Timo scored this wine: 92/100

Well structured wine with pronounced tannins and acidity. Lovely flavors of violets, cherries, plums and baking spices, undertones of liquorice, tobacco and smoke. Complex and intriguing wine that can age well, it’s beginning to be enjoyable now, but will reward those who wait another 5-10 years. With only 300 cases made, this wine made from 100 % Aglianico grapes is a rarity. Wineshout.com

Timo scored this wine: 90/100

Le Vieux Pin’s 2012 Ava is a blend of 61% Viognier, 21% Roussanne and 18% Marsanne, which means there’s more Roussanne and Marsanne than before. The 2012 vintage is a graceful wine that is still on the younger side and benefits from decanting and the right temperature to really enjoy the perfume-like aromas and richness on the palate. On the nose, there is honeysuckle, which is becoming the trademark of Ava even from cooler vintages, white pepper, beeswax, and a perfume of white flowers. The mouthfeel is rich and elegant, and the fruit and acids find a balance. On the palate, crisp and vibrant lemon and Golden Delicious apples lead, with a tremendously long finish with softer notes of apricots, apple and spice. With a delightfully old-world touch, Le Vieux Pin’s French vigneron Severine Pinte has shepherded from vine to bottle what is most certainly a food lover’s wine. We paired Ava with a tuna tataki and avocado salad that worked really well. Plays very well with roast fowl as well. Ready to drink now (best decanted) but also a welcome addition to your cellar. Wineshout.com

Timo scored this wine: 89/100

The Folonari Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso 2009, a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese from Veneto, is medium bodied with a ruby complexion. I didn’t get a sense of the dry fruit – slash – raisin aromas that some have touted, but there was a discreet spiciness, plump cherries, and a soft touch of oak that compliments rather than dominates. The finish is on the shorter side. A nicely balanced wine with an old-world sensibility. Like most wines from Italy, this one is best served with grub. We paired it with some Italian cold cuts – what’s the Italian word for charcuterie? – though pasta, risotto and most meaty things Italian will do the trick.

Timo scored this wine: 89/100

The 2008 Stoneboat Pinotage is an enjoyable and quite remarkable wine that doesn’t require a remarkable occasion to open a bottle. On the nose, green peppers were followed by white pepper, and blackberry and plum fruit with raspberry undertones. Also hints of earthy sandalwood with licorice. The palate followed along similar lines with plums, raspberries, green peppers, milk chocolate and licorice. The tannins are soft and mellow tannins but with enough structure to hold their own. From Wineshout.com

Timo reviewed this wine:

The 2013 vintage of A Noble Blend is a blend of Gewurztraminer (45%), Riesling (38%), Pinot Auxerrois (8%), Pinot Blanc (4%), Muscat (4%), and Schoenberger (1%). This year the Gewurztraminer truly shines through. Bursting with tropical aromas, guava, lychee, honeydew and white flowers. On the palate nice tanginess accompanied by sweet fruity flavors. Skin contact before fermentation adds fruity character. Wineshout.com