Grape Observer Wine Review

This wine is from top producer Arnaud Lambert in Saumur and the Loire Valley in France and labelled as “Brézé”.  There are two main white grape varieties in the Loire Valley, sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc. In this region, these varieties are united by high crisp acidity but distinguished by entirely different aroma and flavour profiles. While this doesn’t appear on th...

This wine is a Chianti Classico from Fontodi and the 2012 vintage.  The 2012 vintage is a classic one in the Tuscany region, and this wine was inadvertently aged for 14 years in the cellar.  This proved a remarkably good decision not to have made. In the glass, this is a fully mature Chianti Classico with paradigm aromas of dusty cherry fruit and damp lavender. The ...

This wine is the Vinos en Voz Costumbres Rioja blanco from the 2022 vintage. It’s a serious wine produced by Carlos Mazo in Aldeanueva de Ebro from the region now known as Rioja Oriental in Spain. This region was previously known as Rioja Baja and is one of the main subregions of Rioja.   The Costumbres 2022 is a blend of viura (macabeo), calagraño, garnacha roya and tem...

Veuve Clicquot is one of Champagne’s grandes marques and this a high quality vintage Champagne from the 2015 vintage.  2015 was a warm and therefore more challenging year in Champagne, where acidity is prized. Veuve’s 2015 vintage Champagne has fresh fruit aromas that are primarily of lemon, supplemented by subtle and limited bread and brioche characters.  ...

This wine is a Bourgogne Blanc (chardonnay) from top producer Domaine de Bellene and the 2019 vintage.  2019 was a warm vintage in Burgundy, but there is freshness in this wine. Labelled as “L’Eclos des Abeille”, in the glass there are aromas of cashews and stone fruits.  The palate is pleasant, crisp and medium to full bodied.  This is a more restrained expres...