The nose is attractive, with watermelon, leafy lightness, fresh violets and strawberry fruit. The palate is savory and graceful, with a full body, velvety tannins soaked in peach fruit, juicy acidity and a polished aftertaste.... Read More

A firm and beautiful Barolo with dark strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and stone. Medium body. Fine and chewy tannins that show tension and give focus. A little chewy but it has great energy. Best after 2028.

Black fruit coulis, intense spice aromas and some smoke on the nose. Powerful and robust in the best possible way, the tannins are remarkably polished for a Rhone red with stacks of mourvedre in it. Very compact core, but also... Read More

The 2020 Cepparello is a total stunner, just as it was last year. Deeply colored, layered and explosive in the glass, the 2020 possesses striking textural richness and overall intensity. Black cherry, graphite, plum, spice and... Read More

Lovely dark red fruits on the nose, a gorgeous sultry florality to it, something a little bit savoury too, pencil led and smoke - extremely welcoming. Great succulence on the palate, juicy and alive, really fresh with the charm... Read More

The 2020 Château Mangot Todeschini Distique has a similar celery/vegetal nuance, and although it’s more integrated, it's still a head scratcher. A blend of 40% each of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with the balance... Read More

This is both deep in color and on the nose with plenty of wood spices, dark walnuts, black cherries, peppercorn, licorice, bark and dark mushrooms. Supple entry, but the oak tannins and the intense, juicy fruit quickly take over,... Read More

I was able to taste three wines from Domaine Santa Duc. Starting with the 2020 Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits, which spent 18 months in 36-hectoliter Stockinger foudres, it has a floral, elegant, medium-bodied profile as well as lots... Read More

Looking at the reds, the 2020 La Chapelle De La Mission Haut-Brion is flat-out stunning and unquestionably a great wine in its own right. Cassis, black raspberries, tobacco, and sandalwood are just some of its nuances, and it's... Read More

Another wine that's just about to be bottled is the 2020 Todos, which is a final blend of 57% Syrah, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Sirah, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest a mix of varieties. Ripe blueberries, fresh plums,... Read More

The 2020 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Monti Garbi is wickedly spice and intense, opening with a whiff of crushed ashen stone and smokey black cherries. Its textures are silky and pure, with a savory mix of sour wild berries... Read More

The 2020 Pirouette is spicy with a dark and brooding bouquet of musky black currant, grilled herbs, cocoa and ashen stone. This is velvety smooth yet lifted in feel, with a combination of red and blue fruit that flows across a... Read More

The 2020 Merlot Pedestal Vintage Select is brooding with a hauntingly dark, backward bouquet of dried blueberries, sage, cedary spice and gravel dust. It sweeps across the palate with grace, silken yet poised, with mineral-inflected... Read More

An exquisite mix of elegant aromas dominates the nose, with notes of Parma violets, orange peel, Earl Grey tea, dried cherries, smoky woodland and earthy minerality. Full-bodied, it shows significant tannins, but it’s velvety,... Read More

Mineral and savory nose with lots of crushed stones, iron, seaweed, spiced blood orange and cranberries. Structured and vertical on the palate but nothing fleshy here. It shows more mineral tension and tautness than fruit. A pure,... Read More

The younger wine here is the 2020 Viña Alberdi, a versatile version of the Haro reds. It was produced with Tempranillo fermented in stainless steel and matured in American oak barrels for two years (it's sold as Reserva... Read More

The Domenico Clerico 2020 Barolo Ginestra Pajana (with 5,000 bottles made) shows great balance between dark fruit and integrated spice from increasingly hands-off oak aging. The results are impeccably smooth, and the fruit remains... Read More

The 2020 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj offers a bright and elegant fruit profile with tart fruit, blackcurrant, spice, cola, licorice and candied orange peel. It feels ironed out and smooth, folding softly over the palate initially yet... 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

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 2020 Gazin is a wine of total precision and class. Vibrant, with tremendous nuance, the 2020 is so impressive. Dark red cherry, iron, tobacco, white pepper and crushed flowers abound. The 2020 is a standout Gazin.

The Domenico Clerico 2020 Barolo Ginestra Ciabot Mentin shows really great balance in terms of the oak integration. For the first time, the estate has decided to use large oak casks (removing the barrique entirely), and the results... 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

The 2020 L'Apparita opens to a midnight black color and an impenetrable appearance. This Merlot set the benchmark for the grape in Tuscany and continues to do so today, despite the various challenges to an early-ripening variety... Read More

Plenty of blackberry, blueberry, lead pencil and violet aromas here that follow through to a full body, with ultra-fine tannins that run the length of the wine. So integrated and polished.Changes a lot in the glass. Thoughtful... Read More

This refined Bordeaux blend encapsulates the essence of the renowned Saint Emilion appellation. With a storied history of excellence spanning over a century, the estate produces wines that elegantly express lush red fruit, gentle... Read More

The 2020 Tour Saint Christophe opens in the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, raspberries and petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, lively and pure palate that's rich and fleshy, with generously extracted tannins... Read More

Coming to market this fall, the Bartolo Mascarello 2019 Barolo represents a classic vintage in between two challenging growing seasons. Both 2018 and 2020 were hotter than 2019, resulting in higher alcohol levels. With fruit harvested... Read More

The 2020 Candea Tino blends Mencía, Tempranillo, Garnacha Tintorera and Mouratón from the small DO Monterrei, with 30% fermented with wholeclusters. Presenting a garnet hue in the glass, it displays pink peppercorn... Read More

From a château that deserves more recognition in the market, the 2020 Château De Fieuzal is a brilliant Pessac- Léognan based on 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot raised in 60% new... Read More

Composed of 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an alcohol of 14.5% and a pH of 3.57, the deep purple-black colored 2020 Fleur Cardinale bursts from the glass with powerful notes of crushed blackberries,... Read More

Juicy and upfront, this has nice energy and life with good acidity and clear texture. Nicely framed with a toasty touch balanced by a hint of sweetness to the blackcurrant and blackberry fruit with some floral accents. Oak and... Read More

Careful and seductive oaking, this develops and builds in power and finesse over the palate, and is a seriously enjoyable Pomerol, just packed full of appellation typicity. A yield of 35hl/ha, vinified in new oak barrels, and... Read More

One of the world’s greatest expressions of Grenache year-in and year-out, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is all varietal that was brought up in larger foudre. This cuvée comes from the Charbonnieres... Read More

A much more powerful wine based on 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Deus-Ex Machina reminds me slightly of the 2011 with its spicy, perfumed, complex bouquet of red and black fruits, dried flowers,... Read More

Lastly, the 2020 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is another legendary wine from this château that has been on an incredible run over the past decade. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot that was brought up all... Read More

Deep cherry damson red in colour, clear depth. Touches of kicking spice right from the start, I like the surprise of the battle between richness and bitterness. It feels like a heavy blanket of fruit which is burrowing down but... Read More

Rich and concentrated with violet reflections and a wall of tannins. Well structured, it sets its feet deep in the ground and will need time to soften and develop. Good quality with depth. The tannins are far more present than... Read More

The 2020 Château Trotte Vieille has closed down since I tasted it as a barrel sample in 2021 and needs lots of air, but this is an incredibly gorgeous wine. Its dense purple hue is followed by powerful, inward bouquet of... Read More

The 2020 Pouilly-Vinzelles, made one-third in barrel and two-thirds in tank, has a lovely beeswax and dried flower bouquet. The palate is slightly honeyed on the entry, countered by a fine line of acidity with hints of verbena... Read More

Mount Etna’s astronomic rise in hipness over the last decade or so has created a sort of gold rush (or oil rush, to use the metaphor used on this wine's label), with producers from all over Sicily, mainland Italy, and... Read More