The 2018 Champagne Starck Brut Nature exhibits notes of lemon and citrus oils, but the stone fruit has a silkiness, not the tannic side you sometimes see. It also has hints of savory toast, but it remains very elegant...

Extremely polished and refined with blackberry, blueberry and blackcurrant aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, fine and lightly chewy tannins. Stone, violet and wet-earth undertones. Drinkable now, but better after 2022.

While there was no Vieilles Vignes bottling produced this vintage, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape stands out for its remarkable perfume of garrigue and spice, which epitomizes the complexity attainable solely from grapes in...