Wine Varietals

wines

The aromas of flowers, blackberries, and white truffles are superb. Full to medium body and ultra-fine tannins. The finish lasts for minutes. An amazing Cicala. Don't miss this. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 99 JSAromas of dark berry, iris, menthol and a whiff of oak emerge on this vibrant wine. Firmly structured but loaded with finesse, the palate delivers ripe Marasca cherry, crushed black raspberry, vanilla, savory mineral and thyme alongside fine-grained tannins. A licorice note wraps around the tight finish. This is still primary so be sure to give it time to fully develop. Drink 2025–2045.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2013 Barolo Bussia Cicala is a beautiful wine with impressive depth and a profound sense of sharpness. This part of the Bussia cru sees a mix of clay soils (40%) with limestone (60%). In a sense, Cicala is the most indicative of the greater Bussia cru both in terms of its geological properties and its general taste profile. You get a lot of fruit in this wine followed by tannic firmness and evident power. Together, the wine presents balanced results. The alcohol here is 14.5% and I'm told that the upcoming 2016 vintage is almost a full degree stronger.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPSour-cherry and red-fruit aromas are less perfumed than Colonnello but more assertive. Very concentrated with structure and vibrancy, and more texture and grip than Colonnello. Very long. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThis starts out with brilliant macerated cherry flavors, accented by rose, tar, spice and mineral elements. Firm, yet pure, complex and long, with a dense matrix of tannins shoring up the finish. Offers a fine, brambly aftertaste. Best from 2022 through 2043. 400 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2013 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, shows great intensity, with a slightly more burning ember and scorched earthiness to it, giving it a more Graves-like character compared to the purity of the Tychson Hill. The wine is full-bodied, rich, layered and possibly slightly more tannic and backward than the Tychson Hill, but that could be because it had recently been bottled. It should evolve over the course of 30+ years.Robert Parker | 98 RPThe 2013 Cariad is fabulous. Pliant, expressive and nuanced in the glass. Here, the tannins are suave and supple, which makes the wine unusually accessible today. There is plenty of delineation in the dark, mineral-laced flavors, but the 2013 impresses for most of its superb textural depth. Cariad is made mostly from fruit sourced from David Abreu's Madrona Ranch vineyard in St. Helena.Vinous Media | 98 VMSuperb aromas of black fruits, black truffle and leather. Black olives. Full body, fabulous soft and velvety tannins, and superb length. The texture to this is so luxurious and sexy. Cardamom, game, earth and intense fruit. Yet poised. A blend as always of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot. Hard not to drink now.James Suckling | 97 JSExhibits a tight bundle of rich, extracted dark berry, mocha, licorice, savory herb and underbrush flavors, with accents of smoky oak. A tour de force that is best served after a long decant or some cellar time. The finish is deep and extracted. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2020 through 2032. 900 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Compared to the Le Vigne, the 2013 Aleste is slightly deeper and richer. Coming all from the Cannubi Boschis vineyard and aged 18 months in 500-liter French oak, it reveals incredible notes of black currants, blackberries, ground herbs, licorice, and smoked tobacco. Possessing medium to full-bodied richness, a stacked mid-palate, and serious amounts of tannin, it’s an incredible wine, yet certainly not for those seeking instant gratification. Hide bottles for 5-6 years and enjoy over the following 2-3 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2013 Barolo Aleste is a wine of striking purity and nuance. It is also one of the most finessed, vivid young Barolos I have ever tasted from Sandrone. The translucence of Nebbiolo comes through loud and clear. Freshly cut flowers, mint and finely cut fruit are some of the signatures. This wine has developed beautifully in recent vintages as the oak influence is less than it was just a few years ago. Beams of tannin and bright, salivating acidity add finesse to this translucent, exceptional Barolo. Aleste is the new name Sandrone is using for the Barolo formerly known as Cannubi Boschis.Antonio Galloni | 97+ AGFormerly known as Barolo Cannubi Boschis (the last vintage by that name was 2012), the 2013 Barolo Aleste has been renamed to honor the youngest generation of the Sandrone family, Alessia and Stefano. The wine name Aleste takes the first three letters from each grandchild's name. The move represents the culmination of more than 50 harvests completed by this legendary winemaker and his desire to pass on the torch. His grandchildren are at different points in their respective viticulture and enology university studies. Now under a different name, the wine obviously shows the same delicate floral nuances that you get with this wine (fruit from Cannubi is always harvested first). This is a complete and exciting wine with delicate notes of wild berry and smoke backed by licorice and blue flower.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPFormerly known as Cannubi Boschis, this impressive wine boasts alluring aromas of crushed raspberry, baking spice, chopped mint, violet and woodland berry. The savory elegant palate delivers succulent Marasca cherry, strawberry compote, cinnamon, licorice and a hint of coffee. Fine-grained tannins and bright acidity provide polished support and great balance. Drink 2023–2038.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEAs of 2013, Sandrone's iconic Cannubi Boschis bottling has been rebranded with the fantasy moniker Aleste, which fuses the names of Luciano's grandchildren Alessia and Stefano. The grapes still hail exclusively from the Cannubi Boschis cru, aged for 24 months in French tonneaux, less than 20% new. It is already open and appealing, with well-defined aromas of sweet spice, cedar, black raspberry and rose. The palate shows earthy restraint and balance, with a promising future. Drinking Window 2020 - 2037.Decanter | 96 DECExtremely perfumed with blackberry and chocolate aromas. Hints of mushrooms. Full body, soft and velvety tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Shows wonderful potential. This replaces their Cannubi Boschis bottling. Better in 2020.James Suckling | 95 JSWell-structured, revealing dark fruit flavors of black cherry and black currant, with accents of iron, tobacco and tar. Has grip and a fresh feel, lingering on the licorice- and mineral-tinged finish. Best from 2020 through 2040. 150 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard is a rival for the 2012. Opaque purple, with blueberry and blackberry fruit, a hint of incense and subtle toast, the wine has great intensity, incredible richness and, again, a floral blue- and black-fruited nose and flavor profile that is remarkable. The finish goes on for close to a minute. This is slightly more tightly knit than the more ostentatious 2012, but both are wines to taste and drink before you die!Robert Parker | 100 RPFabulous aromas of dark fruits such as blackberry and bramble berry plus coffee and smoked meat. Full-bodied, very tight and reserved. Superfine and polished tannins. Sweet and subtle fruit flavors. Precise and focused. So silky. Savory. A wine that gives wonderful pleasure and intrigue. Drink or hold. 320 cases.James Suckling | 97 JSA deep, dense, powerful wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill exudes pure richness. The flavors are dark and boldly sketched throughout, with gorgeous savory and mineral notes that add shades of nuance to the dark, inky fruit. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2013 is remarkably balanced for such a young wine. The 2013 should drink well with just a few more years in bottle. As always, the Tychson Hill is the most open and forthcoming of the Colgin wines.Vinous Media | 96 VMComplex, with a range of flavor extending from espresso to mocha to smoky, toasty oak, adding depth and dimension to the firm core of chocolate-laced blackberry and wild berry. Ends with firm, ripe tannins and excellent length. Best from 2020 through 2033. 425 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

A captivating bouquet of violets, lilac, black fruit, blood orange and meaty soil tones is striking for its extravagent range and amplitude; and on the palate, the wine is three-dimensional, sophisticatedly savoury, and massive but refined. Tod Mostero remarks that, having crafted the 2013 Dominus, he can die happy as a winemaker. Selection here was especially rigorous, as the team wanted to realise the vintage's unparalleled potential as fully as possible, so only 3,500 cases were produced. A special label commemorates the 30th anniversary of Dominus Estate. Drinking Window 2023 - 2065.Decanter | 100 DECThe aromas to this are multidimensional and fascinating with black truffles, bark, cloves, black currants, citrus, and even ginseng. Full-bodied, yet reserved and austere with chewy and powerful tannins that remain polished and refined. The flavors are more umami and savory. Then there are forest fruits and blood-orange undertones. The wine goes on for minutes. A wine to age for a lifetime. It's an experience to taste this. A new classic showing its history and tradition as a source of the greatest wines ever from Napa. A wine to enjoy forever.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2013 Dominus is, to my way of thinking, one of the most profound wines Christian Moueix has yet made in his rather brilliant winemaking history, both in France and in Napa Valley. This wine, with very low yields of only 3,500 cases and a final blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, offers up notes of cedar wood, forest floor, loamy soil and oodles of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Very opaque purple in color, super-pure and intense, this wine has low acidity, but ripe, noticeable tannins. This is a 30- to 40-year wine and a profound effort from this famous vineyard in Yountville. Drink it over the next 40+ years.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2013 Dominus overwhelms all the senses with its magnificent overall balance and towering intensity. Deep and nearly impenetrable in the glass, the 2013 boasts off the charts dry extract and overall power. Violets, smoke, black cherries, menthol, incense, crème de cassis and dark spices are some of the many signatures that take shape in the glass. Even better in bottle than it was in barrel, the 2013 is utterly magnificent. This is a remarkably vivid, nuanced wine considering its sheer size.Vinous Media | 100 VMNo written review provided | 93 W&SDense and earthy, with a submerged core of rich blackberry, currant, anise and sage flavors. The dusty, loamy earth character lends balance and definition. Ends with cedary tannins and good length. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032. 3,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Probably one of my favorite vineyards in all of Napa Valley, even though it is not entitled to any particular AVA designation, is the steep hillside vineyard behind the luxury resort of Meadowood in St. Helena called Thorevilos. It is co-owned by David Abreu and Ric Forman. I have now tasted 16 vintages of this wine, and six and possibly seven (the 2015) have merited perfect scores, which is just mind-boggling even to someone who has been doing this for 38+ years. This wine contains a considerable quantity of Cabernet Franc (probably 30% or more, although Abreu and Grimes are never specific) and there may even be a small percentage of Petit Verdot included in the blend. This is always the most floral of the Abreu wines, but it also has what the French call je ne sais quoi, a quality that is hard to pin down. The 2013 defines what Thorevilos is all about, with copious quantities of blueberries, black raspberries, truffles, violets, crushed rock, forest floor notes and oodles of glycerin in its full-bodied, incredibly pure and amazing texture and length. It is a spectacular wine, with the cascade of fruit hiding what must be some considerable tannic clout. It’s not showing through just yet, but I suspect it will come as the wine closes down in bottle once it gets into a cold cellar. This is simply other-worldly and a tribute to all things Napa, California, and in a way, America. Drink it over the next 50+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2013 Thorevilos is a real stunner. Deep, powerful and explosive, the 2013 possesses magnificent structure to match its vivid fruit. Deep and enveloping, the 2013 Thorevilos is an attention-grabbing wine. Crème de cassis, lavender, sage, violet, menthol, graphite, smoke and black cherry gradually flesh out in the glass, but the tannins are going to need much more time than that. Remarkably nuanced for such a big wine, the 2013 is spectacular from the very first taste. The 2013 has always been thrilling. It is all that and more today.Vinous Media | 100 VM

Abreu is now calling his vineyard on Howell Mountain (a tract of 33 acres with 15 planted) Las Posadas, after the road high on the mountain that seems to be the Fifth Avenue of Howell Mountain vineyard sites. The 2013 Las Posadas Proprietary Red was unreal from barrel, and that extraordinary Midas touch exhibited by Grimes and Abreu has extended to this wine out of bottle, which is a showcase for Howell Mountain and the meticulous viticulture and winemaking of Abreu and Grimes. Inky purple to the rim, with an extraordinary nose of sweet mulberry, intense graphite, scorched earth, smoldering wood charcoal, and massive blackberry and cassis fruit, this intriguing and provocative wine also throws in hints of licorice and black truffle. It is extremely rich, full-bodied, and nearly an out-of-body experience. Look for it to improve in age for 40 to 50 years. I can see consumers opening it circa 2065 to 2075 and saying, “Wow – what a great vintage this must have been!”Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2013 Las Posadas is superb. Graphite, smoke, lavender, exotic spices and inky crème de cassis fruit power a deeply expressive Howell Mountain wine. Beautifully structured and towering on the palate, the 2013 is showing beautifully today. This is a striking Howell Mountain wine. It is also the most giving and expressive of the Abreu 2013s today, which is surprising given its Howell Mountain origins. This is a superb wine.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis blend of five Bordeaux varieties is the most striking and nuanced of Howell Mountain’s super-expensive cult wines. Powerful and structured, impeccable balance. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040Decanter | 96 DEC

This is quite chalky with firm phenolics that frame the wine beautifully. It’s medium-to full-bodied with strawberries and earth. Dense, linear and intense. Hints of brioche and pie crust at the end. Very structured and gorgeous. Salty and lightly chewy. One third of the base wines fermented and aged in oak. Connoisseur Champagne. From organic vineyards of the Roederer domains. Smaller production than normal. Seven years on the lees. Give it two or three years to open.James Suckling | 98 JSI've revisited Roederer's 2013 Cristal four times since I reviewed it in April of this year—including several times from my own cellar—and I had to admit that even my lavish praise didn't do it full justice. Combining the cool-vintage cut of 2008 with the more completely mature fruit of 2012, the 2013 Cristal might well be said to represent the perfect combination of the two from a purist's perspective. The wine unwinds in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, almond paste and citrus oil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional palate that's intense but weightless, with racy acids, a pinpoint mousse and a long, penetrating finish. Drink the 2008 Cristal on its own, and you're unlikely—to put it mildly—to have any complaints; but compare it directly with the 2013 and you'll see Roederer's rapid progress in the vineyards writ large.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2013 Cristal is a wine of extraordinary precision and tension. Searing acids drive a bold, racy Champagne that won’t be ready to offer its best drinking anytime soon. In recent vintages, Cristal has been quite open on release. That is far from the case with the 2013. Readers should plan on being quite patient. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ, Verzy, Verzenay, Beaumont-sur-Vesle) and 40% Chardonnay (Mesnil, Avize, Cramant). Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon was especially selective and used only 30 out of the potential 45 plots that are typically available for Cristal. About 32% of the lots were done in oak, the rest in steel, with the malolactic fermentation blocked across the board. It was an October harvest, the sort of harvest that has become increasingly rare in Champagne. Lecaillon describes the summer as similar to 2012, but adds the vines were a month behind in their development. In tasting, the 2013 reminds me of the 1996 in its austerity, even more so than the epic 2008.Antonio Galloni | 97+ AG(Louis Roederer “Cristal” Brut Millésime (Reims)) The 2013 vintage of Cristal from Maison Louis Roederer is the only one in the last two decades to be made from fruit that was harvested in October, as global warming has pushed most picking dates in the Champagne region forward into September. Spring was cool and flowering in 2013 did not occur until the month of July- almost unheard of in recent times! The cépages this year is sixty percent pinot noir and forty percent chardonnay, with one-third of the vins clairs barrel-fermented for this vintage. As always, none of the vins clairs went through malolactic fermentation and the wine was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter. The wine delivers a beautiful young bouquet of apple, a hint of pear, yellow plum, a complex base of chalky minerality, brioche and a lovely array of fruit blossoms in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with impeccable balance, a superb core, laser-like focus, very elegant mousse and a long, vibrant and very classy finish. This has the structure to age long and gracefully and may well close down a bit over the next couple of years, but for the moment, it so seamlessly balanced that I find it very easy to drink out of the blocks (which is not customary for my palate with Cristal, which I usually want to bury in the cellar for a decade!). This is a very beautiful vintage of Cristal and a very, very worthy follow-up to the stellar 2012 version! (Drink between 2021-2075)John Gilman | 97 JGA pale rosé color of this great Champagne leads to a wine that has toast, spice and layers of citrus and red fruits. Its richness is balanced by freshness that will take several years to fully mature. So, even at eight years, the wine has plenty of room to develop. Drink from 2023. ROGER VOSS | 97 WEThe peak of drinkability is between 15 and 20 years from the harvest; so says Jean-Baptiste, but he has not spared the taster the wondrous early impression of perfection in the making. A soft gold with glistening highlights, like the river meadow at dawn; the nose effortlessly marries a panoply of flavours, the citric grip nodding to hints of passion fruit and Mirabelle plum, with hazelnut and almond signalling the grace of development. Texturally generous, yet tightly wound, taut and flinty yet ripe and open, the wine faithfully underlines the vigneron’s philosophy, every nuance of its template deftly rehearsed and charmingly enacted. Disgorged: autumn 2020. Dosage: 7.5g/L. Drinking Window 2021 - 2033.Decanter | 96 DECI think the 2013 Cristal checks in behind the 2008, but it's nevertheless a beautiful wine. Lots of ripe orchard fruits, toasted bread, brioche, and chalky mineral notes define the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a layered, nicely concentrated, tight, inward style, beautiful precision and purity, and a great finish. It needs a good 5-7 years of bottle age to hit its stride and will keep for two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDA wine of chalk soils, from mid-slope estate parcels, Cristal is a blast of pale limestone power in 2013. Its textures are grand and sumptuous against the chalk, its flavors layering sunny apple briskness, smoky lees and earthy acidities ghosting the finish, lasting for minutes, suggesting a long life ahead in the cellar.Wine & Spirits | 96 W&SExotic hints of tangerine and candied ginger are an enticing entrance for this vivid Champagne, accenting a finely meshed range of ripe green apple and cassis fruit, with rich notes of chopped almond, brioche and lemon curd. An underscoring streak of salinity gains momentum through the mouthwatering finish, echoing as it rides the plushly creamy mousse. This is decadence in a sleek and graceful package. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2033. 9,181 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2014 Richebourg from Charles van Canneyt is stunning, with the elegance and transparency of the vintage finding a perfect dance partner in the depth and succulence of this cru. The superb bouquet wafts from the glass in a blend of red and black plums, cocoa powder, duck, a very complex base of soil tones, woodsmoke, violets and a lovely framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very refined out of the blocks, with a sappy core of fruit, great mineral drive, suave tannins and stunning backend energy on the precise and very, very long and complex finish. A great young example of Richebourg. (Drink between 2025 - 2075)John Gilman | 97 JGThe 2014 Richebourg Grand Cru has a fabulous bouquet: complex and profound, quite floral in style with wonderful intensity. The palate is medium-bodied, more masculine than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant and perhaps without quite the same riveting tension and detail. That said, it comes across as extraordinarily fresh and vibrant, with hints of undergrowth and smoke towards the structured and masculine finish. It will need a few years to really settle into its groove, but it will surely evolve into a tremendous Richebourg.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPPerfumed with subtle aromas of raspberry and wild strawberry coupled with nuances of cured meat. A very racy wine with a velvety texture and some sweet spices on the finish.Decanter | 95 DECMedium red Distinctly darker on the nose than the RSV, offering scents of blackberry, boysenberry, violet, smoky minerals and spicy oak Sappy, saline, broad and classically dry; distinctly thicker and more backward than the RSV, with its soil character currently dominating its primary fruits Superb volume here but rather uncompromising today; this wine will need a long time to emerge from its shell Finishes with hints of chocolate and mint The RSV shows more oaky sweetness but this wine is more profound (Incidentally, when I tasted the 2014s from bottle at Hudelot-Noëllat in late 2015, this wine showed more high-toned lift and early personality than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but then Charles van Canneyt has been telling me for years that these two grand crus are constantly "changing their position in the cellar" during their élevageVinous Media | 93+ VMDiscreet but not invisible wood frames the less expressive but similarly spicy nose of fresh and ripe plum, cassis and violet scents that also display a hint of herbal tea. There is outstanding volume and intensity to the lightly mineral-inflected big-bodied flavors that possess very fine depth and length on the well-balanced finale. This is very firmly structured and is going to require at least a decade of cellaring before it will be approachable.Burghound | 93 BH

Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between opens with tantalizing molten chocolate and liquid licorice notions over crème de cassis, candied violets, baked red currants, kirsch and black tea scents. The palate is full-bodied and firmly textured with ripe, grainy tannins while packed with floral and black fruit layers, finishing very long and minerally with an energetic red fruit lift.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPHundred Acre’s 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between, from Jayson Woodbridge’s Calistoga site, is a reminder of how expressive and rewarding his wines can be. Dark cherry, plum, new leather, smoke, licorice and menthol are all super-intense in this racy, voluptuous Cabernet Sauvignon. Potent and full-throttle, the 2014 possesses tremendous aromatic intensity (a signature of 2014) to play off the dense fruit. I tasted the 2014 blind as part of a tasting of wines from Calistoga’s Kenefick Ranch district, where it was both impressive and distinctive.Vinous Media | 96 VM

Enjoyed over dinner in Burgundy after tasting many truly lovely wines, this wine could erase your memory of anything else. It is a riveting tour-de-force, with a medium lemon-yellow colour and heady, incredibly forward aromas of ripe orchard and stone fruit with exotic spices, butter, and a bit of oak. There is fresh acidity, plenty of body and extract, and incredible finesse and elegance as well. The combination of youthful fruit, fresh acidity, and robust density carry this wine to an interminable finish.Decanter | 100 DECThe 2014 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a wine that leaves you lost for words - never helpful in this profession. It begs the question: Why are not all Corton-Charlemagnes like this? It has a stunning bouquet with a profound mix of yellow plum, Mirabelle, Seville orange marmalade, those liquid minerals and later, scents of cold wet limestone. The palate is incredibly powerful with stunning acidity. There are multiple layers of spice-tinged citrus fruit, just a faint tinge of marzipan, wondrous umami sensation in the mouth with grilled walnut and a hint of pralines towards the finish. This represents an astonishing Corton-Charlemagne that might end up touching the imperious 2005. Readers should note that Raphael told me that the release of this will be delayed, just like the 2005 and 2010. Put it on your wish list and wait.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPThe 2014 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was the first time I had tasted the wine in bottle after first sampling it at the domaine. It is more open than expected and displays less reduction than the 2005 tasted alongside, offering penetrating citrus peel, lanolin, crushed limestone and fragrant yellow flower scents. The palate is beautifully balanced with razor-sharp acidity and an extraordinarily saline, praline-tinged finish that electrifies the senses. It flirted with perfection in 2016 and it is still within a whisker now. Tasted at Otto’s restaurant in London.Vinous Media | 99 VMA still somewhat reticent nose grudingly speaks of discreet wood, smoky mineral reduction, petrol, green apple, white rose and spice elements. In the same vein as the nose, the dense and well-muscled broad-shouldered flavors are still moderately tightly wound while delivering an abundance of minerality on the massively persistent, highly complex and perfectly well-balanced finish that is quite dry yet not especially austere. This is sufficiently backward at present to need continued cellaring even though with say 30 or so minutes of air in a decanter, it could be approached. With that qualification duly noted, I would strongly advised holding this unicorn of a wine for another 5ish years. In a word, OK, two, absolutely brilliant.Burghound | 98 BH

The 2014 Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard may end up being the greatest vintage for this vineyard to date. Offering a thrilling bouquet of black raspberries, sassafras, mint, ginger, and exotic flowers, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a wealth of sweet fruit, ripe, polished tannin and great, great finish. It’s the most opulent and sexy of the 2014s, yet stays beautifully balanced and is going to age gracefully for upwards of two decades. It’s one of those Do-Not-Miss wines from Calera.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDCropped at minuscule yields of 0.63 tons per acre, the 2014 Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard was my favorite of these single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from Calera. An opaque ruby-black in hue, the wine offers up a rich and complex bouquet of cassis, plums, figs, black truffle and creamy oak. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, rich and powerful, structured around a chewy chassis of tannin but possessing good energy and depth. On opening, this vintage of Selleck is almost brutally primary and atypically concentrated, but it becomes considerably more harmonious with extended aeration: while this will demand patience, it should be superb in the fullness of time. If you must try a bottle young, consider decanting.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP(Calera Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard Central Coast Red) The 2014 Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard is one of the riper, more extroverted wines in this range. I expect the Selleck will, in time, be superb, but it needs at least a few years to shed some baby fat. Today, it comes across as quite ripe and intense. Dark cherry, plum lavender, mint and exotic spice overtones add to the wine’s distinctly bold personality. (Drink between 2022-2034)Antonio Galloni | 94 AGJosh Jensen finds that his Selleck vines produce some of his most concentrated pinot noir. Planted in 1975 on a rocky ridge of decomposed granite and pockets of limestone, the vineyard is 4.8 acres with exposures to the south and southwest. This 2014 is saturated with flavor, deep in its bass notes of cherries, rich and bold. It’s completely savory, almost staunch in its formal structure, a wine of stature to age for a decade or more. (210 cases)Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SWith just over a half-ton harvested per acre due to the drought, this is a potent wine, with nose-tickling dark boysenberry, asphalt and wet stone aromas and brighter lifts of dried sage and raspberry. The soft palate combines vibrant acidity with raspberry and mulberry flavors and a hint of dried herbs.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

This is beautully concentrated and full of great richness yet seems closed at the moment. Its apricot jelly and dried fruit flavors, acidity and botrytis are in perfect balance, developing intensity as it opens. A full, generous wine with a great future. Drink from 2023. ROGER VOSSWine Enthusiast | 98 WEThis delivers wave after wave of piecrust, dried pineapple, warm marmalade, singed almond, glazed peach and apricot flavors, with a hint of brioche. Despite the heft, this has a breezy feel within, thanks to riveting acidity buried deep on the finish. Best from 2020 through 2040. 1,958 cases made. Wine Spectator | 97 WSIn the same ballpark as the 2011, the 2014 Château Climens reveals a similar gold hue as well as rich, powerful notes of honeyed almonds, caramelized peach, white raisins, toasted bread, and honeycomb. It’s more full-bodied and has a wonderful mid-palate to go with serious opulence and possibly more moderate acidity. Slightly softer and more seamless than the 2011 (and the 2015), it still has beautiful freshness and purity and another 25-30 years of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDOne extremely fine lot after another, all marked by an extremely pure lemony botrytis. Bright and crisp, with lovely sweetness and mind-boggling precision. Choosing between the various barrels to make the final blend will be even tougher than usual this year.Decanter | 96 DECA concentrated and finely nuanced wine that opens up a lot in the glass after starting out quite shy. The best thing about it is the great balance and the subtlety of flavor. It ends in a long, silky finish of serious complexity. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSPale lemon colored, the 2014 Climens reveals wonderful botrytis-inspired scents defining the nose with a core of ripe peaches, honeydew melon and lemon marmalade plus wafts of candle wax and orange blossom. The palate possesses an almost electric intensity with tons of layers and a lively backbone framing the generous fruit, finishing very long.Robert Parker The Wine Advocate | 94+ RPThe 2014 Climens has 141g/L residual sugar and was cropped at just 8.8hL/ha. It has a pure and elegant bouquet. Honey, quince and white peach mixes with chamomile - this is irresistible. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh with a bewitching tensile finish. Quite penetrating and a little more citrus-driven than the 2015. Superb. Tasted at the Climens vertical at the château in April 2022.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Dark black cherry in color, this wine has a nose of Chambord, dark chocolate and violet. It is smooth at first sip, with notes of chocolate and coffee that fill the palate and are quickly joined by clove, black plum and cassis flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEBrooding depth with excellent complexity. There’s an attractive umami touch along with notes of dried black mushrooms, dark spices, pine cones, dark chocolate, focused blackberries and dark cherries. It has a full body and fine-veined tannins. Juicy, fleshy and long, but still quite reserved. An exemplary, well-rounded Rioja gran reserva that’s already approachable, but will improve in the next four to eight years.James Suckling | 94 JS

This is at once more elegant and spicier as well with its pretty combination of red currant, cherry, lavender and sandalwood hints. There is a sleek and lacy mouth feel to the refined middle weight flavors that exude a fine bead of minerality on the balanced, delicious and persistent finale. This is very Chambolle in style.Burghound | 88-92 BH

Here the equally brooding nose is slightly more elegant with its cool and restrained nose of red currant, cassis, spice and earth scents that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. Like the Poisets this is notably rich with its relatively large-scaled flavors that also enjoy good density thanks to the abundant dry extract that also coats the palate and pushes the firmer supporting tannins to the background. Lovely.Burghound | 90-92 BH(vinified with 40% whole clusters): Medium red. Fruit-driven aromas of red cherry and strawberry. The silkiest and thickest of these 2014s to this point but with plenty of energy and cut. Boasts a sexy stem component and finishes juicy and persistent, with plenty of ripe tannins. Charles Lachaux told me that he uses the whole-cluster fermentation to soften the structure of this wine and he predicts that it will make a nice drink in five years, earlier than past vintages.Vinous Media | 89-92 VM

Dark red with ruby tones. Deeply pitched aromas of currant, dark cherry, licorice and leather. Dense, sweet, slightly leathery wine with noteworthy depth of texture. Not showing the light mineral touch it displayed from barrel a year ago but this is quite ripe and broad--even a bit chocolatey--for the vintage. Finishes with slightly tough tannins.Vinous Media | 90 VMWhile not as pretty as the Chaumes this is notably complex with its subtly wooded nose of earth black currant, game, smoke and lovely floral hints. There is markedly better concentration to the delicious and suave middle weight flavors that possess excellent intensity and volume as well as impeccable balance. This isn’t as refined as the Chaumes but the additional concentration and complexity make this the more interesting wine.Burghound | 90-93 BH

An intensely spicy and floral red berry and cassis-suffused nose merges seamlessly into impressively rich and full-bodied middle weight flavors that possess just a hint of minerality on the hugely long and palate staining finish. This lightly austere and beautifully well-balanced effort is an obvious wine of class and grace.Burghound | 93 BH(100% vendange entier; 80% new oak; from a healthy crop of 42 hectoliters per hectare):Bright red-ruby. A touch of reduction mostly dissipated to reveal classic Suchots scents of black raspberry, Oriental spices, flowers and fresh herbs, plus an intriguing note of paprika. Wonderfully silky, plush, generous wine with sneaky inner-mouth energy. The wine’s sweet oak component will need a few years to harmonize with its fruits and flowers. Finishes with terrific length and substantial ripe tannins. This should ultimately make a wonderfully complete Burgundy.Vinous Media | 92-95 VM

A restrained, indeed almost mute nose only grudgingly offers up notes of various red berries along with hints of plum, lilac and spice. There is a beguiling mouth feel to the generous yet sleek middle weight flavors that are again shaped by refined tannins before culminating in a youthfully austere finish that is firm, balanced and solidly persistent. This is a first-rate Vosne villages and is also worth considering.Burghound | 90 BHThe 2014 la Colombière had also been racked three weeks before our tasting and this was a bit more reticent in personality after its recent racking. With a little coaxing, the nose eventually offers up quite a complex blend of red plums, raspberries, cocoa, a touch of nuttiness, a good base of soil, duck and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and adolescent, with a good sappy core, fine transparency, ripe, moderate tannins and very good length and grip on the finish. This will be very good. (Drink between 2020 - 2045)John Gilman | 90-91 JGThe 2014 Vosne Romanée les Colombières is blessed with lovely pure fruit on the nose, fuller than some premier crus Vosne-Romanées with impressive fruité. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent entry, nicely judged acidity and good mineralité. This is a stylish and suave les Colombières with a pleasing saline tang right on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RP

The 2014 is one of the best young vintage of Feusselottes that I have tasted from the Mugneret sisters. The stunning nose delivers a perfumed constellation of red plums, cherries, roses, gamebird, cocoa powder, a gorgeous base of chalky soil tones and a gentle framing of nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and sappy at the core, with stunning soil signature, suave tannins and great length and grip on the laser-like finish. A beautiful bottle of Chambolle. (Drink between 2024 - 2065)John Gilman | 94 JGGood dark red A bit less pristine and high-pitched on the nose than the Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Chaignots Round and silky on the palate, conveying an utterly seamless texture to the expressive flavors of strawberry, redcurrant and earth This doesn’t quite glisten in the mouth like the Chaignots does today but it’s still a wonderfully sappy, complex wine with slowly building red berry, mineral and earthy perfume A touch of pepper gives lift to the finishVinous Media | 92 VMThe 2014 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselots, which saw 50% new oak, has a crisp, tensile bouquet with more volume that the Nuits Saint Georges Chaignots. There is real transparency here: fabulous definition and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, tensile like the Chaignots but there is a touch of more fruit that seems a little darker and denser. The finish just skips along with joy. This is superb.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RPThough there is a touch of wood here as well it is more subtle and easily allows the cool red currant, pomegranate, cherry and softly spice-inflected aromas to be appreciated. There is a notably finer mouth feel to the seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that exhibit fine depth and length if perhaps not quite the same refreshing vibrancy on the dusty finish.Burghound | 91 BH

Bright medium red Compelling perfume of raspberry, flowers, game and leather, still with a touch of reduction Tactile and vibrant in the mouth, with complex flavors of red berries, flowers and flint accented by soil and light veggie nuances Not as thick as the young 2015 but a wonderfully expressive and complete village wine Finishes saline and sweet, with fine-grained tannins and superb length and soil character Frederic Mugnier noted that this wine can be kept for a long time but emphasized that it "doesn’t benefit as much from aging as the crus do"Vinous Media | 91 VM I love Monsieur Mugnier’s Chambolle villages and the 2014 is going to be excellent. The lovely nose wafts from the glass in a refined blend of red and black cherries, a touch of nutskin, lovely minerality, raw cocoa, violets, woodsmoke and just a hint of new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, fullish and very transparent, with a lovely core of fruit, moderate tannins and a long, focused and tangy finish. A lovely AC in the making. (Drink between 2021 - 2050)John Gilman | 91 JGThe 2014 Chambolle-Musigny Village has a very pleasant and pure bouquet with strawberry pastilles, touches of chalk and flint, a little pinched at first but soon opening with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy strawberry and tart cherry fruit, a touch of salinity and spice towards the cohesive finish. This is certainly approachable, although I would afford it a couple of years in bottle. Tasted November 2016.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The 2014 Musigny from Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier is going to be one of the wines of the vintage this year. It does not possess the surreal creaminess of the Rousseau Chambertin or Clos de Bèze out of the blocks, but it shares that same bottomless intensity of flavor and magical complexity and it will be a brilliant wine in the fullness of time. The beautiful bouquet offers up scents of red and black cherries, raw cocoa, mustard seed, incipient notes of gamebird, a magically complex base of soil, woodsmoke, roses and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deeper and fuller than the Amoureuses, but every bit as elegant, with a sappy core, stunning transparency, fine-grained tannins and absolutely perfect balance on the very, very long finish. A great bottle of Musigny in the making, but do not go wasting bottles before it has had at least a dozen years’ worth of bottle age. (Drink between 2028 - 2090)John Gilman | 98 JGThe 2014 Musigny Grand Cru is just being released. Wafting from the glass with aromas of rose petals, Egyptian musk, orange rind, peonies, warm spices and red berries, it’s full-bodied, velvety and perfumed, with superb concentration, lively acids and fine, powdery tannins that still assert themselves on the long, penetrating and gently chalky finish. This is a brilliant Musigny, but while Mugnier has done some of the work for his clients by aging the wine at the domaine for seven or eight years, it still demands a decade of additional patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPBright medium red. More expressive on the nose today than the Amoureuses, offering ineffable scents of black raspberry, lavender and flinty, smoky minerality. By far the plushest and deepest of these 2014s but still with outstanding definition and verve. This wonderfully fine-grained, classically dry Musigny boasts bulletproof fruit and finishes with impressive medicinal reserve. Beginning with the 2013 Musigny, Mugnier will be delaying the release of his top bottling for a minimum of two years--and possibly several years more than that--as he finds this wine especially hard to read in its extreme youth.Vinous Media | 96+ VMNot the deepest of colours and showing signs of maturing at the rim. Super elegant nose though, now really open for business. Could smell this for hours. First touch of forest floor but with all of Musigny behind. Sweetly beautiful at the end with a return of all the red fruit, wonderfully aromatic at the finish. Tasted: November 2021.Jasper Morris | 94 JMThis is aromatically quite discreet with its subtly perfumed nose that is composed of plum, dark cherry, violet, lavender and orange pekoe tea plus the first hints of secondary development. This is at once silky but powerful with plenty of minerality characterizing the velvet-textured big-bodied flavors that coat the mouth with dry extract that also serves to buffer the markedly firm tannic spine on the balanced and hugely long but presently compact finish. This classy and very stylish effort is still sufficiently backward to need close to another decade in a cool cellar though with that said, it’s not so tightly wound as to be completely impenetrable if decanted for an hour first. I would add that I will want to see how the fruit evolves relative to the structure because based on this bottle, the nose is a bit more evolved.Burghound | 93 BH

The 2014 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Narbantons is brisk, precise and beautifully sculpted, with plenty of red-toned fruit and floral accents, all of which add to the impression of energy. Still very much tightly wound, the Narbantons needs time in bottle to soften a bit. There is plenty to look forward to, that much is clear. Small red berry, anise and crushed flowers add nuance, the Narbantons is ultimately a wine of energy. And there is plenty of that here.Vinous Media | 93 VMAt 10 years of age, this is still cruising with only a touch of secondary character present on the still conspicuously earthy and cool nose of humus and underbrush characters that add breadth to the mostly dark berry fruit scents. There is unusually good density in the context of the vintage to the velvety middle weight flavors that possess an abundance of dry extract that coats the palate and buffers the firm tannins on the slightly rustic and austere yet wonderfully complex finale. This is still improving and while it could certainly be enjoyed now, I would advise holding it for another 5 to 8 years first.Burghound | 92 BHWhen broaching the 2014 Savigny lès Beaune les Narbantons, Lalou quipped that it was her "Petit Corton." It has a complex nose of red berry fruit, dried orange peel and even a distant scent of fresh fig. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, plenty of freshness and vitality here, a little hardness toward the finish and a light spicy aftertaste. Very fine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RP