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The crème de la crème from the northern Médoc is the 2015 Mouton Rothschild and this incredible wine flirts with perfection. Made from 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot, this inky purple-colored effort offers sensational Cabernet flare in its crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, floral, and Asian spice aromas and flavors. It is full-bodied, dense, and incredibly concentrated, yet still has the sexy, opulent, seductive style of the vintage front and center. It will be a candidate for perfection in 10-12 years and is going to be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage. Hats off to Philippe Dhalluim and his team for this incredible effort that’s a step up over just about every other northern Médoc out there!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDDecadent and rich aromas of black cherries and plums with wet earth and sandalwood. Turns to dried mushrooms. Full-bodied, tight and closed with big, polished tannins, yet this is very closed and shy right now. Despite this, underneath it shows such depth and beauty. Tangy acidity. This is a combination of 2005 and 2009. Try it in 2024.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2015 Mouton Rothschild is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc aged in 100% new oak with a mid-July 2017 bottling. Deep garnet-purple colored, this Mouton pulls off an incredibly impactful entrance, emerging from the glass with profound notes of blackberry preserves, plum pudding, crème de cassis and grilled meats, featuring perfectly accessorized accents of sandalwood, cinnamon stick and fenugreek with wafts of dried roses, unsmoked cigars and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely packed with rich, ripe black fruits sparked with blue and red fruit undertones and an incredible structure of very firm, very ripe tannins, with seamless freshness and an epically long, earth-laced finish. Possessing striking natural beauty framed by impeccable crafting, this 2015 is a total diva and well worth attention. Give it a good 7-8 years in bottle, at least, and drink it over the next 30+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPGorgeously confident and rich in colour, you can see the silkiness in the glass from the first look. This has 11% press wine, which tells you how good the skins were and how gently they extract at first. Winemaker Philippe Dhalluin and team have really succeeded in this vintage. It is beautifully integrated, and full of verve and sexiness, just stopping short of swagger. It approaches the heights of 2015 in the most successful appellations and will age well. Bottled in June, with zero oxygen added at bottling and just 25 ppm of SO2. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045Decanter | 98 DECThis is a hugely opulent wine, packed withblack fruits, rich tannins and great concentration. It is a gorgeous wine that’s full of potential, with the dense, dark core showing how well this wine will age. Drink this complex wine from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEIn 2015, Mouton Rothschild is fabulous. A big, towering wine, the 2015 makes its presence felt with layers of super-ripe dense fruit and striking textural resonance that carries all the way through to the finish. The 2015 is much more reticent from bottle than it was from barrel, which is not at all surprising, but is something readers should take into account. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2015 Mouton is a wine of classically inspired proportions. I can’t wait to taste it in another 15-20 years. The 2015 is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc that spend 19 months in 100% new French oak.Antonio Galloni | 97+ AGOffers a prodigious core of steeped fig, black currant and blackberry compote flavors, enmeshed with notes of smoldering tobacco, charcoal and licorice. Broad, deep and long, with a deep foundation of graphite through the finish. Despite the heft, this manages to show off some purity too. Best from 2025 through 2045.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Lastly, and a legendary wine in the making, the 2015 Hermitage La Chapelle is reminiscent of the 1990 with its full-bodied, opulently, sexy, yet concentrated style. Offering sensational notes of blackcurrants, smoked herbs, beef blood, and chocolate, it’s a huge yet elegant wine that has masses of sweet tannin, incredible purity and finesse, and a killer finish. It’s the finest wine from this estate in close to 30 years. Hats off to Caroline Frey and Jacques Desvernois!Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2015 Hermitage La Chapelle is one of the estate’s finest recent efforts. It’s packed with firm tannins and will need to be lost in the cellar for a decade, but it will reward those with patience. Richly concentrated and full-bodied, it hits all the expected notes—cassis, black olive, smoke, crushed stone, pencil shavings and espresso—then finishes long, with an aristocratic sense of reserve and austerity. Winemaker Jacques Devernois compares it to a woman’s black dress, meaning it speaks of elegance and class.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPBright purple. Explosive, smoke- and spice-accented blueberry, cherry cola, incense and smoky mineral aromas show outstanding delineation and pick up a hint of olive with aeration. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering deeply concentrated dark berry liqueur, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors, along with a suggestion of star anise. The remarkably long, penetrating finish features strong minerally cut, an echo of sweet blue fruit and harmonious tannins that come in late and fold effortlessly into the deeply concentrated fruit. At this stage, this is a contender for the wine of the vintage, at least by estimation.Vinous Media | 98 VMA majestic and brooding nose with dark stone fruits, wet black stones, pepper and brown spices as well as some dark chocolate and meaty notes, and fresh truffle-like earthiness, too. The palate draws deep and even with effortless power. Seamless. Extremely focused and long fine tannins. Hints of high cocoa chocolate. The acidity is stunning. This is flawless Hermitage. Drink 2023 and beyond.James Suckling | 97 JS

Fragrant and full bodied, this structured red has enticing aromas evoking woodland berry, balsamic aromas of pine, rose petal and exotic spice. The enveloping palate delivers crushed raspberry, succulent Marasca cherry, licorice and nutmeg alongside firm, tightly knit tannins. Fresh acidity lends tension and balance. Best 2022–2027.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe Produttori del Barbaresco 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello has a very distinct character that is expressed in terms of its fine but present tannic structure and its somewhat fragile primary fruit. The Ovello dives straight into those ephemeral Nebbiolo aromas with an emphasis on licorice, tar, blue flower and campfire ash. If you consider this timeline of Riservas, this wine brings us through that magic threshold in which Nebbiolo starts to show its unique aromatic appeal and mystique. This is always one of my favorites in this series of nine. Production is 18,741 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPAn opulent and complex version, boasting cherry, strawberry, cut hay, iron and tobacco aromas and flavors. Firms up nicely on the finish, with terrific balance and length. Shows both a fruity and a savory side, with fine potential to age. Best from 2023 through 2045. 1,561 cases made, 350 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSOvello is the northernmost vineyard in the Barbaresco commune - and the largest. It was one of the original five vineyards individually bottled in 1967 by Produttori. The clayey soils and exposure to the cool northern winds gives this wine a full body and structured tannins. The 2015 features a woody, vanilla-toned fragrance with some delicate cherry fruit. In the mouth it's a latticework of well integrated tannins with lacy acidity draped over deep hedgerow fruits, followed by some subtle wood spice on the long finish. This is one to leave for a few years, but there's so much potential here. 17,000 bottles and 1,200 magnums produced. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECOne of the stand outs in this range, the 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello shows the energy and tension that are so typical of this site, but with a slightly riper profile than is the norm. Then again, we are talking about 2015. Although perhaps not the most classic expression of Ovello, the Produttori's 2015 is very nicely done. Best of all, it will drink well with just a few more years in bottle. This is an especially heady, exotic Ovello Barbaresco that needs to shed some baby fat, its considerable appeal today notwithstanding.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Composed of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, the singular, absolutely compelling 2015 The Absurd opens with a seriously intense black currant cordial and plum preserves core, slowly revealing cedar chest, mincemeat pie, potpourri and spice box hints plus a waft of chocolate-covered cherries. The full-bodied, concentrated palate is packed with opulent black fruits and baking spice layers, featuring a rock-solid backbone of tight-grained tannins and just enough freshness to lift and tantalize on the long, seductive finish. Only 250 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPAnother wine where my tasting note needed censoring, the 2015 The Absurd is as good as wine gets in this critic’s opinion. Made from 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it offers incredible notes of blueberries, incense, and Asian spices as well as more and more graphite, smoked earth, cedar and lead pencil notes with air. Deep, layered, and super concentrated, with a voluptuous texture and building tannin, it’s a massive wine by any measure, yet this is one case where I suspect the wine might shut down after a few years in bottle. If you’re lucky enough to have more than one bottle, I’d drink one in its youth and then hide the rest for at least 6-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2015 The Absurd is a racy, heady wine. All the Realm signatures are dialed up to eleven. A blast of dark fruit, espresso, chocolate and licorice stains the palate. Big tannins are a reminder of the style that was once in place here. Ripeness is very much pushed to the edge. This is a fine example of the approach Realm favored ten years ago.Vinous Media | 95 VMAromas of spices, dark berries and hazelnuts. Some oyster shell and iodine, too. Full-bodied, tight and dialed in with hints of milk chocolate. A velvety textured palate. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JS

A marvelous red with superb depth and structure. Strength with finesse. Aromas of graphite, burnt orange, steak tartar, iron and rust that follow through to a full body. Yet, it’s tight and poised with such refinement and beauty. Fabulous. Drink after 2022 and onwards.James Suckling | 99 JSGorgeous notes of black cherries, tobacco, and licorice emerge from the 2015 Barolo Cerequio, and this beauty is about as seamless and sexy as they come. More spice, toasted almonds, and dried flower notes develop with time in the glass, and it has magical tannins, medium-bodied richness, and a great, great finish. Give bottles 2-4 years and it’s going to impress for a good 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2015 Barolo Brunate is another super-expressive wine in this lineup from Roberto Voerzio. Sage, mint, underbrush, tobacco and licorice nuances give the Brunate striking aromatic complexity. A Barolo of real presence and stature, the Brunate is so inviting as it gains breadth with time in the glass. Another few years will help the tannins soften.Vinous Media | 96 VM

Superb complexity on the nose with crushed berries, dried flowers, tar, licorice and aniseed. Full body, firm tannins and superb depth and intesity. Goes on for minutes and changes all the time. Drink from 2023.James Suckling | 98 JSGorgeous notes of black cherries, tobacco, and licorice emerge from the 2015 Barolo Cerequio, and this beauty is about as seamless and sexy as they come. More spice, toasted almonds, and dried flower notes develop with time in the glass, and it has magical tannins, medium-bodied richness, and a great, great finish. Give bottles 2-4 years and it’s going to impress for a good 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2015 Barolo Cerequio shows impressive and firm construction; however, the wine remains delicate and finessed all the while. This is a real stunner with inner fiber that is as strong, but as softly textured, as the highest quality silk. Aromas of wild cherry, violets, licorice and tar are in a tight, nascent state at this young stage. This implies they will blossom with time, coming into focus with greater intensity and complexity as the wine continues its careful bottle aging. This wine shows an evident mineral signature at the back.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2015 Barolo Cerequio is ample and generous on the palate, with a real sense of breadth that is immediately apparent. All of the classic Cerequio signatures are present - the red berry fruit, floral accents and silky tannins, within a classic structural framework. The stylistic shift that started around 2008 is evident.Vinous Media | 94 VM

This is an exotic and opulent La Serra with ripe-fruit, orange-peel and terracotta aromas, as well as dust. Full body, polished yet chewy tannins and an extremely rich and long finish. Astonishing power and richness. Austerity with class. Reminds me of the perfect 1997. Better after 2025.James Suckling | 100 JS

Perhaps the most robust and solid of the three wines by Roberto Voerzio tasted this year, the 2015 Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata is built like a little tank, or motor, that keeps moving forward no matter what. You taste that spirit and determination thanks to the elegantly aligned fruit and spice flavors that make up the wine’s elaborate profile. However, I also taste the 2015 vintage characteristics of rich and concentrated fruit to a greater degree in the Rocche dell’Annunziata. There is a point of softness here that you don’t get in Fossati or Cerequio. I tasted the open bottle again 24 hours later and was treated to beautiful notes of mint and balsam herb.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPSimilar notes of mulled black cherries, menthol, toasted spices, tobacco, and licorice emerge from the 2015 Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata. It has the ripe, sexy style of the vintage, medium to full-bodied richness, an elegant, seamless texture, and a great finish. There are plenty of tannins here, yet they’re sweet and polished, and this beauty already offers pleasure. Nevertheless, it’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and should have three decades of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2015 Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata is laced with the essence of crushed raspberry, flowers, cedar, spice and tobacco. Silky and lifted in the glass, with a real sense of translucent beauty, the 2015 hits all the right notes. It’s a super classic Barolo from one of La Morra’s greatest sites.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Stunning aromas of blackcurrant, stone, blueberry and licorice. Also iodine. Floral. Perfumed. Full body, fantastic density of fruit and ripe tannins. It goes on for minutes on the palate with such energy and focus. Touch of chewiness on the finish. A complex and complete wine that delivers a generosity with firmness. Drink in 2021 but already a classic to drink.James Suckling | 100 JSAs a comparison to the 2014 vintage of this wine, the 2015 Seña resulted in 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere, 12% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, with now 12% of the wine matured in new Stockinger oak foudres and the rest in barrique for some 22 months. 2015 might have been a slightly warmer year, but the resulting wine is lower in alcohol and higher in acidity, which provide for a more vibrant mouthfeel and a more focused expression of the character of the place. This vintage has half a degree less alcohol, and the acidity is a little more pungent; and, the amount of wine in foudre seems to help the oak to show better integrated. This is dry, nicely textured, and the replacement of the Merlot by Malbec seems to have also added to the refinement of the tannins that are super-elegant. 66,000 bottles were filled in February 2017. The price has not yet been set.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA joint venture between Viña Errazuriz and Robert Mondavi in 1995, Seña became wholly owned by Eduardo Chadwick’s Errazuriz in 2005. His belief in Seña as a terroir wine led him to introduce biodynamic viticulture in the same year. A Bordeaux-style blend, Seña is sourced from a 43ha mountain vineyard in the Aconcagua Valley. Precisely monitored for optimum harvesting date, the vineyard is characterised by warm sunny days and cool nights, hence ideal ripening conditions for a long hang-time of nearly 140 days. Maturation for 22 months in French oak and Stockinger foudres moderates the unique expression of Aconcagua’s intensity with the desired textural finesse. Chadwick’s series of vertical blind tastings held around the world cemented Seña’s place in the Chilean hall of fame. This deep-hued blend shows subtle smoke and chocolate powder behind vivid, plump, fleshy mulberry fruit, supported by a slim veneer of toffee and vanilla oak whose youthful, sinewy tannins frame an appetisingly savoury finish. Drinking Window 2017 - 2028.Decanter | 94 DECA suave and focused red, with crisp cherry and currant flavors backed by crunchy acidity. Hints of sandalwood and cardamom linger on the taut finish. Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2023. 5,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Wonderful aromas of roses and sliced plums with wet earth and truffles. Then turns to raspberries and blackberries. Cherries, too. Full and firm with super integrated tannins that melt into the wine. It flows from the center palate in a beautiful sheet of fruit and tannins. Extremely long and coated with great finesse. Goes on for minutes. Better in 2022, but already a joy to taste.James Suckling | 99 JSThe Valdicava 2015 Brunello di Montalcino is a dark and sultry wine with a beautiful presentation of aromas. This full-bodied Sangiovese opens to aromas of plumy dark fruit, black cherry, cured tobacco, cola and balsam spice. There are earthy or savory tones as well, with some fragrant crushed flower or wild rose that come straight out of the classic Sangiovese playlist. Generally speaking, this Brunello veers toward black fruit aromas (as opposed to red fruits), and its smooth texture and elegant tannins are well suited to a classic Tuscan dish of pappardelle con sugo di lepre (wild rabbit) or another game sauce. Production is 37,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe bouquet holds back at first, yet with coaxing in the glass begins to show a beautiful mix of perfumed black cherry, mentholated spices, wild herbs, white smoke and hints of leather. On the palate, I find silky, enveloping textures, contrasted by cool-toned red and black fruits which flood the senses as brisk acids brought out its spicier, sweeter side with balancing fine tannin and minerals toward the finale. The finish went on and on, showing both fine tannin and juicy acids as lingering red berry fruits, hints of hard candies and red florals slowly fade. There’s a balance to the 2015 Brunello that is seldom seen here, and I believe the best is yet to come. This was tasted twice with similar results.Vinous Media | 95 VMRipe cherry, plum, raspberry, earth and almond flavors combine in this supple red. Vivid and well-defined by the sleek structure, ending with earth, wild herb and mineral accents. Very pure, verging on racy. Best from 2023 through 2045. 3,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

One of Spain’s best-known and beloved wines, this vintage, the 2015 Unico, like always, saw five years of aging in barrel and vat and another five years in bottle. It was bottled in May 2021. Blending 96% Tempranillo and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vega Sicilia estate, usually from the same plots of 40+-year-old vines, it opens in expressive, juicy, lush pomegranate and dark cherry carried by supple, silky tannins and bright acidity. The length and structure are remarkable. The grapes were harvested “al dente,” when they were crisp, fresh, and juicy, perfectly ripe. There is tremendous balance between the wine’s acidity and freshness and full-bodied power. This will age 60 years and is winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga’s first vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2015 Vega Sicilia Unico is Tinta del País with 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from Ribera del Duero. The nose is aromatically complex, with balsamic notes, forest floor, delicate herbs such as rosemary and thyme and an evolved profile showing vanilla, maraschino cherry and dried fruit. Silky and layered, the palate features chalky tannins and a smooth texture, offering depth and nuance. Subtle oak, fresh plum and herbs combine for a long, refined finish. A classic expression of elegant Ribera.Vinous Media | 98 VMVery whole and round with a generous width on the mid-palate offset by an assertive energy, supported by vivid acid and a well-presented tannic framework. An interesting counterpoint to the more chiseled linearity of the 2014 iteration. With all elements very much in their right place, but fruit still unapologetically punchy, it’ll be interesting to see how this evolves as tertiary complexity softens the primary and secondary vividness. Cocoa powder, dry tobacco leaves and seaweed hover over juicy plum, dark cherry and black olive. Very long, spicy finish with lingering tapenade and salty liquorice.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECSit back and enjoy this Unico if you are going to open it now. Exotic spices and touches of balsam and cumin come up after the unleashing of blackberries, chocolate, iron, incense and violets. So fine-grained and polished, with a mouthful of velvety tannins that are so cohesive, close-knit and still reactive. Impeccably structured, it’s vertical before going extremely long and linear. A consistent Unico that seduces with a hint of iron-like minerality and rusticity. Drink on release or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2015 Único comes from a year with a fast ripening, and they had to harvest early to keep the crunchiness of the fruit. This was the first harvest produced 100% by winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga. The aging was five years in oak, one and a half years in barrels and three and a half years in oak vats. It’s a big vintage, produced with 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s ripe, with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.88 and 4.8 grams of acidity. The grapes were cooled down for one day, then the bunches were selected and fermented with a pied de cuve in vats. It’s a ripe and concentrated vintage, with a classical modern Vega Sicilia nose that’s expressive, aromatic and open, with notes of dark cherries, spice and cigar box. It has a medium- to full-bodied palate with abundant fine-grained tannins, good balance and the rustic elegance of the best Ribera del Dueros. In 2015, they produced 84,184 bottles, 3,645 magnums and some larger formats, less than in 2014, which was the largest production of Único ever. It was bottled in May 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis enticing red is fluid and silky on the palate, offering a core of plumped cherry fruit accented by notes of licorice root, rooibos tea, vanilla and milled pepper. There’s length and expression without overpowering weight as this integrates fine tannins, a satiny texture and lively acidity. Long and focused. Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2040. 7,016 cases made, 393 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WS