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Maker's Notes - Intense, very aromatic bouquet with a mixture of floral hints of jasmine, hawthorn and lemon blossom. Full of fruit on the palate – mandarin, pear, lychee, pineapple… Lots of body and length with this wine which fills the palate. Wonderful combination of sweetness and liveliness. A very successful vintage.

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Maker's Notes - Pretty pink-gold colour with shiny reflections. On the nose, Nature Rosé offers a superb aromatic bouquet of great intensity with notes of red fruit such as pomegranate and blackcurrants. The palate is full of delicacies with delicious notes of small red fruit such as redcurrants and blackcurrants, perfectly balanced by great freshness.

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CRU/JRM - From vines of between 55 and 90 years of age located on the steep slopes of the famed La Madone vineyard in Beaujolais, this has deep colour and a fine, perfumed bouquet. The texture is silky, with a pure, fresh finish.  Fantastic value for money.

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Maker's Notes - The wine has a pale golden hue. The bouquet of this Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise shows intense fruity and floral aromas. On the palate, this wine has deliciously elegant freshness. It is full-bodied without excess, and has lingering fruity aromas on a melon and lemon-tinged finish.

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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.

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JEREMY'S NOTES - The 'baby' Amarone from Begali.  Intense bouquet, full-flavoured yet soft on the palate.  Nice finish.  Yummy.

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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.

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Jeremy’s Notes: Lovely bouquet of acacia flowers, pear, lemon peel and grapefruit. Light body, with a delicate, persistent mousse and a fresh, tingly finish. Just divine! Enjoy on its own, as an aperitif, or with lighter meals and desserts.

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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.

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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.

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Wine Advocate 90-92 - The 2016 Fourney has an attractive, slightly earthy bouquet that opens nicely in the bottle, well defined and full of charm. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite classic in style with plenty of tobacco and smoke towards the structured finish. Give this two or three years in bottle and you should have a fine Saint Emilion.

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Wine Advocate 93 -   I also tasted the 2013 San Vicente, which will be released in September 2016, from a vintage that has provided fresh and elegant wine. It has great freshness within its style. This is clearly a lighter vintage, slightly different, more aromatic and floral, with tension and precision--a style I like very much.

Vinous 92 - (fermented in large oak tanks, with malolactic fermentation and 20 months of aging in 90 percent French and 10 percent American oak barriques, all of them new) Bright violet. An explosively perfumed bouquet of primary red and blue fruits, incense, candied violet and vanilla carries a sexy Moroccan spice overtone. Sweet, expansive and seamless on the palate, offering deeply concentrated boysenberry, cherry liqueur, rose pastille and spicecake flavors and a repeating vanilla quality. Fine-grained tannins build steadily on an extremely long, focused finish that emphatically repeats the floral and spice notes. I really like the marriage of fruit and tannins here, and there's impressive depth of flavor for the vintage.

Wine Spectator 92 - This voluptuous red delivers bold flavors of blackberry, licorice, black olive and mineral, with toast and espresso notes adding interest. Well-integrated tannins and citrusy acidity support the generous texture. A fruity, modern style. Drink now through 2025. 1,500 cases made.

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CRU/JRM - No ratings yet but this typically scores in the low to mid 90's with good reason.  It's as good as ever.

Maker's Notes - Beautiful, limpid colour of shiny ruby-red. The nose is revealed with finesse with an aromatic bouquet of fruit, full of freshness. On the palate, this wine is soft, elegant, with good acidity and seductive tangy notes of red fruit such as red currant. A wine of great finesse.

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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.

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Wine Advocate 94 - The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Maestro Raro is a wine of brooding density and muscular might. The bouquet is chiseled and extra tight with all levels of black fruit and spice packed tight at its core. That bounty is yearning to be released, as it will when the wine is further down its evolutionary course. I actually felt a moment of pause tasting this wine so young because I am confident that the best is yet to come. It would be a real shame not to wait. Tart blackberries and cherries segue to tar, spice, cola and crushed river stone. That tannic tightness on the close still needs time to soften. Only 6,500 bottles were made, but this is a terrific, terrific value.

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Maker's Notes - Aspect: Coppery and bright, Nuances of yellow straw

Bouquet: Open and indulgent. Wisps of Linden Blossom, Honeysuckle, Hazelnuts, Mirabelle plum

Palate: Harmonious, Balanced, Vinous

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Vinous 93 - The 2014 Barbaresco Fausoni is all grace. Aromatic and lifted, with striking inner perfume and sweetness, the 2014 Fausoni is a terrific example of the year. Sweet red cherry, red plum, rose petal and mint infuse this pliant, super-expressive Barbaresco. In many years, Fausoni can be a bit lean, but in 2014, the late-ripening season allow for the full ripeness of fruit and tannin. What a gorgeous wine this is.

Wine Advocate 91 - This Nebbiolo shows amber and garnet hues over a lean and delicate appearance. The 2014 Barbaresco Fausoni is broad and accessible in character. The bouquet really puts it all out there and holds nothing back. It delivers bright fruit, spice and white licorice. The fruit feels a degree riper and darker in this unusual vintage that ended with a blast of pre-harvest heat following a cool summer. The Fausoni vineyard is home to 45-year-old vines.

Wine Spectator 91 - Shades of spice augment the cherry and medicinal herb flavors in this savory red. A firm line of dusty tannins holds court on the finish despite the relatively open texture. Best from 2019 through 2033.

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Vinous 95 - The 2014 Barbaresco Pajoré is broad, ample and super-expressive. Dark cherry, spice, lavender, licorice and leather flesh out in a multi-dimensional, complex Barbaresco endowed with myriad shades of nuance. Here, too, the tannins are fully ripe, which allows all the purity of the fruit to come through loud and clear.

Wine Advocate 94 - The 2014 Barbaresco Pajorè is a lovely wine with a firm and convincing sense of inner intensity and elegance. Red cherries and cassis rise from the bouquet, which is delivered with almost musical pulses of brightness that keep time and tempo. The wine's concentration is dark ruby and luminous. Dried mint, anise and licorice appears on the silky finish. The 1.5-hectare Pajorè vineyard is located in Treiso. Vines are up to 70 years old.

Wine Spectator 92 - Fresh thyme, cherry, tobacco and mineral flavors are the hallmarks of this firm, linear red, which is shy aromatically, but there is a core of sweet fruit. Fine length and freshness. Best from 2020 through 2032.

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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.

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Vinous 93+ - Here in its first release, 2015 Barbaresco Cottà, shows the natural breadth of this vineyard in Neive. There has a real sense of weight and gravitas that distinguishes the Cottà in this range. I would give the 2015 at least a few years in bottle to fully come together. This is certainly an auspicious debut. The Cottà could very well be a new star in the range.

Wine Advocate 91 - The 2015 Barbaresco Cottà displays a subdued but steady personality. The bouquet is stitched carefully together with dried berries followed by balsam herb, rosemary sprig and cherry cola. There is an oxidative or slightly evolved note, but it is well massaged into the black fruit and spice that sits at the core of this Barbaresco from Neive. The mouthfeel is elegant and bright. This is the inaugural vintage by Albino Rocca. Some 2,000 bottles were produced.

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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.

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Vinous 93 : Bright gold. Complex, expansive bouquet evokes dried peach, orange rind, clove, anise and pungent herbs, with a deep, smoky quality gaining strength with air. Lush and creamy in texture but almost shockingly lithe, with zesty citrus and orchard fruit flavors and a strong mineral underpinning. The herb and spice notes resonate on the long, juicy, very precise finish. No way I'd guess that this was 23 years old.

90% Viura, 10% Malvasia.

Wine Spectator - 87: This mature white shows apple cider, tea and woody flavors that have depth, but turn a bit flabby on the finish. There's character to this—and still some juicy acidity—but it's fading now. Drink now. 1,166 cases made

Jeremy’s Notes: Like nothing I have ever tasted, wonderful roundness and complexity. Slight sherry on the nose but fresh on the palate.

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Wine Enthusiast 93 - This limited-edition wine is a blend of grand cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Aged for 10 years in bottle, it is a steely, structured wine that brings sophistication to the white fruits and lively acidity.

Maker's Notes -

Aspect: Deep yellow I Matte gold

Bouquet: Reserved / Opulent / Macadamia nut

Corinth raisins / Zante currants / Smoke and toast

Palate: Rich pastry / Yet racy / Superb length

Assemblage : Chardonnay / Pinot Noir

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Wine Advocate 90 - Disgorged in December 2018, the latest rendition of Besserat de Bellefon's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée des Moines exhibits a toasty, reductive bouquet of bread dough, smoky citrus rind and green orchard fruit. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and nicely balanced, with a frothy mousse, lively acids and a clean, harmonious finish. This is a well-made Blanc de Blancs that reflects this marque's recent progress.

Maker's Notes - "Sculpted from the rocky soil of its terroir, BB Blanc de Blancs offers

a magnificent chain of creamy bubbles of incredible precision. The nose is intense, mineral and saline, with fresh citrus aromas

intermingling harmoniously with floral notes of honeysuckle and acacia. A finely-honed palate with superb structure and magnificent amplitude. Translucent and pure, citrus and lemon compose a symphony of absolute elegance."

Cédric Thiébault

Cellarmaster, Champagne Besserat de Bellefon.

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