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The 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Morandina is dark and youthfully understated in the glass, as crushed rose petals and stone dust give way to red currants. This is silky-smooth, nearly velvety in feel, with masses of mineral-tinged black cherry and spice contrasted by a twang of sour citrus. The 2016 finishes with outstanding length and depth yet is also remarkably fresh, leaving hints of hard red candy and the slightest touch of bitter cocoa. The Amarone of Prà is always so unique but in the best possible way. The 2016 is a total gem but needs cellaring to come fully into focus.Vinous Media | 96+ VMA savory and complex expression of Amarone with some dried cherries, red dates, stewed herbs, orange peel, tobacco and white pepper. Some bold green peppercorn, too. A svelte delivery of Amarone with a medium body, showing tobacco, cedar and chocolate on the palate. Long, cedary finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSInspired by Dal Forno, renowned Soave producer Graziano Prà purchased 13 hectares high up in eastern Valpolicella’s Mezzane Valley in 2001. The previously unplanted parcel is protected by forest and has been farmed organically from the start. A relatively restrained nose shows dried garden herbs with plum and floral nuances. On the palate, fig and prune flavours are laced with cigar smoke. Velvety, malleable tannins enfold the easy to please package and the finish is bright with a pleasantly bitter edge.Decanter | 93 DECThis elegant red is medium- to full-bodied, with creamy tannins providing a fine frame for flavors of brambly red currant and blackberry fruit, pine, orange peel and crushed pink peppercorn. A subtle, savory overtone of cured tobacco and smoky bacon fat echoes on the fresh finish. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oseleta. Drink now through 2030. 833 cases made, 250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

An ethereal and classic style with tertiary semi-dried plum, strawberry, cedar, mocha and coffee oak aromas and flavours, silky tannins and well-integrated zesty acidity. A magnificent wine that needs spicy lamb chops.Decanter | 97 DEC

The Tenuta Sant’Antonio 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli (packaged in a very heavy eco-unfriendly glass bottle) is a dark and brooding wine packed tight with richly concentrated black fruit delivered in thick and lasting layers. The bouquet peels back to reveal dark plum and baked blackberry, but there is also a major focus on spice, tar, barbecue smoke and teriyaki. The wine makes a wide and large impact on the palate. It shows enormous textural richness and softly integrated tannins. You can age this blend of 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 5% Croatina and 5% Oseleta (that sees three years in barrel) over the long haul.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA unique yet beguiling mix of smoked meats, lavender and violets evolves into dusty black berries and currants as the 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli blossoms in the glass. It’s velvety-smooth yet spicy and mineral in style, with penetrating dark red fruits giving way to dark chocolate, balsam herbs and building tannins. This tapers off remarkably long and primary, yet it maintains amazing freshness, leaving exotic inner florals and spices to linger. The 2016 is a gentle giant of an Amarone that will need a little time to show its best. It spent three years refining in neutral Tonneaux.Vinous Media | 95 VMVery potent aromas of blackcurrants and toasted oak with hints of eucalyptus and black-cherry liqueur, following through to a full palate with firm tannins that drive the fruit on through the long finish. There’s a kind of raw, almost rough-and-ready character to this that’s a bit hard work now. Will even out with bottle age. One for the cellar. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSThis wine offers a glimpse of dried cherry and plum flavors before the spectrum quickly shifts to notes of smoked bacon, fig and cardamom. The wine aged for three years in new French-oak tonneaux, developing a complex and decadent style that will appeal to the most ardent Amarone fans.Wine & Spirits | 91 W&S

From the second I tilted the glass, I knew that the 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella was a total knockout. Macerated cherries are contrasted by a whiff of tangerine that gives way to vibrant rose tones and autumnal spice. This soothes with glycerol waves of spicy red fruits complemented by cinnamon, clove and dark, dark chocolate tones. There’s tremendous balance here with bright acids and a totally sexy and exotic style. This just goes on and on and finishes structured and firm yet incredibly fresh, leaving the palate stained in concentration as violet floral tones fade. For all of its heady depth and concentration, there are only two grams per liter of residual sugar. You don’t need to save this riveting Amarone for the dessert course.Vinous Media | 97 VMOwner Marco Sartori has slowly modified his winemaking over the years. He dries the grapes for less time these days, especially in hot years, and ferments at cooler temperatures for a more gentle extraction. And, as of 2016, a portion of the wine ages in large Slavonian oak casks (instead of 100% barriques) for less oxidation of the fruit. The 2016 is deeply coloured and youthful with wood spice and smoke dominating the nose. Compact, concentrated fruit is wrapped up in dense tannins, and hints of blackberry and anise emerge on the palpably dry palate. This definitely needs time to unfurl. Release date: January 2021. Drinking Window 2022 - 2032.Decanter | 90 DEC

Carlone’s 2016 Boca Adele takes all the elements of the house style and kicks them up a few notches. Bold and dramatic in the glass, the Adele is a total stunner. It needs time to soften, but all the signatures of a truly great wine come through loud and clear. Red cherry, plum, lavender, dried herbs and pomegranate all open up. The 2016 is a young wine that needs cellaring for its aromatics to develop, but it is so impressive.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGForest floor, camphor, blue flower and new leather are just some of the aromas that you’ll find on this structured, vibrant red. Firm and austere, the vibrant, focused palate has youthful intensity, featuring mature Marasca cherry, blood orange, white pepper and licorice set against assertive, noble tannins. Bright acidity keeps it balanced and precise, while an energizing mineral note suggesting flint caps off the finish. Drink 2028–2041.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WECarlone cultivates a few high-lying vineyards in Boca, although some of his grapes are sold to Le Piane. This is unusually deep in colour and has leafy, brooding raspberry aromas that are still reticent. Although sleek in texture, it’s concentrated and dense, with some black fruit and chocolate tones. It’s a Boca with unusual depth and power and has a long, grainy finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2032.Decanter | 91 DEC

Blackberries and blueberries with hints of fresh herbs. Some black olives. Medium to full body, integrated and polished tannins and a beautiful, fruity and polished finish. Best wine ever from here. A blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon with tinges of cabernet franc and malbec.James Suckling | 97 JSFrom a myriad of top sites around the valley and a collaboration between Jean Hoefliger and Michel Rolland, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, powerful, full-bodied beauty that has lots of ripe black fruits, licorice, scorched earth, and tobacco aromas and flavors. It’s thrillingly textured, opulent and hedonistic, with sweet tannins and a great finish. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Cabernet Franc and Malbec brought up in 80% new French oak, give it 2-4 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades. 580 cases.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDA blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon with dollops of Cabernet Franc and Malbec, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon MR is very deep purple-black in color and gives up bold scents of baked blueberries, plum preserves, spice cake and mocha with hints of chargrilled meats, sandalwood and dusty soil plus a waft of garrigue. Full, concentrated and packed with black fruit preserves and savory layers, it has a solid yet plush frame and very long, spicy finish. 580 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPMichel Rolland’s Cabernet Sauvignon MR is very beautiful in 2016. Less bombastic than in the past, the Rolland Cabernet is, dare I say it, almost understated. Expressive dark red cherry jam, wild flowers, spice and bittersweet chocolate all run through this pretty, highly nuanced Cabernet. There is an effortless grace to the 2016 that is impossible to miss. Floral notes reappear on the finish to add an attractive lift to the red-toned fruit. Vineyard sources are Newton, Dr. Crane and To Kalon.Antonio Galloni | 94 AG

Very deep and dark, but also fragrant, this glides from dried blueberries, tar, brambleberry essence and cassis to cedar, tobacco and dried nutmeg. The palate is rich and concentrated with a ton of fine-grained tannins and a long, complex, dry finish. Drink in 2023.James Suckling | 95 JSCabernet Sauvignon is not in the blend, but the aromas in the 2016 Terra di Lavoro are very similar to what you would get with that grape, with bright notes of green pepper corn with blackberry and exotic spice. The declared blend is 80% Aglianico and 20% Piedirosso. This is a balanced vintage with lots of depth, precision and density. This is a beautifully made wine. For sure, I am not the first to say that the wine is more characteristic of a house style, a Bordeaux-inspired house style, rather than a territorial expression of Campania. In truth, I’d say that this wine has feet in both those words. I recommend waiting at least five more years before drinking this vintage. Some 30,000 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPGood full ruby-red. Pretty aromas of fresh raspberry, red cherry and crushed stone and a strong whiff of minty botanical herbs. The vibrant flavors of red fruits, herbs and flint show very good cut and thrust. Not hugely fleshy but boasts very good palate presence and noteworthy refinement. Finishes with polished tannins, outstanding length and perfumed lift. Totally different from the riper 2015 Terra di Lavoro but just as good.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis estate near Campania’s northern border makes just one wine from 25 acres of low-yielding vines planted on the slopes of a dormant volcano. A blend of aglianico softened by 20 percent piedirosso, the 2016 Terra di Lavoro offers flavors of plum and raspberry underscored by a black minerality. Notes of eucalyptus and mint brighten the flavors, and the structure feels lean and taut, bound by rigid tannins. Stow this in the cellar for at least five years.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&S

As always, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is all Grenache (from La Serres, La Crau, and La Guigasse) that was not destemmed and was brought up all in used demi-muids. It’s an extraordinary wine, offering a mammoth bouquet of kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, ground pepper, white flowers, and spice. Full-bodied, concentrated, and opulent on the palate, with silky tannins, it’s not going to match the 2010 or 2016, but t’s a magical, elegant, layered wine that does everything right.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is lush and inviting in feel, with waves of warmed raspberry reduction taking center stage, while plum paste and cherry skin notes add range. Underneath the fruit, notes of anise, red and black tea and gently mulled spice notes course along, all supported by perfectly embedded acidity. A gorgeous wine that’s hard to lay off now because of the fruit, but there’s absolutely no rush. Best from 2023 through 2040. 375 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSBrilliant ruby-red. An expansive, spice-accented bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, incense and potpourri, and a smoky mineral element adds urgency. Juicy, seamless and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that firm up slowly and turn spicier on the back half. Shows serious heft, but there’s a distinctly graceful quality as well. Finishes sappy, gently tannic and extremely long, leaving a suave lavender pastille note behind.Vinous Media | 94-95 VMRich and almost painfully intense, from yields that were reduced by coulure to only about six hectoliters per hectare, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is steadfast in being all Grenache and all whole cluster. Licorice, chocolate and super ripe plums appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied and velvety, with a long, warm finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPAnother string release under this label, showing rich dark fruit and earthy notes with plenty of spice. Tarry notes as well. The palate has a very plush, ripe and rich feel with juicy, ripe dark berries and plums, really bathed in deep, long and smooth-honed tannins. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Pym-Rae leaps from the glass with bold notions of black cherries, mulberries, plum preserves and dark chocolate with an opulent undercurrent of Indian spices, potpourri, sandalwood and cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with rich, seductive black fruit preserves and an explosion of exotic spice sparks, framed by firm yet beautifully plush tannins and fantastic tension, finishing very long and achingly fragrant. Possessing loads more weight and mid-palate density than a lot of 2017s, this second showing is an absolute knock-out. Due to strict selection, only around 1500 cases were made this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPRather rich, flamboyant and decadent with bright raspberries, mushrooms and bark. Full-bodied, yet very tight and refined, with firmness and length. Racy and fine for a 2017. No cabernet franc in the blend, just cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Drink after 2023.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2017 Pym-Rae comes from a more challenging vintage that featured a dramatic heat spike on Labor Day weekend and fires during harvest. Nevertheless, the fruit was harvested all pre-fire, and it’s a beautiful wine revealing ample black fruits, scorched earth, tobacco, and graphite-like aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the vintage’s more focused, elegant style and has beautiful concentration as well as a great finish. While I suspect it has fewer tannins than the 2016, they’re more present and focused, which is very much in the style of the vintage. This elegant, concentrated, classic Bordeaux-like Mountain Cabernet will evolve nicely for another 25+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JD

Here’s an iconic wine from the Veneto made from a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon and 32% Merlot. The Maculan 2017 Fratta shows enormous intensity, muscle and brawn. The wine has absorbed every last drop of sunshine, heat and dry weather conditions that characterized the 2017 growing season, and it does so with elegance and poise. The wine is impeccably balanced with dark fruit and spice. It’s the kind of big-boned red wine you’ll want to pair with a hearty dish of barbecue or marinated beef. Some 7,000 bottles were made, and I tasted bottle number 589. The Fratta spirit is beautifully expressed in 2017.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPDeep, dense aromas of crushed black fruit with notes of charcoal and dried herbs, such as rosemary and thyme. The fruit envelops the lightly firm tannins on the full-bodied palate, creating a dense, velvety and lengthy mouthful. A well-crafted red that’s highly concentrated and bursting with flavor, but it also shows astute balance. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2017 Fratta lifts up with a dark and alluring display of black currants, sweet herbs, rich notes of mocha and savory brown spice. This is cool-toned and spicy, a bit lean, yet with a polished feel, showing tart blackberries offset by hints of sour citrus and toasty oak, as violet-tinged florals form toward the close. Fine tannins make themselves known throughout the finale, as this tapers off lightly structured, with hints of licorice lingering long. The Fratta is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, refined for one year in French barriques. While a year or two of cellaring may bring a bit more flesh to the expression, I expect the 2017 will always have a slender feel.Vinous Media | 92 VM

With over 300ha of vineyard, the Pasqua family are one of the leading growers of the Valpolicella, with a range which focuses increasingly on premium and super-premium productions. This selection is sourced from the Valpantena, the valley to the east of the Classico zone known for earlier drinking wines with bright fruit character. The very stylish 2017 has intense aromas of wild berries, violets and almonds, great fruit concentration and the classic bittersweet finish of Valpolicella.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of black currants with some dried-fruit character, as well as vanilla-pod and spice. Full-bodied with a tight, focused palate and lots of oaky tannin and flavor. Bright, currant and spice finish. Give it some time to integrate better. Best from 2023.James Suckling | 92 JSThis bottling is an impressive wine from the start. This well-built Amarone has aromas of black cherries, black plums and savory herbs. The palate is lush and full in body, with the fruit flavors showing more tart notes of sour cherry and blueberries. Elegant tannins and well-balanced acidity add to the complexity and ageworthiness of the wine. Drink from 2025–2032.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Case Vecie is dreamy, wafting up with a remarkably fresh bouquet that features roses, violets, shavings of cedar, dusty cherry and sweet smoke. This is elegance personified, with ripe red and black fruits excited by vibrant acidity as confectionary spice emerges. Minerals add a more tactile feel toward the close. Balsam herbs and hints of mocha resonate as the 2017 finishes with a gentle tug of tannin and a slight bitter twang that punctuates the wine perfectly. This child of a warm vintage shows impressive balance and tremendous potential for the future. Bury your bottles deep.Vinous Media | 96 VMEnticing aromas of dried strawberries and raspberries, together with notes of heather-like herbs and dried citrus peel. Full-bodied with beautiful, silky tannins that embrace the fruit and add length. In fact this is very long, releasing more and more cedar and spicy dried peel for you to savor. An excellent 2017 from a top Amarone vineyard site. Enjoyable now and will age for many a year.James Suckling | 94 JS

The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli is intense, like cracking open an ashen stone to find a bevy of dried black cherries, cinnamon sticks, incense and dried herbs. This is deeply textural with a balanced inner sweetness elevated by vibrant acidity as depths of tart red fruit balance and slowly saturates the palate in primary concentration. The 2017 finishes structured and dramatically long, begging for further cellaring, as a bitter tinge of currants and clove fade. Maybe splitting hairs, but I didn’t believe that Tenuta Sant’Antonio could outdo their 2016 Campo dei Gigli, but over time the 2017 may be up to the task.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThick and rather syrupy dried black fruit faces a wall of black-peppery, toasted oak on the nose, then turning more licoricy on the palate. Any subtler, more complex character is for now waiting in the wings for the youthful fruit and oak to vacate the center-stage. And that may take some time. Nevertheless, it’s attractive to drink even now and will continue to give pleasure for many a year. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThis rich Amarone is all that it is supposed to be and more. The nose is loaded with blackberry and cassis with licorice and savory herbs layered atop the intense fruit aromas. The palate shows off the beauty of the vineyard with deep dark plum notes wrapped around sweet chocolate and baking spices with fine tannins and a long finish.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEFrom the estate’s oldest vineyard, a limestone site with some silt and sand located at 300m above sea level planted 40 years ago. It’s a blend of Corvina and Corvinone (70%), Rondinella (20%), Croatina (5%) and Oseleta (5%), fermented in stainless steel then matured in new 500l casks for 36 months. It has distinct aromas of chocolate wheat and spiced plum crumble. In the mouth, lurking austere black fruits and balsamic freshness with streaks of tangy red fruits and dusty spice are supported by fine, grainy tannins. Bold, sweet and succulent, it demonstrates some limestoney mid-palate tightness that lends desirable finesse to this ample wine.Decanter | 92 DEC

Based on a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% each of Carignan and Cinsault, the 2017 Ventoux L’Argile is a stunningly complex wine from the Ventoux that offers a kaleidoscope-like array of spicy red berry fruits, sappy spring flowers, white pepper, and Provençal garrigue. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a seamless texture, building yet ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. It displays the cooler, fresher style of the Ventoux region, yet still brings tons of richness and depth as well as length on the finish. It can be enjoyed today, but it will have 15-20 years of overall longevity. It’s a beautiful wine in every sense.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

A resounding success, the deep ruby-colored 2017 Sorella displays beautiful purple highlights and explodes from the glass with aromas of blackberry, cigar box and dried tobacco with hints of graphite and dusty purple flowers. Full-bodied, the wine is ripe and round, with an immaculate mouthfeel, showing an impressive depth of flavor. With succulent red and black fruit expressions and soft cinnamon spice tones from oak, the wine is a whirlwind of complexity across the mid-palate. Emerging with a balanced structure and lifted tannic backbone, the wine lingers with persistence and intention, as flavors of dusty bitter dark chocolate, black plum and spiced dark cherries flutter across the finish. Bravo, this is absolutely stunning and will drink amazingly for the next two decades to come.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPLastly, the flagship 2017 Sorella Champoux Vineyard shares plenty of similarities with the base Champoux Vineyard release yet has another level of concentration. Medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, with silky tannins, it has a great bouquet of blueberries, cassis, mint, violets, and leafy herbs. As with all these 2017s from Chris Camarda, it shines for its balance and purity. Give bottles 2-4 years in the cellar, and it’s going to evolve for 15-20 years with no issues. (Drink between 2022-2044)Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDDominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Sorella is dark and ever so slightly menthol, purple in its fruit expression and formidable in its tannins. It’s massive but precise, driven by vibrant, persistent acids that provide inner tension and elegance.Wine & Spirits | 95 W&SBright, full medium ruby. Cassis, black cherry, dark chocolate, licorice, menthol and a trace of herbs on the nose. Plush, sweet/savory and seamless in the mouth; at once slightly cool and slightly port-like, with a high-toned quality currently muting the fruit. But full, nicely sweet and broad. Finishes with substantial fine-grained tannins and very good length, but not the grip for an even higher score. And less sweet and deep than the Merlot-based Champoux Vineyard bottling.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2017 Maya is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Cabernet Franc and was bottled one week before I tasted it. Very deep purple-black in color, it opens with profound earthy notions of truffles, damp soil, crushed rocks and tar over a core of Black Forest cake, black raspberries, blueberry compote and aged meat plus touches of wilted roses and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is solidly structured with firm, fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness lifting the multilayered blue and black fruits with a long, perfumed finish. Stunning.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe tiny production 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Maya is another thrilling wine. The normal blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in two-thirds new French oak, it offers a full-bodied, concentrated, yet sensationally elegant style as well as fab notes of crème de cassis, chocolate, graphite, and scorched earth. It’s a primordial example of this cuvée that has ripe tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great, great finish. Do your best to give bottles 4-6 years of bottle age.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDThe 2017 Maya is not only gorgeous, it also appears to have handled the rigors of the growing season more successfully than the others. Ripe red cherry and plum fruit, blood orange, pomegranate, mint and spice all build as this racy, sumptuous wine shows off its considerable allure. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are just magic here.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGTiny production from the eastern hills of Oakville. If you love Bordeaux wines it’s such a treat to taste a blend of just Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, something that you rarely see in the Médoc. It works extremely well, with an aromatic kick of raspberry leaf and violet flowers but the key to the body is coffee, bilberry, rosemary, mulberry and cloves. Great acidity set against power and concentration. The savoury edge that makes Cabernet such a delicious food-friendly wine is here, and is extremely elegant and refined but with a punch and undertow. Good stuff, with long ageing potential. 75% new oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2042.Decanter | 95 DECThe plum and chocolate, as well as hazelnut and dried-flower character is prevalent here. It’s full-bodied, yet very refined with lovely, polished tannins and a long, crisp finish. Balanced and focused. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSSolidly built, with ganache, plum, fig paste, smoldering tobacco and loam notes rolled together, ending with a muscular feel on the dark finish. Reveals a strong tug of terroir. Will need some time to stretch out fully. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2035. 800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2017 Gigondas Le Lieu Dit is, as always, the most finesse oriented and elegant in the lineup. Coming from a sandy, cooler parcel just outside the domaine and all Grenache (70% destemmed) brought up in old demi-muids, it offers a more ruby color as well as a massive perfume of wild strawberries, kirsch liqueur, dried soil, and flowery incense. Full-bodied, incredibly pure, and perfectly balanced, it’s another straight-up thrilling wine from Brechet that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDSaturated crimson. Intense aromas of red berry liqueur, exotic spices and incense pick up a smoky mineral nuance as the wine stretches out. Sappy and energetic in the mouth, offering impressively concentrated raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors and a strong suggestion of candied lavender. Finishes seamless, alluringly sweet and extremely long, with resonating red fruit and floral notes and supple tannins that add shape and discreet grip.Vinous Media | 94-95 VMThis mixes red and black currant fruit with notes of sage, alder and tobacco, ending with a tug of chalky minerality. Features perfume, flesh and a little more grip than most in the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2032. 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2017 Gigondas le Lieu Dit incorporates 30% whole clusters yet shows no green, stemmy characters at this stage of its evolution. It’s loaded with purple raspberries, framed by incredibly silky tannins, lush and ripe without any warmth evident on the long finish. Tasted twice, showing more tannic grip and woody notes on one occasion.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Intense, featuring an energetic core of black Mission fig, açaí berry and blackberry fruit, all entwined with strands of licorice snap, singed alder, tar and cassis bush. The finish crackles with life, as the grip is substantial but supported as much by acidity as tannins, giving this a freshness that pierces through the dark fruit profile. Best from 2035 through 2055. 498 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSRichly structured, this opulent wine has powerful tannins as well as fresher black fruits. It is dense and finely perfumed with some sweetness as well as a drier core of tannins. The wine is set for long-term aging. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

A fist of late summer cherries, raspberry and bilberry fruits set out their stall, all with the juicy character that confirms, even in a hot vintage like 2017, Opus can deliver balance and sculpted elegance. Beautiful grip, creamy texture with a strikingly powerful tannic frame. As the wine stays in the glass the floral aromatics begin to bloom up. A brilliant Opus. 20 days maceration - around half what it would have been a decade ago. 54% native yeast, as part of their native yeast project. 5% Merlot and 1% Malbec complete the blend. Harvest spread out over September 5 to October 8, just before the fires, by which time they had less than 10% of the fruit still out on the vines. 3.7pH. Drinking Window 2023 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DECOpus One had picked 91% of their fruit before the fires started in 2017, and only two lots were eliminated from consideration. The 2017 Opus One, bottled in July 2019, is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4.5% Merlot and 1% Malbec. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly grows on the nose, revealing compelling notes of baked black cherries, mulberries, black raspberries, warm cassis and blackberry pie with nuances of spice cake, yeast extract, tapenade, licorice and dusty soil with a waft of wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate has a lively skip in its step, featuring bags of juicy raspberry and cassis-laced fruit and a refreshing line, supported by ripe, plush tannins, finishing long and graceful.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA remarkable wine for the year, the 2017 Opus One is a dense, full-throttle beauty. Plush fruit and soft, silky contours give the 2017 its racy personality. Exotic, beautifully perfumed and impeccable in its balance, Opus One is one of the most complete wines of the vintage. In 2017, Opus One has a distinctly red-toned fruit profile that distinguishes it from the surrounding vintages.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGLots of currant and floral notes on the nose. Hints of mint and spice. Medium-to full-bodied, round and savory with creamy, juicy tannins. Hints of citrus underneath. Bright, fresh and delicious. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThis features currant and plum fruit, with tobacco, loam and singed savory notes, maintaining range and driving through the finish. The structure is fine-grained, delivering a lingering hint of acidity. A more subtle expression of Cabernet. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Best from 2022 through 2036. 27,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2018 Balifico, Volpaia’s Sangiovese/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is fabulous. Rich and inky, the 2018 offers up a compelling mélange of dark berry fruit, dark spice, licorice and espresso. I especially admire the wine’s textural richness. I imagine the 2018 will drink well for many, many years to come. In this tasting it is a total knock-out.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGAlluring violet, black currant and black cherry fruit introduces this seductive red, with firm, pointed tannins and vivid acidity providing structure as this glides to a lingering, detailed finish. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2037. 750 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA wine with depth and a center palate of pure, ripe fruit. Raspberries and blueberries galore. Ripe and polished tannins. Solid finish.James Suckling | 93-94 JS

I loved the 2018 Red Blend Pollard Vineyard from Robin Pollard, and this might be the finest wine I’ve tasted from this vineyard. A blend of 40% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a pretty, perfumed bouquet of red and blue fruits, leafy tobacco, cedarwood, and spring flowers. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, balanced, elegant red with polished, fine-grained tannins, wonderful purity, and a great finish. All about finesse and elegance, it will evolve for 10-15 years if well stored.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDMade from a blend of 40% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Cabernet Franc, the fleshy and approachable 2018 Pollard Vineyard Red Wine offers aromas of crème de cassis with blackberry skin. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is delicious without being overly complicated by oak and displays complex layers of savory herbs that sway with a delightful expression of sweet red fruit before concluding with a persistent finish. The wine rested in 20% new French oak barrels. Only 555 cases were produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPMedium red-ruby. Aromas of cassis, blackberry and menthol are carrying a full load of dark-chocolatey oak; less green than the Merlot. Tightly wound, fine-grained and bracing but also shows subtle sweetness to its intense black cherry, dark berry and spice flavors. There’s an intriguing floral element here but the wine needs time to unwind. Finishes with firm-edged tannins and sneaky persistence. Even higher-pitched than the Merlot, and ultimately less sweet. These wines have not yet been released.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

(Camartina- Agricola Querciabella) The 2018 Camartina was made from its now well-established blend of seventy percent cabernet sauvignon and thirty percent sangiovese, with the wine raised in twenty percent new oak. It comes in at fourteen percent octane in this vintage and offers up a stunningly pure bouquet of black cherries, cigar wrapper, woodsmoke, a touch of orange peel, clove-like spice tones, a gorgeous base of soil and a deft touch of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with great depth at the core, a superb foundation of soil, fine-grained tannins, bouncy acids and precise focus on the long, poised and impeccably balanced finish. Camartina is not the most powerful Super Tuscan made these days, but it may very well be the most elegant. Think of it as the Musigny of Super Tuscans! This is a flat out great wine in the making. (Drink between 2035 - 2085)John Gilman | 95+ JGThe organic 2018 Camartina is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese. A consistent performer vintage after vintage, this Tuscan blend shows an exotic quality, with barbecue spice or steak sauce that frame a core of supple dark fruit. But the aromas don’t stop there. It unfolds to show balsam herb, blue flower and grilled rosemary. The wine is packaged in bulky glass, and 10,000 bottles were produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2018 Camartina is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Dark, brooding and quite closed, the 2018 is going to require cellaring and a good bit of patience, too. Dark-fleshed fruit, leather, spice, menthol and grilled herbs emerge with some coaxing. The Cabernet is quite evident in both the flavor profile and overall structure, which likely explains the wine’s general feel today.Vinous Media | 94+ VMNo written review provided. | 94 W&SThis supple red is highlighted by black currant, blackberry, plum, Mediterranean herbs and leather. Shows fine intensity and a lively structure that keeps this delineated and long on the earthy finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Drink now through 2038. 830 cases made, 59 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSCurrant and floral aromas with some cement and violets. Medium body, firm tannins and tangy acidity that shows lots of citrus rind. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drinkable now, but better in a year or two when it will have softened.James Suckling | 93 JS

The 2018 Geremia is stellar. A wine of energy and delineation, Geremia is all about persistence more than volume in 2018. Blueberry, blackberry, lavender, licorice and scorched earth abound. In 2018, Geremia is a wine of tension and reserve. It’s best days are far off in the future. I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle anytime soon.Vinous Media | 96 VMComposed of 82% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Geremia is deep ruby, with a sweet perfume of graphite, fresh violets, and kirsch. It is full bodied but weightless, with refined tannins, and is refreshing on the finish. Mouthwatering with salinity and full, with notes of licorice, black cherry, and black raspberry, this is a stunner of a wine. Drink 2025-2045.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThis has a savory array of thyme, sour cherries, lemon leaves and currants on the nose, with black olives too. It’s full-bodied with firm, nicely integrated tannins and a tangy acidic kick. Merlot and cabernet sauvignon. From organically grown grapes. Drink from 2023.James Suckling | 92 JS

Characterful, luscious and deftly balanced, this terrific, unfiltered LBV – ’the little brother of Vintage Port,’ says Dirk Niepoort – is irresistible now but will age brilliantly. Black pepper, esteva, bitter chocolate and spicy gingerbread bring lift and layer to the velvety sweet plum, cherry frangipane and kirsch palate. Ruffled tannins make for a long, controlled finish. Bottled with a driven cork after four- to six-years in large wooden vats.Decanter | 97 DEC

The 2018 Anjou Violette is deep, rich and very intense but elegant on the pure and refined nose, with dark fruit, tea and kumquat aromas. Full-bodied, deep and generous on the palate, this is a full-bodied, rich and generous, silky-textured, refined and tensioned Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon blend that is one of the highlights of the vintage. Fabulous! A must buy! Tasted at the domaine in June 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPSvelte, moderate tannins envelope plum and cassis notes in this medium-bodied red, with details of loamy earth, savory spice, tobacco and forest floor. Complex and harmonious. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2031. 500 cases made, 98 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe 2018 Anjou Cuvée Violette is full-bodied and rounded, offering a soft embrace. True to its name, it does smell of violets as well as wood smoke, spice and dark black fruits. There’s concentration here, no doubt due to the low yields off 70-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines and the 45-year-old Cabernet Franc. The tannins have been well handled and provide a frame of chalky structure. The merest whiff of barnyard meets the florals on the finish, but it’s kept in check.Vinous Media | 91 VM