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.

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.

Vinous (90-92)

Good dark red. Very shy nose hints at crushed stone, menthol, flowers and licorice. Then surprisingly round and charming in the mouth, with a distinctly silky, open-knit texture to the fat dark berry fruit. Not hugely complex but developing nicely. This should give pleasure early.

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!

Wine Advocate (97)

I'm increasingly convinced that Pierre Larmandier produced Champagne's wines of the vintage this year, and the 2011 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vieille Vigne du Levant only compounds that suspicion. Unfurling in the glass with a deep and complex nose of citrus zest, crisp yellow apples, smoke, warm bread, mandarin oil and oyster shell, it's full-bodied and fleshy but incisive, with huge concentration, bright acids and a long, intensely saline finish. Totally transcending the reputation of 2011, it has many of the textural properties of a great white Burgundy, married with the cut and chalky grip of Champagne's Côte de Blancs.

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.

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.

Wine Enthusiast (91)

This is a soft wine, with dominating fruit. It has flavors of black currant and spice, firm tannins and an attractive ripe center.

James Suckling (98)

This is intense and complex yet subtle with fantastic aromas of rose petal, plum, clove and fresh mushroom. Hints of stems. Full body, focused and polished with a linear line of tannins and fabulous length. A beauty. Better after 2021 but already a joy to taste.

Wine Spectator (92)

Rich and rangy, with cherry and spice flavors filling the broad profile. Ample acidity and tannins shore this up, leading to a slightly compact finish. Fine length.

Decanter (99)

Created in 1876 to satisfy the demanding tastes of Tsar Alexander II, Louis Roederer’s Cristal has since become a symbol of luxury all around the world. Produced only during the best years, it’s made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, the grapes coming from 45 of the finest lieux-dits in the region. 2013 was a late bloomer, with flowering only taking place in July after a cool spring. The summer was ideal with long periods of dry and warm weather. One third of the wine is aged in oak and there’s no malolactic fermentation. Vincenzo Arnese: Packed with elegant yet powerful aromas of ripe orchard trees that merge with brioche and dry cookies. This is a harmonious and well-defined Champagne with integrated residual sugar and astonishing acidity. Divine! Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW: Lemon coloured with a pink hue. Like a blanc de noirs, with cherries and white fruit aromas. Balanced and suave. Goes from less to more, with an exceptionally long and complex finish. Amanda Barnes: Appealing notes on the nose of pastry dough and apple tart that are very open. On the palate there’s beautiful concentration with lingering savoury notes. Minerally and sophisticated. Nominated by Peter Liem

Wine Advocate (99)

A candidate for wine-of-the-vintage honors in Champagne, Roederer's 2013 Cristal Rosé is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, red berries, stone fruit, freshly baked bread and tangerine oil. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, the vintage's bright girdling acids are amply cloaked in exuberant, expressive and notably concentrated fruit; so while this Cristal is as tensile and age-worthy as one would expect, it's also impressively fleshy and generous given the year. Concluding with an intensely sapid finish, the 2013 isn't as overtly structured as the muscular, tightly wound 2012: rather, it's the 2013's alliance of cut and flesh, precision and charm that's so compelling this year. This is another banner vintage for what I consider the reigning champion of the region's tête de cuvée bottlings, and it will be worth an effort to acquire.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

Exquisitely pure and aromatic notes of baked pear gleam in the glass along with something heady and ethereal that is reminiscent of freshly cut citrus zest. The off-dry palate has a balm-like viscosity and brings out honeyed ripe Mirabelles, but it all happens at such a gentle clean pure level that this feels like sublimated ripe fruit framed by vivid citrus. Despite some residual sweetness this stays fresh. This is a wine that explains in one small sip and sniff what a good field blend can be all about. It is lovely now and only just starting to evolve. Drink until 2040.

Vinous (90)

Bright medium red. Sexy spicy lift to the aromas of red raspberry, underbrush and wild herbs. Broad, dry and classic in a savory Burgundian style, conveying a restrained sweetness to its flavors of raspberry, spices and earth. This very suave, long wine finishes with fine-grained tannins and lovely perfumed lift. Seems more firmly structured than the 2012 version but remains light on its feet.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

Hailing from one of the most celebrated vineyards in the entire denomination, this focused beauty boasts layers of complexity and depth, starting with its classic Nebbiolo aromas of forest floor, new leather, violet and wild berry. Balanced and firmly structured, the palate shows tension, power and elegance, delivering succulent Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, tobacco and licorice alongside firm, aristocratic tannins. It's still young but already beautifully balanced, with bright acidity.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

All you need is a few swirls of the glass to release the perfumed aromas of wild berry, forest floor, new leather and crushed herb. The palate shows precision and finesse, offering red cherry, cranberry, baking spice and tobacco set against taut refined tannins and bright acidity. It's still youthfully austere but will bloom with more bottle aging.

Decanter (100)

I love the 2012, but honestly the 2013 just has the edge, because it is just as concentrated and full of fruit but acidity and floral nuance balances out the richness. Dark deep rosemary spice and black olive paste deepens the flavours through the mid-palate and you just have to hang on as this goes spiralling through, drawing the flavours out to a lengthy finish. 2% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 18 days skin contact.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard displays loads of charcoal, barbecue smoke, blueberry and blackberry fruit, an opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel, and hints of charcoal and subtle oak in a full-bodied, multi-dimensional style. Drink it over the next 20 years.

Wine Advocate (100)

The second perfect score I have given to a Hobbs Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (the other was the 2002), the 2013 is as spectacular as his 2002 was. There are 638 cases of this massive wine that comes across like a first-growth Pauillac. Lead pencil shavings, cedar wood, blueberry and blackberry liqueur as well as hints of forest floor and tobacco leaf are all present in this fragrant, sumptuously textured, full-bodied, massively rich yet sensationally well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a finish of well over 55 seconds. This is amazing work, and interestingly, I believe Hobbs was the first to offer a Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wine Advocate (100)

This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black colored, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and licorice over nuances of baker’s chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice wafts of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavors, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavors emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes.

Halliday Wine Companion (94)

True to this cool season, a pretty and elegant Magill Estate of lively acidity, tangy berry fruits and savoury accents. It soaks up 100% new oak effortlessly (65/35% French/American), making space for flavours of licorice, black olives, pepper and exotic spice. No great Magill, but certainly an engaging and commendable result.

Vinous (96)

From the Coal and Derwent Valleys (Tas) and the Adelaide Hills; Handpicked and pressed to French barriques (62% new, 38% 1yo) for 8 months. The wine is so precise and tightly wound it is hard to imagine it went through 100% mlf, but at the same time, the decision to limit the amount of new oak falls neatly into place. It is developing at such a leisurely pace it is hard to visualise an end point. Gun flint, wet stone, green apple and grapefruit are among the contributors to the seamless flavour stream.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

The new release of this Champagne is impressively stylish. It comes from a vertiginous vineyard facing north across the Marne river, the soil producing a wine with intense minerality and texture that demands time to soften. So, the blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is set for further aging. Ideally, wait for this magnificent wine until 2025.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

Although ready to drink, this very fine Champagne has plenty of aging to go. With its rich Pinot Noir and ripe fruits, it is generous while also fully textured. Complex and balanced, mature fruit and toast working together, this is a great wine.

Wine Advocate (99)

The best wine so far (although I suspect the 2015 may ultimately enter the picture as well) is the nearly perfect 2013 Promontory Estate. It is simply richer and fuller, with greater integration of tannin, and tastes spectacular. With an opaque, dense purple color and notes of graphite, wet rocks, blackberry and blueberry fruit, some charcoal, and again, loads of spice and loamy soil nuances, the wine has great intensity, a full-bodied texture, and finely grained, sweet tannin. This is a stunner and again, accessible, but its best days are probably a good decade away, as this could very well turn out to be a 40- to 50-year wine.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Monforte d’Alba. Paler than most. Scented and already quite haunting. Lovely lift and acidity. Dry, but all seems to be in balance.

Essi Avallen MW (96-99)

The 2013 vintage is so very Rare, so pure. True to the classical Rare recipe its Chardonnay origins include a luxurious amount of Villers-Marmery and Côte de Blancs Grand Cru fruit, without forgetting the all-important ‘spice’ of Montgueux. The Pinot Noir mix plays with the cool verticality of Verzy and Verzenay, but on a crisp year like this more generosity was lent from for example plush Ambonnay and Bouzy fruit. Intense, shiny bright lemon-green colour. Stunningly refined toasty nose with fine herbal freshness, lemon and birch leaves. There is a lovely vanilla-laden exotic spicy touch to the pineapple and peach fruitiness. Creamy-caressing and salivatingly energetic at the same time. There is a lovely ethereal lightness to the airy whole. Perfectly pure and compact, promising extreme longevity and capacity for majestic complexity.