James Suckling (97)

So much ash and dried-strawberry character. Burnt orange-peel undertones. Tar, too. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Lots of rose petals. This needs four or five years to open, but nicely integrated now. Try after 2024.

Wine Advocate (97+)

The 2020 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) is precise and clear on the concentrated, remarkably fresh, lemon-scented and zesty nose. Precise and fresh on the palate, this is a savory, enormously salty and zesty Auslese with great definition and a salivating character yet (still?) not the pristine and noble elegance of the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese ***. The finish is stimulating due to its freshness and grapefruit bitterness. A promising Sonnenuhr that is still on its way. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 49 22 in July 2022.

Wine Advocate (97+)

The 2020 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (White Capsule) is deep, super intense and aromatic in its precise and elegant fruit but also refined and nuanced, with slate and chamomile flowers highlighting this utterly complex yet pure and "classic," fruity bouquet. Pure and fresh on the palate, this is a precise, crystalline and saline, very elegant and salivating Sonnenuhr that will need some years on the bottle to refine. The finish is very intense, aromatic and precise, revealing a crunchy slate character and mouth-watering salinity. A great dry Sonnenuhr from Wehlen and incomparable with any WSU I know. 12% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 52 21 in July 2022.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2020 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett (Golden Capsule) offers an intense, pure, deep and finely flinty nose that is still discreet and but very fine. Lush and savory on the palate, this is a sweet, fresh and zesty WSU with precise and linear mineral acidity and a salivating finish that indicates excellent aging potential. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted from AP 30 21 at the domaine in July 2022.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2020 Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese (Golden Capsule) started pretty reductive and timid on the nose when I first tasted it straight from the bottle, but it became beautifully pure and refined after three days of aeration. Lush and voluptuous on the palate, this is an intense and sweet yet also very fine, balanced and elegant, subtly concentrated and finely tensioned Spätlese with good mineral length and fine salinity on the finish. The 2020 drinks very beautifully today (if you like it sweet and refined), but it will still taste fine in 10 to 15 years and be more complex. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 18 21 in July 2022.

Wine Advocate (98)

The dry 2020 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (White Capsule) shows great purity paired with intensity, depth and noblesse, exhibiting ripe and concentrated but savory Riesling fruit intertwined with flinty notes of finely weathered blue slate and lush peach aromas. Rich and intense but highly refined and elegant on the palate, this is a crystalline, very delicate and saline-finishing ZSU with great terroir expression and balance. 12% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 30 21 in July 2022.

Wine Advocate (99)

The 2020 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese *** (Golden Capsule) opens with a highly delicate and filigreed bouquet with beautifully clear nuances of apricot and very fine slate on the deep and complex, beautifully refined and precise nose. On the palate, this is a tender, highly finessed and saline Auslese with a concentrated but balanced and seamless texture. Quite sweet still but utterly refined and noble, this delicate, saline and crystalline Auslese doesn't show anything like power or confiture but celebrates its elegance, finesse and definition. A fabulous, pristine Auslese. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 28 22 in July 2022.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2020 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Kabinett (Golden Capsule) opens with a deep, pure and complex bouquet with concentrated fruit and lemon aromas intermingled with delicate and coolish slate aromas. Full-bodied, crystalline and fresh on the palate, this is a pure, saline and terribly fresh but mouth-watering ZSU Kabinett with fine and precise acidity and a tight and tensioned finish that needs some years to refine. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 33 21 in July 2022.

Wine Advocate (95)

The Masseto 2020 Massetino (Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc) is extremely generous and rich. This wine puts it all out there in full view with a bouquet that is stitched together with ripe blackberry and black cherry preserves, black stone or pencil shaving, sweet spice, cigar, smoke and tar. This was a warm and sunny vintage, and you feel the power of those sunbeams locked within the dark, opulent and concentrated fruit on display here. This is a special treat, and the 2020 edition offers a clear identity for Massetino. This vintage comes close to out-powering the bouquet of the 2019 Masseto also hitting the market now.

Vinous (94)

The 2017 Barolo Castelletto is fabulous. It is also the wine in this range that feels the least marked by heat. Red/purplish fruit, blood orange, mint, spice and lavender all grace this beautifully translucent, expressive Barolo. There is some tannin that needs to soften - this is Monforte after all - but all the elements are impeccably balanced.

Wine Advocate (92)

The 2017 Beaune Village really over-performs this year, bursting with aromas of cherries, raspberries, licorice, orange rind, grilled ceps and peonies. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, succulent and enveloping, with fine depth and concentration, powdery structuring tannins and a long, sapid finish. Combining substance with structural charm, this will offer a broad drinking window. As ever, this cuvée is a blend of premiers crus Boucherottes and Epenottes with the lieux-dits Prevolles and Beaux Fougets, so the raw materials are unusually serious for a communal bottling.

Matthew Jukes (20)

I tasted this wine for the very first time on the 31st of January and it moved me so much that I wanted to write it up on the spot. It was clear to me that this bottle was a once in a lifetime Sauvignon Blanc experience. I was told I couldn’t review it because it was a preview sample and it was not due into the UK until later in the year. Since first tasting this wine I have been playing a game of trying to think of a finer wine made from this oft-derided and seemingly out-of-fashion-with-the-cognoscenti grape. From the hundreds of labels made by the acknowledged Sauvignon Blanc masters of the universe, I cannot think of a single wine which combines all of the epic SB attributes in one single wine. Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux, Haut Brion Blanc (ok, this has Semillon on board), Gembrook Hill, early Cloudy Bays, countless Chavignols from Cotat, Redde’s own wines, Cantine Terlano, Colterenzio, Reverdy, Spottswoode, Casa Marín, Dagueneau, Dog Point, Jackson Estate, The Berrio, Iona, Viña Leyda, Dry Creek Vineyards, Larry Cherubino’s epic 2017, The Lane Vineyard’s Gathering (again with Semillon loitering with intent), Shaw Smith, Cape Point Vineyards, Duckhorn, Greywacke, Boulay, Pellé and on and on, are all fantastic Sauvignons, but they are not as complete nor as enchanting at 2017 Barre à Mine. We can all circumnavigate the globe and pick any one of a hundred talented Sauvignon Blanc wizards’ creations and while their wines are undoubtedly delicious, impactful and worthy of admiration, I cannot remember a bottle which has the cosmic balance or the inescapable magic that this one does. I tasted it again last night and came to the conclusion that this is a wine which cannot be improved so, while I never thought that this day would come, I am overjoyed to give a Sauvignon Blanc a perfect 20/20 in my tasting notes. Barre à Mine translates as ‘Crowbar’. Never has such a blunt instrument inspired such an exquisite flavour.

Vinous (93)

Produced from a flint site that needed to be blown up to make the terroir and made from relatively young vines, this is initially a tender and supple style with a whiff of gunsmoke/flint, a taut line of precision that runs through its core, a mere hint of green herbs reminding you that Pouilly is a Sauvignon producer and even a hint of white pepper. It's a powerful style that has an attractive sense of bitterness holding it together. At just 13%, this is wonderfully balanced, aromatic and driven in this vintage. You may even feel this sense of spice that warms the palate, almost like you've had a warming Indian curry - it's not the alcohol but something else - maybe it's the lint. Unique and intriguing.

The Wine Cellar Insider (98)

Deep and shiny in color, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, pencil shavings and dark fruits appear with no effort at all. Full bodied, lively, vibrant and juicy fruits, this wine is long and intrepid with a strong tannic backbone. The tannins are perfectly polished and there is an established purity of fruit and a structure to age for decades. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you will need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to15 years, which in the world of Montrose is almost forward. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The Grand Vin was made from 37% of the harvest, which took place September 12 to September 29.

The Wine Cellar Insider (98)

Deep and shiny in color, tobacco leaf, cedar wood, pencil shavings and dark fruits appear with no effort at all. Full bodied, lively, vibrant and juicy fruits, this wine is long and intrepid with a strong tannic backbone. The tannins are perfectly polished and there is an established purity of fruit and a structure to age for decades. Like all the top vintages of Montrose, you will need to allow it time in the cellar, at least 10 to15 years, which in the world of Montrose is almost forward. The wine was made from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. The Grand Vin was made from 37% of the harvest, which took place September 12 to September 29.

Decanter (94)

So full of deeply-drawn berry fruit, fresh and juicy with touches of liquorice bud and rosemary, thirst quenching and yet thirst inducing in that amazing way that limestone can both refresh and make you thirst for more at the same time. An excellent Moulin St Georges, and such a step up from the more sandy soils that you find at Fonbel and the two Simard estates in this year's range of Vauthier-owned wines that this alone can help you understand how to navigate 2020.

Greg Sherwood MW (95)

Bottled after 12 months, this is a very, very pretty vintage with lower yields but also beautiful fruit purity, precision and a wonderful fruit – acid balance. The aromatics are ripe, succulent and opulent showing honeysuckle, white blossom, lemon cordial, dried herbs and lovely white peach and pineapple pastille notes. Nevertheless, the stand out feature on the palate is undoubtedly the textural sophistication, harmony and chalky minerality combined with super tangy acids bursting with lemon rock candy, white peach and crystalline citrus flavours. Simply an incredible intensity with a harmoniously weightless balance combined with a long, piercing finish. This is definitely a noticeable step up on previous vintages and an incredible achievement for the Mullineuxs! Drink now to 2034+.

Jeb Dunnuck (96+)

The Mourvèdre-dominated 2017 l’Ancely is a rockingly good wine, and there aren’t many better Mourvèdre out there. Lots of blueberry and wild strawberry fruits as well as notes of spiced meats, herbes de Provence, and peppery garrigue notes all soar from the glass of this full-bodied red. Offering a layered, seamless texture, good acidity, and enough structure to warrant 2-4 years of bottle age, it’s going to have 15+ years of prime drinking from cold cellars.

It contains one bottle of each:-

 

1 x Bonnes Mares

1 x Chambertin

1 x Charmes-Chambertin

1 x Clos de Bèze

1 x Clos de la Roche

1 x Clos Vougeot

1 x Mazis-Chambertin

James Suckling (97)

A big, rich wine for the vintage, yet poised and lively with firm, chewy tannins that give form and intensity to the wine. It shows loads of blackberry, blackcurrant and walnut flavors. Ripe yet polished tannins. Give this three or four years to come together.

Matthew Jukes (20+)

An long-forgotten image flashed into my mind when I first tasted this wine. It took me back to a visit, as a child, to a stately home. Goodness knows where this place was, but I remember walking down a long corridor when a huge door opened to my left. As I walked past, I caught a glimpse of the most glamorous and beautifully decorated room beyond the person holding the door ajar. The door closed, and I passed by, but this image has stuck with me ever since. This momentary glimpse of incredible splendour is echoed in this magnificent wine. It starts midnight black in the glass, then as one focuses on the surface, can one see stars? Interestingly, it finishes black, too, in the form of ultra-fine sooty tannins that caress the taste buds as the flavour senesces. Between these two moments of perfect calm, there is layer upon layer of splendour and magnificence. The keyword for this vintage is ‘proportion’, as I found out half an hour through the presentation. It is an inspired choice because every element of 2020 Ornellaia is in scintillating proportion. 2020 Ornellaia represents more than harmony or balance and more than composure and equilibrium – it is truly in perfect proportion. In fact, I have never tasted a vintage of Ornellaia like it. There is a sense of greatness here, both in the intensity of the fruit and also its freshness and lift on the nose and palate – it is astonishing. The Cabernet theme (the blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot) is dominant both in the primary fruit notes but also in the signature flavours. Merlot adds glossiness and also traction, while Cabernet Franc appears to add grace and also crispness and aromatic flourishes. Petit Verdot acts as the invisible welds that pin this magnificent structure together – a complete three-dimensional flavour with no apparent flaws whatsoever. This wine will undoubtedly drink early in its life, given the silkiness and generosity on display, but it will not genuinely get into its stride for a decade, and I feel it will take another decade for it to blossom fully. My childlike fascination with today’s glimpse into the glass will no doubt grow into a full-blown stroll around this wine with the door flung open wide in years to come. This wine will prove to those with the good fortune to own it that its best is yet to come, so be patient in spite of its early allure. Until then, I do not doubt that it is a work of perfect proportion, so I am delighted to award it my first-ever perfect score for Ornellaia.

Vinous (94)

The 2017 Ornellaia Bianco shows a bit less nerviness than it has in the past. Then again, this is 2017. Orchard fruit, white flowers and tropical overtones add lovely shades of nuance. In 2017, the Bianco also has a bit of Viognier, which no doubt adds richness. In previous years, the Bianco has been more Bordeaux-like. The 2017 is decidedly more exotic in spirit.

Wine Advocate (97+)

A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar chest, pencil shavings, violets, dark chocolate and star anise plus exotic wafts of sandalwood and cassia. Medium-bodied, the palate features fantastically vibrant, crunchy black fruits with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. It will need a good 5-7 years to really blossom with all those tightly wound nuances, but it should be a stunner!

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

One of the whites of the vintage, the 2020 Château Pape Clément Blanc is based on 62% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Semillon, 4% Sauvignon Gris, and the remaining 1% Muscadelle, all of which was raised in a mix of new and used oak. This beauty stopped me in my tracks and offers a massive nose of honeyed limes, white flowers, tropical fruit, crushed stone, and orange marmalade. With the vintage’s vibrant sense of freshness, full-bodied richness, a stacked mid-palate, and a fabulous mouthfeel, this truly sensational white is an incredible achievement, and hats off to the team at Pape Clement! Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following two decades or so.

James Suckling (96)

Very exotic Parusso Barolo as always, with dried fruit, strawberries and tangerines. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a powerful, intense finish. This is really structured. Needs four or five years to soften. Try in 2025.

Vinous (91)

The 2017 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) is bright, floral and nicely lifted, with plenty of red cherry pie and berry character. Medium in body and wiry - perhaps because of its recent bottling - the 2017 has plenty to recommend it. This is a gorgeous wine in its peer group.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2017 Hermitage La Chapelle showed incredibly well and is a brilliant wine that's reminiscent of a richer, denser 2011. Loads of sun-kissed dark fruits, leather, graphite, and flowers, with ample spice and sandalwood nuances, give way to a full-bodied, pure, deep, multi-dimensional Hermitage that’s just about as good as it gets. The balance, length, and depth of this is something to behold, and while it unquestionably offers pleasure today, it has another 20-30 years of prime drinking ahead of it.

Matthew Jukes (18.5+)

With epic balance and stunning poise, La Maison Bleue is a Burgundian-shaped Hermitage in 2020, making it all the more intriguing and memorable. Like the others in this portfolio, the control here is remarkable, and the weight and length are astounding, too. Iodine and menthol hints coupled with garrigue and sanguineous moments add drama and detail to the sleek black core, but this is not an over-ripe or over-enthusiastic wine but a measured and contemplative soul. Delicious.

Wine Advocate (94-96)

The 2017 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée hits the standard assemblage: 80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and 10% "others." Still in cask at the time of my visit, it has expressive floral and garrigue notes, plus hints of star anise layered over a base of black cherries. Full-bodied, deep and rich, this looks like a vintage to set aside for a while, with at least 15 years of longevity ahead of it.