98-99 Point Wines

wines

Attractive nose of ripe mangoes, pineapple and grilled lemons with some toasty, nutty notes and hints of smoky minerality. Cardamom and pie crust, too. It’s full-bodied, nervy and juicy, with bright acidity and savory nuances. It’s layered and long and it builds up on the palate, with vibrant, spicy notes of candied ginger, dried lemons and bitter citrus peel. Truly the Montrachet of Italy. Drink or hold. James Suckling | 98 JSThis is Marchesi Antinori’s top white wine, and it comes from the region of Umbria. The Castello della Sala 2022 Cervaro della Sala is based on Chardonnay and has a small part of the local grape Grechetto in the blend. The nose opens to a reductive note of flint or matchstick, but it lifts quickly to reveal soft orchard fruit, white peach and minty apple. There are delicately applied toasted notes with a hint of pecan or macadamia nut. To finish, you also get salty mineral notes that underline the extremely vertical or lifted personality of the bouquet. Renzo Cotarella tells me that tweaks to winemaking in recent years have attempted "to slim down the wine and not make it any bigger." This was a hot vintage, but Cervaro della Sala remains true to its leaner and meaner blueprint. However, given its accessible personality, we could expect a shorter drinking window for the 2022s.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

“It seems a gross understatement to say that Tolpuddle has been in fine form as of late, but they have knocked it out the park again with this release from the cooler ’23 vintage. The palest of straw in the glass, the aromas crisp and filigreed. Citrus, white peach and nectarine cut with glorious wisps of struck match and flinty complexity. Grilled hazelnuts, deftly-judged vanillin oak, lardo, white flowers, crushed riverstone, clotted cream and sea spray. The wine envelops the imbiber; flavours precise and pure with an umami-rich, mineral cadence, dreamy texture and daubs of spiced oatmeal, grilled peaches and flint. The finish is sustained, the only thing unresolved the need for another (larger?) bottle. An outstanding Australian chardonnay.”James Halliday | 98 JHSophisticated and polished aromas of flint, stone fruit, lemon curd and beeswax. The palate is medium-bodied with a creamy texture that is cut through with a laser-like acidity, giving notes of grapefruit rind, shortbread, orange blossoms and chalk. Exceptional poise and balance with underlying tension coming from a cool vintage. Drink or hold. Screw cap.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2023 Chardonnay is precise and firm, with salty fruit and a spool of tense acidity that spirals through the finish. It’s very long and very good, although raw at this inchoate stage of its development. I love this wine each year. The saline thread of acidity really extends out through the finish, like casting a fishing rod over a still lake; the sound of the reel is akin to the extension of the acidity across the palate. The bouquet speaks so clearly of sage, salted cashews, green apple, white peach and pressed lavender. This is a beautiful wine, one that is tightly coiled at this stage. I’d recommend buying what you can but waiting another year or more to open the bottles, such is the potential here. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

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