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...

(98+ points) The 2021 Dominus is a 3,700-case blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, with 40% of the wine matured in new French oak. Black cherries and cassis lead the way, accented by scents of crushed...

An assemblage of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre, both aged in demi-muids, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Collection Charles Giraud features a hint of brown sugar on the nose, then waves of blueberries, black cherries and...

Packed with ripe, juicy cherry, blackberry, pomegranate and floral aromas and flavors, this red is supple and beautifully integrated. Earth, iron and tobacco accents add detail as this winds down on the lazy, resonant...

The 2012 Dominus is a wild, exotic wine. Harvest began on October 9 and finished on the 21st, very late by present-day standards. Ripe red cherry, kirsch, cinnamon, rose petal, incense and rose petal soar out of the...

A particularly pretty and floral expression of Clos Apalta, the 2022 Clos Apalta is beautifully lush and expressive on the nose, combining a deep core of black and blue fruit aromas with pencil lead, camphor and bramble...

94+ Dark as night, the 2020 Isola dei Nuraghi Barrua smolders with a beguiling bouquet of sweet spice and pipe tobacco that gives way to plum sauce, grilled herbs and gravel dust. This is pure elegance. It's velvety in...

A brooding, dark version, with a floral perfume followed by a concentrated stream of black licorice, currant and mulberry notes edged in graphite. Alder smoke hovers throughout the rich, round palate, with softened...

Macerated cherry, blackberry and black currant fruit is shaded by mint, iron and spicy oak in this dense, linear red. Quickly takes on the character of its chewy tannins, yet the ripe fruit lingers. Though balanced and...

The 2012 bottling of the Ygay Gran Reserva really ups the savoury character, with the Tempranillo buoyed by 19% Mazuelo, delivering bright fruits and fresh acidity. This is a vintage of true elegance. This wine was...

Made with Merlot and a tiny part Alicante, the Tenuta degli Dei 2022 Le Redini shows a dry delivery that is reinforced by dusty tannins and desiccated fruit tones of currant and Fig Newtons. The effect is soft and...

Lush and powerful, yet with lively underlying acidity, this red evokes black cherry, blackberry, mineral and wild herb flavors, all wrapped in an embrace of vanilla and toasty oak. Shuts down on the finish, where the...

The pedigree and purity of this red are evident immediately from its black currant, blackberry, pomegranate, violet and wild herb aromas. Saturated with red and black fruit and picking up licorice and mineral elements...

2017 was infamous in much of Italy for its hot and dry conditions, and the vines here did not miss out. 'It was hotter in 2022,' says Giovanni Mazzei, 'but there was less hydric stress'. The balsamic stamp of so many...

A sophisticated, polished Bandol, with a seductive, juicy palate that’s all rounded off. Hums with vivid energy behind its notes of melon and garrigue. Cool stone minerality lines the finish, which is focused and...

Rich and round, this red exudes black cherry, blackberry, wild rosemary and iron flavors. Reveals dense tannins on the finish, leaving a tight feel, yet this lingers. Drink now through 2029. 216 cases made, 20 cases imported.

The nose of this wine is high intensity, with candied peach bursting out of the glass. The palate is in perfect balance, tart flavors of apple and grapefruit play off of the bitter grapefruit leading into the superlong...

The 2022 La Victoriana Lomas de Valtuille, mainly Mencia with Trousseau, is reductive, showing herbal, minty and vegetal notes with pomegranate, elderberry and cherry hints. Fermented with whole clusters and aged in old...

A beguiling blend of dusty violets, crushed stone, musky black currants and grilled herbs makes the 2020 Estate Cuvée impossible to ignore. Racy yet supple, this soothes with its ripe red and black fruits while also...

Deep ruby-purple, the 2017 True Believer Reserve features pure scents of red and black currants, potpourri, aniseed and exotic spices. The palate offers generous, graphite-laced fruits supported by abundant, pixelated...

Slow unrolls through the palate, this has an unmistakable grip of fresh acidities, but they are delivered with a gourmet twist, sat alongside salt-encrusted lime, sea spray, citrus, clementine, fennel, understated and...

The 2007 Fonseca is maturing nicely, with a perfumed, high toned, rich bouquet of macerated black cherries, blueberry, creme de cassis and vanilla. The palate is very harmonious with plush dark cherry fruit, fresh fig...

The 2021 Las Gravas contains grapes from a vineyard planted in 2006 (that already contributed to the 2020), and it has given the wine a fine-boned profile, with more freshness and varietal Monastrell notes, a...

Every year Pieropan captures the soul of Soave, Garganega and the vintage in such a pristine way that it keeps us in awe. This vintage shines with aromas of Fuji pears, Anjou apples, lemon blossom and flint. The palate is...

The Tenuta degli Dei 2021 Cavalli is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 35% Petit Verdot aged in both barrique and tonneaux for 18 months, followed by a brief time in cement. This is an inky dark...

This shows intensity and richness on the nose with aromas of cassis, crushed blackberries and hints of cedar, tobacco, violets and graphite. It’s structured and focused on the palate, with a medium to full body. It shows...

The star of the show is the 2022 Ontogeny, a broad, layered, richly textured 2022 that has gorgeous cassis and blue fruits as well as integrated oak, some classic Cabernet graphite, iron, and smoked tobacco. It’s rich...

The 2023 Guidalberto is another terrific wine from Tenuta San Guido in this vintage. Aromatic, medium in body and gracious, the 2023 is pure charm. Crushed flowers, bright red-toned fruit, spice and blood orange all pulse...