Burghound (90-92)

A spicy but restrained nose speaks of exotic tea, lilac, black raspberry and a hint of wood. There is a seductive texture to the supple medium-bodied flavors that possess fine mid-palate density before culminating in a dusty and palate coating finish. This should drink well young but reward up to a decade of cellar time as well.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2013 Barolo Bricco Fiasco shows exceptional balance in this terrific vintage. The wine starts slowly but increases in a steady upswing of intensity and complexity as it takes on air in the glass. This vineyard located in Castiglione Falletto was planted in the 1940s, and the vines are now 80 years old, on average. They are at their production prime, especially when it comes to the nuanced and finessed fruit produced. The soils here show a larger percentage of sand compared to neighboring Serralunga d'Alba, and the wine is more fruit forward and elegant as a result. The bouquet offers pressed rose, violets and warm autumnal notes. Only 6,300 bottles were produced. This is a terrific wine.

James Suckling (97)

Extremely complex aromas of cedar, mushroom and walnut highlighting the cherry and flowers. The palate is full and complete with ultra-fine and caressing tannins that are truly silky. It’s still very young, but shows beauty and seduction. Try after 2020.

James Suckling (98)

Extremely aromatic with blueberries, blackberries, and flowers. Full- bodied, dense, and rich yet agile and exciting. The tannins are seamless and beautiful. The finish shows stones and spices. The ancient mourvedre in the blend gives this wine elegance. Incredible depth. So drinkable now but goes on for minutes. Fantastic Hommage from a more challenging vintage.

Wine Advocate (97)

One of the great efforts of recent years, and not surprisingly so, is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, a blend of 81% from Howell Mountain, 11% from St. Helena and the rest Calistoga and Mount Veeder. It is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot aged 20 months in 84% new French oak. At 15.2% natural alcohol, this is a big boy, but also classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon with crème de cassis, graphite, licorice, and a touch of spicy oak. Winemaker Laurie Hook, who has since departed as winemaker, really hit a home run with this beauty. The wine could benefit from 7-10 years cellaring and probably last 30 to 40. When all is said and done, this is an instant classic, the wine full-bodied with oodles of crème de cassis, pen ink, graphite and baking spices. It is multi-dimensional, layered, and one of the all-time great Beringer Private Reserves – and there have been many.

James Suckling (97)

Very aromatic and exciting with citrus rind, plums, cedar and rose petals. Full body, fine and silky tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Love the persistence and intensity. Salty undertone at the end. Needs two to three years to open.

Essi Avallen MW (93-95)

On this vintage with a prolonged growing season Bollinger played the cool card, choosing to go with a high proportion of Verzenay fruit (51%). The combination of cool vintage and cool terroir is truly attractive for a blanc de noirs. Already the nose has lovely zingy fruitiness to it, lemon custard, perfectly ripe peaches and elegant spicy and chalky tones. The ensemble comes across as elegant, super juicy and purely fruity. My favourite of Bollinger limited editions so far!

Vinous (97+)

Burlotto’s 2013 Barolo Cannubi is a showstopper. Literally. Conversation stops as attendees taste the 2013. This is what top-flight Barolo is all about. In 2013, the Monvigliero has gotten most of the attention, and for good reason. It is a truly monumental wine. But the Cannubi is not that far behind. On this night, it is positively dazzling and every bit as profound as it has always been. The Cannubi has really soared in recent years as proprietor Fabio Alessandria has brought it inline stylistically with his other wines.

Decanter (94)

This is Jackson Family Estate's first foray into South Africa – and what a debut by winemaker Graham Weerts and vineyard manager Rosa Kruger who sourced the fruit from exceptional sites in Stellenbosch, Overberg and Robertson. The wine carries the 55% new French oak with ease to reveal a profoundly complex Chardonnay with heft, depth and well-judged acidity. Stone fruits, pear, herbs, lees and hay notes and long saline finish, make this a very complete and complex effort. A star in the making.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2013 I Sodi di S. Niccolò is 85% Sangioveto (a more antique name for Sangiovese) and 15% Malvasia Nera from a single vineyard. This wine opens to a darkly saturated appearance and shows ruby, garnet and purple highlights. The bouquet is powerful but seamless at the same time with smooth transitions between dark cherry, spice, tobacco and moist clay. In the mouth, this wine shows dense extraction, but it never feels too weighed down by that mass. Instead, the freshness of the fruit and the natural acidity give the wine a bright and buoyant personality. Aged in barrique for 30 months, this is a delightful Tuscan red.

Vinous - Neal Martin (92)

The 2011 Chapelle d’Ausone has a well-defined, quite focused bouquet with high-toned but precise red berry fruit, crushed stone and rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, lifted red berry fruit laced with truffle, black pepper and a touch of clove. Lovely cohesion on the finish, this is an excellent 2011 that is ageing with style. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

Wine Advocate (100)

Easily the finest vintage of this cuvee to date, the 2013 Ermitage le Meal Blanc doesn’t give an inch to the more heralded Cuvee de L’Orée or l’Ermite. Pure perfection in a glass, with awesome caramelized citrus, pineapple, crushed rock, toasted bread and buttered peach, it’s full-bodied, massive and concentrated on the palate, with incredible purity, richness and length. As with the other top whites here, it needs a year or two in the cellar and will have 2-3 decades of longevity.

Wine Advocate (100)

Even better and a prodigious effort that hits all my sweet spots, the 2011 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from one of the top terroirs on Hermitage hill, the granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit. Spectacularly perfumed, with raspberry, blackberry, licorice, toasted spices and assorted floral nuances, this full-bodied effort has massive depth and richness, no hard edges and masses of finely polished tannin that emerge on and frame the finish. It will be approachable at an earlier age than either the 2009 or 2010, yet should nevertheless have 2-3 decades of ultimate longevity.

Lauded globally as a premium whisky, the Chichibu Single Malt Spirit Shop Selection Cask 1402 2011 embodies the utmost excellence of Japanese distillation. Produced by the Chichibu distillery, founded by the illustrious Ichiro Akuto in 2008, this spirit is a testament to craft and tradition, with precise attention to detail and imbibed with a distinct Japanese character.

Matured in oak casks and bottled in 2011, the Chichibu Single Malt Spirit Shop Selection Cask 1402 2011 showcases an intricate bouquet, rich with the scent of spicy notes interlaced with sweet tones and finishes with a lingering taste of malted barley. Its lavish complexity mirrored by an elegantly smooth consistency testifies to its meticulous creation process.

This opulent spirit, nestled in the verdant mountains and nurtured by Chichibu's favourable climate, exemplifies the unrivalled calibre of Japanese whisky heritage. Savour the taste of the Chichibu Single Malt Spirit Shop Selection Cask 1402 2011, a crowning achievement in premium whisky craftsmanship.

James Suckling (98)

Fabulous subtle aromas of black currants, violets and lilacs with a hot stone undertone. Full-bodied and dense, it shows such wonderful energy and synergy that delivers a firm yet gentle tannin backbone and complex mouthfeel that seduces you. Evolves wonderfully. Second wine from this new estate, which is owned by Christian Moueix of Dominus and Bordeaux. Release is March 2017.

Wine Advocate (94+)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2013 Le Sol (Syrah) has a very pretty nose of violets and red roses over a core of red and black cherries plus hints of cinnamon stick and star anise. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is beautifully crafted with elegant, perfumed red fruits supported by ripe, rounded tannins. It finishes with great length.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

This is a fabulous gran reserva from a very good but lightly heralded vintage. Aromas of spiced plum, black olive, fig, tobacco and cassis come together like a puzzle. A deep, pure palate shows near-perfect balance, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and earthy spice. Smooth, elegant and chocolaty on the finish, this delivers all one can ask for from Rioja. Drink through 2035.

James Suckling (98)

A driven and serious DP with aromas of chalk, biscuits, apricot stones and lemons. Some spice and dried flowers, too. So sleek and sophisticated. Elegant. Yet, it’s long and powerful, with a sharp minerality. Tight and precise. Reminds me of bottles from the 1980s, such as 1988. It really takes off. Disgorged October 2021. Drinkable on release in January 2023, but better in a couple of years. A DP for the cellar.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2011 Reserva is produced from their cooler vineyards grown at altitudes of 800-900 meters, from an assortment of small plots planted before the 1930s. The Tempranillo is mixed with other grapes totaling almost 10% in this vintage, half of it white Albillo and a significant amount of Bobal among others. They selected the grapes from the plots they thought would provide more freshness, especially in a warm year like 2011. The full-clusters fermented in open stainless steel pools where they are foot-trodden. The wine is transferred to barriques and put in the cold cellars where they age slowly and go through malolactic the following spring. This is a serious wine where the aromas are subtle and more soil-driven and austere, slowly revealing notes of violets and damson cherries with great depth. The palate is medium-bodied, with refined, silky and fine-grained tannins and a superb sensation of harmony. This is really outstanding for a year such as 2011. The 4,000 bottles produced were filled in May 2014. Drink 2015-2020.

James Suckling (96)

This is from one of the coolest vintages in memory but delivers fresh tobacco and currant aromas and flavors. Full body, chewy tannins and plenty of currant leaf and stone character. A structured and very solid Don Melchor. 91% cabernet sauvignon and 9% cabernet franc. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate - Robert Parker (100)

I was really looking forward to tasting the 2013 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard since all of the previous vintages have been truly exceptional, and I wanted to see what it would be in a cooler year. The bottled wine contains perhaps 15% Malbec in the blend, and they will soon stop mentioning Cabernet Franc on the label. It fermented in 500-liter oak barrels with 50% of the Cabernet Franc and all of the Malbec and then matured in used oak foudres. It's very intense and powerful, but at the same time, there is a kind of lightness on the palate that makes if feel light on its feet but with great inner power. There is citrus acidity that makes it effervescent and electric. It has some 7.5 grams of acidity and a pH of 3.45, very healthy parameters. The peppery character appears after some time, giving it a Chinon-like twist, and it also reminds me of my favorite Bordeaux, Pomerol's Lafleur. This is definitely world-class and worth lying down, as it should develop further complexity in bottle. This is one of those wines where the only improvement I can think of is having magnums rather than bottles. Bravo! Some 3,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2016.

1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2011 – 98 points (WA)
1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2012 – 98+ points (WA)
1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2013 – 100 points (WA)
1 x 75cl - Gualtallary 2014 – 98 points (WA)

El Enemigo Gran Enemigo Gualtallary is a single vineyard (Gualtallary) production combining Cabernet Franc (dominant) and Malbec. After near misses in 2011 and 2012 in 2013 this amazing duo of winemakers produced the perfect wine in 2013. Wine Advocate critic Luis Gutiérrez said the 2013 reminded him of Pomorol’s Lafleur and was “definitely world class” and “worth laying down”. The 2013 has a drinking window to 2030 and all these wines will benefit from a decade of aging. Only around 3,000 bottles are produced, of this incredible wine (far less than wines like Screaming Eagle at 5,000-9,000).

The super high scores and tiny production mean that this is a lovely vertical for collectors or investors to own.

Wine Advocate (96)

This wine delivers the goods. The 2013 Barolo Arborina is a complete and centered wine that opens to an enchanting blast of exuberant fruit. The bouquet is redolent of dark cherry and blackberry, and those aromas are thick enough to balance out the wine's savory and oak-driven side. These elements come together with seamless integration. The wine offers an important sense of textural balance as well. It feels thick, but not heavy. It shows richness but is also buoyant and bright at the same time. This is an excellent wine from the unstoppable force that is Elio Altare.

Vinous (93)

The 2011 Barolo Ravera emerges from the oldest vines on the property. Dark cherry, plum, spice, new leather and lavender swirl around the glass in a resonant, generous Barolo that captures the generosity of the year as seen through the lens of Ravera. In this vintage, the Ravera is an especially weightless and simply impeccable in its overall balance. Hints of leather, sweet spices add nuance on the soft yet energetic finish. There is so much to like here.

Vinous (98)

Fontodi's 2013 Flaccianello della Pieve is a fabulous, riveting wine that grabs hold of all the senses. There is plenty of the richness and textural depth that have always been a Fontodi signature, but in the more contemporary style that seeks to marry power and elegance. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2013 is still very much in its inky, primary stage.

Dive into the world of elegance with the spellbinding Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011. Crafted meticulously in Burgundy, France, it's the epitome of the world-renowned Harmand-Geoffroy estate's wine-making mastery. A benchmark for Pinot Noir, the grapes went through meticulous manual sorting, followed by precise temperature-controlled fermentation. The wine matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, achieving a captivating equilibrium between fruit and firmness.

Gloriously mature, the 'Mazis-Chambertin' shows off an enthralling perfume of red berries mingled with subtle notes of earth and mushroom. The palate is complex and juicy, beautifully showcasing the soft tannins and a long, balanced finish. This wine signifies the essence of Gevrey-Chambertin, recognised for its power and longevity.

With only a limited production, the rarity of Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru 2011 is alluring. A choice recommendation for those seeking a distinguished addition to their cellar.

Wine Advocate (92)

Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers felt a little reduced on the nose -- though that is common with infant Gouges. At the moment it compromises the wine's definition, which is a pity as there is attractive red cherry and redcurrant fruit waiting to surface. That will be addressed with bottle age. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, some chewiness that will dissipate with time and good depth. It feels a little chunky and uncouth towards the finish although it does improve and gain more cohesion in the glass. Time should meliorate this wine, so afford it 3-4 years in bottle. Tasted September 2016.

Decanter (97)

The crown in the Hugel jewels, Schoelhammer comes from 30 rows in the core of Grand Cru Shoenenbourg, high above Riquewihr. An intense, dry and mineral-charged Riesling with floral aromas and concentrated lime/lemon zest flavours. Fermented in neutral oak, this retains absolute purity and clarity of flavour. Bottled in Spring 2012, this vintage was first released in 2018. Still very youthful and with decades ahead.

Decanter (96)

The harvest date returned once more to that of tradition, commencing on 23 September – whereas these days it usually begins around 3 September. This could therefore be considered a fresh if not cool vintage, yet the long growing season helped the extraction of velvety tannins, concentrated on the mid-palate. The structure, combined with bright cassis notes, a core of cherry and crystallised violet, and savoury minerality on the finish, will keep the wine in good shape for the long haul.