Trevor scored this wine: 89/100

This spicy, savoury, well-balanced Cotes-du-Rhone is from the specific "village" of Sablet. According to the winery's website it is strictly composed of grenache and mourvedre. The nose shows a nice mix or ripe raspberry, dark cherry, and plum fruit, spicy black pepper and sage, tobacco, leather, black olive, and hints of cocoa and violet. The palate starts with more plum and dark cherry, but soon gets taken over by the spicy/savoury qualities, which continue through the finish with some liquorice and cocoa. The wine is medium-full bodied, with moderate acidity and smooth, integrated tannins. There is light volatility but is does not detract too much. Overall a very good value with lots of character. Tasted October 2017.

Trevor scored this wine: 89/100

This is an elegant, fresh, and fragrant wine. The grapes were grown at 1700 meters above sea level. It has fairly intense fruit and floral aromas of white grapefruit, green apple, orange blossom, and honeysuckle, with hints of tangerine, melon, nutmeg, white pepper, and minerals. On the palate there is more pithy grapefruit, and the spice and mineral component become more intense. It has some bitterness (typical of torrontes), and a slightly oily texture, but these work nicely along with a medium-high acidity for a nicely balanced wine. The finish is quite long, with pithy citrus and minerality lingering. Quite lovely and expressive. Tasted Sept. 2017.

Trevor scored this wine: 87/100

This is a very good value, fruit-forward, easy-drinking wine. It is still very youthful, and the aromas and flavours are dominated by ripe cherry and plum, with some blackberry jam. There is well balanced oak, which adds some cocoa, vanilla, and baking spices, and there are also hints of mint, licorice, and tobacco. The wine is medium bodied, with balancing acidity and soft tannins. There is a pinch of residual sugar, but it is kept in balance nicely. This will be very versatile for food pairings. Perhaps not representative of more traditional Douro wines, but it is enjoyable and good value. It is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz (a.k.a. tempranillo).

Trevor scored this wine: 89/100

At six years old, this syrah (50%)/cabernet sauvignon (45%)/sangiovese (5%) blend has held out well and developed a pleasing amount of tobacco, leather, potpourri and earthy character. The fruit (dark cherry, blackberry, and red currant, all largely dried at this point) is perhaps just starting to fade. There are also notes of sage, black pepper, anise, vanilla, smoke, and black olive, with some cocoa emerging on the palate. This wine is medium in weight, with medium-high acidity and medium tannins which are very supple at this point. The finish is good length, and the balance is excellent. A savoury, elegant wine, but if you come across this vintage drink it up before it loses any more fruit. Tasted Aug. 2017.

Trevor scored this wine: 91/100

This wine is made from 100% mencia, and hails from Valdeorras, Spain, which is adjacent to Bierzo, the region most known for mencia. It is full of character, complexity, and freshness. It offers notes of black cherry, wild blueberry and raspberry, stoney minerals, anise, smoke, white pepper and baking spices, and elegant touches of potpourri, leather, black tea, and vanilla. The wine has a beautifully integrated, seamless structure, and yet almost high acidity and tannins. The finish is quite long. An assertive yet graceful wine, and very satisfying. Would make an excellent pairing with many pork dishes, but also with venison and other game meats. Tasted Aug. 2017.