Wine Varietals

wines

This has a fresh, floral aroma, with honeysuckle and elderflower notes leading the way, followed by a rather creamy, refined palate of kiwifruit, makrut lime and verbena flavors. As the finish glides through, this offers hints of quinine, acacia and white peach. Shows beautiful range and definition, with serious length. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2026. Wine Spectator | 95 WSFor the third time in its history, this was entirely harvested in August (mainly 23 to 28, but the first berries were picked on August 13 - the earliest date ever). Rich fruit, lovely acidity and salinity on the finish, shot through with honeysuckle and clear citrus. They harvest Y in the same way as Yquem, where it is grape by grape rather than vine by vine, and sometimes grapes from the same bunch goes on to make Yquem later. 3.15pH. Also tasted September 2020; same score.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECWhite pear, honeysuckle, elderflower, quince, rich lemon, with a bitter edge of orange peel. This is starting to deepen at three years old, and show a richer texture than when I last tasted it in November 2020. It’s unquestionably one of the great whites of Bordeaux, although extremely low yields in 2018. Harvest began on August 13, the earliest date ever, with the majority of the whites coming in from August 23 to 28, harvested grape by grape as per the main sweet estate wine - meaning that grapes from the same bunch can later go on to make Yquem. 3.15ph. Jane Anson | 94 JAThe 2014 “Y” has 5 grams per liter of residual sugar and a pale lemon-yellow color. Citrus aromas of lime leaves, fresh grapefruit, and lemon zest shoot from the glass, followed by gentle wafts of crushed stones and coriander seed. The medium to full-bodied palate gives a very dry impression, with a laser-precise line of freshness cutting through the intense, youthful, citrus layers and with a silkiness to the texture, finishing with loads of zesty and mineral sparks. Impressive!The Wine Independent | 94 TWIThe 2018 Y de Yquem is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Sémillon bottled at the end of August. It offers light grass clipping and green apple scents on the nose, the Sauvignon Blanc defining the aromas. The palate is fresh on the entry, light and crisp with touches of pineapple and dried apricot, a hint of grilled walnut towards the finish. This actually improves with aeration, gaining some delightful praline and subtle white chocolate notes.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Aromas of blackberries and black olives with grapey undertones. Graphite as well. It’s tight and full-bodied, yet very polished and refined. Creamy texture. Just a hint of tar on the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Tiny production. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2018 Ferrière is a powerful, tightly wound wine. Inky dark fruit, gravel, cured meats, graphite, smoke and lavender all run through the 2018. Readers will have to be especially patient, as the 2018 needs time to unwind. Yields are down from an average of 45 hectoliters per hectare to just 26, which no doubt contributes to the wine’s natural intensity. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, in other words, the Cabernet Sauvignon is especially high, a recent trend here because of climate change. This is the first year in which a portion of the wine was aged in cement and amphora (20%), which according to Claire Lurton allows for lower SO2 in aging.Vinous Media | 94 VMThere has been a clear improvement in the sculpting and concentration of this wine over the past few years. 2018 was a difficult vintage in terms of low yields, (20hl/ha after mildew), but they have really done a good job of keeping a sense of uplift and freshness. 5% Petit Verdot gives a deep spice and eucalyptus. Jacques Lurton has been doing some consulting across these estates.Decanter Magazine | 92 DEC

The 2018 Des Fougères Clos Montesquieu is terrific. Black cherry, espresso, licorice, dried flowers, mocha, blood orange, gravel and baking spices open gradually in the glass. More than anything else, I admire the wine’s persistence and overall balance. Clos Montesquieu is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGClove and chili to the dark-berry and pine-needle undertones. It’s medium-bodied with a solid core of ripe, fine tannins and dark fruit. Drinkable now, but better in 2022.James Suckling | 91 JSA blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 20% new oak, the 2018 Château Des Fougères Clos Montesquieu has a pretty, incredibly floral perfume of blue fruits, mulberries, leafy herbs, cedar, and rose petals. These all carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium-bodied, has a lively thread of acidity, light tannins, and solid length. It’s one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass and shines more for its finesse and elegance than power. It’s going to benefit from 2-4 years in the cellar and should keep for a decade. (Drink between 2023-2033)Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD

Blackcurrant, bitter-chocolate, dried-lavender and graphite aromas. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Tight and mineral at the moment. Really well-crafted. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 94 JSConsiderable renovation work is beginning to pay off in the quality of this latest vintage from this estate. The wine has depth, concentration, dark-chocolate flavors, rich tannins and equally rich blackberry fruits. With its high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon,the wine is set for aging and will not be ready before 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEOwned by Jacky Lorenzetti, a brilliant-quality estate on largely gravel soils that is always worth seeking out. There are chewy and powerful tannins that will hold the fruit well over the next decade at least. A yield of 48hl/ha, with ageing in 35% new oak with some 400-litre barrels. (Drink between 2023-2036)Decanter | 93 DECThe 2018 Lilian Ladouys is showing nicely now that the wine is in bottle. It has a riper bouquet compared to, say, the Calon-Ségur, more lush – a 2018 with wider appeal, featuring blueberry and cassis scents that soar from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that disguise the backbone of this Saint-Estèphe. It is not the most powerful Lilian Ladouys in recent years, safeguarding its linearity and strictness all the way through to the finish. But it conveys a sense of classicism and has abundant freshness that should see it age well over the next two decades. Vinous Media | 92 VMA year-in, year-out value, the 2018 Château Lilian Ladouys checks in as 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that was brought up in 35% new oak. Jammy blueberries, ripe cherries, damp earth, tobacco, and spicy wood notes define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a plump, rounded texture, opulent aromas and flavors, and a great finish. (Drink between 2021-2036)Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDIn 2018, the Lorenzetti family purchased two neighbor estates, Château Clauzet and Château Tour de Pez, adding these to the Lilian Ladouys vineyard to almost double its planted area to 77 hectares. These additional vineyards are composed of gravelly soils of the same level as the best blocks of Lilian Ladouys. Soils are a typically Saint-Estèphe mix of sandy-gravel and clay with some limestone deposits. It is planted at 8,500-10,000 vines per hectare, with an average vine age of 35 years in 2018. The wine will see 12 months aging in 35% new and 65% two-year-old barriques. The blend is 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, and it has 14.41% alcohol. From the lieu-dit Blanquet and with a deep purple-black color, the 2018 Lilian Ladouys gives up wonderfully spicy black fruit preserves notions: plum preserves, crème de cassis and blueberry with hints of exotic spices, menthol and violets. Medium to full-bodied, firm and fine-grained in the mouth, it has layer upon layer of rich, spicy black fruits with a lift to the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPThis has a nice winey core of steeped red and black currant fruit laced with bay, charcoal, savory and olive notes. The fruit keeps pace through the mineral-edged finish, with a late tug of dark earth. Solid, if just slightly on the rustic side of the stylistic ledger. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2031. 28,300 cases made. Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This structured, dense wine is packed with as much tannins as fruit at this stage. Balance is coming and this ripe wine, with its solid, dark texture and black-plum fruits, holds good promise. Drink from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WETightly drawn, with a cloak of alder and juniper over the core of steeped plum and black currant flavors. Lots of tar, bramble, loam and sweet bay accents score the finish, which sports heft and muscle. Superb showing. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2038. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSI loved the 2018 Château Carbonnieux. This Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Pessac sports a deep purple hue as well as ripe, sexy aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, chocolate, leafy tobacco, and earth. Beautifully textured, with silky tannins and outstanding balance, it’s already drinking brilliantly yet has a solid 10-15 years of longevity ahead of it.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDBlackberry, dried-violet, gravel, chocolate and iodine aromas. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins. Chewy, flavorful finish. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2018 Carbonnieux turned out beautifully. Deep, ample and so expressive, the 2018 possesses quite a bit of density and pure power. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, gravel, licorice, menthol and scorched earth infuse this Pessac-Léognan with quite a bit of intensity. The 2018 is a powerhouse. Give it a few years to fully come together.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGA more savoury Cabernet-dominant profile than with the Carbonnieux, with a hint of tomato leaf. This is good but a little austere. The slight bitterness on the finish seen during en primeur is a little more evident now after the ageing, and it certainly needs another five or so years to soften. I am bringing the score down slightly from en primeur. 5% Petit Verdot finishes the blend. 40% new oak and a yield of 33hl/ha. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040Decanter | 92 DECDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Carbonnieux gives up wonderfully pure scents of ripe black cherries, mulberries and cassis, plus suggestions of Ceylon tea, black olive and lavender with a pinch of ground cloves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers loads of spicy black fruit flavors, supported by grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing with a peppery kick.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The 2018 Red Wine Estate might just be the best edition ever of this incredible high-elevation bottling. It’s nothing short of a blending masterpiece by Chris Figgins and his winemaking team. This thing is massive monster of a wine that really needs several hours of air to get going. But once tamed, the aromatics explode out of the glass, unveiling dark currants, roasted figs, black rose petals and creosote tones with shades of green bell pepper from the Petit Verdot. The palate is soft and opulent in the mouth. Layers of crème de cassis, anise, violets, dark cherry cordial, graphite and espresso bean with green bell pepper undertones all brilliantly combine with a vibrant sense of tension, and firm tannins hold everything in place. While this is extraordinary to savor upon release, try your best to resist it for at least a few more years.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2018 Red Wine is another stunner from this talented team. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot aged 23 months in a mix of new and used barrels, it has an incredibly pure bouquet of both red and blue fruits as well as graphite, violets, and blood orange. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it stays tight and focused on the palate, with a beautiful mouthfeel, ripe yet firm, chalky tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great, great finish. It’s a gorgeous wine that will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for 15-20+ in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 97+ JDInky and brooding once in the glass this is quite simply the best wine ever produced by this estate. Needing an hour in the decanter, this unveils tar and tobacco leaf tones aromatically with graphite and a massive core of dark fruits also providing intrigue. Juicy, with outstanding acidity and freshness, this shows off cassis, anise, charcoal and menthol flavours that mingle with the bright sense of verve. Glorious now, try to resist this beautiful wine for at least another year. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DECBlackcurrant, blackberry, walnut and mint chocolate on the nose, as well as hints of radish and mocha. It’s full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins. Concentrated and chewy with a dense core of black fruit. Solid and tight. Cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and merlot. Give this time. Try from 2024.James Suckling | 95 JSAromas of macerated cherry, coffee, flower, licorice and date lead to cherry, cranberry and raspberry flavors that give a full impression on the palate. There’s plenty of precision and detail to be had, so much acidity and a quite firm tannic structure. A big, burly, beautiful wine, it will last and drink well as long as you care to keep it. Don’t go near it now. Best after 2032.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEImmediately impressive in the glass, the 2018 Estate Red Wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot with aromas of juicy and ripe blackberry, spiced black cherry preserves, elegant floral tones and elements of boysenberry and blueberry with a soft amount of volatility. Full-bodied, generous and full of flavor, the blend displays power and finesse, unpacking layers of complexity with a tight tannic grip that will loosen with additional bottle age. The wine somersaults to a spectacular finish with a firm, juicy and dusty sensation that gives pleasure at every turn. The wine rested for for 23 months in new and used French oak barrels. Just give it another few years in the bottle for the wine to shed its baby fat. Just under 19,000 bottles were filled. Impressive; Bravo!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA dynamic and refined red, with detailed blackberry, green olive and spicy espresso flavors that build tension and polish on the long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030. 1,562 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Aromas of blackberries, dried lavender, black olives, tobacco, herbs and some smoked meat. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Layered and concentrated with a sleek, savory finish. 85% merlot, 12% cabernet franc and 3% malbec. Better from 2022.James Suckling | 93 JSComing from the talented Thienpont team, the 2018 Château Puygueraud is a juicy, up-front, undeniably delicious 2018 offering lots of perfumed, floral, and violet notes, sumptuous blue fruits, medium-bodied richness, and a juicy, balanced, lengthy style that keeps you coming back to the glass. The balance is spot on, as is the purity of fruit, and it’s ideal for enjoying any time over the coming decade. The blend is 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThis is great stuff and highly drinkable with a wonderful richness on the nose and palate. It’s pretty fierce in fact and has real impact with the austerity of the mid palate quickly filled out by rich sweet black cherry fruit and a deeply spiced finish. The harvest took place between 24 September and 5 October. (Drink between 2021-2028)Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2018 d’Yquem is all lime cordial, grapefruit oil and mandarin peel to begin. With a little coaxing, the fireworks really begin, letting off a whole array of honeysuckle, candied ginger, dried pineapple, lemon pastilles, chalk dust and sea spray scents, followed by a savory undercurrent of shaved almonds, allspice and baking bread. The palate is an exercise in polish and poise, featuring the most gorgeously creamy texture and bright, sparkling freshness, framing all the densely laden tropical and citrus fruit layers, finishing with a powerful BANG of profound floral and spice perfume. It is wonderfully sweet, yes, but that—paradoxically for a "sweet wine"—is almost beside the point.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPAn extremely impressive Yquem here. Deeply concentrated and silky in texture, with crème caramel and saffron, followed by bitter orange on the finish. Gourmet, powerful and concentrated, revealing as it opens in the glass the lime blossom and zest that pick things up, keeping things light and sculpted through the finish. There were five weeks without rain between the picking of the dry white Y and the main estate wine Yquem - so a full two months of harvest time. It meant a lot of patience and a small final yield, but one that was high in quality. Around 50% of the production goes into Yquem. 145g/l residual sugar and a pH of 3.95. Also tasted August 2020; same score. Drinking Window 2021 - 2034.Decanter | 97 DECAn extremely polished and refined d’Yquem with lightly cooked peaches and mangos and an overlay of vanilla and cream with some lemon meringue. Orange peel, too. What is striking is the texture, which is creamy and so fine. The tannins give the wine energy and beauty. The finish is extremely long and impressive. So clean and refined. Not heavy at all, but vivid and clean as crystal. Goes on for minutes. Elegance with stature is a good description. Drinkable now, but better in 2023 and onwards.James Suckling | 97 JSA beauty from start to finish, with fresh, racy notes of honeysuckle, quinine and mirabelle plum leading off, followed by richer quince, creamed pear and white nectarine flavors. Everything melds through the finish, picking up macadamia nut and brioche accents to complete the seduction. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,166 cases made. Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe 2018 Yquem was tasted just a few months earlier before this second reading at the château. My notes are pretty consistent with that dried honey and saffron scented aromas, perhaps just missing the energy conveyed by the previous vintage. The palate is well balanced with that telltale lusciousness that I remarked upon in my last note, although this just precludes the 2018 from delivering the tension and nerve of the best vintages. Apricot and lemon curd linger on the aftertaste. Very fine.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Showing consistently to last year, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Vieilles Roussannes is a rich, powerful white that does everything right. Coming from a single parcel of very old Roussanne and aged in 50% new oak, it offers a stunning bouquet of honeyed pineapple and stone fruits as well as notes white flowers, green almonds, honeycomb, and a kiss of toasted bread. It’s rich yet also fresh, has flawless balance, and a great finish. It’s geared for the dinner table and should evolve for another decade or more. It’s stunning white and one of the finest examples of Roussanne out there.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDRipe and enticing, featuring creamed melon and yellow apple flavors, laced with nectarine, heather, ginger and warm brioche notes. The long and opulent finish sails through beautifully. A hedonist’s delight. Drink now through 2022. 28 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 95 WSSourced entirely from a single vineyard of limestone soil, this varietal Roussanne offers bold white melon and apple flavors swathed in honey, vanilla cream and spice. Fermented and matured en barrique (50% new), it’s an unctuous, waxy sip etched by lingering woody tones. Flamboyant in its youth, but it should gain elegance through the next decade and beyond.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Vieilles Roussanne is a not-so-subtle dark straw in hue, with obvious toast and honeyed aromas alongside hints of mocha and malt. All barrel-fermented and aged, it’s fleshed out on the full-bodied, velvety-textured palate by flavors of tangerine and pineapple, which show remarkable freshness and verve on the lingering finish. In one of my notes on this wine, I actually wrote the word "long" three times. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-96 RP

The 2018 D’Alceo is a wild, exotic wine. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot come together in a wine that is sumptuous, layered and exceptionally beautiful. Inky blue/purplish fruit, sage, mint, lavender and chocolate are some of the many notes that take shape. The 2018 was fermented in cement then aged 12 months in a combination of 500L tonneaux and barriques. This really blooms with time.Antonio Galloni | 99 AGLots of blackcurrant and blackberry aromas follow through to a full body with firm tannins and a chewy finish. Lots of black licorice, aniseed and light asphalt. Lead pencil, too. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 96 JS

The 2018 Pym-Rae can be thought of as a hypothetical mix of the 2016 and 2017, with more sexiness and opulence than the 2017 and a touch more elegance and precision than the 2016. Wonderful cassis, violets, tobacco, lead pencil, and chocolate notes define this beauty, and it’s full-bodied, with a gorgeous sense of elegance and purity, perfect tannins, and an incredible finish. This stunningly majestic, flawlessly balanced Mountain Cabernet already offers pleasure yet will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age, and it should be a 50-year wine. Bravo!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2018 Pym-Rae reveals a deep garnet-purple color and a slightly reticent, slowly emerging nose of freshly crushed blackcurrants, ripe blackberries and wild blueberries with suggestions of garrigue, red currant jelly, mossy tree bark and truffles plus wafts of bouquet garni and Sichuan pepper. The palate is full-bodied and fantastically concentrated with tightly wound layers of black and red berry notions, framed by very firm yet beautifully ripe tannins and amazing tension, finishing with epic length and loads of mineral sparks.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThis is extremely aromatic with blackberries, black pepper and spice. Dried flowers, too. Full-bodied with very tight, fine tannins and a racy, refined finish. Raspberries and currants at the end. Very fine and polished. The center fruit is so pure. Aged in 60% new wood barrels and 40% concrete. Drink in 2023 and onwards.James Suckling | 97 JS

Blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors with some conifer and stone. Full-to medium-bodied with firm, dusty tannins that are fine and intense. Clarity to this wine. Try after 2024.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2018 Quella is rich, ample and beautifully resonant in the glass. There’s terrific depth here and tons of class. Blood orange, game, licorice, tobacco, lavender and dried herbs give the Quella beguiling aromatic presence to play off its muscular, brooding personality. The 2018 needs a few years to soften, but it is already compelling, to say the least.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGFirst made in 2006 and coming from more sandy, coarser soils, the 2018 Quella is incredibly exotic, with red and black fruits, wildflowers, sandalwood, candied violets, and flowery incense notes as well as medium to full body, a layered, ultra-fine, pure mouthfeel, silky tannins, and a great finish. It’s incredibly elegant and polished in 2018, with a chalky minerality as well as gorgeous complexity and length. It’s another 2018 that has plenty of up-front charm and accessibility yet is going to age gorgeously for 20-30 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDBoasts black currant, fig and loganberry fruit flavors that are tightly packed yet nicely expressive already, while the backdrop of signed alder, juniper, bay leaf and warm loam adds extra dimension and length through the finish. Not shy on power, but everything is in proportion. Best from 2024 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 96 WSA barrel sample, the 2018 Quella has a deep garnet-purple color and opens with the most gorgeous perfume of violets, red and black plums, Morello cherries and cassis plus hints of iron ore and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers lovely energy and tension, framed by fine-grained tannins and finishing with beautiful purity.Quella comes from a steep, southwest-facing vineyard in the eastern Vaca hillsides, just up from Joseph Phelps’s winery and Denali Estate.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP

The 2018 Balifico, Volpaia’s Sangiovese/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is fabulous. Rich and inky, the 2018 offers up a compelling mélange of dark berry fruit, dark spice, licorice and espresso. I especially admire the wine’s textural richness. I imagine the 2018 will drink well for many, many years to come. In this tasting it is a total knock-out.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGAlluring violet, black currant and black cherry fruit introduces this seductive red, with firm, pointed tannins and vivid acidity providing structure as this glides to a lingering, detailed finish. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2037. 750 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSA wine with depth and a center palate of pure, ripe fruit. Raspberries and blueberries galore. Ripe and polished tannins. Solid finish.James Suckling | 93-94 JS

The flagship red 2018 Rioja Reserva was produced with a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano, 4% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Cariñena) and 2% Garnacha selected from their 300 hectares of vineyards that exemplifies the character of the vintage and the place. 2018 was a year with good rain and a cool season that resulted in a late harvest, which started on October 1 and was slow and delivered grapes with good freshness. Each variety and plot fermented separately in stainless steel. and the wines aged separately in American oak barrels for 21 months and then settled in concrete until bottling. It follows the path of the 2016, where I noticed a change that is taken further in this, controlling the power and increasing the freshness. It’s very aromatic, a year completely different from the 2017; it has less structure and more freshness and subtler balance and enough oomph, concentration and power neatly compensated by freshness. I believe 2018 was a very good vintage to implement this change. It’s perfumed, fresh, elegant and medium-bodied, with a velvety texture. Superb! 960,000 bottles produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPSavory cured-meat, tobacco and grilled-spice notes to the bright plum, red-date, cherry and green-olive aromas. Quite a juicy, medium-bodied Rioja with fresh and extremely silky tannins caressing the zesty orange and crunchy red-berry flavors. Nuanced, fluid and effortlessly drinkable. Long and extremely elegant. A vintage that highlights layering and freshness, rather than power and depth. 86% tempranillo, 8% graciano, 4% mazuelo and 2% garnacha. Delicious now, but will hold well.James Suckling | 94 JS(Rioja “Reserva”- Marqués de Murrieta (Rioja Alta)) The 2018 Reserva from Marqués de Murrieta has not been released yet, but the bodegas kindly sent me a sample for inclusion in this article. The wine is excellent on both the nose and palate, offering up a ripe and complex bouquet of black cherries, raspberries, cigar wrapper, clove-like spice tones, a beautiful base of soil, incipient notes of nutskin and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core of fruit, lovely mineral drive and grip, fine-grained, buried tannins and a long, ripe and well-balanced finish. The ripeness of the 2018 vintage is evident here, but it is handled seamlessly and the wine is really going to be lovely. I suspect it will age very much like a top 1982 Rioja. (Drink between 2028 - 2075)John Gilman | 93 JGFresh and elegant, with a mouthful of ripe, crushed cherry and red currant fruit, this medium-bodied red is framed by crisp tannins and a minerally underpinning. Enticing hints of eucalyptus, dried fig and cigar box play on the finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha Tinta. Drink now through 2028. 80,000 cases made, 14,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

José Luis Ripa has only started his own label recently, dedicated to solely making Rioja Rosado. He probably has plenty of red and white Rioja in his cellar to drink already, as his wife is Maria José López de Heredia! His 2018 Rosado is composed from a blend of eighty-five percent Garnacha and fifteen percent Tempranillo, with the wine is fermented and raised in older, French oak demi-muids for eighteen months prior to bottling. The wine offers up a refined bouquet of strawberry, blood orange, chalky soil tones, rose petals, a touch of oak from the older casks and a lovely array of Rioja spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with outstanding depth at the core, bright acids, lovely balance and grip and a very long, gently vinous finish. This is truly a stunning bottle of Rioja Rosado! It is delicious already, but is clearly built to age and will have little difficulty cruising along for twenty years or more! Great juice. (Drink between 2023-2050).John Gilman, A View from the Cellar | 94 JGThe rosé 2018 RIPA Vino Rosado follows the same path as the 2017, 60% Garnacha and 40% Tempranillo aged and matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels where the wine matured for 30 months. The vintage was quite cold, and the grapes were picked on October 20. The wine has a more vibrant palate and a lower pH, with more freshness. It’s quite marked by the long élevage, so it takes on a specific profile with more nutty and spicy notes and a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s spicy, vibrant, still round and lush, with a dark color, very different from the pale Provençal examples... 6,200 bottles were filled in December 2021.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

I loved the 2018 Red Blend Pollard Vineyard from Robin Pollard, and this might be the finest wine I’ve tasted from this vineyard. A blend of 40% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a pretty, perfumed bouquet of red and blue fruits, leafy tobacco, cedarwood, and spring flowers. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, balanced, elegant red with polished, fine-grained tannins, wonderful purity, and a great finish. All about finesse and elegance, it will evolve for 10-15 years if well stored.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDMade from a blend of 40% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Cabernet Franc, the fleshy and approachable 2018 Pollard Vineyard Red Wine offers aromas of crème de cassis with blackberry skin. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is delicious without being overly complicated by oak and displays complex layers of savory herbs that sway with a delightful expression of sweet red fruit before concluding with a persistent finish. The wine rested in 20% new French oak barrels. Only 555 cases were produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPMedium red-ruby. Aromas of cassis, blackberry and menthol are carrying a full load of dark-chocolatey oak; less green than the Merlot. Tightly wound, fine-grained and bracing but also shows subtle sweetness to its intense black cherry, dark berry and spice flavors. There’s an intriguing floral element here but the wine needs time to unwind. Finishes with firm-edged tannins and sneaky persistence. Even higher-pitched than the Merlot, and ultimately less sweet. These wines have not yet been released.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

Characterful, luscious and deftly balanced, this terrific, unfiltered LBV – ’the little brother of Vintage Port,’ says Dirk Niepoort – is irresistible now but will age brilliantly. Black pepper, esteva, bitter chocolate and spicy gingerbread bring lift and layer to the velvety sweet plum, cherry frangipane and kirsch palate. Ruffled tannins make for a long, controlled finish. Bottled with a driven cork after four- to six-years in large wooden vats.Decanter | 97 DEC

A unique blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Château Mangot Todeschini Distique 11 has a gorgeous nose of black raspberries, cassis, acacia flowers, white chocolate, and graphite. With fabulous purity of fruit, full-bodied richness, silky tannins, and loads of floral and sappy herb aromas and flavors, this is gorgeous Saint-Emilion and the finest I’ve tasted from this address. It needs 3-4 years of bottle age and will keep two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDComposed of 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Todeschini is deep garnet-purple colored and gives up broody notions of new leather, crushed stones and tar with a core of baked red and black cherries, mulberries and warm plums plus wafts of garrigue and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, firm and grainy in the mouth, it has loads of muscular fruit and a lively line, finishing perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThe 2018 Distique 11 is laced with inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and mint. Pliant and supple, this inviting, mid-weight Saint-Émilion has a lot to offer. The racy style is undeniably appealing. The 2018 is a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon taken from select parcels on the estate and aged in amphora. It is an undeniably intriguing wine.Vinous Media | 93 VMA balanced, pretty wine with firm, sleek tannins that are polished and refined. Blackberry, bark and chocolate undertones. Medium body. Delicious finish. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 93 JS

The 2018 Amarone della Valpolicella Case Vecie is darkly alluring and brooding in the glass, with a dusting of confectionary spice and dried violets complementing wild blueberries and a lifting whiff of fresh mint. Soothingly round and surprisingly juicy in feel, this shows its minerality up front, as depths of tart wild berry fruits meet vibrant acidity, and an array of exotic spices emerges toward the close. It finishes tannic yet fresh and incredibly long, leaving a bitter blackberry crunch, violet inner florals and chalky concentration that boggles the mind. Bury the 2018 deep in your cellar, this is a long-distance runner.Vinous Media | 96 VM

This edition from the legendary Tenuta San Leonardo estate in Trentino is presented with an artist-signed label. The special release of 999 bottles features the surreal artwork of Simone Berti. From a cool vintage, the 2018 San Leonardo is incredibly fine and beautiful with a filigree of aromas that recalls wild blackberry, tobacco, pressed rosemary, cherry tartlet and orange marmalade. The wine’s elegance is extraordinary, and the mouthfeel is very fine and precise. This classic vintage will certainly appeal to San Leonardo purists. I recommend giving it a long runway to age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP‘In July, we finally saw a brilliant sun, whose welcome heat warmed a season that was quite wet up to that point and with below-average temperatures,’ said Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga of the 2018 vintage. The newest release of this standout northern Italian red offers complex scents of tobacco, spices, earth and rich, wood-imbued black berries. In the mouth it combines intense concentration with freshness in a vertical sensation of poise and sapidity. Dark, plummy, spicy hedgerow berries are perfectly balanced by bright, moreish acidity and ripe, grainy tannins, with spicy cedar, dried currants and a touch of balsam in depth. Still has so much to give.Decanter | 95 DECA mentholated freshness introduces the 2018 San Leonardo as it slowly blossoms in the glass. Swirling unlocks depths of dusty sage and violets, giving way to white pepper and black currants. This is elegant, lifted and potent. Sour citrus elevates ripe wild berries and savory spices. The 2018 doesn’t miss a beat, finishing long and lightly structured, with a framework of fine tannins that gently tug at the senses as blackberry and inner rose notes slowly fade. The 2018 is an understated and youthful beauty that will reward medium-term cellaring. That said, hands off for now because the best is yet to come.Vinous Media | 94 VMA graceful red, beginning quietly with a pure note of ripe black currant, with the palate slowly expanding to weave in flavors of bay leaf and cured tobacco, bitter cherry reduction, mineral, graphite and cigar box spices. The finely knit flavor range shows supple tannins, which emerge to define the elegant finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Merlot. Drink now through 2033. 5,900 cases made, 1,300 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSRoasted red chili pepper with tapenade, berries, cedar and tobacco leaves. Very juicy on the palate with plush, silky tannins and a long, fluid finish. Cool and gastronomic. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2018 vintage is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenère (a high percentage for any grower) and 10% Merlot. The wine opens with aromas of ripe plum mixed with tart blueberries, worn leather, sweet spices and dried flowers. The palate is expansive and rich, showing the 24 months of aging in French barriques, both new and used. Firm yet opulent, the wine will continue to develop and retain its mark as one of the best Bordeaux-style blends from Italy. Drink 2025–2040. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

This is a dense and lively La Mission white with lemon, lime and cream character and a light mineral and salty undertone. White pepper and salt at the finish.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe La Mission Haut-Brion 2018 Blanc is a blend of 57.4% Sauvignon Blanc and 42.6% Sémillon. It sashays out of the glass with gregarious notes of white peaches, fresh pears and pineapple with nuances of lime blossoms, crushed rocks and sea spray, plus a waft of beeswax. The racy, medium to full-bodied palate is charged with energy, delivering vibrant citrus and tropical fruit layers with a satiny texture and fantastic length. Completely exceeding my barrel tasting expectations, this promises to be an earlier drinking style, albeit multilayered, dripping with class and, yes, it’s downright sexy. Give it just a few more months in bottle and then it should offer decadent drinking for the next 15+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPSeriously dark and winey, showing a deep core of black currant preserve, warmed fig paste and plum reduction flavors inlaid with racy graphite, mouthwatering tobacco and enticing singed alder, bay leaf and freshly plowed humus. Delivers density, grip and definition on the long finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. 2,880 cases made, 262 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSA richer, more textured wine than the Haut-Brion Blanc, no doubt due to its larger Sémillon content, the 2018 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc reveals a medium gold hue as well as beautiful pineapple, honeyed lime, star fruit, and floral aromas and flavors. Nicely concentrated on the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied and offers beautiful acidity, plenty of depth and richness, and a great finish. A slightly softer wine, it doesn’t have the precision of its counter mate yet brings more texture and opulence. It’s another brilliant white that will benefit from short-term cellaring and evolve for 15+ years or so.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe white 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion explodes with notes of guava, pineapple, and ripe peaches, plus touches of honeyed toast and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and layered, with lovely zesty sparks and a long, spicy finish.The Wine Independent | 95 TWIA serious wine that is just beginning to show its white flower and honeysuckle notes. A vintage that shows its warmth in a slightly lower acidity, but it is still an impressive textured white. 3.27pHDecanter | 94 DECThere is a light herbal touch to this wine that comes from the Sauvignon Blanc. However, it also has concentration and weight, offering a texture that brings freshness to balance the ripe fruits. The wine will age well. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2018 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc has really come together nicely since I last tasted it. Bright and finely cut, with terrific creaminess, the 2018 is already very easy to taste, and, I imagine, drink. Lime, lemon peel, mint, white pepper and jasmine give the 2018 striking effusiveness.Vinous Media | 93 VM

This is tightly coiled now, but the range of juicy tangerine, white peach and white ginger notes should unfurl soon enough, carried by a mouthwatering quinine note and ending with a light orange blossom hint on the finish. Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now through 2026. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSTangy aromas and flavors of lemon zest, fresh green pear, yoghurt and hints of beeswax. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity. Flavorful and concentrated with a sleek, phenolic texture. Crushed stones on the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSBeautiful white peach, honeysuckle, white flowers, and a touch of toasted almond emerge from the 2018 Lune d’Argent Blanc, and it’s medium-bodied, with a balanced, elegant texture, nicely integrated acidity, and plenty of fruit and depth. A blend of 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon, it’s going to be even better with another year in bottle and keep for 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDThe 2018 Lune d’Argent has a perfumed nose of white flowers and honeysuckle, subtle frangipane scents patiently waiting in the background. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed entry, plenty of tropical fruit (passion fruit and guava) and a concentrated, almost viscous finish that lingers in the mouth. Yes, it does come across as a bit heady, but it’s still thoroughly enjoyable.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Wonderful aromas of fresh flowers, blackberries and cherries. Licorice and lilacs, too. Full-bodied, yet so tight and refined, translucent and weightless. Incredible purity and excellence. This is the heart and soul of the property in a glass. Really pinpointed at the end. Enchanting and thought-provoking. Needs time to open and soften. Try after 2028.James Suckling | 99 JSThe flagship 2019 Château Belair-Monange checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc from 25-year-old vines and raised in 50% new French oak. It’s a magical wine in the vintage and offers more depth and richness than just about every other Saint-Emilion out there, all while holding onto a gorgeous sense of finesse and elegance, which would almost have me guessing Pomerol in a blind tasting. Deep red and black fruits, truffly earth, tobacco, and spring flower notes all emerge on the nose, and this puppy is full-bodied, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and one heck of a great finish. It’s stunning, and while it offers incredible pleasure today given its purity and flawless balance, it deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 Bélair-Monange shows wonderful delineation and focus on the nose, which presents a cornucopia of red fruit, crushed stone, wilted rose petal and light black truffle aromas. It seems to gain complexity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, fine delineation and a velvety texture. This builds toward a lavish finish, with dark chocolate and cocoa notes lingering on the aftertaste. It will need several years in bottle but should repay those with the wherewithal to cellar.Vinous Media | 97 VMAusterity is high as the limestone shines through, with controlled black and blue berry fruits rippling through the palate. There are extremely delicate redcurrant and violet floral edges that come through and cling on, just opening up after a good five minutes in the glass. A little less generous than the 2018, as is often the case in the 2019 vintage, but one with concentration and precision, and that will give pleasure for decades. Takes time to open and will take time to fully express its potential in the bottle. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2027 - 2044.Decanter | 97 DECPerfectly situated on the Saint-Émilion slope, this estate’s wine is performing with great panache. This vintage shows richness while also having plenty of freshness and structured tannins. It has immense potential for aging.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WELike Trotanoy, though of course not to the same extent, the 2019 Belair Monange is another of the richer, more powerful wines in the Mouiex portfolio this year. Offering up aromas of sweet cherries, wild berries, vanilla pod, plum preserve, warm spices and cedary new oak, it’s full-bodied, broad and muscular, with a deep and layered core of ripe, sun-kissed fruit that’s framed by lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis captures the richness of the vintage wonderfully, with long, caressing waves of cassis, plum reduction and boysenberry compote flavors gliding through. Laced with subtle red tea, floral and mineral hints through the lengthy finish, this is really well done and augmented by a level of purity most don’t have in this vintage. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2040. 3,200 cases made, 550 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The aromas to this are really amazing, with a potpourri of spices and dried flowers, as well as redcurrants, sweet plums and even some peaches. Full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins that spread across the palate in an encompassing yet always elegant and pure way. It’s succulent and unadulterated. Like crushed, perfectly ripened grapes. The length is rather endless. The tannins build. Fabulous young red. 35% in amphora and the rest in 50% new oak and 15% one-year oak. 65% cabernet sauvignon and 30% merlot, the rest cabernet franc and petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try after 2028, but an absolute joy to taste now.James Suckling | 99 JSSuch gorgeous aromatics of freshly picked violets, cherries and bramble fruits - pretty and quite delicate. The texture is smooth and succulent, mouth coating but full of soft tannins which have the most delicious black cherry, blackcurrant flesh and liquorice tinge to them - so satisfying. Extremely well balanced and well integrated, this has restrained power, it’s not rich or particularly round but straight, direct and layered rather than wide. Really long finish with great freshness and touches of cool blueberries. This is just such a great wine, everything you want and you know there’s power there promising a long life. Great winemaking on show. 35% aged in concrete, 50% new oak, 15% in barrels of one year, for 16-18 months. This year there’s a new label, the drawing of the house has remained but the font is more elegant and modern. A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. (Drink between 2027-2047)Decanter | 98 DEC97–99. Barrel Sample. This is a luscious, sumptuous wine, with layers of black fruits and wonderfully cushioned tannins. The structure of the wine is initially masked by the great fruits, but then finds balance from a dry edge of spice, smokiness and lifted acidity. It’s another great vintage from this biodynamic estate. Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2019 Pontet-Canet was so effusive and generous en primeur. Today, though, it is quite reticent. That won’t be an issue for those who can be patient, but patience indeed will be the key here. Dark red fleshed fruit, tobacco, cedar, spice, kirsch, mint and blood orange gradually open with a bit of coaxing. Imposing tannins wrap it all together. The 2019 is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty, but it needs time.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGVery lush out of the gate, with waves of gently mulled plum, blackberry and black currant fruit that roll through slowly, lined with alder, sweet tobacco, worn cedar and singed savory notes. Delivers a late tug of iron that’s well-buried on a finish marked by lingering perfume, resulting in an end impression of a rich wine that’s very light on its feet. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2036.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2019 Pontet-Canet offers up an expressive bouquet of plummy fruit, kirsch, dried herbs and peonies. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, ample and seamless, with melting tannins, succulent acids, and a long, liqueured finish. Tasted twice, it’s a wine I find somewhat perplexing: in a blind tasting, I might be more inclined to place it in Gigondas than Pauillac. I’m far from dogmatic when it comes to what the French call "typicité," and stylistic diversity surely enriches every appellation; but by the same token, I’m not convinced that this is the most compelling aesthetic that a Cabernet-based blend from this part of Bordeaux can realize. Checking in at 13.7% alcohol, some 35% of the production was matured in amphorae, which no doubt contributes to the wine’s idiosyncratic identity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2019 Château Pontet Canet checks in as a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot that was brought up in a mix of barrels and concrete tanks. It shows the new style of the estate with a more savory, exotic, medium to full-bodied style that’s a dramatically different beast than the benchmark 2009 and 2010 vintages, which to my mind, are the greatest vintages from this estate to date. The 2019 has a ruby/plum color as well as a perfumed nose of redcurrant and mulberry fruits as well as notes of brambly herbs, woodsmoke, peony, leather, and cedar pencil. It’s aromatic and complex, although certainly not classic Pauillac, and on the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, with firm, savory, yet quality tannins, good balance, and outstanding length. It warrants 7-8 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. While the style of the estate has been gradually shifting with the winemaking moving to hand destemming and aging in concrete and amphora, this is the first time where the winemaking seems to dominate the wine, and the quality is unquestionably not at the same level.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD