South America

96 Points - Jay Miller

The Bramare “Marchiori Vineyard” wines are from 100% estate grown fruit located in Lujan de Cuyo. Nearly black in colour, it coasts the glass with glycerine. Its super aromas of violets, spice box, cedar, tobacco, espresso, black cherry, and black raspberry leap from the glass. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and possesses layers of complex flavours. This hedonistic effort will benefit from at least 4-6 years of cellaring and should drink well through 2025.

95 Points - James Suckling

A beautifully refined red with currant, spice and cedar character. Full body, fine tannins and a long and caressing finish. Drink or hold. Aged 18 months in new French oak and one year in bottle before release. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 5% merlot and 5% petit verdot blend.

98 Points - James Suckling

Fabulous aromas of slate, rust, iron, and dried strawberries. Full body, firm tannins, wonderfully polished. Fine and caressing. Complex flavors too. A wonderful finish. Dusty texture as well. This is a small production wine from the family’s best vineyards of the Manzanar farm with pure slate soils.

99 Points James Suckling

“Even better than the debut and great 2014. Perfumed and vivid with strawberry, raspberry, flower leaf, cedar, stone and flint. Full body yet compacted and compressed giving it an ultra-fine palate profile. Tension and finesse. Light citrus finish. Polished to almost perfection. Seamless finish. 500 cases made. Drink now”

In the vanguard of a Chilean ‘cool climate’ Syrah revolution, this single vineyard wine displays a floral nose and a complex palate of black pepper, incense and lively red fruits. With its firm yet fine, ripe tannins, this wine will only increase in complexity and depth as it ages. A beguiling wine produced in very limited quantity.

The 2015 Felino Cabernet Sauvignon mixes fruit from Luján de Cuyo with some 25% from the Valle de Uco. It fermented in stainless steel tanks with full natural malolactic. Ten percent of the wine matured in new American oak barrels and was bottled one year after the harvest. This is very fruit-driven, fresh and clean, with very little influence from the oak, very drinkable and fresh. There's good purity of fruit, very fine tannins and a soft texture, avoiding any over-ripeness without sacrificing depth. I was impressed. They are picking slightly earlier and using oak more judiciously.

The 2015 Felino Malbec mixes grapes from different zones within the province of Mendoza--half from the cooler Valle de Uco, one-third from the classical Luján de Cuyo and some 13% from Maipú. It fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts and a total maceration of 14 days. Malolactic was spontaneous and 10% of the volume matured in new American oak barrels until bottling unfined in February 2016. The natural conditions of the year and the higher percentage of grapes from Valle de Uco helped to achieve a fresher and more lifted wine, where the effect of the oak is also better integrated. It has floral aromas and a sleek texture, with fine, sweet tannins and very good balance.

90 Points - Luis Gutierezz (erobertparker.com)

The just-bottled, screw-capped 2016 Felino Chardonnay was quite impressive. It's now produced exclusively with grapes grown in the Valle de Uco and was cropped from an unusual wet and cold growing season. It fermented with indigenous yeasts with full malolactic, with 15% of the volume put into neutral French oak barrels and bottled seven months after the harvest. It's very fresh and varietal, with a nose that mixes white flowers and fruit and a balsamic twist. The palate is fresh and sharp, elegant with very clean flavors, showcasing the minerality of the soils. Is this the finest Felino Chardonnay to date?

91 Points - Luis Gutierrez (erobertparker.com)

The 2015 Bramare Chardonnay Marchiori Vineyard was sourced from 19-year-old vines in the Marchiori Vineyard in Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo. The hand-harvested clusters were pressed and the juice fermented with indigenous yeasts, with spontaneous malolactic and an élevage of one year in 50/50 new and used French oak barrels. This is always a ripe Chardonnay with pit fruit and yellow flower aromas, hints of honey and beeswax. The palate is round and lush, with nice ripe fruit and very tasty flavors.

Bright ruby-red. Vibrant aromas of currant, blueberry, mocha, dusty herbs and spices. Suave and seamless on the palate, offering a felicitous early balance of sweetness and salinity to its highly concentrated dark berry and licorice flavors. Finishes with rich, firm tannins and excellent length. Lovely wine.