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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

Gaja's 2000 Sperss is wonderfully open and radiant. Layers of dark fruit, grilled herbs, cassis and smoke saturate the palate in this powerful, stunningly beautiful Sperss. Gorgeous inner perfume and a long, intense finish round things out in style.Vinous Media | 96 VMIncredible amount of fruit and character in this wine, with mint, mineral, blackberry and plum aromas turning to tobacco and tar. Full-bodied, with an iron-cast core of fruit and velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Incredibly tight and powerful. Give this a decade. From Gaja's 30-acre vineyard in the Barolo-producing zone of Serralunga. Best after 2013. 2,800 cases made, 580 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSGaja’s 2000 Sperss is wonderfully open and radiant. Layers of dark fruit, grilled herbs, cassis and smoke saturate the palate in this powerful, stunningly beautiful Sperss. Gorgeous inner perfume and a long, intense finish round things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030.Angelo Gaja’s 2000s are a bit of a mystery. The wines were absolutely beautiful upon release and equally impressive when I tasted them a few years later for the 7th edition of Parker’s Wine Buyers Guide. The 2000s were far less convincing when I tasted them in November 2010. All of the wines were initially very reticent and closed. After an hour or two in the glass they opened for about 30 minutes before closing back down again. Gaja thinks the wines are passing through a stage of inaccessibility. If anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt it is Gaja. I can’t remember the last older wine from this cellar that was a disappointment or that hadn’t aged well, and I have been privileged to taste the vast majority of wines that have been made here under Angelo Gaja’s tenure. Time will ultimately tell where these wines are headed, but this was not an especially flattering showing for Gaja’s 2000s. That said, most producers would be thrilled to have wines like these in their cellars. In some ways, Gaja is a victim of his own success. He sets such a high bar with his finest vintages; it is only natural to expect greatness all the time. The 2000s fall a bit short of that mark but are quite strong in the context of the year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Far more captivating, the 2004 Brunello di Montalcino appears to have barely budged since it was released a few years back. Stylistically, the 2004 remains one of the more mid-weight vintages at Salvioni, yet it is so finessed. Remarkably fresh and nuanced, the 2004 has all the qualities that made it so appealing when it was a young wine. Everything is simply in the right place. What a gorgeous wine this is.Vinous Media | 97 VMSalvioni’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is made in a style that brilliantly reconciles a modern approach in the vineyards (tiny yields, full phenolic ripeness) with a traditional approach to winemaking (long macerations, cask aging). An explosive, super-ripe wine, this Brunello flows from the glass with mesmerizing richness and stunning balance. The gorgeous red fruit carries through all the way to the finish, where flowers, tobacco and spices add further complexity. In many ways, Salvioni’s Brunello di Montalcino is the region’s equivalent to Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Cascina Francia, a wine with which it shares many attributes. Simply put, this is a gem from Giulio Salvioni, and it is not to missed! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPShows aromas of clove, vanilla, blueberry and cherry. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a fruity, chewy tannin finish. Needs some bottle age to mellow a little. Best after 2011. 725 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2009 Ornellaia caresses the palate with layers of seamless, radiant fruit. Sweet red berries, mocha, flowers, new leather and spices are some of the many notes that are layered in this sumptuous, totally beautiful wine. The 2009 stands out for its silky tannins and phenomenal overall balance. This is one of those wines that will probably enjoy a long drinking window. There is little question the ability to blend grape varieties was a huge help in this vintage. In my opinion, that is the main reason Ornellaia is a slightly more complete wine than Masseto in 2009. In one of my blind tastings, the 2009 made a very eloquent case for itself as the wine of the vintage. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. In 2009 winemaker Axel Heinz used the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc ever in Ornellaia and gave the wine less time in oak, both with the goal of preserving as much freshness as possible. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029.The 2009 vintage was not easy at Tenuta dell’Ornellaia because of the scorching hot summer. Readers may want to take a look at my video interview with Axel Heinz for more on the 2009 vintage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPIf you’ve ever wondered what makes this wine so special, the answer is simple: elegance. This shows polished fruit and spice aromas that are intense, balanced and beautifully integrated. The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance made up of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The palate is dense, rich, smooth and supple. Drink this after 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WESubtle and complex with sweet tobacco and chocolate. Tar too. It’s full-bodied, with racy tannins and a long finish. So fine. This is the most Cabernet Franc in the blend ever at the estate -- 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. Beautiful now but better in 2015.James Suckling | 96 JSDeep ruby-red. Multidimensional aromas of blackberry, iron, Oriental spices and cedar. Very intensely flavored and suave, with a wonderfully silky texture over a firm underlying structure. A hint of eucalyptus provides lift on the extremely long finish, which features building tannins and a violet nuance. This is a remarkably suave Ornellaia, but it seems a little less concentrated than usual and comes across as almost too polished. Maybe all it needs is a little time to put on more weight and develop greater complexity.Vinous Media | 94+ VMVery aromatic, featuring floral and leafy black currant scents that follow through to plum, iron and tar flavors. Bordeaux-like with a supple texture, yet also firmly structured, offering herb and spice notes on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2013 through 2020. 2,200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

This is just starting to get into its stride. From a cool year, with a late start to spring and an early end to summer which generally produced lighter, earlier drinking wines, Sassicaia 2014 nonetheless rises above the noise with a fresh and juicy expression of fragrant dried fruits and moreish black berries with spicy, meaty and balsamic touches. It displays a streak of blackcurrant coulis and an aromatic note of toasted fenugreek seed on the long, gentle finish. Perhaps lacks some complexity and concentration compared to more esteemed vintages, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is anything other than very good. Poured from magnum.Decanter | 96 DECAromas of red berry, blue flower, menthol, exotic spice and a whiff of French oak take shape on this impeccably balanced, radiant red. The palate is vibrant and focused – almost ethereal - delivering raspberry compote, Marasca cherry, star anise and cinnamon framed in elegant tannins. Weightless and loaded with finesse, it’s an incredible result for what was a cool, wet vintage in most of Italy. Drink through 2024. Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOAromas of red berry, blue flower, menthol, exotic spice and a whiff of French oak take shape on this impeccably balanced radiant red. The palate is vibrant and focused—almost ethereal—delivering raspberry compote, Marasca cherry, star anise and cinnamon framed in elegant tannins. Weightless and loaded with finesse, it’s an incredible result for what was a cool wet vintage in most of Italy. Drink through 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WECooler-than-average temperatures in August 2014 favored the aroma development in this wine. Scents of dewy herbs and summer strawberries lead into flavors of taut red berries tinged with blood orange. Silky tannins carry the flavors over a cool sheet of acidity, leaving an impression of elegance rather than power. The wine fleshes out with exposure to air, revealing subtle spice notes along with a saline earthiness that recalls the wine’s coastal origins.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 94 W&SThis is my official review of the 2014 Bolgheri Sassicaia after having been graciously invited to the estate for various barrel samples spanning back several years. I have watched the evolution of this wine with a close eye and am impressed by how its real quality is diametrically opposed to the poor expectations of this difficult vintage. The nose is redolent of bright fruit and blackberry. Spice, tar and leather appear subtly at the back. The wine took on considerable weight each year I came back to taste it and this vintage was bottled earlier than average, precisely to give it more time to unwind and relax in the small confines of the bottle. This is a solid effort for sure and the wine is a stunning example of what it takes to make great wine, even when weather conditions are not in your favor.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPDistinctly Old World in style, this red boasts savory, cedar and mineral accents to the core of black currant and macerated cherry fruit. Elegant and persistent, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit, spice and mineral. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2019 through 2028. 17,200 cases made, 4,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA pretty and fresh red with berry and cherry character. Hints of walnut. Medium body, fine tannins and a crisp finish. Fine and delicate. Lighter than past vintages. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2014 Sassicaia is polished and expressive for the year. But it is also quite a bit darker and more concentrated than when it was a young wine. That search for a level of depth in aging that the vintage did not provide on its own also concentrated the tannins, which are a bit out of balance for the structure of the wine. It will be interesting to see if the 2014 gains aromatic expressiveness and layers. Today the wine is at once light in body and also tannic.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2019 Gaia & Rey may be one of the finest vintages I have ever tasted of this white. Creamy, ample and expressive, the 2019 is a wonderfully, classy, polished wine. All the elements come together so effortlessly here. Bright and focused, the 2019 is fabulous and I say that as someone who is not especially fond of Italian Chardonnays.Antonio Galloni | 95 AG