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A vibrant example of the region. Very attractive creamy texture, almost like milk chocolate, velvety and sweet. On the palate there is a wild, garrigue type character with oregano and spice, and a leathery, tobacco finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2035.Decanter | 93 DEC

The Tenute Silvio Nardi 2016 Brunello di Montalcino makes a big impact in the glass thanks to its dark color saturation and the pretty intensity of its aromas that range from dark fruit and plum to soft potting soil and grilled herb. You get beautiful balance here, even more so when you allow the bottle to breathe for a few hours. A twofold delivery of freshness and tannic backbone gives the wine the DNA required to hold 10 years or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino has aromatics of savory dried herbs, black plum, cola, and stony earth. The palate is fruit forward and full of ripe cherry, balsamic, and iron rich minerality. There are silky tannins that emerge from its fruit, along with balanced acidity. Though it is open and generous now, there is lots of life for this to unfold over time. Drink 2024-2034.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDA creamy and juicy Brunello with dried-berry, peach and dusty-earth character. It’s full-bodied, chewy and very intense. Lots of fruit, yet reserved and toned with tannins that stay with you throughout. Give it at least three of four years to open. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2016 Brunello di Montalcino from Silvio Nardi is dark and earthy with a bit of a rustic edge that I find quite attractive. Floral undergrowth and rich soil tones give way to crushed black cherries with hints of brown spice. There’s a combination of ripe primary fruit and zesty acids, which creates an appealing and juicy expression, even as grippy tannins slowly mount toward the close. Remnants of licorice, mocha and tobacco linger, along with the slightest hint of heat, which doesn’t get in the way. The 2016 Tenute Silvio Nardi won’t require more than a few years of cellaring to show its best.Vinous Media | 93 VMA mix of cherry, plum, leather, earth and iron flavors mark this red. Starts out rich and supple in texture, then the assertive tannins sweep in midpalate through the finish. Finds a good balance in the end and finishes long. Best from 2025 through 2045. 25,000 cases made, 4,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe Silvio Nardi estate has released a solid trio of Brunelli from the 2016 vintage, starting with their foundational Brunello. Assembled from 54 lots from vineyards in Montalcino’s northwest and southeast, it captures the wildness of the former and warm generosity of the latter. Pretty pressed blue flowers meet dark cherry compote and some toasty oak notes. Ample and well-built with lots of structure, the tannins are fully ripe but a little rustic, providing a satisfying chewiness. Drinking Window 2023 - 2033.Decanter | 92 DECAromas of French oak, menthol and dark spice form the nose. Full bodied and linear, the palate features licorice, vanilla, cherries marinated in spirits and coffee bean alongside tightly wound, close-grained tannins that grip the lean finish. Drink 2024–2031.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

This is one of those wines where your nose is in the glass for ages, enjoying the complex array of aromas that range from raspberries to dates, perfumed bark to polished wood, pressed flowers to fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, dense and focused with fine, well-integrated tannins, plenty of fruit flavor and an endless finish. A joy to drink even now, but this will age gracefully for many a year.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Sergio Zenato is totally classic to the Zenato style, with macerated cherries, raisins, sweet herbs, cocoa, black pepper and shavings of cedar. This deeply textural with a dense wave of mineral-encased dark red fruits and balsamic spice carried across a core of stimulating acidity. Mocha and clove mix with black currant and olive as the 2017 finishes dramatically long and potent. There’s simply so much going on here, and more is guaranteed to come with maturation. Also of note is that the 2017 clocks in at only 3.3 grams of residual sugar. This is as serious as they comeVinous Media | 97 VM

This fantastic, focused red opens with enticing scents of rose, woodland berry, forest floor and a balsamic whiff of camphor. It’s full bodied and elegantly structured, delivering flavors of ripe morello cherry, raspberry compote, cinnamon and licorice before a hazelnut close. Firm fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity provide the framework. Drink 2024–2046. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEGrasso’s 2017 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is fabulous. In fact, the Gavarini is easily one of the wines of the vintage because it retains all of its classic signatures, which is also the sign of a first-class vineyard. Bright and vibrant in the glass, the Gavarini pulses with energy. Crushed red flowers, mint, chalk, white pepper, cinnamon and orange peel give the 2017 a super-classic Nebbiolo profile, as expressed in a relatively high-altitude site. The precision and finesse of the tannins - so hard to find in 2017- elevates the Gavarini into the realm of the sublime.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe distinctive amphitheater that is Gavarini in Monforte d’Alba is situated just north of Ginestra. The 2017 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is nuanced with perfectly ripe cherry, cinnamon, cedar, and menthol. It delivers a high level of refinement on the palate, with super-fine tannins, orange peel, pomegranate, and dried roses. Drink 2025-2045.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe Elio Grasso 2017 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera shows us that deft hands are able to shape good results in a challenging vintage. This wine is balanced and polished with an array of smaller and more detailed aromas that we simply don’t see in the majority of Barolo releases from this hot and dry vintage. The bouquet here cautiously unveils tiny berry fruit, underbrush, wild rose, lilac, rusty nail and crushed stone. Nuanced and precise, this is one of a handful of 2017 releases that deserves special praise.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPRipe-berry aromas with toffee and some iodine and stone. Full-bodied with depth of fruit and chewy, polished tannins that are intense and pointed. This has so much structure and intensity. Give it time to soften and come together. Try in 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSElio Grasso and now his son Gianluca run this very consistent and well managed property in Monforte. The vineyards lie on 3ha of varied soils behind the cellars at around 350 metres. The nose is very subdued with red fruits lurking. It’s a full-bodied and forthright wine with ample volume, and does not seem too extracted despite the formidable tannins. The finish is solid and long. The Grassos’ other single vineyard, Casa Mate, is too high in alcohol in this vintage.Decanter | 93 DEC

This is really transparent with sweet strawberries, flowers and orange peel, as well as some conifer and pine-nut undertones. Full-bodied and layered with intense young tannins, intertwined with bright fruit. Great finish. This is really something else. Needs time to soften, of course. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2017 Barolo Ginestra Casa Mate has a slightly darker profile of licorice, black cherry, and wood spice. The palate is generous and structured, with plum pit, mineral-rich earth, and dried orange blossom. These are wines with incredible aromatic complexity and depth. Drink 2025-2050.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2017 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè is a dark, mysterious wine. Black cherry, menthol, tobacco, licorice, spice, new leather and pine meld together in a super-classic expression of Ginestra. Deep, rich and enveloping, the 2017 is so impressive in the early going. Here, too, the finesse of the tannins is remarkable.Vinous Media | 96 VMSoils in the Ginestra vineyard show more moisture-retaining clay in their composition, making them better positioned to handle hot and dry vintages such as this. The Elio Grasso 2017 Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté reveals soft concentration and extra richness; however, the aromatic nuances are well intact. I recall that the previous 2016 vintage took longer to come into focus, whereas this 2017 expression is open-knit and immediately accessible. The fruit is front and center, and the wine slides over the palate with a silky texture. Managing the tannins in 2017 was not easy, but this wine proves that lasting balance is not out of reach.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

Opulent and very sexy with perfume, cedar, dried flowers and dried strawberries and just a hint of nutmeg. It’s medium-to full-bodied with round and finely velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. So seductive. Drink after 2025.James Suckling | 97 JSFragrant and delicious, this gorgeous wine opens with inviting aromas of rose, sandalwood, camphor and perfumed berry alongside whiffs of truffle and French oak. The full-bodied palate combines elegance and structure, featuring ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and a dollop of vanilla alongside firm, refined tannins. It’s already tempting but hold for more complexity. Drink 2024–2032. Kerin O’Keefe | 97 KOFragrant and delicious, this gorgeous wine opens with inviting aromas of rose, sandalwood, camphor and perfumed berry alongside whiffs of truffle and French oak. The full-bodied palate combines elegance and structure, featuring ripe Morello cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and a dollop of vanilla alongside firm, refined tannins. It’s already tempting but hold for more complexity. Drink 2024–2032.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2017 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne has a gentle, sweet, smoky spice nose with a touch of fresh leather. It is medium-full, with a sublime, melting texture and very finely integrated tannins, There is a great harmony and finesse to the palate, with gentle red fruit and spice notes. A hint of tar in the middle adds intrigue. Unlike most 2017s, the slight dryness of the tannins is not there - they are integrated into the wine in a subtle, harmonious way. Maybe wait one year to drink then drink up to 20 years at least.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2017 Barolo Le Vigne is rich, pliant and so expressive. Even so, I imagine it will need a few years to open up fully. Bright red fruit, rose petal, blood orange and spice give the 2017 its distinctly red-toned profile. Elegant and translucent, the 2017 is very nicely balanced. Vineyard sources are Baudana, Villero, Vignane and Merli.Vinous Media | 95+ VMBright cherry, plum, leather, tar and underbrush flavors are the highlights of this solid red. A firm grip of tannins lines the finish, but not before the fruit builds nicely. Fine freshness, balance and length. Best from 2024 through 2042. 260 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

(Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Red) This is also aromatically inhibited with its reluctant nose of plum liqueur, leather, humus and evident floral wisps. Here too there is excellent volume and intensity to the muscular and powerful flavors that are shaped by firm tannins that leave no doubt that this is built-to-age and a wine that’s going to need extended patience. I would add that in the context of the 2017 vintage, this is a big wine. (Drink starting 2032)Burghound | 92-95 BHThe 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru offers more red fruit than the Bonnes-Mares, although at the moment this does not quite deliver the same nuance and comeliness. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, quite linear and strict (especially for this vineyard), but with a welcome pinch of white pepper and sage towards the persistent finish. Afford it several years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

The 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux has gained in depth and dimension with élevage and showed very well from bottle, unfurling in the glass with an expressive, youthfully fruit-driven bouquet of raspberries, cherries, candied peel and rose petals, framed by a subtle touch of new oak. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, velvety and fleshy, with succulent acids and elegant tannins. While this isn’t as rich, muscular or gourmand as the 2018, it’s an immensely seductive wine that will drink well comparatively young—though readers should still plan on exercising at least a decade’s patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPaul Zanetti tends to make two different cuvées from the Clos des Epeneaux, one from younger vines and one from the older, left side of the premier cru, planted between 65 and 98 years ago. The combination in bottle is definitely more than the sum of its parts. This is not a blockbuster vintage for what can be an ageworthy wine, but it’s still appealing in a lighter, more approachable mode, with some tannic grip but lots of perfume, finesse and succulent berry sweetness. Drinking Window 2024 - 2029Decanter | 94 DEC(Domaine Comte Armand/Clos des Epeneaux Pommard "Clos des Epeneaux" 1er Cru Red) There is still just enough wood present to merit mentioning as it frames the herbal tea-inflected blend of both red and dark currant scents that are cut with leather and underbrush nuances. The supple medium-bodied flavors possess reasonable though not distinguished mid-palate concentration before terminating in a lingering if slightly attenuated finish. The supporting tannins are sufficiently firm that this youthfully austere effort will need at least a few more years of keeping first. A Clos des Epeneaux of relative finesse. (Drink starting 2027)Burghound | 91 BH

As always, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De Mon Aïeul is all Grenache (from La Serres, La Crau, and La Guigasse) that was not destemmed and was brought up all in used demi-muids. It’s an extraordinary wine, offering a mammoth bouquet of kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, ground pepper, white flowers, and spice. Full-bodied, concentrated, and opulent on the palate, with silky tannins, it’s not going to match the 2010 or 2016, but t’s a magical, elegant, layered wine that does everything right.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is lush and inviting in feel, with waves of warmed raspberry reduction taking center stage, while plum paste and cherry skin notes add range. Underneath the fruit, notes of anise, red and black tea and gently mulled spice notes course along, all supported by perfectly embedded acidity. A gorgeous wine that’s hard to lay off now because of the fruit, but there’s absolutely no rush. Best from 2023 through 2040. 375 cases made, 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSRich and almost painfully intense, from yields that were reduced by coulure to only about six hectoliters per hectare, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is steadfast in being all Grenache and all whole cluster. Licorice, chocolate and super ripe plums appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied and velvety, with a long, warm finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPBrilliant ruby-red. An expansive, spice-accented bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, incense and potpourri, and a smoky mineral element adds urgency. Juicy, seamless and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that firm up slowly and turn spicier on the back half. Shows serious heft, but there’s a distinctly graceful quality as well. Finishes sappy, gently tannic and extremely long, leaving a suave lavender pastille note behind.Vinous Media | 94-95 VMAnother string release under this label, showing rich dark fruit and earthy notes with plenty of spice. Tarry notes as well. The palate has a very plush, ripe and rich feel with juicy, ripe dark berries and plums, really bathed in deep, long and smooth-honed tannins. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS

One of the greatest young wines I’ve ever tasted is the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Sanctus Sanctorum which is 100% old vine Grenache sourced from a single parcel in the La Crau lieu-dit. Lighter in color than both the Combes des Fous and Ex Machina, it offers a heavenly perfume of kirsch liqueur, crushed rocks, exotic spices, and graphite. This beauty hits the palate with an incredible display of opulent, decent fruit paired with an elegance and seamlessness that needs to be tasted to be believed. With building richness, no weight, ultra-fine tannins, and a finish that won’t quit, it’s released only in magnum, so it will take upward of a decade to hit maturity and will keep for 20+ years. Hats off to the Maurel family and their consultant Philippe Cambie!Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDBottled only in magnum, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum was made entirely from Grenache planted in 1905 and aged in new demi-muids, yet it has completely absorbed any trace of barrel. Incredibly intense and dramatic, it combines savory notes of licorice and dark roses with black cherries and dried spices. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, with a mind-bendingly long finish, it’s a tour de force that may prove to be perfection for some readers.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPDeep shimmering crimson. Powerful, expansive red berry liqueur, floral pastille, garrigue and Asian spice qualities on the hugely perfumed nose, along with building suggestions of incense and smoky minerals. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering intense Chambord, cherry pie, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors that deepen and expand steadily through the back half. Clings with superb tenacity on the gently tannic, mineral-tinged finish, which eventually leaves suave floral and exotic spice notes behind. Produced exclusively in magnums.Vinous Media | 97 VM

A well-constructed wine that is ripe with black fruits and integrated tannins, this is in a good place for aging. Black-currant fruitiness is balanced by a dry, smoky core that holds promise. Drink this wine from 2026. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WERich aromas of blackberries, dried currants, chocolate, walnuts and tile on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Polished and structured with a nice core of black fruit. Give it at least a couple of years of bottle age. Lovely balance to it. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 93 JSSome reduction on the first nose here. Really takes some time before the fruit starts to come out, showing nuanced layers of raspberry and chocolate, with a tiny touch of bitterness on the finish. There is clear power and depth here. Give it time in bottle. (Drink between 2026-2042)Decanter | 91 DEC

A gorgeous wine that shines on all account, the 2018 Château Fombrauge sports a dense purple hue to go with loads of blackcurrant and black cherry fruits as well as tobacco leaf, damp earth, chocolate, and cedary herbs. With full-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, silky tannins, and outstanding length, this rock star Saint-Emilion can be enjoyed any time over the coming 20-25 years or more. It’s hands down the finest vintage I’ve tasted from this estate.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDRipe-plum, black-cherry, milk-chocolate, walnut and vanilla aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied with plush, velvety tannins. Creamy and polished. Very tight now. From organically grown grapes. Try from 2023, when it will begin to open up.James Suckling | 94 JSDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Fombrauge needs some swirling to unlock notions of preserved plums, blackberry compote and Black Forest cake, with wafts of tree bark, tar and licorice in the background. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers impactful black fruits with a firm, grainy framed and soft acidity, finishing on a lingering aniseed note. Give it a good 2-3 years in bottle to spread its wings and drink it over the next 15+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RPA successful vintage for Fombrauge, showing good balance and rich texture. This will develop into a full-bodied, enjoyable wine majoring on berry fruit with a few more years in bottle, although there is a flash of heat through the finish. Michel Rolland is the consultant. There is Malbec in the vineyard here now, but not yet in this wine. Aged in 40% new oak. (Drink between 2024-2040)Decanter | 93 DECThe 2018 Fombrauge has an intense nose of black cherries, iodine and raspberry preserve, touches of tobacco following through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannins matched by a keen thread of alcohol. I appreciate the balance of this Fombrauge; it tones everything down on the finish when it could have been more bombastic. Less turned out to be more. Vinous Media | 92 VMDark plum and blackberry fruit glides through nicely, laced with sweet spice, black tea and alder hints through the suave finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2026. 24,000 cases made, 5,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 2018 Barolo Sperss is a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling. Then again, that’s one of the things that makes Barolo such a totally seductive wine. Sweet black cherry, lavender, spice and leather give this unusually translucent Barolo striking layers of dimension. Potent Serralunga tannins are present, but they are beautifully woven into the wine’s fabric. Sadly, production is around 11,000 bottles, down sharply from the 18,000 or so that is more typical.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGLots of rose-petal aromas here, together with some stems and sandalwood, as well plums and berries. Medium-bodied with a tight palate and very fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Linear and focused. Hints of nutmeg and pie crust highlight the palate. Approachable. now, but needs at last three or four years to open. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 95 JS

This structured and concentrated wine is spot on for the vintage. It’s very dense in color and aroma, saturated with ultra dark chocolate, graphite and blueberries on a firm texture of taut tannins that will need time to evolve. Aged in 85 to 90 percent new American oak barrels, the wine should be approachable by 2028 and best from 2033.James Suckling | 97 JSThe lovely ruby red colour is translucent, revealing a heady wine of blackberry, liquorice, vanillin, spicebush, and dried floral notes with savoury, toasty oak spices. This 2018 offers one of the more restrained and pretty bouquets of Silver Oak’s Napa Cabernet in my memory. Very elegant on the entry, revealing a medium-bodied red wine with lovely cranberry fruit, plums, and currants, with a real depth to those fruit qualities framed by sculpted tannins that affix themselves onto the palate before giving way and resolving. Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant with trace amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec. Aged in 85% new American Oak from The Oak Cooperage in Higbee, Missouri, the Duncans have owned it outright since 2015. The other 15% are second-use American oak barrels. They’ve been using the same cooperage for decades. The barrels imbue the Silver Oak wines with a classic vanillin quality, a nuance they always want to retain, even as they experiment with various toasts to produce smoother tannins in the toasting process.Decanter | 95 DEC

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill is straight-up off-the-charts and one of the true gems in the vintage. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as extraordinary notes of crème de cassis, white flowers, spice, tobacco, and classy oak, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, no hard edges, and just perfect integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity. I’d happily enjoy a bottle today, but smart money would give these a solid 4-5 years in the cellar and it should keep for 30-40 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDGorgeous dark-fruit aromas with blackcurrants, mushrooms, bark and flowers. Jasmine. Full-bodied with wonderfully fine tannins. Finishes so long and agile. Sort of cloud-like. Blackberry and dark chocolate at the end. Totally integrated tannins. You feel them, but you don’t see them. Unique experience tasting this. A classic in the making. Cabernet sauvignon with a touch of petit verdot and cabernet franc. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 100 JSColgin’s 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard is even a touch more herbal than the 2016, with almost resinous, pine-like scents joining redcurrants and cherries on the nose. It’s still harmonious, just different, boasting ample structure, a silky yet concentrated mouthfeel and a lingering finish lined with dusty tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill is seamless, elegant and supremely beautiful. There’s not a thing out of place. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark-fleshed fruit, with hints of chocolate, spice, leather and dried herbs that make an appearance with time in the glass. The Tychson Hill shows just how magical this vintage is.Vinous Media | 98 VMA beauty, with waves of cassis, distilled plum and warmed kirsch that glide through, carried by seemingly silky texture despite obvious tannic spine. The back end unfurls with notes of violet, incense, and red and black tea, with a subtle mineral edge, while the fruit holds the main focus. So much guile for a large-scaled wine. Best from 2022 through 2040. 600 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSOpaque red. The nose is reserved, with brooding aromas of plums, blackcurrants, and mint, and a dscreet oaky sheen. Sleek, spicy, and very concentrated, this doesn’t show any excessive alcohol, but there is something hollow and neutural about the palate at this stage, and the finish is long but distinctly oaky.Decanter | 92 DEC

While not submitted to my tasting (and it wasn’t presented from barrel last year), it would be hard to imagine there won’t be a Les Vieilles Fontaines cuvée. Don’t miss a chance to buy a bottle if you find one. Moving to the 2018 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes, this beauty is cut from the same cloth as the Les Chailles yet is deeper and richer, with another level of concentration. Black and blue fruits, ground pepper, violets, smoked game, and loads of spring flower notes define the bouquet, and it has a vibrant, almost old school vibe that carries plenty of power yet still stays light and elegant on the palate. This beautiful, singular wine is open and enjoyable today, yet I wouldn’t be surprised to see it close down with a year or two of bottle age. It should see its 20th birthday in fine form.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2018 Cornas Vieilles Vignes blends fruit from some of the top lieux-dits of the appellation: Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards and Chaillot. Aged 20 months in approximately 15% new oak, it’s a dark, inky-hued wine, but one that retains bright, fresh fruit notes of red raspberries and plums alongside hints of cedar and menthol. It’s full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with a firm, granitic structure and sense of restraint, fine-grained, almost silky tannins and tremendous length.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPOpaque ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet displays powerful aromas of black and blue fruit preserves, incense, peony and olive paste. Palate-staining blackberry, boysenberry, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors deepen steadily on the back half. Gains weight and sweetness with air, finishing with a jolt of smoky minerality, sneaky tannins and outstanding persistence.Vinous Media | 95 VMThyme and pine needles behind the blackberry and raspberry fruit. Has some depth and weight on the mid-palate, along with a dense lattice of ripe tannin. Acidity is well balanced, there’s a good sense of freshness and drive through the palate. Longer and deeper than most 2018 Cornas. Great saline beam through the wine holding up the very ripe fruit. Seductively drinkable now, but will age longer than most. Vines with an average age of 60 years on lieux-dits Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards et Chaillot. 20% whole bunch, fermented in stainless steel, matured for 18 months in barriques, 20% new.Decanter | 95 DECDark and winey, with lots of steeped black cherry, plum and blackberry fruit forming the core while light sweet tapenade, rosemary and mineral notes streak through on the finish. Vivid, energetic Cornas. Best from 2022 through 2036. 1,350 cases made, 128 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2018 La Ricolma is a wine of incredible finesse. To be sure, the 2018 doesn’t quite haver the explosive depth or intensity of either the 2015 or 2016, but it makes up for that with its persistence and nuance. Dark cherry jam, licorice, spice, menthol and sage all meld together effortlessly as the 2018 starts to open up with a bit of aeration. The 2018 spent 22 months in French oak, about 35% new.Vinous Media | 99 VMBlueberries and black olives with so many flowers, such as violets and honeysuckle. Licorice, too. This is full and very tight with lots of back-end tannins that build through the finish. A tight, muscular and curated young wine that lasts for minutes. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSThe San Giusto a Rentennano 2018 La Ricolma is an absolute stunner. This iconic expression of Merlot opens to rich and velvety concentration with lots of black intensity. Italians might call it "una bomba," or a veritable bomb of fruity bounty and beauty. The organic grapes are fermented in steel over 18 days and aged in French barrique for up to 22 months. This rather straightforward winemaking methodology results in profound fruit purity and persistence. The tannins are still tight and grippy, and this is a more controversial point that I discovered across many of the wines I tasted from 2018. You’ll need to give this wine more time to evolve and soften. Production is 5,994 bottles, 315 magnums and 33 double magnums.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThis is dense and sinewy, with dusty tannins embracing the black cherry, plum, earth and spice flavors, showing a contrast between the supple texture and firm structure. On the austere side now, with fine intensity and length. Drink now through 2030. 400 cases made, 70 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

...the 2018 Côte Rôtie Chateau D’Ampuis is nevertheless a remarkable Côte Rôtie that readers will love to have in the cellar. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue as well as awesome Côte Rôtie notes of smoked game, violets, acacia flowers, and both red and black fruits, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has polished, seamless tannins, and a layered, perfectly balanced mouthfeel. It shows the softer style of the vintage (especially compared to the more structured, tannic 2019) and already offers pleasure, but this will easily evolve for at least two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDGlass-staining violet color. Expansive black and blue fruit, licorice, incense and floral qualities on the powerfully scented nose. Smooth and expansive in style, offering palate-coating cherry-vanilla, cassis and blueberry flavors that take on smoky mineral, candied violet and exotic spice accents as the wine opens up. Finishes extremely long, sappy and appealingly sweet, with steadily building tannins and resonating blue fruit, spice and floral notes. Aged for 38 months in new oak barrels.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe very deep, smoky and spicy nose pulls you into this very concentrated, focused and elegant Cote-Rotie, with delicate notes of coconut and pomegranate adding to the very complex picture. Very long, polished finish with delicate sweetness and underplayed power. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSSmoky, briary and complex, the 2018 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis spent 38 months in new oak, yet it still exudes notes of blackberries and blueberries, testament to the wine’s ample concentration. It’s full-bodied and rich yet silky and long, with hints of mocha and brown sugar appearing on the finish. It’s another beautiful vintage of this cuvée, which combines fruit from seven different parcels (three on the Cote Blonde and four on the Cote Brune).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThis dense, brooding red is packed with smoked meat, boysenberry, dried fig, black tea and charred cedar. Well-built and concentrated, this has formidable tannins that carry the smoky, bacony, savory finish. A complex red still approaching its prime. Drink now through 2030. 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Exquisitely fine tannins to the currant, lead-pencil and chocolate character. The palate is full, yet very refined and linear with a long, lingering finish. Such polish and tension. The tannins are intense, yet so fine, giving almost a powdery texture. So Lafite-like. Best Carruades ever? 56% cabernet sauvignon and 38% merlot, the rest cabernet franc. Drink after 2026.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2018 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheery scents of redcurrant jelly, blackcurrant pastilles and Morello cherries with hints of candied violets, pencil shavings, menthol and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied and elegantly styled, with layers of crunchy red and black fruits, it has a beautifully ripe, fine-grained texture and loads of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPSeductive, with mulled plum and black cherry fruit that is infused with dark tea, singed cedar and bay notes. Iron note nicely imbedded through the finish, which has a subtle tug of earth. Very restrained in feel, but with some seriously sneaky length. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WSWhile a lot of estates’ second wines can have a distinctly different style than their Grand Vins, that’s not the case with Lafite. Their 2018 Carraudes De Lafite has a beautiful Lafite-like elegance and sense of nuance that’s always present in the Grand Vin. Based on 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, its ruby/purple-tinged hue is followed by a beautiful nose of cassis, lead pencil, black cherries, tobacco leaf, and forest floor. With medium to full-bodied richness, it has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe yet present tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. This juicy, textured, balanced 2018 can be drunk today or cellared for 15-20 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThis is a ripe, juicy wine that’s rich and generous in texture, with light touches of spice and fine tannins. It has both weight and freshness, giving a wine that is elegant and ripe.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2018 Carruades de Lafite is delicate, sensual and elegant, with a striking interplay of finesse and power. A wine of total allure and translucence, the 2018 Carruades is so silky, so finessed, so classy. Sweet red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and spice are all finely knit in a Pauillac of tremendous class. Harvest started on September 17 and wrapped up on October 5 for the Cabernets.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGAn understated and enjoyable Carruades, which has that sense of Lafite effortlessness, with a mouthwatering finish. Dark spice and great balance, where you see the beginnings of acidity, tannin and fruits but you don’t see their end as they meld into each other. Savoury Cabernet fruits abound. This is hugely elegant, with smoky notes that come out more obviously as the wine opens up. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.Decanter | 93 DEC

Love the floral character to the aromas of dark fruit, such as blueberries and black cherries. Red and black licorice, too. The full-bodied palate starts slowly and then expands with super polished, searing tannins that lead you up the palate into a place of grandeur. Lightly chewy at the end. Such great purity and presence here. 6% cabernet sauvignon in the blend with franc and merlot. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2018 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a 3.75 pH and 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs considerable swirling and air to releases fragrant notes of stewed plums, juicy black cherries and ripe blackberries with underlying suggestions of damp soil, black truffles, rose oil and cardamom with wafts of underbrush and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely packed with rich black fruits and loads of earthy accents, framed by super firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness to balance, finishing with amazing length and a beautiful array of floral and mineral sparks. Thirty-three plots contributed to this wine, out of the forty-three in production. Of the rest, five went into Petit Cheval and five into bulk. It will need a good 6-7 years at least to really start to strut its stuff and should cellar for a further 30 years or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThe 2018 Cheval Blanc is magnificent. In a vintage in which so many wines are opulent and dense, Cheval Blanc maintains striking translucence while conveying the natural radiance of the year. Silky, perfumed and exceptionally vivid, the 2018 pulses with energy from start to finish. Sage, mint, lavender and mocha all meld together on the sumptuous finish. Cabernet Franc, such a Cheval signature, has probably never been so ripe. In a word: dazzling.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AGShowing beautifully from barrel and now from bottle, the 2018 Château Cheval Blanc is a final blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a pure, classic Cheval Blanc in that it relies more on complexity and elegance than power, offering a beautiful perfume of red and blackcurrants, spring flowers, spice, forest floor, incense, and tobacco. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Cheval Blanc offering wonderful purity of fruit, a seamless, layered texture, incredible tannins, and a lengthy, focused finish. It shows less of the sunny style of the vintage now than it did from barrel, and it’s a wonderfully complete wine that delivers awesome freshness in its aromatics, plenty of ripe, sweet fruit, and the tannins and structure that seem to come from a long, cooler season. Reminding me slightly of the 2016, with a touch of the 2001, give this gorgeous wine 5-7 years of bottle age, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe first thing that strikes about this wine is its massive density. The second is the richness of the structured Cabernet Franc that is such an important element in the blend. Weight is balanced by the intense fruits and amazing freshness of a wine that has such concentration. This wine will age for years. Don’t touch it before 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThis has the vintage’s profile, with a sleek and slightly austere frame holding a core of cassis, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes tightly together while flashes of bay, dried anise and savory add range and detail. Has a late tug of warm earth along with a very perfumy echo through the finish. A beauty. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,208 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLovely ripeness on the nose, full of dense Morello cherries and milk chocolate notes, this feels round and just very complete. It has a density on the palate immediately, voluminous with chalky, gentle gripping tannins, almost chewy on the second taste, that fill the mouth. Generous and expansive. Voluptuous fruit with a capitvating and satisfying texture, it’s really the mouthfeel that’s in focus, big and wide - coating the mouth. Flavours are concentrated around blackcurrant and black cherry with some sweet strawberry and soft chalkiness as well as a touch of sweet liquorice too. Clear depth and power though still youthful and somewhat shy. An excellent Cheval. (Drink between 2028-2055)Decanter | 96 DEC

The 2018 La Conseillante is composed of 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc, with a 3.65 pH and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling and coaxing to lure out the youthfully shy, incredible perfume of black raspberries, boysenberries, ripe plums and cinnamon toast, leading to notions of lilacs, clove oil and forest floor, plus a waft of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is a jaw-dropping exercise in finesse, slowly unfurling in the mouth to reveal layer upon layer of bright, crunchy red and black fruits, supported by a rock-solid frame of firm, fine-grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and with an impressive mineral and exotic spice firework display. It’s an incredible expression of Pomerol that cannot fail to inspire a resounding "WOW" from whoever is fortunate to drink it. Tempting to broach now (albeit with a lot of air), try to keep your hands off it for a good 5 years and then drink it over the next 30 years or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2018 La Conseillante is a regal and utterly exquisite Pomerol from the very first taste. Technical Director Marielle Cazaux and her team turned out a jewel of a wine. Silky tannins and lifted, precise aromatics make a strong first impression. Inky dark fruit, pain grillé, lavender, spice, menthol and a kiss of new French oak all flesh out over time. More than anything else, what comes through is the new emphasis at La Conseillante on freshness and verve. The 2018 is a Pomerol of tremendous precision. It is, in a word: dynamite!Antonio Galloni | 98 AGA beautiful expression of this terroir, which always seems to yield a more elegant, complex style of wine, the 2018 Château La Conseillante is based on 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Franc that saw 70% new French oak. A brilliant perfume of blueberries, currants, spring flowers, violets, and graphite gives way to a medium to full-bodied Pomerol with flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. It closes down rather quickly with time in the glass (I followed the bottle for multiple days), and it isn’t for the instant gratification crowd, but it’s unquestionably a gorgeous Pomerol. Give bottles a solid 8-10 years of bottle age, and it’s going to evolve for 25-30 years in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDA dense, layered Pomerol with lots of chocolate, walnut, and plum character. Some coffee undertones. It’s full-bodied with chewy, polished tannins and a structured, muscular finish. Solid. Elegance with power. 2018. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is beautiful and powers through the palate showing depth and concentration to the brambled fruit. It has an excellent mid palate, the truffle of Pomerol comes through at this young stage in a way that was not evident in the 2015 even, but here has a lovely seductive kick. Spicy vanilla bean and black pepper alongside touches of cinnamon, this is very good quality. A yield of 32hl/ha. 70% new oak, 3% in amphora for the first time. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DECThe elegant structure that backs up this wine is impressive in its restraint. While the wine has plenty of black fruits and dark tannins, it conveys a calm character that sees long-term aging as its goal.The wine will take its time. Drink from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WENicely packed, with a mix of dark plum and black currant preserve flavors wrapped with licorice root and warm earth notes. Tobacco and bay fill in on the finish, adding energy and cut. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2034. 3,299 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS