Wickedly fresh, the 2021 Syrah En Cerise Vineyard opens with a dark mix of wilted violets, ashen stones, rubbed sage and musky currants. It's juicy and round with masses of black cherry fruits underscored by saline minerals... Read More

The 2022 Rosso di Montalcino is remarkably pretty. Rosy and floral, this impresses further with its ripe cherry-berry fruits and dusty earth tones. It's silky-smooth and ripe in style, with juicy acidity and a cascade of violet... Read More

Full of details of prunes, stony salinity, earthy notes and forest floor, tannins firm and slightly sticky on the gums, but with crisp acidity. It's almost austere on the finish, but dynamic and balanced nonetheless, leaving... Read More

A tasting of the different lieux-dits showed how the different soil types reacted to the drought. Granite-based parcels (Ermite Les Bessards) suffered blockages in ripening and finished at 13% alcohol; the clay-based terroirs... Read More

While based in Monforte d'Alba, the Fenocchio family has owned a small 0.5ha slice in Cannubi Boschis for over 50 years and it has been bottled separately since 1980. Striking scents are redolent of rhubarb compote, cherry... Read More

Dark aromas of graphite, potpourri, smoke, bergamot and dried cherries. Firm tannins on the palate, with a full body, a dusty texture, refreshing acidity and a powerful finish. Extracted, meaty, concentrated and balanced for the... Read More

Rich black cherry and strawberry fruit, with impressive density and palate weight. The balance is good, with fur-coat tannins and admirable freshness. Yet again, this vintage turns out a wine seemingly far too good for the climatic... Read More

The 2020 Rosso di Montalcino is simply stunning, lifting from the glass with vivid raspberry and cherry notes complemented by sweet rose, clove and cedar. This model of purity is silky and refined, with a dusty feel to its ripe... Read More

A fleshy, textured chardonnay with aromas of apricots, honeysuckle, nutmeg, toast and persimmons. It’s medium- to full-bodied with bright acidity. Balanced, layered and very drinkable. Hints of flint at the end. Drink now.... Read More

The 2021 Pinot Noir Goldrock Estate is deep, rich and explosive. Dark red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, menthol, spice and rose petals are all amplified in this dramatic Sonoma Coast Pinot. The complexity and intensity here... Read More

The 2021 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore is a serious, serious wine that needs time in the cellar to be at its best. It shows the lighter style of Nebbiolo from Roero, but with all the elements dialed up. I especially admire its... Read More

Intense oyster-shell and candied-lemon aromas pull you into this very elegant champagne, which is so precise on the sleek and focused palate with a finish of crystalline purity and brightness. Still really youthful, thanks to... Read More

Disgorged with nine grams per liter dosage in 2021, the 2012 Brut Rose is a blend of 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay sourced from 11 villages. Nine percent red wine from Les Ryceys has been added. Offering up aromas of blueberry,... Read More

An astonishing bouquet presenting notes of petroleum and flint that mingle with scents of pastry and both dried apricot and apricot jam. Complexity and generosity stand out on the palate, with that exemplary creamy and mellow... Read More

The Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2020 Barolo Ludo shows classic Nebbiolo aromas of roses and tar that are fleshed out in this case by redcurrant and cranberry. The fruit is bright and lively, not overripe, as we see in many other wines... Read More

This is a wonderfully complex white that has layers of almonds, slate, lemons, lychees, cedar, nutmeg and apricots. Full-bodied yet fresh, with long and continuous flavor intensity, flinty and spicy, showing elegance and persistence.... Read More

This is at a different level, with blackcurrants, blueberries and Mediterranean herbs, such as rosemary and sage. Also tobacco and coffee bean. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and a persistent finish. Sophisticated and thought-provoking.... Read More

The 2020 Barolo Cannubi is a young, promising wine. It shows terrific depth in the understated style of the year. Crushed flowers, cedar, tobacco, licorice and dried herbs fill out the layers effortlessly. Pliant and expressive,... Read More

They shortened the élevage of the white 2021 Pedra de Guix to 11 months, and they also stopped using the 1,800-liter foudre, where the wine partially aged in the past, and now it's matured in concrete vats (diamond-shaped... Read More

Bright jeweled ruby in color, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino is flush with pure aromas of candied flowers, cherry lozenge, pine needles, and blood orange. Medium-framed, it's ripe and pure on the palate, with refreshing energy,... Read More

The Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2019 Barolo Bussia opens to a fragrant bouquet with wild rose and lilac. Those pretty high-toned aromas are followed by redcurrant and earthy licorice. Bussia is a very large MGA site, and there are dozens... Read More

While the 2022 Château Lynch Bages Blanc had been bottled just prior to my visit, it wasn't showing any worse for wear and has a terrific perfume of honeyed lime, white flowers, citrus, and chalky minerality. Based on... Read More

Tight and firm, this needs time to open and soften but there is no doubting the quality of the ingredients. Young St-Émilion can be tough to taste in great vintages, as they often present an unrelenting wall of fruit, but... Read More

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with crème de cassis and plum preserves notions, plus... Read More

Blended from the estate's Leopoldina (61%) and Fortuna (39%) vineyards, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Reserve represents a solid value. Marked by scents of cassis, black cherries and loamy earth, with a hint of smoked... Read More

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, drawn from the Fortuna (66%) and Leopoldina (34%) vineyards. A best-barrel selection, it offers up classic Oakville scents of black cherries and loamy earth,... Read More

Intense aromas of black cherries, lavender and spice, such as nutmeg. Some sandalwood and bark, too. Full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and tannins for the vintage. Rather chewy, suggesting that additional bottle age is needed.... Read More

$130

Release Price:

Drink Date:
2025 - 2035

The 2022 Finca Dofí was produced with 88% Garnacha, 9% Cariñena, 2% Picapoll and 1% white grapes from a 12.5-hectare slope planted 18 to 38 years ago. It fermented with... Read More

The nose of the 2022 Flor de Pingus has a peachy note (peche de vigne!). It's perfumed, elegant, more fruit-driven, tender, delicate and ripe without excess (but possibly the ripest of the 2022s, perhaps the influence of the... Read More

The estate red 2016 Reserva comes from a late growing season and was produced with local varieties like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and others from their 86 hectares of vineyards at 590 to 805 meters in altitude on limestone,... Read More

The 2019 San Vicente was produced with Tempranillo Peludo, a special strain of Tempranillo planted from a massale selection in 1985 in the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Like all their reds (except the carbonic maceration... Read More

From the winery's estate vineyard on Howell Mountain, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Dancing Bear Ranch is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, all aged 22 months in 59% new French oak. Scents of... Read More

A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, all aged in new French oak, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill appears destined to be another classic. Penetrating aromas of cassis and red berries are joined by hints... Read More

$275

Release Price:

Drink Date:
2025 - 2045

With a much higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (91%, with 9% Cabernet Franc), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is less floral than the Maya but more obviously fruity and up front.... Read More

Simply a wonderful wine, the 2021 Maya oozes class, with deep, complex aromas of violets and cassis, earthy loam and hints of tobacco and mint. It's just medium to full-bodied, cool, silky and finessed. Supremely elegant but... Read More

Again my favorite of the single vineyards from La Pelle, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Vineyard features deep black cherries, moving toward cassis, with some distinct sage notes. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, there's... Read More

From a vineyard just up the hill from Joseph Phelps, farmed by Jim Barbour and made by Jean Hoefliger, Denali's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a great wine, showing wonderful purity of cherry fruit, despite being matured in 100%... Read More

Another masterpiece from the talents of Celia Welch, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain comes from a site on Howell Mountain and spent 20 months in new French oak. It's a full-bodied, concentrated, powerful Mountain... Read More

François de Nicolay succinctly described the 2022 growing season as hot and dry but with no disease pressure to speak of, which always makes things easier to manage. However, fruit maturities spiked at the end and it was... Read More

The 2023 Vouvray Sec Le Mont is precise, upright and flinty. It's less immediately charming than the styles we've seen in recent warmer vintages, but it was only tasted three weeks after bottling—this is one to revisit.... Read More

Dark and brooding, the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia slowly blossoms in the glass with a dramatic mix of steeped plums, cinnamon sticks, grilled herbs and sweet lavender. This is a model of purity, lifted and refined... Read More

A burst of black cherries and cloves gives way to shavings of cedar and lifting hints of mentholated herbs as the dynamic 2020 Brunello di Montalcino comes to life in the glass. This is soothingly round and pliant with an inner... Read More

The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli is dreamy, with a darkly floral bouquet that blends dried rose and violet with hints of sour cherry, blackberry and Tuscan dust. This is silky-smooth and round in feel, with fresh... Read More

I remember tasting Costanti’s 2019 Rosso di Montalcino in 2021 and thinking how Brunello-esque it was: the sturdy structure was almost uncharacteristic, yet it certainly boded well for the Brunello. Simply gloriously sculpted,... Read More

From the estate vineyard on Diamond Mountain, the 2021 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon is a solid effort, kicking off with subtle herbal shadings. Those are followed up by ripe red and black cherries and hints of licorice and dark... Read More

Quinta de Muradella’s Muradella Tinto is crafted from a single vineyard planted between 1999 and 2000 using heirloom cuttings. This distinctive blend includes Mencía, Zamarrica, Bastardo, Caíño Redondo,... Read More

The 2021 Alanda Blanco is a village wine from Monterrei, a blend of Dona Blanca, Treixadura and Verdello that reflects the diversity of soils, altitudes and expositions. The varieties fermented together, being added to the vat... Read More

$28

Release Price:

Drink Date:
2024 - 2029

The 2023 Zarate is the flagship Albariño that shows the character of the year, with more moderate ripeness, 12.5% alcohol and a balanced and elegant profile. It's clean, floral... Read More

The Castello di Monsanto 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Il Poggio (with the San Donato in Poggio location listed on the front label) offers a twofold approach with plenty of fresh cherry fruit and blueberry on the... Read More

The Drouhin estate's flagship Pinot Noir is a barrel selection comprised of fruit from their Dundee Hills estate. Perfectly perfumed with classic Willamette Valley berries, forest floor and notes of singed rose petals and... Read More

The NV Brut Blanc de Blancs is a gorgeous wine in its peer group. Brisk, dry and pulsing with the energy that makes Chardonnay from Mesnil and Oger so distinctive, the NV Blanc de Blancs is a winner. This is an absolutely delicious... Read More

The 2018 Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs Les Longues Voyes 1er Cru, 100% Pinot Noir, is the most engaging of the three parcellaire wines today. Aromatic, deep and exquisitely layered, the Longues Voyes is super-expressive today. Crushed... Read More

The 2023 Albariño, which represents their take of the vintage, was produced with grapes from 165 hectares of the 14 hectares they own. It goes back to the alcoholic degree of 2021, 12.5%, compared with the 13.5% of 2022.... Read More

The 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Vin de la Solitude reveals a charming, distinctive bouquet of rose, red berries, gooseberries, mint and spices. Medium to full-bodied, enveloping and round, it's perfectly textured and fleshy with... Read More

The 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from vines aged between 80 and 100 years. The 2021 Vieilles Vignes wafts from the glass with expressive aromas of redcurrant, red and black cherry, raspberry, strawberry,... Read More

The 2019 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva Sotto Casa is dusty and floral. A whiff of crushed rocks gives way to dried roses, cedar shavings and musky red currants. This is a powerful and complex effort, youthfully dense and... Read More

96 points Wine Advocate: Medium ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Sisters has a delicate perfume of raspberries, rhubarb, tar, orange peel and tea leaves with touches of flint. The light-bodied palate is powdery and fresh with fragrant... Read More

Jérôme inherited 5 acres of pinot meunier planted in the 1960s from his maternal grandmother in 1987 in the unknown village of Gueux in the Montagne de Reims. He tributes his grandmother for giving him “the... Read More

Exotic from the first tilt of the glass, the 2019 Montefalco Sagrantino Pagliaro is youthfully intense, with a blend of rum-soaked cherries and a cascade of sweet spice, mixing dried violets with cloves, ashen stones and blood... Read More