Wine Advocate (94)

This is the last wine I tasted in this group of nine from Produttori del Barbaresco. The reason I placed the 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano last is because it is usually considered to be the most powerful and determined in the flight. However, when you really get down to it, this vintage is more tight, streamlined and ethereal than expected. It is saving the best for later, and indeed, the wine is poised to evolve and open fully many years from now. There is a note of shyness here or restraint. Exactly 16,036 bottles were made, and this Riserva demands patience.

Wine Advocate (96)

The Produttori del Barbaresco 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello has a very distinct character that is expressed in terms of its fine but present tannic structure and its somewhat fragile primary fruit. The Ovello dives straight into those ephemeral Nebbiolo aromas with an emphasis on licorice, tar, blue flower and campfire ash. If you consider this timeline of Riservas, this wine brings us through that magic threshold in which Nebbiolo starts to show its unique aromatic appeal and mystique. This is always one of my favorites in this series of nine. Production is 18,741 bottles.

Wine Advocate (94)

Following the suggestion of Produttori del Barbaresco General Manager Renato Vacca, I am starting off this series of nine Riservas with the 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Pora. This wine is usually the most delicate, slender and ephemeral of this set. However, I can immediately confirm that this is not necessarily the case with this exuberant 2015 vintage. The sunny heat of the growing season has successfully drawn out more fruit weight and intensity in this edition of Pora. The wine overdelivers in terms of aromas, but its streamlined and polished personality follows through to the palate. Those divergent intensity levels will smooth out with more bottle age. Some 16,666 bottles were released.

Wine Advocate (96+)

This wine usually falls somewhere in the middle of the Riserva continuum (starting with the most lithe and elegant wine and ending with the most powerful) presented by Produttori del Barbaresco in this knockout series of nine single-vineyard expressions. The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is another personal favorite. This group of Ovello, Rio Sordo, Asili and Rabajà (that sweet spot of neighboring vineyard sites in Barbaresco) is especially profound in 2015, striking a careful balance between elegance against power. The Rio Sordo offers tight and sharp fruit complete with a little tannic pinch or crunch on the close. Production is 13,333 bottles.

James Suckling (99)

Insane aromas of lavender, blackberries, wet earth and ripe yet fresh fruit. Full body with very deep fruit, pine needles and hints of chocolate and cedar. Very long and wonderfully polished. This has wonderful depth and focus. Release in 2021. Better after 2024.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Owned by the Thienpont family, the wine made by Nicolas Thienpont. Includes 15% Sauvignon Gris. Only a third of the vines survived the frost. Sauvignon Blanc (85%) clones from the Loire. Fresh herby citrus and some nice notes of orange peel. Almost peachy on the palate but excellent freshness and intensity, clean cut. Bright and lively and deliciously mouth-watering. Persistent, too. Orange-peel aftertaste. Lovely.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

I underrated the 2015 Rauzan-Ségla on release. It’s a big, rich, incredibly sexy wine that’s certainly in the same ballpark as the 2016 (and 2018). Full-bodied, ripe, and concentrated, it has a wonderfully expansive, layered texture as well as an incredible sense of balance. Lots of cassis, leafy herbs, flowery incense, and tobacco notes all emerge from this beauty, which offers sweet tannins as well as a huge finish. This is magical stuff that’s going to keep for three decades or more.

Wine Advocate (94-96)

Composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot and sporting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2017 Rauzan-Segla (Rausan-Segla) has a profound nose of cassis, warm blackberries and black plums with touches of baking spices, violets, mocha and smoke plus a waft of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied with a great core of sustained, energetic black fruit, a frame of fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, it finishes with great length.

Wine Advocate (94-96)

Composed of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot and sporting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2017 Rauzan-Segla (Rausan-Segla) has a profound nose of cassis, warm blackberries and black plums with touches of baking spices, violets, mocha and smoke plus a waft of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied with a great core of sustained, energetic black fruit, a frame of fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, it finishes with great length.

James Suckling (100)

Earthy aromas of bark, sand, truffles, graphite, rust, terracotta and sandalwood rise up from the deep with Burgundian poise; fruitier orange zest and preserved lemons glimmer in their wake, while riper incense and tar lurk in this dense forest of aromas. Physics itself gives way as the line between reduction and oxidation is blurred. There’s such richness to the center palate, but the fruit there is vivacious and elegant, swaddled in robust but generous tannins that breach the outermost reaches of the mouth. The finish is hauntingly long, the after effects of the acidity unworldly. This is certainly in a quiet, reserved stage of evolution, and will need time to fully mature in bottle. Drink in 2025.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

This brilliant, barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc comes from the top part of the Willow Spring parcel and is the latest in a line of brilliant releases under this label. Saline, pithy and flinty with hints of nettle and elderflower, fine oak and a finish that goes on for ever. Drink 2019-2027.

Luca Maroni (97)

No note present.

Luca Maroni (96)

Wine Makers Notes: Castelforte Corvina is a dry, full-bodied wine with a deep ruby red color. It shows a scent of black cherries and ripe blackberry with hints of vanilla and sweet spices. A perfect match for red meats, game and mature cheeses.

Decanter (95)

Les Vaucrains is marked by its proximity to the combe at the southern end of Nuits-St-Georges, which gives the wine an added lift of freshness. Like Les St-Georges which abuts it, this is quite a firm, shuttered wine with an overlay of 30% new wood, good concentration, fine tannins and enough backbone and acidity to age.

Jeb Dunnuck (94-96)

The same blend as the 2016, the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Prestige is another inky colored wine from this estate that has an elegant, mineral-laced, balanced profile that’s very much in the style of the 2017 vintage. Blackberries, raspberries, crushed rocks, ground pepper, and violet notes all give way to a full-bodied 2017 that has terrific purity, no hard edges, building tannin, and a great finish. It's going to hit the ground running and cruise in good cellars for two decades. It has slightly more freshness and minerality than the Reserve cuvée.

Wine Advocate (94-96)

Sabon's 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve should be a stellar wine worthy of cellaring when it's released. The sample I was shown displayed gorgeous red fruit aromas of raspberries and strawberries allied to darker notes of plum and chocolate. This full-bodied, richly concentrated wine is packed and stacked, loaded with ripe tannins that should guarantee a long life.

Wine Spectator (98)

This stunning red exudes bright cherry, blackberry, plum, iron and tobacco aromas and flavors, all knit together almost seamlessly, with vibrant acidity and refined tannins. Shows a combination of power and grace, with a long fruit and savory aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2047. 620 cases made, 150 cases imported.

James Suckling (100)

A glorious and complex nose of tobacco, blackberries and hints of stones and flowers. Hints of bitter chocolate. Full-bodied, very tight and compacted. Linear backbone gives this form and tension. It has the same character on the palate as well as cayenne and other spice. Loved the 2014 but this shows more fine-grained tannins. So balanced and harmonious. A blend of 69% cabernet sauvignon, 24% carmenere, 5% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Needs four or five years in bottle but a joy to taste now.

Decanter World Wine Awards (96)

Inviting youthful nose peach, mango marmalade, quince and honeyed undertones. The palate is fresh and focused, quite layered with a lovely balance and length.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Even better (as well as a perfect wine), the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Collection Charles Giraud checks in as a nominal blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre that was brought up in demi-muids. It reveals a deep purple color as well as heavenly notes of blackberry and currant fruits intermixed with loads of cured meats, spice box, Asian spices, and a distinct loamy soil and minerality. Always more structured and powerful than the Reserve Auguste Favier release (no doubt due to the Mourvèdre component), it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building yet polished tannins, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. Pure perfection in a glass, it’s as good as wine gets. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Hats off to winemaker Isabelle Ferrando for yet another thrilling wine!

James Suckling (99)

The opulence and decadence is really something here with dried fruit, figs, meat and black truffles on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied, layered and creamy with intense, round tannins and a finish that lasts for minutes. Best after 2022, but already a joy to taste.

James Suckling (98)

Love the aromas to this young red with blackcurrants, sage, cinnamon and five-spice character. Changes all the time. Full-bodied, dense and powerful with a ripe and rich tannin backbone that gives form and beauty to the ripe and beautiful fruit. Tight and very long. Approachable now but will reward more in five to six years. A classic Sassicaia.

James Suckling (100)

Stunning aromas of blackcurrant, stone, blueberry and licorice. Also iodine. Floral. Perfumed. Full body, fantastic density of fruit and ripe tannins. It goes on for minutes on the palate with such energy and focus. Touch of chewiness on the finish. A complex and complete wine that delivers a generosity with firmness. Drink in 2021 but already a classic to drink.

Every case contains 3 bottles of each Sine Qua Non Grenache E 2015 and Sine Qua Non Syrah M 2015

 

Sine Qua Non Grenache E 2015

 

100 points | Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate)

  “This is a single-vineyard Grenache-dominated, barrel-selection blend coming from the Eleven Confessions Estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. It bears Elaine Krankl’s initial and a portrait Manfred made of Elaine on the label. The blend is 82% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 5% Petite Syrah and 1% Viognier, and 56% was fermented using whole clusters. It was aged for around 38 months in French oak, 28% new.

 

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Grenache E slides beguilingly out of the glass with a powerfully evocative, earthy/meaty nose of wood smoke, grilled meats, fragrant soil, truffles and iron ore with a core of kirsch, blackberry pie, Black Forest cake and aniseed plus touches of wild sage, rose hip tea and Indian spices. The palate is full-bodied, surprisingly muscular and built like a brick house with an unbelievable structure of very fine, densely pixilated tannins supporting the generous, multi-faceted layers, finishing with epic length, jaw-dropping texture and tons of cerebral mineral and spice nuances. WOW! 900 cases, 228 magnums and 30 double magnums were made.” Drinking Window: 2020 – 2035

 

 

Sine Qua Non Syrah M 2015

 

99 points | Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate)

“This is a single-vineyard Syrah-dominant blend coming from the Eleven Confessions Estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. It bears Manfred Krankl’s initial and a provocative self-portrait on the label. The blend is 90.6% Syrah, 4.4% Petite Syrah, 2.6% Grenache and 2.4% Viognier. Forty-three percent was fermented using whole clusters. It was aged for around 38 months in French oak, 66% new.

 

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Syrah M starts off a little closed, slowly unfurling to show layer upon layer of savory notes: peppered salami, woodsmoke, marmite and black olives, beneath a profound core of preserved plums, blueberry coulis and Chinese five spice with fragrant touches of fenugreek, Sichuan pepper, crushed rocks and mossy bark. Exquisitely textured with firm, rounded tannins, the taut, full-bodied, muscular fruit is laced with seamless freshness, finishing with fantastic persistence. This is a Syrah for the long haul! 913 cases, 228 magnums and 30 double magnums were made.” Drinking Window: 2021 – 2050

Wine Advocate (97-100)

Made exclusively from estate-grown fruit, the 2017 Syrah is composed of 82.4% Syrah, 5.2% Mourvèdre, 7.8% Petite Sirah, 2% Grenache, 1.2% Petit Manseng and 1.4% Viognier that was fermented with 26% whole cluster. The vineyard sources are 32% Eleven Confessions, 41% The Third Twin, 25% Cumulus and 2% Molly Aida. It is to be aged for around 23 months in French oak, 59% new. Deep garnet-purple, this nascent Syrah-dominant blend pings exuberantly out of the glass with a veritable POP—offering expressive notes of chocolate-covered cherries, blueberry compote, licorice, violets, black licorice, spice cake and tilled earth with hints of wild sage and tar. Full-bodied, super concentrated and wonderfully savory in the mouth, it features firm, rounded tannins and just enough freshness, finishing very long and perfumed.

James Suckling (97-98)

This is a very polished and precise young wine with beautiful depth and intensity. Full and sexy. It shows blueberry and black currant character with walnut and chocolate undertones. The tannins have a lovely texture. Joy to taste.

Wine Advocate (97+)

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm redcurrants, baked blackberries and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, dried roses, underbrush and pencil lead plus a waft of candied violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic core of densely packed red and black fruits, framed by wonderfully ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

The Wine Independent (100)

This 2015 Marchesi Antinori Solaia is so charmingly sweet, ripe, and open with very bright and exuberant aromas of cream and blackberries. My impression is that many 2015s in Tuscany in general have absorbed more oak than in some other vintages but this wine wears it so well. The palate is super-harmonious with a gentle ease and flow and the tannins are beautifully integrated and combine with subtle flavors of sweet oak-spice, cream, vanilla and blackberry. There is an elegant acidity and juicy freshness but in this wine the tannins take on a new dimension becoming seamlessly refined. Just beautiful!

The Wine Independent (98)

The 2017 Marchesi Antinori Solaia has an inky black core with a young-looking, vivid purple rim. Wow! The nose is bright, pure, exuberant, and joyful with precise blackberry and blackcurrant aromas. This is such an appealing wine, focused on ripe expressive fruit, unhampered by too much oak. I adore its open, cheerful, accessible style. There is of course lots of cream, vanilla, and sweet spice notes but they are integrated beautifully into the rest of the wine. The palate is a little more firm and less covered by lush concentration but stylistically it feels closer to a sophisticated but lighter version of the 2015. The oak does not dominate; instead, it allows the fruit to find its full expression. There is a delightful, tangy, savory element on the finish. This 2017 Solaia is not overpowering but instead focused, pure and vibrant.