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This is a floral and elegantly complex edition of this wine with dried meat and leather, iron and graphite, tobacco and dry spices. More elegant palate than the 1990, it has a very fine stream of red fruit and spiced cherries and a central, linear focus. The flavors hold so very long, deeply concentrated and focused. The fruit livens up at the finish and opens very impressively. Drink now.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an awesome wine with the usual Beaucastel meat, earth and game notes backed up by ripe, clean dark fruit aromas. The palate is stunning and shows considerable structure and a precise, almost angular character. Much more structured and precise in the mouth than the 1990, this has a long, beautiful finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 1989 is inkier/purple in color than the 1990, with an extraordinarily sweet, rich personality offering up notes of smoke, melted licorice, black cherries, Asian spices, and cassis. Full-bodied and concentrated, it is one of the most powerful as well as highly extracted Beaucastels I have ever tasted. It requires another 3-4 years to reach its plateau of maturity, where it should remain for at least two decades. (Many purchasers have reported bottle leakage (due to a cork problem) with this vintage. I purchased two cases of this wine, but none of my bottles reveal any sign of leakage. A good friend of mine, Dr. Jay Miller, owner of Bin 604 Wine Sellers in Baltimore, has consistently had a problem with “corked” bottles of the 1989, but no leakage.)Robert Parker | 97 RPPerhaps the greatest Beaucastel ever produced. Has the class and structure of a great vintage of Mouton-Rothschild. Deep, inky in color, with intense herb, plum, game and spice aromas, this full-bodied wine has an explosion of fruit and an iron backbone. Try the beginning of next century.--Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Best from 1995 through 2005. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS(Châteauneuf du Pape- Château Beaucastel) I have always been a fan of the 1989 Château Beaucastel, which I rank just behind the superb 1981 at this fine estate. The most recent bottle I tasted of this wine was still just a touch youthful, but offered up fine complexity on both the nose and palate and shows excellent promise. The bouquet is a blend of roasted fruitcake, cherries, new leather, venison, incipient notes of sous bois, woodsmoke and hot stones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and rock solid at the core, with a bit of tannin still to resolve, fine focus and grip and a very long, classy and slightly chewy finish. I would be tempted to give this wine a few more years to really resolve, as it will be a superb wine and it would be most enjoyable to drink it at the same plateau that the 1981 has been enjoying for a good decade already. (Drink between 2015-2050).John Gilman | 93+ JG

Extremely intense aromas of dried lemons, apples, limes and chalk. Full body, wonderful depth of fruit and density with bright acidity and a layered and rich palate. Yet remains vivid and fresh. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JS(aged for nine years in American oak barrels and then held in bottle for a minimum of eight years before release) Brilliant red. A highly complex, expansive bouquet evokes cherry liqueur, pipe tobacco, incense, vanilla and woodsmoke, accompanied by hints of five-spice powder and licorice in the background. Sweet, expansive and seamless in texture, offering intense cherry-vanilla, spicecake and rose pastille flavors that deepen slowly as the wine opens up. Fully mature but with plenty of life left in it, this wine finishes impressively long, supple and sweet, displaying discreet tannins, resonating spiciness and suave florality. I reviewed this wine five years ago and am very happy to say that it has improved with additional bottle age.Vinous Media | 95 VM

The prodigious 1997 Amarone Vigneto Alto TB is reminiscent of Henri Bonneau’s 1990 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins. The lofty 16% alcohol is barely noticeable. Yields were a minuscule 20 hectoliters per hectare. Sadly, there are only 300 cases of this extraordinary Amarone. It boasts notes of smoke, truffle oil, blackberries, plums, and earthy, concentrated black currant jam. Layered, thick, full-bodied, and dry, with extraordinary purity as well as definition, it is an amazing achievement. While not for everybody, this is a singular, impeccably balanced wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2020.Robert Parker | 96 RP

Another tricky vintage affected by hail and rain during the growing season, but saved by a stretch of sunshine at the end of the summer. This wine is herbaceous but delightful, very elegant and fine. It has delicate cherry lift on the nose, with subtle summer woodland notes. In the mouth it has an overt structure of milk chocolate tannins, framing juicy cherry fruit and hedgerow fruit. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032Decanter | 95 DECDal Forno’s 2002 Amarone is a first-class effort in every way. The wine reveals loads of ripe, generous fruit that flow onto the palate with stunning intensity. This remarkably pure Amarone possesses incredible detail in its dark wild cherries, chocolate, herbs and toasted oak. The tannins build mightily on the finish even if this isn’t one of Dal Forno’s most massive wines. There is a lot of purity and depth here, although the tannins could use a little more polish. At first I thought this might be a relatively early-maturing wine but when I came back to an unopened bottle after two-plus days it had barely budged! Anticipated maturity: 2009-2017.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPDal Forno’s 2002 Amarone is a first-class effort in every way. The wine reveals loads of ripe, generous fruit that flow onto the palate with stunning intensity. This remarkably pure Amarone possesses incredible detail in its dark wild cherries, chocolate, herbs and toasted oak. The tannins build mightily on the finish even if this isn’t one of Dal Forno’s most massive wines. There is a lot of purity and depth here, although the tannins could use a little more polish. At first I though this might be a relatively early-maturing wine but when I came back to an unopened bottle after two-plus days it had barely budged!Vinous Media | 94 VMThis is very balanced and refined with precise tannins and fresh acidity. Full to medium body with integrated tannins and a racy finish. Not as big and muscular as some Amarones from here but all in balance and length. Finesse. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSShows aromas of leather, smoked ham, prune, tarry mineral and dried flowers. An amazing panoply for a 2002, which was a weak vintage. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long, intense, peppery finish. Given the difficulties of the vintage, this is a fine effort by Dal Forno. Drink now through 2016. 910 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSWinemaker Romano Dal Forno fearlessly confronted the soggy 2002 vintage with high extraction techniques and barrique aging (36 months). This is an inky, dense wine (more syrupy than it is vinous) with black currant, peppermill, chocolate fudge and big firm wood tannins. It is so monolithic, a viable food match is virtually impossible. As always, Dal Forno straddles a fine line between brilliance and exaggeration.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

My favorite wine of this quartet is the 2003 Cariad, a proprietary blend (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc) that comes from David Abreu-owned vineyards, primarily the Madrona Ranch in St. Helena. Its dense color is accompanied by a big, sweet bouquet of charcoal, white chocolate, spring flowers, meaty, blueberry and blackberry fruit. This stunningly complex, rich, full-bodied 2003 is just entering its plateau of full maturity. Drink this beauty over the next 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 97 RPA Bordeaux blend based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the grapes for this stunning wine came from David Abreu’s vineyard in the St. Helena foothills. It’s very complex, softer, more open and approachable than Colgin’s 100% Cabs, with a flamboyant spectrum of cherries, framboise, cocoa, violets, gingerbread and spices framed in supple, fine tannins. Beautiful, a feminine wine of great beauty. Drink now through 2015.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEGood deep ruby-red. Aromas of blackcurrant, licorice, mocha and menthol offer great lift. Then superripe and densely packed, with great sweetness and inner-mouth aromatic character. The flavors of black cherry and leather are given definition by a strong element of liquid stone. Finishes extremely long, with lush, suave tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VMRich and complete, yet shows the signs of the vintage with its austerity. Dense, with earthy currant, black cherry and wild berry fruit that’s tight and compact. Finishes with tight tannins and persistent flavors that return to the currant and earth themes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2007 through 2012. 500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Monte Lodoletta Amarone is an exercise in extraction. The wine is absolutely black. Aromas are concentrated and intense and the wine is equally enormous in the mouth thanks to the extraction, oak, fruit and the hot climatic conditions associated with this vintage. Drink after 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDal Forno’s 2003 Amarone is a joy to taste. Today it is surprisingly much more accessible than the Valpolicella in this vintage. Inviting aromatics lead to a sumptuous expression of dark fruit, bitter chocolate, minerals, licorice, tar and smoke. The wine possesses stunning depth and a finish that lasts forever. A few years of bottle age will allow the wine to acquire additional complexity, but this remains one of the more accessible Amarones (in relative terms) that Dal Forno has made in the recent past. According to Dal Forno, the 2003 Amarone has a touch more residual sugar than is the norm here (owing to the hot vintage), which is the main reason the wine remains relatively accessible. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.All of these wines from Romano Dal Forno require significant aeration to show the true breadth of this passionate grower’s innovative style. Ideally the wines should be cellared for a minimum of a few years. Readers in search of short-term gratification are advised to open these bottles at least eight to ten hours before serving. This also holds for the Valpolicella, which has become an especially massive, structured wine after Dal Forno started producing it from 100% dried fruit in the 2002 vintage. Dal Forno favors 100% new American oak for his wines, although in recent years he has brought the aging regime down considerably.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPDal Forno’s 2003 Amarone is a joy to taste. Today it is surprisingly much more accessible than the Valpolicella in this vintage. Inviting aromatics lead to a sumptuous expression of dark fruit, bitter chocolate, minerals, licorice, tar and smoke. The wine possesses stunning depth and a finish that lasts forever. A few years of bottle age will allow the wine to acquire additional complexity, but this remains one of the more accessible Amarones (in relative terms) that Dal Forno has made in the recent past. According to Dal Forno, the 2003 Amarone has a touch more residual sugar than is the norm here (owing to the hot vintage), which is the main reason the wine remains relatively accessible.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThis has a great nose, with loads of peppery, meaty dried black fruit, fig and floral aromas, with an array of spices, fresh herbs and violet. Full-bodied, concentrated and chewy, with a long, intense finish. Built to age. Best after 2011. 940 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSDal Forno’s practice of using older parcels of vines for his Amarone paid off in 2003, with the more established plants able to better withstand the drought conditions of the vintage. This has aromas of dark, plummy fruit, while the palate pairs a rich mouthfeel with grippy tannins. It’s soft and very textured, with juicy blackberry followed by violet and wild herb overtones and a chocolatey finish. Surprisingly accessible considering its massive scale. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032Decanter | 94 DEC