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The 2008 Tignanello is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. The 2008 isn’t a huge or obvious Tignanello, rather it is a wine that impresses for its sublime elegance and precision. Understated layers of fruit caress the palate like cashmere in this impeccable, soft wine. There is not a hard edge to be found. Black cherries, tobacco, smoke and licorice are some of the notes that come through on the finish. The flavor profile is decidedly on the dark side, but the wine’s structure is medium in body and intensity. In 2008 the Tignanello has more energy, focus and length than the Solaia. It is a fabulous achievement! The 2008 Tignanello is 80% Sangiovese aged in 300-liter French oak barrels (1/3rd new), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, both aged in 100% new 225-liter French oak barriques. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024.Antinori seems to do everything well these days, from churning out millions of bottles of supermarket wines all the way to turning out superb versions of their many flagship bottlings. This is another impressive set of new releases with a number of highlights. Over the years oenologist Renzo Cotarella has moved away from the super-late harvests of the late 1990s/early 2000s in favor of picking slightly earlier, a decision that has paid off handsomely, especially over the last few years. Antinori’s 2008s, from a vintage that is quite inconsistent across the board, are superb. I remember spending a few days near the estate’s Tignanello and Badia a Passignano estates in mid-August 2008. The days were very hot, but the nights were so cool that a sweater or light jacket was a necessity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2008 Tignanello is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. The 2008 isn’t a huge or obvious Tignanello, rather it is a wine that impresses for its sublime elegance and precision. Understated layers of fruit caress the palate like cashmere in this impeccable, soft wine. There is not a hard edge to be found. Black cherries, tobacco, smoke and licorice are some of the notes that come through on the finish. The flavor profile is decidedly on the dark side, but the wine’s structure is medium in body and intensity. In 2008 the Tignanello has more energy, focus and length than the Solaia. It is a fabulous achievement! The 2008 Tignanello is 80% Sangiovese aged in 300-liter French oak barrels (1/3rd new), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, both aged in 100% new 225-liter French oak barriques.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGThis landmark Italian wine continues to show the best of Tuscany, as it faithfully does year after year. The quality is obvious, thanks to rich notes of chocolate, black cherry and spice that are wrapped tight within a lush, soft and texture. The close is velvety and very long.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEAromas of dried berries and Christmas cake follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and chewy finish. Beautiful finish. Lots of fruit and pretty oak but in a pretty combination. Best after 2013.James Suckling | 93 JSCompact, linear and very pure, revealing cherry, tobacco and subtle iron flavors.—Non-blind Tignanello vertical (October 2019). Drink now through 2030. 8,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

An exquisite wine, relying primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon from a single estate. Aromas of lavender, dried herbs and grapefruit pith combine with flavors of firm fruits and cocoa on a structure of abundant, powder-fine tannin and a mouthwatering finish. This wine is refined, detailed and delicious, with as much elegance as energy. Best 2026–2040.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WESo much graphite and volcanic character on the nose with metal shavings and gunpowder. Black ink, iron and rust, too. Blackberry and blackcurrant undertones. Full-bodied but not overpowering, with chewy and juicy tannins that are long and very subtle. Superb finish. From biodynamic grapes with Demeter certification. 91% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc, 3% carmenere, 1% merlot, and 1% petit verdot. Drinkable now, but better in 2027.James Suckling | 99 JSLastly, the 2021 Proprietary Red was just bottled in July of this year and checks in as 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Carmenere, and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot, brought up in 64% new French oak. It offers pure blue fruits, spring flowers, violets, and spicy oak, with a beautiful chalky, mineral note that comes through more on the palate. It’s elegant, full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, good acidity, and terrific length. It’s another gorgeous wine that will evolve for 15+ years.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDA compact, coiled-up, polished red. Intensely aromatic and perfumed, it leads with a distinct burst of cast-iron minerality, dusty sage, red and blackberry fruits, and perfumed rose petals. Medium to full-bodied with a dense core of succulent boysenberry fruit, plums, and kirsch, all of which have tremendous staying power matched only by the wine’s burly, robust and muscular tannins, which offer a real contrast to the supreme elegance of this wine. More time in the bottle is needed to let these tannins soften. If you open it before 2025, let it breathe several hours ahead of time, perhaps even double-decant it. 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Carmenère, 1% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 65% new French oak and 3% terracotta amphora.Decanter | 98 DECMarked by scents of cherries and raspberries, with just the barest hints of cedar and mocha-tinged oak, Quintessa’s fruit-forward 2021 Proprietary Red Wine is wonderfully smooth and supple in the mouth. It’s medium to full-bodied, suave and silky, all class and elegance, without any sense of excessive bulk or rusticity. If one were to have a complaint about it (hardly likely), it’s that it comes across as almost too polished, too elegant, too easy to drink.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis sports a fresh-edged beam of mulberry, black currant and boysenberry fruit, while flashes of hibiscus and violet fill in throughout alongside singed apple wood and iron notes. Shows the vintage’s combo of dense fruit and racy-edged structure, with nice tension. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2021 Red Wine is an attractive offering from Quintessa. Crushed red berry fruit, cedar, mocha, spice and tobacco open gracefully. All the elements are nicely balanced in this understated Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Limpid orange. A sharply focused, mineral-accented bouquet evokes fresh red berries and pit fruits, citrus pith and pungent flowers. Silky and penetrating on the palate, offering tangy redcurrant, pomegranate and blood orange flavors and a hint of honeysuckle. The floral note builds steadily through an impressively long, nervy finish that echoes the citrus and mineral notes. | 93 VMCall it a down year if you must, but the 2021 Cotes de Provence Rose Chateau de Selle remains one of the region’s top wines. Scents of tangerine, peach, crushed stone and lime zest mark the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is plump and juicy, finishing long and layered. The assemblage this year is 55% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP