95 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

"The 2020 Lessona is a classy, polished wine. Macerated cherry, mint, rose petal, pomegranate and tangerine peel lift from the glass. The 2022 is wonderfully fresh and translucent, with relatively soft contours that make it an absolute joy to taste today. I especially admire the wines vibrancy."

91 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Fresh aromas of orchard fruit, melon and spices before a weighty palate with vivid acidity and flavors of honeydew, caramel apples, crushed hazelnuts and warm spices. Creamy and well crafted, with a touch of minerals. Drink or hold. Screw cap."

92 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Olives, currants, graphite and dried herbs on the nose of this savory and mineral red. Lots of pencil-shaving character on the palate, which is medium- to full-bodied, fine-grained and focused. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Try in 2027.

92 Decanter

Floral aromatics of smoky violets, dried lavender and dusty red and black berry fruits mark this wine from Vivid Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. The palate is fleshy, with wild mountain berries, and hints of freshly turned forest soils, and finished with dried wild herbs.

94 Eric Guido - Vinous Media

The 2023 Chardonnay Phoebe is dusty and floral, with nuances of ginger and lime-tinged green apples forming its bouquet. Round textures and juicy acidity soothe as ripe pit fruits and a twang of candied citrus excite the senses. Flinty mineral tones linger as the 2023 tapers off wickedly fresh and floral, leaving a sensation of liquid stone.

15 Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages

Light and open. Soft and sweetish. Could do with more weight. Light bitterness on the end. (JR)

96 Aldo Fiordelli - Senior Editor - JamesSuckling.com

"Restrained fruitiness with aromas of raspberries and earth, alongside a complex spicy blend of freshly ground black pepper, milk, mint, bay leaf and cocoa powder. Very youthful. Full-bodied, dense and balanced, with savory flavors of chocolate and cherries, super-tasty style, tight, chalky yet ripe tannins and a fresh, cleansing acidity. Toasty finish. Drinkable now, but best in a year or two."

95 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

Medium garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon needs a little coaxing to bring out pretty notes of kirsch, redcurrant jelly, and juicy blackberries plus hints of rose oil, cinnamon stick, and underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is bright and cheery, with red and black berry layers framed by a chewy texture and refreshing line, finishing long and earthy. Nice!

94 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the wines of this very challenging harvest. Dark and imposing, the 2020 is packed with black fruit, cloves, leather, menthol, chocolate and dried herbs. This is an especially dense, potent Cabernet. There is some aggressiveness to the tannins, but that is the vintage. Overall, this is impeccably done, especially within the context of the year.

94 J. D'Angelo - International Wine Report

The 2020 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon presents a deep and expressive nose, featuring a blend of ripe blackberries, boysenberries, and black cherries, accented by fragrant notes of dried savory herbs, anise, exotic spices, cocoa powder and a touch of dusty nuances all coming together beautifully to add wonderful complexity to the aromatics. On the palate, this wine is full-bodied, dense, and structured with muscular tannins, that provide plenty of backbone to support the fruit. Layers of dark fruits, tobacco and spices are well-integrated, leading to a long finish. This is remarkable showing from Mayacamas in this vintage, and should be provide immediate drinking pleasure, but also thrive in the cellar for over a decade.

90 Wine Spectator

"This shows good grip, derived from the burly tannins and snappy sun-dried fruitlike acidity, layering dark, ripe berry and black cherry fruit with hints of tobacco and cigar box. Drink now through 2023. 800 cases made." 90 Wine Spectator

WINE:
"From mid September to mid October-Withering for two months in the drying room at 450m height. De-stemming and soft pressing, maceration and fermentation for 15 days in vertical tanks. Delestage, followed by a Malolactic fermentation for 2/3 in Tonneaux of 500 liters and for 1/3 in Barrique." -Importer

ESTATE:
"The story of La Formica began in 1893 with the construction of a small shrine dedicated to St. Vincent Ferrer to protect his 26 ha of vineyards below. Today, over a century later, the vines continue to thrive in the Cellore d Illasi and neighboring terroitory of Tregnano, at the easternmost extremities of the Valpolicella appellation. The typical Scaglia Bianca soil, along with the average altitude of 320m asl, and the Eastern exposure define the style of these wines: vibrant fruit, powerful, and always elegant." -Importer

AMARONE PROCESS:
"Grapes are harvested ripe in the first two weeks of October, by carefully choosing bunches having fruits not too close to each other, to let the air flow. Grapes are allowed to dry, traditionally on straw mats. This process is called appassimento or rasinate (to dry and shrivel) in Italian. This concentrates the remaining sugars and flavours and is similar to the production of French Vin de Paille. The pomace left over from pressing off the Amarone is used in the production of Ripasso Valpolicellas."

"Modern Amarone is now produced in special drying chambers under controlled conditions. This new approach minimizes the amount of handling that the grapes go through and helps prevent the onset of Botrytis cinerea. In Amarone, the quality of the grape skin is a primary concern as that component brings the tannins, color and intensity of flavor to the wine. The process of desiccation not only concentrates the juices within the grape but also increases the skin contact of the grapes. The drying process further metabolizes the acids within the grape and creates a polymerization of the tannins in the skin which contribute to the overall balance of the finished wine."

"The length of the drying process is typically 120 days but varies according to producer and the quality of the harvest. The most evident consequence of this process is the loss of weight: 35 to 45% for Corvina grapes, 30 to 40% for Molinara and 27 to 40% for Rondinella. Following drying, end of January/beginning of February, the grapes are crushed and go through a dry low temperature fermentation process which can last up to 30/50 days. The reduced water content can slow down the fermentation process, increasing the risk of spoilage and potential wine faults such as high volatile acidity. After fermentation, the wine is then aged in barriques made from either French, Slovenian or Slavonian oak." -Jancis Robinson - Oxford Companion to Wine

90 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Scented and elegant nose of fresh roses, stones and grapefruit. Bone dry and gastronomic in style, with a medium body and a subtle, medium-long finish. Drink now. Screw cap."