Wine Ratings

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First made in 1971, this legendary Italian wine now celebrates its 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, Tignanello! The Marchesi Antinori 2021 Tignanello (made with 79% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc) pulls on all the heartstrings. To be released in May, the wine shows a quintessentially pretty taste profile with tart fruit flavors, redcurrant, tea leaf, heritage rose, crushed white pepper, licorice, nutmeg, clove and chopped mint. It opens slowly to reveal more richness and exuberance with time, becoming downright voluptuous and heady a short while later. The through line, however, remains the bright freshness and minerality of Sangiovese. Compared to the 2018 vintage (which I also loved), this vintage has more overall fruit weight and volume.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2021 Tignanello is every bit as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel and then just after bottling. Silky and polished, with exceptional finesse, the 2021 has all the pedigree to become a modern benchmark for Tignanello and Italian wine more broadly. Bright dark red fruit, blood orange, spice, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco all soar out of the gals, framed by a discreet touch of French oak that adds raciness. In some vintages, the elements are discernible. In 2021, it is the total harmony of the wine that makes the strongest and deepest impression. The 2021 spent 17 months in wood, three months in neutral oak during the malolactic fermentation and then 14 months (50% new) for the rest of its aging. Superb.Vinous Media | 98 VMLaced with pure cherry, strawberry, graphite and tobacco aromas and flavors, this red is beautifully supported by a backbone of vibrant acidity and taut, refined tannins. Everything is framed by vanilla and toasty oak in the best sense, revealing harmony, with a long, orange-tinged finish and, yes, even drinkability at this stage. Best to give this a few more years in the bottle. Best from 2027 through 2045. 11,083 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe currants and spices are very pretty, with some hazelnut undertones. Medium- to full-bodied with juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Very structured for a Tignanello, with medium chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Very polished and curated with a deft winemaking hand coming through. Needs three or four years to soften, but it’s all there.James Suckling | 96 JSTignanello is a southwest-facing 57-hectare vineyard on lime-rich soils in San Casciano Val di Pesa. The blend – predominantly Sangiovese with dashes of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc – has remained the same since 1982. Individually vinified in conical vats, with malo in oak barriques, the wines then age in mostly new French oak barrels plus a small percentage of Hungarian oak barrels, for few months before blending and further ageing; around 15 months in total. Ripe red and black berries and a herbal waft rise from the glass. Intense, grainy and vertical, it has impressive freshness of both acidity and dark fruits, with streaks of coffee and sous bois, and a sprinkling of peppery spice and dried herbs. The sapidity on the mid-palate combines with a soft, creamy chocolate and black fruit finish to create a deliciously approachable and gastronomic wine that will, of course, repay further ageing.Decanter | 95 DEC

Super-restrained nose here with candied lemon and lemon bush, tuberose, peach kernel and integrated toastiness. Full body with amazing weight and concentration, yet with vibrant, lemony flavor, zesty and integrated acidity and a warming but balanced finish. Drinkable now, but with aging potential of more than 10 years.James Suckling | 97 JSFor the first time, Ornellaia Bianco becomes a Bolgheri DOC wine in the 2021 vintage. It’s again 100% Sauvignon Blanc, vinfied in a mixture of 300L and 500L amphorae, barriques and tonneaux, with only 25% new wood. Perfumed, exotic, stony and honeyed, it’s nonetheless a vertical and focussed wine, its structure constraining rich aromas and flavours of mango, peach, white flowers, orange peel, papaya and passion fruit. It does feel like it’s being held back, with a touch of austerity and that stony, mineral authority that makes it a necessity to drink with food. ‘It has much more vibrancy than in the past...a better defined character than when the project began,’ notes Marco Balsimelli.Decanter | 96 DECPreviously a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, the Ornellaia 2021 Ornellaia Bianco is now all Sauvignon Blanc. The estate recently planted Semillon, so it is possible that we will one day see that grape in the blend (especially because it is known to thrive in hot vintages). This wine plays its best cards in terms of texture. It sports broad shoulders and enough texture to support those many creamy citrus and delicately tropical flavors. A dusting of crushed stone adds elegance. The wine should show its best results in five to 10 years from now.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2021 Ornellaia Bianco is alluring. I sense a bit more textural richness vis-à-vis prior editions, a positive in my book. White pear, jasmine, sage, mint, white pepper, peach and apricot fill out the layers. Light tropical accents appear with some aeration, adding a tropical flair that is quite attractive. This is impeccably done.Vinous Media | 95 VMVerging on creamy in texture, this silky white features floral, peach, sage and mint flavors, with a flash of grapefruit pith. Complex, balanced and long, with a salty component on the persistent aftertaste. Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now through 2030. 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

A standout vintage for one of California’s most collectible cabernet sauvignons. The color is black throughout, but with a dark garnet rim. Gorgeous aromatics of spearmint, pencil shavings, toasted oak and dark plums, before a silky, fresh but firm texture takes over the palate and dusky blackcurrant, tobacco-leaf, rose-petal and cedar notes emerge and linger. Full-bodied and saturated with rounded, well-integrated tannins that emerge on the lingering finish and keep melting in the glass. It will drink best from 2028.James Suckling | 98 JSSet to be bottled in January 2024, the 2021 Insignia looks to be another huge success. A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, with 2% each Cabernet Franc and Malbec, all matured in 100% new French oak, winemaker Ashley Hepworth said she thought production would be about 18,000 cases. Waves of cherries, cassis and dark chocolate mark the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, concentrated, rich, velvety, plush, layered and long. The dusty tannins suggest ample structure, yet the wine is plush enough to be almost approachable. It’s a truly complete, delicious, seductive wine, yet naysayers may criticize it for lacking a certain amount of individuality or soul.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPNot yet bottled, the 2021 Insignia has a pure, concentrated, medium to full-bodied style that shows the vintage beautifully. Cassis, blue fruits, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and floral notes all define the bouquet, and it has beautiful tannins, a great mid-palate, and outstanding length.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2021 Joseph Phelps Insignia is well-endowed with structured, soaring tannins balanced by tension and pure fruit character. A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc, aged 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels, it shows a luminescent medium ruby colour in the glass. Rich huckleberry fruit is laced with tobacco, sage, pepperonata, and toasty cedarwood notes. Medium- to full-bodied and more expressive on the palate with pure red fruit character, layered with earth and wet river stone minerality, finishing with a hint of salted dark chocolate. The tannins build on the palate, becoming more assertive, and though they are well-integrated, this is such a youthful wine with great energy, power and tension, and is best enjoyed after 2025.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2021 Insignia is still in barrel, but it is immensely promising. Bright acids and beams of tannin confer freshness. This is a mid-weight vintage of Insignia that is built more on finesse than power. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice and new leather linger.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMSinged alder and sweet tobacco lead off, backed by waves of lush warmed cassis and plum reduction. Chestnut and warm earth notes help drive the finish. Burly and muscular now, but the core of fruit shows inner purity. This will need some time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2041. 16,600 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Possibly the finest rendition of this cuvée to date, the 2021 CVR Columbia Valley Red Wine is exceptional, and while a second wine, it’s up with the top-tier wines in the vintage. Ripe cassis, spicy oak, dried tobacco, and flowery incense notes all define the aromatics, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a plush, layered, elegant mouthfeel, and a gorgeous finish. It’s one of those do-not-miss wines. Drink bottles over the coming 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis blend from the winery’s three different estate vineyards is 89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. Beautiful fruit flavors are vibrant, ripe and delicious, with blue, red and black fruit shining through moderate tannins and backed by fresh acidity. Milk chocolate, cinnamon and hints of cedar. Best from 2027.James Suckling | 96 JSA blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 CVR Columbia Valley Red Wine showcases a bright profile of just-ripe, juicy red fruit that bursts with freshness, revealing layers of complexity. Flavors of dark cherry, plum reduction and a dusty blackberry essence rush over the palate of this medium to full-bodied wine with a ripe attack, succulent, melting tannins and a well-balanced structure. Concluding with a long, lingering and food-friendly finish, this impressive blend is perhaps the best CVR to date. The wine aged 20 months in 100% French oak. 58,680 bottles were produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2021 Red Wine CVR Columbia Valley is wonderfully spicy and bright, lighting up the senses with a burst of sweet spice and cherries, complemented by violet pastille and hints of lavender. This is seamlessly silky with a measured inner sweetness. It casts crisp wild berry fruit across the palate as a coating of dusty tannins forms, adding a more tactile feel. It finishes long, with a staining of cocoa and blueberry preserves, leaving the palate nicely refreshed. This seductive and sun-kissed rendition of CVR aims to please.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Dusty and floral, the 2021 Red Wine Estate slowly opens in the glass with a mix of wild berries and dried violets elevated by hints of camphor and white smoke. This is silken in feel, with depths of ripe blackberry and contrasting tart raspberry adding tension as crystalline tannins form a youthful nerve toward the close. The 2021 excels through the finish, dramatically long and staining. It leaves notes of salted licorice and a liquid floral concentration that lingers on and on. This is a youthfully intense and brooding vintage for the FIGGINS Estate Red, yet it has all the balance for a long and fruitful evolution. This site has quickly emerged as one of the Grand Crus of Washington State.Vinous Media | 98 VMMouthwatering and delicious. A profusion of red and black fruit is supported by good acidity and moderate tannins in this deceptively concentrated, well-modulated blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petit verdot. Drinkable now; best from 2028.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2021 Estate Red Wine from the Figgins Estate vineyard is a big, generous and inky blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. With 14.5% alcohol, this wine impresses with a complex and layered profile, offering juicy plum and blackberry jus, accompanied by oak essences and brown baking spices. It’s full-bodied, indulgent and juicy, showcasing succulent dark cherries and black raspberries with elegance and grace. The long-lingering finish makes it food friendly, and it has me craving flame-kissed steaks and chops. This red blend is set for release in the summer of 2024. Mark your calendar because this will be an instant success upon release and will further reward those who cellar this beauty. Decanting is recommended. Bravo! The wine aged for 22 months in almost 60% new French oak. Nearly 19,000 bottles produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2021 Estate Red Wine from Figgins checks in as a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot (they don’t specify the percentages) that was aged in 57% new French oak, with the balance in once-used barrels. Its deep purple hue is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and spicy, classy oak. Rich, medium to full-bodied, focused, and structured on the palate, it shines for its remarkable purity as well as overall balance. It should benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar and have 20-25 years of overall longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 96+ JDBroad of shoulder yet richly structured, with deep flavors of blackberry and blueberry highlighted by tobacco and black olive tones as this builds density and polish toward medium-grained tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2033. 1,581 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot blend from the Figgins estate vineyard in the Northeastern part of the Walla Valley. Aromatically classy with currant and dusty raspberries. The palate shows ample tannin, with black liquorice and graphite minerality: savoury herbs and dried mint.Decanter Magazine | 93 DEC

With a pretty, pale pink color and sweetly scented nose, the 2021 Rosa Dolce & Gabbana makes a lovely first impression. Ripe melon, Asian pear, mint and nuances of white smoke create an inviting bouquet. It’s round and elegant in feel, engulfing the palate in mineral-tinged orchard fruits and hints of chamomile. A salty flourish emerges through the finale, as notes of sour citrus and inner wet stone slowly fade. This is a total pleasure to taste. The Rosa Dolce & Gabbana is a blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nocera. Vinous Media | 91 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

Lovely strawberry, peach-skin and cherry-pip aromas with a similar echoing of fruit on the palate, in a fresh and generous mode. Fruity, flattering and well made. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

The white 2021 Cargol Treu Vi has notes of pollen and yellow fruit with some browning apples. It has contained ripeness and 12.4% alcohol with a very low pH and high-ish acidity but comes through as more evolved and somewhat riper than the phenomenal Principia Mathematica form this same vintage. It has pungent flavors and a medium-bodied palate, with some spice from aging in 300-liter barrels for 10 to 11 months. 2,100 bottles were filled in August 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

The bread-and-butter wine here is the 2021 Bela, produced with Tempranillo from the village of Villalba de Duero (mentioned on the label), from sandy and clay rich soils on limestone mother rock that delivers powerful but not overripe wines with a short-ish élevage to achieve a fine-boned and fresh wine. The grapes were picked between October 1st and 25th, mostly Tempranillo but some 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot too, and it matured in French oak barrels for nine months. The wine has 14.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.57 and close to five grams of acidity, textbook parameters from the zone and textbook profile of classical Ribera; it’s ripe without excess, with very integrated oak and a velvety palate with silky tannins. It reminds me of the historical wines from the early 1990s, Valribeño and so on, with some rusticity but very honest and characterful. With time in the glass, it develops a precise note of licorice intermixed with berry fruit and some spices and herbs. They feel this is the wine they wanted to produce from the beginning; they consider it their best vintage to date irrespective of the style of the year, with 2019 more powerful, 2020 more elegant and this 2021 something in between. 85,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

The 2021 Red Wine California is a new Bordeaux-based red wine that Duncan Arnot and Nathan Roberts made initially to take the place of the 2020 Cabernets that would have been released around this time but were compromised by smoke. The Red Wine was initially intended to be a fun project, but Arnot and Roberts may have stumbled into what is really a pretty serious red with real potential. The 2021 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon (Massa, Bedrock and Gordenker), 20% Cabernet Franc (Persia) and 20% Merlot (Massa). A powerful, old-school wine, the 2021 is going to need a few years to shed some tannin. I loved it.Vinous Media | 95+ VM

I loved the 2021 Lirac Blanc, one of those whites that truly over-delivers. Beautiful notes of pear, white flowers, citrus, and some salty, mineral-like nuances define this beauty, and it’s medium-bodied, with terrific balance, integrated acidity, and a great, great finish. Bravo. Drink this over the coming 2-4 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThere’s a touch of oak on the nose and palate that helps to frame the tangy citrus notes, and lends a touch of spice, but it’s far from overwhelming. Full-bodied, classically Lirac in its breadth on the palate. Ends on a nip of grapefruit bitterness. Good acidity. Also contains Marsanne, Viognier and Piquepoul.Decanter | 92 DECBrimming with stone-fruit aromas with a touch of mango, this is a rich but very clean and crisp dry white from the Southern Rhone. Good concentration and a touch of positive tannin help it carry the generous body and 14.5% alcohol. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

Blackcurrants and black cherries with lovely flowers on the nose. Medium-bodied with ultra fine tannins that give focus and tension to the wine. Pretty and poised. A little shy now. From organically grown grapes. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 98 JS

The 2021 EE Red Wine is ripe and powerful, with smoky red and black fruits as well as lots of background oak, graphite, espresso, and dark chocolate-like aromas and flavors that develop beautifully with time in the glass. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has plenty of background oak, the building tannins of the vintage, and a great finish. A gorgeous wine, it will benefit from 3-4 years in the cellar and evolve for 25-30 years in cold cellars. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDA blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Proprietary Red EE Tench Vineyard offers up a wonderful range of dark fruit—black cherries, cassis and blackberries—couched in hints of dark chocolate. Like almost all the Bevan wines, it’s full-bodied, richly concentrated and velvety in texture. This one finishes long, with a mocha and cocoa-stained finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2021 Red Blend EE is one of the more overt wines in the range. Super-ripe red cherry, blackberry, chocolate, spice, gravel and licorice are all amplified in this heady, exotic Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend. The 2021 is a powerhouse.Vinous Media | 93-96 VM

Lastly, the 2021 The Bard checks in as 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah. This beauty has a killer bouquet of cassis, spring flowers, graphite, chalky minerality, and violets. This carries to a full-bodied, seamless, silky, flawlessly balanced effort revealing fine tannins, a good sense of freshness, and a thrilling finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDAfter sampling 86 wines over a two-day marathon tasting with Realm Cellars co-owners Scott Becker and winemaker Benoit Touquette, I had no doubt that one would make my top 10 list of the year. It would be The Bard, which will be available beginning in 2024. It is a very giving wine that promises great rewards for long-term cellaring and is enjoyable three full nights in a row, never losing its zeal if having one great glass each night is your prerogative. Power and muscle frame the core of this towering red, with its red-toned fruits and rich, toasty oak spices nuanced by bay Laurel and pastis. Full-bodied with tremendous decadence of chocolaty tannins that are pliant and billowy, lifted by supple blackberry and black raspberry fruit, a drizzle of cherry coulis, and resolving with refined tobacco, cedar wood spices, and laced with coriander and cumin aromatics. It has a satisfyingly rich finish. Number five of my top 10 wines of 2023.Decanter | 97 DECThe purity of fruit here is impressive with blackcurrants, bark and black mushrooms. Full-bodied but light-footed and fresh with integrated tannins that melt into the wine. Real transparency and focus. 83% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot, 6% cabernet franc, 3% petit verdot and 1% petite sirah. So drinkable but can age as well.James Suckling | 97 JSA blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% Petite Sirah, the fruit for the 2021 The Bard comes from sites across the valley, including some estate fruit and some sourced fruit. Deep garnet-purple colored, it shoots from the glass with vibrant notions of crushed black currants, red currant jelly, black raspberries, and pencil shavings, giving way to notes of lilacs, dark chocolate, and a waft of spearmint. The full-bodied palate is firm with ripe, fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone framing the tightly wound red, black, and blue fruit flavors, finishing with great length and a real skip in its step.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIThe 2021 The Bard is fabulous. Rich, ample and beautifully resonant, the 2021 offers up generous dark red cherry/plum fruit, mocha, new leather, licorice, spice, menthol and pipe tobacco. Full-bodied and voluptuous, the 2021 flaunts tons of flavor intensity and vibrancy. It’s a gorgeous wine, especially considering it is the largest-production wine at Realm.Vinous Media | 95 VM

The 2021 Sideral is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah, 9% Carménère, 4% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc from Cachapoal Andes. 90% of it was aged for 16 months in barrels, a fifth of them new. A vivid purple hue. The aromas feature crystal clear blackberry and blackcurrant notes, mulberry, herbs and black tea over a bed of oak. In the mouth, the flavors are intense and juicy with grippy tannins before the languorous, fruity finish. This year’s more reductive style, thanks to the cold vintage, lays down an excellent marker for the future.Vinous Media | 95 VMVery fresh and fruit-expressive nose with a floral note and some herbs. Blue and red fruit. Pure and even on the palate with a medium to full body, showing excellent poise and balance. Fine-grained, structured tannins aplenty. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSInspired by the night skies above Cachapoal Valley – in Latin sideralis means constellation – this is a nicely balanced blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carmenère, with dashes of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Lively, inviting aromas of spicy black berries and cherries. Vibrant red fruit attack gives way to a rich, concentrated palate with fine tannins, layered with plum, sour cherry, blackberries and dusty cassis notes on the finish. Will improve with age.Decanter | 93 DECThe nose displays notes of strawberry and vanilla cream. This blend is balanced and smooth on the palate, delivering a fair mix of red fruit and baking spices that linger through a delightful finish.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The 2021 Ventoux Terrasses Blanc is a gorgeous, clean, up-front, and delicious white that’s ideal for drinking over the coming summer months. Ripe lime, chalky mineral, mint, and some garrigue notes all define the nose, and it’s pure and clean on the palate, with wonderful fruit.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

The 2022 Rosé BY.Ott is such a complete wine. It’s just so elegantly put together. Orange oil, strawberry fruit, strawberry top (yes, the leafy part), ruby red grapefruit and fresh mint form an intoxicating bouquet as the 2022 puts on weight in the glass, especially in the mid-palate. Fresh, lively, juicy, salivating—all of these apply. A satisfying mineral bitterness tugs at the tongue as the wine exits the mouth, lingering with the subtlest hint of fruit sweetness. The finish is long and measured. Very well done. - Billy NorrisVinous Media | 92 VM

The 2022 Languedoc Les Darons brings more density and richness, with ripe black cherries, wild strawberry, ground pepper, and floral notes in a medium to full-bodied, pure, beautifully balanced package. The purity and balance here are top-notch. The blend is 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and the rest Carignan, from old vines, with the aging in concrete. This is going to be a smoking value.Jeb Dunnuck | 92-94 JDA well-made red from old grenache with notes of cherries, blueberries, stones and black pepper. Medium body with fine, firm tannins. Textured and balanced with a compact and juicy peppery finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JS

Made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tenuta San Guido 2022 Guidalberto gives you a good taste of the same DNA that brings us one of Italy’s greatest wines, Sassicaia, but it’s offered in a more immediate style here (thanks to the addition of the Merlot). This warm vintage opens to medium-dark concentration and very plump aromas that take you immediately to blackberry and blackcurrant sitting out in the sun at your local farmers market. The wine shows a soft and gentle side with a pretty level of elegance transmitted through the fruit freshness and the light oak spice that is discernible here but delivered with grace.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThis red is elegant, despite its firm structure and dense tannins. Black cherry, black currant, plum, tobacco, iron and rosemary flavors hold court, while all the components show balance. The finish is long, with a salty taste. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 94 WSLots of mint with sage and fresh rosemary to the currant and orange character on the nose, as well as some ripe raspberries. The palate is very refined with creamy and crunchy tannins that run the length of the wine. It shows a crunchy and energetic personality. Give it a year or two to come together, but it’s showing brightness for the vintage. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 94 JSA blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the 2022 Guidalberto has lovely aromas of ripe wild berry, Mediterranean herb and a whiff of brown exotic spice. It’s surprisingly vibrant for the scorching vintage, featuring black currant, juniper berry, star anise and dried mint set against fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Give it another year or two to fully develop. Drink 2025–2032. Abv: 13.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 94 KOGuidalberto used to be great value for money, and even though it’s a bit pricier these days, the quality has also improved dramatically in recent vintages as Tenuta San Guido seeks to remove the idea of Guidalberto as a ‘second wine’ by building a dedicated winemaking facility and adjusting the blend. The 2022 is loaded with herbal and sea breeze scents among bright, tangy berries. In the mouth it is saline and precise, with a succulence to the concentrated plum and black berry core, and a gracefulness to the tannic and acid structures which weave through it. Sapid and incredibly moreish, with a beautifully ripe red berry finish, this really does stand up on its own two feet.Decanter | 93 DEC

Massetino is considered the second wine of Masseto, but I’m beginning to come to the conclusion that it’s far more than that. It represents around one-third of the production of Masseto, and judging by the quality of this 2022, next year’s release of the grand vin could be absolutely phenomenal. Massetino has always incorporated a portion Cabernet Franc since its first vintage, 2017 – 10% in 2022. A cool and dry spring led to a slightly late budbreak, followed by 75 days of drought and high temperatures. Summer storms eventually came along to restore balance, and the cool September evenings were perfect for the grapes reach full ripeness. Each parcel was vinified separately and spontaneously in concrete tanks before undergoing malolactic fermentation in barriques, 50% new. After 12 months, the final blend was made and the wine spent a further three months in concrete before bottling. Bright and stony, there’s so much energy here. Zingy and sapid, it combines fresh Mediterranean herbs and poised fruit, with more verticality than Masseto 2021 and just as much concentration. Incredible precision and beautiful freshness, especially considering the vintage.Decanter | 97 DECThis is refined and fresh with hints of sandalwood to the beautiful blue fruits. It’s medium-bodied with creamy and polished tannins that frame the blue fruit and hints of crushed stone. Succulent and juicy with a crunchy personality. You want a sip right away. Second wine of the highest quality from Masseto. So drinkable and wonderful. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThis is opulent, with a lush texture enveloping black cherry, blackberry and plum flavors. Flashes of tar, iron and wild herbs add detail as this red builds to the long finish. Balanced and fresh, with sweet, lingering oak spice notes. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 160 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2022 Moonracer Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it shimmies out of the glass with energetic scents of red currant jelly, Morello cherries, mint tea, and rose oil, followed by suggestions of clove oil, cinnamon toast, and graphite. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers lightly chewy tannins and impressive freshness to frame the baking spice-laced red berry flavors, finishing with a minty lift.The Wine Independent | 96 TWIThe 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Moonracer is a pretty, open-knit wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring. Crushed flowers, red-toned fruit, mint, cinnamon and orange peel open nicely with a bit of time in the glass. Pretty floral overtones add freshness to this silky, mid-weight Cabernet Sauvignon.Vinous Media | 94 VM

There’s a purity and beauty to this that impresses you the minute you put your nose in the glass. So aromatic. Flowers, graphite, blackcurrants and hints of gunmetal. Medium- to full-bodied with tannins that coat your mouth but give a feeling of fine cashmere. The length and intensity is calm but rather endless. 45% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon,10% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. From organically grown grapes. Best after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSOreno has transformed from a wine based on 50% Sangiovese in 2008 to a wine which completely omits the Tuscan varietal in favour of an international blend. In 2022, the percentage of Petit Verdot tops out at 15% – around 5% more than normal – because the hot and dry vintage resulted in very good quality berries of the minor Bordeaux variety. Is it better than the 2021? Tasting both together, the 2021 is richer and sturdier, while 2022 is more immediately accessible: pure, ripe and intense, it displays vibrant red and black berries along with a streak of balsamic herbs and tangy pomegranate. It has wonderful verticality, with a soft and fleshy core and super-fresh edges, supported by sweet, grippy tannins and some creamy wood. Aged in light- and medium-toast barriques, I’m told the proportion of new oak is being reduced.Decanter | 95 DECMade with 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, all organically farmed, the 2022 Oreno is a lovely red that boasts structure and finesse. It opens with enticing scents recalling red currant, lavender, eucalyptus and dark exotic spice. Elegantly structured and savory, the full-bodied palate delivers raspberry jam, cocoa, licorice and tobacco lifted by a note recalling spiced orange peel. Taut, fine-grained tannins provide seamless support. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 95 KOThe 2022 Oreno has come together nicely since I last tasted it a few months ago. Floral and medium in body, the 2022 comes across as somewhat restrained in feel, although the racy, ripe style of the year is evident in its red-toned fruit profile. Pomegranate, cinnamon and a kick of blood orange develop in the glass, adding freshness and dynamic energy.Vinous Media | 92 VMLush and fruity, offering a core of cherry, black currant and blackberry flavors shaded by spice and graphite accents. A firm version, with medium density and a long, fresh finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030. 1,500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Plenty of red currant, cedar, iron and terra cotta aromas follow through to a medium to full body with graphite, sandalwood, red currants and fresh Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary. The tannins are chewy but polished in texture. This is a Sassicaia that needs three or four years of bottle age to come together and soften. A structured wine for the cellar. Try after 2029.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2022 Sassicaia is simply brilliant in this vintage, showing a remarkable level of poise and freshness. It opens with a captivating bouquet of ripe blackberries, plum, florals and subtle herbs, underscored by a touch of spice, tobacco and minerals. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied and well-structured, with velvety tannins and a lively acidity that provides perfect balance. Rich flavors of red/dark fruits, tobacco and spices unfold beautifully, leading to a long, persistent finish that is both refined and elegant. A stunning example of Sassicaia’s pedigree and resilience to thrive year after year.International Wine Report | 98 IWRThe Tenuta San Guido 2022 Bolgheri Sassicaia reveals a beautiful fruit profile with fresh blackberry, tart cherry and Mediterranean tones of blue rosemary blooms and lavender sachet. I tasted this wine several times over the course of a few months, and it has already shown a happy evolution coming into slow focus like the faint colors that emerge from a Polaroid photograph. Indeed, the bouquet appeared more closed just a short while ago. The wine’s strongest suit is its elegantly streamlined mouthfeel and its contained 13.5% alcohol content. These qualities add to the silky cleanness of the mouthfeel and the accessible freshness of this vintage. I am confident that this bottle will improve with time. It requires patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe wine is tightly coiled and concentrated. It feels almost cinched at the waist, with a fascinating tension between the weight of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry coulis fruit and the wine’s verticality, as if it’s trying to burst out. Lovely mid-palate sapidity is allied to fresh acidity and fine but dense tannins, making for a dark horse of a Sassicaia that isn’t giving much away today but will greatly reward those who can cellar it for 12 years and more. ‘What is sure is that 2022 will need a lot of time, but will also have a long life,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta. A hot vintage, 2022 caused the team to work in the newly completed refrigerated warehouses in San Guido, even moving the sorting table inside. Shorter macerations and 23 rather than the more typical 24 or 25 months of ageing in wood helped to maximise the freshness.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECOpening with aromas of menthol, dark spice, blue flower and dark-skinned berry, the 2022 Sassicaia is impressive and defied my expectations. Hailing from what was a notoriously hot, dry year, the estate’s location, including its hillside vineyards, vicinity to the woods plus much-needed rain in August preserved freshness and aromas as did harvesting somewhat earlier than usual, shorter skin maceration and slightly less time in oak. Showing elegant restraint, it’s balanced and tense, delivering flavors of ripe blackberry, wild cherry, licorice and mint. It’s still quite tight and youthfully austere, with a backbone of firm, refined tannins and fresh acidity. Give it time to fully unwind. Drink 2030–2042. Abv: 13.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 97 KOThe 2022 Sassicaia is a very pretty, expressive wine. There’s a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon (and less Franc) in this year’s blend, and that really comes through in the wine’s flavor profile and slightly bruising tannins. Dark cherry, plum, leather, licorice, graphite and incense give the 2022 striking aromatic presence to match its rather brooding personality. There’s a bit of tension in the tannins that needs time to resolve. Yields were down about 20% because of intensely cold weather in spring, variable conditions during flowering and set, and then searing heat and drought throughout the summer.Vinous Media | 94+ VM

The 2022 Baron de Brane Blanc is a tasty dry white to drink now and over the next few years. Strong varietal Sauvignon Blanc notes are front and center. Citrus peel, crushed rocks, sage, mint, slate and tomato leaf are all very nicely delineated.Vinous Media | 90 VM