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This is a classic beauty. The 2019 d’Alceo, made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot, is dark and enriched, but magically, it is never heavy or bulky. It carries its weight with feather-like grace backed by dry tannins and lovely fruit layering. There is blackcurrant, kirsch, blackberry liqueur, exotic spice, black rose and crushed stone. That mineral note stands out like a filigree of shiny silver stitched through the wine’s rich, velvety texture. Production is 13,749 bottles and 200 magnums.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPRampolla’s 2019 D’Alceo is creamy and resonant in the glass. Inky dark fruit, lavender, blackberry and spice all meld together in a wine that combines power and elegance. Seamless tannins extend the finish effortlessly. In many vintages, D’Alceo is a powerhouse. The 2019 is sublime.Vinous Media | 97 VMBlackcurrants, fresh flowers, and blue berries with sandalwood. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a fresh finish. Very fine, focused and bright. Cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. Best after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JS

This is a gorgeous vintage that continues to flesh out beautifully. I added an extra point to my score since the last time I tasted the 2019 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda in order to underline the great potential of this vintage. This wine could legally be a Bolgheri Superiore, but Angelo Gaja prefers not to use qualifying wine terms such as Superiore, Classico or Riserva in his various wine projects spanning from Piedmont to Tuscany to Etna. Semantics aside, this is a gorgeous wine—one of the best made at Ca’ Marcanda for sure—with impressive intensity and balance. Dark fruit and blackberry are contrasted against spice, tobacco, grilled rosemary and Mediterranean bramble. The 2019 vintage saw favorable weather conditions and "just the right amount of rain," Gaja says.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPCa’ Marcanda is officially a Bolgheri DOC, not a Superiore, but it is handled as if it were the latter. The blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc (there has been no Merlot since 2015) - a small percentage whole-bunch - is aged in oak (10% new) for 18 months. Volume and vibrancy distinguishes this 2019. It’s super-floral on the nose, with a graceful violet aroma, restrained cassis, a smorgasbord of Mediterranean herbs, the leafy eucalyptus typical of Bolgheri, and savoury chocolate and tobacco. The attack is full, with refined crunchy tannins and brilliant acidity. An enticing wine worth waiting for. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035Decanter | 96 DECThis verges on thick yet remains balanced and vibrant, courtesy of the lively acidity. Boasts blackberry, dark plum and blueberry flavors framed by tar and toasty oak. The finish is both dense and clean, with a hint of licorice. Excellent length and potential. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,500 cases made, 225 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA very beautiful young red with blackcurrant, fresh herb and hints of cedar and smoke. It’s full-bodied yet very polished and refined with a lovely texture. Extremely long and graceful. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2019 Camarcanda is a very good example of how much the wines have changed here. Medium in body with good depth, the 2019 Camarcanda is a tightly wound wine that is going to need a number of years to be at its best. Dark cherry, mocha, new leather, licorice and spice build nicely, with pretty floral and mineral accents that liven up the finish. The 2019 is classy, elegant and polished. Give it a few years, as the tannins are pretty intense today, but this softens nicely with air.Antonio Galloni | 94+ AG

Another beautiful wine from this team, the 2019 Insignia is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon but includes smaller amounts of Merlot and Malbec, brought up all in new barrels, sourced from seven estate vineyards. It has a classic varietal and incredibly complex nose of crème de cassis, freshly sharpened pencils, green tobacco, and damp earth, with a kiss of background sappy spring flowers. Seemingly from a cooler year with its freshness, vibrancy, and herbal, floral character on the nose, it’s nevertheless full-bodied and beautifully concentrated on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and a gorgeous finish. Unquestionably up with the finest vintages of this cuvée, this is legit awesome juice that’s going to offer incredible pleasure over the coming 20-25 years. Hats off to winemaker Ashley Hepworth.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDA very aromatic Insignia with pencil-shaving and graphite highlights to the dark fruit and blackberries. Full-bodied, yet tensioned and vertical, with very fine tannins that run deep and layered in the wine. Needs time to come together, but fantastic tension and structure. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 98 JSSmells ripe and heady on the nose, expressive and seductive. This is rich and bold, it’s edging on too much, with lots of wood on show in the slightly heavy texture, liquorice and coffee flavour and fullness in the mouth but there are such alluring and captivating aspects to this wine with striking details of rose, tobacco, blackberry, red berries and dark chocolate shavings on show. I like the fragranced aspects and the energetic acidity that gives lift and a sense of brightness but this is a strong, powerful and muscular wine that will need at least a decade to come around. Given enough time it will be beautiful. Ageing 24 months in 100% new French oak.Decanter | 97 DECMore elegant and refined than the Napa Cab, the 2019 Insignia features restrained cedar and vanilla notes (despite spending two years in 100% new French oak) and delicate herbal shadings accenting cassis and black cherry fruit. Full-bodied, velvety and somewhat open-knit on the palate, it turns plush and long on the finish, adding a touch of warmth. Production this year is approximately 17,000 cases, reflecting the increased volume coming from recently replanted vineyards. It’s remarkable what a good job they continue to do with this bottling year after year, without compromising on quality.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2019 Insignia is a bold, explosive wine. Sumptuous dark fruit, mocha, leather, sweet spice and tobacco are all amplified in an Insignia endowed with tremendous textural intensity and plenty of soft contours. I imagine the 2019 will age well for years, but it will also drink well with minimal cellaring.Vinous Media | 96+ VMA solidly built Cabernet with a very direct persona, as dark currant, warmed fig reduction and blackberry fruit paste are bolted together with licorice root and singed cedar. Features an espresso crema hint on the finish, which keeps this on the dark, muscular side. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2023 through 2038. 17,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSGiven two years in new French oak, this vintage blends 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec. Brooding black fruit is complemented by classic notions of cigar box, tobacco, iron and clove, with a leather texture that’s still got time to unfurl. Dense and chewy tannins provide a powerful imprint of intensity and ripeness matched in toasted oak. Enjoy best from 2029–2039.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

The 2019 Proprietary Red is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, notes of blueberry preserves, chocolate-covered cherries, and warm cassis burst from the glass, leading to suggestions of Chinese five spice, dusty soil, sandalwood, and unsmoked cigars. The decadently concentrated, full-bodied palate delivers layer upon layer of black fruits and earthy nuances, framed by super-firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of mineral sparks. This is a beauty!The Wine Independent | 99 TWIA blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, the 2019 Proprietary Red is a monster of a wine that’s unquestionably up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Blackberries, truffle, earth, chocolate, iron, and even a hint of black olive defines the nose, and it’s full-bodied, deep, rich, and incredibly concentrated on the palate. It has lots of background oak but more than enough fruit, with a dense, layered mid-palate and velvety tannins. It’s one of those wines that brings an incredible amount of richness and depth yet somehow stays light on its feet and balanced. It needs to be forgotten for at least 2-4 years and should keep for over two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 Sloan is a silky, sensual beauty. Creamy and ample in the glass, with superb balance, the 2019 offers up an exotic mélange of dark fruit, spice, mocha, espresso and licorice. Cabernet inflections are quite present today. Then again, this plateau above Rutherford is one of the most special places in all of Napa Valley. The 2019 shuts down pretty quickly in the glass, which is probably a good sign for its prospects in the cellar. It’s another gorgeous wine from the team at Sloan headed by Winemaker Martha McClellan.Vinous Media | 97 VMSloan’s 2019 Proprietary Red is deep and rich, with scents of dark loam, woodsy notes, hints of cedar and vanilla, plus dark, plummy fruit. It’s full-bodied, concentrated, dense and decadently velvety but with a slight dried-fruit character. It’s awesome in that idiom but lacks the vibrancy and freshness of the valley’s absolute best wines. To this taster, it comes across as impressively complex, concentrated and long but also a bit heavy and warm on the finish. What foods would one pair this with?Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard is a stunning example of eastern Oakville Cabernet. It’s loaded with scents of cassis and red plum and tinged with faint hints of thyme and sage, and it’s full-bodied, rich and relatively open-knit. Ripe, plush and layered, gently framed by cedar and vanilla, it’s lovely stuff that should drink well for up to two decades.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPI loved the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard. This beauty is a great representation of this terroir, with mineral-drenched aromas and flavors of blueberries, iron, chocolate, graphite, and candied violets. Deep, rich, and full-bodied, it’s another monster of a wine from Bevan that stays beautifully balanced and seamless.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard is packed with inky dark fruit, gravel, smoke, licorice, lavender, chocolate incense and spice. This powerful, virile Cabernet needs a few years to unwind, but it is super-impressive, even in the early going. A whole range of bold, savory accents lend character to the searingly intense finish. This is a very typical wine from Tench in its sheer heft.Antonio Galloni | 96 AG

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is based on 45% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, with the balance Syrah, all destemmed and raised in 55% new French oak. Gorgeous cassis, violet, graphite, fruitcake, and peppery herbs define this brilliant effort, and it’s full-bodied, with a pure, seamless texture, wonderful tannins, and one heck of a great finish. This magical 2019 is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age (it’s brilliant even today) yet keep for 20 years or more. Châteauneuf du Pape lovers need to have this in their cellar!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDAlways the densest and richest of the cuvées at this benchmark estate, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes features scents of cedar and mocha layered against a backdrop of black cherries. This actually is a bit like Black Forest cake—that ripe, rich and dense, with chocolate and vanilla shadings—but remains dry and savory in the end, with velvety tannins and tremendous length. It’s approximately 50% Grenache (aged in tank), plus 40% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah (both aged in new barrels)Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPDeep violet. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red/blue fruits, vanilla and candied flowers, along with Moroccan spice and smoky mineral nuances. Sweet and pliant in the mouth, offering assertive Chambord, boysenberry, lavender and spicecake flavors that deepen steadily through the back half. Plush tannins come in slowly, adding shape to a very long, blue-fruit- and floral-dominated finish.Vinous Media | 95 VMDrenched with the heat and sun of the 2019 vintage, this massively ripe, strapping wine is packed with flavors of roasted plum and black-cherry compote. Accented by whispers of camphor, sweet tobacco and cinnamon, the concentrated, hulking sip is ringed by fiery tannins. The wine needs time. Approach from 2024 and it should improve well through 2035. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard is a Grenache-dominated field blend (80%) that also includes 15 other varieties. Brought up all in foudre, it boasts a dense purple hue to go with a sensational, full-bodied, multi-layered array of red and black currants, toasted spice, peppery garrigue, and new leather-like aromas and flavors. Slightly tighter and more backward than the classic cuvée, this warrants 4-6 years of bottle age and will be incredibly long-lived.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDGreat purity and serious concentration without overt weight. A very powerful, complete, driving style of wine, big in tannin, acid and alcohol with a long finish. Biodynamically-grown Grenache (66%), Syrah (12%) and Mourvèdre (12%), the rest being made up of Clairette Rose, Cinsault, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Terret Noir, Picardan, Picpoul Blanc, Muscardin, Bourboulenc, Picpoul Noir, Vaccarèse, Roussanne, Picpoul Gris, Counoise and Clairette Blanche! Grapes are grown across a variety of soil types in the lieux-dits Beau Renard, Cabrières and Coteau de l’Ange, vinified mostly in tronconic wooden vats, then aged in oak barrels of various sizes and ages, including 5% new oak.Drinking Window 2023 - 2035Decanter | 96 DECSaturated ruby. Red and dark fruit preserves, candied licorice, violet and exotic spices on the expansive nose. Stains the palate with sweet blueberry, cherry cola, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors that become livelier as the wine stretches out. Blends depth and energy with a steady hand and closes impressively long and youthfully chewy, with building tannins and a strong echo of cherry liqueur.Vinous Media | 95 VMRich and ripe, offering an alluring smoky edge throughout. Layers of warmed plum preserve and cherry compote roll through, picking up tobacco and warm earth notes along the way. Drink now through 2034. 188 cases made, 38 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDeep nose of damson plums and black cherries with subtle spice and tobacco-leaf aromas. Rich and concentrated with a ton of healthy tannins that beautifully support the full body, the mineral acidity lighting up the long finish. From 70 to 100-year-old vines of all the 13 varieties allowed for this appellation. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Boisrenard is 80% Grenache, with the balance a mix of the other permitted varieties. Fermentation took place in wood (including a small proportion of new barrels), with maturation in foudres. Scents of mint and garrigue accent black cherries and plum on the nose, and I thought I detected a hint of charred oak as well (tasted blind). Full-bodied, rich and velvety, this is a thickly textured, concentrated beauty, with a long, mocha-tinged finish. While it could use a year or two to soften, it should drink well for more than a decade.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De La Reine des Bois is a deeper, more masculine wine with gorgeous cassis and blackberry fruits as well as graphite, licorice, crushed stone, violets, and lavender nuances. Rich, full-bodied, and incredibly concentrated, it has a brilliant sense of freshness and purity as well as length on the finish. It’s going to require 4-5 years of bottle age, but this straight-up thrilling Châteauneuf du Pape will have 20-25 years of prime drinking.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDBuilt for the cellar, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois—a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% each Syrah and Vaccarèse—is full-bodied and firm. Concentrated and dense, it’s tight and structured, although it does offer up hints of mocha, vanilla, ripe cherries and chocolate on the nose, and finishes long and velvety. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPOpaque ruby. Expressive red and dark berry liqueur, cherry cola, licorice and floral aromas are complemented by exotic spice and smoky mineral flourishes. Broad and fleshy in texture, offering deeply concentrated blackberry, boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors that turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Finishes with impressive clarity, well-judged tannins and superb, floral-driven persistence.Vinous Media | 95 VMWell-built, with a very dense core of dark plum, blackberry and fig flavors scored by warm earth, singed alder and tar through the finish. Dark in profile and with a muscular edge, but this is well-defined and proportioned from start to finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Best from 2024 through 2038. 600 cases made, 75 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Domaine de la Mordorée, La Reine des Bois, Grenache, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, Red) Dense aromas of concentrated berries and gamey notes. Intense on the palate, with firm tannins. Quite fleshy, with a long savoury finish. (Drink between 2022-2040)Decanter | 93 DEC

The 2019 Seña was produced with a Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It’s 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It’s long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPSuch beautiful aromas of crushed berries, currants, walnuts, allspice and nutmeg follow through to a full body with tight, ultra fine tannins that provide length and intensity. A finish of slightly dried cherries with wet earth, slate and stone. Chewy and fine-grained. A wine with soul and length. Give it time. Drink after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JS(Seña, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aconcagua Valley, Chile, Red) The twenty-fifth vintage of a wine first made in 1995 by the Mondavi and Chadwick families is one of Francisco Baettig’s best editions yet: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and Petit Verdot aged for 22 months in French oak (10% in foudres). The nose offers redcurrant, blackberry, and cherry over a bed of sweet spices, cedar and peppers. Dense core and firm grip, it needs to be decanted or left in the bottle for a while longer. (Drink between 2022-2032)Decanter | 97 DECThe 2019 Seña was made in a year in which the average temperatures were similar to 2018 but organized differently: the spring was warm and the summer cool. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carménère and 4% Petit Verdot, it was aged for 22 months, 90% in mostly new French barrels and 10% in foudres. Purple in the glass. The nose presents notes of plum with hints of blackberry and expressive layers of mint and herb. In the mouth the firm tannins are refined and a little compact. A delicate wine that will improve in the bottle.Vinous Media | 96 VM