98 VM / 98 JA / 98 DE / 97+ WA / 97 JS / 95 WS Antinori’s 2018 Solaia captures all of the elegance of this important vintage. The bouquet alone is mesmerizing. It speaks to the stunning beauty and pedigree of Cabernet...
The grapes used to make “ Il Favot” come from Bussia vineyards which have undergone periodic re-plantings, and so have a maximum age of 15 years. This nebbiolo is known for its roundness and imminent drinkability...
97 WA The site-specific 2018 Malbec Appellation Gualtallary comes from specific soils, two plots that they believe transmit the maximum expression of limestone to Malbec, giving a structured wine with fine-grained tannins...
96+ WA / 96 VM The origin of everything here and the first single-vineyard red, the 2018 Finca Dofí excels in 2018. Those 10 hectares planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops are mostly Garnacha, but the...
100 JD / 99 JS / 98 DE / 97+ WA / 97 VM / 95-98 WS The bottles for the 2018 vintage feature a red phoenix above the label: “Suddenly the obstacles had disappeared and glorious conditions set in that...
89-92 BH The Fuees vineyard is one of Chambolle’s great vineyards that is located on a small plot bordered by Bonnes Mares and les Cras. The Fuees vines here are 20-40 years of age. Tasting note: A quite deeply...
90-93 BH / 92 WA Note: from vines planted in 1947 Tasting note: Moderately generous wood can be found on the otherwise ripe and well-layered aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, spice and discreet earth nuances. The very rich...
The Gruenchers vineyard is mid-slope on the Cote d’Or with a southeastern exposure giving it good morning sun. The soil has a bit more clay in it than the upper part of the slope, and wines from Gruenchers tend to be a...
96 WA / 96 JS / 96 DE / 95+ VM Renzo Cotarella, managing director of Marchesi Antinori tells me that the 2018 vintage showed very different results in the inland and hilly Chianti Classico appellation compared to the flat,...
98 WA / 97 VM / 96 JS This wine brought to mind precise imagery of tailcoats, striped dress pants, wingtip collar shirts and other gentlemen's fashion choices from the Roaring Twenties. Sporting a retro but classic...
96+ JD / 96 VM / 96 JS / 95 DE / 94+ WA This estate makes an incredibly classic, elegant Saint-Emilion. The 2018 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is based on 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and...
99 WA / 97 JD / 97 DE / 95-98 VM Red-fruited and garrigue-laden, the nose of the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin is glorious, showing remarkable complexity in its notes of cherries, raspberries and...
99 JS / 97 JD / 97 VM / 97 WA / 98-100 DE Aromas of blackcurrant, ripe blackberry, black olive, oyster shell and black tea. Some ash and dried flowers, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm,...
95 WS / 95 VM / 94+ WA / 94 JS #9 Wine Spectator Top 100 2020 A wine of presence and expression, impeccably structured yet elegantly layered, with evocative raspberry, rose petal and brown baking spice notes that pick up...
96 VM / 95+ WA / 94 WS Vivid magenta. A hugely perfumed bouquet displays an array of ripe red and blue fruits, pungent flowers and exotic spices, along with hints of cola and smoky minerals. Deeply concentrated yet lively...
94 WE Plush aromas of black cherry, baked strawberry, caramel and vanilla make for a rich, inviting nose. There's a hearty texture to the palate, yet freshness remains intact, with a ripe boysenberry flavor that's accented...
94 JS / 93 WA / 93 DE / 93 WE / 92 WS / 91+ JD Blackberry, plum, blueberry and some stone and crushed cement on the nose. Full body with firm, chewy and ultra fine tannins that will soften nicely. I like the lightly smoked...
92 JM / 91 BH / 90 VM Pale lemon colour. Bring on the white stones. A little touch of seaweed, this has tightened up in bottle says Didier. I really like this. Brilliantly racy, ripe enough fruit of course but the terroirs...
91 JM / 90 BH This comes mostly from the heart of Vaillons with some Séchet. Pale lemon again. Quite a subtle and discreet nose. A little bit of bacon too. There is a classical dry finish, but still a sweetness of...
99 JS / 97 WA / 97 DE / 18 JR #22 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020 What intense aromas of cherries and raspberries! Then it turns to flowers and orange peel. Roses, too. This is really full and powerful...
100 DE / 97 JS #47 James Suckling's Top 100 Italian Wines of 2020 Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savoury, this has a...
93-96 JM / 94 WS / 93 BH The domaine owns 3 plots, one pulled out in 2016, the other two dating back to 1986 and 1977. The soil gets more clay and darker as you head north into Puligny. Bright crisp fresh, appealing. A...
94 DE / 92-93 JS / 90-93 WS / 90-92 JD / 90-92 WA This wine has a lovely complexity with balance and lift and does that thing where it waits for a heartbeat, then makes you wait for a heartbeat, before releasing its stone...
95 WS This velvety red offers generous layers of cherry reduction, espresso, clove and loamy earth notes that are flanked with licorice, graphite and floral hints. Shows freshness and concentration. Drink now through 2039...
95 JM / 94 WA / 92-94 BH Once picking started, the Bonneau du Martray team went at the harvest full tilt. The wine has been made mostly in barrel for the first year, but using a wide variety of containers: 350 litre, 500...
97 JS / 96 VM / 94 JD / 94 WS / 93 WA Very attractive aromas of currants, tile and sandalwood with black and red currants. It’s full-bodied with a tight, dense center-palate that remains closed in and tight...
95+ JD / 95 JS / 95 DE / 95 VM / 93+ WA A quintessential Margaux as well as one of the finest wines I've tasted from this estate, the 2018 Château Brane-Cantenac is based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23%...
99 JD / 97 JS / 96 DE / 96-98 WA / 95 WS Easily the greatest example from this château that I've tasted, the 2018 Château Calon Ségur checks in as 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet...
98 JS / 98 JD / 98 DE / 98 VM / 97+ WA / 95 WS Blackberries and tar with wet-earth and dark-bark aromas. Dark-chocolate and brownie notes, too. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins and a round, caressing...
94 WE / 93 JS / 92 DE A well-constructed wine that is ripe with black fruits and integrated tannins, this is in a good place for aging. Black-currant fruitiness is balanced by a dry, smoky core that holds promise. Drink...
93 JS / 16.5 JR Plum, ripe-blackberry, tar, chocolate and walnut aromas. It’s medium-to full-bodied with sleek, round tannins and a creamy texture. Delicious. Nicely done for the vintage. Rich and layered. 100% merlot...
90-91 JS A pretty second wine of Rieussec with creamy, cooked pear and apple character. Some soufflé character, too. Medium body, medium sweet and a fresh finish...
Pierre-Yves’s wines have become highly sought-after in recent vintages and in many ways it is a totem of Burgundy’s move towards more micro-négoçiant set-ups. Where once the mantra was that...
98 JS / 96 WA So aromatic and fresh with dried flowers, sweet tobacco and hints of straw. Red fruit, cloves and green peppercorns. Medium-to full-bodied with fine tannins that are very fresh and refined. Fine, silky and...
94 JS / 94 WA A medium-bodied red with blackberry, red-berry and spice aromas and flavors. It’s chewy and polished with a medium finish. Dried flowers to the fruit at the finish. Tight and reserved now. Drink in 2022...
98+ WA / 98 JS / 97 DE / 95 VM The outstanding 2018 White Stones Chardonnay epitomizes the expression of the grape in the cooler-climate and high-altitude location of the Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary. There is...
91 JS / 16 JR This is fine-tannined with pretty currant, light chocolate and walnut character. Medium-to full-bodied with a chewy finish. Drink in 2022. - James Suckling Black core with purple rim. Dark, savoury...
100 DE / 99 JS / 98+ VM / 98+ WA / 98 JD / 98 WE / 97 WS A great Cheval Blanc that stands up to the potential that I found during en primeur. Extremely restrained and classic in its construction,...
96 DE / 95 JS / 94+ WA / 93 WS / 93 JD / 93 VM The progression of this property continues to be evident in the glass with a beautiful classicism, full of life and layers comprising dark spice and touches of black...
99 JD / 97+ WA / 97 DE / 96 JS / 95 VM Including slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, the 2018 Château Clinet is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 75% new French oak. One...
96 JD / 96 DE / 96 WS / 95 WA / 94-96 VM #13 Jeb Dunnuck’s Top 100 Wines of 2020 Due to devastating yields, there’s not much of the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape to go around, but it’s going to be worth...
98 DE / 93-96 JM It’s always a treat to taste Grand Cru Burgundy, of course, and the challenge for our judges is not to be seduced by the vineyard names alone. There was no danger of that here: this young, dark...
97 DE / 92-95 JM There is a massively deep purple colour to this Malconsorts, with bundles of energetic red fruit on the nose. The palate too demonstrates this, some orange zest, otherwise entirely red fruit, no black...
98 WA The flagship 2018 Clos Mogador is a blend of 45% Garnacha, 29% Cariñena, 16% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that fermented with natural yeasts and showcases their philosophy—slow fermentations with long...
96 WA The white 2018 Nelin is their interpretation of a white from Priorat; it's a Garnacha Blanca-based blend that fermented with indigenous yeasts and some skin contact in a very slow fermentation and a long aging where...
97 WA / 95+ WA Another terrific effort from this estate, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina shares a sense of elegance with its vintage stablemate, the La Combe des Fous. Kirsch, stone fruit, black cherries,...
100 JS / 98-100 WA This has incredible nuances and delicacy with power. It’s full-bodied with lots of gentle tannins that spread across the palate. The character is full of blackberry, blackcurrant and lead pencil...
98+ WA / 98+ JD / 98 JS / 98 VM / 97 DE / 96 WS The 2018 Cos d'Estournel is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak barriques. The alcohol...
99 JS / 94 WA This dramatically steep site delivers a wine of real personality and distinctiveness. The nose has a very layered mix of red cherries and berries with some plums, leaves, dry stones, forest wood and a wealth...
91-93 WA / 90-92 JM / 90-92 BH As usual, the 2018 Volnay 1er Cru is blend of Les Pitures and Mitans. More reserved than the Pommard that preceded it, the wine unwinds slowly in the glass, revealing enticing aromas of rose...
98 WA / 97 JS / 97 DE The 2018 d'Yquem is all lime cordial, grapefruit oil and mandarin peel to begin. With a little coaxing, the fireworks really begin, letting off a whole array of honeysuckle, candied ginger, dried...
93-95+ WA / 93 VM The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a barrel sample blended of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Petit Verdot, expected to age 20 months in 50% new French oak. It has a very deep purple-black color and is...
90 WA / 16+ JR Aromas of green apple, pear, white flowers and beeswax introduce the 2018 Bouzeron, a medium-bodied, racy wine with an elegantly satiny attack, bright acids and a long, precise finish. This is a touch more...
87-89 BH / 86 JM / 88 WA / 16+ JR Tasting note: A notably ripe nose offers up notes of plum, wild dark berry fruit and plenty of earth influence. There is both lovely vibrancy and an attractive texture thanks to the...
96 WA / 95-97 VM / 92-95 BH / 17.5 JR Exquisitely balanced with just 13.2% natural alcohol, Bachelet's 2018 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes has realized all the promise it showed in barrel, wafting from the...
94-96 VM / 91-94 JM / 91-93 WA / 91-93 BH / 17 JR Matured in 50% new oak, the 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Corbeaux 1er Cru is a wine whose extraction Bachelet told me he has reduced from 2014, as he felt the clay soils made it...
90-92 WA / 90-92 JM / 89-91 VM/ 89-91 BH / 16.5 JR The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes soars from the glass with a rich bouquet of cassis, plums and dark berries mingled with notes of rose petal, loamy soil and...
93 VM The 2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon is a new project from David Sinegal and winemaker Ryan Knoth made from a collection of top sites in Sonoma County, with a strong focus on Moon Mountain. Silky, yet powerful, with...
97 WA The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Gravelly Meadow is a blend of 78.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.4% Merlot, 8% Malbec and 5.1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it slips effortlessly from the glass, singing of ripe...
Contains 1 magnum each: Volcanic Hill, Red Rock Terrace, Gravelly Meadow 2018 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 98+ WA The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.5% Merlot, 8.7%...
98 WA The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Rock Terrace is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4.5% Malbec and 4.5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of cassis,...
98+ WA The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.5% Merlot, 8.7% Malbec and 2.8% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts with vibrant scents of wild blueberries,...
93-95 WA Normally a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah, the 2018 Cairanne L'Estevenas continues the successful run for this cuvée, even though it might be more like 60% Syrah. The volume produced was about half of...
98 JS / 96 JD / 96 WS / 95 VM / 93-95 WA This has a complex nose of dried apple, green mango, grapefruit zest, dried honeysuckle and crushed almonds. It’s full-bodied with bright acidity and a dense, phenolic texture...
99 JS / 97 JD / 97 VM / 96 WS / 96 DE / 95+ WA The intensity and perfumes on the nose are extremely impressive, offering pure blackberries and violets, as well as bark, wild-mushroom and raw-tile notes. It’s...
96 DE / 92-95 WA / 91-94 JDGrown on varied lieux-dits around the appellation on a mix of soils, this was fermented in concrete then aged for 24 months in foudre. All whole bunch, which is evidenced by the pleasantly stemmy...
98 JS Stare into the abyss and it will stare back at you! This has such an incredible depth of dried-flower and fresh-herb notes that you could get lost in the bouquet, before reaching the sleek and enormously mineral...
95 JS / 95 WA / 94 VM Domaine Nico is the world's first extreme high-altitude parcela Pinot Noir. It is an unusual location for the New World with limestone soil of alluvial origin and cool climate and a labor of love for...
100 JD / 100 JS / 99+ WA / 97 VM The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot brought up in 40% new French oak. With an essence of Cabernet-like character...
100 JD / 100 JS / 99+ WA / 97 VM / 97 WS The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot brought up in 40% new French oak. With an essence of Cabernet-like...
97 JS / 94 JD / 93+ WA / 92 VM Gorgeous aromas of plums and currants with some wet earth, mushroom, bark and incense undertones. Woody. Medium-to full-bodied with such beautiful depth and length. So subtle and long...
98 JS / 95+ WA / 95 VM / 19 JR High concentration of flavors in this one with dried apple, pear and salt. Full-bodied, layered and very, very dry with a chalky texture at the end. Minerality with power. Drink or hold. James...
93 BH A notably ripe yet still fresh nose speaks of liqueur-like aromas of plum, black cherry and plenty of earth and floral nuances and in particular violet. The cool, sleek and intense broad-shouldered flavors possess a...
95-97 VM / 93-97 JM The 2018 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru includes 30% whole-bunch fruit, though this is the one grand cru where you cannot detect the stem addition, just the copious dark cherry, raspberry,...
1 Bottle Each of the following wines: Ausone (99-100 JS / 98-100 WA / 97-100 VM / 96-99 JD / 98 DE) Cheval Blanc (98-100 DE / 97-100 VM / 97-100 JD / 98-99 JS / 97-99 WA) Haut-Brion (98-99 JS / 97-99 JD /...
100 WE / 99 JS / 98+ JD / 98 WA / 97 DE / 96+ VM / 96-99 WS Vintage 2018 was generous to the style of Ducru-Beaucaillou. The rich character of wines from this estate is enhanced by the ripeness and...
93-95 WA / 92-96 JM The 2018 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru was also showing very well, offering up an expressive bouquet of ripe cherries, cassis, warm spices and rich soil tones. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied,...
87-89 WA Revealing generous aromas of pear, ripe lemons and bread dough, the 2018 Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc is medium-bodied, with a fleshy core of fruit tempered by good tension and grip, concluding with a chalky finish...
Loading... Please wait...
Loading... Please wait...