Vinous (98)

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is among the finest Cabernet Sauvignons in Italy. High altitude sites in Barberino yield a distinctly mid-weight, elegant, savory Cabernet that is all about reserve. Dark plum, espresso, licorice, menthol and sage start to emerge with a bit of air, but the 2016 is a wine that demands cellaring. Over the years, I have had the good fortune to taste every vintage of the Isole e Olena Cabernet. It is one of the great under the radar wines of Tuscany. The 2016 takes its place with the very finest editions.

Exuding the epitome of Burgundian excellence, Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets 2013 is considered a gem in the world of fine wines. Hailing from the revered Caillerets vineyard in Volnay, an acclaimed sub-region of Burgundy, this Pinot Noir exhibits distinct complexities. Jean-Marc Bouley, a respected third-generation vigneron, meticulously oversees the winemaking process, yielding this luxurious vintage.

Touted for the strict non-interventionist methodology deployed through the vinification process, the Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets 2013 features hand-harvested grapes, ensuring impeccable quality. A 15-month sojourn in French oak barrels amplifies depth to the wine's aromatics and enriches the palate. The resulting taste profile is redolent with cherry, redcurrant undertones and a remarkable mineral-driven finish.

Demonstrating admirable age-worthiness, this vintage whispers narratives of its prestigious lineage with every sip. The Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets 2013 promises an indulgent Burgundy experience for devoted connoisseurs and discerning collectors alike.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

Eligo is made from the best parcels of the vintage, fermented with submerged caps in small open fermenters, matured for 20 months in French hogsheads (50% new). The tannins and oak are built into the wine like an inlaid checkerboard table created by a master craftsman with decades of experience. Like John Duval.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2013 Insignia (their 40th vintage) is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. This wine is aged 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels, and the production can vary from just over 10,000 cases to nearly 20,000 cases in a very abundant vintage. There were 12,300 cases produced in 2013, and this vintage of Insignia is certainly going to turn out to be one of the great ones. The wine offers a stunning inky blue/purple color, a gorgeous nose of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, pen ink, graphite, new saddle leather and barrique. The wine has fabulous concentration, a full-bodied, multi-layered mouthfeel, and tremendous finish with moderate tannin. It’s interesting to note that the Phelps winemaking staff had been gradually reducing the amount of Merlot in this wine over recent vintages. The 2013 should hit its peak in 5-7 years and last for 35-50.

Wine Advocate (95+)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2013 Alte Reben Shiraz is opening out into a bold, pure, pepper and licorice-laced nose over a core of black cherries and crushed blueberries with a touch of dried herbs. Full, rich and yet with plenty of freshness, this is a wine with great concentration, nice ripe tannins and a tantalizing finish. Yum!

Decanter (96)

Edi Kante is a pioneer when it comes to the indigenous grape Vitovska, which is grown just across the border in Slovenia. The soil here in the Carso is ferrous-rich and chalky. 2016 was a balanced vintage for these 20-year-old vines, and the wine was fermented and aged in oak for 12 months to create a delicate and silky wine with lime, lemon juice and gypsum powder on the nose and a light and super- refreshing acidity in the mouth.

Vinous (95)

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with 7% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc and spent 22 months in seasoned French oak. It has a classy bouquet of expressive red berry fruit, cedar and light undergrowth aromas that leans toward the Left Bank. The palate is medium-bodied with great sapidity right from the start. The tannins are extremely fine here, and the finish fans out gloriously with just enough bite to tempt you back for another sip. This is an outstanding Cabernet from winemaker Alex Starey.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Increasingly celebrated as one of the great sweet wines of the world, not just the Cape, Vin de Constance is a delight to taste and review. Slightly drier than the 205 release at 165 grams of sugar, it has more in common with the Loire or Tokaji than it does with Sauternes in terms of freshness and structure.

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 (98-100)

Incorporating 8% Mourvèdre, 12% Syrah and 5% other permitted variety, 60% destemmed, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes sports a deep, inky color as well as sensational notes of black currants, smoked meats, earth and crushed rocks. Deep, rich, unctuous and decadent, with huge extract and richness, yet never over the top or overripe, it's a killer wine that's going to flirt with perfection on release.

Vinous - Neal Martin (99)

The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion was stunning from barrel, and now in bottle. It has a sublime bouquet of blackberries, briar and hints of dark chocolate and rose petals that gain intensity with aeration while maintaining ethereal delineation. It never steps on the accelerator too hard. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is still a veneer of new oak that will need to be assimilated over the coming years. This is a deep La Mission that caresses the mouth. Touches of graphite lingering on a finish that fans out gloriously. Is the 2016 up there with the 1955 or 1989? Nearly.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

The 2016 Côtes du Rhône Lieu-Dit Clavin comes from vines right around the estate and is always a sensational wine. The 2016 offers notes of blackberries, ground herbs, licorice, and crushed violets. Medium to full-bodied and incredibly well balanced, with serious length, it's another winner. It's going to keep for two decades.

James Suckling (95)

A very elegant and polished Margaux with great structure and an attractive touch of herbal freshness, then a delicate touch of sweetness at the long, fine finish. A blend of 38 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 52 per cent merlot, six per cent cabernet franc and four per cent petit verdot.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

On another level and one of the greatest young Bordeaux I’ve ever tasted, the 2016 Lafite-Rothschild is composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot raised in new oak. It takes the classic elegance and class of Lafite and turns the dial up to 11, offering a massive, heavenly array of blackcurrants, cedar pencil, graphite, tobacco, and incense aromas and flavors that soar from the glass. Deep, full-bodied, and flawlessly constructed, with perfectly integrated fruit, acidity, and tannins, this is legendary stuff all the way. It will be drinkable in 7-8 years and keep for 50-75 years or more. Along with Mouton, it’s the wine of the vintage from the Médoc. Hats off to director Eric Kohler.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The flagship from a 7-acre parcel in the estate vineyard, the 2016 Cahors Le Pigeonnier is another Pomerol look-alike with its beautiful bouquet of black cherries, blueberries, damp earth, white chocolate, and exotic spices. As with all these 2016s, it’s a ripe, powerful, opulent wine that doesn’t pull any punches, yet always stays balanced, elegant, and remarkably fresh. Made from 100% Malbec aged two years in new French oak, it builds beautifully with time in the glass, has a deep, layered mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish. It’s possibly the finest Cahors I’ve ever tasted and would pass undetected in a blind lineup of top Napa Cabernets. While it’s no doubt beautiful today, I suspect it will develop even more nuance and complexity with 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20 years.

Wine Spectator (93)

This richly structured wine manages to maintain balance and plenty of black-fruit acidity. Showing a firm texture that will soften, it's a blend of equal parts of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with just a touch of Petit Verdot. The wine needs to age further, so drink from 2022.

Jancis Robinson (18.5)

Tasted blind. Spicy, intense and interesting on the nose. Now this has the class and intensity of a great wine! Polish and salinity too. Pure pleasure. Long and suave. Lots of minerality.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2016 Laroque is blended of 95% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines more than 50 years old and aged in 50% new French and Austrian oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly unfurls to reveal a beautiful core of redcurrants, Morello cherries, wild blueberries and fresh plums with touches of lilacs, oolong tea, chargrill, bay leaves and yeast extract plus a hint of wet slate. Medium to full-bodied, taut and finely textured with ripe, grainy tannins, it has bold freshness cutting through the densely packed red and black fruit layers, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

James Suckling (94)

Aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate and cedar yet bright and fragrant. Full body yet tight and polished. It starts off and then slowly grows on the palate with wonderful dimension of complexity and polished tannins. Better in 2022 but already so impressive.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is lifted with aromatics of soft medicinal herbs, fresh soil, cherry fruit, and dried flowers. The palate is fresh with black cherry fruit, tea leaf, orange peel, and mineral-rich, stony earth. There is well-integrated structure, with crispness, fresh acidity, and a beautifully long finish. This is one of my favorite wines of the vintage for its classic structure, high complexity, and nuanced, balanced style.

James Suckling (98)

Wow. This is the best syrah in Tuscany this year with incredible depth and beauty. The texture is so plush yet polished and caressing. Full body. The finish of chocolate, hazelnuts, smoked meat and fruit lasts for minutes. Drink or hold. Pure syrah.

A gem within the fine wine collection is the Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013. Hailing from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a prime Champagne region, this well-crafted wine bears the signature of Champagne Le Mesnil, a revered cooperative with unmatched commitment to quality. The vintage 2013 is 100% Chardonnay, meticulously hand-picked and vinified to produce a Blanc de Blancs of unparalleled strength and finesse.

Matured on lees for a noteworthy period, the wine showcases the unique terroir of Côte des Blancs, offering a mesmerising dance of creamy mousse, lush ripe fruit with hints of toasted almonds and brioche. The taste evolves on the palate, culminating in a long and magnificent finish.

If seeking a companion for a delicate entrée or a delightful standalone drink, the Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013 exemplifies the best of Champagne. It's a sublime testimony to the producer's mastery over the grape and terrain.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

The 2016 Le Petit Haut Lafitte is a fabulous second wine from Smith Haut Lafitte. Inky blue/purplish berry fruit, lavender, menthol, licorice and cloves give the Petit Haut Lafitte its striking aromatic complexity. Deep, resonant and exquisitely layered, the 2016 is a real joy to taste. I would cellar it for another year or two. The 2016 has enough depth and pedigree to develop beautifully for the next 10-15 years.

James Suckling (95-96)

This is a very powerful Petit Mouton with so much rich fruit and power. Full-bodied, tannic yet polished and long. Muscular for the second wine of Mouton.

Vinous (95)

The remarkably pretty 2016 Brunello di Montalcino shows a pure bouquet full of wild strawberries, woodland berries and herbs with a hint of crushed stone. It’s soft and enveloping, displaying fleshy red fruits, savory spice and salty minerals, while vibrant acids maintain wonderful freshness. It’s only at the very end that its youthful structure comes forward, grippy and classically drying, yet under an air of red licorice and inner rose. There’s a beautiful harmony to this vintage of Le Potazzine, which should provide a long and wide drinking window.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (98)

One of the unquestioned Sleeper jewels of the year, the 2016 Le Prieuré is off the charts beautiful. Silky and impossibly refined, the 2016 is a wine of pure and total precision. Today, the 2016 is a bit more restrained than it was from barrel, when it was a more overt wine. That is not a bad thing, though, as I suspect the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its finest. Dark, beautifully perfumed and gracious, Le Prieuré represents the height of finesse in Saint-Émilion. Jean-Claude Berrouet consults for the Artemis Group, which is now the sole owner of Le Prieuré. The 2016 is a fabulous wine by any measure. Don't miss it.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (98)

One of the unquestioned Sleeper jewels of the year, the 2016 Le Prieuré is off the charts beautiful. Silky and impossibly refined, the 2016 is a wine of pure and total precision. Today, the 2016 is a bit more restrained than it was from barrel, when it was a more overt wine. That is not a bad thing, though, as I suspect the 2016 is going to need a number of years to be at its finest. Dark, beautifully perfumed and gracious, Le Prieuré represents the height of finesse in Saint-Émilion. Jean-Claude Berrouet consults for the Artemis Group, which is now the sole owner of Le Prieuré. The 2016 is a fabulous wine by any measure. Don't miss it.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is perfumed with high-toned aromatics of fresh rosehip, fresh red cherry, and anise. The palate is crisp and energetic with cherry pit, dried red plum, and fresh tomato leaf, with fine-grained tannins with linear acidity. A vibrant wine to enjoy 2023-2033.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

Fornace is located in Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the southeast at lower elevations than the rest of the single vineyards of the Le Ragnaie estate. The 2016 Fornace Brunello is perfumed with perfectly ripe cherry, dried roses, sweet herbs, and licorice. The aromatics move seamlessly to the palate and unfold with kirsch, blood orange, and stony earth. Upfront, there is juicy ripe cherry fruit, blood orange, and salty earth. Ordinarily I would gravitate toward the more tension-driven wines, but this was what I felt to be the most pleasurable and joyful wine on this tasting, so much so that I would keep going back to wanting more. There is a seamless integration through the whole experience, and I do feel there will be longevity despite its immediate gratification. Enjoy over the next 15-20 years. 2021-2041.

Wine Spectator (97)

This is so vivid as it brims with pastis-soaked plum, blackberry, black currant and blueberry paste flavors, all carried by a perfectly integrated brambly spine. Tar and ganache notes give the finish an extra kick while everything stays within the mouthwatering roasted apple wood frame. Both regal and rambunctious, this is St.-Julien to a T. Best from 2025 through 2040. Top wine of 2019.