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Proprietor Paul-Vincent Avril expects to bottle 100,000 bottles of something approximating this "final blend," tasted out of foudre. A blend of 55% Grenache, 35% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah and other permitted varieties, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape looked exceptional on this day, offering up scents of framboise and kirsch alongside dried flowers and Asian spices. Full-bodied yet weightless, silky and long, this is special stuff, complex and balanced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPA very Clos des Papes vintage,’ says Vincent Avril, and I know what he means - a vintage that naturally delivers the kind of fresh, elegant wines that this estate is famous for. A tasting of several foudres point to a wine with natural, easy balance. The Mourvèdre is excellent here this year, and adds great depth to the fresh and delightful Grenache that has notes of black tea, black cherry and iron. Elegant and very fine. (Drink between 2023-2042)Decanter | 98 DECBeguiling, with a plume of black tea and incense leading off, followed by black cherry reduction, cassis, melted black licorice, warm earth, singed tobacco and garrigue accents. Offers breadth and depth with a seamless feel, capped by a subtle mineral edge that lingers lengthily amid the beautiful fruit. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2024 through 2040. 8,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLooking at the reds, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is a silky, elegant wine that shows the vintage to a T. I was able to taste through all the foudres of the cuvée as well as one that’s a final blend, with all showing beautiful red and black fruits, peppery garrigue, and floral nuances. The purity of fruit is remarkable, and this will be a medium to full-bodied, finesse-driven, yet still concentrated vintage for this cuvée that readers will love.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JD

2020 was a challenging year that gave them a lot of work in the vineyard, but it it paid off. The 2020 Laurel feels very elegant, balanced and fresh, a little lighter perhaps, with perfectly ripe tannins, a little in line with 2016 or 2013. It might be a little unusual for the house style or perhaps a slight change, as they are gradually going for softer vinifications; you don’t really need to extract in Priorat, because the wines are powerful enough on their own. It’s still extremely young and has a lactic touch (that blows off with a bit of time in the glass); it was only bottled at the end of May 2022, three months before I tasted it. Even if it’s the second wine here, it’s a wine that needs a little bit of time and improves in the bottle. Having said that, the 2020s feel more open, expressive and approachable than the 2019s, which are more tannic and powerful while the 2020s feel a little more Burgundian if you like. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Laurel so far. After some time in the glass, the aromatics of the Syrah (which was perhaps a little more this year, some 12% versus 8% in 2019) made an appearance—violets, smoked bacon. Daphne Glorian told me that everything was easy, that the wine was expressive and open from day one and that the fermentations were smooth. There are some 19,000 bottles of this.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

The lightly hued 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc checks in as 70% Grenache Blanc, 28% Roussanne, and tiny percentages of Bourboulenc and Clairette, brought up in equal parts demi-muid and tank. It has a beautiful bouquet of ripe white peach and melon that shows a touch of spice and hazelnut with air, and it’s medium-bodied, beautifully pure, textured, and balanced on the palate. It’s a stunning white that will shine on the dinner table.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

Aromas of currants, blackberries, fresh mushrooms and flowers. Medium-bodied with compacted fruit and integrated, fine tannins. Ripe fruit with reserve. Attractive and alluring. Excellent structure. 88% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Give it at least five years to open and soften, but very attractive now.James Suckling | 95 JS

The sweetly scented and seductive 2020 Dolce & Gabbana Rosa Sicilia, a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nocera, displays depths of crushed cherries, strawberries, sweet spice and a grounding note of wet stone. This is silky-smooth and soothing, contrasted by citrus-infused orchard fruits and mouthwatering acidity. Wonderfully fresh and buzzing with tension, the 2020 leaves you aching to take another sip. Very nice.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Now the flagship of this estate, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 75% Grenache and the rest Cinsault, Mourvedre, and a little Syrah. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue, it offers a beautiful array of black raspberry and darker cherry fruit as well as lots of graphite, chalky minerality, Provençal garrigue, and spice. Beautiful on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, rock-solid underlying structure and concentration, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years (although it certainly offers incredible pleasure even today) and will keep for two decades. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDIsabel Ferrando informed me during my visit that she planned to eliminate the Reserve Auguste Favier and Collection Charles Giraud bottlings, folding those lots and the "tradition" Saint-Prefert Châteauneuf into a single, combined wine under the Famille Isabel Ferrando label. The resulting blend she showed as the 2020 Famille Isabel Ferrando Chateauneuf du Pape is a fine effort, with layers of cola-like spice and hints of garrigue layered against a lush backdrop of cherries and raspberries. Medium to full-bodied and almost creamy in texture, it finishes long, silky and mouthwatering.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThis cuvée replaces the three historical red cuvées of the domaine (Classique, Auguste Favier and Charles Giraud). Quite introverted for now, seems to have everything required but needs time to knit together. Freshness, energy, fine and plentiful tannins with good acidity. While the alcohol is warming it is balanced. Could be very good in time, hard to judge now, but early signs are good and I’d like to see this again in bottle. From the galets roulés of lieu-dit Les Serres, fermented in concrete and then aged in concrete, old oak and amphora. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2036Decanter | 95 DECApproachable out of the gate, with gorgeous red fruit, wild strawberry, licorice root, dusty earth and lavender flavors joined by floral highlights. Beautifully textured and silky on the palate, with mineral intensity building on the palate, imparting nice persistence and length. A polished yet honest, characteristic wine. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2032. 3,300 cases made, 1,007 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

I love the dry whites from the Sauternes area, and this is a good example - and of why Sémillon is such an interesting grape to work with in crafting dry whites with personality. A little less round in mouthfeel from some in the area (not appellation - this is Bordeaux Blanc), but still with slate texture and minerality showing how well the soils here can work for dry whites, and an excellent juicy delivery of citrus and white pear. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.Decanter | 93 DECThis is a beautiful, layered white with solid structure and intensity. Full-bodied. Lots of grapefruit and dried green-mango character. 54% semillon, the rest sauvignon. Best ever. Beautiful to drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSComposed of 54% Semillon and 46% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2020 Le Blanc Sec de Suduiraut is being aged for six months in vats (75%) and the rest in oak barrels, 30% of which are new. It hits the ground running with vibrant notions of freshly squeezed limes, lemon meringue pie and Granny Smith apples, plus hints of dillseed and white pepper. The medium-bodied palate delivers an impressive satiny texture along with a racy line cutting through the citrus and apple-inspired flavors, finishing long and steely.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RP

The 2020 Dão Branco from Lúcia Ferreira is crafted from a cépages of twenty-five percent Encruzado, thirty-two percent Malvasia Fina, nineteen percent Bicoal and fourteen percent Gouveio. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel. The 2020 version is drinking beautifully today, delivering a refined bouquet of white peach, fresh lime, a touch of casaba melon, white soil tones, gentle floral tones and a hint of beeswax in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil undertow and grip and a long, well balanced and very classy finish. This is an excellent wine that still has years and years of life ahead of it. (Drink between 2023 - 2040)John Gilman | 92 JG

Guidalberto 2020 is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, matured for 15 months in oak (20% new), including a small percentage of American oak. The aromas are a little heavier, with ripe dark fruit and a fragrant, floral note. It’s a little less finely detailed aromatically than the 2021, with some smoke, spice and green herb qualities. The palate is round, medium-full bodied with juicy, bright acidity. It’s a very friendly wine with very fine tannins and there’s a little more grip and silty texture to the tannins.Decanter | 95 DECThis 2020 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto has leafy blackberry and cedar aromas with a subtle background of baking spice and cream. It has cool, green bramble flavors and fine will-o’-the-wisp, whispering tannins. It’s all very elegantly done on the palate, understated, with everything in harmony but it is of course lighter than Sassicaia with a moderate finish. On standing there is a lovely delicate fragrance of macchia mediterranea, peppery spice and freesias with a thrilling acidity. Charming, understated and refreshing. | 94 TWIThe 2020 Guidalberto is taut and tight with plenty of tart cherry and wild berry. The wine offers great freshness and tension with bay leaf, spice, wild cherry and pressed lavender buds. There is a hint of black olive too. The blend is equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2020 Guidalberto is a gorgeous, classy wine. Less opulent than it can be, the 2020 impresses with its energy and drive. Sweet red cherry, plum, mint, rose petal, cedar and pipe tobacco all take shape in this super-attractive, mid-weight offering from Tenuta San Guido. There’s a bit more Merlot in the 2020, but Guidalberto is increasingly made from lots that don’t make it into Sassicaia, which explains the style of recent vintages. This is a terrific showing, especially considering the recent bottling. It’s a fine relative value in Bolgheri’s high-rent district. (Originally Published in March 2022)Antonio Galloni | 92 AGNice freshness on the palate with plums and berries and citrusy acidity. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a powdery texture. Hints of mushrooms. You can enjoy this young, but it will age nicely, too. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSA lively, fluid red, displaying cherry, black currant, cedar, iron and spice aromas and flavors. Taut and balanced, with a slightly reserved finish today. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2028. 17,500 cases made, 5,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

A soft and caressing red with a full body and plush, finely woven tannins. Plenty of dark cherry, mulberry, chocolate and some bark. Citrus zest and dried flowers, too. Lightly chewy at the end. 95% sangiovese and 5% merlot. Try in 2025.James Suckling | 93 JSAt 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, this is a sculpted, perfumed second-vintage red with cranberry as well as cherry fruit and well-integrated oak. What makes this a winner, especially with food, is that the crystalline, racy fruit far outshadows the oak. It’s not old-school, but you’d still have to call it a traditional Tuscan wine.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WENew to the Place de Bordeaux this year, the second wine to the flagship Oreno. This is darkly scented with a floral-touched nose, blackcurrants, violet potpourri and liquorice. So juicy and seductive on the palate, this has a depth which is beguiling, layering the dark fruit, herbal and salty flavours on the tongue - a sweet, sticky almost liquorice blackcurrant added to by a black pepper and minty aftertaste giving some minerality to the palate. Nicely structured and round. This is ample and fresh - easy to drink with lots to like. Ageing for 12-14 months in tonneaux and barriques.Decanter | 91 DECA firm red, featuring cherry and blackberry flavors, with mineral and tobacco accents. Shows depth and balance, with a solid layer of tannins lining the finish. Sangiovese and Merlot. Drink now through 2025. 12,500 cases made, 4,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Dark and almost smoky in the glass, the 2020 Valpolicella Superiore Classico Ripasso smolders up with a mix of musky red currants and savory herbs lifted by a hint of menthol. Silky smooth and with a pleasant inner sweetness, this soothes with ripe red fruits and saline-infused acidity. Licorice and lavender nuances are left to linger as this finishes only lightly structured and with finesseVinous Media | 92 VMA fragrant red with notes of dried raspberries, strawberries, earth and dried flowers. Medium body with silky tannins and fresh acidity. Crunchy, with plenty of redcurrants in the finish. Not quite complex, but tasty, laid-back and easy to drink. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

“Creamy and refreshing, Rigogoli bursts with flavors of peach, almond, sweet spice and finishes with a clean, sea-swept minerality. The native Grechetto di Todi pairs well with Viognier which rounds out Grechetto’s acidity, but also serves to add more complex aromas to this wine.” Sokolin Tasting Panel | 95 SP

The barrique-aged Tenuta Luce 2020 Lucente is a very well-priced blend of Merlot and Sangiovese. The wine shows a medium to full-bodied approach with sweet cherry, raspberry tart, almond cake and perfumed redwood or cedar smoke. It offers a contemporary style and soft texture that wraps fully over the palate. This is a handy, versatile wine to pair with a good many of your favorite Italian foods.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPRaisins, fruit pastilles, dates and blackcurrants - super ripe, a bit jammy on the nose with a cola tang and lots of oak, ash/tar nuances that stick out. Still quite a lot of savoury leather and tobacco elements on the palate, alongside strawberry and red cherry fruit. Lightly framed - just missing some depth and weight but easy to drink and enjoy.Decanter | 90 DEC

The white 2021 Cargol Treu Vi has notes of pollen and yellow fruit with some browning apples. It has contained ripeness and 12.4% alcohol with a very low pH and high-ish acidity but comes through as more evolved and somewhat riper than the phenomenal Principia Mathematica form this same vintage. It has pungent flavors and a medium-bodied palate, with some spice from aging in 300-liter barrels for 10 to 11 months. 2,100 bottles were filled in August 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The 2021 Red Wine California is a new Bordeaux-based red wine that Duncan Arnot and Nathan Roberts made initially to take the place of the 2020 Cabernets that would have been released around this time but were compromised by smoke. The Red Wine was initially intended to be a fun project, but Arnot and Roberts may have stumbled into what is really a pretty serious red with real potential. The 2021 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon (Massa, Bedrock and Gordenker), 20% Cabernet Franc (Persia) and 20% Merlot (Massa). A powerful, old-school wine, the 2021 is going to need a few years to shed some tannin. I loved it.Vinous Media | 95+ VM

Here is another classic sparkling wine from northeast Italy. The Bisol 1542 2021 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Crede Brut is crisp and citrusy with crushed oyster shell, flint and grated ginger. The wine ends with fresh, steely effervescence. This is an amazing value with 301,000 bottles released to the market. The blend is specifically 87.5% Glera, 10% Chardonnay and 2.5% Pinot Nero.The Wine Advocate (Monica Larner) | 90 RPPear-fruit nose with green apples, nectarines and chalk that give an upbeat, almost peachy accent to the palate. Creamy and fresh, with a silky mousse. Lots of green apples in the finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

The 2021 Chianti Classico La Misse di Candialle is bright, bold and punchy. Dollops of Malvasia Nera and Canaiolo lend complexity. Whereas so many wines in this vintage are pretty accessible, Candialle’s 2021 is going to need a few years to soften. The purity of the flavors is striking though.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The bread-and-butter wine here is the 2021 Bela, produced with Tempranillo from the village of Villalba de Duero (mentioned on the label), from sandy and clay rich soils on limestone mother rock that delivers powerful but not overripe wines with a short-ish élevage to achieve a fine-boned and fresh wine. The grapes were picked between October 1st and 25th, mostly Tempranillo but some 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot too, and it matured in French oak barrels for nine months. The wine has 14.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.57 and close to five grams of acidity, textbook parameters from the zone and textbook profile of classical Ribera; it’s ripe without excess, with very integrated oak and a velvety palate with silky tannins. It reminds me of the historical wines from the early 1990s, Valribeño and so on, with some rusticity but very honest and characterful. With time in the glass, it develops a precise note of licorice intermixed with berry fruit and some spices and herbs. They feel this is the wine they wanted to produce from the beginning; they consider it their best vintage to date irrespective of the style of the year, with 2019 more powerful, 2020 more elegant and this 2021 something in between. 85,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

The flagship release, the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard Blanc is based on 42% Clairette, 32% Roussanne, 11% Bourboulenc, 10% Grenache Blanc, and a small mix of other varieties. Slightly deeper gold-hued compared to the classic cuvée, it offers textbook notes of sauteed peach, honeyed citrus, flower oil, and hints of green almonds. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and beautifully balanced, it has good acidity and a great finish. It brings more richness and opulence than the base cuvée, but it remains to be seen which of these releases will be the longest lived. Both are brilliant wines.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

There’s a touch of oak on the nose and palate that helps to frame the tangy citrus notes, and lends a touch of spice, but it’s far from overwhelming. Full-bodied, classically Lirac in its breadth on the palate. Ends on a nip of grapefruit bitterness. Good acidity. Also contains Marsanne, Viognier and Piquepoul.Decanter | 92 DECBrimming with stone-fruit aromas with a touch of mango, this is a rich but very clean and crisp dry white from the Southern Rhone. Good concentration and a touch of positive tannin help it carry the generous body and 14.5% alcohol. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

Not included in the blind tasting at the local syndicat, Tempier’s 2021 Bandol Rose nevertheless looked good when I tasted it at the estate. It’s a very fine, elegant example of Bandol rosé, with notes of passion fruit and pink grapefruit leading the way in a tightly knit, medium-bodied package that adds promising hints of white peach and anise on the lingering finish.Robert Parker | 93 RP

With a pretty, pale pink color and sweetly scented nose, the 2021 Rosa Dolce & Gabbana makes a lovely first impression. Ripe melon, Asian pear, mint and nuances of white smoke create an inviting bouquet. It’s round and elegant in feel, engulfing the palate in mineral-tinged orchard fruits and hints of chamomile. A salty flourish emerges through the finale, as notes of sour citrus and inner wet stone slowly fade. This is a total pleasure to taste. The Rosa Dolce & Gabbana is a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nocera. Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2021 Marchesi Antinori Tenuta Guado Al Tasso, Bolgheri Rosso Il Bruciato wine takes a while to open but when it does it is redolent with a range of aromas from a sun-dried fruit, buttered popcorn, blackberry, nuts and vanilla. On the palate the fruit and oak are well matched and combine to produce a smooth, creamy and well-integrated feel. It is well balanced with a lovely, juicy freshness on the finish and a knot of fine-textured, savory tannins. On standing the aromas become more bitter cherry combined with very ripe dried cranberry.The Wine Independent | 92 TWIThis is bursting with black currant, cherry and blueberry fruit, showing graphite, licorice and tobacco accents. Fresh and balanced, this lingers on the firm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Drink now through 2028. 2,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WSNo written review provided. | 90 W&S

The 2021 Chianti Classico is one of the wines of the vintage in the Chianti Classico ’Annata’ category. Rich, layered and super-expressive, the 2021 offers up red/purplish berry fruit, rose petal, lavender and spice race across the palate. The Montesecondo Chianti Classico raises the simple question of why there aren’t more wines like this.Vinous Media | 94 VMEx-jazz musician Silvio Messana makes a variety of wines of the natural ilk – but only one Chianti Classico. It blends fruit from two distinct vineyards in San Casciano – a hot site in the extreme north at just 120 metres, the other in the far south surrounded by forest at a cooler 500 metres. The aggregate is a fantastically textured, layered and appetising annata, offering a sumptuousness of black cherry and raspberry fruit without being heavy. This is broadened by verbena, mineral and woodland accents, while the citrussy acidity is well integrated, and chalky tannins give a firm, tight frame.Decanter | 92 DEC