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Vintage Port doesn’t seem like the right wine in the middle of the summer but I had an Amarone producer for dinner the other night in Tuscany and he had never drunk a wine from his birth year. He was lucky enough to have been born in 1977 - a great Port year! I found a bottle of 1977 Fonseca in my cellar - probably my last. It was absolutely gorgeous. I gave this fortified wine a perfect score in its youth and I think it has finally evolved into its perfection as a mature vintage Port. Here is the tasting note. 1977 Fonseca Vintage Port: This is in total balance now with such harmony. What amazing aromas of berry and flowers. Full and sweet, the tannins are complete dissolved. The fruit is perfect. This goes on for minutes. Drink now. But it will go forever.James Suckling | 100 JSWhat a Vintage Port. Dark ruby center, with a dark garnet edge. Aromas of flowers, blackberry and licorice. Subtle and complex. Wow. What a palate. Full, concentrated and rich, yet balanced and beautiful. Solid and sleepy. Still not giving all it has to give. This is just coming around. Gorgeous and classy. Love it. ’77/’85/’97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 100 WS(Fonseca) I have always found the ’77 Fonseca to be one of the stars of the vintage, and this most recent bottle was beginning to really hit on all cylinders. The bouquet delivers a beautifully complex and concentrated mélange of sweet cassis, plum, blackberry, mint, tobacco, chocolate, minerals, and cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and almost voluptuous, with a fine core of fruit, beautiful structure and focus, ripe tannins, and great grip on the long and modestly tannic finish. This wine is a beautiful and relatively forward example of the vintage, and consequently it is offering up superb drinking already. My gut instinct suggests that there is more complexity to come with further bottle age, but it is pretty hard not to want to drink this beauty at this stage of development. A quintessential vintage of Fonseca. (Drink between 2007-2050).John Gilman | 95 JGFonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and most complex port. If Fonseca lacks the sheer weight and power of a Taylor, Dow or Warre, or the opulent sweetness and intensity of a Graham, it excels in its magnificently complex, intense bouquet of plummy, cedary, spicy fruit and long, broad, expansive flavors. With its lush, seductive character, one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage ports. When it is young, it often loses out in blind tastings to the heavier, weightier, more tannic wines, but I always find myself upgrading my opinion of Fonseca after it has had 7-10 years of age. The 1977 has developed magnificently in the bottle, and while it clearly needs another decade to reach its summit, it is the best Fonseca since the 1970 and 1963.Robert Parker | 93 RP

The 2010 Proprietary Red Howell Mountain is endowed with serious depth and pure, sizzling minerality. A blast of blue and black fruit, melted road tar, graphite and licorice hits the palate, followed by the inescapable firm tannins of the year. The pointed, saline-infused finish leaves a deep, lasting impression. The 2010 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2010 Howell Mountain is simply magnificent. Inky, deep, and full-bodied to the core, the 2010 blasts out of the glass with graphite, pencil shavings, menthol, melted road tar, plum, cassis and licorice notes. The 2010 is an exciting, viscerally thrilling wine that takes hold of the sense and never lets up. Today, it is firing on all cylidners. The Howell Mountain is the only Abreu wine that incorporates Malbec, a variety that seems to work magic here. The 2010 is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec and 5% Merlot.Vinous Media | 100 VM

The 2010 Barolo (Riserva) Brunate is off the charts. Sublime, powerful and incredibly nuanced, the 2010 captures all the elements that make this vintage so special. I am not sure what I can add. Everything is there. Time in the glass brings out a super-classic profile of rose petal, tar, incense, spice and citrus peel, but it is the wine’s regal bearing that is truly impressive.Vinous Media | 100 VMThe 2010 Brunate is one of the best wines I have ever tasted from Giuseppe Rinaldi, and one of the greatest expressions of this fabulous vintage. Polished and structured, it seamlessly combines layers of rose, violet, perfumed red berries, juicy black cherry, leather, spice and eucalyptus sensations that convey a Nebbiolo purity of compelling depth and finesse. It’s already drop-dead gorgeous but will become one of the legendary bottlings of the vintage. Drink 2020-2045. Kerin O’Keefe | 100 KOThe 2010 Brunate is one of the greatest expressions of this fabulous vintage. Polished and structured, it seamlessly combines layers of rose, violet, perfumed red berries, juicy black cherry, leather, spice and eucalyptus sensations that convey a Nebbiolo purity of compelling depth and finesse. It’s already gorgeous, but will become one of the legendary bottlings of the vintage. Drink 2020–2045.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WERose, peony, cherry and raspberry aromas and flavors are the main themes in this detailed red. Accents of tobacco and leather add depth, keeping this impeccably balanced and harmonious. The finish is long and echoes with notes of fruit, flowers and mineral. Best from 2017 through 2035. 700 cases made, 375 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLovely sweetness, great depth and huge tannins. Not unlike a great Châteauneuf.Decanter | 95 DECExpressive and defined, the 2010 Barolo Brunate delivers excellent definition and focus. The wine ushers forth a pretty ensemble of dark berry, spice and balsam herb aromas that are well balanced to form a harmonious wine. This pretty wine lends wattage to the classic 2010 vintage. Freshness and a firm tannic backbone give Barolo Brunate impressive length and elegant persistence.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry reveals a rather inky, bluish/purple color. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, this wine is super-youthful and still tastes somewhat like a barrel sample. It’s bursting with upside potential. Inky purple to the rim, with notes of crème de cassis, black cherry liqueur, licorice, spice and a touch of vanilla, this is a full-bodied, concentrated and an utterly profound wine that may represent the greatest wine that Cliff Lede has made to date. Forget it for another 5-6 years and drink it over the following 30 years.Robert Parker | 100 RPA cool and linear red with deep dark fruits such as blueberries and blackberries. Hints of mint and mineral too. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Impressive for this vintage. Better in 2019.James Suckling | 94 JSAnother highlight in this range, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry hits the palate with serious intensity. Juicy, ripe and opulent throughout, the 2013 is super-expressive, but also quite young. Give it a few years to fully come together. This is the most overt of Lede Cabernets. Ripeness is pushed to the edge, while the wine is a bit monolithic, especially next to some of the more complete wines in this range.Vinous Media | 93 VM

There is something ethereal about the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon CCS, a wine that I tend to give more perfect scores to than of the other Schrader offerings. This is clone 4 from a special block of the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, and it always seems to have these incredible, explosive aromatics ranging from blueberry to blackberry to cassis to spring flowers and lead pencil shavings. It’s always one of the more seductive wines early on, with sweet, velvety tannins, a plush, succulent mouthfeel, full-bodied splendor and majestic texture. This is a killer effort of great intensity and presence. Drink it over then next 25-30 years.Robert Parker | 100 RPA robust and rustic youngster, undeniably powerful and deep, yet tightly wound and begging for cellaring and decanting. The dark red and black fruit is zesty, with minerally acidity, fine-grained tannins and a sense of refinement and elegance. Drink now through 2023. 520 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon charges from the gate with exuberant red and black cherries notes, black currants and mulberries with a beautiful roses and lavender perfume, plus hints of sandalwood and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, concentrated and downright explosive in the mouth, it is still wearing loads of gorgeous puppy-fat fruit flavors, offering suggestions of the complex, multilayered blockbuster that it will emerge into. The structure deserves its own mention: wonderful, seamless freshness and oh-so-fine, pixelated tannins, with an extraordinary persistence of fruit and mineral nuances. Wow.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPEisele Vineyard's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Majestic and soaring in the glass, the 2015 is absolutely stunning from the very first taste. A rush of dark fruit, graphite, grilled herb, smoke, leather, earthiness and exotic spices makes a bold opening statement, but it is the wine's breath, volume and sheer intensity that are all off the charts. I tasted the 2015 blind in a flight of wines from Calistoga's Pickett Road neighborhood. All of the wines were terrific, but the wine that was most moving and most profound was unquestionably the 2015 from Eisele Vineyard.Vinous Media | 99 VMFabulous and subtle aromas of crushed berries and tobacco with leaves. Green olives and some cedar, too. Full-bodied, dense and tight with gorgeous intensity and length. Extremely persistent on the palate. A solid and racy red with complexity and vigor. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 98 JSSlow to open but does so impressively, with an elegant array of dark berry, currant, light spice and oak notes, ending with a loamy earthiness. Best from 2021 through 2033. 1,575 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The nose on the 2020 Chardonnay Lauren Estate starts off with a beautiful briny / sea spray character, leading to intense grapefruit oil, lemonade, and ginger tea scents, plus wafts of lime leaves, ginger ale, and crushed stones. The full-bodied palate delivers fantastic tension with a lively backbone cutting through super-intense, tightly wound citrus and stone layers, finishing long and so, so fragrant. This gorgeous wine comes from a complex vineyard planted to four different clones: two old Wente clones, Mt Eden, and Corton Charlemagne.The Wine Independent | 100 TWIThe 80% new French oak is just barely noticeable in the 2020 Chardonnay Lauren Estate, revealed in the hints of pencil shavings that accent white peach and pineapple—there’s tremendous fruit intensity here. Full-bodied and powerful, this blend of four heirloom selections remains exceptionally zesty, clean and fresh, with great length seamlessly allied to considerable richness. For now, I give a slight nod to the 2021 vintage, but this is a similarly terrific wine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPA stunning white, with salted butterscotch, marzipan and grilled peach notes up front, plus hints of nutmeg, toasted green tea and lemon thyme. Generous and intense, but also elegant, with a light touch to the fresh acidity that weaves in and out on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2030. 1,125 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSLinear and very structured with very fine and structured tannins that give this wine tension and focus. Medium body. Hints of stone and pear. Medium finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2020 Chardonnay Lauren is the wine that is most like its usual self in 2020. All the textural richness that is typical of this site comes through loud and clear. Dried pear, sage, mint, chamomile and dried flowers all meld together effortlessly. The Lauren is the best wine at Aubert in 2020, and one of the wines of the year in this very challenging vintage.Vinous Media | 94 VM