle. Five years on, freshness has matured into savory, dried red fruit notes, with a fuller bodied velvety texture. Balanced and persistent, it more than hints at what might have existed 6,000 years ago at the beginnings of wine culture.  Yeraz’s vines are tipped as ‘older than time’ but no one really knows exactly how old, only that they had been there before the parents and grandparents of the oldest people in the nearest village had been born. The ‘mile high’ vineyard grows at 1600 metres with an extreme 15º C temperature difference between night and day – markedly retarding growth. The vines, as old as they look, and lean and hardy as they are, are less obviously much older. All that alone makes the vineyard special enough, but only scratc...

 My favorite vineyard  sits high above Areni Cave within the foothills of an unnamed mountain in Armenia. The cave below opens up like a large vagina, having given birth to a wine culture more than 6,000 years ago. Named Yeraz , the vineyard – still wild and uncontained – has snaked its way into nooks and crannies over centuries seeking a best place to live. Through the course of capturing its own space, vines have split boulders in search of sun and sustenance. Uniquely, Yeraz shares its DNA with the grape seeds found buried inside Areni’s ancient pots below. For the whole story: https://www.winedisclosures.com/amphora-triptych/karas-amphora-in-armenia

  Grown in Bergerac’s cooler conditions, under the influence of both the Atlantic and Pyrenees in SW France.  Sauvignon Gris is to Sauvignon Blanc, what Pinot Gris is to Pinot Blanc – fuller, richer, fruitier. This wine’s full bodied texture is its ace in the hole. Unctuous and oily, in a pleasing way, with a touch of acidity to keep it all coursing through a long finish. At peak drinking maturity now, it offers up an exotic mix of ripe mango/guava and fresh asparagus/pea sprout characters. I’ve judged ten Mondial Sauvignon Blanc wine competitions and this is the first time I’ve seen one of their medal winners off a shop shelf. I went back and bought 3 more, all great bottles. Awarded gold in 2017, it’s still singing a great song, although its voice has changed over time, a bit rounder, more restrained and thought provoking. Nicely shaped and shaded by the test of time. 18-18.5/20 tasted 3.21

  Vina Bosconia Reserva 2008 by Rioja’s Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia   This warm hearted, classic blend of Tempranillo (80%), Garnacha (15%), Mazuelo and Graciano c omes from one of my all time favorite producers, Lopez de Heredia. Rioja’s MOST traditional ‘traditionalist’ still makes wine like they did in the 19 th Century – holding back every wine until it reaches the point where it just begins to drink at its best. Neither driven by ‘modern’ technological wizardry, nor formulaic ‘follow the marketing trends’ winemaking, Tondonia is a testament to how massive 100 year old old wooden tanks and underground cellaring shape wine in the best way possible. Vina Bosconia is Lopez de Heredia’s take on a voluptuous Burgundy-like Rioja style vs their firmer Bordeaux-like version, Vina Tondonia . This well rounded ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ offers tons of fleshy red fruit characters and perfectly counter-balancing structure. I thoroughly enjoyed the delectably pure juiciness o...