The VAULT

wines

I loved this bottle of 1982 Cos d’Estournel, and it was easily the best bottle I’ve had of this wine, which has always shown slightly tired and over the hill for me. It shows classic, even youthful notes of lead pencil, currants and saddle leather, was full-bodied, had beautiful depth of fruit, and a great, great finish, all pointing to a fully mature yet grand Saint Estephe. Drink up.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis 1982 is still displaying a beautiful deep ruby/purple hue as well as a stunning set of aromatics consisting of blue and black fruits, loamy earth, flowers, licorice, and spice box. The wine is medium to full-bodied with sweet tannins, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and a silky finish. It appears to have hit full maturity, but it can easily be held in a cold cellar for another 10+ years.Robert Parker | 95 RPThe 1982 Cos d’Estournel is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. I have always fallen for the aromatics of this 1982: roasted chestnut and a touch of aniseed that combines effortlessly with the melted red berry fruit, touches of tar developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, perhaps not quite as extravagant as it showed a few years ago, but there is genuine depth and grip here. There is that lovely savory, lightly spiced finish and a very persistent aftertaste that is thoroughly enjoyable after 36 years. This is a wonderful 1982 that will give pleasure for many more years. Tasted at the Cos d’Estournel vertical at the property.Vinous Media | 95 VMBuilt for aging. Very dark ruby in color, with a garnet rim. Dried flower and berry aromas. Full-bodied and very solid, with masses of fruit and tannins. Still has plenty of time to go.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

This is an elegant Nebbiolo-based wine and arguably the most feminine of Gaja’s newest releases. There’s extreme balance and sophistication evident in the focused aromas of wild berry, white licorice, pressed violets and polished stone. The mouthfeel is tight, firm and those tannins need at least 10 more years to soften in your cellar. Beautiful.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEThe 2007 Langhe Sori Tildin opens with a huge, kaleidoscopic bouquet that immediately draws me in. A remarkably vivid wine, the sensual Sori Tildin caresses the palate with silky, textured fruit, showing incredible power, length and class. There is a transparency to the wine that is beguiling. Once again, the finish is eternal. Sori Tildin is one of Gaja’s more nuanced wines, and in 2007 it is breathtakingly beautiful. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2037My most recent visit to Gaja was quite an experience, as I tasted all of the estate’s 1989s, 1990s and 2007s. The 1989s and 1990s are reviewed in this issue’s What About Now feature. Angelo Gaja, always loquacious on a wide range of subjects, says virtually nothing about his wines, an approach I have increasingly come to appreciate in an era where so many producers are constantly in pitch mode. Then again, Gaja doesn’t really need to say anything, the wines speak for themselves. I tasted the 2007s at the winery in November 2009 and then again in New York in January 2010. Both times they were spectacular. Stylistically the 2007s remind me of the 1997s in terms of their opulence. Gaja’s wines are often immensely appealing when young – which is certainly the case with the 2007s – but then close down in bottle for a number of years, sometimes many years. My impression is that the Costa Russi and Conteisa are the most likely of these 2007s to offer the widest drinking windows throughout their lives with a minimum of cellaring. Fermentation and malolactic fermentation take place in steel. The wines then spend approximately one year in French oak and a second year in cask prior to being bottled. As has been the case for a number of years now, Gaja’s Langhe wines incorporate a small percentage of Barbera. On a final note, it’s great to see Gaja’s daughters Gaia and Rossana increasingly involved in the winery. They, and their younger brother Giovanni, have big shoes to fill, but couldn’t have asked for better teachers than Angelo and Lucia Gaja.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2007 Langhe Sorì Tildìn opens with a huge, kaleidoscopic bouquet that immediately draws me in. A remarkably vivid wine, the sensual Sorì Tildìn caresses the palate with silky, textured fruit, showing incredible power, length and class. There is a transparency to the wine that is beguiling. Once again, the finish is eternal. Sorì Tildìn is one of Gaja’s more nuanced wines, and in 2007 it is breathtakingly beautiful.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGVery, very fresh and floral with peaches, ripe strawberries and plums. So aromatic and clear. Full-bodied, with powerful tannins and a cocoa, chocolate aftertaste. Gorgeous and sturdy. Needs time. Better after 2016.James Suckling | 97 JSToast and spice aromas lead off in this warm, expansive red, which quickly evokes black cherry, plum, floral and spice flavors, all allied to the silky texture and precision structure. Rich fruit and spice flavors echo on the finish. Best from 2014 through 2032. 80 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

This gorgeous, fragrant wine opens with classic Sangiovese scents of violet, rose, perfumed red berry, new leather and a whiff of baking spice. The elegant, radiant palate delivers crushed Marasca cherry, ripe strawberry, cinnamon, black tea and a hint of pipe tobacco. Firm, ultra-fine tannins and bright acidity offer an age-worthy structure and impeccable balance. It’s already stunning but will evolve for decades. Drink 2020–2050. Kerin O’Keefe | 100 KOThis gorgeous, fragrant wine opens with classic Sangiovese scents of violet, rose, perfumed red berry, new leather and a whiff of baking spice. The elegant, radiant palate delivers crushed Marasca cherry, ripe strawberry, cinnamon, black tea and a hint of pipe tobacco. Firm, ultrafine tannins and bright acidity offer an age-worthy structure and impeccable balance. It’s already stunning but will evolve for decades. Drink 2020–2050.Wine Enthusiast | 100 WEThe 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is slow to open and I spent a good amount of extra time with this wine as a result. It was well worth the wait. The intensity inches up in baby steps. With time, the wine is splendent and focused with a very direct and impactful delivery of aromas. It also shows a specifically floral personality with dried rose petal or blue violet that I did not recognize in most of the other Brunellos from this classic vintage. There is power and determination behind those feminine aromas. The wine makes a lasting impression in the mouth, thanks to the textual tightness of its tannins and the refreshing crispness of the acidity. The Riserva sees fruit sourced from Il Greppo’s oldest vines (25-years-old and more) and the wine ages in traditional oak casks for three years. Some 13,600 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPIn this acclaimed vintage for Montalcino, Il Greppo does not disappoint. The harvest took place on 19 September, midway between the earliest and latest harvests. This Riserva shines for its elegance. Floral with violet hints and crisp cherry fruit, black pepper and smoky woodland aromas, its distinguished character is determined by perfectly ripe velvety tannins with a textured palate and refreshing acidity. It will last due to the balance rather than its power, demonstrating the fresh signature style of Il Greppo.Decanter | 96 DECAromas of mushrooms and cherries, together with cedar and cherry wood. Then it moves to rose petals and stems. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and slightly raised acidity that adds a balsamic undertone. Black truffle, walnut skin and dried cherry. Savory finish. Historical character that takes you back in time to the year of production. Re-release March 2024. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is just as compelling today as it was the many times I tasted it from cask with Franco Biondi Santi prior to his passing, although it naturally has less of the immediacy it had out of oak. Layered, silky and translucent, yet with remarkable depth, the 2010 Riserva is a wine of intensity, power and the classic austerity that has been such a signature of these Brunellos for the last several decades. Readers will have to be patient.Vinous Media | 95+ VMA perfumed nose of rose, cherry and strawberry notes introduces fruit, soy and leather flavors in this complex, ripe red, which is silky and balanced, revealing refined tannins and tobacco, spice and mineral elements on the finish. Best from 2019 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 95 WS