Decanter (100)

Proprietor Alejandro Pedro Bulgheroni established this label in 2014. Entirely estate fruit, comprising beautiful rich berry scents, oak, crushed rocks and a saline minerality tinged with dark chocolate. Enveloping, full and broad-shouldered. Saturated dark berry fruit, chocolate layer cake, vanilla and dried herbs de provence round out this Cabernet with its fierce tannins that are nicely integrated.

Decanter (97)

A lovely vintage of Les Aubaguetes, which comes from the southerly village of Bellmunt. This is the first vintage of this wine categorised as as Gran Vinya Classificada to join the handful declared. It’s a deserving award for the singular character of the north-facing vineyard, a wine that speaks of the slate soils of its origin. The Garnacha is blended with 13% Cariñena and 1% of the white grapes Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca. Dense, with black fruits, red cherries and a sense of slate. Very long and fresh. Gran Vinya Classificada. 3,200 bottles produced.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The vineyard that produces the grape for the 2022 La Baixada is classified in the Vinya Classificada category of the Priorat appellation. It's 1.3 hectares in the village of Gratallops, mostly Garnacha with 2% Cariñena on a steep slope. Like the rest of the range, it fermented with some full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats and had 30 days of maceration. It completed 13 months in oval oak foudres and was in concrete waiting to be bottled when I tasted it in January 2024. It has 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.44 and 4.76 grams of acidity. This is super aromatic, floral, open and expressive, with a touch of exotic spices. It's powerful and elegant, with an incisive palate, deep, complex, with fine-grained tannins. Palacios told me this wine was special from day one. This could very well be the highlight of the 2022 vintage. It was expected to be bottled in March 2024, with a production of around 3,500 bottles.

Decanter (99)

L’Ermita is the second of Alvaro Palacios’ top wines to gain the Gran Vinya Classificada category. The vineyard now measures 4.7ha; it increased when Palacios and René Barbier swapped land. Work has been done to graft red varieties onto white vines. The result of the labours – including the permissions required from the Archbishop of Zaragoza for this holy hermitage – is a delight. Gloriously aromatic nose, introducing a wonderfully complex palate of cherries integrated with savoury notes, a shaft of minerality, wild herbs, and dark fruit conserve. Well-deserving of its reputation as one of Spain's great wines. Gran Vinya Classificada. 4,930 bottles produced.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (92)

Layers of sinewy tannins and eucalyptus spice. Opens to show baked earth, tobacco leaf and liquorice, cassis fruits laced with espresso, edges of campfire, a good quality wine that has concentration without strangling. Anthony Yaigre director. A value pick. 28hl/h yield. Harvest September 19 to October 5.

Wine Advocate (100)

There is an usual stony austerity in the 2021 Adrianna Vineyard River, cropped from a cold year when the full clusters fermented in concrete with a slightly shorter maceration and an élevage in a 2,000-liter oak foudre and the rest in stainless steel. It has a moderate 13.4% alcohol with very high acidity (8.2!) and a low pH (3.37), incredible parameters of freshness. The wine was closed and took time to take off in the glass, revealing a very elegant and subtle personality, with the silky texture of the very fine tannins, pristine aromas and flavors and a sense of harmony that was moving. It's powerful but extremely elegant in that rare combination of clout and energy, a wine of light, aerial, with some ethereal qualities, delicate and refined. This combines the cool place and high altitude, the cool year and the stony soils, to deliver a stunning Malbec that goes well beyond the variety. Bravo! 3,400 bottles produced.

Domaine des Malandes Chablis Envers de Valmur 2019 is an exquisite beacon of French viticulture hailing from the historic vineyards of Chablis. Produced by the revered winegrowers of Domaine des Malandes, this white wine encapsulates their commitment to upholding the elegance and purity of the terroir. On the nose, expect a medley of vibrant, fruit-driven notes, seamlessly harmonised with delicate minerality; unfolding on the palate with exceptional balance and texture.

Harvested meticulously by hand, the rich Chardonnay grapes of Envers de Valmur are pressed in a pneumatic press to safeguard the natural aromas. Subsequently, alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and maturation on lees for 12 months ensures depth of character, revealing the nuanced complexity of this emblematic wine.

Perfectly embodying the finesse of Chablis, Domaine des Malandes Chablis Envers de Valmur 2019 is a testament to the passion and precision of genuine Burgundian winemaking.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

The 2014 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru has a detailed bouquet that stops you in your tracks. There is genuine mineraité and tension already locked in here, aromatics that are beautifully focused and almost Richebourg-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, succinctly interwoven new oak so that you barely notice its presence. It gently fans out towards the poised, tensile finish and by that time you are already won over by this outstanding Grand Cru from Dujac.

Experience the distinctive taste of Fortunate Son The Warrior 2019, exquisite wine crafted in the renowned vineyards of Sonoma County, California. This bold red blend exhibits a smooth, harmonious composition of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre grape varieties, matured splendidly in a balanced climate of cool nights and warm days.

Employing a traditional fermentation process in stainless steel vats with gentle pump-overs, the Warrior 2019 demonstrates the Fortunate Son winery's commitment to preserving the integrity and characteristics of each varietal. Aged in French oak barrels, this grand cuvée unveils intricate layers of blackberry, cassis and anise, underscored by notes of mocha and subtle earthiness.

Fortunate Son The Warrior 2019 encapsulates the unwavering dedication of its producers to quality and complexity. A testament of excellence, it seamlessly melds time-honoured techniques and modern innovation, making this full-bodied wine a precious addition to any well-curated collection.

Jancis Robinson (20)

Deep shaded dark ruby. Wonderfully intense and complex nose. This wine just wraps itself around you! (And I haven't even tasted it yet.) Intense cocktail of prunes and something floral. Really rich. Luscious palate of gorgeously ripe fruit, just the right level of refreshing acidity with mineral top notes. Extremely rewarding with many layers. Very long indeed.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

Inky plum colour, the deepest of the Henschke single vineyard lineup for this iconic wine. Hang out with the aromatics before even heading in for a sip, because they are beautiful, with a hit of star anise, fennel and white pepper. On the palate, you get rosebud, peony, blackberry, redcurrant and slate, all revving up and lifting off. This just tingles with fine tannins and keeps you fully engaged - if you think Australia can't do cool-climate-style lusciously finessed wine, prepare to be blown away. 100% Shiraz from ungrafted pre-Phylloxera material brought from Europe in the mid 1800s. Organic and biodynamic farming. 20% new oak, largely French with a touch of American. Winemaker Stephen Henschke.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Bottled end of February/early in March, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin is incredible stuff, and while I suspect it’s the best vintage to date, it’s going to be great comparing it to bottles of the 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2015 over the coming 15+ years. This beauty offers a thrilling blend of kirsch, blackberries, smoked earth, graphite, and licorice on the nose. It's full-bodied, deep, pure, ultra-fine, and powerful on the palate and flirts with perfection. It’s a tour de force in Grenache that readers need to snatch up!

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

I was blown away by the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Chaupin, a 100% Grenache release that comes almost exclusively from the Chaupin lieu-dit in the northern part of the appellation. It's never as inky-hued or powerful as the Vieilles Vignes but always screams Grenache with its sexy, ripe, seamless, and remarkably elegant style. The 2020 offers a translucent ruby/purple hue as well as incredible aromatics of blackberries, black raspberries, peppery garrigue, herbes de Provence, and flowers, and it opens up nicely with time in the glass. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. I finished my note with "a Grenache lover's dream." This is up with the finest vintages produced and will evolve for 15+ years.

Vinous - Neal Martin (96)

The 2014 La Mission Haut-Brion has a sophisticated, very detailed bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow, cedar and graphite. This is very focused and yet at the same time quite controlled and discrete. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, cedar and touches of allspice. I love the depth of this wine and the gentle grip towards the finish. It knows not to push too hard in this growing season and that results in a very classy wine. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

You just know that this estate is well placed to succeed in the vintage, and this really does walk the line of ripeness and salinity, such gorgeous definition and vivid energetic fruit. Stretches out through the palate also, has a relaxed confidece to it that is quite unusual in such a full--on vintage. Really impressive, Beaumartin family, David Suire director.

Indulge your senses with the impeccable 'Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020', heralding from the renowned vineyards of Southern Rhone, France. This red gem is expertly crafted by Le Vieux Donjon, a small-scale producer beholden for their expressive, opulent wines. Balancing tradition with innovation, this unique vintage traverses conventional vinification, expertly fermented in large oak foudres and aged in used barrels for a distinctive complexity.

The result is a robust, full-bodied blend where Grenache predominates, married with Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. Emanating aromatic richness of blackberries, kirsch, and peppery spices with a touch of garrigue, the Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020 expresses an elegant concentration of flavours, veiled in velvety tannins - a testimony to the mastery of winemaking. Limited production retains exclusive magnificence, making this wine, a real connoisseur's treasure.

Experience the quintessence of fine wine with the Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020. A symphony of taste awaits.

Wine Pilot (99)

In many ways the most Burgundian of any of the Leeuwin releases, this will rank up there with the best to date. There’s a waxy light mealy aroma which picks up nuances of limestone and spice with a trace of grapefruit. But it is the palate that really distinguishes it. There is an austerity with the minerally chalky feel that cuts through the fruit extending to a finish of extraordinary length. Precision and focus harness a wine of great power and poise before dry savoury edges lift the finish.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96-98)

A fine crimson colour. The bouquet is immediately appealing showing a distinction not yet apparent in the Chapelle-Chambertin, though that will come. This is the more structured of the two, possibly even a little bit stern, but with a wealth of high-class fruit behind where the refinement begins to show. Drink from 2032-2040+. Tasted: October 2023.

James Suckling (94)

A red with very deep and intense fruit character, yet rich tannins to back it all up. Full-bodied, layered and powerful. The second wine of Cos d’Estournel is serious again in 2016. Try from 2025.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

Packed full of vivid (there really doesn't seem any other word for it) cassis and blueberry fruits, floral, textural and nuanced. Cabernet Sauvignon signature mix of crushed rocks, mint, crayon and slate, just a brilliant wine and a reflection of its exceptional site. This is elegant and precise while still delivering muscular, powerful flavours. I first tasted it at the property last November, and it's reassuring to see it make exactly the same impression when retasted back in Bordeaux, away from the awe-inspiring landscape. Harvest September 10 through to October 23. David Cilli winemaker, director Will Harlan.

Vinous (92)

San Guido’s 2018 Guidalberto is soft, open-knit and inviting. Sweet dark cherry, cinnamon, licorice and new leather fill out the layers in an undeniably attractive Guidalberto that will drink beautifully upon release. Finesse and elegance are the signatures. The 2018 is a terrific choice for drinking now, while some of the more powerful vintages of Guidalberto come together, or while waiting for its sibling, Sassicaia.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Possibly the wine of the vintage is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon which is a more elegant, seamless wine compared to the more brooding and backward 2015. Exhibiting a deep purple color and utterly heavenly notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, white flowers, and graphite, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, insane purity of fruit, ultra-fine tannin, and a finish that won’t quit. While a big, powerful wine, it’s the purity of fruit and tannin quality that sets this incredible wine at the top of the pyramid. Drink it anytime over the coming 2-3 decades. Hats off to winemaker Celia Welch!

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Pure perfection from Napa Valley, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is, as always, all Cabernet Sauvignon from an incredible site in Rutherford that spent 21 months in 70% new French oak. Incredible aromatics of crème de cassis, darker currants, smoke, tobacco, and assorted floral notes all define the bulk of the bouquet, and it’s full-bodied, with a multi-dimensional, layered texture, ultra-fine tannins, and perfect balance. This is such a magical site, and this wine consistently checks in with the greatest wines of the world. It already offers pleasure yet should have 30 years of overall longevity. Hats off to winemaker Celia Welch and the team at Scarecrow.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The elusive and highly collectible Soldera Case Basse 2018 100% Sangiovese is already available in certain markets yet ultimately proves very hard to buy. I suspect it is easier to locate in the United States than in Italy. No matter, Soldera advocates will be very pleased with this latest release that maintains enormous Sangiovese character and brightness despite the uneven growing season (that saw a wet and cool spring and a hot summer). The legendary Gianfranco Soldera died the morning of February 16, 2019, from a heart attack while driving along the bucolic, vineyard-lined road near his winery. That means this is the last vintage manned directly by Soldera, a man who remained extremely active in the vineyards and the winery until the very end. His send-off to us is a delicately nuanced wine with cassis, wild berry, rosemary, pencil shaving and blood orange. This is a beautiful wine that pays tribute not only to Gianfranco Soldera but to his non-interventionist vision of Italian wine that has influenced so many younger vintners in his wake.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

I tasted this at the property from barrel, thrilled to follow it now in bottle. Grabs you from the first moments with its sage, thyme, dried flowers and incense aromatics, clings to your nostrils, drawing you in, so much depth of flavour to the vivid raspberry and sour cherry fruits, delicate and yet powerful. Hard to describe how little artifice is conveyed in the glass, it's not a wine that is coated in new oak, instead it is delicate, poised, crafted, utterly gorgeous, so moreish. Harvest October 6 to 18, 3.8ha, old gobelet vines, with any replacements coming from massal selction. Iconic winemaking partnership Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza. I hope everyone folllowed my advice from the first vintage to get on board because it is more than living up to its potential, and its tiny quatities means that first come are almost certainly first served.

James Suckling (98)

Lots of chocolate and berries, as well as spice, walnuts and vanilla. It’s full and layered. Extremely long and flavorful. So juicy and sexy. Luscious is the word. Opulent with polish and presence. Chewy at the end. Brightness and energy here. Try after 2022.

Tim Atkin MW (100)

Vega Sicilia Único Reserva 2010 (14%) Perfection is as rare in wine as it is in most things in life, but this is a stunning Único, reflecting the quality of one of the greatest vintages of the last century. Blended with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, as it was in 2009, it's still a very youthful wine right now, with closeknit tannins, thrilling acidity, layers of spices, fresh earth, tobacco, red and black fruits, some oak sweetness and a wonderfully refreshing, leafy undertone. Simply stunning.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

Produced entirely with estate fruit since the 1996 vintage, Valbuena combines Tinto Fino with 4% Merlot that's planted in the lower part of the farm close to the Duero river. Showing the structure and focus of the 2018 vintage, this is a scented, complex, savoury red that's just starting to get into its stride, with Mediterranean herb scents, fine tannins and some underlying grip and minerality.