YOUR RESULTS for "Food Pairing: Lamb"

94 Points – Jeb Dunnuck The 2016 Petit Verdot comes from a higher elevation block and was brought up in 40% new French oak. It has a great bouquet of white pepper, chocolatey dark fruits, tobacco, and a kiss of violets to go with a full-bodied, incredible-elegant profile on the palate. You don’t find Petit Verdot with this level of finesse very often, and it has silky tannins, good mid-palate concentration, and a great finish. It’s another stunning wine from Leighton I’d be thrilled to drink over the coming 10-15 years.”

Aromas of acai berry and milk chocolate are prominent on the nose with touches of barn and slight minerality.  Flavors echo the nose with more dark berries, leather, sandalwood, and vanilla/spice.  The wine shows excellent restraint and is complex and well-structured without being over-saturated.

Aromas of black berry, damson plum cassis and vanilla. On the palate this is concentrated and full of elegance and finesse. Small blue fruits, especially currants, and nice depth of flavor with fine/silky tannins to support.

Aromas are predominantly red fruited–cherry, raspberry, plum and spice box. There’s some fresh fig as well as spiced sweet cherry. This is a seamlessly textured wine with fine tannins. It’s medium-plus in weight with raspberry and raspberry coulis along with bramble; juicy acidity keeps it balanced.

Medium aromas of cherry, mulberry, vanilla, and light spice introduce this wine. There is a touch of smoke and spice on the medium weight palate along with dark fruits, especially black cherry and black currant.

Aromas of smoked blackberry and mulberry with leather notes and a touch of oak spice adding complexity. On the palate the flavors are also dark with black plum, blackberry and black raspberry. It is medium plus in body with integrated tannins and fresh acidity. Fantastic with Spanish olives, a plate of Manchego and some salami. Or try it with red meat, stews, roasted vegetables, or grilled lamb.

Wine Spectator 93 Points: This red marries the ripe fruit and toasty oak of the international style with a savory, rustic character. A thick, polished texture, supported by well-integrated tannins and balsamic acidity, carries dark plum, black pepper, soy sauce and loamy earth flavors that are seamless and long. Drink now through 2032. 8,000 cases made, 2,000 cases imported. — TM

Aromas of blackberry, blueberry and a hint of spice nicely integrated with the new oak. The palate is medium-bodied and very well balanced. Flavors of blueberries, blackberries and roasted tomatoes alongside pencil shavings and Christmas spices. It has supporting acidity and fine tannins towards the finish.

Slightly meaty aromas with dark cherry and spice notes.  Flavors of black cherry, chocolate, smoke, baking spice, and floral undertones. The acidity is fresh and lifts the complex flavors.  Give this some time to breathe for ultimate enjoyment, as tannins are supple but thorough. Medium-plus in body and finish.

Ripe red cherries are joined by savory herbs and mushrooms. The palate continues the fruit-savory aspect with forest floor and black caps. Medium in body with certain rusticity and youthful tannins. If you are able, open it 30 minutes before you are planning on drinking it as it.

A fragrant bouquet with red and black cherries, and a touch of florality. This wine is pure and appealing with a medium bodied finely textured palate. The fruit on the palate has tart currants, blackberries, with just the right density with balanced tannins.

Blackberry, black plum and wood spice are aromatic on the nose. This dry, fuller-bodied wine has notes of black fruit, mocha, and vanilla on the palate.

Deeply opaque, dark cherry red, with garnet highlights. Expressive aromas of black forest fruits and blueberry with delicious, jammy cherry coming through, and a characteristic, terroir-imparted mineral nuance. Velvety and elegant on the palate, revealing exquisitely fine, fruit tannins, good length, and refined aromas of aging in toasted oak.

This is a thorny dark fruited wine with medium-plus body. The palate delivers more complexity with blueberry, dates, black currants, and a touch of black peppercorns with medium acid and fine tannins.

This wine is named after the winemaker's daughter who graduated from Cornell. Aromas of forest floor and light smoke from oak aging (approximately 25% of which is new oak) back up savory roasted red pepper notes. The palate is medium-plus in body with complex flavors of black fruit and earth along with cigar box, mushroom umami, and some minerality.

Le Poste’s cool microclimate and limestone soil make it one of Saint Cosme’s most structured, aromatic, and mineral intense wines of the estate. This wine always walks a knife's edge of power and finesse thanks to its deep fruit and precise structure. The wine features aromas and flavors of iodine, violet, pepper, and ash.

Rose, liquorice, iodine, pepper

Wine Advocate – Issue 244, End of August 2019 : CHÂTEAU DE SAINT COSME Gigondas Le Claux 2018 – 95-97 points “Everything about the all-Grenache 2018 Gigondas le Claux is big. From the huge black cherry and blackberry fruit, to the insane levels of concentration, the rich, velvety tannins and the never-ending, licorice-tinged finish, this beauty should evolve positively for at least a decade and a half.”

Aromas of dark cherry and damson plum with faint spice notes. The wine is round, supple and it is medium-plus in body. Flavors of cherry and plum alongside spice and black raspberry with a hint of minerality on the finish.

Bramble and a touch of “funk” lead to aromas of black fruits, leather, plum, and a whisper of spice. It’s earthy but still shows a good amount of fruit and elegance. Medium weight on the palate with a soft, supple texture. Flavors from both the Grenache and Syrah can be detected here, and work harmoniously to craft a balance between fruity and savory elements. Ripe black cherries mingle with coffee and mocha, leading to a spice-laced (black pepper and clove) finish.

Beautiful Grenache aromas of red fruit, with light spice, red licorice, floral notes and garrigue. The palate is also very pure and true to Grenache with a hint of licorice and dried herbs. It is medium-bodied, incredibly silky, with a long finish.

This is essentially the Chateau Maris Les Planels (Syrah-based wine) without any sulfites added. (it says "sans souffre" on the neck of the capsule). The name means "to know how to age." In actuality, it is a wine that one should probably drink within 3 years of vintage since it has no sulfite protection, but boy, is it drinking beautifully. Medium plus body, rich and ripe, velvety, meaty, with savory undertones. There's nothing overripe here, yet it's seamlessly saturated. If you're into "natural wine," here's a superior example. 

Medium aromatics offering fresh and dried herbs, cigar box, dates and dried cherries. The palate is medium bodied with very rounded but quite there tannins. Fruits are purple to black --cherries, plums, and black raspberry with light toast, earth and dark chocolate.

This wine is medium plus in weight and concentration, generous and complex. It drinks like a Rhône wine from a cru (a recognized, prestigious appellation). One could call it a “baby Châteauneuf-du-Pape.” There are black currants, black cherries and wild dark fruits mixed with garrigue (dried Mediterranean herbs), violets and warm earth notes. Despite its savory, deep, brooding, intense and rustic character, the wine is rich and ripe with rounded tannins.

Wine Spectator, 90 Points: Dense and powerful, with plenty of loamy notes to the dark cherry and roasted plum flavors that show creamy accents. Ends with dark chocolate on the finish.

Plum and black cherry aromas combine with earth and cacao on the nose. The palate is well-executed with fine tannins and a concentration of blackberry, cassis, and black cap raspberry fruit balanced with notes of black pepper and a touch of graphite. Very Rhone-like in style and a great value!

This classic Italian wine is an ideal pairing with food. The nose is quite berry forward with Italian herbs. This medium bodied wine has tart berry fruit with balanced tannins, touches of rustic herbs and some forest floor and tobacco notes. 

Red berries and sweet vanilla greet the nose. The wine is pleasantly soft and round in body. Dark fruit, some cinnamon spice and a touch of earthy, umami flavor mingle on the palate, ending with a subtle  chalkiness.

This red begins with some earthy notes of oregano, cured black olives and forest floor. The fruit is mostly black with cocoa-dusted berries and black currants filling in the formidable tannic and acid structure that surrounds the wine. Saparavi originated in the country of Georgia and has found a comfortable place in the Finger Lakes. It is a teinturier grape, meaning that the skin gives considerable color to the wine. This is a good food partner, especially with heartier dishes.

The nose starts with dark fruits and woodsy, toasty notes. This is medium-plus in weight with refreshing black cherry and black currant fruit joining tobacco, pencil lead and dark chocolate. It is a smoky-toasty style, a classic example of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile.

Vibrant, with a fresh core of cherry and cassis notes backed by anise, applewood and garrigue hints through the finish. Nice underlying juiciness throughout. Best from 2022 through 2029. 1,500 cases made, 160 cases imported. Wine Spectator – 92 points Curls of dark chocolate, shaved cinnamon and truffle lend a spicy, smoky intensity to fresh, cutting red plum and raspberry flavors here. Full bodied and high impact in flavor, it's a juicy, lusciously concentrated blend of organically farmed Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah that's ready to drink now but likely to improve further through 2030 at least. ANNA LEE C IIJIMA Dec 2021 Wine Enthusiast – 94 points

Aromas are pure with notes of blackberry juicy and dark berry purée. On the palate the aromas translate onto flavors with the addition of blueberries and succulent cherries. This wine is elegant and well-made with fine tannins, medium body and acid and a medium-plus finish.

Aromas of grilled plums, black cherry, cured meat and tobacco jump from the glass. The palate is juicy yet dry with more plum and cherry flavors and a touch of anise, supported by fine tannins and lingering, refreshing acid.

Clean aromas of blackberry and cassis are joined by Shiraz spice. Flavors are rich and somewhat soft on entry, with black fruit and touches of licorice and smoky, meaty notes. The Cabernet and its structuring tannins dominate, but the Shiraz provides great filler, adding coffee and mocha notes as it opens up. Medium plus in body and length.

Aromas of wild berries and mulberry, along with hints of white pepper, sweet spices, and fresh thyme lead to a burst of flavor. The palate offers blue fruits and fresh plums as well as touch of tartness that makes this wine very food-friendly. The wine is medium bodied and finishes with a touch of almond.

Aromas of cherry, crushed raspberries, minerals and flowers, show good typicity for Pinot. The dry palate is elegant, with more cherry fruit, a bit of toast, tea leaves, smoke and meatiness. Smooth and medium-bodied, the wine has moderate acidity that complements rather than obscures the abundant cherry and black currant fruit.

The wine shows a deep purple color, and features aromatics of mixed, crushed red and black fruits, sweet spice and cedar. This wine is fuller-bodied, possessing fantastic dark fruits, excellent mid-palate depth and ripe tannins.

This Cabernet is ripe fruited yet restrained with savory elements and black fruit. The palate has relatively soft and integrated tannins with earth, spice, graphite and some inkiness. It has medium plus acid to give it lift. 

Dark berry fruits on the nose, think black currant and black raspberry mingle with light smoky notes and soft earth aromas. The palate is medium bodied with good medium structure and complexity. 

"The 2020 Morgon Côte du Py is one of the region's most dependable classics, unfurling in the glass with notes of cassis, sweet berry fruit, spices and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a seamless, complete profile, it concludes with a long, mouthwatering finish. (WK) " (8/2021) - 94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A concentrated wine, yielding ripe flavors of blackberry and dark plum, cocoa and mocha as well as savory notes of bark. Full-bodied and rich on the palate with polished, integrated tannins and excellent structure. The finish is long. If able, open it 30 minutes earlier to allow the wine's structure to integrate and shine.

96 Points – James Suckling “Some tea-bag and sweet-tobacco character to the dark-fruit and lightly toasted oak character on both the nose an the palate. Full-bodied, chewy and polished with a long flavorful finish. Fine, powedery tannins. Needs time to soften but already very pretty. Drink or hold” 95 Points – Jeb Dunnuck (formerly of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) “Currants, savory spices, dried flowers, charcoal, and loamy earth all emerge from the 2018 Syrah The Deal, which comes fr0m the Sundance Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope. Showing plenty of more savory, earthy notes, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded expansive texture, and ripe, polished tannins. It shows more elegant, streamlined style of the vintage, yet I love its balance. It’s going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-12.”

Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, earth/barn and cigar box. On the palate this wine is medium-plus in body with notes of licorice root, stewed black currant, kalamata olives, black cherries and black caps. It has round tannins, good concentration and a medium-plus finish.

Aromas of macerated cherries and crushed rocks. On the palate, this medium-plus body wine has depth and complexity with flavors of spice, mulled berries, clove, macerated cherries and mulberries. It is slightly rustic with medium acidity and medium tannins.

Earthy aromas include leather and spice with slight florality.  This medium-bodied wine offers plum and cherry flavors with dried flowers and cinnamon notes.

Medium aromas of red cherry, high toned fruit and some tart pomegranate. The palate is clean and medium bodied with red cherry, plum, and cranberry. It has medium plus acidity with light tannin structure. 

This is drinking well right now, its inviting aromas of cassis and blackberry mingling with baking spice. The palate is spicy and fruity with plums and red cherries. Integrated tannins and acid support the fruit.

This is absolutely delicious! Blackberry pie, cocoa and espresso beans are bright and lifted on the nose. Flavors of blackberry, blueberry, vanilla, light minerality and a hint of black pepper can be found in this medium to fuller bodied wine. Crisp acid and supple tannins provide just-right structure, finishing with a lengthy mocha note.

Aromas include dried cherries, blueberry and touches of savory herbs.  Slight herb on entry with flavors of cooked strawberries and plums.  Tannins are supple in the medium-plus bodied wine with a long fruit-driven finish.

This attractively packaged wine offers aromas of coffee, blackberries, and dark chocolate. The wine is well-balanced in the mouth, silky and complex, with kirsch, fresh black currant and berry, and hints of black pepper and mocha. Medium in body and acidity, with fine tannins and a longer finish.

From the producer: Rich, ripe and explosive, this 2020 Shiraz displays vibrant blueberry, plum and notes of dark chocolate. The voluptuous palate of blue and black berries is layered with coffee, vanilla cream and liquorice spice. 

This is a powerful style of Bordeaux that also retains elegance and finesse. On the palate you will find rich ripe plum, blackcurrant, ripe cherries, and showcasing subtle cedar notes, with chalky tannin and good length.

Juniper, violet and pepper notes mingle out front before the core of kirsch and plum fruit arrives, turning this into a juicy ball of anise-tinged deliciousness, with an echo of garrigue through the finish. Drink now through 2025. Wine Spectator, 91 Points

The 2019 Sinister Hand displays spicy, dark, and savory characteristics. The exuberant nose has raspberry aromas with a hint of vanilla, while the lively palate has a soft juicy texture and a well-balanced acidity. Chewy tannins, black cherry, and a hint of toasty French oak round out the vibrant finish.

Medium aromatics of spice, licorice, horse saddle and blackberry with some camphor notes. This Syrah is dry and masculine with dark black licorice, vanilla and clove. This wine is intense yet lifted. 

This Estate-grown Malbec reveals a fruity nose filled with plum and quince aromas and a touch of elegant oak. The mouthfeel is full, with flavors of blackberry and licorice, and has a rich and lingering finish. There are smoky accents of vanilla and lingering oak.

This is a medium aromatic wine, with a balanced palate. Extracted darker berry fruit, with some spice, kirsch, blackberry jam, and mulberry. It is medium in body, fresh acidity and rich concentration.

Notes of darker/dried fruits, dates and wood spice on the nose.  The palate is well-integrated with plum, black cherry, blueberry, and woodsy-cedar notes.  Despite its age, tannins are still somewhat youthful and acidity is fresh.  Purple berry flavors linger on the long finish.

Stewed black and red fruits are accompanied by light tobacco and spice, and a touch of smoke. Soft and supple in texture with velvety tannins on a medium frame. Notes of blackberry, black cherries, and dates follow through to spices and dried herbs on the finish. This is an excellent partner with lamb, steaks, short ribs, venison, or mushroom pâté.

Aromas of plums and black cap raspberries are inviting in the glass. The wine is medium plus in body, with ripe, soft tannins that give a beautifully round mouthfeel. Juicy fruits of plums, raspberries and licorice are structured by a touch of perky acidity.

This soft Rioja with five years of age is prime drinking right now. Dried cherries and raisin notes, along with hints of leather, cinnamon and baking spices deliver interest and complexity.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is famously the strongest, most powerful, and longest-lived wine of the southern Rhône. Louis Barruol’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape from contracted growers is a classic expression of the region with aromas and flavors of cherry, thyme, lavender, truffle, and olives.

On the palate, it reveals a fresh attack followed by an ample, structured, long-lasting finish. The wine unfurls in successive stages and ends with top-quality tannins produced by whole cluster fermentation. It features aromas and flavors of smoked ham, violet, graphite, graphite, and licorice.

Smoked ham, violets, graphite, cold ashes, liquorice.

This is a complex and fragrant wine, with blackberry, black cherry, clove, vanilla, and coffee aromas that are fresh and inviting. This is a big and very well-balanced wine. The mouth offers black fruits, especially plum, cherry, and black berries, very ripe but neither overripe nor dried. Delicious wood and vanilla notes along with a touch of spice and chocolate. Tannins are ripe and functional. Best of all, there’s not even the faintest hint of the green pepper that many Chilean reds show. The mouthfeel is soft and round. Medium plus in body with a very long finish.

Medium-plus aromas of currants, cherry, and strawberry. On the palate this wine is dry and bright with notes of cassis, currants, elderberries and cherries. It is medium body with very good concentration and fairly long finish.

This medium bodied to fuller bodied wine gives dark fruited jam flavors with lightly savory herb and bark notes. The palate offers blackberry and black cherry with soft, rounded tannins. While the fruit is ripe, it is not cloying, nor overly dense.

This Sangiovese offers blackberry, red currants, cranberry, plum and red cherry. The palate echoes the nose along with herbaceous notes (oregano), black pepper and cinnamon. The wine’s structure is typical for an Italian red with pleasantly tart acidity and dusty tannins followed up by a long finish.

The aromas are dominated by red fruit: cherry, raspberry and plum. On the palate the aromas translate into flavors with the addition of crushed rocks and spice. It is medium in body with medium tannins and a refreshing finish.

This smells of dark macerated berries like blackberries and currants along with a touch of chocolate bark and baking spice. The palate is just over medium weight, continuing with currants and black raspberry pie fruit, along with dark chocolate and sweet tobacco that never overwhelms. This is refreshing with juicy acidity and round tannins, finishing with a cocoa powder finish. This is a lovely wine to drink with or without food. It will pair well with short ribs, brisket, pulled pork, burgers, and pot pies or hearty stews with vegetables or meat.

With air, this wine reveals aromas of raspberry, cherry and sweet spices.  Then flavors of blackberries, plums and black cherries are joined by spice, warm earth and winter notes of pine and mulling spice. The medium tannins are thorough and the acid is juicy in this medium weight, food-friendly red.

Aromas of red fruit (plum, cherry and a hint of strawberry) with black pepper and crushed rocks. On the palate this medium-bodied wine is velvety with flavors of cherry, raspberry, grilled plums, pink peppercorns and earl gray tea.

Macerated dark cherry, leather, licorice, sweet tobacco, cedar all flesh out in the glass. The 2016 is powerful, rich and tannic. ~ Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, September 2020 (93 points). A beautiful, pure Sangiovese that competes nicely with Brunello, showing depth and tension. A solid line of fine tannins runs through the center of the wine, providing backbone and beauty to the cherry and berry fruit. Drink or hold. ~ James Suckling, James Suckling Magazine, June 2021 (94 points).

Aromas of black fruits with bramble, vanilla and toast. On the palate this is a full body wine, dense and rich with very dark fruit, spice, structuring acidity and hints of black pepper and smoke. The finish is long with notes of spicy oak and bittersweet chocolate.

This wine is both ripe-fruited and spicy. Medium-plus in body, it combines berry compote and mulling spices with toasty wood notes as well as clove and black pepper. It is rich but not unctuous, with round firm tannins.

Ripe, fruity aromas, naturally sweet and layered, including cherries and blueberries with a delicate touch of vanilla. Bright black and red fruits on the palate, with the Shiraz and Grenache balancing each other nicely. Supple tannins, soft juicy finish. There’s enough going on here to encourage another sip and a happy sigh.

Grapes from this wine are dried for 15 days before pressing in order to concentrate their flavors, then fermented in stainless steel. Aromas of figs, dates and grilled plums lead to surprisingly refreshing flavors of dried strawberries, macerated cherries and cooked cranberries with a dab of baking spices and chocolate-covered figs.

Aromas of plum, raspberry and dried herbs. The palate is medium in body with blackberry notes, cherry, plum and raspberry. It is pure and fresh with smooth tannins.

This deeply colored wine offers powerful aromas of mulberry, mocha, sweet wood, and damson plum. In the mouth, it is juicy with moderate plus acidity. The aromas are echoed in the flavors—plum, dark chocolate, smoke, mulberry, and sweet wood. Tannins are fine-grained and nearly invisible, but they provide just enough structure. It is medium plus in body and length.

TASTING NOTES: The 2017 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is incredibly layered. The signature nose of purple florals, raspberry and small red fruits is interlaced with tones of rose, rhubarb, toffee apple and incense. Whiffles of marasca cherry, white truffle, Dimbula tea, lavender and anise also appear with air. In the palate, the wine is poised and classy, showing a core of red fruits supported by refined tannins and minerality. As balanced and expressive as it already tastes, the 2017 Bricco delle Viole promises a fantastic evolution ahead.

This elegant Pinot Noir begins with aromas of red and blue fruits alongside savory notes of sandalwood, campfire, spice and sassafras. On the palate, it is medium weight with wonderful density and concentration for the grape. Candied black cherry and plums are gorgeously integrated with wood notes and flavors such as bramble, rooibos tea and sassafras. There's a richness and viscosity here that is so enjoyable with its silky tannins and perfectly wrapped acidity coasting to a long finish.

The aromas are bursting with black raspberry and macerated plum with some bittersweet chocolate. There is a tough of bark as well. The palate is medium with medium refreshing acid, with youthful tannins. Further flavors of tobacco, graphite, black currant, boysenberry. This wine becomes more joined with some air.

Smoky, silky elegance with scents of dark berries, flowers, herbs, pepper and anise. Exotic and textured, this is a deep, complex and rich wine with wild fruit (black and red raspberries and plums) along with black pepper and a long finish with great tannins.