92 JS / 91 WE Lots of cherries, raspberries and spiced plums on the nose with cloves, rosemary and savory, earthy undertones. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a fleshy texture. Flavorful, spicy finish. Drink...
93 JS / 92 WE Aromas of baked blueberries, brambleberries, pine cones, crushed shells and rosemary. Some chocolate orange, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Fragrant and vibrant...
1987 is a successful vintage for Ausone, which produced a wine with nearly 13% natural alcohol. Surprisingly ripe, with the exotic, mineral-scented character so typical of this property, the 1987 Ausone is a medium-bodied,...
100 RP / 100 WCI / 98 WE Proprietor Alain Vauthier has produced a prodigious wine that captures the essence of Ausone's terroir. A saturated black/purple color is followed by sensational aromas of ink, cherries,...
100 RP / 98 WA Amazing! The limestone soils of Ausone appear to have been the perfect foil for resisting the extreme heat and drought of June, July and August, 2003. This black/purple-colored effort boasts a glorious nose...
100 RP / 100 VM / 100 WI This brilliant, blue/black-hued offering reveals an extraordinarily youthful, but promising nose of incense, blueberries, blackberries, currants, licorice, and crushed rocks. This intense 2005...
98 WA / 97 VM / 97 WE / 96 DE / 17.5++ One of the handful of candidates for wine of the vintage is the 2006 Ausone. In fact, while tasting it, I was thinking, is there any estate in Bordeaux that, since 1998, has made as...
95 WE / 94 RP / 94 WA / 94 WCI / 17++ JR While there is certainly plenty of wood here, the wine has weight and impressive concentration for the year. The tannins are still brooding away, giving a dark firm character to the...
98 JS / 96+ RP / 96 WA / 95+ VM / 95 WE / 94 DE / 18 JR Wild aromas of mint, spearmint, cool chalk and dark fruits. Full-bodied, tight, linear and incredibly long with a evening-stone, blueberry, cherry and mineral...
98 WA / 97 DE / 97 VM / 97 JS / 96 JD The deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Ausone is a blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. It sashays out of the glass with gregarious scents of baked red and black plums, wild...
100 JS / 99 VM / 99 WE / 99 WI / 98+ WA / 98 JD / 97 DE / 18.5 JR Like a bouquet of fresh flowers on the nose, as well as blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants. Sandalwood as well. Full-bodied with incredibly polished...
100 WI / 99 JA / 99 VM / 98+ JD / 98 DE /18+ JR / 95+ WA The 2020 Ausone, composed of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. After a shake or two, the nose erupts with the most gorgeous...
96-97 JS / 96 WI / 95 AG / 95 JA / 95 DE / 94 JD / 94+ WA / 94 VM Full-bodied, but so elegant and fresh, with a silky, elegant tannin texture. Very deep and expansive. Lots going on already with plenty of perfume...
98-100 JA / 97-99 WI / 97-98 JS / 96 -98 JD / 95-97+ VM / 94-96+ WA / 96 DE Intense and concentrated, with fennel, aniseed and liqourice root. Where Chapelle d'Ausone celebrates a wave of opulence in the vintage, this...
Special numbered collection limited to 300 cases coming direct from the chateau with one bottle each of 2009, 2010, 2015. Ausone 2009 (100 JS) Incredible nose of currants and blueberries. Flowers too. Licorice. Such...
92 DE / 91 WE / 90 VM Ayala's non-dosage fizz is a classic Champagne blend with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. Nice complexity on the nose, with citrus and stone fruit, fresh pastry notes and a stony mineral undertow...
91 BH / 90-92 VM Tasting note: Here the wood treatment is a bit more obvious with its hints of menthol suffusing the ripe and exotic dried yellow fruit aromas. There is good intensity to the delicious and nicely detailed...
91-93 JM / 90 BH Pale primrose, exotic nose with some honeysuckle, but it is lifted and delicious at the same time, headily exciting. Not without a fresher aspect behind, though. Excellent tension at the back of the palate,...
91-93 JM / 91 BH Slightly denser purple than for the Charmots. A lifted and distinguished bouquet, a little less fully ripe, but it is rich on the palate with a liquorice touch to the dark sweet cherry, managed by some grip...
The wines of Charles Ballot are definitely under the radar Burgundies that have recently received a lot of attention. Primarily in Meursault, he is known for racy whites very much in the style of Roulot. His Volnay...
96 JS / 95 WA / 95 WS / 92 WI / 16.5+ JR A polished and reserved Castello with cherry, orange-peel and chocolate aromas and flavors. Tight and round-tannined, in a very subtle and curated way. The precision in this wine is...
97+ WA / 96 WI / 95 JS / 95 DE / 94 VM The Barone Ricasoli 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Colledilà exudes an elegant fruit profile, but the wine is not without significant intensity and concentration too. With...
98+ WA / 98 JS / 95 DE / 94 WS / 93 WI This is my favorite wine among this group of new releases from Barone Ricasoli. The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio Roncicone reflects soils that are rich in...
95 VM / 93 WA / 92+ JD / 17+ JR The 2020 Barbera d'Alba is outrageously beautiful. Rich, pliant and expressive, the 2020 races across the palate with stunning depth. Plush and sumptuous, the 2020 is fabulous to drink now...
93 VM / 91 WA / 17.5 JR The 2021 Dolcetto d'Alba is rich, deep and wonderfully expressive. A burst of dark cherry/plum, lavender and spice lends notable richness. In 2021 the Dolcetto marries sumptuous fruit with a total...
96+ JD / 96 VM / 96 JS / 95 DE / 94+ WA#33 Jeb Dunnuck Top 100 2021 This estate makes an incredibly classic, elegant Saint-Emilion. The 2018 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is based on 80%...
96+ JD / 96 VM / 96 JS / 95 DE / 94+ WA #33 Jeb Dunnuck Top 100 2021 This estate makes an incredibly classic, elegant Saint-Emilion. The 2018 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot is based on 80%...
96 AG / 96 DE / 96 JS / 95 WS / 95 VM / 94+ WA / 94 WE / 17.5 JR#11 Wine Spectator Top 100 2022 The 2019 Beau-Séjour-Bécot is a powerful, explosive wine. Dark fruit, chocolate, cured meats and earthy notes...
97 VM / 96-97 JS / 95+ WA / 95 JD / 95 DE / 95 WE / 94 WS / 17+ JR The 2020 Beau-Sejour Becot is a dense, powerful wine. A rush of black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice and sweet oak builds as this...
98-100 VM / 96-98 WA / 95-97+ JD / 95-97 WI / 96 DE / 96 JA The 2022 Beau-Séjour Bécot has a bit more Cabernet Franc than most years, which comes through immediately in the wine's aromatic profile. Dark, rich...
97 DE / 96 WE / 96 WA / 95 JD / 95 WS / 93 VM / 18 JR Comfortably still in its mature window, with old leather, blackberry jam and some whiffs of hung game. Enjoyably chewy tannins still, this is still powerful, with good...
96-99 JD / 98 DE / 97 JS / 95-97 WA / 96 VM / 18 JR The 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (100% Roussanne) is brought up in all new oak, and it has a normal pH of 3.7 and an alcohol of 14.5%. (In...
90 VM / 89 JD / 89 JS / 87-89 WA / 88 VM / 85 JA / 15.5 JR The 2021 Beaumont is a beautiful, expressive Haut-Médoc to drink now and over the next decade or so. Crushed flowers, red-toned fruit, spice, leather,...
100 RP / 100 JD / 98 WS One of the most singular Bordeaux I have ever tasted, it verges on being port-like, but it pulls back because of the extraordinary minerality and laser-like focus. The wine is massively concentrated,...
97 VM / 95 DE / 94 JD / 94 WS / 94 JS / 93 JA / 17 JR An utterly spellbinding wine, the 2014 Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse is also one of the unqualified successes of the vintage. Beams of tannin give...
100 JD / 99 VM / 98 JS / 98 WI / 97 WA / 97 DE Cassis, crushed rocks, graphite, and liquid violet notes all emerge from the 2016 Château Beauséjour, one of the magical wines in this great, great...
97 WI / 96+ JD / 96 JS / 96 VM / 95 DE / 95 WS #90 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2020 The 2017 Beausejour Duffau is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with notes of blackberry pie and...
100 JA / 99 JS / 97 JD / 97 VM / 97 WA / 97 WI #16 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2021#54 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2021#71 Jeb Dunnuck Top 100 2021 The 10th vintage under the Nicolas Thienpont team, and...
98 DE / 97 WI / 96+ JD / 96 WA / 95 VM / 95 JS Another stunning vintage from this brilliant estate that is just delivering hit after hit. Concentration and intensity right from the initial aromatics, damson, cassis and...
100 JD / 98 WI / 98 JA / 97 DE / 97 VM / 97 JS / 17+ JR #96 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2023The 2020 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse), made mostly by the team of Nicolas...
97 JS / 96 DE / 96 WI / 93-95+ JD / 94 VM / 94 JA / 93 WA Fascinating depth and complexity with beautifully knit fruit and oak spices. Glossy, bright but subtle, with lightly smoked herbs, berries, white pepper, mineral,...
98-100 DE / 98-100 JA / 97-99 WI / 97-98 JS / 96-98+ JD / 95-97 VM / 95-97 WA One of the clear standouts of the vintage! A sensual, fun, salivating and sublime wine from winemaker Joséphine...
96 WA / 95 VM / 95 JD / 94 DE / 94 WS #92 Jeb Dunnuck's Top 100 2022 Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir The Belles Soeurs has alluring wild red and black berry fruits with wafts of garrigue, Earl Grey tea leaves and...
97 JD / 95+ WA / 95 JS / 95 DE / 94 WS Layered and graceful, the 2021 Pinot Noir The Beaux Freres Vineyard pours a ripe ruby hue and reveals a beautiful perfume of orange rind, fresh red plum, clove spice, and rocky earth...
93 WS Dynamic, supple and impeccably structured, with expressive black raspberry and dark plum flavors accented by violet, licorice and savory spice notes that linger toward refined tannins. 236 cases made...
Chateau Bel Air la Royere has 22 hectares of vines. The vineyards are planted to 55% Merlot and 45% Malbec. The terroir is clay and limestone soils. They began planting more Malbec in the Chateau Bel Air la Royere vineyard...
89 WS Delicious, subtle and elegant. Good ruby color. Medium-bodied, with medium, silky tannins, a floral, berry and fresh earth character and a fruity, chocolate and berry aftertaste.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. - Wine...
96 VM / 96 JS / 96 WE / 95 DE / 95 JD / 95 WS A huge, dramatic wine for the year, the 2014 Bélair-Monange possesses tremendous depth and overall intensity. Succulent black cherry, leather, spice and menthol are some...
98 JD / 97 JS / 95 DE / 94+ WA / 94 JA / 94 VM / 94 WI / 94 DE #17 Jeb Dunnuck's Top 100 2023#42 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2023The finest wine I've tasted from this estate, the 2020 Château...
97-98 JS / 95 JA / 95 DE / 93-95+ JD / 93-95 WA / 93-95 WI / 91-93 VM Blackberry, iron, hazelnut, crushed stone, hints of salt and spice. Medium to full body. Fresh and vivid. Very sophisticated and classy. The tannins are...
95+ RP / 94 VM / 93 WS This tiny, 5-acre vineyard with nearly 50-year old vines produces only 4,000 bottles from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The broodingly tannic, backward 2006 is remarkably concentrated,...
17 JR 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Very low yields of 18 hl/ha – each grape picked individually? Fermentation in temperature-controlled wooden vats. 13.8%. Dark but lively crimson. Enclave in...
94 JS / 94 WA / 92 DE Aromas of blackberries and crushed stones with some black licorice and violets, following through to a medium body with a solid core of fruit and such attractive fruit and fine tannins at the finish...
94 WA / 93 WS / 92 JS / 90 VM / 90 JD / 90 DE / 15.5 JR Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Berliquet gives up expressive notes of baked plums, blackberry preserves and mulberries with hints of licorice, crushed...
94 JS / 93 WA / 93 DE / 93 WE / 92 WS / 91+ JD #94 Wine Spectator Top 100 2021 Blackberry, plum, blueberry and some stone and crushed cement on the nose. Full body with firm, chewy and ultra fine tannins that will...
94 WA / 93 JA / 93 JS / 92 JD / 92 VM / 91 WS / 17 JR The 2019 Berliquet is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, sweet spices, violets and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied,...
94 WA / 93 WI / 93 JA / 93 JS / 92 VM / 92 JD / 91 WS / 17 JR The 2019 Berliquet is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, wild berries, sweet spices, violets and forest floor. Medium to...
95 WI / 94 JS / 94 WA / 94 JD / 93 DE / 93 WE / 93 JA / 92 WS / 92 VM / 17 JR Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Berliquet, a blend of 69% Merlot and 31% Cabernet Franc, needs a fair bit of coaxing to bring out notes of...
93 WA / 93 JD / 93 JS / 93 AG / 93 JA / 93 DE / 91 VM / 89-91 WIWine Advocate Sleepers of the VintageThe 2021 Berliquet is showing very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of sweet wild berries, plums and rose...
94-96 JD / 94-95 WA / 93-95 WI / 93-94 JS / 94 JA / 94 DE / 92-94 VM Candied cherries, tapenade, violets, and floral notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Berliquet, a medium to full-bodied, seamless Saint-Emilion...
94 WA The 2020 Arroyo del Tórtolas is from a plot they consider wilder than the one for the single-vineyard bottlings. It's a north-facing slope, and the grapes ripen slowly. In 2020, this fermented with 80% full...
94+ WA / 93 VM There is more complete ripeness in the 2021 Arroyo del Tórtolas, which shows a darker hue than the 2020 I tasted next to it. It has more clout, full development of aromas and flavors and 15% alcohol,...
Viña Bonita is an 80 year old vineyard on the top of the hill of the property at 700 m. Its soil is a thin layer of compacted granite; cultivators frequently scratch the bedrock. The parcel covers 2.8 hectares, and...
97 WA The 2021 Garnacha de Viña Bonita is pure Garnacha from a plot of very old vines planted in 1929 on very shallow and compact granite soils at 735 meters in altitude with north-facing exposure. It is always...
88 WA The 2019 Bourgogne Rouge delivers inviting aromas of cassis, sweet berries, spices and orange rind, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate that's lively and sapid. After the rich, gourmand 2018,...
89-91+ WA / 89-91 VM Less developed than its Volnay sibling due to a late malolactic fermentation, the 2019 Pommard Les Riottes mingles notes of plums and berries with hints of smoke and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied,...
92-94 WA / 92-94 VM The most powerful wine in the cellar is the 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes, a rich, muscular cuvée that offers up notes of plums, cherries, orange rind, spices and burning embers...
92-94 WA / 92-94 VM Aromas of dark fruits, licorice, cherry preserves, sweet soil tones, petals and spices introduce Glantenay's 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes, a full-bodied, rich and concentrated wine that's...
91-93 WA / 91-93 VM / 91-93 BH The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards is showing very well, bursting with notes of smoky berry fruit, plums and spices. Medium to full-bodied, gourmand and enveloping, with fine tannins and...
91-93 WA / 91 JM The 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards is promising, mingling aromas of cherries, berries and plums with hints of rose petals, orange rind and spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it's...
92-94 VM / 91-93+ WA / 91-93 BH The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots was the last wine in the cellar to finish its malolactic fermentation, and its bouquet of smoky blackberries and cherries was still comparatively...
92-94 WA / 91-93 VM Glantenay has been paying very close attention to timing the date of harvest for this bottling, and the results really show in the 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots, a medium to full-bodied, velvety wine...
89-91 WA / 89-92 JM / 88-90 VM Offering up aromas of wild berries, spices, raw cocoa and dried petals, Glantenay's 2019 Volnay Village is medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with lively acids and a long, nicely...
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...
88 WA / 88 JM Aromas of crisp orchard fruit, fresh bread and citrus zest introduce the 2020 Bourgogne Chardonnay, a medium to full-bodied, ample and charming wine that's bright and chalky in profile. It was bottled before...
92-94 VM / 91-93 WA Aromas of pastry cream, pear, vanilla pod, fresh peach and struck match introduce the 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gain, a medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny wine that's bright and...
92-94 WA The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie is promising, offering up aromas of pear, crisp green apple, lime zest, freshly baked bread and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and elegant, it's fleshy...
91 WA A beautiful wine, Moreau's 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes bursts with aromas of rose petals, spices and sweet berry fruit. Medium-bodied, lively and perfumed, it's supple and melting, with succulent acids...
88-90 JM Dark centre with purple edges. Very dark colours came naturally this year! The nose is not too powerful, helped by one third whole bunch. Very little new wood, 10-15%. Rich plum pudding, slightly dry tannins, but...
91 BH Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts is located north of Richebourg and Brulee, and above Les Suchots and Echezeaux. Tasting note: A very ripe yet still spicy and elegant nose features notes of black cherry, dark...
Size: 1.0 ha (2.5 ac)Variety: Pinot NoirVine Age: Planted in 1980Terroir: Northeastern Fixin, flat, deep limestone and marl soil.Viticulture: SustainableVinification: Cold macerated. Ambient yeast fermentation in concrete...
90-93 BH / 90-92 JM / 90-92 VM Tasting note: Here too there is a touch of green tea character present on the spicy and overtly floral nose of essence of red berries, all of which is trimmed in an almost invisible...
93 DE / 89-91 VM From a large parcel of old vines east of the village, with 20% whole clusters in the fermentation - which is done in concrete - plus a gentle combination of punching down and pumping over. The wine is aged...
88-90 JM From four vineyards in the centre of the appellation, all destemmed. Racked and sulphured recently, to bottle in December. Ripe dark fruit. For once, there is some new oak because they preferred to put excess...
Size: 2.6 ha (6.4 ac)Variety: Pinot NoirVine Age: Planted 1980-1990Terroir: Blend of lieux-dits: Fixey, Le Village, Le Pré, La Sorgentière and La Vionne; with limestone and marl soils.Viticulture:...
Vine Age: Planted in 1933, 1955, 1979, 1987, 2005 Terroir: Near Couchey, mid-slope, limestone and marl A type of limestone rock that contains a significant percentage of clay. The term marl (marne in...
Vine Age: Planted in 1933, 1955, 1979, 1987, 2005 In 1896, Danguy and Aubertin mention M. Paul Berthaud and M. Pierre Berthaud as two of the three main proprietors in Les Clos. They also mention other Berthauts (with a...
89 BH / 89 JM Tasting note: An equally fresh if less expressive nose combines perfumed and really very pretty notes of earth, violet and dark currant. There is a beguiling richness to the nicely voluminous and caressing...
Size: 1.6 ha (4 ac)Variety: Pinot NoirVine Age: Planted in 1970Terroir: On the plateau above Nuits St Georges and Vosne Romanée, shallow clay and limestone soil.Viticulture: SustainableVinification: Cold macerated...
90-92 VM / 89-91 JM / 88-91 BH Size: 1.2 ha (2.9 ac)Variety: Pinot NoirVine Age: Planted in 1935, 1949, 1955Terroir: Blend of Aux Réas and Au-Dessus de la Rivière, clay-limestone soils.Viticulture:...
1970 750ML BEYCHEVELLE #23 BAD LABEL, LOW FILLSold As Is: No Returns, All Sales Final