Shop Wine

wines

(Quinta do Noval Nacional) I had never tasted the legendary 1963 Nacional previously, and this stunningly pure and still almost youthful wine was every bit as profound as its reputation suggests. The glorious nose erupts from the glass in a sappy mélange of red plums, cherries, heather, coffee, cigar smoke, clover honey, a brilliant base of soil, orange zest and incipient notes of celery seed and other savory delights. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still rock solid at the core, with glorious transparency, melting tannins, laser-like focus and brilliant soil drive on the very, very long and tangy finish. Like several other of the very best 1963 Ports, the ’63 Nacional is still a fairly young wine and will continue to dazzle for another fifty or sixty years. It was an absolute privilege to taste this legendary wine! (Drink between 2012-2075)John Gilman | 100 JGAmazingly, the importer still has tiny stocks of such legendary ports as the 1970, 1963, and 1962 Nacionals. In most vintages the production of Quinta do Noval Nacional is no more than 250-275 cases. The 1970,1963,1962 and 1994 are candidates to achieve perfect scores. The 1963 Nacional’s opaque purple color is remarkable, looking more like a 1992 than a 33-year old port. The wine possessed a fabulously smoky, cassis, black-cherry, peppery nose. After thirty minutes in the glass, fruitcake notes and more evolved aromas emerged. This port is so concentrated it defies belief, with extraordinary balance, and, like its two siblings, well-integrated alcohol and tannin. The impression is one of a silky, succulent, voluptuously-textured mouthful of exceptionally extracted port. This is a legend in the making. In 30-40 years it may well be considered, along with the 1931, as one of the greatest ports ever produced. Those lucky few with a bottle or two should plan to hold onto them for another decade before pulling the cork. It, too, is a hundred-year port.Robert Parker | 99 RPToffee, incense, dried cherry, bergamot and green tea notes provide the aromas here, with mulled plum and licorice flavors forming the core. A light singed balsam wood accent lines the finish, which is viscous and sweet-edged but stays decidedly dry in feel overall. Harmonious and incredibly long.—Non-blind Quinta do Noval vertical (May 2018). Drink now through 2030. 251 cases made.Wine Spectator | 99 WSGood full, deep red. Knockout nose offers red and black cherry, strawberry, spices and mint. Unbelievably young for a wine that’s nearly a half-century old, offering incredible power and thrust to its red berry, spice and mineral flavors. Fills the mouth with perfume. Combines extraordinary mid-palate lift with a silky texture and buns of steel, conveying an impression of buzzing energy. The endless finish features great concentration and urgency, and utterly noble tannins. Can a 49-year-old port still be on an up curve? I hope to find out. This wine should go on for another 30 years without difficulty.Vinous Media | 98+ VM

Some people may enjoy this wine’s rather fat, rich and powerful fruit now, but I still find it too young for drinking. Deeply colored, with smoky mint, tar and fruit aromas, full-bodied, with concentrated fruit flavors and plenty of tannins.Wine Spectator | 96 WSTasted at the Vintners Company’s 650th anniversary celebration at Vintners Hall, the Fonseca 1970 was the finest bottle I have encountered. The bouquet opens beautifully with heady scents of clove, ginger, small red cherries, bergamot and allspice, displaying exquisite definition and harmony. The palate follows suit with lovely balance and poise in the mouth, notes of kirsch, shaved ginger and walnut building to an opulent, viscous finish that lacquers the mouth. Yet this bottle shows more control than the bottle tasted four years ago. The 1970 Fonseca is in a very nice place at the moment. You should join it. Tasted May 2013.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 95 RP-NM

This is a forgotten vintage of Sassicaia from the 1980s with all the hype about the legendary 1985 - a perfect wine. It shows incredible depth of fruit and mineral character. It’s full body and round textures with soft tannins. Drink now. Decant and serve.James Suckling | 95 JSA rich and voluptuous wine with a deep color. Intensely opulent black currant and mint bouquet; the palate is packed with fruit and velvety tannins. Will improve for years, but delicious now.--Super Tuscan blind retrospective. — JSAdd this wine to this Personal Wine ListAdd this wine to this Personal Wine ListDefault PWL (0) Learn more about Personal Wine ListsRelated Links Additional Tastings User NotesAdditional Tastings for TENUTA SAN GUIDO Vino da Tavola-Tuscany Sassicaia 1982Issue: Jul 31, 1996Score: 90Rather intense, in a fresh way, reflecting perhaps the relatively high acidity in this wine from the start. Of medium to full body, it bursts with cassis and black cherry flavors and a touch of Sassicaia’s characteristic mineral persona.--Sassicaia vertical. Drink now. –PMIssue: Jul 31, 1987Score: 84Richer on the nose than on the palate, with ripe concentrated berry and plum character that turns a bit lean and spicy on the palate. One of the most highly prized wines in Italy, but it seems to lack a bit on the follow through.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

This brilliant wine is one of the best new breed Tuscan reds I have tasted. The color is a sensational black/purple and the nose offers gorgeously intense aromas of black plums, cassis, licorice, and spicy new oak. In the mouth, there is extraordinary opulence and richness, enough acidity to provide grip, and plenty of tannin lurking behind the cascade of fruit. The explosive finish goes on and on. Approachable, even delicious now, this splendid wine promises to get even better over the next 4-6 years and possibly last through the first decade of the next century. Impressive!Robert Parker | 93 RPA solid wine, with wonderful structure for aging, but still closed and not giving much at this stage. Dark-ruby color, with smoke, berry and cherry aromas and flavors. Loads of velvety tannins, full body and a long finish. Great, soft texture. Wait until at least 1997.--Super Tuscan retrospective. — JSWine Spectator | 93 WSThe 1988 Ornellaia (magnum) shows a touch more complexity and delineation than the 1985 in its layers of dark fruit, herbs, licorice, minerals and spices, with a surprising level of freshness and firmness. It is a beautiful Ornellaia with several years of fine drinking ahead. The 1988 Ornellaia is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc that spent 11 months in French oak, 40% new.Vinous Media | 92 VM

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

A great vintage all over Europe, this is most likely, after the scarce 1988, Ornellaia’s vintage of consecration after only five years of winemaking. Michel Rolland arrived in 1991 and remains Ornellaia's consultant today. The wine has extremely elegant citrus and black pepper aromas, with fresh cherry flavours complemented by a leathery core and a white chocolate and cigar-leaf finish. It has shades of light and dark all over the palate, with a full, quite fleshy suppleness balanced by refreshing natural acidity and crunchy extracted tannins. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030.Decanter | 97 DECGood fresh deep red. Knockout nose combines black fruits, tar, mocha and humus. A hugely concentrated, sweet wine with great richness of fruit and extract. The first vintage of Ornellaia to reach 14% alcohol, and it shows in the wine's compelling thickness. Far from the subtlest wine in the range, but ripe acidity and big, sweet tannins give it plenty of verve and grip. Today, I find this wine fresher and a bit more detailed than the estate's 2000. A monumental wine today, but this could still use another four or five years in bottle to reach its peak.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis is a blockbuster with masses of chocolate, earth, minty aromas and flavors; full bodied with full round tannins and a super acid backbone. Best Ornellaia ever made. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 8,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSAnother super effort from this producer, Ludvico Antinori's 1990 Ornellaia is a worthy successor to the super 1988. Fat, supple, and loaded with black-cherry and curranty fruit, and a dash of vanillin from new oak barrels, this full-bodied, velvety-textured, opulent wine should drink well for 10-12 years.As good as the Ornellaia is, it is hard to imagine how terrific the single vineyard offering Ornellaia called Masseto must be in 1990. Several of my Italian friends claim it is absolutely brilliant.Robert Parker | 92 RP

Such a powerful mouthful of wine that after swallowing, it’s almost hard to talk. Explosively aromatic, with jam, tar, licorice and exotic spices, it leads with concentrated fruit, then follows with a sledgehammer of polished tannins that somehow dissolve on the finish, where the fruit reemerges like a rainbow. With a slab of well-aged, chargrilled beef--paradise. Drink now through 2005. 450 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSSaturated ruby. More perfumed, more floral, fruit-driven aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, black raspberry, mocha and clove; vibrant and youthful. Huge, sensual and deep on the palate, with great creamy depth of flavor. Still a bit youthfully tight but has the structure and concentration to develop over the next decade or two. Great persistence on the finish; huge, dusty, noble tannins coat the entire palate.Vinous Media | 95+ VMA clone of the 1994, the 1995 L’Ermita does not reveal quite the power and density of its older sibling, but that is a tough call ... especially at this age. The color is an opaque purple, and the wine displays more pain grille, grilled jus de viande, blackberry, and floral notes in its aromatics, which seem slightly more evolved than the 1994’s. In the mouth, the 1995 is deep, powerful, and rich, with low acidity, better sweetness and integration of tannin (only when compared to the massive 1994), layers of extract and flavor, and a 40-second finish. It is a remarkable wine with formidable style, intensity, and flavor. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2020.Robert Parker | 94 RP

Am loving that tingle of tannins that I am now getting, just beautiful. The florality is heightened, with roses and redcurrant leaf, soft white truffles, and the most beautiful rolling tobacco. Supremely elegant, a masculine wine but one that is in full ‘holding open the door’ mode. A nose that keeps on opening up, pausing to allow you to catch up. We are in libraries, secret passages, you feel the history of the building in this wine. You feel that it is a testament to its time. Gorgeous, makes you smile with joy at how good great wine can be. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc.Decanter | 98 DECHere's a little gem from Tenuta San Guido that has never been reviewed in Robert Parker Wine Advocate (except informally by me one year ago in a Hedonist's Gazette). I have consistently found the 1996 Bolgheri Sassicaia to be an impressive wine on the few occasions I have had to taste it. This is one of those rare underrated vintages that bring so much delight and surprise in an important retrospective such as this. As I recall from my informal tasting, this Sassicaia shows a heavy dose of Cabernet Sauvignon typicity but without the astringent medicinal tone or unripe greenness you might expect. Instead, it delivers a bright but balanced, tonic verve that is driven by the wine's natural acidity. I had previously paired this wine with an oversized bistecca alla fiorentina t-bone steak and the marriage was perfect. This was a difficult vintage in Bolgheri, but the results in the bottle suggest otherwise.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPA well-structured Sass, with plenty of blackberry and dried herb character. Full-bodied, with plenty of ripe tannins and a currant bush and herb finish. Give it time to develop. Best after 2001. 13,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Fruit and complexity as well as freshness and richness. Beautiful nose with extraordinary aromas of prunes, licorice, and dried flowers with rosemary undertones. Full-bodied and velvety textured. So beautiful to drink now, but obviously has a long future ahead.James Suckling | 97 JSDark ruby red. Shows intense blackberry, currant, fresh herb and mineral character on the nose. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, caressing finish. Still young and powerful.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Best after 2009. 11,415 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSProbably the finest (and most sumptuous) Ornellaia yet produced, the 1997 has it all. A dense purple color offers up smoky espresso and jammy black cherry aromas wrapped in new oak. Full-bodied, opulent, thick, and juicy, this low acid, seamless classic can be drunk now and over the next 15+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RP The estate’s 1997 Ornellaia (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc) combines the large-framed opulence of the 1999 with the slightly more herbal notes found in the 1998. It is a big, plump wine packed with layers of fruit and well-integrated oak, showing outstanding length and the telltale note of sweetness on the finish that defines this vintage. Despite its approachable nature today, the 1997 appears to have enough structure to drink well for another decade. Both the 1997 Ornellaia and Masseto enjoyed a very strong showing in this tasting. Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

I've been lucky enough to have the 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin numerous times recently and it has never failed to deliver everything I could want from a wine. Getting the best parcel of Grenache from the estate and a dramatically shifted blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and the rest Syrah and Counoise, it's a massive and concentrated Chateauneuf that surprisingly still seems to show its Mourvedre component front and center. Blackberries, kirsch, truffle, gamy meats, licorice and earth all give way to a full-bodied, seamless, impeccably balanced wine that carries its huge core of fruit with remarkable freshness and grace. While it will no doubt continue to evolve gracefully, it's brilliant today.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin is fruit forward with rich, sweet blackberry and cassis notes paired with melted licorice, spice, roast meat and subtle truffle and earth aromas. The palate is full bodied, perfectly balanced and with some real density and depth. Almost chewable, this is silky smooth and doesn't show a hard edge anywhere. The blockbuster finish picks up ripe and sweet tannins.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDA wine made with a high quantity of Mourvèdre (60%), and produced only in the best years, in memory of François and Jean-Pierre's father. Superripe, with huge fruit, its' jammy, gamy and rich. Dusty tannins and excellent black-fruit flavors. The final effect is a wine that epitomizes the potential elegance and the power of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in one glass. A great wine with a distinguished future—at least 20 years.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEBright saturated ruby. Confectionery aromas of cherry liqueur and roasted meat. A wine of extraordinary density; incredibly thick but, in comparison to the basic '98 Beaucastel bottling, this has more shoulders. More black fruits than red. Finishes with great, lush tannins and explosive berry and cocoa powder flavors. Among the longest wines of my tour of the Rhone Valley. This is "only" 14.2% alcohol.Vinous Media | 97 VMStill a bit of a brute, as the Mourvèdre thoroughly dominates, with tar, pan-roasted liver, graphite and loam notes that hold sway over more typical Châteauneuf notes of currant, licorice, garrigue and mineral. This is very dense on the finish and still somewhat backward, so patience is required for this giant.--1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Best from 2010 through 2032. 415 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe only vintage of Hommage with more Grenache than Mourvèdre, as it was such a brilliant year for Grenache. This is explains its colour: much more pale than a classic Hommage at this stage of maturity. Very much ready now, the aromas come out like a cloud rather than a whisp. Has plenty of meat stock, horse chestnut shells, chestnut and plum scents, with a gentle spicing in the background. Very full-bodied, very generous and rounded. The alcohol is a little more evident than a classic Hommage, the fabric a little looser - it doesn't have the Mourvèdre tannic muscle. The finish is less long than a classic vintage, but more succulent. An atypical vintage for this cuvée, so perhaps should be described as a 'great Châteauneuf' rather than a 'great Hommage'. Either way, it's an exquisite wine. Drinking Window 2020 - 2030.Decanter | 96 DEC

1999 produced a very deep Ornellaia with uniform ripeness and a darker than usual fruit profile, not least because of the very high quality of its backbone, the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an Ornellaia entering its prime, and it displays figgy notes with soft tobacco spice from both the grapes and ageing in a mix of new and second-fill oak. Its broad but soft underlying tannins suggest this is very much a Mediterranean child, now in its boisterous mid-adolescence, and well suited therefore to be decanted before serving. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Drinking Window 2021 - 2035.Decanter | 96 DECSpicy and full of cassis, tobacco and coffee aromas. Texture and mouthfeel are what this wine is all about; it is plush like velvet carpet. Deep, satisfying flavors of plum, black currant and vanilla lead into an ultrasmooth finish that is clean as a hospital emergency room.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 1999 Ornellaia (magnum) does not disappoint. This vivid, energetic wine emerges from the glass with a myriad of graphite, menthol, licorice, leather and dark fruit wrapped around a powerful core. The bouquet alone is worth the price of admission. Though not as opulent as the 1997, the 1999 offers exceptional length and a finessed, regal close. The 1999 Ornellaia is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine spent 18 months in French oak (60% new) prior to being bottled.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 1999 Ornellaia demonstrates immediately the superiority of the vintage in its dark, blackish color, powerful and expansive nose of cassis, graphite, tar, and Mediterranean herbs, and its rich, concentrated, and deep flavors, sizeable but very supple as well. Drink: 2005-2022.Ornellaia has been through some significant changes over the past several years. First with the departure of Lodovico Antinori and the arrival of the new owners, Mondavi and Frescobaldi, then with a double changeover of winemakers, first Andrea Giovannini (now at Monsanto) from 1999 to 2001, then Thomas Duroux, trained at Bordeaux and then the oenologist for the unsuccessful Mondavi Languedoc project. High quality, however, has been a constant – these have been Bolgheri’s best wines, along with those of Le Macchiole, over the past five years, and there is no indication of any change in the level of ambition.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPWow. Currants, berries, cherries and minerals, but all subtlety. Full- to medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a long finish. Complex wine. However, a significant price hike, which follows the purchase of the estate by the Mondavi and Frescobaldi families, is disappointing. Best after 2005. 12,165 cases made, 3,180 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2000 possesses an impenetrable black/purple color as well as a sumptuous bouquet of melted licorice, creosote, new saddle leather, blackberry and cherry fruit as well as roasted meats. Sweet and full-bodied, with great intensity, huge power, and a finish that lasts for 67 seconds by my watch, this is an amazing tour de force in winemaking. Even in a flattering, forward-styled vintage such as 2000, it will need 7-8 years of cellaring, yet this is the most accessible Jacques Perrin I have tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.Robert Parker | 99 RP(the blend, based on 60% mourvedre, was to have been bottled a week after my visit) Saturated bright deep ruby. Incredible kaleidoscope of a nose: blackberry, currant, violet, espresso, bitter chocolate, truffle, eucalyptus, gibier, licorice, pepper and wild spices. Similarly multifaceted in the mouth; hugely concentrated and lush but lively and light on its feet. This boasts an extraordinary core of dark fruit. Finishes extremely long, juicy and young. This is even stronger than it appeared to be a year ago. In comparison to this wine, the 1999 version, which I retasted alongside the 2000, was a bit more port-like, with strong notes of fruit cake and maple syrup and a superripe, chocolatey finish; I rated the wine 96 but felt that the 2000 showed even greater long-term potential.Vinous Media | 95-98 VMA wine that continues to show beautifully is the 2000 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. Still vibrant ruby-colored with an incredible nose of blackcurrants, beef blood, truffle, incense and cured meats, it’s a huge, opulent, concentrated 2000 that has a stacked mid-palate, sweet tannin, no hard edges and a finish that just won’t quit. It’s a heavenly red that can be enjoyed anytime over the coming two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDA seducer, this Old World blockbuster dazzles with its class. Ultrarich, pitch-black, it remains elegant and refined despite its monster structure, but it’s open-knit, delivering earthy, mineral, iron and wet fur character along with the plum and blackberry. Long, refined finish. Drink now through 2025. 500 cases made. — PMWine Spectator | 95 WS(Château de Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, Red) Bloody on the nose, fresh meat and iron. Mature now, with some earthy notes among the autumnal fruits underpinned by a distinctly spicy aromatic vein. Only medium-bodied, ready to drink now, in fact it’s time to drink up - it’s unlikely to improve. Sappy acidity and a touch of polished wood on the finish. Tannins are a little lacking in finesse, but there’s good complexity and a regal touch - ageing royalty. (Drink between 2020-2022)Decanter | 94 DEC(Châteauneuf du Pape “Hommage à Jacques Perrin”- Château de Beaucastel) The 2000 Hommage from Château de Beaucastel is quite marked by brettanomyces and this will affect one’s appreciation of the wine, depending on one’s tolerance of brett. The bouquet is a mix of cassis, saddle leather, a fair bit of barnyard, dark soil tones and a topnote of bonfires. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and classically proportioned, with a good core, moderate tannins and a long, nascently complex finish that closes with good grip. If one really dislikes brett, then deduct several points from my score, but for those with some tolerance, this is a good bottle in the making- though still in need of far more time in the cellar to really blossom! (Drink between 2025-2055)John Gilman | 92 JG

No written review provided | 95 W&SIncredible as you look at these colours heading back to the 1990s; they are barely budging at all. Here I get quite a different quality the smoke, more like wet woodsmoke from a fire that has been doused, or the smoky aspect to Japanese green tea. A clearly powerful wine, one that has real depth and impact, with flavours that keep slowly building one on top of the other. More burly than some, this feels burnished under the Tuscan sun. I prefer the 2001 for its power that walks the line, this is resplendent but in full Super Tuscan mode.Decanter | 94 DECI am happy to see this holding on so well after not tasting it for years. It was always a richer and softer Sassicaia due to the hot growing season. I drank this in Cannes, France, yesterday with some friends and it now shows a soft and delicious character with dried fruits, spice and mushroom and hints of herbs. Full-bodied, silky and velvety. Round and clean. Drink or hold. But wonderful and sassy now.James Suckling | 93 JSIntense dark ruby. Dark berry fruit and exotic spice scents fill the high-toned, penetrating nose. Offers a deep core of beautifully delineated blackberry and blackcurrant flavors layered with bell pepper, dark chocolate and minerals. Smooth tannins frame the very long finish, leaving one with the impression of persistence and balance.Vinous Media | 93 VMShows its class. Loaded with fruit. Rich yet balanced, with lots of jammy and plummy character. Full-bodied, with round tannins and a silky finish. Exotic. Sass made excellent wine again in a less than easy year. Best after 2006. 16,600 cases made, 2,300 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This sports serious heft, with a core of brooding fig jam, ganache, Christmas pudding and pastis-soaked black currant notes, followed by a powerhouse finish of smoldering charcoal and tar. The feel is remarkably velvety and rounded overall, with a mouthwatering licorice root element adding to the already considerable length. Best from 2026 through 2056. 40 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 99 WSThough declared back in 2003, the 2001 Quinta do Noval Nacional was not officially released until 2016 because Christian Seely deemed it too backward and tannic in its youth. Matured in used wooden barrels for 20 months, it has a limpid purple hue with very slight bricking at the rim. The utterly captivating bouquet features multilayered black cherries, cassis, crushed violets and hints of iodine, all extremely delineated and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with a satin-like texture that renders this Nacional deceivingly approachable, and yet this is clearly a Vintage Port with decades still ahead of it. Amazingly well focused, this 2016 has a brightness and vivacity that probably manifested during the years it was kept back. Stunning. 250 cases produced. Tasted at the Vinous off-line dinner at La Trompette.Vinous Media | 98 VMNacional Vintage Port comes from a small parcel of ungrafted vines on a series of terraces at the Noval estate. It is a legendary wine, produced only occasionally. This wine is still impressively young and shows that it will age for decades. With its dark black fruits and succulent tannins, it is powerful and concentrated. Drink this wine from 2021 and for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEI loved the 2001 Nacional, which is just singing right now. Possessing a huge nose of roasted herbs, black olives, licorice, coffee grinds, and sandalwood, it hits the palate with a full-bodied, concentrated, incredibly layered texture that stays lively, balanced and clean. This heady, ripe, sensationally complex Port should continue to stay on this plateau of maturity for another 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2001 Vintage Port Nacional is a typical blend, mostly Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Aged for 20 months in old barrels in Douro, it comes in with 19.3% alcohol and 76.8 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is a late release, declared in 2003 but just now about to hit the market. Christian Seely said: "[T]he 2001 was extremely backward and quite closed up, dense and very tannic. Since we had just declared and released the 2000 Nacional, we decided to lay down the 250 cases of Nacional 2001 ..." The late release has certainly tamed this. It still feels very firm and has a real backbone, but it is not overly drying and it is a lot more approachable than newly-released Nacionals can be. By day three, though, it was showing a bit more pure power and complexity--and it seemed far better.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPTight and linear vintage Port with ripe berries, almonds, chocolate and hints of spices. Medium to full body, racy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Very beautiful now.James Suckling | 93 JS

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

This is the point at which Opus becomes a fully independent estate, with its own vineyard crew so able to react when needed throughout the growing season. And this first vintage under their entire control, with floral notes coming through on the attack that expand through the mid-palate into full on smoked caramel, black chocolate and rich cassis puree. Still inky in colour with firm confident tannins, a long life ahead, this is intense and impressive. 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec completes the blend. 25 days skin contact, early short harvest, lowest yield since 1987.Drinking Window 2019 - 2034.Decanter | 97 DECAged in 100% new French oak for 17 months and in bottle for 14 months prior to release, the 2004 Opus One is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It boasts a dense ruby/purple color along with a sweet bouquet of lead pencil shavings, black currants and a hint of toasty oak. More evolved than usual, this full-bodied, opulent 2004 is part of the new wave of Opus Ones made under the administration of Philippe Dhalluin, the administrator of Mouton Rothschild, who has begun to exploit this estate’s enormous potential. This beauty can be drunk now or cellared for another 20 years.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 2004 Opus One is the first wine in this vertical that is still completely primary. Juicy, layered and expressive, the 2004 needs at least five more years in the cellar to shed some of its youthful exuberance, but frankly that may not be enough. There is a lot of promise here. The blend is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec.Vinous Media | 93 VMDeftly balanced and medium-bodied, this is a wine of finesse and refinement, highlighted by pure, rich flavors of blackberry and blueberry, with hints of cedar and mocha. Maintains an elegant core.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis is very aromatic, with notes of lavender, cedar, black olives, almonds, and hints of currant bush. Full bodied with nice fruit, with creme de cassis and light coffee notes. This is delicious now.James Suckling | 92 JS

Low yield and clear concentration, at 15 years old we can just start to see some early bottle ageing notes as it relaxes into itself, with dried rose aromatics and gorgouesly tight, bright olives, rosemary, grilled cedar and black pepper. Opens up beautifully in the glass, this has excellent persistency and is a clear success. 1% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 29 days skin contact. Cool temperatures and slow ripening in this year, longest recorded growing season at Opus, with harvest finishing on November 2. Drinking Window 2019 - 2034Decanter | 96 DECFrom a long, moderate growing season, according to Silacci, this is fully formed, with gently mulled cassis and cherry preserve flavors that move slowly, yielding hints of savory and iron along the way. A broad swath of tannins emerges on the loamy finish, keeping this firmly grounded in terroir. Gorgeous. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.—Non-blind Opus One vertical (September 2019). Drink now through 2032. 22,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThis famous wine, first created by the late Baron Philippe de Rothschild and the late Robert Mondavi, started off life as a very good, but rarely exceptional wine. Over the last ten or more years, the administration at Mouton Rothschild, particularly the team led by Philippe Dhalluin, has truly pushed the level of quality to the point where this is clearly one of the great wines of Napa. And after so many years, it represents the pinnacle of French viticultural knowledge combined with that of California and Napa’s Shangri La-like microclimate. The 2005 Opus One, a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, has a ruby/purple color and a beautiful, sweet nose of créme de cassis and spring flowers. Complex and medium to full-bodied, with silky tannin and superb purity and balance, this is exactly what Opus One was meant to be when it was first proposed. Of course, it is a popular wine to criticize, but the quality has never been better, and certainly 2005 is a beauty. It is reaching full maturity at ten years, but I think there is still another 10-15+ years of upside potential in this wine. It is full-bodied, opulent and, dare I say, delicious. Given its popularity and brand recognition, it’s nice to know that even at a major steak house you can probably find this wine and be thrilled to buy it and drink it.Robert Parker | 95 RPDeep, saturated ruby-red. Explosive nose combines currant, plum, dried cranberry and minerals, plus some suggestions of very ripe fruit. Plush, dry and classic; more minerally than fruity in the mouth, with complicating notes of herbs, tobacco leaf and dark chocolate. Not a particularly fleshy style; in fact, this very youthful wine is still a bit unyielding. Finishes with substantial dusty tannins and terrific subtle energy, a hint of orange peel adding lift.Vinous Media | 93 VMSage, bay leaf, mint, plum, and forest floor on the nose. Full bodied, with a solid core of fruit and a nice chewy finish. Let this rest until 2012. 14+23+22+33.James Suckling | 92 JS

The 2006 Melbury has a dense plum/purple color and a big, sweet, scorched earth, crème de cassis and blueberry nose, with hints of charcoal, spice box, and graphite. Rich, well-made, and showing exceptionally well from bottle, it is a wine that will certainly evolve for 25 or more years.Robert Parker | 94 RPThe 2006 Melbury is dark, chewy and a bit rough around the edges. Even so, it has aged well and retains enough freshness to drink well for another decade or more. Mocha, plum, black cherry and spice infuse the super-expressive finish.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis is very perfumed with currants and flowers. I love the nose. Very balanced and deep full bodied wine with a long silky finish. I really like the texture and finesse to this. Very fascinating. Better in a year or two. 14+24+23+33. Find the wineJames Suckling | 94 JSStarts with a beautiful ruby color that’s so pretty and gleaming. Appeals right away for its rich, attractive sour cherry candy, vanilla and anise aromas and flavors that are well-integrated with smoky oak. The tannins are firm, but ultra-refined, and the finish is entirely dry. A well-made, elegant wine of place that needs time. 2012–2018.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEI had a very hard time getting a firm read on any of the 2006 bottlings from Bond Estates and was under the distinct impression that I was not favorably impressed by the style of wines here, until I tasted the 2005s, which really had snapped nicely into focus, had gobbled up the lion’s share of their new wood and showed truly excellent quality in their more modern styles. So with the 2006 Melbury (and this is true for all of the other 2006s from Bond), please take into account that the wine was still more than a tad grumpy and adolescent when I tasted it and is very likely to come in at the high range of my range if it evolves as positively as its 2005 counterparts. The nose today on the ’06 Melbury is quite intriguing in its mix of black raspberries, plums, tobacco, chocolate, allspice and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and shows a fair bit of complexity on the attack, but with rather aggressive, uncovered oak tannins currently dominating the slightly green (from wood?) finish. There is excellent length and grip here behind the wood tannins, and one assumes that there is plenty of stuffing to eventually carry the wood, but for now, the wood tannins make this wine pretty disagreeable to drink and cellaring is emphatically required. (Drink between 2016 - 2035)John Gilman | 89-92 JGFrom the Sloson Vineyard on the east side of Lake Hennessy, these vines are cooled by the lake and grow in dense clay. They produced a big, juicy red in 2006, a soft, luscious wine that feels dense and full. This comes across as warmer and riper than Bond’s other single-vineyard releases, a more immediate pleasure for drinking over the next several years.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&S

Rich, damson and spiced plum notes, chocloate and roses, black olives, rosemary and cinammon. A great year with depth and layers, well finessed tannins, a little subuded through the finish but the structure is there, and this is a serious wine. 3% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 26 days skin contact.Decanter | 95 DECSage and mint in the nose, it is Opus style. Full bodied and layered, with polished tannins and wonderful length. This is tight, but fascinating still. This wine has a good future, very juicy, and will only keep getting better. Don’t touch this until 2014.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2006 Opus One is another more challenging vintage that saw abundant moisture throughout the year. Nevertheless, it doesn’t lack texture or fruit and has ripe yet integrated tannins as well as up-front, perfumed, charming aromatics of ripe darker fruits, black cherries, chocolate, and tobacco leaf. This elegant, charming, seamless effort is well worth enjoying any time over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDDeep garnet in color, the 2006 Opus One explodes with a whole array of stewed black and red plums, kirsch, and tobacco leaf scents with hints of oolong tea and cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate has a rock-solid structure of sturdy tannins, with soft acidity and layers of muscular black fruits, finishing long and minerally.The Wine Independent | 94 TWIThe 2006 comes across as a bigger, more structured wine than the 2007. The tannins are bolder, more dramatic, and more present. The wine displays impressive depth, not the velvety elegance of the 2007, but is a more muscular wine that begs for 2-3 years of cellaring and should drink well for 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 93+ RPA very good Opus with plenty of forward cherries and black raspberries as well as rich notes of spiced oak that give a nougat or crunchy vanilla granola sweetness to the finish. The vintage was not Opus One’s best, but the wine is impeccably crafted, and shows its usual fine tannic structure.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The 2006 Sassicaia may very well go down as one of the all-time great recent vintages for this Tuscan thoroughbred. The year started off very warm but by August evening temperatures had moderated, leaving the fruit with a stunning combination of ripeness, perfume, acidity and tannin. The wine is simply glorious, that’s all there is to it. Layers of dark fruit meld into smoke, leather, violets, menthol, earthiness and tar as this profound wine opens up in the glass. The creamy, silky finish lasts an eternity, as waves of fruit caress the tannins with breathtaking elegance. Everything is in the right place in this magical Sassicaia. This is one for the ages. In a word: Awesome.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe Tenuta San Guido 2006 Bolgheri Sassicaia is a timeless classic. This might just be the vintage to photograph in an encyclopedia entry for Sassicaia. This is especially true at this exact moment in its long and promising drinking window. The wine shows less volume compared to some of the more opulent vintages, but it absolutely excels in terms of length and finish. It offers amazing drive and momentum that are fueled by the extremely fine nature of the wine’s texture and the seamless unity of its flavors. It treads in light and delicate footsteps that will carry it far into the future. As they say in Italian: "Piano piano si va lontano" (slowly slowly you go far).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP(Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bolgheri, Sassicaia, Tuscany, Italy, Red) The 2006 Sassicaia still has a dark garnet colour while nose has an impression of smoke and crushed dried flowers and some subtle, charred toast notes of oak. On the palate there is a lovely, soft, velvety texture together with dark, bramble fruit flavours. The fruit feels cooler in nature with leafy blackberry notes and again a thrilling spine of acidity. For Priscilla Incisa Della Rocchetta and the Tenuta San Guido team the 2006 was ’a rather fresher vintage … an elegant wine with good structure, the classic Sassicaia style with notes of juniper, myrtle, and Mediterranean forest, characteristic of this wine and the terroir where it is produced.’ (Drink between 2022-2033)Decanter | 96 DECSweet tobacco and berry with hints of currants. Full, soft and silky. Lots of fruit and a long finish. It’s subtle, dense and sophisticated. Please give this another five years to really show what it has.James Suckling | 95 JSDisplays sweet tobacco, plum and berry aromas, with a jammy undertone, turning to licorice on the palate. Full-bodied and balanced, with silky tannins, a lovely texture and plenty of fruit. Outstanding Sassicaia, with structure and finesse. 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent Cabernet Franc. Best after 2013. 20,000 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThis landmark wine (85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc) shows herbal notes of chopped mint, wild berry, licorice, bramble and forest floor. Tasted young, Sassicaia never has the same impact it will 10 or 15 years from now when all those luscious aromas become more penetrating and warm. Built to age, the wine boasts drying tannins, good acidity and firm structure.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WENo written review provided | 92 W&S

The 2006 is performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel. Sloan and McClellan decided to bottle it later than usual, recognizing the rugged, tough tannins of the vintage could be sweetened up with longer barrel aging. Their strategy worked. The wine’s dense ruby/purple color is followed by notes of white chocolate, burning embers, creme de cassis, coffee, and scorched earth (think Haut-Brion or La Mission Haut-Brion). It possesses terrific structure, melted, well-integrated tannins, full body, and is already bursting with complexity. A great success, it is one of the vintage’s most thrilling wines. Drink it over the next 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 98+ RPAn extraordinary effort, very tightly wound with a wealth of detailed flavors, exhibiting tiers of black cherry, plum, currant, berry jam, cedar, cigar box, black licorice and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied and well-structured, ending with tapered flavors that retain their focus. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2011 through 2025. 700 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLovely violets, gardenias, and orchids on the nose with hints of dark fruits. Full bodied with fine tannins and firmly structured. This starts off slow, but then it really takes off and gives and gives. Very delicate and pretty. Pull the cork after 2016. Find the wineJames Suckling | 93 JS(70% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 5% cabernet franc) Full ruby-red. Superripe aromas of dark berries, hot stones, tobacco, bitter chocolate and licorice. Very ripe, broad and plush in the mouth, even a bit chunky, with black fruit, mocha, roast coffee, tar and licorice flavors coming across as a bit spiky today. Finishes with big, slightly tough tannins that call for at least five or six years of aging. "This vintage was more austere than either 2005 or 2007 early on," noted winemaker Martha McClellan, "and the tannins took longer to integrate." The wine was bottled barely a month before my visit.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

Incredibly floral and beautiful with dark berry, spice, cedar and mint. Chinese plums. Asian spices. Bark. Tea. Full body, dense and so soft and complex. The finish goes on for minutes. Endless and fine. January 2017 release. This reminds me of the gorgeous 1991 or 1964. Drink forever. A wine that you want to spend time with.James Suckling | 100 JSI tasted the 2006 Único again, and it’s clearly the best Único produced in the last few years, to which I don’t find much logic, as on paper 2004 and 2005 were better years in Ribera del Duero. However it is, the 2006 is a fantastic modern Vega Sicilia in the making, powerful and clean, still very young and marked by the élevage with a whiff of American oak and a creamy texture in the palate. It should age very well for a very long time. I’d wait to pull the cork, even if it’s drinkable and quite showy already. This is the current vintage in 2018, even if the 2007 and 2008 were released before it and even before the 2005. In 2019 they will release the 2009. 93,993 bottles, 2,552 magnums, 165 double magnums and six imperials were produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPUnico’s vineyards are located just in front of the winery, on the other side of the N-122, the road that crosses east to west through Ribera del Duero. These vineyards face north, their soils rich in limestone, two factors that help explain the persistent tension of the tannins in this Spanish classic. In this new vintage, the tannins yield notes of Indian spices, layering turmeric and cinnamon over earthy flavors. There are also vibrant flavors of fresh blackberries and red raspberries, but they are mostly hidden for now, needing more time in the cellar, or decanting, to emerge. The texture is elegant, with enough grip to sustain the wine for another decade at least.Wine & Spirits | 97 W&SSaturated ruby. An amazingly complex array of red and blue fruit preserve, spice and floral scents is accompanied by suggestions of incense, pipe tobacco, coconut and candied licorice. Utterly stains the palate with impressively concentrated yet lively, smoke- and spice-laced cherry compote, blueberry, fruitcake and violet pastille flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Sappy and broad on the endless finish, which shows outstanding thrust and dusty tannins that are absorbed by the wine’s densely packed fruit.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis vintage’s bouquet of raisin, flower and dust aromas is complex, requiring extended airing to fully reveal itself. Earthy berry and raisin flavors finish with prune and berry notes. It’s a touch ripe and heavy owing to the fact that 2006 was a hot year; it will benefit from more time in the cellar. Drink through 2035.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEFrom vines averaging 35 years of age across 40 hectares, Único undergoes a minimum 10 year ageing process in both small and large American and French oak barrels, plus time in bottle. After a while in the glass the aromatic profile grows, charming with redcurrants, roses, and fine oak. In the mouth it lives up to its ’Unique’ name. The depth of flavour impresses, and so too does the complex layering. Mineral, chalk, red fruit, wood smoke and fresh herbs - there’s so much to discover, and all of these characteristics are building materials for the future, along with the very bright line of freshness. Very promising. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECSilky and dense, this red delivers focused flavors of currant, licorice, tobacco and mineral, supported by well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity. Not showy, but has depth. Lithe and energetic. Drink now through 2021. 7,800 cases made, 570 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

A brilliant vintage and this is packed with gorgeously rich, concentrated black fruits. A beautiful wine that is starting to open towards tertiary aromatics and flavours, with the spiced rosemary, warm ash, graphite and black truffle notes coming to the fore. Everything is perfectly held in place, with the warmth of the vintage on display in confident, well balanced fruit. This is a wine you want to drink and share. Made with 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2019 - 2040Decanter | 98 DECThis is a subtle and racy wine. Balanced, with vibrant fruit and bright acidity and chocolate and spices. Full and racy. Very long. Austere. Fascinating. Very closed right now. Give it five or six years minimum now. Winemaker Renzo Cotarella says that Solaia is more reserved in character than the Antinori’s Guado al Tasso from Bolgheri, which is more flashy. Makes me smile.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2007 Solaia saturates the palate with a heady array of super-ripe black cherries, plums, cassis, mocha and sweet French oak. There is an exotic quality to the Solaia I find totally irresistible. Despite its considerable ripeness and opulence, the 2007 Solaia is never heavy, rather it impresses for its extraordinary finesse and balance. Minerals, graphite and crushed rocks frame a long, seductive finish. This is a wonderful Solaia loaded with vintage and vineyard character. The 2007 Solaia is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged in 100% new oak. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPSoft contours, silky tannins and textural volume are the hallmarks of the 2007 Solaia. A riper, denser version of the 2004 with the richness of the 1997, the 2007 will please readers with a long drinking window of pure pleasure. The style is intense and bold. Readers who prefer more subtlety will find that in other vintages, as the 2007 is a voluptuous, racy, turn-on with tons of immediacy but less in the way of detail or nuance.Vinous Media | 97 VMA racy wine that offers so much currant and blackberry character. Full and very silky. Goes on and on. Fascinating. Best after 2012. 6,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2007 Quella performed slightly better than I predicted last year. A magical combination of blueberry liqueur intermixed with crushed rock, spring flowers (violets?), earth, pen ink and burning ember leads to a full-bodied, majestically rich wine with a multilayered texture, silky tannins and a phenomenally long finish of over 50 seconds. This sensational 2007 should drink well for 25-30+ years.Robert Parker | 97 RPThis is decadent. Layers and layers of porcini mushrooms, wet forest floor, and dark fruits. Full bodied, powerful, with everything going for it. This needs at least fiave years to show its best. Pull the cork after 2015. 15+25+24+33. Find the wineJames Suckling | 97 JSVoluptuous and racy in the glass, with terrific freshness, the 2007 Quella has it all. Raspberry jam, blood orange and sweet floral notes add brightness throughout. Silky, ripe and alluring, the 2007 is one of the many standouts in this vintage. The 2007 drinks well now but it will hold for another 10-15 years.Vinous Media | 96 VMA tremendous effort, firm, intense, dense and concentrated, offering a wonderful mix of mineral, fresh earth, dried currant and herb, with touches of tobacco and cedar. Full-bodied, yet at points supple given its youth, but the finish sails on and on. To be released spring 2011. Best from 2013 through 2024. 476 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThis is Bond’s second vintage of Quella, from a vineyard in the eastern hills of Napa Valley. The wine’s red cherry fruit has elasticity and intriguing meatiness, though for now it’s completely cloaked in oak. The wood adds a French roast coffee spice rather than sweetness, the tannins mouthcoating and rich. This finishes with elegance and should reward several years of cellar time.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE