Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Grace Koshu 2023 – Yamanashi GI, Japan 🇯🇵

Overview
Produced from 100% Koshu, Japan’s signature indigenous white grape, this wine is fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel to preserve purity and transparency. Grown in the elevated vineyards of Katsunuma, Yamanashi, it beautifully expresses the restrained elegance that has made Grace Wine an international benchmark for Japanese fine wine.

Aromas & Flavors
Yuzu, lemon peel, green apple, white peach, Asian pear, and delicate white flowers lead into subtle mineral notes with hints of wet stone and citrus zest. Delicate rather than aromatic, everything is driven by finesse.

Mouthfeel
Light to medium-bodied with vibrant acidity, a steely mineral backbone, and exceptional precision. The texture recalls the purity of Chablis with a subtle sake-like silkiness, finishing remarkably clean, refreshing, and focused.

Food Pairings
Sashimi, sushi, crudo, oysters, grilled white fish, tempura, steamed shellfish, or lightly seasoned Japanese cuisine.

Verdict
An elegant expression of Japan’s flagship white grape that prioritizes freshness, balance, and precision over power. Refined, mineral-driven, and wonderfully food-friendly, it stands comfortably among the world’s finest delicate white wines.

Did You Know?
Koshu has been cultivated in Japan for nearly 1,000 years and is believed to descend from ancient grapes that traveled along the Silk Road before adapting to Japan’s humid climate. Today, Yamanashi is considered the spiritual home of premium Koshu wines.

🍷 Personal Pick
One of the purest and most distinctive white wines I’ve experienced. Its combination of crystalline freshness, mineral precision, and understated elegance makes it a benchmark not only for Japanese wine, but for delicate, terroir-driven whites anywhere in the world. It has earned a permanent place among my favorite food wines. — 3 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Ken Forrester — The FMC Chenin Blanc 2024
Stellenbosch, South Africa 🇿🇦

Overview: 
A benchmark, world-class expression of South African Chenin Blanc, showcasing depth, precision, and layered complexity. The FMC represents Ken Forrester’s top selection, crafted for texture, longevity, and serious terroir expression rather than easy immediacy.

Aromas & Flavors: 
Lovely ripe baked pear leads the aromatics, followed by subtle citrus peel, gentle tropical tones, and floral hints of acacia. The palate leans more stony and yellow-fruited than juicy, with honeydew, orchard fruit, and a refined mineral thread carrying through the mid-palate.

Mouthfeel: 
Elegant, structured, and finely layered. Not plush or overtly rich, instead focused, composed, and quietly powerful with excellent tension and balance.

Food Pairings: 
Roast poultry with herbs, grilled seafood with citrus butter, seared scallops, creamy risotto, aged Alpine cheeses, or Moroccan-spiced dishes.

Verdict: 
A sophisticated, cerebral Chenin Blanc that rewards attention. Precision meets quiet power, delivering complexity without heaviness and showing clear aging potential.

Did You Know?: 
FMC stands for Forrester’s Mission Chenin, named after the original Mission Station vineyard block that inspired this flagship cuvée, now regarded as one of South Africa’s most collectible and age-worthy Chenin Blancs.

🍷 Personal Pick: 
This is the kind of Chenin that reminds you why the Cape has earned global respect, layered, disciplined, mineral-driven, and deeply expressive. Serious wine, serious pleasure. — 5 months ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.2

The Bonny Doon flagship. Lighter red. Ruby red. Floral nose. Sort of a ripe meadow strawberry meets damsel plum. Flavors are juicy, tart and elegant. Complex. Smoke and good red/black fruit. This is a wine that hits a home run. — a year ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

The Selosse flagship that uses a solera style blend with vintages dating back to 1986. May 2016 disgorgement is just superb, explosively aromatic and infinitely layered with magical depth of Selossien flavors and such a singular texture that you just can’t forget. It wraps around the palate with incredible volume and concentration before giving way to a salty mineral laced finale with stunning length and persistence. — 2 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

A rich deep Ruby in colour - right to the rim. Notes of creosote/tar together with blackberry and black currant. You wouldn’t pick its age by looking at it in the glass. The old vine origins giving a great intensity to the palate. This is d’Arenberg’s flagship from their McLaren Vale vineyards - from a warm vintage. I’ll try and have the last one in 2 years if I have the willpower. — 3 years ago

Martinez

9.0

Trinchero’s flagship wine. 100% Barbera from very old vines in Asti, aged for 3-4 years in large, old oak botti. Complex nose. Juicy red fruit, tobacco. Fresh, lively at 16 years old. Good acidity — 4 years ago

Rob Brobst III

10

The flagship, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Materium, represents 560 cases and achieved 14.8% alcohol after aging in 90% new Taransaud and Darnajou casks. Remarkably, the wine matches the perfect 2013, with extraordinary fragrance of blueberry, blackberry, forest floor, truffle, spring flowers and background barbecue smoke followed by a thick, unctuously textured, juicy, but incredibly well-balanced, intense wine. This is built like a skyscraper with enormous quantities of blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit, well-integrated acidity and sweet, gentle tannins. This is an extraordinary effort from Maybach that can be drunk now or cellared for up to 30 or more years. — 5 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Domaine Gabrielle Vivien – Saint-Bris AOC 2023
100% Sauvignon Blanc – Burgundy, France 🇫🇷

Overview
One of Burgundy’s best-kept secrets. Saint-Bris is the region’s only appellation dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc. Sourced from 25-year-old vines planted on Kimmeridgian limestone soils just west of Chablis, this wine delivers remarkable precision, minerality, and freshness while offering a distinctly Burgundian interpretation of the variety.

Aromas & Flavors
Vibrant aromas of lime zest, grapefruit, white flowers, and freshly cut herbs open the nose. The palate is crisp and energetic, revealing citrus, green apple, subtle gooseberry, and distinctive wet stone minerality that builds beautifully toward a long, savory finish.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with lively acidity and remarkable tension. The texture is sleek and elegant, balancing freshness with a persistent mineral backbone that keeps every sip engaging.

Food Pairings
Outstanding with grilled mahi-mahi, oysters, ceviche, goat cheese, sushi, or herb-roasted chicken.

Verdict
A fascinating expression of Sauvignon Blanc that combines the grape’s aromatic character with Burgundy’s unmistakable sense of place. Elegant, mineral-driven, and wonderfully food-friendly.

Did You Know?
Saint-Bris is the only appellation in Burgundy where Sauvignon Blanc is the authorized flagship grape, making it a unique exception in a region otherwise dominated by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

🍷 Personal Pick
One of my favorite Sauvignon Blancs. I love how it expresses the grape from soils traditionally devoted to Chardonnay, proving that Burgundy can still surprise me. The 2023 continues that beautiful tradition with freshness, elegance, and unmistakable character. — 3 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Realm Cellars – The Bard – Red Blend – 2022
Napa Valley AVA – California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Realm Cellars’ flagship proprietary red, The Bard represents the most expansive and dynamic expression of Napa Valley terroir. The 2022 vintage is Cabernet Sauvignon–dominant (approximately 70%), supported by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, with exact proportions varying by year. Sourced from a broad range of elite vineyards spanning Coombsville to Calistoga and both valley floor and hillside sites, this wine is designed to showcase Napa Valley in its full breadth and power.

Aromas & Flavors
Dense and expressive aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry compote, and dark plum lead the profile, followed by graphite, cocoa, crushed stone, and subtle baking spice. As it opens, notes of espresso, cedar, and savory herbs emerge, adding layers of depth and complexity.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied, weighty, and concentrated, with a rich core of dark fruit framed by structured yet polished tannins. Despite its power, the wine maintains balance and freshness, carrying seamlessly into a long, impactful finish.

Food Pairings
Prime rib, grilled ribeye, braised short ribs, venison, or aged cheeses such as aged Cheddar, Comté, or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Verdict
A bold yet refined Napa Valley red that captures Realm’s philosophy of sourcing greatness across sites to build a wine of exceptional depth, richness, and presence. The Bard remains a benchmark proprietary blend that delivers both immediate pleasure and cellar-worthy structure.

Did You Know?
The Bard draws fruit from some of Napa Valley’s most revered vineyards, including Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Bourn, Blair, Houyi, and Larkmead, contributing to its layered complexity and distinctive Napa identity.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
This is a wine every serious wine lover should have in their cellar. Powerful, delicious, and unapologetically Napa, The Bard delivers depth, impact, and pure enjoyment in every glass. — 7 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

The V.2022 Esprit de Tablas is the flagship red blend of 40% Mourvèdre, 28% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 4% Vaccarèse, 3% Cinsaut and 3% Counoise selected from the top 6-estate-grown varieties propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel Estate in Rhône, France.

An absolute crowd-pleaser in all aspects; the nose welcomes aromatic dark red fruits, black forrest, earthy and spices. As for the palate, it is rich and bold, yet fruit-forward slightly juicy with a hint of licorice, minty and lushy. Great acidity and structure with progressive tannins towards the back-end. Loved the texture and some sweet spices by the very end. — a year ago

Vanessa

9.3

This is a stunning Garnatxa blend from Priorat (Catalonia), Spain!!

It’s comprised of mostly Garnatxa (Grenache), along with Syrah, and, to a lesser extent, Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from three parcels in the sun-soaked village of Gratallops, where Daphne Glorian purchased her first vineyard – Clos Escales – back in 1989 when she founded Clos i Terraces. 🍇

In making this move, she joined equally passionate and pioneering winemakers Álvaro Palacios (L’Ermita) and René Barbier (Clos Mogador) in a rebirth of production practices in the region; as a group (with other similar-minded producers) they altered the trajectory of Priorat’s profile as a source of tip top quality wines rivaling the best on the world stage. 👏🏻

Priorat is one of only two regions carrying the “DOCa” / “DOQ” quality designation (the other is Rioja), subject to various stipulations including regular auditing by a tasting panel. ✅

This particular wine is “Laurel” which is Clos i Terraces’s second wine, next to Clos Erasmus, one of Priorat’s finest and most sought-after wines. Yet it tastes like a flagship wine in and of itself.🫶🏻🫶🏻

It is absolutely beautiful, with a medium ruby hue, medium (+) intensity of ripe and fresh strawberry, red cherry, red plum, violet, black licorice, fennel, clove, baking spice aromas and flavors. It’s dry, with medium(+) acidity, a medium(+) body, high alcohol (14% ABV), and medium tannins that are fine-grained. 😆

This wine vinified and aged in a combination of vessels, including, large oak vats, concrete tanks, second and third fill French oak barrels, and clay amphorae, lending to its texture and complexity.👌🏻👌🏻
— 2 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.3

From a winery we really miss, this is the flagship cuvee from Delectus. Their daughter did the artwork for their Cuvee Julia bottles, and with rare exceptions (their 2007 Cab Franc being one of them), this meritage is always the star of a given vintage. Classic Napa cab that is still drinking really well. — 5 years ago

with Vanessa

Freddy R. Troya

9.4

Mony “Grand Via” 2019 — Judean Hills, Israel 🇮🇱

Overview
The estate’s pinnacle expression. Composition: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 9% Malbec. Aged 32 months in French oak. A flagship wine designed for depth, longevity, and layered complexity.

Aromas & Flavors
Intense dark cherry, blackberry, cassis, vanilla, espresso, tobacco, and smoky oak. Aromatically powerful yet controlled.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and deeply structured. Dense core of fruit supported by firm, polished tannins. Complex and multidimensional, with a very long, commanding finish. Already cruising into its prime, with 10–15 years of evolution ahead.

Food Pairings
Prime cuts of beef, slow-roasted lamb, duck confit, aged hard cheeses, or rich Mediterranean cuisine.

Verdict
Power with discipline. Grand Via reflects precision winemaking and serious aging ambition. Complex, layered, and confidently mature, a benchmark wine for the estate.

Did You Know?
Extended barrel aging (32 months) significantly shapes texture and aromatic development, especially in Cabernet-dominant blends, enhancing both longevity and structural depth.

🍷 Personal Pick
One of the most compelling wines I’ve tasted recently. Grand, polished, and unapologetically expressive, a wine that commands attention and rewards patience. — 5 months ago

Boris Mathiszik

9.2

New vintage of Justin’s flagship blend. A bit more constrained, but elegant and delicious as always. At 86% cab, is it really a blend? lol. Nice cassis notes. — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

Caymus Vineyards – Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Napa Valley, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
Caymus Special Selection is the flagship Cabernet, crafted only in exceptional years. The 2018 vintage stands tall among recent releases, showing why Chuck Wagner’s vision continues to shape Napa’s most recognized “luxury Cab.” 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from prime valley-floor vineyards, it strikes the perfect balance between Caymus’ signature ripe, fruit-forward style and an added layer of structure from a long, balanced growing season.

Aromas & Flavors
A powerful bouquet of ripe blackberries, cassis, and dark cherries, layered with cocoa nibs, espresso, and baking spices. Subtle hints of licorice, cedar, and vanilla lift the complexity, while a core of lush fruit drives the palate. The oak integration is seamless, giving a supple sweetness without overwhelming the fruit.

Mouthfeel
Rich, opulent, and velvety—yet with surprising finesse. The tannins are silky and well-structured, giving length without heaviness. The finish lingers on black fruit and mocha, balanced by just enough acidity to keep it vibrant.

Winemaking Notes
Meticulous fruit selection, long maceration for concentration, and extended aging in new French oak (18+ months). The Wagner hallmark: generous fruit expression wrapped in polished oak for immediate pleasure but with aging potential.

Food Pairing
An indulgent pairing with ribeye, prime rib, or braised short ribs. For a decadent twist, try it with dark chocolate truffles or roasted lamb with rosemary.

Verdict
One of the most impressive Caymus Special Selection vintages in recent memory—showing both lush Napa Valley opulence and refined elegance. A wine that thrills now but promises to shine for years.

Personal Pick Highlight
This 2018 stands as my favorite Caymus of the modern decade—a true benchmark that captures everything people love about Napa Cabernet at its richest and most expressive. Cheers!
— 10 months ago

Ming L

9.1

The ripe black fruit core is lifted by perfumed nose and lively acidity. Silky palate with fine grained tannins, but 15.7% abv does make its present felt on the long finish.
Quite a good value for what is considered the flagship wine by the winery. — a year ago

Rubychick

9.0

Golden Honeysuckle flagship Chardonnay. It’s Christmas, so time to drink the wine fridge ❤️ — 3 years ago

with See and Erika

Jamie Lauder

9.4

2010 vintage.
60 % Cabernet Franc, 25 % Merlot, 15 % Cabernet Sauvignon.
Flagship wine of Arcanum.
Raspberry, licorice, tobacco and resin on the nose.
Dry, smooth and savoury with well integrated tannins.
Blackberry, leather, black olive and herbal underbrush.
We grilled rack of lamb and Chorizo sausage on the BBQ with this wine. — 3 years ago

Randy Fillingim

9.5

No wonder this is the flagship Shiraz. Grapes picked from all the best clusters. Still in complete harmony with tannins and fruits -still doing their job after 21 years. One of the better Shiraz I have ever drank.  — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

The one was opened same day.

The Elevation 1147 is their flagship wine.

2106 Elevation is a big step up from all their other reds. The mouthfeel is thick, round, gorgeous. Ripe, lush fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries & an array of purple fruits. Tobacco, leather, saddle-wood, light graphite, crushed rock powered, limestone alluvials, beautiful baking spices that need some time to tame, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, dry twig, dark rich soil, touch of moist clay, dry top soils, understated sweet tar & black licorice with fresh & withering; dark, red, blue flowers with lavender & violets that follow as it sets. The acidity is round & excellent. The finish is; ruby, lush, round, well balanced & knitted & persistently gorgeous wire to wire.

While many will find it hard to resist now, you would be doing your substantial invest & this 2016 a disservice by opening before 10 years in bottle.

This is a 95 now but, I see it as a 95-98 down the road. — 6 years ago