Winter grapevine 2016 Kenny Go, Editor Produced and distributed by Green’s Beverages, Atlanta, GA

GREEN’S Top 25 In This Issue: MAS SORRER Carinena 2014 Green’s Cash Sale Price: The Top 25 $9.99

A new year and a new Top 25 to start all those The Mas Sorrer Carinena is resolutions off on the right foot, especially if just another example of the they’re of the “spend unbeatable values less money” kind – as available throughout Spain. Grown on the steep slopes always value is the of the Carinena DO within focus. This also remains the Aragon region (where, a format where we can confusingly,the variety of the showcase breadth of same name is rarely seen, even selection as opposed to though it is where the originated), this is a 50% split any particular theme; in of and Garnacha, its current incarnation and offers up rich, spicy notes we feature from of red fruit, grilled meat, Spain, Chile, California, savory herbs and earth. Portugal, France and South Africa, and there’s even a sake thrown in for good measure. So bundle up and drink some wine to stay warm. Cheers!

GREEN’S Top 25 ROOT 1 Carmenere 2013 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $8.99

Rediscovered in Chile in 1994, from vines that were long thought to be (Carmenere in fact originates from southwest France, where it was once a major variety in the Bordeaux blend), Carmenere has since then assumed the mantle of being Chile’s flagship wine grape. While higher-end bottles certainly exist (check out the Lapostolle Clos Apalta for one exquisite example), this wine occupies the other end of the price spectrum, showing food-friendly, intense notes of plum, blackberry, bell pepper and tobacco leaf.

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GREEN’S Top 25 MERCER 2013 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $8.99

A strong, vibrant Chardonnay value from the Columbia Valley.

“Fresh and open-textured, with a hint of bitterness playing against the ripe pear and nectarine flavors, GREEN’S Top 25 lingering on the finish. Drink now TYKU Cucumber Sake through 2018.” Green’s Cash Sale Price: $7.99

-Wine Spectator A cucumber-infused Junmai sake, this is a spicy food pairing as good as any other, but works just as well as an aperitif or within a cocktail. Delicate and refreshing, with the cucumber elements a perfect complement to the refinement of the sake base. Completely gluten and sulfite-free.

GREEN’S Top 25 QUARA Torrontes 2013 GREEN’S Top 25 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 LAGAR Amalgama 2013 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 Torrontes has gained its own following due to its opulent, This comes to us Muscat-like fragrance, and is from the Rapel Valley within considered by some to be the Cachapoal, and is a blend of Argentinean white grape estate and counterpart to in terms . Remarkably complex of reputation. given the price point. The…Torrontes is stainless steel Firm, with plenty of acidity fermented and raised. It delivers behind the dried plum and wild a fragrant perfume of honey berry flavors. Green pepper and spring flowers with a hint notes appear on the finish. of tropical fruits. Crisp, dry, and intense on the palate, this is -Wine Spectator an ideal aperitif wine for a hot summer day as well as a super value.

-Wine Spectator

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GREEN’S Top 25 19 CRIMES Red Blend 2014 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $8.99

A play off of the genesis of Australia as a colony – in short, convicts guilty of one of 19 specific crimes were shipped off from Great Britain to the GREEN’S Top 25 penal colony of Australia, thus REAL CAMPANIA DE VINOS becoming the first settlers of Tempranillo 2012 the continent – this is in reality Green’s Cash Sale Price: $5.99 a crowd-pleasing red blend that offers up notes of black cherry, The main varietal of Spain, raspberry and vanilla. the provenance of this wine is north-central Spain, and features the typical characteristics of youthful Tempranillo – red berries, violets, and tea leaves. This is mid-week wine at its best, with both a wonderful retail price and the versatility to pair with different styles of food – most appropriately, perhaps, is to think of it as a wine to go with one tapas after another.

GREEN’S Top 25 GREEN’S Top 25 PIQUITOS Moscato 2014 ROTATION Red Blend 2012 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $7.99

A different style of Moscato than In truth this could represent that of Moscato d’Asti, this is the quintessential California drier and more alcoholic (in a throwback wine – the blend here good way), perhaps more akin is 60% Merlot, 30% -aged to the classic definition of wine , and 10% back- than the classic Asti version itself. Ruby Cabernet, the latter being 100% Muscatel in composition a crossing (Cabernet x ) and made sparkling by the developed to thrive in the desert Charmat method (think Prosecco conditions of the state’s central frizzante), this wine serves up valley. A rich, fruit-forward wine, a prominent perfume of violets, this is not a bottle for peach, and of themselves contemplation but simply – both an ideal aperitif or one to pop and enjoy accompaniment to a among friends. fruit-based dessert.

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GREEN’S Top 25 ASTICA & Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $4.99 GREEN’S Top 25 CASA DE LA REINA Coming to us from the Frederick Crianza 2011 Wildman portfolio, the Astica Green’s Cash Sale Price: $8.99 wines represent not just unparalleled value within the The most youthful expression of realm of Argentinean wine but traditional Rioja, this is still all wine in general; our selections nonetheless a showcase feature two international varietals denomination for the – Sauvignon Blanc & Cabernet complementary effects of Sauvignon – that are prominent aging wine in oak. within Argentina, if not quite on the same level as within the The Casa de la Reina Crianza greater wine world. Fresh and (has) 12 months in American fruit-forward, the QPR here is oak. It has a leathery, under- unbeatable. growth-scented bouquet with dusty black fruit and a hint of peppermint. The palate is nicely balanced, with a fleshy entry, soft tannins and a simple, dry, leather and mocha-tinged finish.

-Wine Advocate

GREEN’S Top 25 BEAULIEU GREEN’S Top 25 Coastal 2013 WOODWORK Merlot 2013 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $6.99 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 A well-made, very affordable of- A full-bodied, juicy Merlot from fering from the one of the most the Central Coast, with notes of iconic estates within Napa Valley. plum, cherry, coffee and cedar. As we’ve mentioned before – Merlot is making somewhat of a worthy, affordable Pinot Noir is mini-resurgence these days, as to always challenging to find… be honest there is a generation of young wine drinkers who have Strawberry, spice and ripe plum never tried it due to perception. tones have good depth, The Woodwork is a good place with pretty vanilla notes to start. And for those who are and soft structure. fans of the Woodwork Cabernet Sauvignon that we carry – you -Wine Spectator won’t be disappointed.

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GREEN’S Top 25 WENTE Riverbank 2013 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99

A domestic Riesling from the Arroyo Seco AVA within Monterey, and from one of the oldest producers in California. Grown at the southern GREEN’S Top 25 edge of a ravine created from the ALLIANCE LOIRE flow of the Arroyo Seco rivers down Cabriole Saumur Blanc 2014 from the Santa Lucia Mountains, Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 this wine gives bright, fresh notes of honeysuckle, lychees and grapefruit. From the heart of the Loire A Gold medal at the San Francisco Valley, this young, fresh Chenin Wine Competition (Jan 2015). Blanc (100% varietal) boast notes of citrus fruit, straw, and honeysuckle, and mineral complexity, with the concentration and acidic backbone to ensure at least a few years of meaningful development. The perfect place to start one’s discovery of Chenin, as this grape links together some of the most underappreciated provenances in the world.

GREEN’S Top 25 GREEN’S Top 25 CODICE Tempranillo 2011 LICEIRAS Douro 2010 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $8.99 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 A Green’s 2014 Top 10 selection. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and Tinta Cao – in The 2011 Codice Tinto (10,000 short, reflective of what would cases of 100% Tempranillo) spent be a traditional field blend from six months in tank followed by the Douro – this is the second six months in French and wine from the estate, and thus American oak. The result is a predictably meant to be in an fruity, dark berry-scented and earlier-drinking style. That being flavored, medium-bodied wine said, this is wine that is already with soft tannins and good purity five years from vintage, and as well as texture. Drink it over the vibrancy of fruit – red berry, the next several years. plum, baking spice – speaks to its pedigree. -Wine Advocate

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GREEN’S Top 25 NEDERBURG Pinotage 2012 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 GREEN’S Top 25 PRESSOIR DE LABASTIDE Pinotage is a South African Gaillac 2009 crossing of Pinot Noir x Cinsault, Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99 its name based on the erroneous assumption that the latter grape Gaillac is an appellation of southwest is an ingredient in the great France, and as such features both Northern Rhone wine of Bordeaux varieties – Hermitage. Nonetheless, the & Sauvignon – as well as indigenous grape is rightly considered South ones – Duras, Fer & Servadou. This Africa’s own, and results can be wine is nonetheless in the mold of its eye-opening. Consider this an more lustrous northern neighbor, fea- introduction to the style, giving turing precise notes of plum, bramble, us distinctive characteristics of tobacco leaf, coffee and herbs. This, in blackberry, coffee, leather short, is a stunning value. and game.

GREEN’S Top 25 AGRICULTURA Alentejano 2012 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $9.99

A long-time customer favorite.

A seductive made from the classic Portuguese varietals Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Trincadeira, the unoaked, fleshy, dark ruby-colored 2012 GREEN’S Top 25 Agricultura displays copious HONORO VERA fruit, low acidity, ripe, sweet Rueda & Garnacha 2014 tannin and an expansive, fleshy Green’s Cash Sale Price: $7.99 mouthfeel. It is the ideal bistro red to drink with an assortment Known perhaps as much for of cuisines. their eye-catching labels as the wines themselves, the Honoro -Wine Advocate Vera line comes to us from the Juan Gil estate of Jumilla, Spain. While Monastrell GREEN’S Top 25 (the Mourvedre of southern CASAL GARCIA Vinho Verde France) is their signature varietal Green’s Cash Sale Price: $7.99 (and the Juan Gil Jumilla we also carry is a wine not to be missed), Arguably one of our most consistent it is these keenly-priced varietals sellers year-round, and for good we chose this quarter to further reason. This wine, representative of demonstrate the the style, is one of the most versatile prowess of the estate. in the game.

A crisp white, with fresh-cut apple flavors that are supported by juicy citrus notes. Shows hints of peach on the finish. Drink now

-Wine Spectator

2614 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 | 404.321.6232 737 Ponce De Leon Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 | 404.872.1109 grapevine Winter2016 PORTUGAL

If recent proclamations of the wine press are any indication, then Portugal is arguably the most dynamic wine-producing region today. And by wines we mean table wines – akin to your bottle of red or white that you pair with food – as opposed to the traditional mainstays of Port and Madeira (although we’ll highlight a few in the end). This to most observers is a recent phenomenon, yet Portugal has been making table wines for as long as their Old World neighbors to the east; recognition, for a myriad of reasons, has simply taken much longer. The more troubling reality, however, is that in most quarters (apart from the press) this is still a wine region shrouded in obscurity, featuring grapes (you think) you’ve never heard of, and Old World nomenclature on the labels just to make sure the bottles look as intimidating to the consumer as possible. In fact, it’s been somewhat of a running theme in our staff tastings to acknowledge the merits of a particular (and in a perfect world that should be the arbiter that counts most) only to lament how it is certain to languish on the shelves. The wines featured below are unwaveringly worthy – perhaps featuring them more prominently, and in doing debunking some the assumptions one has about these wines, will help them along. We shall see.

TERRA D’ALTER Alfrochiero 2012 SANGUINHAL Touriga Nacional 2006 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $13.99 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $21.99 The Alfrochiero grape is little known outside its native If there is one grape that represents the pedigree of Portuguese wines confines, and perhaps even less known when it’s from it is Touriga Nacional, which provides the damson & violet-inflected the region where this wine comes from (Alentejano, the backbone to both still and epicenter of the country’s massive cork production). You’d fortified wines in its native be more than happy to make this discovery, however. Douro Valley. This wine, however, comes to us from surrounding the The 2012 Alfrocheiro Terra d’Alter, sourced from Boavista country’s capital (Lisboa) to Vineyard, was aged for 11 months in new American oak. the south – at nearly 10 years This is quite pretty, fresh, bright and flavorful, with a of age this is a wine that will graceful and silky feel. There is a show meaningful evolution in bottle, with heightened notes of earth bit of an oak tinge, but it is not and leather now supported by mellow, silky tannins, and a balance too intrusive and given all that that comes with patience. new American oak, it actually handles it quite well. Southern Portugal is not ground zero for this interesting grape, but at the price point this should make a TERRA D’ALTER Touriga Nacional 2013 lot of folks happy. The tan- Green’s Cash Sale Price: $13.99 nins are ripe and it should be drinking great right now. Drink 100% Touriga Nacional from this notable Alentejo now-2017. estate. This is – like the Alfrochiero also featured – a grape that is grown outside its home base, but -Wine Advocate the winemaking shines through here. After a cool fermentation the wine was aged in French oak for 12 months, which apart from its direct flavor contribu- tion also serves to soften the wine a bit – Touriga Nacional, like many noble red , can have ferocious tannins; the results in the glass are rich notes of cassis, plum, violets, and vanilla spice. A great introduction to the varietal.

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POCAS Douro Reserva 2009 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $24.99 POCAS Douro Branco Reserva 2013 Indicative of what would have been the traditional field Green’s Cash Sale Price: $15.99 blend, when varieties grew side-by-side in the vineyard without any type of knowledge The white counterpart to the Douro Reserva, on the grower’s side as to from a provenance that is best known for their which was which… red wines of any style, although the whites from excellent estates can be just as rewarding. The 2009 Reserva is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga The…Branco Reserva is a blend of 40% Códega, Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta 40% Rabigato, 10% Gouveio and 10% Moscatel. Barroca, aged for 12 months It was aged in new French oak for five months in a mixture of French and and comes in at 13.53% alcohol. Fresh and easy, American oak. Rich, velvety this has a light and clean touch, holding its oak and ripe, this is tinged initially rather well. Well balanced but modestly by vanilla, but acquires balance concentrated, it should drink well on the and integration of its parts younger side. It did start great, but tailed off a fairly quickly with aeration. El- bit with air and warmth. It is a still a good egant and nicely crafted, it has bargain. Its sprightly and lively feel should grip and intensity on the finish, make it a great warm weather wine. It also has ending completely charming, if enough stuffing to hold up to foods. somewhat straightforward. It did grow on me as it aired out. -Wine Advocate Drink now-2019.

-Wine Advocate DouROSA 2012 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $13.99

The…Tinto douRosa is principally Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz, plus others in a field blend, all tank-aged. Although this is lacking a bit in concentration, it QUINTA NOVA Douro 2011 more than makes up for it in Green’s Cash Sale Price: $18.99 exuberant personality and purity of flavor. Plus, it has An unoaked version of the field blend, for a lighter reasonable structure for its take on the style. This is quintessential Portuguese level as well. At the moment, , paring well with any number of dishes. it finishes just a bit tight, but it is easily approachable. In a The 2011 Tinto is an unoaked blend of 30% summer red style, it is a best Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca, 15% buy. Aromatic and completely Tinta Roriz and 15% Tinto Cão. Silky, fresh delicious, this elegantly crafted and flavorful, this is a lighter-styled wine that wine is bright, lively and simply nonetheless has some persistence on the finish, bursting with flavor. I just loved together with nice flavor and that graceful feel. it. Cool this down a bit – low to The tannins are well-integrated and the mid-60sF – and you will, too. concentration level is quite modest, but it should These are best served young drink beautifully as a house pour over the next and fresh, since the freshness is several years. what they do best, but it should have the structure to last several -Wine Advocate years. It may be my favorite douRosa red yet. It is worth leaning up a bit for all that.

-Wine Advocate

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CASA DO VALLE Vinho Verde 2014 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $10.99

The 2014 Branco, the Estate white with just Casa do Valle on the DAC Dao 2013 front, is an unoaked blend of Arinto (40%), Alvarinho (20%), Azal Green’s Cash Sale Price: $13.99 (20%) and Loureiro (20%), dry (3.9 grams per liter of residual sugar, but it tastes even drier) and unoaked. It has 12% alcohol. I liked last The Jaen grape in the blend here is the Mencia of Spain, and year’s version, but this is perhaps as such gives this wine a distinctive character when compared better. At least in its youth, it is against the Touriga & Tinta-heavy very crisp and intense. It has an blends of your prototypical Dao or early picked feel and for this type Douro red. The Dao region is situated of wine, that can be a good thing. south of the Douro (north-central There is that little bit of sugar, Portugal), and has as heralded a but that is not going to tame the reputation for its reds as its northern acidity. This is quite piercing, a neighbor. perfect summer refresher with laser bursts of acidity. There is fruit, just a bit tinged with green. The only red I tasted from Alvaro It asserts itself as the wine warms up a bit into the mid-50sF. This Castro was the…DAC Tinto, a is always more about the impressive tension and grip on the finish, blend of 30% Jaen, 30% Tinta Roriz, though. It is not deep and lush, but it is reasonably concentrated 20% Touriga Nacional and 20% for this style and level. More importantly, it is fresh, pure and Alfrocheiro. Aged three months in transparent. Assuming you’re not averse to acidity, this will be one French oak, it exhibits elegant, earthy, of the best Vinho Verde bargains in this issue’s report. Admittedly, it slightly herbaceous black cherry fruit may not stay at peak all that long. You won’t want to lose its energy intermixed with undertones of new or freshness. But drink it this summer or perhaps even next and you saddle leather, soil and spice. Drink should be pretty happy. this medium-bodied quaffer over the next several years. -Wine Advocate -Wine Advocate

NOVAL Ruby Port RARE WINE COMPANY New York Malmsey Green’s Cash Sale Price: $14.99 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $47.99

Founded in 1813 and located in the heart of the Douro (the A tribute of sorts to Madeira’s historical standing as an adult Pinhao valley), the estate is best known for its Nacional vintage beverage of choice within the U.S. – which also acknowledges port; the grapes for this legendary wine the resignation that the wine has come from a 5 acre plot of ungrafted drifted into obscurity following vines (pre-Phylloxera), the small quantity the Civil War – the wine here is of fruit from such aged vines producing produced from some of finest a vintage port considered the most Malvasia (corrupted to the term concentrated of all its peers. As such, “Malmsey”) vineyards on the island this port is only made during exceptional of Madeira, nearly 1,000 km from vintage years, and as one would expect the Portuguese mainland and 750 commands breathtaking price points. km off the coast of North Africa. Notable for aging their wines in the Without getting into too much Douro instead of the standard practice detail, the longevity of Madeira of shipping the wines downstream to the is attributable to its production cooler oceanside outpost of Vila Nova process, which in naturally heating de Gaia, the estate shines even among the wine post-fortification renders all the venerable houses that make up it nearly indestructible. Malmsey is the port trade. Consider the Ruby Port a the sweetest of the acknowledged wonderful introduction; at the very least four noble varieties – the other it’ll provide counterpoint if any of you are lucky enough to one three being Sercial, Verdelho, and day sip on Nacional (please share if you do). Bual, given in ascending order of sweetness – and is in my honest opinion the finest style in the world. Incredibly rich and featuring notes of dried dark fruit, fruitcake, and dried baking spice, balanced by a precise, consistent acidity that cuts through it all. Exquisite.

2614 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 | 404.321.6232 737 Ponce De Leon Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 | 404.872.1109 grapevine Winter2016 CHATEAU MUSAR Founded by the Hochar family in 1930, Chateau Musar can be seen as Lebanon’s answer to Cru Classe Bordeaux. The main outlier here – among other more obvious but lesser reasons – is its dependence on a number of southern French grape varieties alongside those traditional to Bordeaux; the most prominent of these are Carignan and Cinsault. While the patriarch Gaston Hochar’s name still graces every bottle of Musar, it was under the winemaking direction of his son Serge Hochar (who studied at the University of in Bordeaux) that the wine was “discovered” – in its particular case by industry figurehead Michael Broadbent at the Bristol Wine Fair of 1979. What has proceeded since then has been a heady mix of hype, mystery, and actual pedigree; the estate’s location within a region of immense historical strife, as well as its deliberate throwback style (detractors see the wine’s often intense gamey character as a flaw; others point to excess volatile acidity) are a few of the pillars of this persona. To have interest in wine is to thus want to experience this bottle among friends and peers, and to then savor and/or debate its virtue(s). Green’s has 25 bottles of the 2004.

CHATEAU MUSAR 2004 | Green’s Cash Sale Price: $59.99 CHATEAU MUSAR Hochar 2009 Green’s Cash Sale Price: $24.99 The 2004 Chateau Musar is an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsault. This is a rather civilized, laid back Musar. The complicated aging process is The heralded second wine of the Chateau Musar best described by the : “The wines spent nine months in cement vats and then a estate; having a glass of Hochar and following it up year in French Nevers oak barrels and the final blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault with the flagship itself, in my opinion, compliments and Carignan rested for another nine months in vats before being both wines. bottled?“ The winery describes this as a once-in-a-decade vintage where a heat wave caused notable increases in sugar content in he 2009 Hochar Pere et Fils is a blend of Cinsault, a short time. I sometimes find that is a dangerous description of , Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan aged vineyard conditions with many risks for a winery, but it seems to in French oak. For those familiar only with Musar’s have turned out well. If you’re comparing, it adds two layers of reputation as a producer of powerful wines likely depth to the 2007 Hochar, although it is quite elegant and grace- to age indefinitely and hard to encounter young, ful in its own right. Most importantly, it has more of an obvious this mid-level offering will change perceptions. Very backbone even though it is late-released. Its balance, combining the fruity, sweet and velvety on opening, it seemed to be nice fruit, elegant mid-palate, persistent finish and backbone, gives a relatively soft wine with modest concentration and it a tightly wound, precise and focused demeanor. The tannins are a fleshy and forward feel, something that will appeal not completely integrated, but not overly hard. They provided some easily to modern drinkers welcome grip and vibrancy and never overwhelmed the wine. In the with little resistance. This long run, they should serve this wine in good stead. Overall, it is an seemed mostly about the sexy exceptionally graceful, somewhat modern and restrained Musar, fruit on opening. Early on, bright, with that silky texture I saw in the Hochar reviewed this it finished not only sweet, issue, while adding those layers of concentration. The cherry on top but even with a little candy. is the intensity of fruit flavor – bursts of delicious and juicy fruit on It needed a couple of hours the finish, admittedly nuanced by some of the gamey notes I see here of aeration to show a bit so often. Call it raspberry flavored, though, because the fruit is deli- more stuffing, pulling in cious. The gamey notes were in fact moderate and, at least for my taste, not an issue. As some of the sweet fruit while this rather subtle Musar aired out, I liked it more and more. I’ve had Musars that were displaying a bit of complexity bigger, burlier, more rustic and more astringent. Here, the subtle start was unremark- and a bit of steel underneath. able, but it gathered steam, showed remarkable finesse and then won me over. This will At that point, it was far more certainly do better with food. Drink now-2021. 91 points. interesting and impressive. Overall, this still is ultimately -Wine Advocate a rather sexy beast, even if it manages to maintain a suave A succulent red, with red currant, dark cherry and dried raspberry flavors that are well- and elega nt mid-palate. spiced. Sandalwood and cream accents linger on the rich and silky finish, revealing notes Don’t be fooled, by the way: of hot stone. 90 points. with air, more tannic pop arrives. Drink now-2020. -Wine Spectator -Wine Advocate

2614 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 | 404.321.6232 737 Ponce De Leon Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 | 404.872.1109