The 2022 from Alexander van Beek and the team at Giscours is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I find a real sense of fragrant harmony but also bright energy here...

‘Aura’ is part of the Beau Vigne ‘Cult’ series of wines produced by Julien Fayard. This full-flavoured, full-bodied, lip-smacking red wine features heady oak spices nicely balanced by ripe, juicy black cherry and...

If I had to pick a wine that encapsulates the essence of Calistoga, it might very well be Kelly Fleming's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. The darkness, the depth, the brawn, the pure power, the intense savoriness. It's...

A ripe ruby/magenta hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast takes on youthful tarry aromas that take time to blow off, revealing notes of black raspberries, baked cherries, violets, mushroomy earth, and wild forest herbs...

The 2023 Lytton Springs is powerfully aromatic and expressive from the jump. It explodes from the glass with dark blue fruit, lavender and blood orange peel, framed by mocha-like richness and a wave of exotic spice. The...

Amazing aromas of honeysuckle, grapefruit, heather, rosemary, Meyer lemon and hints of blanched almonds. It’s medium- to full-bodied with a creamy texture and nougat flavors, as well as esters and lavender honey. Hint of...

Served blind, I'd think this was a top Hermitage due to its smoky character, topped with mint, peppery herbs, barbecued meat, black currants, blackberries, along with a hint of blueberry. The palate is rich, full-bodied...

A vertiginous tight-rope walk between savory and sweet on the nose, from white tea leaf to tart blackberries to bing cherries to damp earth and gunpowder on the nose somersaults into ripe blackberries, black cherries...

Elegant, sweet, juicy, and fresh, there is a purity to the sweet kirsch that defines the wine. The finish focuses on its mineral characteristics that accompany the raspberries, kirsch, and cherries. This is a knockout...

The 2023 Dominus is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple-black in color, it slowly unfurls to reveal a powerful core of blackcurrant jelly, ripe black plums, and fresh...

The 2023 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard is bursting with cranberry, Italian plum, lilac, shiitake mushroom, tobacco and forest floor aromas, offering additional details with each return to the glass. Medium-bodied, it floods...

Offers beautifully rendered notes of hibiscus, rose petal, damson plum and mulberry that stretch out lengthily thanks to the fine-beaded acidity and taut, precise tannins. The sapid finish lets in tea and incense hints...

Sourced from a variety of sites in the Sta. Rita Hills, the 2023 Chardonnay White Hill matured entirely in neutral wood for nine months and is particularly overperforming this vintage. Yellow orchard fruits and pastry...

The 2016 Champagne Cristal is chalky and pristine, with a crystalline nature and notes of white peach, fresh citrus blossoms, and bright salinity. Tasted for the first time last year, it captures a precise and focused...

95+ The 2021 I Sodi di San Niccolò is a powerhouse. Many recent vintages have been showier, but not the 2021. It's a wine that is going to require many years to shed its baby fat. Dark fruit, lavender, rose petal, menthol...

The most impressive aspect of the Castello della Sala ethos is its ability to reinvent itself. This latest edition of Umbria's headline white is a true delight. Renzo Cotarella and his team have created an Italian...

This vintage has a lean structure with firm tanins, ripe plums and truffle; the oak dominates from start to grippy finish. - SUZANNE MUSTACICH

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard, blended with 12% Petit Verdot, is aging gracefully and just beginning to soften at the edges. The nose is woodsy and spicy with porcini powder, aniseed and new leather aromas...

A tightly focused beam of bitter cherry, damson plum and raspberry coulis streams through, with mouthwatering cut in the form of ocean breeze minerality that runs from start to finish. Iris and rose hip notes fill in the...

This is deep and winey, with cassis, plum paste and linzer torte notes leading the way. Structured but succulent, offering singed apple wood, bay and cast iron accents that support the fruit through the long and focused...

The 2020 Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour is a blend of 53% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with vivacious notes of stewed blackberries, raspberry...

This has good concentration and energy to the dense core of dark fruit and bitter cherry, with great poise and elegance despite its ripeness (an impressive feat for the vintage). Guided by finely crushed mineral accents...

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard is in a wonderful spot for drinking right now. Blended with 15% Petit Verdot, it has a deep garnet color and beautiful aromas of truffle, pipe tobacco, graphite and...

A bird of a different feather, this marries a polished feel with the nervy, underlying zip of sel gris and quinine notes, while its core of green almond, star fruit and white peach opens slowly. Shows subtle accents of...

The 2021 Le Petit Clos is composed of 68% Carménère, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak. It features black and red fruit with a distinct floral bouquet, contrasting with the more...

This takes a graceful tack, offering supple, cedar-lined notes of gently mulled red currant and black cherry fruit that glide through the tobacco-, mint-, licorice- and sandalwood-accented finish. Offering charm rather...

The 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva is entirely Sangiovese from Radda and was raised for two years in oak casks. It opens to a polished yet pure profile with aromas of lavender, grenadine, sweet sage, and fresh leather. It...

Very ripe and perfumed on the nose, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva is a dark red/ruby color and offers notes of baked berries, candied flowers, sappy herbs, and candied cherries. Full-bodied, it's ripe without...