Wine Store

Maker's Notes -

Appearance: garnet red colour

Nose: complex and fine with notes of black fruit (blackberry / blackcurrant)

Palate: fruity with lovely notes of liquorice. Silky tannins. Creating a precise and elegant wine with lovely freshness

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Its colour is a deep ruby red, showing garnet reflections while young. With its predominately berry-fruit bouquet, this wine shows the full aromatic power of these two noble grape varieties whilst retaining the freshness imparted by well-controlled wine making.

CRU/JRM - One of our best-selling wines for many years and with good reason.  Terrific value and always consistently well made.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Appearance: bright, dark garnet. Nose: powerful red berry aromas (cherry, raspberry) accompanied by cocoa and sweet spice fragrances.

Nose: powerful red berry aromas (cherry, raspberry) accompanied by cocoa and sweet spice fragrances.

Palate: delicious and juicy on entry, a profusion of red fruit, full on the palate with silky, velvety tannin. The perfect example of a Grenache noir

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 88 - This juicy red has light tannins and bright acidity, offering bright red and black fruit flavors, with hints of smoke and licorice. Drink now through 2025.

Maker's Notes - Intense ruby ​​red color, medium-high layer and light orange iridescence.  Aromas of red fruits, fresh fruit (strawberry), of good intensity, well assembled with the aromas of spices, vanilla and wood.  In the mouth we find it slightly tannic, fresh, medium-bodied, smooth, balanced, with fruit well integrated with notes of oak, vanilla and light toasted notes.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 90 - A fun, open-knit red, offering lively kirsch, anise and blackberry cobbler notes, followed by a light dusting of lavender on the finish. Grenache and Syrah.

Maker's Notes - The colour shows an elegant, ruby-red hue. The aromas are delicate, dominated by red berries, such as wild strawberries and raspberries. In the mouth this wine is supple and seductive on the palate, light, easy to drink, with a deliciously fruity and fresh finish

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 88 - The flamingo-hued 2019 Mathilda Chapoutier Grenache Rose features scents of crushed stone and alpine strawberries. It manages to avoid being confected while being fresh and fruity—not always an easy thing in Grenache-based rosés. Medium-bodied, it finishes with a slightly silky-textural flourish.

Vinous 88 - Light, bright orange. Smoke-tinged redcurrant, strawberry and orange zest on the nose and palate. Supple and dry, with a gripping finish that features a subtle herbal nuance.

Keep learning »

Vinous 89 - Shimmering orange. Ripe red berry, orange pith and floral aromas

are complemented by a subtle nectarine flourish.  Smooth and open-knit, offering plump strawberry and tangerine flavors that take on a spicy quality with air. Shows good energy on the finish, which lingers with good, floral-tinged persistence.

Wine Spectator 87 - Fresh, with a light watermelon rind edge that adds freshness and direction to the light-bodied mix of white cherry and white peach flavors. Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.

Keep learning »

Vinous 90 - Lurid onion skin color. Ripe pit fruit and red berry aromas and flavors take on a spicy nuance with air. Fleshy and seamless in texture, showing a mineral, saline quality on its long, penetrating finish, which echoes the floral note. This savory wine has a wide range of food-matching capabilities.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 89 - Dark and brambly, this lively red underscores flavors of crushed blackberry and blueberry fruit with notes of toast, pine and smoke. Medium-bodied, with light tannins and hints of licorice and mocha emerging on the finish. Drink now.

CRU/JRM - A wine this good at this price point is remarkable.  Delicious and very moreish.  A perennial favourite for good reason.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 88 - Strawberry jam, cherry and earth flavors are the themes in this focused red. Smooth and balanced, with a light band of tannins on the finish. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Keep learning »

Vinous 91 - Glistening orange-pink. Incisive red berry and citrus fruit scents are complemented by building floral and mineral nuances. Silky, dry and precise, showing good heft to the strawberry and blood orange flavors, which are braced by an undercurrent of juicy acidity. Smoothly blends depth and energy and finishes very long and focused, with lingering florality and a suggestion of chalky minerals.

Wine Spectator 88 - This lively rosé has a glossy texture sporting cherry, tea and blood orange notes that are fresh and inviting. Accents of herb and stony mineral fine-tune the finish. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Rolle.

Keep learning »

Vinous 90 - The 2019 Lucilla is deep, fleshy and superexpressive. Silky tannins wrap around a core of bright red berry fruit. Floral notes perk up the finish. Lucilla is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Over time, the international varieties have become domesticated.

Wine Advocate 89 - The Castello di Farnetella 2019 Lucilla offers a medium-dark ruby color and nice, easy concentration. The wine is amply perfumed with cherry, fresh plum and summer lavender flower. Other recognizable aromas include baked clay and light spice. Let Lucilla join you on your next take-home pizza night.

Keep learning »

Vinous 90 - Pale pink. Racy and focused on the nose, displaying spice-tinged red fruit and citrus pith scents and a hint of florality. In a tense, nervy style, showing fine delineation to its strawberry, redcurrant and clementine flavors. Finishes tight and long, with the citrus fruit and floral notes repeating.

Keep learning »

Vinous 89 - The 2019 Chianti Colli Senesi is laced with sweet red berry fruit, mint, spice, tobacco and dried flowers. This is an especially perfumed style of Chianti from the Colli Senesi.

Wine Advocate 88 - The easygoing Castello di Farnetella 2019 Chianti Colli Senesi delivers bright and lifted aromas of ruby cherry and tart forest berry. The wine shows a main focus on freshness and ease of drinking, but it also has the acidity and the mild, lean-bodied texture that you'd want next to an epic plate of cacio e pepe pasta. This 2019 vintage is slightly more concentrated compared to past editions.

Wine Spectator 88 - A hint of sweet wood smoke graces the strawberry, cherry and earth flavors in this gentle red. It firms up on the finish. Drink now through 2024.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 86 - A light-bodied red, with a broad profile offering ripe blackberry and bramble fruit flavors interwoven with herb, savory spice and anise accents. Plush, light tannins.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 90 - A densely structured red, evoking blackberry, plum, earth and black pepper aromas and flavors. Saturated with fruit yet remains lively and long on the finish. Drink now through 2025.

Vinous 88 - The 2020 Dolcetto d'Alba is fresh and vibrant, with lovely blue/purplish berry fruit, lavender and

licorice. In 2020, the Dolcetto is a bit lighter in body and less persistent than in most vintages because of rain prior to

harvest.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92 - Limpid orange. Expressive, mineral-accented nectarine, strawberry and melon scents, along with blood orange and floral nuances. Palate-staining red berry, citrus and pit fruit and honeysuckle flavors deftly meld depth and liveliness. Shows firm cut and repeating mineral and floral notes on the impressively persistent, finely etched finish.

Wine Spectator 88 - This mineral-laced rosé shows elements of red berries, flint and spice encased in a smooth, supple texture. A vivid acidity gives this elegance, with melon and herb notes on the finish.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - The Nobile is the most representative of our terroir. Here the main star is the Sangiovese which in Italian means “Jupiter’s Blood”. A wine for the Gods. Spontaneously fermented, the Blood of Jupiter naturally deserves our greatest attention, which is why we age the grapes from every single plot separately for 18 months in oak barrels and large casks. Luscious and majestic, Nobile enchants you with its fragrant mulberry notes and delicate cinnamon hints, making you feel like an Olympian.

Jeremy's Notes - This wine has a special smoothness and elegance that evokes simple luxury.  It is not bold or super-concentrated but rather palate-caressing and silky. This pairs well with most food but is an outstanding no-food sipper and we all need those.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92 - Diaphanous pink. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes raspberry, pink grapefruit, peach, succulent herbs and honeysuckle. Sappy and incisive on the palate, offering vibrant red berry, citrus zest and bitter quinine flavors that show impressive energy and back-end cut. The citrus and floral notes drive a long, nervy finish that shows fine delineation and mineral lift.

WA 91 - Very pale pink and imbued with the fragrances of crushed stone and sun-dried herbs, the 2019 Cotes de Provence Sainte-Victoire Rose is the embodiment of the appellation. This blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah is medium-bodied yet lively and refreshing, with white peach and melon flavors tinged with red currants, finishing cool and stony.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 90-93 - A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Syrah, the 2018 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde l'Esquerda looks potentially outstanding. Crushed stone accents give this full-bodied red a sense of austerity, while the blueberry and cherry fruit is bold and muscular, yielding to a long, mouthwatering finish.

Keep learning »

WA 88 - The 2016 Chianti Classico by Pagliarese is an elegantly trimmed down red wine with delicate aromas of wild berry, red cherry, cassis and spice. Those fruit tones are generously and seamlessly integrated within the mid-weight body of the wine. As you should expect from Sangiovese (blended in this case with 10% Canaiolo and Mammolo), you get a healthy dose of balanced acidity on the easygoing finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 90 - Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Fleur la Mothe offers up pronounced notions of cassis, blackberry pie and Black Forest cake with hints of pencil shavings, black olives and lavender. Medium bodied, the palate has an impressive intensity of crunchy black fruits with a lively backbone and well-managed, grainy tannins, finishing long and fragrant.

Vinous 90 - I was pleased to see that the aromatics on the 2018 Fleur La Mothe have gained more refinement and focus since I tasted it from barrel, offering blackberry and briar, touches of blue fruit and sous-bois scents emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fine weight and focus and just the right amount of grip on the structured finish. Allow 3–4 years in bottle, because this Cru Bourgeois can age seriously well.

Keep learning »

This is a pure and naked expression of the Tuscan grape with cherry, dried raspberry, terracotta and bitter almond. The Da.Di reveals compelling richness of fruit and a natural, mid-weight texture followed by dusty tannins.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 93 - Fresh, ripe and well-defined, with raspberry, bitter cherry and plum puree notes that race through, carried by a fine minerally spine while savory and sanguine details infuse the finish. Drink now through 2030.

Vinous 92 - Vivid ruby. Displays ripe, smoke-accented cherry and dark berry

scents that are complemented by hints of licorice, game and cracked pepper. Juicy and broad in the mouth, offering appealingly jammy red and blue fruit liqueur and baking spice flavors and a

salty touch of olive. Finishes long and

smooth, with well-knit tannins and repeating pepper and cherry notes.

Wine Advocate 91 - An exceptional vintage for this wine, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage les Meysonniers showcases violets, cassis and crushed stone aromas on its complex, nuanced nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it's silky and seductive, with a long, exquisitely balanced finish.

Keep learning »

Vinous 91 - Vivid orange-pink. Mineral tinged red berries, orange zest and nectarine aromas show fine clarity and pick up a floral nuance with air.  Juicy and focused on the palate offering sappy

tangerine and strawberry flavors that deepen steadily and take on a spicy white pepper note through the back half. Finishes long, gently chewy and precise, with repeating red fruit and spice notes.

Wine Spectator 90 - Pure and chiseled in feel, with racy-edged white cherry, rose petal, jicama and jasmine notes backed by a lingering wet stone accent on the finish. This has length and subtleties that set it apart from the pack. Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle and Tibouren.

Wine Spectator 90 - This elegant rosé combines orange pith, white cherry and grapefruit flavors, with undertones of mineral, spice and heather accents. Refreshing acidity gives this a mouthwatering finish.

Wine Advocate 89 - Plump and rounded on the palate, Miraval's 2021 Cotes de Provence Rose follows that up with a mouthwatering, citrusy finish. It's a pretty standard Provence offering but executed at a high level, with attractive scents of crushed stone accenting peach, melon and lime-like notes. Just who owns this wine estate may be in the hands of a French court, but the winemaking is firmly under the control of the Perrin family and reflects their high standards of quality.

Keep learning »

Vinous 90 - The 2016 Caronne Sainte

Gemme is raised for 12 months in 25% new oak. It has a generous raspberry and blackberry scented bouquet with just a touch of cigar box, though I would have liked more personality expressed. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. There is commendable depth here,

the acidity well judged and it sports excellent purity and length on the finish.

There is a tender quality about this Caronne Sainte Gemme underneath that

more obvious power.

Wine Advocate 88 - The 2016 Caronne Ste Gemme is medium garnet-purple colored and quite woody to begin, with a core of cassis and plums with menthol and dried herbs. Medium-bodied, taut and savory in the mouth, it has a chewy finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 88 - the 2012 Lucidus rouge offers Cote Rotie-like olive, underbrush and both blackberry and raspberry-styled fruit. Medium-bodied, elegant and lightly textured, it carries surprising richness and depth. Enjoy it over the coming couple of years as well.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 90 - First produced in 2012, the most affordable of the reds produced here is the 2015 Calados del Puntido, and it's Tempranillo selected from 25 hectares of vineyards. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in French barriques for 16 months. This comes from Páganos, and tasting it next to other wines of similar prices from other Eguren wineries, the character of iodine of the wines is there; it has the textured palate of the wines from Páganos/Laguardia, from soils that aren't very deep and have quite a lot of silt. It's quite glyceric and round. It's medium to full-bodied and fills your mouth, and it has tannins that are rounder, more unctuous, quite different from the wines from San Vicente. A clear step up from the 2014.

Wine Spectator 89 - This red shows some muscle, with underpinnings of iron and black tea flanking the currant and blackberry flavors. Details of savory spice, olive and cola layer onto the structured finish. Drink now through 2025.

Keep learning »

Vinous 91 - The 2019 Chianti Classico Berardenga is a classic wine for the year. Bright, perfumed and light on its feet, the 2019 Chianti Classico Berardenga is so wonderfully expressive. There is a feeling of vibrancy to the 2019 that is hugely appealing. A wine of energy more than power. Crushed red berry fruit, cinnamon linger in a gorgeous Chianti Classico that is more about transparency than power.

Wine Advocate 91 - One of the best vantage points for drinking Chianti Classico is at the entry level. A wine like the Fèlsina 2019 Chianti Classico Berardenga offers so much freshness and cheerful, easy-drinking appeal. It's a terrific partner to pizza, pasta or basically anything on the trattoria menu tonight. This wine shows bright cherry flavors and redcurrant with pressed flowers and some tangy blood orange. It is steady and generous, with lots of bright primary intensity.

Wine Spectator 90 - This is lively, its cherry, strawberry and orange peel flavors picking up earth and woodsy accents. Firm tannins sweep in on the finish, yet this stays fresh and long. A touch more austere than many '19s.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92 - The 2018 Nobile di Montepulciano is pretty and understated in the glass, wafting up with a mix of black currants, savory herbs and worn

leather hints. This is round with a balanced inner sweetness, displaying mineral tinged wild berry fruit and nuances of confectionary spice. The 2018 leaves only a gentle coating of fine tannins while finishing with citrus nuances and a hint of hard red candies. The Avignonesi style lent quite well to this warm and rainy vintage; as a result, they

created a very delicate yet likable Nobile.

Wine Spectator 91 - A powerful red, with savory eucalyptus, tobacco and tomato leaf aromas and flavors offset by cherry and plum notes. Beefy tannins set the stage for a lingering, grainy finish.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes -

Appearance: very intense, beautiful ruby red hue.

Nose: the nose is powerful and shows great finesse. The alternation of strawberry jam aromas and spicy/peppery notes creates a very pleasant bouquet.

Palate: floral then spicy (pepper) notes on entry. The wine displays a superb tannic structure and lovely long-lingering flavours.

Keep learning »

WS 91 - Intense and complex, this combines cherry and berry fruit with earth, iron, leather and spice flavors, finishing with sour cherry, leather and tobacco notes. Drink now through 2022.

WA 90+ - Piancornello does a great job with its lower-end Rosso. Indeed, the 2016 Rosso di Montalcino makes a great impression in the glass, thanks to its beautifully dark ruby color. The bouquet offers black cherry, spice, tar and licorice. The mouthfeel is simple and crisp. It makes the perfect pairing partner to wood-fired pizza with extra mozzarella cheese melted on top.

CRU/JRM  Once again and not surprisingly, very hard to tell this from a full-blown Brunello.  A magnificent effort and a steal of a bargain.  The yields are less but the quality is stunning. Claudio Monaci is the little master of Montalcino.  Delectably complex and long.  Bravo.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 90 - The 2016 Cap de Faugeres (composed of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) has a medium garnet-purple color and reveals notions of warm plums, blackberry pie and black raspberries with touches of pencil shavings and sautéed herbs. Medium-bodied with a velvety texture and good core of black fruits, it finishes on a long-lasting earthy note.

Wine Spectator 90 - This is racy and fresh, showing a beam of loganberry and red currant coulis flavors driving along, laced with subtle savory detail and tobacco and iron notes. The racy finish is carried by mouthwatering acidity. Drink now through 2028.

Keep learning »

Vinous 88 - The 2012 Le Sartre is juicy and exuberant, with lovely mid-palate depth and terrific overall balance, especially at this level. Sweet tobacco, menthol, licorice and dried flowers add nuance in a racy, hearty red to drink over the next few years.

Wine Spectator 88 - Juicy and enticing, with raspberry and plum fruit forming the core while anise and fruitcake notes fill in the background. A tarry spine holds the finish, letting the fruit play out.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92 - Saturated ruby. Bright and focused on the nose, displaying ripe, red fruit, lavender and spice aromas. Juicy and openknit, offering concentrated,

appealingly sweet raspberry, cherry and

candied licorice flavors that tighten up and become livelier as the wine opens up. Finishes long, smooth and juicy, with resonating licorice, red berry notes and just a hint of dusty tannins.

Keep learning »

Vinous 88 - Light pink in color. Aromas of fresh flowers, flower stem, watermelon rind and strawberry. On the palate, light and bright, lots of red raspberry, straightforward not too complex.

Wine Enthusiast 88 - With some tannins, this is a full-bodied and ripe sparkling rosé. It has strong wild strawberry flavors that give the wine a very fruity character. A sense of structure enhances the naturally rich nature of the wine.

Wine Spectator 87 - Fresh and nicely rounded, offering plump strawberry, red currant and peach flavors that hang gently on the finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 88 - This red is supple and focused, with bright cherry, raspberry and currant flavors. Picks up a touch of earth and spice as it fades gracefully on the finish. Drink now.

Vinous 86-88 - The 2019 Côte de Nuits Villages Vieilles Vignes is fresh and well defined on the nose of blackberry and bilberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip and a pleasant, quite saline finish. A delicious and pure Côtes de Nuits Village.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92-93 - Bright and expansive on the perfumed nose, displaying vibrant dark berry and floral scents that develop spicy character as the wine opens up. In an energetic, fruit-driven style, offering appealingly sweet black raspberry and cherry flavors and suggestions of licorice and candied flowers. Finishes very long and chewy, with building tannins and repeating spiciness.

Wine Advocate 92 -Aged mainly in barrel, the 2018 Saint-Joseph Francois de Tournon boasts flamboyant aromas of cracked pepper, clove, baking spices and cedar set against a backdrop of black cherries and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, richly textured and long on the finish, it shows the structure of its granite sources—a sense of tannic restraint that suggests ample aging potential, yet doesn't preclude present-day enjoyment.

Wine Spectator 93 - Fresh and focused, with a lovely beam of dark cherry and bitter plum reduction notes laced with graphite, violet and anise. Racy, tightly focused finish. Best from 2021 through 2029.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 93 - Compared to the 2014 vintage, the 2015 Colección Privada is explosive, showy and hedonistic. It jumps out of the glass with a mix of flowers, wild berries and exotic spices, really showy. There is additional freshness here, and the wine seems to have taken the aging in oak (16 months in brand new barrels, 50% American and 50% French) much better than the 2014. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Colección Privada.

Wine Spectator 92 - This big red is light-footed, as fresh acidity and well-integrated tannins support the broad texture. Plum and blackberry flavors mingle with toast, licorice and black olive notes, leaving a savory finish. Drink now through 2030.

Vinous 93 - Lurid violet color. Highpitched red/blue fruit, floral pastille, spicecake, coconut and allspice aromas, along with a smoky mineral quality that emerges with aeration. Sweet, nervy and seamless in texture, offering juicy, spice-accented raspberry, blueberry and mocha flavors that deepen and fan out on the back half. Shows excellent clarity and repeating florality on a very long, spicy finish that's given shape by supple, even tannins.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 92 - Features melted red licorice, fresh currant, spiced fruit cake and raspberry tart flavors that are inviting and supple yet quickly firm up on the palate, thanks to fine-grained tannins and red tea-laced acidity. Reveals good tension and persistence. Grenache and Syrah.

Wine Advocate 91+ - Delas's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Haute Pierre is a blend of Grenache and Syrah vinified in concrete and aged in foudre. Remarkably, I still detected hints of cedar on the nose, joined by notes of leather, clove and raspberries. It's full-bodied and reasonably supple, except for some woody tannins. While it came across as a bit disjointed, in a few years this should come together nicely.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 94 - This lets a core of warm plum sauce, dark loganberry and singed anise flavors ooze out, while violet, white pepper, bay leaf and dark olive notes provide the frame. A mouthwatering mineral edge weaves throughout. Best from 2020 through 2035.

Vinous - 93: Dark purple. Dark berry preserve, licorice, incense, olive and exotic spice scents are accompanied by a building woodsmoke note. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering spice-tinged bitter cherry, blueberry and violet pastille flavors supported by juicy acidity. The floral note carries through a very long, dark-fruit-driven finish, and gently chewy tannins add shape and grip.

Robert Parker 91 -  The 2016 Cornas Chante Perdrix starts off a little tarry, but it quickly shapes up in the glass to reveal grilled meat and red plum aromas. It's medium to full-bodied, with an open-knit texture and a long, peppery and crisp finish. It should drink well for a decade or so.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92 - The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the more successful wines of the vintage. Sage, lavender, iron, smoke and dark red cherry notes flesh out in a supple, inviting Brunello. A kick of Mediterranean warmth gives the 2011 its generous texture, with all of the elements very much in the right place. I would prefer to drink the 2011 over the next handful of years or so. This is a strong showing from Piancornello.

WA 91 -  Here's a pretty, ruby-colored Sangiovese from the heart of southern Tuscany. The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino shows a lot of purity and red fruit intensity with wild berry and dried cherries in pole position. The wine offers a good sense of depth and balance thanks to those warmer notes of light tobacco and spice that add complexity in a subtle and lasting way. This Brunello is also distinguished by the mouthfeel that is tonic and bright without feeling too ripe or thick. This is a silky and elegant wine with a medium finish.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 93 - Ripe, fresh and racy in feel, with a well-detailed beam of plum, blackberry and anise notes, laced with violet, white pepper and black olive accents. The sleek finish features an iron hint vibrating like a tuning fork. Drink now through 2036.

Vinous 93 - Bright purple. Powerful dark berry, cherry, incense and licorice scents are accompanied by building vanilla and floral pastille flourishes. Fleshy blueberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors stain the palate and pick up a smoky bacon nuance on the back half. Unwinds steadily with air and finishes chewy and impressively long, displaying alluring sweetness, an echo of florality and youthfully gripping tannins.

Wine Advocate 92 - A blend of grapes sourced from Reynard and Croix St Pierre (near the top of the appellation), the 2017 Cornas Temenos shows greater depth and richness than Les Arenes, with blackberry and black cherry fruit in reserve behind notes of crushed stone and pencil shavings (it's aged in 228-liter oak, 15% to 20% new). Medium to full-bodied, it's firmly structured and promising for the future.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 91 - The 2011 Barolo Arborina delivers a tight and austere personality. The wine was slightly shut down upon release but has since gained in volume and depth. It shows sharp lines and great definition with plenty of dark fruit, cassis and dried cherry. The tannins are ripe and dry. Only 6,000 bottles were produced.

Vinous 91 - The 2011 Barolo Arborina is dark, fleshy and supple on the palate, with lovely overall presence. Wild flowers, spices, new leather and tobacco all add shades of nuance. The firm Arborina tannins kick in on the finish, giving wine an attractive burst of energy and persistence.

Wine Spectator 90 - A rich version, displaying sweet cherry, strawberry, licorice and spice flavors, this borders on chewy, with dense tannins gracing the finish. Best from 2018 through 2030.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 91 - The 2014 Siran has a very refined bouquet with blackberry, briary and light tertiary aromas. There is fine precision here, understated compared to the Sirans of old. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and a keen line of acidity. Linear in style and a little conservative towards the finish, but showing freshness from start to finish. Edouard Miailhe, proprietor of Siran, has really upped the ante here and this 2014 is just a classic Bordeaux claret that should drink well from the start, yet has the substance to suggest it will age with aplomb.

Decanter 91 - This exhibits a big, ripe, fleshy, blackberry nose, with vibrant fruit and a deep red colour. It’s sumptuous, concentrated and very rich, balanced by bold tannins yet not too extracted. It’s quite spicy and just lacks a little drive on the finish, but this is a fine offering from this increasingly impressive estate.

Wine Spectator 89 - Alluring black tea and singed sandalwood notes glide through, backed by accents of supple-edged cherry and plum preserves. Offers a gentle but persistent finish. Drink now through 2024.

Keep learning »

Vinous 94 - Inky ruby color. Intensely

perfumed dark berry, floral and spice qualities on the mineral-driven nose. Stains the palate with appealingly sweet

cherry-cola, black raspberry and candied

violet flavors that are sharpened by a spicy suggestion of freshly cracked pepper. Smoothly melds depth and energy and finishes extremely long and precise, with slowly emerging tannins and resonating floral and mineral notes.

Wine Advocate 93 - The 2019 Crozes Hermitage le Clos managed to escape hail damage but remains an intense, concentrated effort. Hints of violets and garrigue appear on the nose alongside cassis and black cherries, while the full-bodied palate is supple, leading into a long, licorice-tinged finish. Drink it over the next decade or so. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.

Wine Spectator 93 - Sleek and refined, with a smoldering bay and cast iron hints along the edges of a core of dark cherry and plum preserve notes. Juicy, yet restrained, iron-tinged finish. Drink now through 2030.

Keep learning »

Vinous 92+ - Tobacco, sage, menthol, licorice, leather and dark-fleshed fruits are some of the signatures in the 2013 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto. Nuanced and expressive throughout, the Ovello is another striking wine from Albino Rocca.

Wine Spectator 92 - A broad, rich style, with dense tannins shoring up the sweet plum, cherry and berry flavors. The tannins are assertive and will need some time to resolve, but everything is in the right place. Best from 2020 through 2032. 216 cases made.

Keep learning »

Vinous 93 - Deep violet. An expressive bouquet displays aromas of fresh red and dark berries, pipe tobacco and peppery spices, with vanilla and floral nuances emerging quickly. Smoke and spice-tinged black raspberry and cherry vanilla flavors convey appealing sweetness and a spicy flourish adds lift and back-end cut.  Soft, even tannins shape the finish, which shows fine clarity and repeating spiciness.

Wine Spectator 89 - This toasty red offers cocoa-lined cherry and red plum notes, backed with cedar, anise and savory spice undertones, with burly tannins. Drink now through 2027.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 96 - The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia knocks it out of the park. Like the other new releases from Fèlsina, this pure expression of Sangiovese needs more time to evolve and improve with bottle age. But even at this young stage, you are made fully aware of the beautiful intensity and complexity of the quality fruit at its core. There is so much energy and tension here, further reinforced by the fresh acidity of the vintage. There are vibrant tones of wild cherry, raspberry and spice, followed up by white truffle and tilled earth.

Wine Spectator 94 - This features ripe, juicy black cherry and black currant fruit, with licorice, earth and tobacco flavors. Firm tannins frame the elements, imparting structure and complexity for the long haul. Terrific texture. Best from 2022 through 2042.

Vinous 94-97 - The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia is yet another magnificent wine in this range from Fèlsina. Silky, gracious and inviting, the 2016 starts off gradually and then builds, gaining volume and explosiveness with air. A wine of breadth, textural intensity and pure power, the 2016 Rancia is shaping up to be epic. That's pretty much all there is to it.

Keep learning »

Vinous 93 - The 2014 Barbaresco Cottà, often a big, bombastic wine, is unusually refined in this vintage. The deep center of fruit that has always defined this wine is present, but there is more freshness and less of the heaviness that often marks this wine. Hints of blood orange, mint and rosewater give the 2014 an exotic upper register. Shades of blue/purplish fruit, lavender, mint and savory herbs add the closing shades of nuance.

Wine Advocate 93 - The 2014 Barbaresco Cottà does not offer the acute high notes that you get with the other beautiful Barbarescos from Sottimano in this vintage. The intensity is broader and flatter, so to speak, but overall, the wine's intensity is just as bright and compelling as the others, albeit in a more subdued manner. Dark cherry and blackberry segue to spice, anise and cured leather. The wine feels soft and rich in texture as well. Some 10% of the wine is aged in new oak barrel.

Wine Spectator 93 - Pretty cherry, floral, mineral and tobacco flavors line this racy red. There is an underlying density to the structure and a lingering aftertaste of fruit, iron, underbrush and tobacco. Best from 2020 through 2033.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 98+ - The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.

Vinous 96 - The 2016 Fontalloro is bold, hearty and deeply flavored, with all of the Sangiovese wildness that is so typical of Fontalloro. Ripe dark cherry, grilled herbs, smoke, leather, game and incense are some of the many aromas and flavors that open up in a potent, virile Fontalloro loaded with personality and  character. In so many ways 2016 is THE archetype of what Fontalloro is - a Sangiovese that is a bit wild and unruly but also full of charm.

Wine Spectator 92 - This is rich and polished, with black cherry, blackberry and plum flavors matched to dense tannins and bright acidity. Tips toward the tannic side now, picking up earth, spice and tar notes on the long finish. Best from 2021 through 2028.

Keep learning »

WA 94 - Slighter richer is the 2015 Gigondas Clos des Tourelles. It shows similar floral notes but fills the mouth with ripe stone fruit and cherries, fine tannins and an incredibly silky finish. All of the Perrin Gigondas show the elegant side of the appellation.

Vinous 92-94 - Vivid ruby. Expressive aromas of blackberry, cherry compote and candied flowers are sharpened by a smoky mineral topnote. Gently sweet and focused on the palate, offering intense red and blue fruit flavors that deepen and spread out slowly with aeration. Shows hints of candied licorice and allspice on a very long, sappy finish that features smooth tannins and an exotic twist of blood orange.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 96 - Pretty cherry, strawberry and floral aromas and flavors define this elegant, supple red. Firmly structured and beautifully integrated, leaving a lingering aftertaste of iron, tobacco and underbrush. Best from 2022 through 2042.

Wine Advocate 92+ - Of the three single-vineyard expressions of Barbaresco from Albino Rocca tasted this year, the 2015 Barbaresco Ovello (with 2,500 bottles made) exhibits the most defined mineral note. The bouquet shows dark fruit, spice and medicinal herb. It also delivers a very pretty and defined note of crushed granite or pencil shaving. The Ovello is also distinguished by a sweet and more succulent mouthfeel. Of these three wines, including the Barbaresco Cottà and the Barbaresco Ronchi, this is my favorite.

Vinous 92+ - The 2015 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto is beautifully lifted in the glass. Even in this warm vintage, the Loreto retains the nerve and tension that are such signatures of this Barbaresco vineyard. Crushed flowers, dried herbs, mint and chalk are all nicely delineated in a precise, finely sculpted Barbaresco endowed with real character. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2015 for at least a few years before diving into bottles.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 94 - Pure, exhibiting rose, cherry and raspberry aromas. Elements of tobacco, eucalyptus, mineral and tar chime in on the palate. Elegant and long on the finish. Firms up and shows fine balance overall. Best from 2022 through 2037.

Vinous 92 - The 2016 Barbaresco Montersino is marked by distinct floral overtones, bright red berry fruit and gracious, mid-weight structure. Clean mineral notes add energy to a Barbaresco that stands out for its tense, crystalline personality.  Pine, mint, chalk and crushed rocks give the 2016 its distinctive aromatic upper register to balance things out. This is such a vivid and expressive wine.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 92 - Fruity and savory, this red evokes cherry, raspberry, wild thyme, rosemary and chalky mineral flavors. Tightens up on the finish, with assertive tannins. Best from 2023 through 2038.

Wine Advocate 88-90 - (Barrel Tasting) The 2016 Nuits Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes offers simple, slightly smudged redcurrant and strawberry fruit on the nose. More definition here would have been nice. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, moderate depth, the 100% whole bunch lending sous-bois/woodland notes toward the finish that finally delivers the complexity I would be seeking. I suspect that this will improve during the remainder of its élevage.

Burghound 87 - A discreet application of wood sets off equally somber aromas of herbal tea, spice, earth and plum liqueur. The succulent, round and impressively voluminous flavors exude a subtle minerality that adds a sense of lift to the mildly tough and austere if complex and lingering finish that flashes evident rusticity.

Keep learning »

Maker's Notes - Deep, sophisticated Brunello wine with pronounced aromas of violet, raspberry and eucalyptus, underpinned by notes of cedar and white pepper. The palate reveals flavours of wild strawberry, truffle and almond. Cava d’Onice Brunello is a big, full-bodied wine with powerful tannins and velvety mouthfeel.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 94 - A suave and smoky style, with sandalwood, black tea, olive, juniper and bay leaf notes leading the way, followed by a core of lightly steeped bitter plum and blackberry fruit. Concentrated, showing latent length as all the elements take a late encore, supported by a lingering mineral echo. Should unwind a bit more slowly than most of its colleagues. Best from 2022 through 2035.

Wine Advocate 93 - The 2017 Saint Joseph Sainte-Epine comes from a couple of vineyards planted in 1981 on weathered granite soils geologically identical to those found in Hermitage's Les Bessards. Crushed stone, salted licorice and pencil shavings accent black cherries and black olives, while the full-bodied palate is velvety but structured, ripe and warm but firm and mouthwatering, with at least a decade of aging potential. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.

Vinous 93 - Opaque ruby. Deep-pitched black and blue fruit, licorice and pungent floral qualities on the powerfully scented nose. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, offering bitter cherry, cassis and salty olive flavors that become more lively and turn sweeter on the back half. Smoothly blends power and energy and finishes long and spicy, with a hint of smokiness and slowly mounting tannins.

Keep learning »

Vinous 93 - Large-scale, dramatic and intense, the 2014 Faugères is exceptionally beautiful and polished. Succulent red cherry, plum and pomegranate notes make a strong first impression. Sweet floral notes, spice and new leather add aromatic nuance throughout. This is an especially effortless wine with all of its elements in the right place.

Wine Advocate 92 - The 2014 Faugeres still has bundles of red plum and juniper berry on the nose, if anything even more generous than when I tasted it a few months ago. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, superb structure and well judged acidity. It merges with more black fruit towards the finish and has palpable energy on the finish—still excellent.

Wine Spectator 90 - Sports a lively core of bramble, blackberry and black currant, with good licorice and fruitcake notes filling in behind. Presents some slightly rambunctious energy but should settle in soon enough. Best from 2018 through 2028.

Keep learning »

Robert Parker - 92: The top-notch 2006 Hermitage La Sizeranne boasts an opaque ruby/purple color along with a sweet bouquet of black raspberries, creme de cassis, acacia flowers, crushed rocks, and subtle wood. Full-bodied, rich, and broad with moderate tannin, good acidity, and a long finish, the 2006 will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age, and keep for 15+ years.

Wine Spectator - 91: A bright, juicy style, with forward raspberry and boysenberry fruit backed by sweet spice and fruitcake hints. The solid, juicy finish has a good graphite edge.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 93 - Elio Altare gives me a bit of his winemaker's wisdom: "Wine is like a marriage—it needs to be consummated early." With that in mind, the 2015 Barolo is engineered for near- and medium-term drinking with lots of plump fruit that jumps right out. The wine is open and inviting. Dark fruit is followed by warm tones of tilled earth and cured tobacco. Grapes are harvested from different parcels in four vineyard passes. In 2015, the team had the time to wait for each parcel to mature properly because the harvest was relaxed and spread over more comfortable timing. This Barolo would match up nicely with a mild liver dish.

Wine Spectator 92 - A ripe style, boasting plum, black cherry and sun-kissed hay flavors, with a hint of vanilla. The lush fruit and texture is offset by dense tannins. All the components converge on the long finish. Best from 2021 through 2038.

Vinous 92 - The 2015 Barolo is an absolutely glorious wine. Sensual, silky and polished, the 2015 has so much to offer. Bright red berry fruit is nicely complemented by an array of floral and spiced notes that add nuance. Polished tannins add to the wine's considerable near-term appeal, but the straight Barolo also has a track record h ere of aging exceptionally well.Vineyard sites include Pernanno, Sarmassa, Rochettevino and Cerretta. Don't miss it.

Keep learning »

Vinous 90-93 - Deep red. Superripe yet vibrant on the nose, with a sappy lift to the raspberry and spice aromas. Lush, silky and sweet, with underlying minerality giving energy to the raspberry and cocoa powder flavors. This dense but vibrant wine really saturates the palate with flavor. Seems a bit richer in alcohol than most of these 2007s, which is not at all a bad thing.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 92 - Coffee, licorice and boysenberry flavors are ripe and generous in this round red. Spicy sassafras and chocolate notes add interest. Balsamic acidity and chewy tannins give this backbone. Shows density and length. Drink now through 2029. 666 cases made.

Wine Advocate 90 - We jumped ahead to the 2014 Malabrigo, as they didn't produce it in 2012 or 2013. The oak is more evident as we go up the price ladder, and this pure Tempranillo, which went through malolactic in barrel where it matured for 18 months, is definitively oaky. The nose is dominated by spice, smoke and toast aromas. The palate is medium to full-bodied with plenty of tannins, a bit grainy, with a dry finish and moderate to low acidity. There are notes of barbecue and smoky bacon that will please many. For fans of oaky Tempranillo. 8,000 bottles were filled in February 2017.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 94 - One of the gems in the vintage is the 2013 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes, which comes from both the Bessards and Grandes Vignes lieux-dits on Hermitage Hill. Completely destemmed, then vinified in stainless steel and concrete tanks, the wine is aged 18 months in 30% new French oak; it offers terrific notes of dark fruits, graphite and ample minerality in a full-bodied, layered, ripe profile. It’s more approachable than the Les Bessards, yet will still have three decades of longevity.

Vinous 93 - Brilliant violet. Complex mineral- and smoke-accented scents of dark fruit liqueur, violet and olive paste gain urgency from a smoky mineral quality . Juicy and sharply focused on the palate, offering sappy blueberry and bitter cherry flavors that deepen and become sweeter with air. Shows excellent depth and vivacity and finishes spicy and very long, displaying a resonating floral quality and building tannins.

Wine Spectator 92 - Ripe for the vintage, with a fleshy core of plum compote and raspberry coulis flavors, backed by ample cocoa-edged grip that melds through the loam- and anise-accented finish. Best from 2017 through 2023.

Keep learning »

Vinous 96 - The highlight of the 2013s, the Barbaresco Currà is simply exceptional. Powerful and explosive, with striking aromatics, pulsating fruit and tons of pure energy, the Currà makes a strong case for itself as one of the finest wines ever made here. A host of sweet red cherry, kirsch, mint, raspberry and cedar meld into the long, persistent finish.

Wine Advovate 93 - The 2013 Barbaresco Currà offers a savory side that is seamlessly juxtaposed against a plump fruity side. Those two halves paint a pretty picture of this unusual and slightly cooler vintage. The wine shows power and a great sense of forward thrust or momentum that will serve it well as it ages in your cellar. The 1.5-hectare vineyard is planted to 65-year-old vines in the Neive subzone.

Wine Spectator 92 - A fresh, cherry-, mineral- and tar-flavored red whose great structure provides support. Elements of underbrush and earth come into play on the lingering finish. Best from 2020 through 2033.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 96-98 - Even better than I remember it being last year, and potentially edging out the L'Argnée this vintage, the 2017 Gigondas Clos des Tourelles is just flat-out terrific juice. From yields around 15 hectoliters per hectare, it's 80% Grenache and 10% each Mourvèdre and Syrah, all aged in foudre. Soaring floral notes of rose petals, violets and garrigue appear on the nose, followed by ripe raspberry flavors that flow almost weightlessly across the silky, full-bodied palate. So fine, so elegant, so long, it nearly left me speechless.

Vinous 95 - Opaque, bright-rimmed ruby. Intensely perfumed, mineral-accented cherry and dark berry scents are accompanied by suggestions of licorice, candied flowers and exotic spices. Fleshy and broad in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated cherry pastry and blackberry flavors that become more energetic as the wine stretches out. Shows superb energy and mineral lift on an impressively long, subtly tannic finish that leaves behind a suave floral note.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 95-97 - There are a whopping two demi-muids of the stellar 2017 Gigondas L'Argnee Vieilles Vignes in the pipeline, so readers will have to be on their toes to grab a bottle or two. Made from the same pre-Phylloxera parcel of Grenache, it's incredibly intense this vintage, boasting enough purple raspberries, black cherries and Asian spices to send me almost into sensory overload. Yet for all the flavor, this full-bodied wine is velvety-silky in feel, with a long, elegant finish.

Vinous 94 - Opaque ruby. Highly expressive aromas of mineral-tinged red berries, incense and licorice candy, along with a suave floral nuance that builds as the wine opens up. Appealingly sweet and seamless on the palate, offering penetrating raspberry, cherry, spicecake and candied lavender flavors that are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Finishes silky, sweet and impressively long, with gentle tannins and lingering floral pastille and exotic spice notes.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 90 - The 2012 reds started with the 2012 Hermitage la Sizeranne, which comes from a number of lieux-dits in Hermitage. Outstanding stuff, it has lots of smoked herbs, saddle leather, pepper and minerality to go with a solid core of raspberry/blackberry fruit. Fleshy, ripe and textured, with fantastic purity, it's a pleasure-bent effort to drink over the coming 7-8 years.

Keep learning »

Wine Spectator 95 - This is loaded with well-defined loganberry, blackberry and boysenberry pâte de fruit flavors, flecked with anise and black tea notes and carried by a fine iron streak that lingers wonderfully. A wine of cut, purity and precision. Best from 2020 through 2035.

Wine Advocate 94 - A blend of Syrah grapes from several lieux-dits, including Les Bessards, the 2015 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes is aged in new and second use barrels. It's a dark, concentrated wine, meaty, rich and tannic but with a bright beam of cassis fruit that lifts it and gives it great definition and shape on the palate. Give this medium to full-bodied wine at least 5 years in the cellar and drink it over the next 15.

Vinous 92-94 - Inky ruby. Dark fruit and floral scents unfold slowly to reveal Indian spice and mineral accents. Densely concentrated cassis and blueberry flavors are lifted by a core of smoky minerality and a jolt of cracked pepper. Smoothly plays richness off vivacity and finishes impressively long and chewy; dusty tannins frame the sweet dark fruit.

Keep learning »

Wine Advocate 96+ - The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a hugely successful vintage, marked by scents of sun-warmed stones, garrigue, black cherries and black olives. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes with tremendous length and softly dusty tannins, which should help ensure a long, positive evolution.

Wine Spectator 93 - Silky and refined, with focused cherry puree, plum reduction and raspberry coulis notes racing through, infused subtly with rose petal, warm stone and lavender hints. Features nice perfume through the finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now through 2036.

Keep learning »

Vinous 95 - The NV Extra Brut Rosé de Saignée is a classy, gorgeous wine. Bright, sculpted and finely chiseled, the 2016 has so much to offer. Chalk, mint, white pepper and crushed rocks perk up the red berry fruit. Sweet floral notes emerge with a bit of time in the glass. In this vintage, the Rosé is wonderfully translucent and so expressive. The NV Rosé is 100% Pinot Noir from 45-50 year old vines in Vertus, done in steel. Dosage is 3 grams per liter.

Wine Advocate 93 - The Extra-Brut Rosé de Saignée is a rich, gastronomic wine, delivering aromas of raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of kirsch, warm spices and petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with racy acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it's a vinous Champagne that would work well at table.

Keep learning »