GLORIAVINA
Given our backgroud in Old World wines, we don't limit sales in our Los Olivos shop to Santa Barbara County. GloriaVina is a celebration of the world's best wines, with bespoke offers sent out bi-weekly, with wines priced better than any other retailer west of the Mississippi (and sometimes the whole country).
"The stunning 2015 Solaia is solid evidence of this perfect alignment...The very name Solaia evokes the concept of sunshine and...with the 2015 vintage, Solaia is liquid sunshine not just in name but also in fact. The bouquet is immediately soft and sensual with dark fruit, spice and sweet tobacco. The mouthfeel shows intensity and power...[and] feels glossy, tonic and fresh. It is composed of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and a tiny part Cabernet Franc. There is a bit of crunch or snap that comes thanks to the more acidity-prone Sangiovese grape (the wine measures 3.5 in pH). Finally, the tannins are beautifully sweet and ripe. This wine is meticulously executed, and the 2015 vintage lives up to an ideal of what we imagine Solaia to be." -Wine Advocate, 100WA
"Every time I review Ridge's Estate Cab I think 'can youthful Cab really be more classic and elegant than this?' and then I move on to the Monte Bello and it is...once again I am struck by the light, fresh green blackcurrant-leaf notes, the perfectly balanced oak spice and the brooding black fruit. The tannins are smooth but building with fresh mouth-watering acidity and a long, evolving finish. It absolutely demands age but it's hard to imagine a more promising youthful Cab. (SCJ) (Drink between 2030-2050)" -Jancis Robinson, 17.5+JR
"Already gorgeously aromatically expressive, playing notes of delicate raspberry leaf and rose petals alongside exotic orange and grapefruit rind. There's an inherent freshness here, long cascading lines of acidity banked by uplifting minty notes. What a sexy wine, one that teases sweetness against bitter fruit skin, like biting voraciously into a plump succulent cherry and savoring its fleeting, electrifying impact. I love the toothsome, tasty fruit profile. The blend is 62% from the 2016 vintage, with 38% of reserve wines dating back to 2010, and 10% of Pinot Noir red wine, made up of 32 separately vinified wines from six different years. (Drink between 2024-2050)" -Decanter, 97DE
James Suckling's #1 Wine in Argentina (Sept 17, 2025)
"So linear and driven, with so much tension and intensity. Aromas of sliced apples, lemons and stones. Medium-bodied with flavors of apples, seashells, lemons and crushed stones. It goes on and on. Matured in 30% amphorae and 70% oak. Fantastic. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 97JS
"Sourced from silt-dominated soils, the 2024 Chacra Chardonnay opens with an immediately inviting and complex bouquet melding marshmallow, saline and citrus notes with ever-increasing definition and harmony. The palate echoes with a deep, velvety, effortless richness perfectly counterbalanced by a chalky, lifted, tangy energy. It concludes with a multidimensional, bright, mineral-drenched finish further elongated by additional rounds of stony intensity without ever veering into sharp or angular territory. It's an impressive, crystalline and simply delicious expression of Patagonia." -Wine Advocate , 96WA
"Unique aromas of beeswax, lilacs, honey and a hint of green strawberries. It’s medium-bodied and very solid, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. It shows drive and tension. Racy flavors of crushed stones and seashells, with a hint of salt at the end. Made in cement. No wood. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 97JS
"Fermented with 50% whole clusters in both barrel and concrete vat, the 2022 Pinot Noir Treinta y Dos hails from Mainqué in Patagonia. A bright, ruby-hued wine, the nose presents aromas of wild herbs, sour cherry and raspberry, further revealing hints of lavender, rose and cotton candy with time in the glass. Dry and quite silky on the palate, there is a light grip to the mouthfeel, allowing the Treinta y Dos to unleash its energy in a nuanced, lasting finish. This is an intellectual wine." -Vinous, 97VM
"A relatively new malbec from Chacra made from less than a hectare of vines planted in 1945. Perfumed and pretty, with orange peel, violets, black cherries and blueberries. Medium-bodied with crunchy tannins that are velvety and bright. Shows a citrusy finish. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 95JS
""The Deici is a special bottling of Brunello that was released ten years after the vintage to commemorate the excellence of the 2007 vintage. The wine spent one year of its elevage in tank, followed by four years in thirty-three hundred liter Slavonian oak botti..then...another five years of bottle aging prior to release. The wine...[is a] beautifully refined aromatic constellation of red and black cherries, spit-roasted venison, a touch of orange peel, cigar wrapper, brown spices, a complex base of soil, a dollop of fresh oregano, cloves, a nice touch of oak and a topnote of bonfire. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and beautifully transparent in personality, with an excellent core of fruit, fine-grained tannins, still good acids and impeccable balance on the long, complex and very elegant finish. This is an utterly refined bottle of Brunello that is starting to approach its apogee of peak drinkability at fifteen years of age...Great juice. 2022-2055" -John GIlman, 95JG
"The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is a spice box of a wine, opening with a burst of camphor and dried flowers, giving way to crushed blackberries, sage and cloves. This is surprisingly energetic and racy in style. Vibrant acidity propels depths of dark red fruits and inner floral as salty minerals saturate. The 2019 finishes structured and long yet still lively, leaving violet inner florals and hints of currant to taper off slowly. The combination of power, depth and energy makes this impossible to ignore." -Vinous, 95VM
"Claude Riffault is a shining star in Sancerre, producing suave, texturally intriguing, seemingly effortless wines. Riffault joined the family business in 2001 and was handed over the keys in 2015. In 2008, Stéphane Riffault, Claude’s father, started hand harvesting, a change that has refined its wines. In 2013, the family moved its 15 hectares to organics, achieving certification in 2016, which led to biodynamic conversion, starting in 2018 (2021 was the first fully biodynamic harvest). Still undergoing its élevage in wood, the 2023 Les Denisottes has surprising freshness akin to a shot of caffeine. It may not be as concentrated or rich as the 2022, but this wine shows promise. It positively sings like a soprano, clear and pure with energy and drive. (Drink between 2025-2032)" -Vinous, 91-93VM
"An amazing 2008 rosé Champagne that has all the structure and aromatic complexity - sushi ginger, oolong tea and caramelized mandarin orange - we associate with this vintage, but also has more charm than most. On the palate, this has stunning concentration, yet is diamond bright. The interplay of creaminess, fine tannins and mineral acidity builds and builds at the breathtaking finish. The color comes from about 7% pinot noir red wine, partly from the little-known Les Riceys in the far south of Champagne. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 98JS
"Light orange. Sharply focused red berry and tangerine scents are complicated by suggestions of allspice and cinnamon, with a hint of smokiness in the background. Sappy and minerally on the palate, offering fresh strawberry and blood orange flavors lifted by juicy acidity. Packs a serious punch but carries no excess weight and finishes stony and very long, with echoing red berry character." -Vinous, 92VM
"The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée is one of the strongest vintages for this wine in recent history. It is magnificent, soaring from the glass with pungent aromas of crème de cassis, ripe raspberry and strawberry, cured meat, tobacco, licorice, iodine and garrigue. Full-bodied, vibrant to the core and offering a multidimensional profile, this wine is really, really good. The Féraud family and the entire team deserve a round of applause for this sublime Cuvée Réservée, which will still be kicking ass 20 years from now. (Drink between 2027-2046)" -Vinous, 96VM
"The 2015 Cazetiers from Maison Drouhin has turned out superbly well this year, with great sappiness and purity of fruit expression, excellent transparency and soil complexity and truly lovely balance. The bouquet is pure, youthful and vibrant, jumping from the glass in a blaze of black cherries, bitter chocolate, grilled meats, black minerality, a whisper of fresh herbs and a lovely, discreet base of nutty new wood. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and quite plush on the attack, with excellent mid-palate sappiness, refined soil signature, tangy acids, lovely focus and grip and a very long, precise and fine-grained finish. This is outstanding and very pure. (Drink between 2022-2060)" -John Gilman, 93JG
"A small parcel that yields just six barrels. Impressive citrus aromas with a flinty edge, as well as pithy lemons and grapefruit. It delivers a mouthwatering impression of power and clarity. The palate has a very succulent, powerful and refined feel with a stunning, saline mineral cut. Supreme concentration and power. This is great. Organically farmed grapes. Drink or hold through to 2025+." -James Suckling, 97JS
"A ripe and generous Corton-Charlemagne with a caramelized-pear aroma, but the stony character that’s typical for the site is the dominant aspect of the wine. Serious structure here! Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 95JS
"Incorporating some 40% declassified young-vine Clos des Mouches, the 2020 Côte de Beaune Blanc delivers aromas of pear, freshly baked bread, white flowers and almonds. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with lively balancing acids, it's already drinking well." -Wine Advocate
"The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru shoots well above the bottle I tasted in March 2022. This has a little more reduction on the nose compared to its peers, with dark cherries, violets and a subtle oyster shell element that manifests with aeration, perhaps even cola too. It gains a little delineation with time in the glass. The palate is very smooth and focused, with an almost satin-like texture and some high-quality oak. But there is some lovely fruit here. It's very pure, with white pepper-tinged black cherries and blueberry towards the finish. Very long on the aftertaste. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. (Drink between 2027-2048)" -Vinous, 94VM
"A super-elegant Chassagne-Montrachet that offers all you want from this appellation, the balance of ripe-lemon character and flinty minerality spot-on. Super-silky and very graceful on the medium-to full-bodied palate. Then the finish doesn't want to stop. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 96JS
Notes from the Producer:
"The 2020 Corton-Charlemagne from Domaine Drouhin is another stellar example of the vintage. The bouquet is very precise and expressive, delivering notes of apple, pear, flinty, chalky minerality, lemon blossoms, white lilies, citrus zest and a lovely foundation of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, racy and rock solid at the core, with a full-bodied and graceful format, beautiful mineral undertow, snappy acids and a long, complex and utterly seamless finish that shows tremendous lift and grip. Great juice. (Drink between 2028-2065)" -John Gilman, 96JG
"The 2021 Nebbiolo d’Alba Drago from Poderi Colla is a fantastic Nebbiolo that combines structure and finesse. Aged for one year in large casks, it opens with classic varietal aromas of woodland berry, dog rose, eucalyptus and spice while the smooth palate doles out ripe Morello cherry, raspberry and star anise alongside taut, refined tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced and youthful. Drink through 2027. (Aug 2023" -Kerin O'Keefe, 92KO
"The 2021 Barbera D'Alba Vigna Vecchia Scarrone comes from the old vines of the Scarrone vineyard that were planted in 1918 and wrap around to the south-facing hillside. It’s quite an expressive wine, taking on tremendous depth and complexity, although it’s very appealing now as well. A purple/magenta color, it offers aromas of graphite, candied blackberries, lavender, and rosemary. It’s rich and full-bodied but has a weightless feel, with plush, velvety tannins, and it retains fantastic freshness of acidity. Drink 2026-2036. 4500 bottles produced." -Jeb Dunnuck, 95JD
"Served from the 500 ml bottle, the apricot-golden colored 2003 Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux Première Trie offers a beautifully deep, intense, concentrated and at the same time precise, fresh and refined fruit aroma of fully ripe and cooked peaches along with refreshing lemon and spicy/mineral flavors on the nose. On the sweet and fruity, highly elegant, balanced and finesse-full palate, there is a gorgeous precision, freshness and piquancy that leads to a correspondingly precise, piquant and salty finish that is simply great and almost unrivaled. This 2003 is one of the greatest, because it's the finest and most balanced Moelleux of this tasting, and if I had to draw a comparison it would be to the 1959 and the 1945." -Wine Advocate, 98+WA
"From another early, low-acid vintage, the golden shining, botrytis-free 2003 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux Première Trie shows a beautifully intense, extraordinary clear, refined and elegant bouquet of ripe fruits intertwined with mineral flavors –– fascinating! Sweet, intense and delicate on the palate, this highly elegant and lovely concentrated Chenin is of great purity, balance and finesse. Its length is impressive, its generous flow is extremely sensual and its overall intensity and accessible generosity are absolutely gorgeous. This 2003 is great today, but will probably even more fascinating in 50+ years. The balance and drinkability is superb. Highly recommended." -Wine Advocate, 96+WA