Wines

93 Points! Savory notes of grilled rosemary and olives waft from the glass, joined by currants and wild berries. Lovely texture here, with sleek tannins, medium to full body and a long, creamy finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Made by a man who understands Pinotage better than anyone, Abrie Beeslaar’s red is good to drink now but will also develop in bottle. Comfortably handling its 80% new wood, it has notes of Asian spices and toast, succulent blackberry and cherry fruit, refreshing acidity and a stony, mineral core. - Tim Atkin, MW

TASTING NOTES: Robust with flavors of lychee and pineapple, paired with the umami of roasted nuts and cashews, and complimented by the subtle sweet notes of caramel and sugarcane. This is a once-a-year release that bottles freshly pressed saké and is once-pasteurized in the bottle for bold flavors!

Region: Hyogo Prefecture

Quality Grade: Unspecified (technically Junmai) using Yamahai method

Seimaibuai: 68%

Rice: Gohyakumangoku

Alcohol: 18%

91 Points! The 2022 Kirchspiel Riesling Kabinett is clear and spicy on the intense and fruity nose that reveals clove notes intertwined with slightly stewed apple aromas. Round and elegant on the palate, this is a saline, finely grippy and stimulating Kabinett with tension. This is a Mosel-worthy Kabinett cultivated on calcareous Westhofen soils. It's adorable. 8% stated alcohol. Screw cap. Tasted at the domaine in July 2023. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com

97 Points! This youthful dry Rheinhessen riesling combines stunning concentration with a chalky minerality that’s all-encompassing yet never dominates the cool and restrained stone fruit character. Major structure that remains below the waterline of perception on the front palate and emerges like the back of a whale breaking the surface of the ocean. Spectacularly brilliant finish in spite of the moderate acidity. Great potential. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best from 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A succulent, juicy young red with plum, dark berry and some tile and bark undertones. It’s full-bodied with layers of pure fruit and fine tannins. Lightly chewy at the end of the palate with a savory and fruity finish. Better after 2024.  - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! Alluring, with melted red licorice draped over a core of lush cassis and plum compote notes. An apple wood edge is nicely inlaid on the finish. Drink now through 2028. - Wine Spectator

90 Points! It’s richer on the palate than on the nose, where there are melon, pear and pepper notes. Medium-bodied with a textured, silky palate and refreshing acidity. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

With the small amounts produced, the years of aging needed to produce each bottle and the centuries of experience crafting sake, Kikuhime has become one of the most renowned and sought after sake in the world, prized by chefs and restaurants for its nuanced pairings, and by collectors who enjoy the subtleties that develop over the years. 

BY or “Brew Year” references that unlike the extended aging for most Kikuhime this Daiginjo is released in the same year it was brewed to showcase its vibrancy. A complex, bold and dry sake. Has the fresh melon notes associated with highly polished sake, but contrasted by a big structure and chewy texture that broaden the flavor and make it exceedingly complex. Pairs beautifully with a broad range of food, excellent with simple preparations of white fish and vegetables but bold enough to pair with fatty tuna, pork and richer flavors.Can be consumed now to enjoy vibrant fruit or if aged will continue to develop earthy tones.

Region: Ishikawa Prefecture

Quality Grade: Daiginjo

Seimaibuai: 50%

Nihonshu-Do: N/A

Rice: Yamada Nishiki

Alcohol: 17.5%

From one of the most famous and sought after Sake breweries in Japan!

TASTING NOTES: A soft sake with complex flavors of honeycomb, pear, cream, roasted almonds and nougat, softer aromas of pear blossom will emerge as the sake opens in the glass.

Region: Ishikawa Prefecture

Quality Grade: Junmai 

Seimaibuai: 65%

Nihonshu-Do: -4.0

Rice: Yamada Nishiki

Alcohol: 15.5%

92 Points! The Klein Constantia 2023 Constantia Sauvignon Blanc is extremely linear and sharp with a mineral quality the persists throughout. Winemaker Matthew Day says it took him a long while to understand what the soils mean to this wine. He works with ancient decomposed granite and reddish sandstone from Table Mountain and along the riverbeds. With 42 blocks to choose fruit from, the blending possibilities are enormous. He can pinpoint the best blocks each year. He starts blending after the wine has seen six months in tank, but he wants to extend that to nine months. A salty marine theme is dominant, but the wine also offers white fruits and light floral nuances. A tiny part of declassified wine from oak may work its way into this blend, but you would never know. If you enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, as I do, I enthusiastically direct your attention here. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! The effusive sliced-pear and white-peach aromas introduce you to this extraordinary, contemporary interpretation of this grape, which is so often dismissed as old-fashioned. The abundant fine tannins remind me of natural wines, but there’s a level of brightness here that’s totally Alpine and gives it remarkable drive at the very long wet-stone finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

TASTING NOTE: The epitome of purity, this sake is more subtle and nuanced than most highly aromatic Junmai Daiginjos. It is based on the ideals of Zen Buddhism and "wabi-sabi," the belief that beauty within the arts should be as understated and pure as a simple strand of pearls.  Aromas of white flower, Asian pear & steamed rice. Finishes elegantly with rich minerality and rice texture. Serve slightly chilled.

Region: Shimane

Grade: Junmai Daiginjo

Seimaibuai: 50%

Nihonshu-Do: +2

ABV: 15.5% 

Rice: Yamada Nishiki

92 Points! Subtle, with a perfumy profile of cinnamon, powdered ginger, hazelnut husk and toasted sesame notes leading the way, backed by mouthwatering date and dried fig details and a lengthy finish. - Wine Spectator, 2018

Groovy, clean, precise Pet-Nat sparkler from the Czech Republic!

95 Points! Very elegant, sleek Auslese with a delicate hint of floral-honey sweetness and filigree acidity that makes the finish very fresh and exciting. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! The 2024 Village Chardonnay had just been freshly bottled when I tasted it at the estate in Kumeu in March 2025. The other 2024 Chardonnays were tasted as tank samples prior to filtration and bottling soon. The wine leads with yellow citrus and crushed shells. It is texturally fine, sleek and tightly coiled around a core of salty acidity. It is complex but composed and very good. "2024 was a fantastic year, just very small," says Paul Brajkovich. "Weather during flowering wasn't good in spring in 2023," says Michael Brajkovich. "Ripening in 2024 was excellent, so we have a 40% down in yield but very high quality. The Village wine is a blend of Kumeu and Hawke's Bay [and is] a mixture of barrel and tank fermentation." - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com