Collector Wines

wines

Opulent and very sexy with perfume, cedar, dried flowers and dried strawberries and just a hint of nutmeg. It’s medium-to full-bodied with round and finely velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. So seductive. Drink after 2025.James Suckling | 97 JSFragrant and delicious, this gorgeous wine opens with inviting aromas of rose, sandalwood, camphor and perfumed berry alongside whiffs of truffle and French oak. The full-bodied palate combines elegance and structure, featuring ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and a dollop of vanilla alongside firm, refined tannins. It’s already tempting but hold for more complexity. Drink 2024–2032. Kerin O’Keefe | 97 KOFragrant and delicious, this gorgeous wine opens with inviting aromas of rose, sandalwood, camphor and perfumed berry alongside whiffs of truffle and French oak. The full-bodied palate combines elegance and structure, featuring ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and a dollop of vanilla alongside firm, refined tannins. It’s already tempting but hold for more complexity. Drink 2024–2032.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2017 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne has a gentle, sweet, smoky spice nose with a touch of fresh leather. It is medium-full, with a sublime, melting texture and very finely integrated tannins, There is a great harmony and finesse to the palate, with gentle red fruit and spice notes. A hint of tar in the middle adds intrigue. Unlike most 2017s, the slight dryness of the tannins is not there - they are integrated into the wine in a subtle, harmonious way. Maybe wait one year to drink then drink up to 20 years at least.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2017 Barolo Le Vigne is rich, pliant and so expressive. Even so, I imagine it will need a few years to open up fully. Bright red fruit, rose petal, blood orange and spice give the 2017 its distinctly red-toned profile. Elegant and translucent, the 2017 is very nicely balanced. Vineyard sources are Baudana, Villero, Vignane and Merli.Vinous Media | 95+ VMBright cherry, plum, leather, tar and underbrush flavors are the highlights of this solid red. A firm grip of tannins lines the finish, but not before the fruit builds nicely. Fine freshness, balance and length. Best from 2024 through 2042. 260 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

As always, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is all Grenache (from La Serres, La Crau, and La Guigasse) that was not destemmed and was brought up all in used demi-muids. It’s an extraordinary wine, offering a mammoth bouquet of kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, ground pepper, white flowers, and spice. Full-bodied, concentrated, and opulent on the palate, with silky tannins, it’s not going to match the 2010 or 2016, but t’s a magical, elegant, layered wine that does everything right.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is lush and inviting in feel, with waves of warmed raspberry reduction taking center stage, while plum paste and cherry skin notes add range. Underneath the fruit, notes of anise, red and black tea and gently mulled spice notes course along, all supported by perfectly embedded acidity. A gorgeous wine that’s hard to lay off now because of the fruit, but there’s absolutely no rush. Best from 2023 through 2040. 375 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSRich and almost painfully intense, from yields that were reduced by coulure to only about six hectoliters per hectare, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is steadfast in being all Grenache and all whole cluster. Licorice, chocolate and super ripe plums appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied and velvety, with a long, warm finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPBrilliant ruby-red. An expansive, spice-accented bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, incense and potpourri, and a smoky mineral element adds urgency. Juicy, seamless and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that firm up slowly and turn spicier on the back half. Shows serious heft, but there’s a distinctly graceful quality as well. Finishes sappy, gently tannic and extremely long, leaving a suave lavender pastille note behind.Vinous Media | 94-95 VMAnother string release under this label, showing rich dark fruit and earthy notes with plenty of spice. Tarry notes as well. The palate has a very plush, ripe and rich feel with juicy, ripe dark berries and plums, really bathed in deep, long and smooth-honed tannins. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS

(Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Red) This is also aromatically inhibited with its reluctant nose of plum liqueur, leather, humus and evident floral wisps. Here too there is excellent volume and intensity to the muscular and powerful flavors that are shaped by firm tannins that leave no doubt that this is built-to-age and a wine that’s going to need extended patience. I would add that in the context of the 2017 vintage, this is a big wine. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru offers more red fruit than the Bonnes-Mares, although at the moment this does not quite deliver the same nuance and comeliness. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, quite linear and strict (especially for this vineyard), but with a welcome pinch of white pepper and sage towards the persistent finish. Afford it several years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

This is one of those wines where your nose is in the glass for ages, enjoying the complex array of aromas that range from raspberries to dates, perfumed bark to polished wood, pressed flowers to fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, dense and focused with fine, well-integrated tannins, plenty of fruit flavor and an endless finish. A joy to drink even now, but this will age gracefully for many a year.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Sergio Zenato is totally classic to the Zenato style, with macerated cherries, raisins, sweet herbs, cocoa, black pepper and shavings of cedar. This deeply textural with a dense wave of mineral-encased dark red fruits and balsamic spice carried across a core of stimulating acidity. Mocha and clove mix with black currant and olive as the 2017 finishes dramatically long and potent. There’s simply so much going on here, and more is guaranteed to come with maturation. Also of note is that the 2017 clocks in at only 3.3 grams of residual sugar. This is as serious as they comeVinous Media | 97 VM

Exquisitely fine tannins to the currant, lead-pencil and chocolate character. The palate is full, yet very refined and linear with a long, lingering finish. Such polish and tension. The tannins are intense, yet so fine, giving almost a powdery texture. So Lafite-like. Best Carruades ever? 56% cabernet sauvignon and 38% merlot, the rest cabernet franc. Drink after 2026.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2018 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheery scents of redcurrant jelly, blackcurrant pastilles and Morello cherries with hints of candied violets, pencil shavings, menthol and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied and elegantly styled, with layers of crunchy red and black fruits, it has a beautifully ripe, fine-grained texture and loads of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPSeductive, with mulled plum and black cherry fruit that is infused with dark tea, singed cedar and bay notes. Iron note nicely imbedded through the finish, which has a subtle tug of earth. Very restrained in feel, but with some seriously sneaky length. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WSWhile a lot of estates’ second wines can have a distinctly different style than their Grand Vins, that’s not the case with Lafite. Their 2018 Carraudes De Lafite has a beautiful Lafite-like elegance and sense of nuance that’s always present in the Grand Vin. Based on 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, its ruby/purple-tinged hue is followed by a beautiful nose of cassis, lead pencil, black cherries, tobacco leaf, and forest floor. With medium to full-bodied richness, it has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe yet present tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This juicy, textured, balanced 2018 can be drunk today or cellared for 15-20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThis is a ripe, juicy wine that’s rich and generous in texture, with light touches of spice and fine tannins. It has both weight and freshness, giving a wine that is elegant and ripe.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2018 Carruades de Lafite is delicate, sensual and elegant, with a striking interplay of finesse and power. A wine of total allure and translucence, the 2018 Carruades is so silky, so finessed, so classy. Sweet red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and spice are all finely knit in a Pauillac of tremendous class. Harvest started on September 17 and wrapped up on October 5 for the Cabernets.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGAn understated and enjoyable Carruades, which has that sense of Lafite effortlessness, with a mouthwatering finish. Dark spice and great balance, where you see the beginnings of acidity, tannin and fruits but you don’t see their end as they meld into each other. Savoury Cabernet fruits abound. This is hugely elegant, with smoky notes that come out more obviously as the wine opens up. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DEC

Love the floral character to the aromas of dark fruit, such as blueberries and black cherries. Red and black licorice, too. The full-bodied palate starts slowly and then expands with super polished, searing tannins that lead you up the palate into a place of grandeur. Lightly chewy at the end. Such great purity and presence here. 6% cabernet sauvignon in the blend with franc and merlot. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2018 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a 3.75 pH and 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling and air to releases fragrant notes of stewed plums, juicy black cherries and ripe blackberries with underlying suggestions of damp soil, black truffles, rose oil and cardamom with wafts of underbrush and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with rich black fruits and loads of earthy accents, framed by super firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness to balance, finishing with amazing length and a beautiful array of floral and mineral sparks. Thirty-three plots contributed to this wine, out of the forty-three in production. Of the rest, five went into Petit Cheval and five into bulk. It will need a good 6-7 years at least to really start to strut its stuff and should cellar for a further 30 years or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThe 2018 Cheval Blanc is magnificent. In a vintage in which so many wines are opulent and dense, Cheval Blanc maintains striking translucence while conveying the natural radiance of the year. Silky, perfumed and exceptionally vivid, the 2018 pulses with energy from start to finish. Sage, mint, lavender and mocha all meld together on the sumptuous finish. Cabernet Franc, such a Cheval signature, has probably never been so ripe. In a word: dazzling.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AGShowing beautifully from barrel and now from bottle, the 2018 Château Cheval Blanc is a final blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a pure, classic Cheval Blanc in that it relies more on complexity and elegance than power, offering a beautiful perfume of red and blackcurrants, spring flowers, spice, forest floor, incense, and tobacco. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Cheval Blanc offering wonderful purity of fruit, a seamless, layered texture, incredible tannins, and a lengthy, focused finish. It shows less of the sunny style of the vintage now than it did from barrel, and it’s a wonderfully complete wine that delivers awesome freshness in its aromatics, plenty of ripe, sweet fruit, and the tannins and structure that seem to come from a long, cooler season. Reminding me slightly of the 2016, with a touch of the 2001, give this gorgeous wine 5-7 years of bottle age, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe first thing that strikes about this wine is its massive density. The second is the richness of the structured Cabernet Franc that is such an important element in the blend. Weight is balanced by the intense fruits and amazing freshness of a wine that has such concentration. This wine will age for years. Don’t touch it before 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThis has the vintage’s profile, with a sleek and slightly austere frame holding a core of cassis, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes tightly together while flashes of bay, dried anise and savory add range and detail. Has a late tug of warm earth along with a very perfumy echo through the finish. A beauty. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,208 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLovely ripeness on the nose, full of dense Morello cherries and milk chocolate notes, this feels round and just very complete. It has a density on the palate immediately, voluminous with chalky, gentle gripping tannins, almost chewy on the second taste, that fill the mouth. Generous and expansive. Voluptuous fruit with a capitvating and satisfying texture, it’s really the mouthfeel that’s in focus, big and wide - coating the mouth. Flavours are concentrated around blackcurrant and black cherry with some sweet strawberry and soft chalkiness as well as a touch of sweet liquorice too. Clear depth and power though still youthful and somewhat shy. An excellent Cheval. (Drink between 2028-2055)Decanter | 96 DEC

The star of the show in 2018 is the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Combe Des Fous and it has an incredible mix of complexity, power, and elegance that’s something to behold. Sporting a deep purple/plum color as well as a killer bouquet of blackcurrants, lavender, peppery garrigue, graphite, and white chocolate, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a seamless, multi-dimensional texture, incredible tannins, and a gorgeous finish. This is a good as 2018 gets and while it’s already impossible to resist, it’s going to evolve for 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous features electric aromas of garrigue, exotic stone fruit, pomegranate, black cherries and perhaps even a touch of rose petals. Full-bodied and rich without being overly weighty or dense, plush and velvety on the finish yet vibrant and complex, this magnificent effort should drink well for at least a decade. From vines planted in 1905, it’s approximately 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Vaccarèse.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPOpaque ruby. A powerfully scented bouquet displays mineral-accented boysenberry and Chambord scents complemented by suggestions of pungent flowers, Indian spices and incense. Intense red/blue fruit preserve, cherry cola and fruitcake flavors show superb definition and silky texture. Comes off graceful despite its depth and finishes on a repeating floral note, displaying outstanding persistence and bright, mineral lift.Vinous Media | 95 VMA mix of steeped plum and black cherry fruit mixes with tobacco, chestnut and melted licorice notes. There’s a touch of burl at first, but this quickly unwinds with air, showing a velvety edge on the finish. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Vaccarèse. Best from 2021 through 2033. 409 cases made, 45 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Entirely from Nebbiolo Lampia, a more classic Barolo from this south-facing vineyard, the 2018 Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice has aromas of red fruits, cocoa, fresh earth, and ripe berries. It is medium-bodied and long on the palate, with sweet, refined tannin and notes of dried apricot and spiced blood orange. Drink 2025-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis wine shows just how elegant Nebbiolo is with aromas of wild raspberries and cherry preserves giving way to wild herbs, rosebuds and earth. The palate is lifted and dances with vigor and energy showing its core of fruit but with all elements in harmony and balance. Drink 2025–2045.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEA wine like this gives you an evermore selective expression of fruit from one of the best parcels from within the greater Ravera cru. However, it also comes from a more challenging vintage. The Elvio Cogno 2018 Barolo Ravera Bricco Pernice is held back for an additional year before its commercial release. That puts you in a position of choosing between the more affordable Barolo from Ravera and this more carefully culled selection of fruit. It makes sense to side with 2019, although this expression from 2018 will appeal to those who appreciate the nuances of vintage and place. Those Barolo lovers are also quite familiar with the Cogno house style that tends to favor the power, muscle and staying power that Ravera is known for. You should also be able to coax out more years of bottle age with this wine. 5,000 bottles were released.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPPerfumed, exuding aromas of rose, cherry, raspberry, anise and menthol, with the berry fruit persisting on the palate, along with mineral and wild herb flavors. Though expressive and balanced, this shows tannic grip and should evolve nicely. Best from 2025 through 2042. 425 cases made, 75 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSCedar, forest floor, new leather and woodland berry aromas shape the alluring nose along with a floral whiff of violet. Full-bodied and all about finesse, the smooth, savory palate offers juicy Marasca cherry, star anise and white pepper framed in taut, polished tannins. Drink 2025–2038. Drink 2025–2030 Abv: 14.5%Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOThe 2018 Barolo Bricco Pernice shows the limits of the year in its angular tannins, slightly dried out fruit and overall angular feel. Dark cherry, leather, game, incense and tobacco lend quite a bit of aromatic complexity. Its hard to get past the rough contours. Even so, this is nicely done, for the year.Vinous Media | 93 VMVery attractive, perfumed nose with cherries and raspberries, hints of spiced cedar, walnut and moist earth. Medium- to full-bodied with grainy tannins and chalky texture. There’s freshness to the red fruit with racy, citrusy notes at the end. Try from 2026.James Suckling | 93 JS

The 2018 La Ricolma is a wine of incredible finesse. To be sure, the 2018 doesn’t quite haver the explosive depth or intensity of either the 2015 or 2016, but it makes up for that with its persistence and nuance. Dark cherry jam, licorice, spice, menthol and sage all meld together effortlessly as the 2018 starts to open up with a bit of aeration. The 2018 spent 22 months in French oak, about 35% new.Vinous Media | 99 VMBlueberries and black olives with so many flowers, such as violets and honeysuckle. Licorice, too. This is full and very tight with lots of back-end tannins that build through the finish. A tight, muscular and curated young wine that lasts for minutes. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSThe San Giusto a Rentennano 2018 La Ricolma is an absolute stunner. This iconic expression of Merlot opens to rich and velvety concentration with lots of black intensity. Italians might call it "una bomba," or a veritable bomb of fruity bounty and beauty. The organic grapes are fermented in steel over 18 days and aged in French barrique for up to 22 months. This rather straightforward winemaking methodology results in profound fruit purity and persistence. The tannins are still tight and grippy, and this is a more controversial point that I discovered across many of the wines I tasted from 2018. You’ll need to give this wine more time to evolve and soften. Production is 5,994 bottles, 315 magnums and 33 double magnums.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis is dense and sinewy, with dusty tannins embracing the black cherry, plum, earth and spice flavors, showing a contrast between the supple texture and firm structure. On the austere side now, with fine intensity and length. Drink now through 2030. 400 cases made, 70 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 20th anniversary bottling of Testamatta made, from the 2019 vintage, in brand new winemaking facilities in Florence. This just shines from the moment it’s poured. Layered and complex this is a gem of a wine filled with cherry, raspberry, damson and caramel notes alongside a savoury edge that makes it so moreish. Tannins that support but don’t overwhelm give a nice overall weight to the palate while the flavous linger on the long finish. Made from old vines on stony soils on the Tuscan hilltops. Grapes are selected and sourced from the best five vineyards, which are divided into parcels and harvested up to eight times. Fermentation is in open-top barriques for the smaller parcels and in barrels or stainless steel for the larger ones without any temperature controls. Maceration for 7-10 days then moved into old barriques for 20 months.Decanter | 96 DECA pure expression of Sangiovese, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Testamatta is a wine in constant evolution. Bibi has added 17 more hectares of vineyard to the program, with 12 hectares in Fiesole (north of Florence) and 5 hectares in San Donato in Colle (south of Florence) with 70-year-old vines. The base of the wine sees fruit from old vines planted in the 1950s in the cool-climate Lamole subzone of Chianti Classico. These new terroirs bring a lot more aromatic nuance and complexity to the wine with perfumed blue flower, candied orange peel, wet earth and plumy black fruit. White Alberese soils add a strong chalky mineral signature to the finish of this elegantly streamlined and linear Tuscan red.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPDelicate aromas of red berry, sunbaked earth and dark spice shape the nose along with a whiff of Mediterranean scrub. Bright and elegantly structured, the linear palate features juicy Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry and baking spice framed in polished tannins. Drink through 2029.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA sleek, well-delineated red, delivering cherry and raspberry flavors on an elegant frame. Fresh, and builds nicely on the mineral- and floral-laced finish. Drink now through 2028. 10,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Flashy, with boysenberry and mulberry pâte de fruit notes that roll through, throwing off licorice snap and açaí berry notes as well. Ends with a high-gloss toasty finish, but the fruit pushes through easily as apple wood and mint notes add range. For fans of the bold style. Drink now through 2040. 23,247 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Marvelously complex, deeply fruited and massively concentrated yet wonderfully drinkable, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin challenges the number of superlatives that can be thrown at it. Scents of violets, tree bark, truffle, purple raspberries and blackberries all appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, dense and velvety, and the finish shows enormous richness and length. Breathtaking stuff.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe tiny production 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin is the customary blend of roughly 60% Mourvèdre, 15% Grenache, and the rest Syrah and Cinsault that’s brought up in foudre. One sexy, powerful, full-bodied Southern Rhône, it sports a dense purple hue as well as a kaleidoscope-like array of blueberry, scorched earth, candied violets, pepper, and some almost northern Rhône-like meaty, smoky nuances. Full-bodied and incredibly pure, with a stacked mid-palate and ripe, supple tannins, it’s another vintage of this cuvée that will undoubtedly offer pleasure in it youth yet won’t hit prime time for a solid 7-8 years, and it should see its 30th birthday in fine form.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDGlass-staining ruby. A deeply perfumed bouquet features black raspberry, cherry liqueur, boysenberry, exotic spice and floral scents that show outstanding definition and smoky mineral lift. Sweet and penetrating in the mouth, offering wonderfully concentrated black and blue fruit preserve, violet pastille, spicecake and savory herb flavors that possess unlikely vivacity for their depth. The strikingly long, floral- and spice-driven finish is shaped by steadily building tannins that play nicely with the wine’s intense fruit.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis is really packed, with a stunning core of pure violet, raspberry and plum pâte de fruit flavors that glide through seductively, belying the power that’s in reserve, thanks to a well of singed alder and mesquite, worn leather and warm stone notes. The finish cuts a broad and deep swath, with the fruit showing serious staying power and superior definition. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Counoise and Syrah. Best from 2025 through 2045. 400 cases made, 210 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 98 WSGorgeous perfume just jumps out the glass here, strongly scented and inviting. This is succulent and sweet, with an almost cherry kirsch, alcohol kick to this but in an excellent way. Mouthwatering and brimming with energy, there’s depth, spicy edges and a silky smooth mid palate. It’s seductive and heady while also complex, nuanced and layered. A long life ahead. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2046Decanter | 96 DECSuch beautiful black cherries, fresh earth, sage, basil and flowers on the nose, following through to a medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and an attractive, lightly chewy finish. This is very long and fresh with balance and purity. Give it five or six years to come around and show itself.James Suckling | 96 JS

Lastly, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape XXL is pure magic and one of the most singular wines out there. Based on 65% Grenache and the rest Syrah and other varieties, it was only 30% destemmed and brought up all in demi-muids. Where previous vintages of this beauty were almost over the top, the 2019 shows a more elegant, pure, balanced profile as well as incredible aromatics of ripe red and black fruits, herbes de Provence, ground pepper, violets, and other notes of Southern Rhône-like goodness. Incredibly powerful and opulent, it somehow manages to stay perfectly balanced, has a wonderful sense of freshness, silky yet substantial tannins, and an awesome finish. Unfortunately, there are just over 300 cases produced, so it won’t be easy to find, but this ranks with the all-time greats. It deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and should evolve for 30 years if well-stored.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JD

It’s always an exciting moment tasting a new vintage of the wine from one of the most beautiful vineyards in Montsant, and the 2019 Espectacle del Montsant didn’t disappoint. It’s always Mediterranean, heady and ripe, decadent and hedonistic. 2019 was a warm and quite classical vintage in the zone, with good ripeness (the wine’s label lists 15.5% alcohol), and the wine is hedonistic, nuanced and complex, with very good acidity, which is one of the characteristics that makes this vintage so complete. Despite everything, the wine is medium to full-bodied and comes through as perfumed and ethereal. They do long macerations and long aging in foudre. 2019 is a very serious vintage for this wine; it’s a little closed and needs time in the glass, and it’s tight and seamless, a little austere for what this wine usually is. This is truly spectacular. 6,500 bottles produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RP

The 2019 Barolo Monvigliero shows a medium dark garnet appearance with an especially focused quality of fruit. There is wild cherry and Japanese plum, but the Monvigliero cru also delivers crushed rose, earthy iris root, candied orange peel with clove and dustings of black pepper. The wine is exceedingly silky and polished in texture, but its inherent complexity is never diminished. It should be interesting to revisit this bottle after the 10-year mark. This estate was the first to bottle a Monvigliero in 1978, and today 7,000 bottles are made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2019 Barolo Monvigliero is layered with cinnamon, red cherry, white pepper, and apricot and is dry, elegant, and medium-bodied on the palate, with fine tannins and mouthwatering salinity. Revealing notes of orange pith, warming spice, and pomegranate seed, it is long on the palate with a linear approach. Drink 2025-2045.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDFratelli Alessandria’s 2019 Monvigliero is full-bodied and delicious, delivering flavors of raspberry compote, blood orange, licorice and tobacco enveloped in velvety tannins. It’s bold but also possesses an almost weightless finesse, and thanks to the fruit richness, you’d never guess this has an abv of 15%. Drink 2026–2039. Abv: 15% Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOThe 2019 Barolo Monvigliero, tasted from barrel, is fabulous. Silky and elegant, with tons of energy, the Monvigliero is showing beautifully today, even as a sample from tank with low SO2 typical of this stage pre-bottling. Even so, all the translucent finesse of Monvigliero comes through loud and clear. Crushed red berry fruit, chalk, blood orange, mint and white pepper lend brightness. The 2019 is shaping up to be a real beauty. It’s one of those young wines that is very hard to spit.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMFirst produced in 1978, the vines on this 1.4ha plot are now 50 years old. Traditional winemaking with long maceration and ageing in botti grandi. Dense and ruby in colour, the nose is restrained: earthy, with dried mushroom, rose and violet, cinnamon, and fresh pomegranate. Vibrant, savoury and delicate yet chewy on the palate, its tannins are extracted but polished, and a bit rigid on the finish. Not really ready to drink; a structure that defies time.Decanter | 90 DEC

This vineyard delivers slightly more concentrated fruit and a medium-dark appearance from loamy calcareous soils. The 2019 Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno delivers more oomph and power with ripe cherry, blackcurrant, dark spice and earthy aromas. Fratelli Alessandria makes some of the most harmonious wines in Verduno, and that quality comes through beautifully in this wine, despite the slightly more robust fruit weight delivered by San Lorenzo di Verduno. Only 5,000 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThere is a fresh mineral character in the 2019 Barolo San Lorenzo Di Verduno with wet asphalt, red cherry, orange, and clove. It is medium-bodied but takes on more structure and concentration, with ripe, fine tannins, dusty earth,and cranberry cocktail, and long with citrus on the finish. A nervy wine, it will benefit from another couple of years in bottle and drink well 2026-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDCamphor, wild rose, ripe berry and new leather are just some of the aromas that you’ll find on Fratelli Alessandria’s fragrant 2019 San Lorenzo di Verduno. Full-bodied and buffed to a smooth sheen, the juicy, chewy palate doles out fleshy black cherry, crushed mint and licorice framed in tightly knit, velvety tannins. You’ll also detect the subtle warmth of alcohol on the finish, but the fruit richness easily supports it. Drink 2026–2034. Abv: 15% Kerin O’Keefe | 94 KO The 2019 Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno, tasted from barrel, is another potent wine from Alessandria. Heady and explosive, the 2019 possesses tremendous energy and drive from start to finish. Dark red fruit, gravel, incense, scorched earth, rose petal, licorice and iron are some of the many notes that race out of the glass. The 2019 is wild and racy, sort of like a misbehaved child, but in the best sense! I can’t wait to see how it turns out.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM

Gaja’s 2019 Barbaresco was bottled only a few days before this tasting but it already has sweet roses and red fruits on the nose with very subtle, gentle spice notes. It has a great texture and flows gracefully across the palate. It feels very harmonious with plenty of refreshing acidity and finely integrated tannins. Sublimely elegant with a fine, silt-like texture to the tannins, it is poised, beautifully understated and charming. Keep for 2 years and drink for up to 20 plus.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIHeady aromas of rose, violet, forest berry and a whiff of oak-driven spice shape the nose. Smooth and full-bodied, the elegantly structured palate delivers crushed raspberry, licorice and coffee bean set against taut, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Drink 2025–2034.Kerin O’Keefe July 2022 | 96 KO(Gaja Barbaresco Red) Gaja’s 2019 Barbaresco is gorgeous. Bright and nervy, with fabulous balance, the 2019 captures all the best this tricky vintage had to offer. Gaja did not bottle any other Barbaresco crus, opting to use the best lots for this bottling. That decision paid off in a 2019 that sizzles with tension. The aromatics alone are captivating. Bright acids lend vibrancy to a core of beautifully delineated Nebbiolo fruit. I can’t wait to see how this ages. (Drink between 2025-2039)Antonio Galloni | 93+ AG

This wine kisses the sky with fruit from bush-trained vines planted in 2012 at the highest point of the appellation (above 600 meters in elevation). This is a wine to watch in the future, especially as these vines grow older. The Le Ragnaie 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento has a fine and direct bouquet with vibrant red fruit, cranberry, pressed rose and rosemary blossom. Fruit and floral components run very strong, and you don’t get as much of the earthiness that we find in the other wines. Instead, it feels mineral and salty. Crunchy fruit and powdery tannins fuel a very long and polished finish with a contained 13.5% alcohol content. This wine is fluid and more of a shape-shifter. Only 4,400 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPTo close out the single vineyard wines, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Passo Del Lume Spento takes a youthful red/garnet-tinged color and, as with the rest of the wines of this vintage from Le Ragnaie, has a signature stamp of incredible perfume lifting from the glass out of the gate, with notes fresh Mediterranean herbs, ripe cherries, anise, and crushed rose petals. Ripe citrus-toned fruit fills the palate of this medium-bodied Brunello, which has great mouthwatering acidity that floats through the sides of the palate, angular tannins, and a mineral-toned finish. It’s packed with tension, though, and is deserving of another year or two of cellaring before drinking 2025-2045.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento opens with a mentholated freshness, as crushed stone and minty herbs complicate dusty dried strawberries. This is juicy in character and wickedly fresh, showing its minerality up front as a tart wave of wild berries descends upon the palate. It finishes with cheek-puckering tension, potent and primary, along with a coating of fine-grained tannins, all balanced by a bump of residual acidity. This is a spice bomb, yet it has the energy to balance. The Passo del Lume Spento hails from bush-trained vines planted in 2012 at 621 meters.Vinous Media | 94 VMCampinoti’s highest altitude single-vineyard bottling comes from a one-hectare plot planted in 2011 at a lofty 621 metres. The third release as a Brunello, it hits its stride with the 2019 vintage. While still reserved in aromas, this sings with inner mouth perfumes of white blossom and rose against a backdrop of sour red cherry and pomegranate. The mouth-cleansing tannins are linear, and brisk acidity whisks the wine across the palate. Slender but not bony, this has sufficient flesh to harmonise the structure. Really quite thrilling in its sinewy, chiselled personality.Decanter | 94 DEC

This wine is a star of the vintage. It is made with fruit from vines planted in 1968 in ancient soils rich in quartz at a very high 600 meters in elevation. The Le Ragnaie 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ragnaie V. V. (the initials stand for “vecchie vigne,” or "old vines") reveals a soulful personality with a very elegant set of aromas and compelling complexity. There is heritage rose, lilac and something earthy like tarragon or marjoram. Underripe cherry and redcurrant are found at the core; however, that ethereal herbal note continues to the palate where it meets a chalky mineral tone. Powdery tannins stick to the side of your mouth for a very long time. Only 4,400 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPA similar medium red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. is another showstopper, with stunning floral and layered aromas of licorice, ripe red cherries, blood orange, and clove. Mouthwatering and structured, this is a noble wine, and while it’s medium-bodied. It’s not for the faint of heart. With ripe, angular tannins that frame this wine, it propels through the palate with notes of saline and vibrant acidity. Long and tension-packed, it demands several years of proper cellaring and feels as though it will improve over the coming two decades at a glacial pace. Drink 2027-2047.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDOwner Riccardo Campinoti reports that the 2019 harvest was slightly early by the estate’s standards: he picked his 50-plus-year-old vines on 4 October, giving the must a long maceration of 45-50 days. After seven months in bottle, it demonstrates the same precision and minerality that were evident in cask. Currently somewhat stern, it’s intriguing in its reticence. Through iron and warm stone nuances, black raspberry pokes through. This will never be a big, rich wine, yet as the dense layers unfold and those chalky tannins relax their grip, its enveloping nature will provide much pleasure.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino VV is youthfully coy in the glass, lifting up with a nuanced blend of dried roses, licorice and clove, excited by hints of spiced oranges. This is cool-toned and saline in character, with silken textures contrasted by crisp red fruits and salty mineral tones that saturate the senses. The 2019 finishes long, primary and with crunchy tannins, yet there are depths of complexity here just waiting to unfold. This is quite forbidding today, yet in five to ten years, I expect a magical experience.Vinous Media | 95+ VMBright and tangy cherry and raspberry fruit heralds this supple red, which is ripe and juicy, backed by fine-grained tannins, with floral and earth accents adding detail. Vivid, charming and integrated, this feels approachable now, yet should improve over the next decade. Drink now through 2040. 370 cases made, 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Camphor, forest floor, cedar and rose aromas come to the forefront on Sandrone’s stunning 2019 Barolo Aleste. It’s racy and youthfully austere, delivering red cherry, pomegranate, star anise, cedar and white pepper framed in tightly wound, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it energized and beautifully balanced. This needs several years to fully unwind and shows serious aging potential. Drink 2029–2049. Abv: 14.5%Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOAleste is a contraction of the names Alessia and Stefano, grandchildren of the late Luciano Sandrone. With fruit from Cannubi Boschis, the 2019 Barolo Aleste shows important richness and structure. This is the proverbial Barolo with a capital B. It reveals thick layers of dark fruit, cherry and spice. It shows sweet tannins and impactful texture. When tasting at the winery, Le Vigne is usually served first, and Aleste comes after that. Both wines promise a very long aging window.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2019 Barolo Aleste is another stellar wine from Sandrone. Like Le Vigne, the Aleste is a tightly wound ball of energy. Dark cherry, mocha, plum, licorice and lavender all race across the palate. This racy, but youthfully austere Barolo has a ton to offer. There’s more density and a darker profile than in the Le Vigne, sort of like a soloist to Le Vigne’s orchestra.Vinous Media | 97 VMAn integrated and well-crafted Barolo with flowers and lemon peel to the cherry and strawberry aromas. Medium-bodied with chewy tannins and a linear drive throughout. Tight and muscular. Well formed. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 95 JS

Rose, menthol, star anise and baking spice are just some of the aromas that appear on the gorgeous Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 2019. Focused, elegant and savory, the vibrant palate offers juicy red cherry, spiced cranberry, crushed mint and ground clove before a licorice close. A backbone of fine-grained tannins provide support while bright acidity keeps it impeccably balanced and loaded with energy and tension. What a stunner. Drink 2027–2044. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 98 KOThe 2019 Barolo Le Vigne is a historic blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d’Alba, Villero in Castiglione Falletto, Vignane in Barolo and Merli in Novello. This year, a fifth site was added to the final blend. It is the Le Coste MGA in Barolo with south-facing exposures and 45-year-old vines in a two-hectare parcel. The backbone of this wine is Baudana, and Merli adds freshness. The wine needs more time in bottle, but already it proves generous and bold with dark fruit, spice and crushed mineral.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe 2019 Barolo Le Vigne is pure and total seduction. Kirsch, sweet pipe tobacco, mint, cedar, dried herbs and orange peel all grace a Le Vigne built on mid-weight structure and energy. There is a feeling of youthful classicism and austerity that is so beguiling. Readers should plan on being patient, though. The 2019 won’t be ready to drink anytime soon, but there is enough fruit to make me think it will be superb, in time.Vinous Media | 97 VMVery aromatic with hibiscus, crab apple, orange blossom, and ripe strawberry on the nose. Full-bodied, very layered and powerful, yet it remains very fine textured with an intense finish. Slightly more structured than before. Perhaps due to the addition of wines from a new vineyard? Try after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JS

A jeweled ruby/magenta hue, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Rennina shows off smoldering aromas of incense, cigar box, kirsch, lavender, and sage. It transitions to the palate with ease and is approachable, with refined tannins, mouthwatering, seamless acidity, a long-lasting finish, and a hint of warming spices on the back palate. An outstanding and seductive wine, it’s hard to resist now but will have lots of longevity ahead. Drink 2026-2046.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDImpeccably balanced with that proverbial Gaja Madias Touch that always denotes an extra level of creaminess or fruit concentration that fits lock and key with the wine’s acidity and velvety tannic structure, this is a truly gorgeous wine. The Pieve Santa Restituta 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina represents a blend of fruit from sites of various soil compositions and exposures. In this classic vintage, you can count on a wine that is firmly structured and important in terms of mouthfeel, but it also yields to delicate and softer nuances of wild rose, toasted cumin seed, campfire ash and grilled rosemary. The wine sticks to the palate and offers long-lasting black fruit flavors.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPFrom three vineyards directly surrounding the Pieve Santa Restituta winery in Tavernelle, the Rennina bottling is akin to Barbaresco, according to Angelo Gaja. Harvested between 12 September to 1 October, the 2019 definitely mines Sangiovese’s elegant side. Sweet Mediterranean herb nuances of tarragon, mint and sage are joined by cedary oak tones. Shiny, polished and balanced yet with underlying tension, the palate offers red berries tinged with bitter orange peel and tobacco. Finely powdered, clayey tannins cling confidently to the edges, while appetising acidity races through the core. Full, but not heavy and with a satisfying crunch, this will be accessible before the Sugarille but should be at least as long lived.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2019 Pieve Santa Restituta is gorgeous, starting with its aromas of lavender, forest floor, sun-warmed hay, camphor and exotic brown spice. Linear and focused, the savory, elegantly structured palate features ripe Morello cherry, raspberry compote, licorice and cake spice framed in taut, refined tannins that give it a smooth, polished texture. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. To date, this is the best wine I’ve ever had from Gaja’s Montalcino estate. Drink 2027–2039. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 96 KOAromas of sweet cherries, roses, sweet tobacco, and hints of jam. Full and layered. Lots of fruit. Juicy finish. Chewy at the end, and with air it becomes layered and very structured. Cellar it. Give it three or four years. Best after 2027.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina pulls the taster down to the earth with a beguiling blend of crushed ashen stones and grilled herbs, giving way to red plums and violet pastille. It sweeps across the palate with silky textures yet possesses a wiry framework that adds a sultry character. Salty mineral tones complicate its tart red berry fruits. Edgy tannins collect toward the close, inflected by orange hints and a pleasantly bitter tinge that lingers on and on. Currently, the Rennina is all elbows and knees, yet I’m very excited to see where this distinctly savory Brunello is headed.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Combining power, intensity, class and great fruit, Produttori’s 2019 Montestefano Riserva is a phenomenal wine and a quintessential expression of this fantastic cru. It opens with heady aromas of new leather, Alpine herb, pressed rose, ripe dark-skinned berry and forest floor. It has the most Barolo-like structure of all the firm’s crus, delivering ripe Morello cherry, succulent raspberry, licorice and tobacco alongside a network of firm tannins that are more reminiscent of Serralunga than Barbaresco. A magnificent wine, with incredible aging potential. Drink 2031–2049. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 99 KOThe 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano is perhaps the most complete of the 2019 Riservas at this stage. It offers fine depth, plenty of tannin and nascent emerging inner sweetness to tie it all together. A wine of stature and textural depth, the Montestefano is my early favorite in this lineup.Vinous Media | 95 VM

he 2019 Ovello Riserva is succulent and enveloping, offering scents of dark-skinned berry, forest floor, violet and new leather. Full-bodied with impressive structure and fruit, it boasts ripe raspberry, black cherry and licorice supported by firm, close-grained tannins that provide the backbone. Fresh acidity keeps it well balanced. Drink 2029–2044. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 96 KOThe 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is powerful, savory and intensely linear, in classico Ovello style, and yet it appears to have enough fruit behind its imposing tannins to develop well over the coming years. In this tasting, the Ovello feels pretty closed post bottling, but its inherent balance and qualities are there. Clean saline notes extend the finish in promising fashion.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2019 Palafreno, 100% Merlot from Greve’s Ruffoli district, is stunning, not to mention one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted here. Silky, plush and exceptionally vivid in the glass, the Palafreno possesses breathtaking beauty that captivates all the senses. At this early stage, the 2019 is all primary dark fruit, but the layers will start to open with cellaring. Readers who can find it should not hesitate. It’s a real head turner.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis is very polished and structured with a finesse to the tannins which spread across the palate. It’s full-bodied with fine fruit and a driven finish. It needs three or four years to soften and open. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JS(Palafreno- Agricola Querciabella) Querciabella’s Super Tuscan bottling crafted solely from merlot is absolutely beautiful in the 2019 vintage. The wine is fairly ripe in this vintage, coming in at 14.5 percent octane, but shows off its signature purity and precision on both the nose and palate. The beautifully refined bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of sweet dark berries, black plums, tobacco leaf, violets, a gorgeous base of soil, a hint of Tuscan herb tones and a deft foundation of cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a plush core of fruit, excellent mineral undertow, ripe tannins, tangy acids and excellent length and grip on the superbly balanced finish. Like every vintage of Palafreno I have been fortunate enough to taste, the 2019 is built for the long haul and will demand some cellaring to soften up its tannins. But, it will be exceptional once it is ready to drink. (Drink between 2032 - 2075)John Gilman | 95 JGRich and round, this red exudes black cherry, blackberry, wild rosemary and iron flavors. Reveals dense tannins on the finish, leaving a tight feel, yet this lingers. Drink now through 2029. 216 cases made, 20 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS