The 2020 Cheval des Andes was harvested from the last of February for the first time ever. It was Gabillet's second vintage at Cheval des Andes, and that year, he had to start without waiting for Pierre Olivier Clouet and...

The 2018 Tenuta Degli Dei is dense, juicy and wonderfully inviting. Silky tannins wrap around a core of inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, lavender and new leather. In the glass, the 2018 is intensely aromatic and...

This is an intense, full-bodied yet very well-balanced and polished red with velvety, firm and caressing tannins. Ripe black plums, blueberries, chocolate, mocha, sweet spice and dried lavender. Some oyster shells, too...

Very alluring, with linzer torte and plum cake notes pumping through, flecked liberally with anise and mesquite accents along the way. A nice red licorice strip adds contrast on the finish, with its sappy edge, while a...

The 2014 Tenuta degli Dei is fabulous. In fact, the 2014 is one of the best recent vintages of this wine I can remember tasting. Aromatically expressive and inviting, the 2014 is terrific. Stylistically, it is perhaps not...

Saturated ruby. Assertively perfumed, mineral-tinged red berry, cherry, lavender and incense scents show outstanding clarity and spicy lift. Concentrated yet lively black raspberry, cherry-cola, succulent herb and floral...

Muscular, slate hewn tannins, this has a rugged quality where nothing is overpowered by oak and yet it hugs the palate, making its presence felt. Serious tannic architecture that softens through the mid palate to show...

A blend of 58% Syrah, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Optimus has a deep ruby color and a deep core of red and black cherries, chargrill, thyme, charcuterie and desiccated violet. The full-bodied...

Looking much improved from my previous tasting, Bertrand Gonnet's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Lieu Dit les Combes showcases briary, herbal notes backed by black cherries, blackberries and blueberries. Full-bodied, rich and...

Deep magenta. A complex, intensely perfumed bouquet evokes black raspberry, kirsch and lavender, along with vibrant mineral and exotic spice flourishes. Incisive red and dark berry, bitter cherry and succulent herb...

Château Romassan sits at the foot of the hilltop village Le Castellet, a few miles north of the Bay of Bandol. The Otts rely on mourvèdre for the bulk of their rosé (this one includes 30 percent cinsault and 15 percent...

This elegant wine is a classic and standard bearer of Soave. It shines with aromas of ripe Fuji apple, orange blossom, marzipan and lemon oil. Cool and crisp on the palate as if biting into a perfect apple, this wine...

A really refined, expressive and layered Clos Apalta with fine olives, incense, cigar box, cocoa powder, Spanish chocolate, pencil shavings, graphite and fine spices. Juicy, bright and full-bodied palate with a fine...

A beautiful delivery of Petit Clos with spiced black cherries, cassis, olives and some red capsicums to the nose. Chalky tannins are densely packed on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Tight, structured and fine-grained...

An opulent yet tensioned young red with blackberries, violets and black olive skin character. Full-bodied. But has so much energy and focus. Goes on for minutes. A blend of merlot and sangiovese. Best after 2028.

Lots of blackberry and black-cherry aromas follow through to a medium body and firm and silky tannins. Drink or hold.

The 2020 Paixar is the one wine from the portfolio that is completely different from the others and comes from high-altitude vineyards in the zone of Dragonte on slate soils. In 2020 and 2021 they used the whole field...

This is very complex on the nose with incense, Indian spices, blackberries and blueberries. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, velvety tannins that lead you down the palate. Solid at the end. Shows poise and tension. Give...

The 2021 Viñedo Chadwick fermented in stainless steel and troncoconic concrete vats, spent some 10 months in barrique, and then part of the wine (some 20%) was sent to the Stockinger foudres. The nose is reminiscent of a...

A fantastic nose to this with currant, sage, rosemary and rose-petal character. Sweet tobacco and spicy chocolate, too. Very complex. The palate shows lovely depth of fruit with blackberries, blackcurrants and fine...

Bright salmon-skin color. Fresh pit fruits, red berries and a hint of orange pith on the incisive nose. Tight and sharply focused on the palate, offering vibrant strawberry, white peach and tangerine flavors that put on...

The 2018 I Sodi di San Niccolò is the most elegant Sodi I have ever tasted, and I have tasted them all. Sodi can be quite the bruiser in its youth, as the tannins are often imposing, but the 2018 is impressive because...

The 2018 Red Wine Estate might just be the best edition ever of this incredible high-elevation bottling. It's nothing short of a blending masterpiece by Chris Figgins and his winemaking team. This thing is massive monster...

The 2021 Orma is a blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bold notes of stewed black plums, boysenberry preserves, and...

The 2019 Tradition Sparkling Rosé has a medium cherry-pink color and a savory aromatic profile, with notes of matchstick, potpourri and pie crust. The light-bodied palate is dry, with just two grams per liter residual...

A blend of 58% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Champoux Vineyard has already captured my heart with its delightful and lovely aromatics. It offers dusty plum, black cherry skin, blackberry...

Bright and fresh with crushed red and dark berries, spices, and crushed stones. Medium- to full-bodied with chalky tannins. Velvety and textural with succulent wild berry notes underneath. Vivid finish. Cabernet...

According to Tenuta San Guido’s director of winemaking, Carlo Paoli, the 2021 is the best Guidalberto he has ever made. The percentage of Merlot was reduced back to the typical 40% this year because the quality of the...

This merlot-based red is really exciting with dark berries, dark chocolate and bark. Full-bodied, dense and layered. So serious and exciting. Merlot is great here. Drink in 2020.