Wine Ratings

wines

The 2023 Pinot Noir Pisoni Estate comes from some of Pisoni Vineyard’s oldest vines, located at 1400 feet of elevation and planted on granite-based soils. Medium ruby-purple colored, it needs a little swirling to unlock evocative scents of ripe raspberries, kirsch, and mulberries, followed by hints of anise, wild thyme, and underbrush, plus a touch of iris bulbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black and red berry layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Gorgeous!Drinking Window 2025 – 2035The Wine Palate | 98 TWPBrilliant and worthy of comparison to top Pinot Noirs and Burgundies, the 2023 Pinot Noir offers a gorgeous array of red and black fruits intermixed with forest floor, dried flowers, baking spices, and leather. This medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir reveals a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, integrated acidity, and a great finish. Made with 30% whole clusters and fermented in oak tanks before 11 months in 65% new French oak, it shows the softer, supple, incredibly charming style of the vintage and will drink beautifully over the coming 10-12 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis always attention-grabbing bottling shows a slightly lighter shade this vintage, which sets up a very cellar-worthy experience. Juicy aromas of cherry sorbet topped with tarragon leaf make for a super inviting nose. The texturally firm palate picks up strawberry, mint and loam-caked mushroom, pairing fruit and earth expertly. Drink now-2043.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2023 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée is a beautiful, super-finessed wine. This year marks the first inclusion of fruit from the newest vineyard in the Pisoni/Franscioni portfolio—WindRock—which joins the typical lineup of Pisoni, Garys’ and Soberanes. The 2023 is a model of elegance. Floral-inflected notes of blood orange, lavender and sweet spices build in a broad yet focused, supple, velvety Pinot Noir. The finish lasts long beyond each sip. Everything here speaks to refinement, polish and poise.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Aromas of blueberries, ash and stones with hints of blackberries, orange peel and chocolate. It’s medium-bodied with medium-round tannins that are polished and velvety but always in check. Cedar and baking spices like nutmeg on the palate. Lovely soft and silky texture with a long finish. Enchanting and delicious. 92% cabernet sauvginon, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2023 Napanook is deep, bold and luscious right out of the gate. Black cherry, lavender, dried herbs and graphite fill out its mid-weight frame quite nicely. I expect the 2023 will drink well with minimal cellaring, as it is already quite open and doesn’t quite have the tannic palate presence of more important years.Vinous Media | 93 VMDeep purple-hued and the second wine of this reference point domaine, the 2023 Napanook offers classic currants, leafy tobacco, graphite, and underbrush notes in a medium-bodied, very pretty, pure, elegant, and graceful style. Based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot and aged 20 months in 20% new French oak, it has ripe and polished tannins, perfectly integrated acidity, and a great finish. This classic, classy Cabernet will keep for 10-15 years. Drink 2025-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

Named after the owner’s first daughter, the 2023 Chardonnay Paige Cuvée is absolutely stunning and shows the incredible quality this site can achieve. Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged 16 months in 45% new French oak, it offers ripe orchard fruits, orange zest, mint, and white flowers in its incredibly impressive, complex, nuanced profile. It’s medium-bodied, with a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, integrated oak, and a salty finish. This is magical stuff that should evolve beautifully over the coming decade. Drink 2025-2035.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDLarry and MaryAnn Moone began producing this wine in 2015. The site is defined by its fabulous Goldridge soils and excellent drainage. The fruit is whole-cluster pressed, cold settled, and fermented and aged in Burgundy-style French oak barrels for roughly 16 months, with 45% new French oak and extended ageing sur lie. No malolactic fermentation is carried out. The wine is wonderfully expressive and focused, driven by a saline acid tension and a mineral profile of white pepper and white ash. Loads of citrus fruit and zest unfurl alongside lemon curd, with subtle tropical notes of underripe pineapple and white peach, framed by delicate white-floral tones. The finish is long, juicy and vibrantly expressive.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2023 Chardonnay Paige Cuvée Ritchie Vineyard is rich, ample and effusive. Tropical fruit, apricot, white flowers and tangerine peel give the 2023 its decidedly exotic feel. Although quite rich in its flavor profile, the 2023 is relatively light on its feet texturally. This fruit was picked on October 4. Stylistically, it’s a pretty rich Chardonnay. Time in the glass tempers some of that richness as the acids emerge.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc includes the addition of 20% Sémillon and was raised in a combination of French oak and a small portion of cement. Pouring a brilliant silver/straw hue, it takes on a distinctly Bordeaux Blanc-styled profile on the nose, with crystalline aromas of lemon candies, spices, tropical flowers, and fresh grapefruit. Medium-bodied, with a luxurious, rounded feel, it reveals a lot of refinement on the palate, offering a silky texture and a weightless, mouthwatering finish. It’s only going to improve if given the chance, but it’s delicious now. Drink 2025-2035.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDFor the 2023 Aperture Sauvignon Blanc, winemaker Jesse Katz pulled out all of the stops. This white was sourced from all estate fruit from some of Aperture’s coolest sites, including the use of d’Yquem clones and the addition of 20% Semillon from the Dry Stack vineyard (the highest proportion since the first vintage of their Sauvignon in 2016). While a small portion was fermented in cement, this 2023 mainly was barrel-fermented, including using Haut-Brion barrels with Acacia wood toasted heads. All of this has gone into crafting a lively and complex white. Super bright aromatics lead with melon, pear, green apple, white pepper, honeycomb, and white flowers. The palate has a medium-bodied feel with a fantastic display of saline-scented orchard, stone fruits, and green papaya. Crisp, laser-focused acidity, with an intense back-midpalate pop of juicy citrus like an exploding cumquat, fuels the long, extended finish of wild herbs, acacia wood, salted almonds, and a dash of white pepper.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECThe wine opens with white flowers, Meyer lemon, rocky minerality and spice on the nose. The palate is broad, rich and long, with plenty of tension between the citrus-laden acidity and the plush texture lent by a little bit of Sémillon and barrel aging. This is among the best Sauvignon Blancs out there. Period. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is blended with 20% Sémillon and was matured for six months in 30% new French oak. It has alluring aromas of white peach, green guava, beeswax, tarragon and flint. It floods the mouth with pure, layered flavors delivered in a satiny texture. It’s balanced by electric acidity and has a long, perfumed finish. Treat it like a Bordeaux Blanc and allow it to gain savory complexity in bottle over the next 5-8 years. 5,810 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA spicy, barrel-fermented white that combines fresh citrus and vivid herbal flavors on a smooth texture and rather light body. Includes about 20% semillon for extra breadth and richness. Grapefruit, lemon zest, light baking spices, fresh herbs and minerals. Made from only estate fruit. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSDistinctive and aromatic, this shows notes of grilled Meyer lemon, honeysuckle and wild fennel, with an appealing savory touch of preserved lemon. Hints of candied citrus peel and ginger, with a whiff of smoke, linger on the supple, juicy frame. Drink now. 5,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS