The 2011 Rapszodia, a blend of 62% Cabernet Franc and 38% Merlot, may be the finest wine of the vintage for Kapcsandy. Sadly, only 75 cases were made. Much lighter than the 2010 Rapszodia, the 2011 offers sweet currant...

The 2019 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Agrelo also includes 15% Malbec from the clayish soils of Luján de Cuyo. Aged for 15 months in foudres, this purplish wine reveals enticing cigar ash notes alongside...

Fresh rosemary, graphite and tobacco accents meld with an elegant, orange peel–accented raspberry and plum core that reveals cocoa nib details while unfurling around a nice lift of fresh acidity, driving the flavors onto...

Grapes for this wine are sourced from El Cepillo, a region in Uco Valley that is known for its low temperatures. The nose exhibits aromas of liquorice and cherry. Chalky tannins back delicious flavors of berry and plum...

The 2019 Poggio dei Colli is incredibly fresh and perfumed, wafting up with dusty violet florals, peppery herbs and wild strawberries. There are depths yet unseen here in its youthful state, dense yet cool-toned, and...

The 2019 Clos de la Dioterie is a sophisticated, seductively perfumed style—brooding yet aromatic. Its concentrated flavors are pure; it remains light and elegant, with a delectable, chalky, veil-like texture residing on...

A glorious iteration of the superb Clos de l’Echelier cuvée, coming from a 2.5ha vineyard of 40-year-old Cabernet Franc surrounded by a 300-year-old wall. Having implemented organic farming in the 1990s, and biodynamic...

The 2021 Franc de Pied is mellow and supple yet precise, with its line of 2021 vintage acidity piercing its core and pulling it tight. Savory and herbal, it shows aromas reminiscent of fennel, wormwood, black olives and...

Limestone, clay and ripe, cooked raspberry with a hint of spice. At first it has an open structure but then concludes relatively firm and tannic for a Roches Neuves. Combines with a line of fresh acidity making for a taut...

The 2019 Chinon Clos de l'Echo, showing less oak influence than its 2018 counterpart, offers a bouquet of flowers, dark wild berries, baked plums and spices. Medium to full-bodied, enveloping and round, it’s concentrated...

The grand vin at this domaine, the clos in question is positioned next to the cellars, on the left bank of the Vienne. The vines, aged between 70 and 80 years, are rooted into the calcareous soils of the slope. This...

This youthful Loire red has a touch of funk on the nose that slowly dissipates with aeration to reveal a wealth of red-berry fruit and some wild herbs. On the fresh, medium-bodied palate there’s plenty of depth and some...

An elegant, firmly structured red, featuring fresh red currant, smoked meat and dusty herbs driven by salty, tangy acidity. Reveals crushed tobacco leaf and black tea that add nice range, with an iodine spine providing...

(91+ points) The 2021 Saumur Champigny La Marginale, derived from vines planted on deep clay soils (the lieu-dit is named Fosse de Chaintres), reveals a floral, lively bouquet of peonies, violet, iris, dark wild berries...

A single vineyard in the city of Chinon is the source for this wine. Wholly owned by this producer, the vineyard has produced an intensely perfumed wine, showing the potential of the vineyard and of ripe Cabernet Franc...

The 2018 Chinon Clos du Chene Vert, Monopole is one of the top wines from Joguet, offering pure black fruit and even some mint chocolate aromas, in addition to the telltale signs of classy oak use evident in its rich...

The 2019 Clos du Chêne Vert Monopole has purity, freshness and precision. It is not as upright as it was more than a year ago when last tasted, as it has since opened up, broadened and lost its youthful rawness. That...

Juicy, with a light briary spine cutting through the mix of cherry, currant and plum fruit flavors. Notes of singed spice and black tea show on the slightly toasted finish. Best from 2018 through 2023. 60 cases imported.

The 2019 Les Varennes du Grand Clos is starting to mellow with an extra year in bottle since I last tasted. It continues to have its soft, welcoming opening, with attractive, pure aromatics: plenty of sweet black fruit...

The 2021 Clos de L'Echelier is a delicate and tender style, with impressive purity of fruit. It is almost cloud-like in its lightness on the palate. The finest of chalk-like tannins covers the mouth in a blanket of...

The 2021 Saumur Champigny Les Mémoires, deriving from vines rooted in silex soils atop chalky subsoils, offers up aromas of plums, violets, peonies, spices and smoke intertwined with flinty notes. Medium to full-bodied...