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Bodegas Sentencia
Alberto Pedrón comes from a long line of vine growers in Los Pedrones, a village of fewer than 200 inhabitants in the comarca of Utiel-Requena, Valencia. His most vivid memory from childhood is of the morning his father woke him before dawn to take him out to one of the family vineyards that had been freshly dusted with snow. Over the years, many of these familial plots fell victim to the “restructuring” of Spanish vineyard land, whereby old plantations were pulled up and replanted with higher-yielding varieties from other parts of the world. In 2006, a 6-hectare plantation that had been tended by Alberto’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather was similarly “sentenced to death”, and he decided to take action. To save the vineyard and, by extension, a way of working and living, he would resurrect the family bodega.
This ancestral method fizz is from 30+ year old organic Bobal vines, rooted in limestone. It was made without any additives, and disgorged February 2023. Tart and crisp, with perfumed pomegranate, rhubarb skipping across the light, buzzy palate, finishing bone dry with a stony shimmer. Authentic and modern view on this historic grape.
"The 2022 Lluvia Ancestral is an ancestral sparkling rosé produced with Bobal grapes. It's a young, clean and fresh sparkling wine with a dark pink color—as dark as their Garnacha red—with 13% alcohol and a powerful palate with abundant bubbles, flavors of red berry fruit and good freshness and balance. It finished fermenting in bottle, where it was kept with lees for seven months. 1,250 bottles produced. It was disgorged in April 2023. Drink 2023- 2025." - 90 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Read more about Bodegas Sentencia here.
Vintage: 2022
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 12
Price per Bottle: $35
Style: Sparkling
Region: Valencia
Country: Spain
Grape: Bobal
Colour: Rosé
Vegan: Yes
Organic: Yes
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes
Bodegas Sentencia
Alberto Pedrón comes from a long line of vine growers in Los Pedrones, a village of fewer than 200 inhabitants in the comarca of Utiel-Requena, Valencia. His most vivid memory from childhood is of the morning his father woke him before dawn to take him out to one of the family vineyards that had been freshly dusted with snow. Over the years, many of these familial plots fell victim to the “restructuring” of Spanish vineyard land, whereby old plantations were pulled up and replanted with higher-yielding varieties from other parts of the world. In 2006, a 6-hectare plantation that had been tended by Alberto’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather was similarly “sentenced to death”, and he decided to take action. To save the vineyard and, by extension, a way of working and living, he would resurrect the family bodega.
This ancestral method fizz is from 30+ year old organic Bobal vines, rooted in limestone. It was made without any additives, and disgorged February 2023. Tart and crisp, with perfumed pomegranate, rhubarb skipping across the light, buzzy palate, finishing bone dry with a stony shimmer. Authentic and modern view on this historic grape.
"The 2022 Lluvia Ancestral is an ancestral sparkling rosé produced with Bobal grapes. It's a young, clean and fresh sparkling wine with a dark pink color—as dark as their Garnacha red—with 13% alcohol and a powerful palate with abundant bubbles, flavors of red berry fruit and good freshness and balance. It finished fermenting in bottle, where it was kept with lees for seven months. 1,250 bottles produced. It was disgorged in April 2023. Drink 2023- 2025." - 90 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Read more about Bodegas Sentencia here.
Vintage: 2022
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 12
Price per Bottle: $35
Style: Sparkling
Region: Valencia
Country: Spain
Grape: Bobal
Colour: Rosé
Vegan: Yes
Organic: Yes
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes
Alexana Winery
Though named Terroir Series, this is a Willamette-wide blend of various soils and clones. The wine is a selection of barrels from the dry farmed younger blocks of the Revana vineyard in Dundee Hills, along with vineyards in Yamhill-Carlton, Eola-Amity, Chehalem Mountains, and McMinnville, and clones Pommard, 115, 777, Wadenswil, 667, La Tache, 943, 114, 828, Coury, and 113. Each lot is separately native fermented whole berry before aging 11 months in French oak (23% new). Forest, wild cherry, fresh moss, and pretty florals rule the silken palate, sided with fine, long tannins and finishing with a gently warming baking spice note. Quite polished and fresh, this medium bodied wine is drinking ideal now with any kind of mushroom / duck dishes.
“Vivacious and expressive, with sleek raspberry and cherry flavors laced with rose petal, orange peel and hints of forest floor as this sails on the long, supple finish. Drink now through 2030. 6,490 cases made.” - 93 points, Tim Fish, Wine Spectator
Read more about Alexana Winery here.
Vintage: 2021
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $65
Style: Still
Region: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley AVA
Country: USA
Grape: Pinot Noir
Colour: Red
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: No
Minimus
Minimus
Chardonnay Dijon Free
No Dijon clones were harmed in the making of this wine. Though Dijon clones are prevalent throughout the Willamette, they wanted to create a wine using only heirloom clones. This used Calera, Old Wenté, Musqué, Mt. Eden, Mendoza, and spent 16 months in 30% new French oak. Showing beautiful evolution, but still shining, with shimmery lemon and a buzzy undercurrent livening yellow and green apple, pear skin, subtle toast on a layered palate. Polished and impressive, reflective of the striking potential for Willamette Chardonnay.
"Beautiful chardonnay, as rich, sumptuous and unctuous as one could want from the Willamette, but also this stony and flinty subtlety running through the wine's interior like a hidden treasure of a message. So graceful and gracious, clearly exulting a sense of vineyard pace and place coaxed graciously by the people who work to make this fruit so real and proper. Excellence incarnate for a "Dijon-free" clonal iteration of the standard variety, opted for and exulted instead by that which is truly local. Drink 2023-2027. Tasted November 2023.” - 94 points, Michael Godel, WineAlign.com
"The first chardonnay I have seen promoted as Dijon-free, a reference to the invasion of French Dijon clones in recent years. It uses more 'native' clonal stock instead - Calera, Wente, Musque and others - and signals a reversion to American chardonnay of old. Indeed the very ripe banana, floral and buttery/custardy notes, complete with oodles of clove/nutmeg barrel spice - does recall the 80s. It is full bodied, off-dry warm and very rich. The texture is quite silky and the heat is on, yet the acidity holds. All kinds of complexity and power here, with excellent to outstanding length. The name of the wine is given a signal to the style but it is oblique. Tasted November 2023" - 93 points, David Lawrason, WineAlign.com
"Work past the creepy front label, and the tongue-in-cheek "Dijon free" mention on the back label (a reference to the proliferation of the so-called Dijon clones of chardonnay, whose arrival and spread in the early 1990s signalled the beginning of serious quality chardonnay in Oregon), and get on to the serious wine contained within, one with marked barrel influence and rancid butter flavours in a classical style. The palate is fullish and intensely flavoured, with resinous oak notes and lemon curd, creme brulée flavours. One can't argue with the flavour intensity and concentration - off-the-charts high, and the superb length, bold, dense and powerful. Similar quality from Napa would command a far higher price. Drink or hold short term - I'd capture with the remaining fruit intact, even though it's anything but a fruity wine. Tasted November 2023.” - 93 points, John Szabo, MS, WineAlign.com
"Cheekily labelled as a "Dijon Free Chardonnay", this assemblage is made from only heirloom clones such as Calera, Old Wenté, Musqué, Mt. Eden and Mendoza that have matured for 16 months in 30% new French oak. Despite the fact that the oak is quite prevalent on the palate, the wine is not heavy and exhibits a great deal of lift from acidity. Aging gracefully, there is very little oxidation noted and the fruit is still generous on the palate. A pleasant degree of nuttiness has surfaced adding to the overall complexity. Showing a notable stamp of place and a low-intervention cleanliness. The label is a bit dark and enigmatic in contrast with the wine. Best now to 2027. Tasted November 2023." - 93 points, Sarah d'Amato, WineAlign.com
Vintage: 2017
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 12
Price per Bottle: $55
Style: Still
Region: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley AVA
Country: USA
Grape: Chardonnay
Colour: White
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes