98-99 Point Wines

wines

The haunting bouquet of violets, forest floor, red beets and berries holds you in its gentle grip so that you have to force yourself to take a sip. But when you do, the combination of great concentration and finesse is truly breathtaking. Dazzling mineral freshness in the almost endless finish. Fermented and matured in concrete tanks. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2023 Morgon Côte du Py opens with a generous nose that is evocative of dark cherries, sous-bois, fresh eucalyptus and delicate florals. Medium to full-bodied and with ripe acidity, the wine strikes a harmonious balance between lift and depth, unfurling with a long, sustained presence and a layered mid-palate, with tightly wound fine-grained tannins forming the core that drives the wine. As it progresses, the wine narrows toward a focused and precise finish, imparting a satisfying sense of resolution. Beautifully crafted, this is a wine capable of enduring remarkably long cellaring, and one would be well-advised to grant it that patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPThe 2023 Morgon Côte du Py, located in the lieu-dit of Côte du Py, has a beautiful bouquet of dark berry fruit, black tea and mineral-laden bergamot. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and very harmonious with finely spun tannins. Its understated yet poised finish lingers in the mouth. Exquisite.Vinous Media | 93 VMAlmost black centre, with a lively purple rim. This is concentrated, well muscled, with its usual austere backbone, a complete Py for the medium term – and maybe longer. Certainly this is a very persistent Morgon. 13.9% alcohol. Drink from 2027-2032. Tasted Feb 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-92 JM

Dill, limes, green ginger and crushed stones on the nose. The palate is extreme, marked by intense mineral tension, pronounced salinity and a delicious severity that sets this wine apart from even the greatest chardonnays of the world. Incredibly fresh and mouthwatering. Spectacular. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2023 Chardonnay Adrianna Vineyard White Bones from Gualtallary, Tupungato, opens with clear notes of huacatay, chamomile and hops. It’s reminiscent of reductive Sauvignon Blanc and layered with green apple, mint and nutty notes. Compared to previous vintages, this is leaner and more vibrant, with fine, chalky grip and medium body. Just a gorgeous wine.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 2023 Adrianna Vineyard Chardonnay White Bones leads with its quintessentially lifted, vibrant bouquet of citrus rinds, dried spices, white flowers and fresh herbs, continuously developing additional complexity from its biological aging under flor. The palate combines live-wire focus with ethereal richness and a gently creamy core that runs through its mouthwatering and mineral-drenched finish. A fantastic iteration of the exotic, precise profile readers have come to expect from this pioneering Gualtallary Chardonnay reference point.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPOne for the ages from an ageworthy vintage, the 2023 Chardonnay Adrianna Vineyard White Bones is textured, layered, and herbaceous, as all the White Bones wines are. Native thyme accents a medium-bodied, persistently fresh character of lemon crisp that’s complex and lengthy. The oak is well-integrated already, adding to the balanced structure and mouthfeel. This has 20-30 years more to go, with an ideal drinking window of 2030-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThere’s personality and energy to this white that just won’t quit. Opens with aromatically engaging notes of sage, river mint and lime zest that meld seamlessly into a core of green mango, finger lime and passion fruit. The body shows a silky richness, yet without the typical weighty lees or oak flavors, instead building intensity around tense minerality. Picks up a hint of pickled ginger on the lengthy, expressive finish. Drink now through 2040. 500 cases made, 215 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The killer 2023 Condrieu La Doriane boasts gorgeous orange blossom, honeyed flowers, toasted spice, and grilled peach aromatics that build incrementally with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, focused, and pure, this brilliant effort spent 9 months in 100% new French oak and represents the crème de la crème of the vintage. I’d recommend drinking bottles over the coming 7-8 years, although it will keep longer. Drink 2025-2033.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDHow can you resist the fresh honeycomb, honeysuckle and toasted brioche aromas and controlled extravagance of this high-end Condrieu? Rich stone fruit aromas on the expansive, medium- to full-bodied palate, where the freshness of the vintage deftly lifts the long, generous finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSMatured for 9 months in 100% new French oak, the 2023 Condrieu La Doriane takes off with toasty subtleties, mingling pristine white peach, apricot and jasmine with a touch of honeysuckle. Packing elevated flavor concentration on the dense palate, the 2023 is an outgoing, articulate La Doriane. Round and complex, it walks off the stage with a touch of lemon flesh and wet stone on the long, nuanced finish.Vinous Media | 94 VM

This is one of the wines of the vintage in the Nahe. That starts an explosive nose of Amalfi lemons, white and yellow peaches, lychees and kiwis. Incredible concentration and vibrancy on the tightly focused, medium-bodied palate. A spring-like lightness is married to awesome density, the two so tightly wound that they’re inseparable through the almost endless finish. From organically grown grapes with Fair’n Green certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2024 Riesling Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Spätlese, again made in small quantities due to frost, is from shale soils. Lemon and Reine Claude plum are pristine on the nose. The midpalate has a touch of crushed yellow peach flesh scented with lime. Despite its vivid slenderness and beautifully taut, measured nature, this has fill, poise and purity. (Medium)Vinous Media | 97 VM

30 Jul, 2019 – This is only in magnums and jeroboams and is stunning, with the sensibility of a red Burgundy, yet fresh and bright, due to the Chardonnay. Wild aromas of brioche, white pepper and rosemary. Maybe even some lavender. Full-bodied, yet always agile and vivid in the mouth. Stunning finish. Minerally and vivid. Only few bottles made. A blend of 1995, 1993, and 1990. Drink now. | 99 JSThis is a blend of wines from 1995, 1993 and 1990. That has given it a golden glow of toastiness, maturity and wisdom. Even now, there is some freshness and plenty of acidity to give the wine a lift. It is a great Champagne, produced in tiny quantities and only in magnum. Drink now. ROGER VOSS | 99 WEOne of my favorite renditions of this cuvée is the striking NV Brut Grand Siècle #17, a blend of the 1995, 1993 and 1990 vintages. Tasted from magnum, the wine offers up a complex bouquet of candied peel, pear and peach complemented by suggestions of wheat toast, iodine and beeswax. Full-bodied, textural and concentrated, the wine is deep and serious, built around racy acids and structuring dry extract—it exemplifies this cuvée’s elegant, seamless style. Readers lucky enough to find a bottle are in for a treat. | 96 RPThe NV Brut Grand Siècle Les Réserves Cuvée No. 17 (Magnum) is in a beautiful place where it offers a good deal of flavor complexity and yet remains light on its feet. An exotic mélange of orange confit, petrol, dried flowers, baked apple tart and hazelnut give the No. 17 striking aromatic nuance. Bright floral and citrus notes, along with a hint of reduction, add freshness. It’s a terrific choice for readers who enjoy Champagne with a good deal of mature nuances. The No. 17 is a blend of vintages 1995 (60%), 1993 (20%) and 1990 (20%). Disgorged May 27, 2019. | 95 VM