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The 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta keeps me at the edge of the glass to take in its darkly alluring bouquet of dusty black currants and dried flowers, with hints of blood orange offset by sweet rose. While currently youthful and understated, it continues to open and deepen with each swirl. This is silky and cool-toned in feel, savory to the core, with a dense wave of mineral-tinged dark red fruits carried across a core of vibrant acidity. Autumnal spices form toward the close. The 2016 is inward and saturating, building in fine tannins that clench the palate through the finale, promising a long, long life. This is a masterpiece in the making, and while already bottled, it will not be released until 2023. Production was again down by 50% in 2016 due to hail.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMReleased after the 2017 vintage, because it was decided that this dense, concentrated vintage would benefit from more time in the bottle, the 2016 is fuller and broader in the shoulders compared to the 2017 Amarone. There’s more of everything – body, concentration, tannic presence, richness, spiciness...And while there’s a reductive note of petrichor, its aromatics still soar, carrying wafts of wild black fruits and balsam out of the glass. Enticing already, its future looks very bright indeed.Decanter | 98 DECThe 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Monte Lodoletta takes wine intensity to almost unthinkable levels. That’s the magic of this estate, and without a doubt, this wine occupies a category that makes it totally unique on the Italian wine scale. Made with a traditional blend of 60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Croatina and 10% Oseleta (aged in French and American new oak for two years), the wine feels even richer, bolder and more concentrated in this classic vintage. That general intensity is applied to the tightly wound and firm tannins as well. The alcohol reading is 16.5%. This Amarone hits the market in 2023, but you’d do well to age it for another decade at least. Black fruit, baked plum, tobacco, soy sauce, grilled herb and sweet spice are generously folded into the wine’s full-bodied texture. The 2016 vintage saw 17,000 bottles created.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and in the same league as the perfect 2010. Awesome notes of blackberries, crème de cassis, charred meats, licorice, and violets all soar from the glass. It’s powerful, opulent, and structured, with building tannin, a huge mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish, yet it never loses its sense of purity and elegance. It’s an incredible achievement from this estate. The blend is 45% Grenache, 45% Mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah, all aged in 55% new French oak.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA terrific effort, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah. It’s dense and rich almost beyond belief, packed with super ripe fruit that comes dangerously close to being chocolaty and fudge-like, yet it retains a sense of balance. Earth, spice and dark fruit notes linger for minutes on the long, tannic finish. Give it at least a couple of years in the cellar, and drink it over the next decade and a half. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPA remarkable combination of freshness, concentration and lightness of touch. Very long, with vivid aromatics and lovely balance. It’s hard to fault really, but is painfully young at this stage. The tannins are grippy but fully ripe, the acidity is juicy and precise, and the fruit is concentrated. Impressive. Drinking Window 2022 - 2037Decanter | 95 DECLurid violet. A highly complex bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, incense, vanilla and exotic spices, and a floral accent builds steadily as the wine opens up. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering deeply concentrated black raspberry, boysenberry, cola and spicecake flavors that are energized and given spine by a core of juicy acidity. Shows outstanding clarity and fruity thrust on a long, sweet finish framed by smooth tannins.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMCrisp sun-kissed cherry and wild-­strawberry notes introduce this floral, perfumed wine. Made from predominantly old vines, it’s intensely concentrated and forward in fruit yet shaded by hints of violet, lavender and bramble. This full-bodied, unctuous wine with fine, gripping tannins should improve through 2030 and hold further.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

The complexity, concentration and drive make this an excellent Clos in 2016. The fruits vary from citrus to exotic stone fruits. Green tropical and white floral notes, too. The palate has a staggeringly concentrated core of acid-drenched lemons, lime, peaches and green mangoes. Incredible depth, high acidity and a very long finish. A great Clos! Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS(Chablis “les Clos”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2016 les Clos from Didier Séguier is a fitting close to this tour de force tasting of the vintage. The wine is stunning on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet offering up scents of apple, lime, a hint of tangerine, smoky overtones, flinty minerality, wet stones and dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, brisk acids and great backend mineral drive on the very young, very long and snappy finish. This will need bottle age to blossom, but it will be a great example of les Clos in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2024-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGClear bright and pale. Attractive aromatics, in a subdued register, all to play for. This has good energy through the middle, while the finish has that limestone backwash that I associate with Clos and very good length. DIAM 10 closure. Tasted May 2019.Jasper Morris | 94 JM(just 18 hectoliters per hectare produced owing to frost and mildew): Pale yellow. Lovely brisk citrus and apple aromas complicated by gingery spices, white pepper and iodiney minerality. Large-scaled, dense and quite powerful but not yet filled in, with its very concentrated peach and citrus flavors accented by ginger and white pepper. More glyceral in the early going than the Preuses but showing less personality today. This fruit was picked very ripe, with nearly 13% potential alcohol, according to Didier Séguier.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe Clos is excellent this year, opening in the glass with a complex nose of orange blossom and zest, confit citrus and a touch of spice. This wine is the most textural, full-bodied and complete in the Fèvre cellar, with a deep core, lovely minerality and impressive dimension.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECEnticing aromas and flavors of green plum, lemon, apple and seashore mark this balanced, seamless white. The flintiness adds an extra dimension, making this complex, while the finish builds nicely. Drink now through 2024. 120 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAn even more complex nose displays excellent Chablis typicity with its smoky combination of lychee, citrus, white orchard fruit, sea breeze, mineral reduction and soft oyster shell nuances. The broad-shouldered flavors are rich and concentrated to the point of opulence while managing to retain reasonably good precision on the citrus and solidly dry finale that really fans out as it sits on the palate. Note that my rating assumes that better depth will develop over time as the finish is somewhat one-dimensional at present.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2016 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos, cropped at around 17 hectoliters per hectare, was blended the day previous to my visit and is due to be bottled in December 2017 or perhaps the following month. As such, the aromatics are too leesy to assess. The palate is balanced with a saline, sour lemon-tinged entry, perhaps lighter than the Bougros Côte Bouguerots and with a prickle of spice toward the finish. It should gain complexity and harmony throughout its élevage and will be one to watch.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

Bottled end of February/early in March, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin is incredible stuff, and while I suspect it’s the best vintage to date, it’s going to be great comparing it to bottles of the 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2015 over the coming 15+ years. This beauty offers a thrilling blend of kirsch, blackberries, smoked earth, graphite, and licorice on the nose. It's full-bodied, deep, pure, ultra-fine, and powerful on the palate and flirts with perfection. It’s a tour de force in Grenache that readers need to snatch up!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe terrific 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Chaupin has lived up to my expectations from last year's visit. It's 100% Grenache, includes some parcels planted back in 1912, and half was vinified with stems. From sandy sites, it showcases the ability of Grenache to ripen fully yet retain a sense of elegance and lightness. It's full-bodied and velvety but also vibrant, with black cherry fruit and hints of chocolate balanced by incredibly silky tannins and freshness on the finish. Really impressive stuff.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis is a profound expression of grenache with brambly, red fruit wrapped in wild herbs and flowers. Fresh, yet deeply ripe and expressive. The really succulent, deep and fresh tannins are a feature. Power with elegance! Brilliant. Pure grenache on sandy soil, from three parcels of vines, aged between 80 and 100 years. Drink in 2020.James Suckling | 95 JSLurid ruby. An expansive, complex bouquet evokes cherry liqueur, blueberry, incense and candied flowers, along with a smoky mineral nuance that builds in the background. Shows outstanding depth and energy to the red and blue fruit and spicecake flavors, which become more lively and gain sweetness with aeration. Closes on a suave lavender pastille note, offering rounded, even tannins and emphatic, blue-fruit-driven persistence.Vinous Media | 95 VMDelightful plum, raspberry and blackberry compote flavors form the core, with racy, graphite-edged structure running underneath. Dark anise and tobacco notes check in throughout. The long finish lets the fruit linger. Best from 2020 through 2034. 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Bright, energetic and vivid, the Paitin 2016 Barbaresco Serraboella Sorì Paitin (with 15,000 bottles made) wins your heart at the very first sip. The wine shows an outstanding level of purity and Nebbiolo authenticity, with the delicate and fragile nuances that give magic to the grape. It shows a lean-weight approach, but there is plenty of power and lasting intensity that sticks to the senses for many long and pleasurable minutes. The tannins are smooth, silky and integrated.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPShy in aroma, this red evokes macerated cherry, strawberry, menthol, iron and tobacco flavors. There is ripe, rich fruit and a velvety texture up front, building to a finish where the dense, assertive tannins reign. Best from 2023 through 2042. 1,150 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe excellent Paitin property, focussed on its well-exposed Serraboella vineyard, uses traditional vinification methods, with long macerations and ageing in large casks rather than barriques. This bottling, from 40-year-old vines, displays a heady raspberry nose that’s quite floral too, with beguiling generosity of fruit. It’s lavish and very concentrated in the mouth, with bold tannins that are by no means too extracted or tough. Spicy and assertive, the wine has ample energy, drive and length.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe 2016 Barbaresco Sorì Paitin is powerful, but also quite reticent today. Dark cherry, menthol, licorice, sage and dried flowers are all found in a searing, intense Sorì Paitin that needs to be at its best. Tannic and austere, the 2016 appears to be going through a closed phase, and yet it has a feeling of verticality and gravitas that is impossible to miss.Vinous Media | 93 VMA very fresh and floral Barbaresco that shows rose stems, fruit tea and grapefruit. Medium body, lots of vibrant acidity and a tangy, medium-chewy finish. Drink from 2021.James Suckling | 93 JS

Reminding me of a fresher version of the 2003, the 2016 Chateauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Reservée is another magical wine from Laurence Feraud that could come from nowhere else. I still remember tasting (and loving) this beauty from barrel. It doesn’t quite have the sheer over-the-top decadence of the 2003, but it does have more elegance, while not giving up an inch with regard to texture and opulence. Dark ruby/plum-hued with a monster display of Provençal goodness in its garrigue, lavender, violets, kirsch, plums, and Asian spices, this full-throttle, ripe, sexy Châteauneuf du Pape has silky tannins, flawless balance, and a heavenly texture. It’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and drink well for at least 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDInflections of violetand rose petal mingle into crushed earth anddried mushroom in this deeply complex red. Blackcherry and black-currant flavors are profoundly ripebut muted by shades of leather, fur and garrigue. Anuanced, deeply satisfying wine, it offers both concentratedripeness and old-world restraint.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEA singed chestnut accent leads off here, followed by a sappy core of steeped cherry, raspberry and plum fruit, infused liberally with tobacco, brick dust and garrigue notes. Reveals a brawny edge, but there's ample fruit in the end. A rock-solid old-school style that should cruise in the cellar. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2021 through 2040. 5,400 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSEvery year that I've tried the 2016 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée, I've liked it better than the year before, so I've gone ahead and peremptorily added the + sign to this year's rating. Black cherries and licorice pick up a hint of chocolate in this full-bodied, rich, velvety wine that should evolve nicely for at least 12-15 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPDeep ruby. Assertive aromas of black raspberry, potpourri and spicecake pick up a bright mineral nuance and a hint of cured meat with air. Juicy and impressively concentrated, showing real energy and spicy lift to the sappy red berry, bitter cherry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors. Fine-grained tannins build on the finish, adding shape and grip to lingering, spice-accented raspberry liqueur, smoked meat and licorice flavors.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Classic Sangiovese aromas of underbrush, wild berry and new leather mingle with whiffs of camphor. Supremely elegant, the focused palate shows precision and great energy, featuring juicy red cherry, pomegranate, white pepper and black tea set against chiseled, refined tannins. Vibrant acidity keeps it balanced while a salty mineral note lingers on the close. Fantastic showing. Drink 2026–2041.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino offers a pure and classic expression of the vintage with bright fruit tones, wild cherry, toasted nut, blue flower and forest floor. Whereas the other wines in the Poggio Antico portfolio undergo aging in smaller tonneaux, this wine is aged in large Slavonian casks instead. You taste the lift and brightness of the fruit, and it’s all quite lovely. Grapes are sourced across a 13-hectare site at a very high 500 meters in elevation. The name of this area is I Poggi, and the soils here are a bit lighter and rockier with both schistous galestro and limestone alberese. I love the delicate approach here, the intensity of those floral aromas, and the silky nature of the mouthfeel. Some 34,000 bottles will be released in January 2021. This classic Brunello really stands out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPA debut on the Place this year from a vintage hailed as one of the best in the last decade. Grapes come from a 30-hectare vineyard bought in 2017 by Belgian businessman Marcel van Poecke who has invested heavily in replantings and new cellar facilities. The texture and overall feel here are lovely - powerful and succulent bramble fruits fill the palate, gliding across the tongue while coffee grounds and dried herbs settle in the background giving structure and definition. This has an aerial quality with real finesse. (Drink between 2023-2035)Decanter | 95 DECThis is so aromatic and floral with cedar, dried roses, and black cherries. It’s full-bodied, yet so refined and tight with silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Tight and focused. Needs time to open, but shows beautiful finesse and focus. Drink after 2024. James Suckling | 95 JSRipe, sweet plum, cherry and blackberry flavors are complemented by iron and tobacco accents in this suave red. Shows fine balance and texture, with well-integrated tannins and acidity and a long, mouthwatering finish. Best from 2024 through 2047. 3,000 cases made, 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a pleasantly fruit-forward and nuanced expression of the vintage. Pretty notes of black cherry, sweet spices, hints of cedar and tobacco form up in the glass. It’s soft and pliant in the mouth, finding symmetry through zesty acids, while displaying pure red and hints of black berries. A gentle tug of tannin lingers, along with mineral tones and violet florals. The 2016 should hold up well over the short term in the cellar, but I’d err on the side of caution and enjoy these sooner rather than later.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The 2016 Único was perfumed and elegant, showcasing a very good vintage in the region. Winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga started in 2015—a powerful year—and he remembers 2016 as a very balanced year, with higher yields and finer-boned wines. The winter was mild, and there was a cooler than average spring and a warm summer. September was dry, which provided healthy grapes and balanced ripening. The harvest started the 22nd of September and finished the 11th of October. The bottled wine is 96% Tinto Fino and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.82 and 4.8 grams of acidity. It has the old Vega perfume, intoxicating, complex and nuanced, full of personality and a very energetic palate, vibrant and fresh, not lacking power but with lots of elegance. The wine is released 10 years after the harvest, combining time in new and used American and French oak barrels and 20,000-liter oak vats, and it obviously spends plenty of time in bottle. This is a monumental vintage of Único. A total of 92,292 bottles, 3,695 magnums and some larger formats were produced. It was bottled in May 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPA beautifully poised Vega that is already approachable. Everything is in harmony, showing an almost ethereal quality in contrast to the denser 2015 vintage. There’s a hint of minerality paired with the blackberries and dark cherries. The tannins are firm yet softened. Medium to full body and a finish that lingers for a minute. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JS

...racy, fine tannins. I like the bright fruit and vivid acidity. Cedar, berry and white-truffle flavors...James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2016 Barolo Castiglione is a dazzling wine that will show readers just how compelling this vintage is, even among entry-level wines from top producers. Rich, ample and explosive, the 2016 possesses tremendous richness and resonance from the very first taste. Bright red cherry and red plum fruit, wild flowers, mint, blood orange and spice build as this sumptuous, dramatic Barolo shows all it's got. As always, the Castiglione is built on a core of fruit from Ravera. In 2016, the Castiglione benefits from the inclusion of several new sites, including Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana. All I can say is: What a wine!Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2017 la Dominode is the most structured young Savigny premier cru in the cellars, but its potential is enormous. The youthful nose was still in the process of absorbing its serving of new oak, but will do so seamlessly with a bit more age, and offers up a fine blend of black plums, red and black cherries, pigeon, dark soil tones, raw cocoa, a bit of bonfire, cedar and an exotic topnote of licorice. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely reserved out of the blocks, with an excellent core of fruit, fine-grained tannins and a long, soil-driven and complex finish. This is serious juice. (Drink between 2026-2065)John Gilman | 94+ JGHere too a generous dollop of wood frames the very spicy aromas of plum liqueur, dark raspberry and subtle humus and underbrush scents. The sleek and impressively intense medium weight flavors brim with minerality while offering the best complexity and persistence in the range on the balanced, firm and serious finish. This too should amply reward mid to even longer-term cellaring potential.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru has another promising bouquet of pure blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone and light loamy scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, offering plenty of crunchy black fruit. Slightly tarry toward the finish but perhaps offers the most persistency amongst Pavelot’s impressive range. Cellar this for three years if you can.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2018 D’Alceo is a wild, exotic wine. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot come together in a wine that is sumptuous, layered and exceptionally beautiful. Inky blue/purplish fruit, sage, mint, lavender and chocolate are some of the many notes that take shape. The 2018 was fermented in cement then aged 12 months in a combination of 500L tonneaux and barriques. This really blooms with time.Antonio Galloni | 99 AGLots of blackcurrant and blackberry aromas follow through to a full body with firm tannins and a chewy finish. Lots of black licorice, aniseed and light asphalt. Lead pencil, too. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JS

Starting off an incredible lineup of 2018s, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard has a purple/blue hue as well as a powerful bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, blueberries, smoked tobacco, and new leather, with a kiss of background graphite. Full-bodied, utterly seamless, and flawlessly balanced, it’s impossible to resist today yet will cruise for 20-25 years in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDSituated toward the base of Howell Mountain, too low to be included in that AVA, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard boasts ample complexity in its scents of pine needles, blueberries and cassis, all framed by vanilla and cedar. Did I mention lots of vanilla? It’s a full-bodied wine, silky-plush and almost too easy to drink, with a long, menthol-tinged finish. There’s a certain coolness, an aloofness to this wine, which one might more charitably call restraint but which left this taster only majorly impressed, not completely wowed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP

An irresistibly savory nose with hot tar, low tide and petrol, then bursts with juicy, almost spicy figs and plums. The palate turns warmer and sweeter with bright ripe red berries and citrus, bound up in sleek tannins are nonetheless powerful, polished wrought iron. The Stiléma project has always been intriguing, and this Taurasi only adds to the excitement.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEHerbal aromas of tea, dried thyme, bay leaves and touches of dried strawberries and orange rind. Medium- to full-bodied with a thread of silky fruit balanced by fresh acidity and a juicy character, but very polished and seamless. Solid and cohesive, with a long, persistent and elegant finish. Pure aglianico. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2018 Taurasi Riserva Stilema is darkly floral, musky and intense. It slowly evolves with a savory herbal thrust and notes of fresh tobacco, giving way to crushed blackberries and nuances of spiced orange. Cool-toned and silken in feel, it displays remarkable elegance as polished red and black fruits smooth over the palate. Edgy tannins mix with a tinge of tart citrus. The 2018 finishes long and structured, leaving a pleasantly bitter sensation as an air of rosemary and mint slowly fades.Vinous Media | 94 VMThe Mastroberardino 2018 Taurasi Riserva Stiléma (with 3,000 bottles made) shows a dark personality with tarry spice, hydrocarbons and resin. You get dried fruit aromas, blackcurrant and cherry, but spice and grilled herb are what you notice first. You’ll also recognize volcanic smoke and mineral. This is a mid-weight red made with Aglianico, and it ends with pretty freshness. Production is 3,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPRich with flavors of steeped cherry and black raspberry fruit, licorice, espresso and medicinal herbs, a fleshy cloak wrapping around a core of fine, dense tannins. This is well-integrated and harmonious overall, with fresh acidity defining the tarry, well-spiced finish. Drink now through 2040. 250 cases made, 62 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Aromas of aniseed and lemon rind with dried apple and pear follow through to a full body. Yet, it’s tight and layered with a compact palate and plenty of fruit. Needs time to open. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 94 JSThis is not the legendary Côte de Bouguerots bottling, but the regular Bougros – which still stood out alongside its peers. The fruit shows grand cru weight and the sunshine quality of the vintage, juicy but well balanced, while the crystalline purity of the finish sets this wine apart.Jasper Morris | 94 JMAromas of crisp green orchard fruit, clear honey, peach, mint and buttery pastry introduce the 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros, a full-bodied, ample and enveloping wine that’s one of the more textural, dramatic wines in the range. Unusually deep and concentrated, its immediate, charming profile belies considerable aging potential this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPVibrant, this white combines green apple and citrus flavors with an iodide element. This is lean and intense, with a lingering citrus and mineral aftertaste. Drink now through 2027. 70 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA ripe and beautifully layered nose consists of notes of green fruit, citrus, iodine and mineral reduction. The powerful, rich and voluminous big-bodied flavors possess fine mid-palate density that coats the palate with sap before concluding in an austere, long and vaguely rustic finale. This is an imposing Bougros that should age effortlessly over the next decade plus.Burghound | 92-94 BH

The 2019 Echo De Lynch-Bages is the second wine of Château Lynch-Bages and it’s beautifully done, with a more floral, perfumed, pretty style compared to the Grand Vin, yet it still brings plenty of structure. Red and black currants, sappy flowers, tobacco leaf, and gravelly earth all define the bouquet, and it’s medium-bodied, has integrated acidity, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish. It’s beautifully balanced and already accessible, yet will nevertheless benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDThe second wine of Lynch-Bages shows all the power of this estate. The difference lies in the tannins and the ripe flavors of the wine. It has power without the tannins that demand long-term aging. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WELifted floral aromas, smells pretty and inviting, with a sweet note to the black fruit. Tannins are a little present, they’re not dry or austere, more on the smooth and chalky side but are just covering the fruit right now, although the blackcurrant and plum notes come back through. Chewy, ripe, fresh. This is lovely if just a bit shy at the moment. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030Decanter | 91 DECThe 2019 Echo de Lynch-Bages, matured in one-year-old barrels for 12 months, has a crisp blackberry, briar and cedar bouquet with touches of mint, quite vibrant and lively. The medium-bodied palate offers succulent tannins and mulberry and black plum flavors intermingling with black truffle and white pepper. Maybe just a little abrupt on the finish at the moment, but that will fill out in time.Vinous Media | 90 VMJuicy, featuring racy-edged plum and black currant fruit flavors that show nice purity, with lively anise and apple wood accents filtering in through the finish, where a subtle note of charcoal chimes. Modest in scale but nicely done. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2032.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2019 Fuligni Brunello Riserva is drop-dead gorgeous. Made with the oldest estate vines, it opens with enticing scents of pine forest, violet, eucalyptus, juniper, new leather and dark exotic spice. Boasting intensity and finesse, the delicious, radiant palate delivers succulent Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice, black tea and baking spice set against enveloping, velvety tannins. Fresh acidity provides balance and the promise of great longevity. An absolutely thrilling wine. Drink 2029–2049. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 100 KOThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a seductress, containing an array of cinnamon, clove, allspice, black cherry and hints of bay. It sweeps across the palate with a radiant and classic feel, with vividly ripe red fruits and sweet spices perfectly guided by a core of brilliant acidity. Its minerality comes through in the finish, tactile and saline in form. A web of fine-grained tannins wrap the senses with youthful poise, nuances of cedar and inner rose. The 2019 is spellbinding and built for the cellar. What a beauty.Vinous Media | 97 VMFuligni’s last Riserva was the 2016 vintage, and this 2019 absolutely lives up to the estate’s rigorous standards for bottling only in the best years. Gorgeous aromatics of cherry, florals, wood and some sottobosco emphasise its depth but also its vitality. The vibrant cherry and dark berry flavours are energetic and accomplished, and the intense, bright and long palate favours poise over muscularity. Superb.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECDried-berry, orange-peel and flower aromas follow through to a medium body with ultrafine tannins that blend nicely into the wine, delivering energy and length. Lovely ripe fruit with a juicy and flavorful finish. A classic and wonderfully proportioned young Brunello. Drinkable but better after 2026 and beyond.James Suckling | 97 JSFuligni’s 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva reveals a sultry and savory side with medium-grained tannins and extra textural buffering that surrounds a core of dark blackberry fruit. The alcohol content is high at 15%, but this full-bodied vintage does a very good job of covering up those excesses. This Riserva closes with hints of root beer and sauna wood.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe core of sweet, ripe black cherry, blackberry, tamarind, earth and tar aromas and flavors is swallowed up by a wall of tannins in this wild, muscular red. Will require time to find its balance; however, even at this stage, everything converges on the long, complex finish. Best from 2029 through 2047.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 2019 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru has an exquisite bouquet of beautifully defined citrus fruit, apple blossom and light flinty notes; a bit of peach skin emerges with aeration. The harmonious palate is very well balanced, delivering admirable depth, well-judged acidity, and flavors of white peach and a touch of quince toward the linear finish. Classy.Vinous Media | 93 VMA more elegant and slightly riper nose also offers plenty of classic Chablis character on the markedly floral-suffused white orchard fruit scents. The more voluminous though a bit less mineral-driven medium-bodied flavors culminate in an energetic, delicious and lingering if slightly awkward finale. This may well come together, and it does have a very good track record, but I prefer not to guess.Burghound | 90-92 BH

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a pretty rich, bombastic wine, especially for Mayacamas. A blast of dark fruit, incense, tobacco, licorice, spice and mocha hits the palate. I would give the 2019 at least a few years in bottle to settle down, as it is quite the powerhouse today. This is an unusually flamboyant wine with plenty of richness and a bit less in the way of subtlety. The opulence of the vintage comes through loud and clear.Vinous Media | 97 VMLoaded with character and energy, this version reveals heavy notes of zesty sweet bay leaf and sassafras that infuse a core of steeped red currant and mulberry fruit, all carried by bright acidity and iron-laced tannins. The long finish pulls everything together, with the fruit, savory and mineral elements in harmony. Showing an old-school touch, this has a long life ahead. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon remains true to the winery’s historic style, offering complex notes of dried herbs and mixed berries, carried across the palate by a wine that’s medium-bodied, crisp and somewhat lean by modern Napa standards. It finishes long and dusty, promising well for the future.Robert Parker Wine Advocte | 94 RP

The Piero Benevelli 2019 Barolo Ravera di Monforte has just a little more ripeness compared to the Le Coste di Monforte, and this wine is more open-knit and ready to drink as a result. You get the same combination of dried fruit tones and redcurrants that come with a healthy dose of rusty mineral and iron-like sensations. This is a 4,000-bottle release.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2019 Barolo Ravera di Monforte is a powerful, searing wine. Red cherry fruit, leather, cedar, mint, iron, white pepper and dried flowers build in a mid-weight, tannic Barolo that is going to need time to be at its best. There is good tension and energy, but my impression is that the 2019 is recovering from its bottling, as it is very tight and sinewy in feel today.Vinous Media | 92+ VM

The Pinino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino shows medium-dark concentration and classic Sangiovese aromas of blackcurrant, cigar ash and grilled herb. There is a floral element with pressed violet or wild rose that comes though nicely in this vintage. The oak tannins feel dry, and the wine shows mid-weight concentration to close. Exactly 8,610 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino opens in the glass with a delicate blend of dried flowers, orange zest and raspberries. It’s cool-toned and pliant with silken waves of ripe red fruits and savory herbal tones that resonate, all guided by brisk activity. This finishes classically dry with silty tannins and a bitter twang of salted licorice.Vinous Media | 91 VMAromas of mulberries, violets, walnuts, and cloves with underlying roasted savory herb characters. Full-bodied. Chewy and sturdy tannins, yet this is a tensioned young red. Needs a little more in the center palate but still outstanding. Better after 2028.James Suckling | 91 JS

The 2020 I Sodi di San Niccolò is fabulous. It is a rare wine that offers power, finesse and translucent energy at once. All the elements are in perfect balance. I can’t remember a Sodi like this one, a wine that is so complete and alluring right out of the gate. Rose petal, lavender, spice, orange peel and sage open first. What impresses me most about the 2020 is the finesse of its tannin, something I have very rarely seen in Sodi at this early stage. Magical. This is remarkable in every way.Vinous Media | 97+ VMPacked with ripe, juicy cherry, blackberry, pomegranate and floral aromas and flavors, this red is supple and beautifully integrated. Earth, iron and tobacco accents add detail as this winds down on the lazy, resonant aftertaste, showing terrific energy. Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera. Best from 2026 through 2043. 5,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSA delicate combination of aniseed and exotic spices with fragrant floral scents and ripe red berry fruit. Smells really quite individual, a touch of vanilla and caramel about this too. Clean, supple and alive, this has character from the get go, juicy and precise, thrilling acidity joins massy but fine tannins that give this a buzzy, lifted but filling expression from the get go. Everything is at the fore, and carries the intensity to a long finish. Upfront and so intense, but refined and purposeful. It feels effortless as much as it does intense which is quite a feat. Joyful and with complexity. Too young now but give this a few years at least. I love the graphite and wet stone chalkiness on the finish too.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECDeep and dark aromas of Mediterranean herbs, restrained black cherries and stern, earthy complexity. Firm on the palate, with a full body, velvety tannins. crisp acidity and a chalky finish. Long, toasted graphite aftertaste. Sangiovese and malvasia nera. A wine intended for the long haul, yet ready to drink in a year or two.James Suckling | 96 JS

Fèvre’s largest grand cru, with 4ha located higher up in Les Clos, meaning this is cooler climate and with much more chalk than Kimmeridgian. 50% of the vines were planted by William Fèvre’s father in the 1940s. Perfect balance between precision, concentration, acidity and ripe fruits, with oak that’s not at all apparent. A fresh, glorious wine.Decanter | 97 DECChoosing a favorite among the last three grand crus in the Domaine Fèvre lineup is simply impossible in 2020. The les Clos is yet another stunning young wine, offering up a refined and complex bouquet of pear, tart orange, fresh lime, flinty, chalky minerality, citrus peel, dried flowers and a nice touch of smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and seamlessly balanced, with a beautiful harness of acidity, a great core of fruit and a very long, very minerally and oh, so complex young finish. A great wine by any measure! (Drink between 2032 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is another brilliant effort from Fèvre’s immensely able winemaker, Didier Seguier, and his team. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of confit citrus, fresh bread, oyster shell, orange zest and crisp orchard fruit, it’s full-bodied, satiny and muscular, with a concentrated, tensile profile and a long, intensely saline finish. It’s the broadest and most powerful wine in the range, while remaining quintessentially Chablisien.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA cool, restrained and airy nose grudgingly divulges its combination of lemon rind, green apple, quinine and acacia blossom scents that are also trimmed in discreet wood. There is again excellent volume and concentration to the powerful and muscular flavors that also coat the palate with dry extract on the impressively complex and hugely long finish. This is classic Les Clos in that it manages to be at once big and overtly powerful while remaining refined and classy. This is, in a word, stunning.Burghound | 96 BHThis lemon- and green apple–infused white stays lean, racy and long, combining power and intensity. On the austere side today, with a mineral underpinning and chalky finish. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2020 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru comes from 10 parcels scattered mainly over the top of the hill. It has a well-defined, crisp and (for the vintage) quite austere nose due to the location higher up the slope. The fresh palate is nicely detailed with lime and lemon thyme and good salinity. Quite strict on the mineral-driven finish. Good potential, but it will need time.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

(Chablis “les Preuses”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2020 les Preuses from Domaine Fèvre was one of the finest white wines I tasted from the entire vintage during my trip in November and December. The perfect ripeness of the vintage, coupled to such great acidity are the hallmarks of the best wines of 2020 and these attributes are on full display in this stunning young wine. The nose soars from the glass in a mineral bath of les Preuses Kimmeridgian limestone terroir, carrying notes of apple, pear, fresh lime, straw, oyster shell, white flowers and a topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is pure, precise, snappy and very, very complex, with great depth at the core, stunning mineral definition, laser-like focus and stunning length and grip on the simply beautiful young finish. All this great wine needs is time in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2031 - 2080)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is, if anything, even more electric than the formidable Valmur, wafting from the glass with notions of citrus oil, freshly baked bread, oyster jus and wet stones. Full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, it’s racy and intense, with a bright spine of acidity and a long, intensely saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPFrom 1.5ha on soils that are high in clay content above Bougros, together with 1ha just above Bouguerots. Distinct precision here, not a blockbuster but intense and focused. Lovely crystalline fruit and will age beautifully.Decanter | 95 DECAromas of quinine, essence of wet stone and seashore add breadth to the nose of pear, apple and anise. Once again there is fine density and intensity to the mouthcoating medium-weight flavors that flash outstanding length on the bracingly saline-suffused finale. This has already developed very good depth and more will almost surely follow. This is potentially outstanding.Burghound | 95 BHThe 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru comes from 2.5 hectares of vines in two locations, one east-facing and one southwest-facing. It has quite a deep, intense nose featuring lemon zest, crushed stone, linden and touches of citrus peel. The cohesive palate is smooth and harmonious with fine salinity, if maybe not quite building on its initial promise, as the finish pulls up just a little short compared to the Bougros. Still, this should age well in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

A wine from a selection of sites over 3.9ha in Butteaux, Forêts and Montmains. Butteaux is very cold and mineral, while Forêts is elegant and floral. Great precision and focus here, allied with crystalline citrus fruits on the palate. Shows density, but is also very fresh, with lovely mineral characters on the finish. A highly successful Montmains.Decanter | 93 DECConsisting of roughly equal parts Montmains, Butteaux and Forêts (the three sous-climats of Montmains), the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains offers up aromas of crisp green apple, white flowers, bee pollen and oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, it’s taut and precise, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP(Chablis “Montmains”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2020 Montmains here is also lovely, with perhaps just a bit more definition and complexity than in the Beauroy. The nose is pure and bright, offering up scents of apple, tart orange, wet stone minerality, citrus peel, dried flowers and a nice shading of oyster shell. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and racy in personality, with fine focus and grip, a lovely core and a long, minerally and beautifully balanced finish. A lovely example. (Drink between 2026 - 2055)John Gilman | 92+ JG(Chablis Montmains 1er Cru, Domaine William Fèvre, White) From all three sections of the vineyard as usual. Racy lemon colour. Pure crystalline nose, very little reduction, very classical left bank Chablis, very intense but neither heavy nor exotic. The kimmeridgian is speaking underneath a graceful layer of flesh. Fruit and stones both keep coming back at the finish.Jasper Morris | 92-95Here too the nose is elegant, pure and layered but with more floral and spice nuances adding breadth to the cooler and more restrained aromas. There is both excellent intensity and density to the mineral-driven flavors that terminate in a bone-dry, sneaky long and balanced finale. This too is really very good.Burghound | 91-93 BHThe 2020 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru comes from 3.8 hectares of vines over 12 parcels and offers pressed white flower scents and a touch of crushed rock. The well-defined palate features red apple mixed with subtle spicy notes that dovetail into a generous, leesy finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM