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The 2016 Las Posadas is a stunning Howell Mountain wine. Inky, rich and hedonistically beautiful, the 2016 is simply magnificent. Crème de cassis, chocolate, menthol, licorice, lavender, cloves, mint, graphite and crushed rocks are all amped up in the glass. Unctuous, creamy and super-expressive, the Posadas captures the opulence of Howell Mountain. It is simply magnificent in every way.Vinous Media | 100 VMA blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Las Posadas Proprietary Red is an amazing effort that’s just entering what will be an extended drinking window. Gorgeous notes of blueberries, black cherries and mulberries appear on the nose, joined by a subtle leafiness (tobacco? bay?) that helps to temper the sweet nature of the fruit and bring a more savory, food-friendly quality to the wine. It’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a stunningly long finish that manages to be both velvety and vibrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPBlueberries and blackberries with fresh herbs and hints of walnuts and almonds. Some crushed stones. Full body and tight, chewy tannins. Dark fruit and resin and cedar undertones. Extremely long and flavorful. Finely crafted. Drink after 2022.James Suckling | 99 JSFeatures seemingly endless waves of steeped blackberry, warmed fig and cassis flavors rolling through, supported by graphite girders and ornately laced with charcoal, dark bay leaf, alder and tar notes. The fruit and earth elements meld seamlessly through the rock-solid finish. As beautiful as it is large-scaled, this is built for cellaring. Next level. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. Best from 2022 through 2042. 319 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2016 Las Posadas comes from a higher elevation site on Howell Mountain and has an undeniable mountain fruit structure as well as intensity. Stunning notes of pure crème de cassis, hot asphalt, bay leaf, black olives, and a touch of beef blood all emerge from this big, rich, full-bodied powerhouse. It’s loaded with potential, has huge tannins, a mountain of fruit, and a great, great finish. It’s almost impenetrable, though, and needs a solid 7-8 years or more of cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JD

A perfect wine in every sense, the 2016 Madrona Ranch comes from a site at the base of Spring Mountain and is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It does everything right, with a magical bouquet of currants, ground herbs, licorice, graphite, spice, and who knows what else. These all carry to a massive 2016 that has a layered, multi-dimensional texture, building tannins, a colossal mid-palate, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s another heavenly wine from a great terroir and a great winemaker! Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 30-40 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis is phenomenal. The precision and brightness is amazing with ultra-fine tannins that are so polished and so beautiful. Full to medium body and fabulous fruit. Wonderful length and beauty. The purity and balance is incredible. Dark berries, walnuts and dark chocolate. Makes you want to drink it now, but be patient and revel in the greatness. Try after 2022.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2016 Madrona Ranch is fabulous. Rich, dense and creamy, the 2016 is remarkably finessed from the very first taste. Rose petal, mint, spice, gravel, red cherry and blood orange are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass, but more than anything else the Madrona Ranch is a wine of extraordinary balance and allure. Don’t miss it!Vinous Media | 99 VMOn the brooding side at first, with a core of dark fig and black currant paste flavors, ensconced in cocoa and roasted alder notes. A warm, loamy underpinning emerges steadily through the muscular finish, gaining a creamy feel and extra chestnut, tobacco, licorice root and tar elements with air. This relies on a seriously profound bass line, so just check your subwoofer before hitting play. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2042. 345 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2016 Madrona Ranch Proprietary Red comes from David Abreu’s first vineyard love, located in St. Helena at the base of Spring Mountain (visitors to Newton Vineyards traverse the property). Like so many other great full-bodied reds, it’s massively concentrated and rich yet also possesses a certain lightness and elegance, so that it never seems heavy or overdone. Marked by cassis and dark-chocolate notes, it’s wonderfully satisfying, with a long, velvety finish and soft layers of ripe tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP

Another perfect wine is the 2016 Thorevilos, and my notes on this beauty were laced with expletives. Full-bodied, mammoth-sized aromas and flavors of cassis, crushed flowers, dark chocolate, rare meat, and Asia spices all emerge from the glass. With incredible mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a seamless texture, it has flawless integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity, no hard edges, and that rare mix of power and elegance. It’s already hard to resist yet will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 20-30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDPhenomenal aromas of blackberries, fresh lavender, orange peel and hints of asphalt. Walnut shell, too. Full-bodied, firm and super structured with wonderful, chewy tannins and purity of fruit at the end. A joy to taste, even drink now, but needs time to come around. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2016 Thorevilos has developed into a very sexy, racy wine. I don’t remember a young Thorevilos being this approachable. Rose petal, mint, sage, dried flowers and mint are some of the many notes that open up with a bit of time in the glass. This is such a gorgeous and totally compelling wine. In a word: superb.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis vineyard lies east of the St Helena AVA, but it isn’t high enough in elevation to be considered part of the Howell Mountain AVA. Don’t let the Napa Valley AVA fool you—this vineyard, now rechristened as Ecotone, is a top site, with lots of rock and white soils derived from volcanic ash. The 2016 Thorevilos Proprietary Red features scents of pine needles and rosemary accenting mixed berries and cassis, plus darker notions of chocolate and French roast. Full-bodied, rich and velvety in texture, it finishes long, smooth and savory, adding notes of black olives and earth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPA stunner, with a seriously deep, dark core of warmed blackberry, black currant and fig paste flavors coursing along, laced with bay leaf, cassis bush, roasted alder, smoldering charcoal, cast iron and stone notes. The tarry structure will carry this through what should be a very slow evolution. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2040. 317 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

Beautifully fresh, lifted and disarming on the nose, you react with a smile without thinking, like with so many of the best 2016s. At this stage there's liquorice, a little black pepper and some floral overtones alongside a little grilled toast. It's full-bodied, you feel the sun in the wine, and it's so concentrated. Tannins are wonderfully glossy and fine, the wine is saturated with them, they coat your mouth. Long finish with real persistence. Perfectly balanced, utterly harmonious, this will be a panoramic Châteauneuf when it's ready. Not overblown or overextracted - perfectly pitched. Drinking Window 2023 - 2070.Decanter | 100 DECThe flagship is the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin, 75% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah, 10% Grenache, and the rest Counoise, brought up all in foudre. Blueberries, Peking duck, new saddle leather, black cherries, scorched earth, and an incredible sense of minerality all flow to a massive, concentrated, pure, perfectly balanced 2016 that is a prime example of the old saying, “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” It's a heavenly, perfect wine that's going to live for 30-50 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA more savory, moody, strong expression. Deeply rich nose with minerals, flowers, wild herbs, tar, toasted spices and pepper. The dark berries have a smoky edge. Minerally edge, too, thanks to the 60 per cent mourvèdre. The palate has glossy, ripe and super-fine tannins in sheets. Deep-set, dark plums and blueberries in the finish. Noble tannins. Age-worthy.James Suckling | 100 JSTasted three weeks after bottling, I couldn't quite bring myself to give the elusive three-digit score to this admittedly super wine. Perhaps once the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin has been in bottle a bit longer, as Mourvèdre seems to go into a bit of a funk when recently bottled. For now, it's merely profound, packing in savory, mossy nuances, hints of exotic dried spices like star anise and cardamom and layers of rich, plummy fruit that manage to be full-bodied and deliciously intense without being weighty or overwrought. Creamy, lush, intense and long, it's a tdf (tour de force) in CdP.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPDeep vivid magenta. A highly complex bouquet displays candied black and blue fruits, incense and musky earth aromas; violet, licorice and Indian spice notes build in the glass. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering deeply concentrated, mineral-laced blueberry, cherry compote, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors that are given spicy lift and bite by a late peppery flourish. Tightens up slowly on a strikingly long, chewy, floral-driven finish framed by dusty, steadily building tannins.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis delivers a torrent of lively raspberry pâte de fruit and plum reduction notes, infused liberally with anise, fruitcake and black tea nuances. Ripe and dense, yet lively, defined and fresh in feel, coursing over graphite and leather accents on the well-structured finish. Best from 2021 through 2045. 52 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

Moving to the single vineyard releases, the 2016 Melbury is pure perfection in a glass and is the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted. Awesome notes of cassis, blackcurrants, toasted bread, white flowers, and spice give way to an ethereal, seamless, yet opulent wine that has that rare mix of power and elegance possessed by all truly great wines. Full-bodied, concentrated, and with building yet perfectly ripe tannins, do your best to give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age. It will evolve effortlessly for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDBlueberries, forest floor, and hints of fresh flowers on the nose. Full-bodied, very dense and polished with amazingly tight and integrated fruit. Persistent finish. The tannins melt into the wine. Complete. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2016 Melbury is powerful and yet medium in body, with layers of exotic spice, dark red cherry, blood orange, leather, licorice and star anise that give it an exotic character I don’t remember seeing in the past. Despite its mid-weight profile, the Melbury has plenty of supporting structure. Over the last year, the Melbury has gained a bit of weight, but remains quite focused. Sometimes the Melbury suffers by being the first vineyard-designate poured at Bond. Its remarkable allure is evident nonetheless. This is an impressive showing.Vinous Media | 98 VMOverlooking Lake Hennessy up on Pritchard Hill, Melbury vineyard has produced a beautifully elegant and vivacious signature in 2016, which clearly reveals the personality that this incredible site tends to want to give. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Melbury comes bounding out of the glass with expressive black and red currants notes followed by wild blueberries, warm plums, pencil shavings and wild sage plus wafts of lavender and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is practically electric with energetic fruit, framed by firm, grainy tannins and invigorating freshness, finishing long and minerally.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPFeaturing currant and fig notes, this offers a juicy, slightly rounded feel, revealing melted licorice, sweet tobacco and warm gravel accents along the way. Shows most of its muscle on the finish and shuts down a bit in the glass, indicating that cellaring is required. Best from 2022 through 2040. 370 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

This is really crazy with decadent and opulent aromas of dark fruit and sliced meat. Hints of dried fruit, too. Sexy. Full-bodied with firm and silky tannins that fan out into the wine and deliver a beautiful frame and focus. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 100 JSAlways a “Wow” wine, the 2016 Quella doesn’t disappoint, showing its classic, savory, mineral style as well as stunning notes of blueberries, plums, spice box, herbs de Provence, and melted licorice. This full-bodied, ripe, powerful wine has a wealth of tannins yet leans on its depth of fruit and opulence at the moment. It needs 7-8 years of bottle age, but it’s a rock star Napa Valley Cabernet that will keep for 3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2016 Quella is bright, focused and also one of the more tightly wound wines in this range today. Savory and aromatic, the Quella impresses for its precision and captivating beauty. Intensely savory and aromatic, the 2016 is a Cabernet built on energy and tension. Time in the glass brings out a range of licorice, sage, spice, tobacco and cedar overtones, but more than anything else, the Quella is a wine of completeness and harmony that has really come together well over the last year.Vinous Media | 97 VMDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Quella slips seductively out of the glass with notes of warm black plums, blueberry preserves, licorice and crème de cassis with suggestions of wild sage, pencil lead, camphor and Marmite toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is like a tightly wound spring, featuring bags of black fruit and earthy nuances and a solid, grainy frame, finishing long and refreshing.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPDistinctive, with aromatic savory, sassafras and bay leaf notes leading off, followed quickly by rich yet supple waves of mulled currant and blackberry fruit. A singed juniper accent threads up the finish, with ample acidity and tannins on the finish. Shows good character. Best from 2021 through 2038. 475 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

This is the second 100-point Vigna Le Rocche, following the 2015. What the former had in intensity of fruit and transparency, this has in structure and power. The purity of fruit is sensational in this young Barolo, offering blackberries, black truffle and iron. Rust too. This is so tannic and powerful with incredible structure. This may be the most structured Barolo from Bruno Giacosa I have ever tasted as a young wine. Speechless. Full-bodied and so intense, yet it remains fresh and agile. Traditional in every sense of the word, but this is clear and clean. A classic in the making. It will be in the market January 2022. Leave this for at least six to eight years. Try in 2027.James Suckling | 100 JSThe Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d’Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP

The 2016 Carmes de Rieussec is absolutely gorgeous. Hints of passionfruit, pineapple and mint all run through this gracious Sauternes. Medium in body, open-knit and accessible, the 2016 is easy to drink and enjoy right now. The 2016 Carmes is an absolutely delicious second wine from Rieussec that emphasizes freshness and immediacy. Residual sugar is relatively modest at 120 grams per liter.Vinous Media | 92 VMPale lemon in color, the 2016 Carmes de Rieussec features notes of candied orange peel and honey-drizzled peaches with touches of beeswax and lemon curd. The palate is rich with a lovely line of freshness cutting though the stone fruit layers, finishing on a spicy note.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPSweet honey, lemon rind and cooked pineapple. Medium sweet, medium-bodied and an easy finish with toffee and caramel undertones to the cooked fruit. Second wine of Rieussec. Drink in 2021.James Suckling | 91 JSPacked with ripe, honeyed Sémillon, this wine has richness while also keeping plenty of freshness. Acidity and a crisp edge are balanced with the intense orange marmalade and spice flavors that will make this wine develop well. Drink from 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WENot yet bottled, the 2016 Carmes de Rieussec offers a medium to full-bodied, ripe, sweetly fruited, moderately honeyed style. This was a good, not great year for Sauternes due to the difficulty in the development of botrytis, but this has good purity, impressive balance, and is certainly delicious. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 90-92 JDA quince and pineapple nose is followed by passion fruit and white peach flesh in the mouth. It’s a lovely fresh and floral Sauternes.Decanter | 90 DEC

Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2016 Climens is a little youthfully mute, revealing notions of ripe peaches, mango and musk melon with touches of cedar chest, orange blossoms, candied ginger and baking bread. Bursting in the mouth with vibrant, energetic stone fruit and tropical layers, it is framed by fantastic freshness, finishing long and creamy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPMy favourite sweet wine at the tasting (including Yquem). Already glorious, this will live decades. Burnished gold hue, botrytis notes on the nose, some leafy, spicy, lemongrass hints and a palate with just the right balance between lusciousness and freshness. Extremely subtle oak. A wonderful Barsac to drink between now and 2060.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2016 Climens has a wonderful bouquet similar to my last bottle, more expressive now with orange pith, wild honey and quince. Like before it opens wonderfully in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with fine definition, fresh and vibrant with a creamy honeyed texture, praline and apricot, on the seductive finish. Superb. Tasted at the Climens vertical at the château in April 2022.Vinous Media | 94 VMExpressive, with peach, mirabelle plum, mango and pear fruit flavors running along in unison, lacing with light bitter almond and orange notes and a flash of honeysuckle. Best from 2022 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Deep ruby-colored and offering a heavenly bouquet of black raspberries, toasted spiced, cured meats, licorice, and cured meats, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Combes des Fous is awesome on the palate, with a silky, seamless profile that just keeps on going. Possessing ultra-fine tannin, no hard edges, and a huge finish, it’s a phenomenal bottle of wine. The fact that it was bottled just one month ago makes this showing even more impressive.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDSaturated ruby. An exotically perfumed, highly complex bouquet evokes raspberry preserves, smoky minerals, Moroccan spices and incense. Supple, palate-staining red and dark berry liqueur and floral pastille flavors show superb depth, sharp delineation and an energizing undercurrent of smoky minerality. Manages to be at once rich and lively and finishes with outstanding clarity, well-knit tannins and resonating floral and mineral qualities.Vinous Media | 96 VMFrom a single exposed hilltop parcel, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% each Cinsault and Vaccarèse. As the Syrah was aged in wood, there's a hint of campfire smoke here, plus layers of rich, voluptuous plummy fruit. Full-bodied and velvety in texture, this is more concentrated than even the Vieilles Vignes bottling, but it's not that much better in terms of overall quality or longevity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA dark and winey style, featuring intense raspberry and black currant preserve flavors coiled up with singed cedar, dried anise and rooibos tea notes. A lightly dusty, lavender-infused structure runs through the finish.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA searching, seductive nose of raspberry, loganberry and camphor, inlaid with spices. Full-bodied and opulently textured, the fruit and alcohol sweetness is matched by high acidity, while the tannins are velvety and gentle. The nose is particularly compelling, and I'd recommend drinking this young to enjoy its full impact rather than cellaring for any great length of time. A very rich style that would be better to share amongst a group rather than between a couple. 10% new oak. Drinking Window 2018 - 2026Decanter | 93 DEC

Deep ruby-colored and offering a heavenly bouquet of black raspberries, toasted spiced, cured meats, licorice, and cured meats, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Combes des Fous is awesome on the palate, with a silky, seamless profile that just keeps on going. Possessing ultra-fine tannin, no hard edges, and a huge finish, it’s a phenomenal bottle of wine. The fact that it was bottled just one month ago makes this showing even more impressive.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDSaturated ruby. An exotically perfumed, highly complex bouquet evokes raspberry preserves, smoky minerals, Moroccan spices and incense. Supple, palate-staining red and dark berry liqueur and floral pastille flavors show superb depth, sharp delineation and an energizing undercurrent of smoky minerality. Manages to be at once rich and lively and finishes with outstanding clarity, well-knit tannins and resonating floral and mineral qualities.Vinous Media | 96 VMFrom a single exposed hilltop parcel, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% each Cinsault and Vaccarèse. As the Syrah was aged in wood, there’s a hint of campfire smoke here, plus layers of rich, voluptuous plummy fruit. Full-bodied and velvety in texture, this is more concentrated than even the Vieilles Vignes bottling, but it’s not that much better in terms of overall quality or longevity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA searching, seductive nose of raspberry, loganberry and camphor, inlaid with spices. Full-bodied and opulently textured, the fruit and alcohol sweetness is matched by high acidity, while the tannins are velvety and gentle. The nose is particularly compelling, and I’d recommend drinking this young to enjoy its full impact rather than cellaring for any great length of time. A very rich style that would be better to share amongst a group rather than between a couple. 10% new oak.Decanter | 93 DEC

This is a monumental lineup from what is undeniably one of the greatest producers in the world today, and there are three perfect wines from this estate. Looking first at the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill, which comes from a tiny, cooler, north facing vineyard in St. Helena that was originally planted in 1881 by Josephine Tychson, it’s 95% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, bottled in May of this year. Its saturated purple color is followed by a sensational perfume of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite, and hints of licorice. This gives way to a full-bodied, concentrated, powerful wine that has beautiful mid-palate depth and concentration, an utter seamlessness, elegance, and balance that’s hard to describe, awesome purity of fruit, and a finish that won’t quit. This is Napa Valley Cabernet at its finest and one of the great Cabernet Sauvignons of the past century. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, a decade if you can, and it will keep for 30-40 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis is the first vintage with fruit from Josephine’s Hill included. This 2.38-acre north-facing hillside vineyard seems to have this incredible ability to retain all its flavor nuances with extended hang-time. By comparison, the rest of the Tychson Hill vineyard is planted to a gentler slope. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard has gorgeous floral notions of lilacs, lavender and roses with sandalwood and cinnamon stick sparks over a core of cassis, blackberry pie, kirsch and redcurrant jelly plus a waft of cigar boxes. The full-bodied palate is rich, concentrated, expressive and velvety, offering seamless freshness to lift and entice the mid-palate, finishing very, very long with some savory notions starting to unfurl. It is one of those wines that is so unique, expressive and perfect in every way that it sets your heart racing with every sip.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThis is really ethereal with blackberries, hazelnuts, fresh flowers and chocolate. Full body and a fine, horizontal mouthfeel. So classic and extraordinary. Great finish. Better after 2022, but hard not to drink this now.James Suckling | 99 JSColgin's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill is fabulous. Rich, dense and beautifully textured, the 2016 possesses tremendous nuance and pure class. An exotic mélange of super-ripe dark cherry, plum, spice, rose petal and mocha develop effortlessly, but it is the wine's balance that really stands out most. I imagine the 2016 will give readers a broad window of pure drinking pleasure. This is a super-refined, polished vintage for the Tychson Hill.Vinous Media | 98 VMYouthfully dense, with a broad swath of tobacco and ganache up front, this slowly reveals a pure, large-scale core of raspberry, red currant and plum fruit. This moves slowly and authoritatively through the fine-grained finish, gilded with anise and graphite details. To be released March 2020. Best from 2021 through 2035. 550 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2016 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine is blended of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it has wonderful purity of black fruits—preserved plums, blackcurrants and black raspberries—with nuances of iron ore, crushed rocks, fertile loam, cedar chest and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, concentrated, muscular and built like a brick house, it has very firm, grainy tannins and refreshing acidity, finishing incredibly long and mineral. This should be very, very long lived.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe highlight in this range today, the 2016 Cariad is utterly magnificent. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot give the wine soaring aromatic intensity and striking savoriness to play off the racy, forward fruit. Time in barrel has done wonders to meld all the elements together. Today, the Cariad is dense, explosive and super-expressive. And yet my sense is that the 2016 still has quite a bit of room to grow. Even at this early stage, the 2016 is a total stunner. The symbiosis of David Abreu fruit and Allision Tauziet’s winemaking makes for an electric, unforgettable 2016. Don’t miss it.Vinous Media | 100 VMAmazing aromas of dark fruit and sweet, subtle tobacco. Complex. Multidimensional. Hypnotic. Full-bodied, very plush and rich on the palate with layers of fruit and tannins. Yet, it remains cool.James Suckling | 98 JSComing from the Madrona Ranch and a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, the 2016 Cariad is a more powerful, concentrated, burly effort that has a massive amount of black and blue fruits, charcoal, savory herbs, and graphite-like aromas and flavors. This beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, loads of tannins, a deep, stacked mid-palate, and a huge finish. Where the Tychson Hill is power married to elegance, this beauty is more power and structure. It needs at least a decade of cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDRich and very suave in style, with a gorgeous core of pure plum, blackberry and cassis notes sailing through the long finish, which is supported by a well-buried graphite edge that allows the creamy feel to gain the upper hand while keeping everything grounded. A beautiful display of restrained power. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. To be released March 2020. Best from 2021 through 2035. 750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot from this picture-perfect property above Lake Hennessey, Colgin’s 2016 IX Estate is a stunning effort. Subtle herbal nuances, including hints of of licorice, intertwine among bunches of black cherries and pencil shavings to form a dusting atop baskets of cassis. Complex and intense, this full-bodied wine is almost creamy in texture, with tannins so fine-grained as to almost be liquid in feel, then becoming silky on the elegant, lingering finish. Wow.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPAnother perfect wine is the 2016 IX Estate, which is made from 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, all from the hillside vineyard at the estate, high up on Pritchard Hill. It’s another ethereal, pure, seamless wine that does everything right. Huge notes of crème de cassis, ground herbs and tobacco, graphite, chocolate, and spring flower notes all emerge from this full-bodied 2016 that has building tannins, incredible depth of fruit, no hard edges, and a terrific finish. I wrote “wow” three times in my notes on this beauty. Hide bottles for 3-5 years if you can, and it’s capable of lasting for 3-4 decades. It’s another magical wine from winemaker Allison Tauziet that just could not be any better.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDAromas of blackberries, black truffles, burnt orange peel, forest floor and blueberries. Decadent. Full to medium body. The tannins are so tight and dense with super fine and caressing texture. An amazing, mesmerizing wine. Drinkable and glorious, but better after 2022.James Suckling | 100 JSFounded in 1992 by art expert and auctioneer Ann Colgin, Colgin makes three tiny production wines of which their IX Estate (pronounced Nine Estate) is the best known. IX Estate is located in the eastern mountains at about 1,200 feet. In warm vintages, the wines are powerful, lush, and textural. In slightly cooler years, they can take on incredible beauty and precision. The 2016 (which also includes a small amount of petit verdot) is darkly savory, spicy, and minerally, with a compelling lit-from-within quality. What winemaker Allison Tauziet called herbes de Napa adds a complex subliminal note of mountain bay laurel, sage, and chaparral.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECThe 2016 IX Estate is a total knock-out. A wine of exceptional balance and harmony, the 2016 is stunning from the very first taste. Nothing really stands out. Instead, it is the wine’s sense of proportion that makes the most lasting impression. Seamless, layered and voluptuous to the core, the 2016 has so much to offer. Bright Pritchard Hill acids and minerality are felt on the persistent, beautifully sculpted finish.Vinous Media | 97+ VMLush and warm in feel, with gorgeous fig, black currant and dark plum fruit that rolls through in harmonious waves against a backdrop of loam, alder and smoldering cast iron notes. Not shy on power, latent cut and inner freshness, this just needs time to unwind fully. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2021 through 2038. 1,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

Harvested from a small parcel, less than four acres, this wine is in perfect condition. It is balanced, with white fruit and citrus coming together, led by the acidity. It is developing into a full, ripe wine. Wait until 2019.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE(Pouilly-Fumé “Clos des Chaudoux”- Domaine Serge Dagueneau et Fille) The 2016 Clos des Chaudoux Domaine Serge and Valerie Dagueneau is an outstanding bottle of Pouilly-Fumé. This is unique in the family’s lineup, as these fifty-five year-old sauvignon blanc vines are actually planted on terres blanches limestone, rather than flint. The wine is quite tropical in its fruit complexion in 2016, offering up notes of pineapple, tangerine, just a touch of damp grass, beautiful chalky minerality and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and complex, with plenty of secondary development already showing, but coupled to a good girdle of acidity and plenty of cut and grip on the long finish. With the frosts of 2016, this wine may be just a touch idiosyncratically styled in this vintage, but it has depth, beaucoups complexity and impressive backend length. I decanted the wine to let it blossom and consume some of its initial aromatic oddities, and I really liked the wine after that. It is never going to make you forget a great vintage of Didier Dagueneau’s Pur Sang, but it is loaded with personality all the same! (Drink between 2019-2030)John Gilman | 91 JG

The 2016 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is quite possibly the single greatest wine I have tasted in more than twenty years I have been coming here, with the possible exception of the 1989s and 1990s. Deep and powerful, but not at all heavy, the 2016 dazzles from the very first taste. Dark cherry/plum fruit, menthol, lavender, licorice and mocha saturate the palate in a Barolo of extraordinary richness and intensity. The 2016 spent four years in 100% new oak, and yet there is no trace at all of wood. Magnificent!Vinous Media | 100 VMShows an initial impression of vanilla and spices, especially in the aromas, yet underneath is a solid line of cherry, raspberry, wild scrub and iron flavors. An elegant and intense red, with refined tannins and a lingering, nervy finish. Best from 2026 through 2045. 650 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The quality of the 2016 Proprietary Red Wine shouldn’t surprise anyone. This estate rarely misses a beat, and in a great vintage like 2016, they’ve made a perfect wine. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as extraordinary notes of crème de cassis, blackcurrants, herbes de Provence, tobacco, graphite, and a who knows what else, this beauty hits the palate with a deep, powerful, full-bodied style that has enough structure to warrant a decade of cellaring. The purity is off the charts, it builds incrementally on the palate, and has a finish that won’t quit. Reminding me a little of the 2013, yet with a touch more elegance, do your best to hide bottles for at least 5-7 years and it’s going to keep for 30-40 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis is so tight and vibrant with a huge amount of detail and precision, coupled with density and brightness, superb length and class. The tannins are horizontal and so polished. The most refined, harmonious and focused Harlan ever? Subtle strength in this wine. You can drink it now or age it for years ahead.James Suckling | 100 JSThe deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Harlan Estate comes charging out of the glass, brandishing bold, opulent blackberry pie, warm cassis and blueberry preserves notes with hints of cigar box, Indian spices, crushed rocks and forest floor plus fragrant accents of lavender and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, with a solid line of super ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the layer upon layer of savory and earth-inspired notions, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Impressively structured, incredibly nuanced and possessing all this latent tension, this brazen beauty is set to live for a good 60 years and possibly more!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPA wine of tremendous breeding and pure stature, the 2016 Harlan Estate reaches dizzying heights of profound beauty. All the elements simply fall into place in an effortless, elegant Harlan Estate that really captures the essence of the year. Sweet tobacco, spice, menthol and mocha overtones give the 2016 beguiling aromatic presence to match its layered, sumptuous personality. More than anything else, the 2016 is a fabulous example of the Harlan Estate of today, an era in which finesse is just as prized as intensity.Vinous Media | 98 VMA warm, seductive and creamy wine, with dark fig and blackberry puree flavors, liberally laced with cocoa, dark tobacco and licorice root notes Very polished in feel overall, but a lovely echo of dark earth augments the fruit through the finish. A bit exotic, but also undeniable. Best from 2022 through 2042. 2,350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

A beguiling mix of camphor and minty herbs, along with crushed stone, blows off slowly to reveal dark depths of black raspberry, licorice, autumnal spice and worn leather as the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli unfolds in the glass. Its textures are unexpectedly soft and velvety-smooth, coupled with depths of intense red fruits that make an appearance just before a mix of brisk acids and tannins creates a more tactile and youthfully clenching expression toward the finale. This leaves the palate aching under the 2016’s structural heft, yet with plenty of primary concentration to balance, as wild savory herbs and earthy mineral tones linger for up to a minute. The potential here is off the charts, but readers will need to be very patient. The Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a cru selection of old vines that refines for 48 months in large French oak barrels of 33–52 hectoliters.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis is the top-shelf wine from Il Poggione, and it’s a must-have bottle for those who collect wines from this celebrated estate. From an icon vintage, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is a beauty. It stands at the intersection of intensity, elegance and power. The fruit is shapely and dense with plenty of blackberry and black cherry, and you also get savory touches of campfire ash, tar, licorice, ferrous earth and balsam herb. Honestly, you get it all, including that distinctive Brunello power and abundance that is not easily achieved with such careful balance. The finish is structured, fresh and long, and with more time in the glass, the leathery or savory aromas become more pronounced (as does the alcohol). Production is 40,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA beam of pure cherry permeates this sleek, elegant red, shaded by floral, mineral, wild herb and orange zest accents. Well-delineated and long, this has the balance, grip and intensity for a long life ahead. Best from 2025 through 2045. 3,300 cases made, 750 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe estate’s oldest plot, Vigna Paganelli is a 12-hectare vineyard planted in 1964. It boasts a rich diversity of old Sangiovese clones which are used for newer plantings. Spiced plum, cured leather and a roll-call of marjoram, tarragon and basil beckon generously. Though hefty in size, this carries its girth with charming ease. There is a richness and sweetness to the fruit, while ripe, granular tannins provide a framework. A mineral edge emerges underneath all the layers. It will be hard to resist young, but I suspect intricate details will become more apparent in time. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040.Decanter | 96 DECCedar, forest floor and new leather aromas come to the forefront along with violet and dried botanical herbs. Full-bodied and enveloping, the savory palate delivers dried cherry, orange zest, licorice and white pepper framed in velvety tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe freshness and depth are impressive, with floral, dark-berry and cherry character that follows through to a full body with chewy tannins that are polished and solid. Flavorful at the end. Needs time to soften. Best after 2024.James Suckling | 94 JS

The current 2016 Jesús Yllera is floral and perfumed and is evolving nicely and absorbing the oak, coming through as both elegant and powerful, with fully developed flavors and a polished palate. It’s sleek and balanced. 145,000 bottles were filled in July of 2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2016 La Prade bursts boldly from the glass with notions of chocolate-covered cherries, blueberry compote and plum preserves with suggestions of eucalyptus, espresso, licorice and cedar chest plus a waft of violets. Full-bodied, rich and plushly textured, the decadent black fruit and spicy layers deliver a very long, impactful finish. This is so tempting to drink right now, but it will age beautifully.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPThe 2016 La Prade hits the palate with serious depth and intensity. A rush of inky blue/purplish fruit, spice, menthol, crème de cassis, and bittersweet chocolate melds together in this unctuous, super-expressive wine. Creamy, silky tannins enrobe this decidedly rich, flamboyant Côtes de Bordeaux. The 2016 finishes with terrific weight and substance. All of the elements are nicely fused together. Tasted three times.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGStately and restrained, this has a clear sense of minerality and salinity. An enjoyable wine matured in 33% new oak of both 225’ and 500l sizes. Great quality. Drinking Window 2019 - 2028.Decanter | 91 DECBold tannins and ripe fruit are the hallmarks of this rich wine from the Nicolas Thienpont range. A solid structure backs up the ripe black-currant flavors. The wine will certainly age well, so wait until 2021.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEThis is integrated and lightly chewy with dark berries and light chocolate and some hazelnuts. Medium body. Fresh finish. A blend of 88 per cent merlot and 12 per cent cabernet franc. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

The 2016 Le Dome is a brilliant, brilliant wine that does everything right. Sporting a saturated purple color, it has a huge perfume of blueberries, spring flowers, graphite, wet stone, and camphor. Incredibly layered and complex, with full body, building, ultra-fine tannins, a multi-dimensional texture, and a monster finish, it’s unquestionably one of the most flamboyant, sexy, opulent wines in the vintage yet stays ethereal, elegant, and weightless. Coming from a site not far from Angélus and a unique blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot from tiny yields, aged in 80% new oak, it has the class and fruit to shine even today but will be better with 3-4 years of cellaring and I suspect capable of lasting for 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis 80% Cabernet Franc wine may be massive, but it is also perfumed with swathes of opulent black fruit. It comes from a great year for Cabernet Franc, which forms 75% of this vineyard. Juicy acidity gives the wine a velvet character that is enticing. It needs time, , so wait to drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEThe 2016 Le Dome is comprised of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, aged in 80% new French oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it slips sensuously out of the glass with compelling notions of red roses, candied violets, chocolate box and Chinese five spice with a core of kirsch, blackberry tart, warm plums, black raspberries and cloves plus wafts of cigar box and orange peel. Full bodied—the palate is positively electric with energy—it gives layer upon layer of perfumed black raspberries and mineral sparks, framed by super ripe, firm, finely grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing very long and very fragrant. It has 15% alcohol, but so beautifully harmonious you would never guess it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPWith ripe berries and decadent undertones, this wine is really alluring on the nose. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a very, very pretty and energized finish. Yes. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2016 Le Dôme is absolutely gorgeous. Even thought the 2016 is very much tightly wound, it is still super-expressive. Crushed rocks, gravel, smoke and lavender add delineated, energy and nuance to this dark, full-bodied wine. Le Dôme is a rare Cabernet Franc-dominate Saint-Émilion that deftly balances richness with vibrancy. I find it the most complete and arrestingly beautiful wine in Jonathan Malthus' range. Today, it is positively thrilling.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe flagship wine for Maltus, made up of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, with a fairly high for the vintage pH of 3.81. This majors on muscular, powerful and slightly austere tannins, with fleshy cassis and strong liquorice flavours. This is a little old-school in its interpretation of the vintage, but there is no doubting the quality. Drinking Window 2027 - 2045.Decanter | 94 DEC

Similarly colored, the 2016 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc comes from a warmer terroir of pebbly and more loess soils and was brought up in 10% new demi-muids. It’s a bigger, richer wine than the de l’Orée and boasts rocking notes of honeyed citrus, orange marmalade, baking spices, and licorice. Rich, powerful, and layered on the palate, it’s another rocking white from this team that will drink nicely for two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA two hectare plot of 50+ year old vines on a steep south facing slope of alluvial deposits and large stones. Deep gold in colour, this is fresh with a lifted apricot aroma. It’s very full and opulent in the mouth, almost too full - a point that’s emphasised by blocking malo. This is distinctly bright, refreshing yet powerful, with mineral notes and a saline finish. It has real relief and detail of texture despite its rich, flowing body. A wonderful wine, but be aware of the low acidity this year.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2016 Ermitage Blanc Le Méal is much more developed than the 2015 Ermitage Blanc De L’Orée tasted alongside. Deep straw-yellow in color, the 2016 exhales pronounced quince, hay, acacia honey, dried apple and toasted bread aromas. Powerful and deep, it hits the palate with full force. Opulent and flashy, the 2016 Blanc Le Méal closes with distinctive phenolic grip. Although it’s not the most elegant rendition, it does show the great potential that aged Marsanne can bring when made in the right hands.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2016 Ermitage le Meal Blanc is all Marsanne and all power, with ample weight and richness on the full-bodied palate. Grilled melon and tangerine flavors are big, bold and round yet balanced by a hint of bitterness on the finish. It should drink well for two decades or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPSeductive and creamy nose with baked lemons, orange rind, rusks, flower honey, green apples and fresh flowers. Full body with such an ample, round dimension to it. It’s expansive and extensive with controlled power. It’s flattering with so much volume and weight on the palate. Long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JS

This is a fantastic white. The greatest Ornellaia white so far. Very complex and dense yet, at the same time, energetic and vivid. This shows so much richness and density with a pretty, phenolic texture that keeps you entranced. Full-bodied with lots of honeysuckle, green-melon and cooked-apple character. Very long and flavorful. Dynamic and great wine. Drinkable now, but better in 2021.James Suckling | 99 JSThe star of the show with regard to the whites is unquestionably the 2016 Ornellaia Bianco. It’s reminiscent of a great vintage of Domaine de Chevalier with its incredible purity, precision, and length, displaying notes of clean citrus, melon, white flowers, and honeyed minerality. Fresh and vibrant as well as rich and powerful, it’s medium-bodied, seamless, and flawlessly balanced on the palate, with a thrilling finish. While it’s beautiful today, it should keep for 10-15 years or more. The 2016 is 100% Sauvignon Blanc that was brought up in 30% new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDA cooler but drier year than 2015, making an interesting comparison between Ornellaia Bianco’s only two 100% Sauvignon Blanc vintages. Smoky lanolin notes lead to a concentrated, intense and juicy palate with creamy nectarine, grilled pineapple and citrus zest. Despite heading towards all-out exoticism, however, the 2016 is corseted and refined, demonstrating a push-pull between juicy, ripe tropical fruits and mineral restraint, suggesting there is much more to come from this wine. The individual base wines were fermented in barriques (30% new) with no malolactic fermentation, then aged on the lees for up to 18 months with occasional batonnage. A final three months on steel was completed before blending and bottling.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2016 Ornellaia Bianco is a beguiling wine, even a bit deceptive when you get down to facts. This is indeed the central part of its irresistible charm. For one, this edition is a mono-variety wine made solely with Sauvignon Blanc. (The other protagonist of the blend, Viognier, is said to return in 2017.) However, the complexity of the bouquet could mistakenly make you think the blend is more intricate. You get white rose, crisp apple, saffron, toasted pine nut, cinnamon and wild sage. The aromas show brilliant detailing. In addition, the wine is expansive and creamy in terms of mouthfeel. However, none of the whites at Ornellaia—including this wine—undergo malolactic fermentation, though the creamy and richly textured mouthfeel might lead you to conclude otherwise. This classic vintage is especially generous and rich. The wine does see barrique aging, but only a third of the wood is new. Those spicy endnotes serve to frame the beautiful fruit that sits squarely at center stage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2016 Ornellaia Bianco has more nuance, freshness and layers of flavors than the 2015 tasted alongside it. I very much like the delineation and energy that are such signatures of the 2016.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMThe 2016 Ornellaia Bianco looks more mature than the 2015 and Heinz comments that it may have had a little too long in oak - 18months - which was longer than in other vintages. Although 2016 was cooler than 2015 - so you might expect more freshness - it was also much drier than 2015. This 2016 has an orange-gold tone to the color and a slightly, nutty, dried fruit aromatic profile with lightly perfumed spice notes. The texture is great, more of a full, voluptuous style with a medium-long finish. The 2016 is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps lacking a little freshness and vibrancy, but has a lovely silky weight and a gentle savory finish.The Wine Independent | 93 TWI