Winemaker Notes

The delicate and complex olfactory expression opens on aromas which remind of white flower, exotic fruits. There is a very beautiful complexity for a vintage where the end-of-season’s sun brought a lot to the aromas. Excellent complexity that translates into great and elegant richness. Nice attack, straight and bright, it takes place with elegance on fruity notes associated with a dense structure and a beautiful acidity which brings a great length in the end of the mouth. There are aromas of exotic fruits (litchi, mango).

96pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2019 Amon Ra Shiraz is 100% Shiraz and 100% from the 2019 vintage, as Ben Glaetzer felt it—unlike many previous vintages—didn't need to be freshened with a small proportion of younger wine. From old vines in the Ebenezer district of the northern Barossa Valley, it offers classic notes of blackberries and spice, framed by hints of cedar and vanilla (it's aged in 100% new oak hogsheads, mostly French). It's full-bodied yet crisp, supple but tight and really long. Offering lovely dark fruit, hints of espresso and black olive, it finishes mouthwatering and firm. Give it some time in the cellar and drink it from 2025 – 2040.

96pts Australian Wine Companion

From 50–130yo vines in Ebenezer. Matured 16 months in new 95% French and 5% American oak barrels; unfiltered. Gloss and polish of superb black fruits, framed in superfine tannins are Ben Glaetzer's hallmarks. He continues to hone his talent at sustaining brightness and freshness, even in northern Barossa shiraz of monumental proportions. This represents one of his finest works yet. Bitter dark chocolate oak holds an enticing finish that ricochets with inky black fruits and licorice.

Winemaker Notes

Midnight black with inky purple tone in appearance. An enticing combination of blue and black fruits with notes of espresso and dried spice. Rich and deep yet bright and fresh. Multilayered flavors of nutmeg, cloves with brooding dark berry fruit and firm tannins of exceptional length.

95pts James Suckling

Pungent nose of violets, amarena cherries, dried figs and lightly charred oak. Some toffee notes emerge with air, together with more pressed flowers. Not so much full-bodied as full-flavored, with silky, fine and polished tannins. Very young and driven at the moment. Lacks the depth and complexity of more fortunate vintages, but still shows exceptional quality. Try from 2024.

93pts Wine Spectator

A compact, focused red, this presents pretty violet, medicinal herb and anise notes on the nose as it slowly expands -- flavors that are more subdued at first on the palate. This is supported by dense, plushly textured tannins, flavors of mulled cherry, dark chocolate and amaro, loamy earth and smoke that are slowly revealed, gaining momentum and lingering on the long finish. Give this some air or time in the glass to allow it to shine brightest. Corvina, Rondinella, Croatina and Oseleta. Best from 2024 through 2032.

Winery Notes

The Dal Forno family has been making wine since 1983. Located in Val D’Illasi, the estate consists of 65 acres of vines planted to traditional indigenous varieties of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina. The estate vineyards and farm are located where the slopes begin to rise toward the mountains and sit 1,000 feet above sea level. The loose, alluvial soils, meticulous pruning and scrupulous viticultural techniques ensure remarkable-quality grapes. The Dal Fornos use traditional methods to grow the finest fruit, and then employ modern techniques to produce the best wines — classic in expression and modern in purity.

Blend: 70% Corvina and Corvina grossa, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina, 5% Oseleta

Winemaker Notes

The soil of Les Argillières consists of limestone mixed with clay marl and contributes to the this wine’s perfume and finesse. Les Argillières shows red berries and floral aromas on the nose with an underpinning of minerals. Medium weight and fine tannins make for a more elegant village-level Chambolle. The wine is a pure expression of its terroir thanks to its élevage in a combination of used oak and clay jars.

Domaine Michel Magnien has evolved into a Burgundy producer of a singular style and philosophy from their cellars located in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. Michel Magnien was born in 1946 and worked alongside his father Bernard from a young age. The Magniens sold their grapes to the local cooperative until 1993 when his son Frédéric joined the family business and persuaded his father to bottle the entire harvest by themselves. Frédéric Magnien began experimenting with organic practices in the late 1990s and the entire production was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2015. Frédéric has also evolved the style of the wines and today élevage takes place in only used oak and clay jars.

Biodynamic

98pts Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate

Deep ruby-purple, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Oliver Ranch Vineyard slowly unfolds its wings to pure violet, cassis, tobacco leaves and pencil shavings, bright notes of mint chocolate, cedar and exotic spices. The palate is stunning, fanning out seamlessly from graphite to chocolate and intense, perfectly ripe blackcurrant fruit. The tannins are extraordinarily pixelated, the freshness is bright but integrated, and it has a Goldilocks ripeness! An extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley.

95+pts Jeb Dunnuck

All varietal and from the Alexander Valley, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Oliver Ranch spent 22 months in 85% new French oak prior to bottling. It gives up a beautifully pure array of crème de cassis, unsmoked tobacco, crushed stone, and floral nuances. Rich and full-bodied, it has a supple, expansive texture and rock-solid underlying tannins and structure. It should benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and have two decades of overall longevity. 725 cases.

93pts James Suckling

Aromas of blackberries, blueberries and dark chocolate. It’s full-bodied with dusty tannins. Chalky and grainy texture on the palate. Structured and flavorful, with a long finish. Hints of vanilla and wood at the end now. Give it a couple of years. Drink after 2022.

Winemaker Notes

This single-vineyard blend demonstrates a stunning melody of black currant and dark cherry combined with winter spice notes and lifted fresh violet aromas. Oliver Ranch, planted by the viticulture legend, Phil Freese who leads the Aperture viticulture practices today, is a pristine example of precise vineyard planning and how that shapes the resulting wine. 

Sustainable - Organic