98-99 Point Wines

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The 2023 Pinot Noir Pisoni Estate comes from some of Pisoni Vineyard’s oldest vines, located at 1400 feet of elevation and planted on granite-based soils. Medium ruby-purple colored, it needs a little swirling to unlock evocative scents of ripe raspberries, kirsch, and mulberries, followed by hints of anise, wild thyme, and underbrush, plus a touch of iris bulbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black and red berry layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Gorgeous!Drinking Window 2025 – 2035The Wine Palate | 98 TWPBrilliant and worthy of comparison to top Pinot Noirs and Burgundies, the 2023 Pinot Noir offers a gorgeous array of red and black fruits intermixed with forest floor, dried flowers, baking spices, and leather. This medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir reveals a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, integrated acidity, and a great finish. Made with 30% whole clusters and fermented in oak tanks before 11 months in 65% new French oak, it shows the softer, supple, incredibly charming style of the vintage and will drink beautifully over the coming 10-12 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis always attention-grabbing bottling shows a slightly lighter shade this vintage, which sets up a very cellar-worthy experience. Juicy aromas of cherry sorbet topped with tarragon leaf make for a super inviting nose. The texturally firm palate picks up strawberry, mint and loam-caked mushroom, pairing fruit and earth expertly. Drink now-2043.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2023 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée is a beautiful, super-finessed wine. This year marks the first inclusion of fruit from the newest vineyard in the Pisoni/Franscioni portfolio—WindRock—which joins the typical lineup of Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes. The 2023 is a model of elegance. Floral-inflected notes of blood orange, lavender and sweet spices build in a broad yet focused, supple, velvety Pinot Noir. The finish lasts long beyond each sip. Everything here speaks to refinement, polish and poise.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Named after the owner’s first daughter, the 2023 Chardonnay Paige Cuvée is absolutely stunning and shows the incredible quality this site can achieve. Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged 16 months in 45% new French oak, it offers ripe orchard fruits, orange zest, mint, and white flowers in its incredibly impressive, complex, nuanced profile. It’s medium-bodied, with a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, integrated oak, and a salty finish. This is magical stuff that should evolve beautifully over the coming decade. Drink 2025-2035.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDLarry and MaryAnn Moone began producing this wine in 2015. The site is defined by its fabulous Goldridge soils and excellent drainage. The fruit is whole-cluster pressed, cold settled, and fermented and aged in Burgundy-style French oak barrels for roughly 16 months, with 45% new French oak and extended ageing sur lie. No malolactic fermentation is carried out. The wine is wonderfully expressive and focused, driven by a saline acid tension and a mineral profile of white pepper and white ash. Loads of citrus fruit and zest unfurl alongside lemon curd, with subtle tropical notes of underripe pineapple and white peach, framed by delicate white-floral tones. The finish is long, juicy and vibrantly expressive.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2023 Chardonnay Paige Cuvée Ritchie Vineyard is rich, ample and effusive. Tropical fruit, apricot, white flowers and tangerine peel give the 2023 its decidedly exotic feel. Although quite rich in its flavor profile, the 2023 is relatively light on its feet texturally. This fruit was picked on October 4. Stylistically, it’s a pretty rich Chardonnay. Time in the glass tempers some of that richness as the acids emerge.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