While pulsating with ripeness, a bristling freshness and spine-tingling delicacy of texture make this basic bottling from Pierre Usseglio extraordinary. Red-plum and raspberry flavors are concentrated yet plush, etched by...

The 2018 Moulin-à-Vent Les Trois Roches is also showing very well, exhibiting an inviting bouquet of black raspberries, spices, candied peel and peonies. On the palate, it's full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, with a deep...

It’s rare to taste gamay from Moulin-à-Vent and think of Volnay. And, as much as I would praise the beauty and grandeur of this wine, a pure extract of the earth, I wonder what that association with the Côte de Beaune is...

(91-93 points) Old vines. Medium deep pink purple. Fine nose with more muscle than Epenottes. Darker fruit, more muscle but the tannins are well integrated. Good length. And still pleasingly understated.

Sourced from the producer's flagship monopole vineyard, this blackberried sip spotlights ripe but pristine berry and cherry flavors accented by whispers of smoke and peppery spice. Moderately full in body, it's silken and...

This estate is in a cool, limestone terroir on the eastern side of Saint- Emilion, and it's been firing on all cylinders over the past decade, in no small part due to the talented director, David Suire. The 2018 Château...

A rock star Margaux that should be snatched up by readers, the 2018 Château Marquis D'Alesme reveals a dense purple hue as well as ripe, sexy notes of blackcurrants, spicy oak, tobacco leaf, earth, and cedar. Deep...

Cigar box, cedar, tobacco leaf, flowers, blackberry, currants, licorice, vanilla and dark cherry aromatics create the nose. On the palate, the wine is round,, soft, polished and fresh with good sweetness to the fruits...

Absolutely bursting with blue and red fruits, the concentration is deceptive here, as it starts out juicy and full of air, but after a few minutes in the glass you start to feel the weight and the texture, and this turns...

(92-95 points) Warm and steeped in feel, with fig, blackberry and plum fruit notes, layered with tobacco and warm earth details. A strong showing. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now. - JM

This powerful, structured wine is packed with the ripest Merlot, with magnificent tannins and dark-plum flavors. Freshness shines through all this density, giving the wine considerable aging potential. Drink this rich...

Blackcurrant, pine cone, walnut, crushed gravel and dried flowers on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined. Try from 2023.

(91-93 points) The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Village comes from four hectares of old vines worked by Arnaud Mortet himself. It has a crisp, focused bouquet, quite mineral-driven, with so much freshness. The very well-defined...

The wine of the vintage. Compelling in every sense of the word, the wine is incredibly dark in color. The aromatics kick off with an amazing display of spices, herbs, wet earth, leaf, pepper, grilled meat, black...

A well-constructed wine that is ripe with black fruits and integrated tannins, this is in a good place for aging. Black-currant fruitiness is balanced by a dry, smoky core that holds promise. Drink this wine from 2026. ...

(93-95 points) Slow to ripen, which was a blessing in 2018, but picked before the rain. Dense concentrated purple. The nose is discreet but fine, the palate an absolute explosion of really dense fruit with a fine crisp...

Lush in texture and balanced on the soft side, this red displays black cherry, blackberry, violet and earth flavors. Terrific harmony and a long, complex finish of fruit and mineral. Will be approachable in the short...

This has a showy side, with expressive singed vanilla, alder and mocha notes leading the way, followed by plush plum and blackberry compote flavors. The finish pulls in warm earth and iron hints, adding cut and range...

Aromas of ripe berry, mushroom, ash and smoke follow through to a full body with a ripe, juicy center palate and lots of creamy tannins that are balanced and refined. Generous and very intense. Tight palate now. Give it...

A lifted hint of oak toast is faint on the fresh nose of this wine. On the palate, the dense fruit strikes first and takes center stage. This wine brims with ripe, crunchy red-cherry notes, framed and help by firm...

(92-94 points) The base Gigondas, the 2018 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is a blend from both the La Louisiane and Pigière lieux-dits near the estate (due to the dismal yields, there’s no Souteyrade cuvée in 2018) and is 80%...

This is a very linear red and layered at the same time, showing blackberry, blueberry, black-truffle, bark and stone character. Chalk and minerality, too. It’s full-bodied and well framed with gorgeous intensity and...

Brilliant violet color. Aromas of fresh red/blue fruits, candied flowers and smoky minerals pick up a spicy nuance with air. Taut and focused on the palate, offering appealingly sweet raspberry, boysenberry and spicecake...

Straight up stunning, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mordorée does everything right and is a borderline perfect Côte Rôtie readers should snatch up. Coming from the La Côte Brune and Côte Blonde lieux-dits, it’s 100% Syrah (I...

Cherry, raspberry, floral, earth and spice flavors grab your attention here, supported by light, firm tannins. This has tension and grip on the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2036. – BS

Coming from higher elevation granite soils and just about all Syrah, the 2018 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde L'Esquerda offers stunning granite character with its cassis and black raspberry fruit intermixed with...