Alvino's blog

“Underwood Mountain” Riesling / Phelps Creek / Columbia Gorge AVA / USA

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 08:44:06 GMT

This elegant Riesling was whole cluster pressed, and fermented in stainless steel to preserve the fresh aromatics.

Elderflower, lime, petrol. Nice density on the palate. Long almondy finish

4.5/5

Capitelle / Château Mourgues du Grès / Costières de Nîmes / France

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:20:52 GMT

Named after a stone in the vineyard this wine is a selection of their best plots. The grapes are whole bunched pressed and fermented and aged in demi-muid (600l oak barrels) for one year.

Mineral, lemon, lime, acacia

4.5/5

Mars 2023 / Winnica Kosmos / Lubcza / Poland

Wed, 01 May 2024 17:41:25 GMT

This Polish wine is made from organic Solaris grapes harvested by hand. It undergoes 2 weeks of carbonic maceration before fermentation with wild yeast. Bottled with no sulphur or filtration.

Aromas of pear, dried fruits, and roasted almonds.

4.5/5

Syrah / Kelly Washington / Waiheke Island / New Zeeland

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:38:32 GMT

This Syrah from organic vineyards is fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel vessels. It matures for 14 months in French oak barrels of which 25% new. Very smooth and delicate.

Cherry pie, ripe red cherry, black cherry

5/5

77 Veremes Xarel-lo / Miquel Pons / Penedѐs / Spain

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 15:01:14 GMT

The name is an homage to Miquel Pons the winery founder that did more than 77 harvests. This wine is made from 100% Xarel-lo from hand harvested old vines. It spends 4 months in 300L used French oak barrels with bâttonage. It has an amazing balance and clear displays the Xarel-lo aromatics with a light aromatization from the oak.

Lemon, pear, mineral, vanilla

4.75 / 5

Aux Boutieres Vieilles Vignes / Domaine Jean Fournier / Bourgogne Aligoté / France

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 11:03:52 GMT

This amazing Aligoté comes from a plot in the Côte d'Or close to Aloxe-Corton. It's hand harvested and hand sorted and goes through whole bunch pressing with no additives. After, it is fermented with indigenous yeast in barrels and matured in 600 litres old wood barrels for 12 months and 4-6 in stainless steel.

Mineral, grapefruit, yellow plum

4.75/5

Les Garances / Domaine Baron de l'Ecluse /Côte de Brouilly / France

183:860202663 (Alvier Almeida) — Tue, 23 May 2023 18:10:26 GMT

Most of the vineyards on this Beaujolais Cru are planted on steep slopes and the Gamay grapes for this wine are no exception; they come from 90y old goblet vines planted at 320 meters. The wine is fermented with 80% de-stemmed grapes and spends 12 months in old oak barrels.

Red cherry, raspberry, plum

4.5/5

FAN D.ORO / Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro / Castilla / Spain

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:47:43 GMT

Hand harvested from vines with over 20 years planted at 900m in Castilla. Fermented and aged for 6 months in new French oak barrels.

Vanilla, butter, smoke, yellow plum, coconut, some varnish

4.75/5

Sons of Eden / Remus & Romulus / Eden & Barossa Valleys / Australia

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 16:25:55 GMT

These two wines were both so outstanding that I couldn’t select one over the other, although from different geographies, and like the mythological brothers who founded Rome, they have something in common as well as clear differences

Remus is made from Shiraz from Eden Valley vineyards older than 50y. Hard harvested, fermented with up to 25% whole-bunch berries. Matured 50% in new French oak for 18 months. With black cherry, spices, red cherry

Romulus is also made from old vine Shiraz but from the Barossa Valley. Also hand harvested, but fully destemmed and crushed for fermentation. Matured 50% in new French oak for 18 months. Vanilla, blackberry, black cherry, black plum

5/5

Domaine de Villeneuve / Chant des Roches / Pic Saint Loup / France

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:02:10 GMT

Domaine de Villeneuve in Languedoc has been family owned for more than 7 generations. This wine is made from Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache, with the Syrah undergoing carbonic maceration. The wine spends 24 months in new French oak barriques

Red cherry, blood orange, butter

5/5

Peter Franus / Brandlin Vineyard Zinfandel / Mt. Veeder / USA

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 11:11:48 GMT

The grapes come from the old vines of Brandlin Vineyard in Mount Veeder and are over 90y old and dry farmed

The wine is 90% Zinfandel and 10% Mourvèdre, Charbono and Carignane. It spends 18 months in French oak (30% new)

Pomegranate, red cherry, raspberry, lemon grass tea

5/5

Everflyht / Rosé De Saignée / Sussex / UK

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 17:58:55 GMT

This was my favourite wine at the WineGB tasting this year! I found it very different from the more "traditional" British sparkling wines, full of red fruit without losing the typical refreshing acidity of British sparkling wines.

It's a field blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Pinot Meunier that spends some time macerating on the skins before pressing. The wine is aged in stainless steel and used oak, and on its lees for 18 months

Red plum, red cherry, mineral

5/5

4 monos / Tierra de Luna / Sierra de Gredos / Spain

Sat, 21 May 2022 16:51:03 GMT

What a fantastic find, and great value for money! This wine is 100% Grenache from old vines planted in Sierra de Gredos, Madrid. The wine is whole bunch fermented and spends 15 months in large oak barrels

Red cherry, red plum. Nice acidity and tannins that should allow it to evolve in bottle

4.5/5

Ironstone Vineyards / Old Vine Zinfandel / Lodi / USA

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 17:40:41 GMT

The Kautz family grows these zinfandel grapes, from vines with over 45 years, in the well-draining soils of the Mokelumne River sub-appellation of Lodi. The wine spends 3 months in new French oak

Black cherry, blackberry, black plum, raspberry, cigar box, smoke, clove, raisins

4.5/5

Poggio Antico / Altero / Brunello di Montalcino / Italy

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 19:19:21 GMT

Very nice Brunello, drinking great now

Black cherry, black plums, red apple, blood orange, clay, clove, nutmeg, raisins, cherry compote

4.25/5

Château Montrose / Saint-Estèphe / France

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 18:23:19 GMT

The 2017 vintage of this Deuxième Cru (second growth) is considered a classic vintage with 76% of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend (they blend out of 82 batches of free-run wines along with 9 batches of press wine) and great ageing potential

Blackcurrant, cherry, vanilla with a velvety texture

4.75/5

Chapel Down / Kit's Coty Blanc de Blancs / Kent / UK

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 16:32:33 GMT

Single vineyard from Kit's Coty vineyard + Hand harvested + Small proportion of the blend matured in barrel + Aged on it's lees for 3y = great wine

Apple pastry with some chalk

4.5/5

Cartuxa / Pera-Manca Branco / Alentejo / Portugal

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 16:06:40 GMT

This white wine shares its name with one the most well-known (and expensive) Portuguese reds, Pera-Manca. The wine is produced by Fundacao Eugénio de Almeida’s Cartuxa winery and is blend of Arinto and Antao Vaz, partly fermented in French oak barriques.

Citrus, bergamot, mineral, toast, butter, vanilla

4.75/5

Perinet / Priorat / Spain

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 16:24:13 GMT

Made from grapes from Mas d’en Xes and Mas Vell vineyards, hand picked and hand sorted. This wine is a blend of Garnatxa, Carinyena, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Matured in 40% new oak and 55% 1 year old French oak barrels, and 5% new American oak. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration

Black currant, red currant, red cherry, floral, cream, cedar, saw dust

4.75/5

Oenou Yi / Commandaria / Commandaria / Cyprus

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 16:40:19 GMT

Pronounced "the wine of kings and the king of wines" by King Richard the Lionheart in 1191, and in the Guinness Book as the oldest named wine in the world

This sweet wine can only be produced in 14 villages (the Commandaria area) and is produced by drying the grapes in the sun to concentrate sugars

This particular Commandaria is produced by Oenou-Yi Vineyards and is a blend of 80% Xinisteri and 20% Mavro

Eucalyptus, cedar, butter, honey, caramel, walnuts

4.75/5

Pieria Eratini / Naked Queen / Mt. Olympus / Greece

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 18:39:44 GMT

From the foothills of Mt. Olympus comes the Naked Queen. A blend of 80% Assyrtiko and 20% Chardonnay from organically farmed vineyards and matured in new acacia barrels

Yellow plums, acacia, mineral, quince, lemon, toast, yeast, butter

4.75/5

Henriques & Henriques / Terrantez 20y / Madeira / Portugal

Fri, 21 May 2021 18:47:07 GMT

Terrantez is an almost extint grape variety; it's low yielding and susceptible to mildew. However, the wines it produces are amazing

This is a 20y old (indicates style rather than actual wine age) Terrantez from Henriques & Henriques, a producer founded in 1850

Huge variety and complexity of aromas with apple, mineral, lemon, charred wood, smoke, caramel, roasted chestnuts

Great balance between acidity and sweetness

4.5/5

Planeta / Chardonnay / Sicily / Italy

Thu, 13 May 2021 16:16:54 GMT

This wine is a Sicilian icon and, since its first vintage in 1994, has been showing how great Sicilian Chardonnay can be

Fermented in barriques and aged for 11 months in new and used oak it has the potential to age for a decade

Grapefruit, peach, butter, vanilla, toast, charred wood

5/5

Alta Pavina / Citius Pinot Noir / Castilla y León / Spain

Tue, 11 May 2021 18:33:29 GMT

At first, I was a bit sceptical of this Pinot Noir grown in sunny Spain. However, the 1,000 meters at which these 30y old vines grow allows for slow ripening and the development of a diversity of aromas

Raspberry, red cherry, mineral, leaf, baking spices, strawberry compote, charred wood, smoke

This wine is ready to be enjoyed but has also the potential to age

Great value for money too at around £20

4.25/5

Eroica / Washington State / USA

Wed, 05 May 2021 18:06:34 GMT

This wine is a partnership between Ernst Loosen from Dr. Loosen and Bob Bertheau from Chateau Ste. Michelle.

The grapes come from different vineyards in the Washington State and combined to produce a wine with an extraordinary balance of fruit, minerality, and acidity

Apple, peach, grapefruit, honey

5/5

Pine Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon / Napa Valley / USA

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 19:03:49 GMT

I am a big fan of Napa cabernet but given the tannin structure it means that you tipically need to wait some years before they show at their best. This wine from Pine Ridge was a great surprise, not only is it a beautifull example of a Napa cabernet, it is already drinking nicely (and should keep doing so for at least 5 more years)

Black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, vanilla, coffee

Nice acidity and smooth tannins

4.75/5

Gonzalez Byass / Noe / Jerez / Spain

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 16:05:00 GMT

This wine is a great way to end a memorable meal be it chocolate cake or orange tart

The Pedro Ximénez grapes come from albariza soils (mix of clay, limestone, and silica) and the wine is matured using the solera method, as a VORS it has an average age of at least 30y

Molasses, raisin, cocoa, dried fig

4.5/5

François Cotat / Cuvée Paul / Sancerre / France

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:36:08 GMT

This is probably my favourite Sauvignon Blanc. Produced by François Cotat only in great years, this later harvest wine is an homage to his father

The wine is bottle unfined and unfiltered and has a big longevity

Lemon, chamomile, apricot, asparagus, peach, yellow plum, bread dough, toast, pastry

5/5

Herdade do Rocim / Grande Rocim / Alentejo / Portugal

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:35:55 GMT

This is a big wine with plenty of years still ahead of it. If it was from France or the USA would be selling for at least double its price

The grapes are selected berry by berry and foot troden in an open lagar

Blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, graphite, smoke, vanilla

Only 3,437 bottles were made

5/5

Gusbourne / Pinot Noir / Kent / UK

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:30:11 GMT

This wine is clear proof that the UK can make world class still wines; it's all about having a quality focus

The wine is aged for 9 months in French oak (20% new)

Redcurrant, strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, smoke

4.5/5

Kompassus / Gene / Bairrada / Portugal

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:27:24 GMT

This is an introspective wine; an homage to the winemaker's mother and to the traditions handed down from generation to generation

Black cherry, plums, cooked plums, cooked red apples, cedar, vanilla, leather

Only 1,500 bottles were made

4.5/5