Vinous (98)

The 2015 I Sodi di San Niccolò is just stratospheric. That's pretty much all there is to it. Plush, deep and explosive, the 2015 possesses magnificent depth. The 15% Malvasia Nera gives tannic backbone and energy to balance the wine's natural richness. Sweet red cherry, cedar, smoke, tobacco and licorice build in a racy, flamboyant Sodi that hits all the right notes. In a word: stunning!

Wine Enthusiast (98)

Sunbaked earth, mature black-plum, fragrant blue-flower and leather aromas mingle with balsamic whiffs of camphor on this full-bodied, delicious red. Made with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Sangiovese, the creamy palate is earthy and full of flavor, boasting juicy blackberry, raspberry, dried mint, cocoa and licorice. Taut velvety tannins provide plenty of support and finesse. Drink through 2035.

Decanter (97)

Coffee, tobacco and oak on the nose. The palate is juicy and balanced with pronounced blackcurrant and smoke spice. There's a good expression of black fruit on the finish.

James Suckling (97)

Wonderful aromas of flowers, plums, terracotta and white pepper. Intense, yet ever so subtle. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and intense finish. Shows excellent length. Drink after 2021.

James Suckling (92)

Aromas of blackberry and walnut with hints of flowers. Medium body, focused and bright with dried fruit and just a hint of mushroom in the aftertaste. Drink now.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Cask sample. Mid dark crimson. Sweet oak spice entwined with really ripe cherry fruit. Dark, dry finesse on the palate. Extremely elegant but all hidden at the moment. Plenty of freshness like a seam through the dark, dry youthful reticence.

Vinous (92)

The NV Brut Cuvée Ste.-Anne is one of the best Champagnes readers will find in its price range, or any price range, for that matter. Bright and beautifully focused, the Ste.-Anne has so much to offer. The purity of the flavors is just remarkable. If anything, it needs more time on the cork to soften, as it is quite reticent at this stage. This release is based on 2017, with reserve wines from 2016 and 2015. The blend is 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier, with the Chardonnay very much in evidence at this stage. Dosage is 5.15 grams/liter. Disgorged: February, 2020.

Wine Advocate (95)

Possessing mere splashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon has a beautifully expressive crème de cassis nose with underlying black cherries, chocolate box, star anise and violets plus touches of pencil shavings and beef drippings. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers a quiet intensity of black fruits and restrained earthy layers supported by chewy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with mineral and savory nuances. It has lovely elegance and depth. It needs another 2-3 years in bottle, then it should cellar gracefully over the next 20+ years. 1,000 cases were made.

James Suckling (100)

The opulence of fruit and complexity of earth, meat, mushroom and cedar is breathtaking. It’s full-bodied, deep and powerful with so much intensity and depth. Chewy and layered, it goes on for minutes. Give it even more time. Try after 2023.

Vinous - Neal Martin (97)

The 2015 Clos-Fourtet has a sensual, warm bouquet with chestnut and smoke-tinged red fruit, well defined and more understated than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, elegant and refined, silky and smooth in texture with beautifully poised red cherry and cranberry notes toward the finish. A tang of tobacco lingers on the aftertaste. Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

Vinous (89-91)

Bright ruby-red. The musky dark raspberry and mocha nose exudes a sexy sweetness. Less dense but more delineated than the Clos du Château, conveying a much lower pH impression. Fresh raspberry, blackberry, spice and licorice flavors linger nicely on the lively finish. Very Nuits in character.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

Aromas of ripe dark-skinned fruit, forest floor, rose and wild mint shape the enticing nose. Elegantly structured and full of flavor, the linear, focused palate delivers mature Marasca cherry, blood orange, licorice and tobacco set against a backbone of refined tannins. Drink 2023 though 2035.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Superb. The acidity is geometric, triangular, feisty, orange-blossom fragrant, direct. The fruit is orange and passion fruit bleeding into plums and tea leaves and sage and mint and thyme and scribbles of pencils and late-summer nights and the finish is like walking through a just-harvested hay field when the first cool rain of autumn is falling soft as mist. Love this. It's delicious, delicious, delicious. I tasted it right at the end of a very long tasting – seven hours on my feet – and it quite literally revived my flagging soul.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Succulent, polished fruit in beautiful balance. This is enough to inspire a rash of multi-vintage blends, no? Walter may disapprove of the incursion of those Bordeaux grapes but it's a really lovely drink, grown, presumably, not that far from Tenuta del Trinoro. Very long and nuanced. Beautiful texture and freshness. Lip smacking! How wonderful to find this under £20 a bottle. No prizes for label design but I'd much rather all the effort went into making a lovely (and ready) drink. Not a wine for long keeping. Just drink it. Very good value.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

Even inkier-colored than the Sabarotte, the 2015 Cornas les Eygats is another single vineyard release that comes from a site located on the northern edge of the appellation. Aged in 50% new French oak (the balance is in once-used barrels), it offers sensational notes of plums, blueberries, crushed violets, pen ink and barbecue smoke in an utterly profound, decadent, layered, heavenly profile. There's ample tannin here, but they're sweet and polished, and it has an awesome finish. Don't miss it!

Vinous (92-95)

The 2015 Corton La Vigne au Saint Grand Cru exudes freshness and vivacity. Hints of orange peel, cranberry and white pepper from the whole clusters (45%) add a striking aromatic upper register. This is another wine with a super-appealing push and pull between ripeness of fruit and salivating acidity. Quite frankly, in a blind tasting, this would be very hard to peg as wine from a warm vintage. - Antonio Galloni

English critic Matthew Jukes has declared that Lionel's wines are 'worth their weight in gold', and we certainly think that is the case with this Cupano Vino Rosso 4th Edition NV. This is made from a blend of barrels that taste excellent but do not feel ready in time when Cupano blended their Montalcino releases so they were left aside. Instead of waiting to use it for a Brunello that might disrupt the usual annual releases of the estate wines, it has instead become a upmarket 'vin de copains' - wine for friends.

 

This 4th Edition comes from the 2018 and 2019 vintages and is made from 80% Sangiovese that would normally be used in their Brunello di Montalcino or Rosso di Montalcino and 20% Merlot that would usually be used in their superb Super Tuscan Ombrone. With the power on the nose and palate that Cupano is usually associated with, this shows all the wonderful Sangiovese character one could want without the oak that a young Brunello would show.

waiting to use it for a Brunello that might disrupt the usual annual releases of the estate wines, it has instead become a upmarket 'vin de copains' - wine for friends.

 

For each new Vino Rosso release, famous french artist Gerard Fromanger paints a special new label and this 4th edition is the most impressive yet. While production has been upped from the last release, this 4th Edition is still made in tiny quantities with only 830 six packs made.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (97)

One of the stars of the vintage, the 2015 Domaine de Chevalier has turned out even better than I expected. Bright floral notes give striking aromatic lift to the rich, sumptuous fruit. A marvelously complete wine, the 2015 is racy and silky on the palate, yet also has tremendous freshness. Bright red cherry, blood orange, white pepper, spice and dried flowers build into the super-expressive finish. The 2015 has been nothing less than stunning the three times I have tasted it so far. This is a tremendous showing from proprietor Olivier Bernard and his team. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Tasted three times.

James Suckling (98)

This is a red with extremely creamy tannins that are fine and polished, giving length and definition to the wine. Full-bodied, yet tight and compact with plenty of currants and fresh herbs. Extremely long and flavorful. Drinking beautifully now.

Raymond Chan (19.50)

Dark ruby-red colour with good depth. The nose has well-ripened dark-red and black berried fruits with nuances of dark red plums, unfolding an array of dark-red floral perfumes, and hints of dark herbs. A minerally edge is apparent to balance the fruit richness. Lovely detailing. Medium-full bodied, the palate features rich, sweet and plush fruit flavours of dark-red berry fruit and black cherries, along with notes of plums and liquorice. Some dark herb and floral lift provides elegance. The mouthfeel shows very fine-grained tannin extraction and excellent acid freshness and tension. The wine flows along a velvety line, carrying to a long, sustained, sweet fruited, bright finish with acid freshness. This is richer and more complete since last tasting. Fruit from the ‘Dry River Estate’, ‘Lovat’ and ‘Craighall’ sites, fermented with 30% whole clusters to 13.0% alc., the wine aged 12 months in 15% new 300 L and 350 L hogsheads.

James Suckling (94-95)

A wine with definition and refinement. Hints of tobacco and chocolate. Full body, super fine and flavorful. Juicy and savory. The walnut and spice on the end is gorgeous.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

The 2015 Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard has the most Cabernet Sauvignon of the three top releases and is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Malbec, and 5% Cab Franc. Aged 22 months in 40% new oak, it offers loads of blackcurrants, scorched earth, chocolate, and graphite aromatics, full-bodied richness, a silky, layered texture, and beautiful purity of fruit. It's a big, rich, yet impeccably balanced red.

James Suckling (93)

Aromas of dark fruit with fresh herbs and tile. Perfumed. Medium-to-full body, juicy fruit and a flavorful finish. Drink now.

James Suckling (98)

This is such a fabulous red with ripe berries, blackberries and hints of dried mushrooms and black tea. Full body and crystalline tannins that carry the wine on for minutes. Energetic and takes off like a rocket. Extreme, great wine. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (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!

James Suckling (98)

Extremely perfumed, showing lots of rose, lavender and dark-berry character. Full body with intense density and chewiness that gives the wine great structure. Lots of flavor and focus at the finish. Needs five to six years to finish. Drink in 2024.

Vinous (95+)

The 2015 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Vecchie Vigne opens slowly in the glass. Coaxing reveals an elegant mix of fresh mint, red currant, roses and a dusting of spice. It washes across the palate with beautiful finesse, lifted and fresh, showing no sign of its warm vintage origins. Sour cherry and hints of strawberry give way to a delicate web of fine tannin. The 2015 finishes with pretty licorice and pomegranate nuances, leaving behind a lightly structured sensation. What a pretty expression of Pepe Montepulciano, one that grows in volume the longer it spends in the glass. I foresee very good things here. Of note, the Pepe family was so happy with the balance of the 2015 that they decided to hold back 80% of the production for late release.