Year’s Best Provençal Wines
BEST BUY; YEAR'S BEST SUMMER SPARKLER; Pale pink, this tastes like a vinous version of strawberry shortcake, buoyed by bubbles and a minty herbaceous edge. Chill it for summer toasts. – T.T.
Delicious crushed raspberry and bitter lemon follow through to a medium body, juicy fruit and a tangy finish. Drink or hold. - J.S.
...Shows fruit tea, citrus, bright redcurrants and rose petals. Shows real verve on the palate, thanks to laser-sharp acidity, and while this isn’t the most concentrated wine, it makes up for it with its steely tannins and resolve. A beauty. Drink now. - J.S.
...A hint of tobacco and smoke here... a lean Barolo that could pair nicely with, say, a tagliata di manzo on top of radicchio. - M.L.
Big, dark color and a soft and velvety entrance to the palate. While the wine is multidimensional, it also plays its cards close to the chest with moderate intensity and complexity. The structure is good, and the wine sits squarely in the mouth. Give it an extra swirl or two to open in the glass. – M.L.
This 2015 Barolo is unassuming, with a slight sweetness and astringency. There's not much complexity to furrow your brow about here. It's just a nice Nebbiolo for near-term drinking, the kind of Barolo you'd dare uncork for a glass by the fire after a cold day on the ski slopes. - M.L.
Delicate scents reminiscent of white spring flower, Alpine herb and pear appear in the glass. On the bright palate, refreshing acidity accompanies mature apple, peach, wild fennel and citrus. A note of flint gives it a crisp, clean close. - K.O.
Notes of pastry dough, lemon curd and baked apricot show in this creamy blanc de blancs, while lively acidity focuses this through to the smoke- and spice-laced finish. Drink now through 2025. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.— A.N.
Smoke-accented dark berries and cherry on the energetic nose. Juicy and seamless in texture, offering sweet blackberry and boysenberry flavors underscored by a zesty mineral quality. Fine-grained tannins build slowly on a long, floral-tinged finish that leaves a hint of salty olive behind. – J.R.
Intense dark fruit preserve and floral scents, along with hints of olive paste, vanilla and exotic spices. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering powerful boysenberry and cassis flavors underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Rich and broad but lively as well, showing excellent clarity and a suave floral nuance on the strikingly long, youthfully tannic finish. – J.R.
(91–93 Pts) Inky ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe cherry and black currant, complicated by suggestions of smoky oak, tobacco and incense. Seamless and juicy on the palate, offering appealingly sweet black and blue fruit flavors that are given spine and cut by a core of gentle acidity. Rich yet energetic in style, displaying smooth tannins and very good finishing clarity and length. – J.R.
This is clean and correct with some nice lemon and grapefruit flavor... the finish is slightly tart. Screw cap. – J.S.
The classical Cabernet blend of the 2015 Le Dix de Los Vascos includes 10% Carmenere and 5% Syrah. It has the Bordeaux elegance with Chilean exuberance, everything in a subtle and harmonious way. It has all the blackberries, cedar wood and pencil lead with some floral touches and a special brightness. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals fine-grained tannins and integrated, focused flavors. – L.G.
Well defined and focused with notes of dark fruits, cedar, leather and wet earth beginning to show complexity. Oak is evident through its spices; cinnamon, cloves and anise. Needs more grounding and grip though. Drinking Window 2019 - 2026. – P.L., P.R., D.V.