Wine Varietals

wines

Bottled in early 2018, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Harlan Estate is a little closed, slowly unfurling to reveal black cherries, crème de cassis and plum pudding with nuances of potpourri, baking spices and tilled soil plus wafts of garrigue and wild sage. The palate is full-bodied and concentrated with exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic poise and depth with a long, decadently fruited finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2015 Harlan Estate is a beast of a wine that shows the sexy, opulent style of the vintage married to the classic structure and depth of this estate. A downright smorgasbord of blackcurrants, blackberries, crushed rocks, graphite, smoky camphor, cured meats, and dried tobacco aromas all emerge from the glass, and it shows the deep, concentrated style of the vintage yet still has awesome complexity and nuances. Deep, powerful, and structured, yet opulent and incredibly sexy on the palate, it reminds me of the 2002. A brilliant wine from this estate, it’s already approachable given its wealth of fruit yet has the tannic backbone and density to keep for 3-4 decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDIncredible aromas of fresh flowers, such as roses and violets, and blackcurrants. Full body and defined levels of fruit and tannins too. Love the brightness and texture. An excellent finish. Production was down by a third because of bad berry set. Try in 2021.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2015 Harlan Estate has developed into an arrestingly beautiful wine. Racy and sumptuous, the 2015 is already quite showy, with tons of dark cherry, plum, mocha, espresso, licorice, spice and tobacco character. Today, the 2015 comes across as a bit brooding and hard to read, although some of the rougher edges in the tannins I saw last year have softened. Even so, I would prefer to cellar 2015 for at least a few years. There is so much to look forward to.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGA huge red, with powerfully rendered dark fig, macerated black currant and steeped boysenberry fruit framed by a bittersweet chocolate note. With time in the glass, the fruit unwinds slowly, allowing anise and loam accents to fill in on the fleshy finish. There’s some serious heft here through the back end too, with a long echo of smoldering tobacco and a great tug of dark earth. Best from 2022 through 2040. 1,839 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLike most Harlan vintages, this is about 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, with small additions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The nose displays a wonderfully refined blend of sumptuous blackcurrant fruit with stylish oak. Although rich and very concentrated, it's restrained and polished, showing excellent balance and length with no overbearing character and a discreet but present tannic structure. Drinking Window: 2021 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DEC

Four acres are now in production at this singular, historic hillside vineyard next to the former cottage of Josephine Tychson, lovingly restored by Ann Colgin. The vineyard truly offers a unique expression of Napa Valley, with beautiful fruit layers, great elegance and the most profound fragrance being signatures of the vintages I have tasted. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard jumps out of the glass with all the vibrancy of this vintage, singing notes of cassis, crushed red cherries and mulberries with touches of chocolate, espresso, baking spices, cloves and black soil plus wafts of lavender and dried roses. Medium to full-bodied, it has wonderful elegance and finesse in the mouth, offering many mineral, black fruit and savory layers, finishing long and perfumed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard is stunning, and in this reviewer’s opinion, as good as wine gets. From an east facing site at the base of Spring Mountain that has warm days and very cool nights, it reveals a deep purple color and extraordinary notes of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, black cherries, exotic spices and spring flowers. Full-bodied, elegant, and seamless, yet concentrated and with incredible intensity, it’s a tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a great terroir and an incredible winemaker. Beg, borrow or steal to try this beauty.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA very tight and precise 2015 with beautiful currants, blackberries and black tea. Full-bodied, yet so reserved and focused. Great depth and length. Harmonious and balanced. Drink in 2022 but so attractive already.James Suckling | 98 JSColgin’s 2015 Tychson Hill is rich and sumptuous in the glass. Ripe red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and new leather run through the 2015. A striking, generous wine, the Tychson Hill captures the essence of the year beautifully. Silky contours and soft tannins add to the wine’s considerable appeal. Look for the 2015 to drink well with minimal cellaring. This is a beauty from Colgin.Vinous Media | 97 VMAmazingly complex and hard to resist, as the mix of dark berry, spice, loamy earth, licorice and cedar are all in harmony, ending long, firm and cedary. Best from 2020 through 2034. 370 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard has a medium garnet-purple color and is a little closed to begin, giving up red and black currants, violets, lilacs and spice box plus chocolate-covered coffee beans, menthol, tilled soil and cardamom. The palate is full-bodied, concentrated and built like a brick house, with loads of floral sparks and a very long, mineral-laced finish. Through the roof.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPA subtle, elegant expression, showing a gently mulled core of red currant and blackberry fruit, lined with savory, sage and menthol notes. Fine-grained through the finish, ending with whiffs of cedar and tea. Drink now through 2027.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Beautifully fresh, lifted and disarming on the nose, you react with a smile without thinking, like with so many of the best 2016s. At this stage there's liquorice, a little black pepper and some floral overtones alongside a little grilled toast. It's full-bodied, you feel the sun in the wine, and it's so concentrated. Tannins are wonderfully glossy and fine, the wine is saturated with them, they coat your mouth. Long finish with real persistence. Perfectly balanced, utterly harmonious, this will be a panoramic Châteauneuf when it's ready. Not overblown or overextracted - perfectly pitched. Drinking Window 2023 - 2070.Decanter | 100 DECThe flagship is the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin, 75% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah, 10% Grenache, and the rest Counoise, brought up all in foudre. Blueberries, Peking duck, new saddle leather, black cherries, scorched earth, and an incredible sense of minerality all flow to a massive, concentrated, pure, perfectly balanced 2016 that is a prime example of the old saying, “an iron fist in a velvet glove.” It's a heavenly, perfect wine that's going to live for 30-50 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA more savory, moody, strong expression. Deeply rich nose with minerals, flowers, wild herbs, tar, toasted spices and pepper. The dark berries have a smoky edge. Minerally edge, too, thanks to the 60 per cent mourvèdre. The palate has glossy, ripe and super-fine tannins in sheets. Deep-set, dark plums and blueberries in the finish. Noble tannins. Age-worthy.James Suckling | 100 JSTasted three weeks after bottling, I couldn't quite bring myself to give the elusive three-digit score to this admittedly super wine. Perhaps once the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin has been in bottle a bit longer, as Mourvèdre seems to go into a bit of a funk when recently bottled. For now, it's merely profound, packing in savory, mossy nuances, hints of exotic dried spices like star anise and cardamom and layers of rich, plummy fruit that manage to be full-bodied and deliciously intense without being weighty or overwrought. Creamy, lush, intense and long, it's a tdf (tour de force) in CdP.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPDeep vivid magenta. A highly complex bouquet displays candied black and blue fruits, incense and musky earth aromas; violet, licorice and Indian spice notes build in the glass. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering deeply concentrated, mineral-laced blueberry, cherry compote, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors that are given spicy lift and bite by a late peppery flourish. Tightens up slowly on a strikingly long, chewy, floral-driven finish framed by dusty, steadily building tannins.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis delivers a torrent of lively raspberry pâte de fruit and plum reduction notes, infused liberally with anise, fruitcake and black tea nuances. Ripe and dense, yet lively, defined and fresh in feel, coursing over graphite and leather accents on the well-structured finish. Best from 2021 through 2045. 52 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot from this picture-perfect property above Lake Hennessey, Colgin’s 2016 IX Estate is a stunning effort. Subtle herbal nuances, including hints of of licorice, intertwine among bunches of black cherries and pencil shavings to form a dusting atop baskets of cassis. Complex and intense, this full-bodied wine is almost creamy in texture, with tannins so fine-grained as to almost be liquid in feel, then becoming silky on the elegant, lingering finish. Wow.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPAnother perfect wine is the 2016 IX Estate, which is made from 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, all from the hillside vineyard at the estate, high up on Pritchard Hill. It’s another ethereal, pure, seamless wine that does everything right. Huge notes of crème de cassis, ground herbs and tobacco, graphite, chocolate, and spring flower notes all emerge from this full-bodied 2016 that has building tannins, incredible depth of fruit, no hard edges, and a terrific finish. I wrote “wow” three times in my notes on this beauty. Hide bottles for 3-5 years if you can, and it’s capable of lasting for 3-4 decades. It’s another magical wine from winemaker Allison Tauziet that just could not be any better.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDAromas of blackberries, black truffles, burnt orange peel, forest floor and blueberries. Decadent. Full to medium body. The tannins are so tight and dense with super fine and caressing texture. An amazing, mesmerizing wine. Drinkable and glorious, but better after 2022.James Suckling | 100 JSFounded in 1992 by art expert and auctioneer Ann Colgin, Colgin makes three tiny production wines of which their IX Estate (pronounced Nine Estate) is the best known. IX Estate is located in the eastern mountains at about 1,200 feet. In warm vintages, the wines are powerful, lush, and textural. In slightly cooler years, they can take on incredible beauty and precision. The 2016 (which also includes a small amount of petit verdot) is darkly savory, spicy, and minerally, with a compelling lit-from-within quality. What winemaker Allison Tauziet called herbes de Napa adds a complex subliminal note of mountain bay laurel, sage, and chaparral.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECThe 2016 IX Estate is a total knock-out. A wine of exceptional balance and harmony, the 2016 is stunning from the very first taste. Nothing really stands out. Instead, it is the wine’s sense of proportion that makes the most lasting impression. Seamless, layered and voluptuous to the core, the 2016 has so much to offer. Bright Pritchard Hill acids and minerality are felt on the persistent, beautifully sculpted finish.Vinous Media | 97+ VMLush and warm in feel, with gorgeous fig, black currant and dark plum fruit that rolls through in harmonious waves against a backdrop of loam, alder and smoldering cast iron notes. Not shy on power, latent cut and inner freshness, this just needs time to unwind fully. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2021 through 2038. 1,800 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

This is a monumental lineup from what is undeniably one of the greatest producers in the world today, and there are three perfect wines from this estate. Looking first at the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill, which comes from a tiny, cooler, north facing vineyard in St. Helena that was originally planted in 1881 by Josephine Tychson, it’s 95% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, bottled in May of this year. Its saturated purple color is followed by a sensational perfume of crème de cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite, and hints of licorice. This gives way to a full-bodied, concentrated, powerful wine that has beautiful mid-palate depth and concentration, an utter seamlessness, elegance, and balance that’s hard to describe, awesome purity of fruit, and a finish that won’t quit. This is Napa Valley Cabernet at its finest and one of the great Cabernet Sauvignons of the past century. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, a decade if you can, and it will keep for 30-40 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis is the first vintage with fruit from Josephine’s Hill included. This 2.38-acre north-facing hillside vineyard seems to have this incredible ability to retain all its flavor nuances with extended hang-time. By comparison, the rest of the Tychson Hill vineyard is planted to a gentler slope. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard has gorgeous floral notions of lilacs, lavender and roses with sandalwood and cinnamon stick sparks over a core of cassis, blackberry pie, kirsch and redcurrant jelly plus a waft of cigar boxes. The full-bodied palate is rich, concentrated, expressive and velvety, offering seamless freshness to lift and entice the mid-palate, finishing very, very long with some savory notions starting to unfurl. It is one of those wines that is so unique, expressive and perfect in every way that it sets your heart racing with every sip.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThis is really ethereal with blackberries, hazelnuts, fresh flowers and chocolate. Full body and a fine, horizontal mouthfeel. So classic and extraordinary. Great finish. Better after 2022, but hard not to drink this now.James Suckling | 99 JSColgin's 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill is fabulous. Rich, dense and beautifully textured, the 2016 possesses tremendous nuance and pure class. An exotic mélange of super-ripe dark cherry, plum, spice, rose petal and mocha develop effortlessly, but it is the wine's balance that really stands out most. I imagine the 2016 will give readers a broad window of pure drinking pleasure. This is a super-refined, polished vintage for the Tychson Hill.Vinous Media | 98 VMYouthfully dense, with a broad swath of tobacco and ganache up front, this slowly reveals a pure, large-scale core of raspberry, red currant and plum fruit. This moves slowly and authoritatively through the fine-grained finish, gilded with anise and graphite details. To be released March 2020. Best from 2021 through 2035. 550 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 2016 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine is blended of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it has wonderful purity of black fruits—preserved plums, blackcurrants and black raspberries—with nuances of iron ore, crushed rocks, fertile loam, cedar chest and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, concentrated, muscular and built like a brick house, it has very firm, grainy tannins and refreshing acidity, finishing incredibly long and mineral. This should be very, very long lived.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPThe highlight in this range today, the 2016 Cariad is utterly magnificent. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot give the wine soaring aromatic intensity and striking savoriness to play off the racy, forward fruit. Time in barrel has done wonders to meld all the elements together. Today, the Cariad is dense, explosive and super-expressive. And yet my sense is that the 2016 still has quite a bit of room to grow. Even at this early stage, the 2016 is a total stunner. The symbiosis of David Abreu fruit and Allision Tauziet’s winemaking makes for an electric, unforgettable 2016. Don’t miss it.Vinous Media | 100 VMAmazing aromas of dark fruit and sweet, subtle tobacco. Complex. Multidimensional. Hypnotic. Full-bodied, very plush and rich on the palate with layers of fruit and tannins. Yet, it remains cool.James Suckling | 98 JSComing from the Madrona Ranch and a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, the 2016 Cariad is a more powerful, concentrated, burly effort that has a massive amount of black and blue fruits, charcoal, savory herbs, and graphite-like aromas and flavors. This beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, loads of tannins, a deep, stacked mid-palate, and a huge finish. Where the Tychson Hill is power married to elegance, this beauty is more power and structure. It needs at least a decade of cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDRich and very suave in style, with a gorgeous core of pure plum, blackberry and cassis notes sailing through the long finish, which is supported by a well-buried graphite edge that allows the creamy feel to gain the upper hand while keeping everything grounded. A beautiful display of restrained power. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. To be released March 2020. Best from 2021 through 2035. 750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The quality of the 2016 Proprietary Red Wine shouldn’t surprise anyone. This estate rarely misses a beat, and in a great vintage like 2016, they’ve made a perfect wine. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as extraordinary notes of crème de cassis, blackcurrants, herbes de Provence, tobacco, graphite, and a who knows what else, this beauty hits the palate with a deep, powerful, full-bodied style that has enough structure to warrant a decade of cellaring. The purity is off the charts, it builds incrementally on the palate, and has a finish that won’t quit. Reminding me a little of the 2013, yet with a touch more elegance, do your best to hide bottles for at least 5-7 years and it’s going to keep for 30-40 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis is so tight and vibrant with a huge amount of detail and precision, coupled with density and brightness, superb length and class. The tannins are horizontal and so polished. The most refined, harmonious and focused Harlan ever? Subtle strength in this wine. You can drink it now or age it for years ahead.James Suckling | 100 JSThe deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Harlan Estate comes charging out of the glass, brandishing bold, opulent blackberry pie, warm cassis and blueberry preserves notes with hints of cigar box, Indian spices, crushed rocks and forest floor plus fragrant accents of lavender and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, with a solid line of super ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the layer upon layer of savory and earth-inspired notions, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Impressively structured, incredibly nuanced and possessing all this latent tension, this brazen beauty is set to live for a good 60 years and possibly more!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 100 RPA wine of tremendous breeding and pure stature, the 2016 Harlan Estate reaches dizzying heights of profound beauty. All the elements simply fall into place in an effortless, elegant Harlan Estate that really captures the essence of the year. Sweet tobacco, spice, menthol and mocha overtones give the 2016 beguiling aromatic presence to match its layered, sumptuous personality. More than anything else, the 2016 is a fabulous example of the Harlan Estate of today, an era in which finesse is just as prized as intensity.Vinous Media | 98 VMA warm, seductive and creamy wine, with dark fig and blackberry puree flavors, liberally laced with cocoa, dark tobacco and licorice root notes Very polished in feel overall, but a lovely echo of dark earth augments the fruit through the finish. A bit exotic, but also undeniable. Best from 2022 through 2042. 2,350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

Probably my favorite in the entire lineup, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between comes from a tiny site just outside of Calistoga formerly known as the Pickett Road Vineyard. Like the 2015, the 2016 includes a touch of Cabernet Franc and spent the usual 32 months in 100% new French oak. This full-bodied, majestic Napa Valley Cabernet reveals a dense purple hue, awesome crème de cassis and kirsch fruit, amazing complexity in its spicy, sandalwood, and floral aromatics, and a massive yet elegant, lengthy personality. The texture is through the roof, it’s as seamless and polished as they come, perfectly balanced, and while I’d happily drink bottles today, my money is on this evolving for 3-4 decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JD

The 2016 Trinoro is one of the most extraordinary wines I have ever tasted from Trinoro and proprietor Andrea Franchetti. Deep and yet also silky, with exceptionally refined tannins and exquisite balance, the 2016 has so much to recommend it. Dark raspberry jam, white chocolate, mint and rose petal notes are all finely knit in this sublime, exquisitely beautiful wine. The finish alone boasts mind-bending intensity and persistence.Vinous Media | 100 VMThe 2016 Tenuta di Trinoro is a truly gorgeous creation. The flagship wine from Tenuta di Trinoro is 48% Cabernet Franc and 52% Merlot (fermented in steel like the other top-shelf wines from this estate, followed by eight months in new barrique and 11 months in cement). The alcohol here clocks in at 15.5%, and you do feel it. This powerful Tuscan blend offers nice, ripe intensity and bold movements. It is rich and beautiful, layering out tranches of fruit, cinnamon and spice in perfect harmony. It is a full-bodied wine with some sweet cinnamon spice on the close. Some 6,000 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPPure, ripe flavors of plum, blackberry and fruitcake are wrapped in toasty oak. This is dense, picking up earth and tobacco notes as the spice elements echo on the firm finish. The lasting impression is of saturated fruit. Everything is in proportion for a long life ahead. Best from 2022 through 2035. 500 cases made, 55 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe highest percentage of Merlot in Tenuta di Trinoro (with the exception of 2019), thanks to a cool summer – and even some hail in early July. From this vintage, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon have been dropped from the flagship wine due to the increasing quality of the Cab Franc and Merlot. A green harvest was carried out, along with trimming the canopy. The Merlot was picked over the course of several days, commencing on 24 September, and – as Andrea reported – on 10 October ‘the moon was rising fast and the [Cabernet Franc] grapes thrust forward into maturity.’ Picking of the Cabernet Franc was completed on 13 October. Vibrant and bold, the 2016 has a rich Merlot nose with dried fruits, potpourri and damp earth. In the mouth, ripe red and black berries mingle with black cherry and raspberry coulis hints. Plentiful grippy, chalky tannins and a stony mid-palate give shape and structure. Spicy and fresh. 6,000 bottles made.Decanter | 95 DECPlum, underbrush, exotic spice and French oak aromas jump out of the glass on this concentrated Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend. The bold, dense palate offers blackberry jam, licorice, vanilla and tobacco framed in firm, velvety tannins. It closes on the warmth of alcohol. Kerin O’Keefe | 94 KOPlum, underbrush, exotic spice and French oak aromas jump out of the glass on this concentrated Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend. The bold dense palate offers blackberry jam, licorice, vanilla and tobacco framed in firm velvety tannins. It closes on the warmth of alcohol.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

Another perfect wine is the 2016 Thorevilos, and my notes on this beauty were laced with expletives. Full-bodied, mammoth-sized aromas and flavors of cassis, crushed flowers, dark chocolate, rare meat, and Asia spices all emerge from the glass. With incredible mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a seamless texture, it has flawless integration of its fruit, tannins, and acidity, no hard edges, and that rare mix of power and elegance. It’s already hard to resist yet will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 20-30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDPhenomenal aromas of blackberries, fresh lavender, orange peel and hints of asphalt. Walnut shell, too. Full-bodied, firm and super structured with wonderful, chewy tannins and purity of fruit at the end. A joy to taste, even drink now, but needs time to come around. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2016 Thorevilos has developed into a very sexy, racy wine. I don’t remember a young Thorevilos being this approachable. Rose petal, mint, sage, dried flowers and mint are some of the many notes that open up with a bit of time in the glass. This is such a gorgeous and totally compelling wine. In a word: superb.Vinous Media | 98 VMThis vineyard lies east of the St Helena AVA, but it isn’t high enough in elevation to be considered part of the Howell Mountain AVA. Don’t let the Napa Valley AVA fool you—this vineyard, now rechristened as Ecotone, is a top site, with lots of rock and white soils derived from volcanic ash. The 2016 Thorevilos Proprietary Red features scents of pine needles and rosemary accenting mixed berries and cassis, plus darker notions of chocolate and French roast. Full-bodied, rich and velvety in texture, it finishes long, smooth and savory, adding notes of black olives and earth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPA stunner, with a seriously deep, dark core of warmed blackberry, black currant and fig paste flavors coursing along, laced with bay leaf, cassis bush, roasted alder, smoldering charcoal, cast iron and stone notes. The tarry structure will carry this through what should be a very slow evolution. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2040. 317 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

The 2016 Las Posadas is a stunning Howell Mountain wine. Inky, rich and hedonistically beautiful, the 2016 is simply magnificent. Crème de cassis, chocolate, menthol, licorice, lavender, cloves, mint, graphite and crushed rocks are all amped up in the glass. Unctuous, creamy and super-expressive, the Posadas captures the opulence of Howell Mountain. It is simply magnificent in every way.Vinous Media | 100 VMA blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Las Posadas Proprietary Red is an amazing effort that’s just entering what will be an extended drinking window. Gorgeous notes of blueberries, black cherries and mulberries appear on the nose, joined by a subtle leafiness (tobacco? bay?) that helps to temper the sweet nature of the fruit and bring a more savory, food-friendly quality to the wine. It’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with a stunningly long finish that manages to be both velvety and vibrant.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPBlueberries and blackberries with fresh herbs and hints of walnuts and almonds. Some crushed stones. Full body and tight, chewy tannins. Dark fruit and resin and cedar undertones. Extremely long and flavorful. Finely crafted. Drink after 2022.James Suckling | 99 JSFeatures seemingly endless waves of steeped blackberry, warmed fig and cassis flavors rolling through, supported by graphite girders and ornately laced with charcoal, dark bay leaf, alder and tar notes. The fruit and earth elements meld seamlessly through the rock-solid finish. As beautiful as it is large-scaled, this is built for cellaring. Next level. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. Best from 2022 through 2042. 319 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2016 Las Posadas comes from a higher elevation site on Howell Mountain and has an undeniable mountain fruit structure as well as intensity. Stunning notes of pure crème de cassis, hot asphalt, bay leaf, black olives, and a touch of beef blood all emerge from this big, rich, full-bodied powerhouse. It’s loaded with potential, has huge tannins, a mountain of fruit, and a great, great finish. It’s almost impenetrable, though, and needs a solid 7-8 years or more of cellaring.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JD

A perfect wine in every sense, the 2016 Madrona Ranch comes from a site at the base of Spring Mountain and is a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It does everything right, with a magical bouquet of currants, ground herbs, licorice, graphite, spice, and who knows what else. These all carry to a massive 2016 that has a layered, multi-dimensional texture, building tannins, a colossal mid-palate, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s another heavenly wine from a great terroir and a great winemaker! Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 30-40 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThis is phenomenal. The precision and brightness is amazing with ultra-fine tannins that are so polished and so beautiful. Full to medium body and fabulous fruit. Wonderful length and beauty. The purity and balance is incredible. Dark berries, walnuts and dark chocolate. Makes you want to drink it now, but be patient and revel in the greatness. Try after 2022.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 2016 Madrona Ranch is fabulous. Rich, dense and creamy, the 2016 is remarkably finessed from the very first taste. Rose petal, mint, spice, gravel, red cherry and blood orange are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass, but more than anything else the Madrona Ranch is a wine of extraordinary balance and allure. Don’t miss it!Vinous Media | 99 VMOn the brooding side at first, with a core of dark fig and black currant paste flavors, ensconced in cocoa and roasted alder notes. A warm, loamy underpinning emerges steadily through the muscular finish, gaining a creamy feel and extra chestnut, tobacco, licorice root and tar elements with air. This relies on a seriously profound bass line, so just check your subwoofer before hitting play. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2042. 345 cases made.Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2016 Madrona Ranch Proprietary Red comes from David Abreu’s first vineyard love, located in St. Helena at the base of Spring Mountain (visitors to Newton Vineyards traverse the property). Like so many other great full-bodied reds, it’s massively concentrated and rich yet also possesses a certain lightness and elegance, so that it never seems heavy or overdone. Marked by cassis and dark-chocolate notes, it’s wonderfully satisfying, with a long, velvety finish and soft layers of ripe tannins.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP

This is the second 100-point Vigna Le Rocche, following the 2015. What the former had in intensity of fruit and transparency, this has in structure and power. The purity of fruit is sensational in this young Barolo, offering blackberries, black truffle and iron. Rust too. This is so tannic and powerful with incredible structure. This may be the most structured Barolo from Bruno Giacosa I have ever tasted as a young wine. Speechless. Full-bodied and so intense, yet it remains fresh and agile. Traditional in every sense of the word, but this is clear and clean. A classic in the making. It will be in the market January 2022. Leave this for at least six to eight years. Try in 2027.James Suckling | 100 JSThe Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d’Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP

The 2016 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is quite possibly the single greatest wine I have tasted in more than twenty years I have been coming here, with the possible exception of the 1989s and 1990s. Deep and powerful, but not at all heavy, the 2016 dazzles from the very first taste. Dark cherry/plum fruit, menthol, lavender, licorice and mocha saturate the palate in a Barolo of extraordinary richness and intensity. The 2016 spent four years in 100% new oak, and yet there is no trace at all of wood. Magnificent!Vinous Media | 100 VMShows an initial impression of vanilla and spices, especially in the aromas, yet underneath is a solid line of cherry, raspberry, wild scrub and iron flavors. An elegant and intense red, with refined tannins and a lingering, nervy finish. Best from 2026 through 2045. 650 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The ripest, most sexy, and opulent in the lineup, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnement is pure magic in a glass and tops out on my scale. Reminding me of some of the older Harlan Estate releases with its massive yet seamless style, this beauty boasts a monster bouquet of chocolate covered blackcurrants, lavender, crushed violets, new leather, unsmoked tobacco, and flowery incense. Coming from a selection of the top barrels in the vintage, this full-bodied, masterful Cabernet is gorgeously textured and has a stacked, layered mid-palate, perfectly ripe tannins, and a great finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it never grew tired or oxidized (which is rare). It’s one of those wines that’s going to drink brilliantly for all of its life. Enjoy this beauty any time over the coming 20-30 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnement is a barrel selection blend of all three of Morlet’s estate vineyards: Coeur de Vallée in Oakville, Morlet Estate in St. Helena and Mon Chevalier in Knights Valley. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it reveals a deep garnet-purple color and vibrant notes of crushed black and red currants, Morello cherries and boysenberries with suggestions of menthol, Indian spices, black truffles and pencil shavings. The big, concentrated, full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating black fruit layers with a velvety texture and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick. 270 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionement is a blend from estate vineyards in St. Helena and Knights Valley. Bold and unctuous in the glass, the 2018 offers plenty of richness and depth, even if some slightly angular contours remain. Like all of the 2018s here, the Passionement is decidedly laid back and less bombastic than some previous editions, but it still boasts tremendous power to match its brooding profile. Chocolate, new leather, licorice and lavender linger.Vinous Media | 96 VMRipe and dense, showing a core of plum, cassis and dark cherry reduction flavors, with subtle warm earth and sweet tobacco notes filtering through on the broad finish. Delivers a polished structure that holds everything together. Best from 2022 through 2032. 300 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Orthodox in taste and vinification, a Brunello of intensity and tension. The nose shows hints of pomegranate, with touches of eucalyptus and juniper, then citrine thyme in the closing. Sip with salty-sapid tannins, with a return of balsamic notes and pomegranate.Luca Gardini (Gardini Notes) | 100 GNPerfumed with sweet berry, fresh flower and cedar aromas that follow through to a medium-bodied palate with firm and chewy tannins and a fresh finish. Very classy and structured. Extremely long. Give it time to open. Drink after 2026.James Suckling | 98 JSShowing the intensity and concentration of the vintage but also the finesse that’s the hallmark of this storied estate, the 2019 Fuligni is a stunner. It opens with aromas of camphor, violet, dog rose and spice while the full-bodied, enveloping palate delivers succulent black cherry, crushed raspberry, dried mint and licorice alongside velvety tannins. Boasting a weightless elegance, it closes on a note of almond liqueur. Drink 2029–2039. Abv: 15% Kerin O’Keefe | 97 KOWith dark fruit balanced out by savory notes of tobacco leaf or cigar ash, the Fuligni 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is rich and beautifully concentrated. In little time, the bouquet reveals a floral interlude with dried rose petal and a tropical note of hibiscus. This wine shows a lot of angles, all very pleasant, that work together. The tannins are dusty and finely textured with a hint of powdery cocoa to close. Production is 33,000 bottles.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPDusty and floral, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino opens with a perfumed blend of dried roses, cherries, mint and lavender candies. It’s elegant and seamlessly silky on the palate, enveloping the senses with ripe red berry fruits contrasted by a bitter clove tinge. A core of brisk acidity maintains a lovely balance as a web of fine tannins saturates the palate, and a pleasantly chewy sensation remains. The 2019 is classic to the core.Vinous Media | 96 VM

A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2019 La Joie is deep garnet-purple in color. It has a wonderfully flashy and flamboyant nose of blackcurrant cordial, redcurrant jelly, plum preserves, and potpourri with hints of chocolate mint, tilled soil, chalk dust, and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is very taut and muscular with tons of bright, crunchy black fruits and wonderful tension, finishing with tons of earthy nuances. 2,500 cases were made.The Wine Independent | 100 TWIComposed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and the remainder of Petit Verdot, the 2019 La Joie is compact and unfolds more slowly in the glass. The nose is rich with graphite, sage oil, and black plum. The palate is full of kirsch, fresh leather, currant, and tobacco, with fine tannins that go for ages, along with the fruit and well-balanced acidity. This will warrant 3-5 years cellar to express its full potential over the following 20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2019 La Joie is striking on the nose with its pure, alluring scents of violet and iron. As it spends time in the glass, it gains intensity, blossoming to aromas of crème de cassis, mint chocolate, licorice, truffle and softening new French oak spices. The palate is bursting with concentrated flavors characterized by energetic acidity rather than weight or extraction. It features tremendously velvety tannins and a very long finish with ringing graphite and violet tones.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThe purity of fruit with currants, spices and flowers is very impressive, as is the long, creamy texture. Full-bodied with medium, round tannins and a fresh finish. Oyster and iodine notes come through. Excellent. Drink after 2026.James Suckling | 98 JSThis Sonoma County Bordeaux Blend shows the balance of the 2019 vintage. As serious as it gets. Predominantly Cabernet (84%), with lesser parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Both elegant and showy, with fantastic aromatics. Capsicum and savoury herbs introduce pronounced black fruit aromas. A vintage that produced small berries has resulted in a wine of great concentration, wild anise, black cherries and dark chocolate. Finely knit with elegant, savoury character marked by bay leaf and mountain scrub. Fresh, this wine is where finesse meets concentration.Decanter | 96 DEC

The tiny production 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Le Secret Des Sabon is a field blend of mostly Grenache brought up all in wooden tronconique barrels. It’s closest in style to the Prestige Cuvée yet brings another level of opulence and richness without losing any sense of elegance or class. Blackberries, peppery herbs, graphite, crushed violets, and a liquid rock-like minerality all define the nose, and it hits the palate with incredible depth of fruit, full-bodied richness, and ripe yet building tannins. While the acidity is technically quite low (the pH is 3.8), it holds onto an undeniable sense of freshness and purity. It is just a thrilling, magical wine from this estate. While young and unevolved, with 3-5 years of cellaring required, it is a modern-day legend capable of evolving for over two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDA top-notch effort, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret de Sabon—a blend of two old-vine Grenache parcels from sandier soils—offers up some floral and raspberry notes set against a dark backdrop of plums, mocha and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, dense and rich, it’s almost fudge-like in intensity, but with adequate freshness, a deeply plush texture and tremendous length on the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPShimmering ruby. Powerful, mineral-accented black raspberry and cherry liqueur aromas are complemented by incense, licorice and potpourri flourishes. Juicy, sweet and impressively concentrated, offering palate-staining red/blue fruit, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Brawny yet surprisingly lithe as well, showing outstanding clarity and youthfully chewy tannins on the strikingly long, floral and spice-tinged finish.Vinous Media | 96 VMJuicy, dense and packed, yet remarkably defined, with a mix of plum and racy-edged blackberry, boysenberry and raspberry reduction flavors, all laced with a licorice snap thread. Black tea, garrigue and humus accents underscore the finish as the fruit sails through with aplomb. A beauty. Drink now through 2038. 125 cases made, 42 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSVery dark, powerful, slightly tarry and roasted with a very intense - almost too intense - acidity. Surprisingly dark for Grenache on sandy soils, extremely concentrated. A driving, focussed, mineral expression that will take some time to reach its peak. Long finish. 3,000 bottles made. Mostly grown on sand, fermented in stainless steel, then aged in tronconic wooden vats. Drinking Window 2022 - 2045.Decanter | 96 DEC

Rousseau Clos de Bèze is a blend of three plots that total 1.42ha. Cyrielle believes the wine shows better in its youth than Chambertin. Both wines, however, are vinified in the same way: destemmed, long maceration, gentle extraction and ageing in new François Frères barrels. The result is sublime: charming in its youth, with accessible, ripe notes of red and black fruits, spice, mineral and game, plus a velvety, dense texture that is firm but not forbidding. This has the substance to last fifty years if cellared well. Drinking Window 2029 - 2069.Decanter | 100 DEC(Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru Red) Equally subtle wood frames the even spicier if slightly riper nose that reflects a layered blend of red currant, violet, rose petal, earth and a whisper of exotic tea. The full-bodied if slightly less concentrated flavors also reflect an abundance of minerality on the firm, serious and equally well-balanced, youthfully austere and hugely long finale. I usually prefer one or the other [Chambertin] at this stage each year but in 2019, while the two wines are noticeably different, it’s not clear which will ultimately be the more interesting. In sum, this is a choice but one where there is no wrong answer as this too is brilliant! (Drink starting 2041)Burghound | 98 BHThe 2019 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru clearly has more intensity than the Chambertin. True, it is showing a little more wood at the moment, but I also find more fruit – raspberry and wild strawberry – interlaced with shavings of black truffle and forest fern. The palate is medium-bodied with supple but firm tannins. This is endowed with impressive depth and body weight and yet it retains disarming elegance on a finish that fans out gloriously. "This is the business" is the phrase that passed through my mind as I tried to keep a stoic face after encountering this fabulous Clos-de-Bèze.Vinous Media | 97-99 VM(Chambertin “Clos de Bèze”- Domaine Armand Rousseau) The Rousseau family’s Clos de Bèze is equally brilliant in 2019. The wine is always a touch more exotic out of the blocks than the Chambertin here and this is again the case in this vintage. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a blaze of sappy black cherries, black raspberries, black minerality, smoked meats, dark chocolate, cedary oak and a touch of black tea in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with great depth at the core, superb complexity and mineral drive, firm, buried tannins and a long, vibrant and focused finish. A great wine by any measure. (Drink between 2036-2100)John Gilman | 96+ JGDeeper-pitched and more carnal than the Chambertin, Rousseau’s 2019 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru mingles aromas of cherries, cassis and raspberries with hints of Asian spices, incense, smoked tea, rich soil tones and grilled duck. Full-bodied, sumptuous and enveloping, it’s bright and lively, with a fleshy core of concentrated fruit, succulent acids and powdery structuring tannins. Long and perfumed, this is a sensual Clos de Bèze in the making.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RP

Sassicaia 2019 spent 25 months in oak (one-third new). ‘We are going longer in oak in the past few years,’ said Carlo Paoli, managing director of Tenuta San Guido. Quite pale in the glass, the nose is extremely graceful and intense with a lavender note enhanced by restrained bramble fruits, fermented citrus peel, an intense violet aroma and graphite minerality in depth. The attack is soft and full, the flavor savoury and cedary through to the finish, with integrated velvety tannins and lifted acidity. A perfectly woven structure is bound with signature freshness and fruit vibrancy, making this one for the long haul. Drinking Window 2022 - 2050Decanter | 100 DECThis 2019 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is really very special. A subtle change has occurred and the typically aristocratic and elegant finesse of Sassicaia now has a little more joie de vivre. It is intense and deeply concentrated without being heavy and with very fine, beautifully integrated tannins that harmonize with the body of the wine. Carlo Paoli, MD and head of winemaking, views 2019 as “one of the great vintages of the last decades. Although it was not generous in quantity (about 15% less than in 2016), for the quality of the grapes… it is to be considered exceptional.” The winemaking team are at their peak in terms of understanding and managing the vineyards and the more extreme vintage variations they face due to climate change... The 2019 reminds me a lot of the sublime 2016 but somehow it is bolder with even more energy, vivacity, and exuberance. Drink from 2024-2050.The Wine Independent | 100 TWIThe 2019 Sassicaia is a thing of beauty. It showcases everything you would expect from this iconic wine, balance, precision and gorgeous fruit character are all on display. It begins with expressive aromatics of dark cherries and blackberries…. On the palate this is even more impressive, as it shows a remarkable combination of elegance and finesse, alongside a richly textured mouthfeel that is backed by beautiful ripe fruit. Pure and expressive, this goes on to show a wonderful sense of freshness that builds all the way through the long, persistent finish. This has it all and it is a simply thrilling release which offers plenty of upfront appeal, but will also thrive for decades in the cellar. I love what this vintage has to offer at this early stage and would expect the 2019 to ultimately be mentioned in conversation with some of the greatest vintages of Sassicaia ever. International Wine Report | 100 IWRThe purity of cabernet sauvignon fruit is exceptional here, with character and sensibility that’s reminiscent of some of the great Sassicaias from the 1980s, such as 1982 or 1988. But this is much more precise and clean. Aromas and flavors of currants and berries with cedar and earth. Sage and minty character, too. It’s full-bodied yet there’s so much polish and balance, together with structure, elegance, and refinement. Hard not to drink at this stage, yet give it time and respect. This will be a classic Sass and reminds me why I love this wine. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 99 JSEnticing aromas of blue flower, cassis, camphor and spice are front and center in this stunning red. The lithe, savory palate features black currant, red plum and star anise while tobacco notes linger on the long finish. Elegant, polished tannins and bright acidity keep it beautifully balanced and focused. Drink 2025–2044.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEThe latest release from Tenuta San Guido is the 2019 Bolgheri Sassicaia. The bouquet is up front and very expressive from the get-go. It offers a generous display of crunchy, dark cherry that hints at the extra concentration and fruit weight obtained in the 2019 growing season. This vintage will be remembered for the crisp richness of the fruit and its important textural imprint. It also shows fine elegance, bordering on the ethereal, with berry aromas, tarry earth and brushes of balsam herb or grilled rosemary. Sassicaia always shows an almost-glossy finely knit quality to the polished mouthfeel, and I find it again here next to fresh acidity and firm tannins. Mouthfeel in 2019 is the wine’s strongest suit. The 2019 is one of the prettiest and most balanced editions of Sassicaia we’ve seen this past decade, along with the back-to-back duo of 2016 and 2015. The 2019 marries the precision of the 2016 with the rich fruit weight of the 2015.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPSupple and beautifully defined, with black cherry, black currant and blackberry fruit augmented by tobacco, iron and thyme. Firmly structured, tightening up as this lingers with an aftertaste of dark fruit, graphite and spice. Shows a sense of elegance as well as power and intensity. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024Wine Spectator | 98 WSThe 2019 Sassicaia is restrained and also a bit reticent in its first impression. Rose petal, dried herbs, blood orange, mint, sweet pipe tobacco and cinnamon give the 2019 striking aromatic presence. The 2019 is a mid-weight, very classic feeling Sassicaia that is going to need a number of years to open. There’s good fruit depth, but the tannins are not as polished as they usually are. That could be a result of lingering stress from frost that year or recent bottling. The 2019 saw 18-20 days on the skins with natural ferments. Malos followed in tank. Aging was 25 months in barrel (1/3rd new), a longer elevage than normal. The 2019 shows beautifully with a few hours of aeration, so I am optimistic for the future. Let’s see what happens. Antonio Galloni | 94+ AG

It has a supremely enticing nose.. With the 2019 there is an added precision to the aromas, less heavy oak, and no greenness on the palate. It is concentrated with a rich velvety texture but without any heaviness and with a gentle unforced quality. The tannins are fine and very well integrated, in fact finer and better integrated than even the excellent 2016 vintage. It is of course very young now but it’s almost too delicious not to drink! Supremely graceful, it just gets better and better.TWI | 100 TWIThe 2019 Cepparello has closed down quite a bit since I tasted it last year, as if all of its energy is focused inward. That won’t be an issue in another few years’ time, but for now readers should resist any temptation to open bottles. Time in the glass brings out gorgeous Sangiovese fruit, along with hints of blood orange, spice, cedar, mint and tobacco, all wrapped together by plush, silky contours. The purity of the fruit is just striking. In 2019, Cepparello is more finesse than power. I expect it will age beautifully over the next several decades.Antonio Galloni | 96 AGSo much licorice and fennel seed with black cherry and a hint of tomato paste. Medium body, round texture and savory flavors. Pretty and fresh at the end, with subtle flavors. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 94 JS

Lastly, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape XXL is pure magic and one of the most singular wines out there. Based on 65% Grenache and the rest Syrah and other varieties, it was only 30% destemmed and brought up all in demi-muids. Where previous vintages of this beauty were almost over the top, the 2019 shows a more elegant, pure, balanced profile as well as incredible aromatics of ripe red and black fruits, herbes de Provence, ground pepper, violets, and other notes of Southern Rhône-like goodness. Incredibly powerful and opulent, it somehow manages to stay perfectly balanced, has a wonderful sense of freshness, silky yet substantial tannins, and an awesome finish. Unfortunately, there are just over 300 cases produced, so it won’t be easy to find, but this ranks with the all-time greats. It deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and should evolve for 30 years if well-stored.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JD