Composed of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Plince is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and rolls effortlessly out of the glass with scents of blackberry pie, plum preserves and kirsch plus suggestions of...

(96 + points) Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Palmer needs considerable swirling to shake loose its gorgeous perfume of Morello cherries, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries with emerging...

As with the Arômes de Pavie in the 2017 vintage, you can feel the impact of a cooler year just putting the brakes on the intensity of the estate's classic muscular signature, and it's enjoyable. Ready to drink a little...

The red 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It bursts with bold notes of crushed blackberries, black cherry preserves, and warm cassis, plus hints of Indian spices, mossy tree bark, and...

The 2017 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Il Bugiardo displays an inviting mix of blackberries, sage, roses, chalk dust and hints of camphor. This is full-bodied with depths of silky textures and a dense core of...

Made from 100% Roussanne, the 2017 Côtes du Roussillon L'Edre Blanc is a big step up and is a more serious, concentrated white that stays perfectly balanced. White peach, pineapple, spice, and ample mineral notes all flow...

Pie crust, chalk, grapefruit and nutmeg on the nose of this chalky, minerally Champagne. Tight and driven, with sharp acidity and very fine bubbles. Delicious sea salt and citrus notes come through at the end. 100%...

Ripe dark-cherry flavors run deep in this clean, violet-scented Beaune. There’s some earthiness to the tannins, with an underlying note of fresh mushrooms to complement the firm, juicy flavors of the fruit. The wine’s...

This red is saturated with blackberry, black currant, violet, iron and spice flavors. Powerful tannins lend support and this finishes with lingering fruit and rustic tannins, with terrific length. Best from 2023 through...

Showing a combination of suppleness and power, this red strikes a balance between the dense structure and expressive cherry and raspberry flavors. Built to age, this is fresh on the long, mineral-laced finish. Best from...

Haunting aromas of rose, cherry, eucalyptus, hay and iron are the highlights of this tightly wound, yet expressive Barolo. Holding back now, yet the final impression on the finish is balanced, with a lingering aftertaste...

Moving to the two Pinot Noirs, the 2017 Pinot Noir Cleary Ranch The Settler from the Cleary Ranch Vineyard was all destemmed and brought up in 38% new French oak. It has a rocking nose of spiced cherries, raspberries...

The first vintage with the new fermentation vats when the estate began destemming by hand. Bright, fresh, crisp, and crunchy, this is a return to classicism. Here, you find notes of spearmint, currants, crushed rocks...

I also tasted the 2017 Clos Mogador next to the 2018 vintage. The varietal mix has been slowly changing, with less Cabernet and Syrah and more and more Cariñena. In 2006, they started fermenting with indigenous yeasts...

Inky ruby. Smoke-accented cherry and dark berries on the deeply perfumed nose, which takes on olive and baking spice nuances with air. Smooth, concentrated and appealingly sweet, offering plush boysenberry, cherry and...

A well-spiced and broad-based nose freely offers up notes of forest floor, red and dark currant and evident sauvage character. The tautly muscular and vibrant medium-bodied flavors exude a subtle minerality while offering...

The Quintarelli Giuseppe 2017 Valpolicella Classico Superiore (made with 55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella and 15% Cabernet, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese) goes through a brief appassimento (that leans to the...

Fine bright crimson purple with class and some charm. There is a welcome freshness to this wine, and a sense of precision. Not quite the length of Bruno Clair’s Clos St-Jacques, more red fruit, a little acidity, this is...

The 2017 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for approximately 20 months in French oak. It comes in with 97 grams of residual sugar. This was only seen before bottling previously. Now, with some bottle aging, it looks...

Toasty oak gives way to bright cherry, blackberry and violet aromas and flavors in this sleek, vibrant red, with wild herb, tobacco and mineral notes adding complexity. Supple, yet there's a firm matrix of refined tannins...

Bittersweet chocolate, violet, blueberry and red licorice notes are juicy and expressive. Offers mulberry, huckleberry and cherry flavors on an elegant frame, with fresh acidity and mint details that linger on the finish...

This tilts clearly toward burly in style, with walnut husk and roasted chestnut notes leading the way for dense and chunky-textured dark currant and warmed fig fruit. There's a tumble of warm humus, alder smoke and bitter...

Bright red cranberry brims with freshness and aroma on the nose of this wine. The palate also presents fresh-faced fruitiness, but here the berry notes are riper, juicier and more reminiscent of berry compote. Firm, fine...

The white 2017 Pape Clement shoots out of the glass with fragrant notes of apricots, honeysuckle, and orange blossoms, followed by hints of crushed rocks and lemongrass. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers...

The 2017 Belair-Monange has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It waltzes out with flamboyant notes of warm black plums, blackberry preserves, and wild blueberries, plus suggestions of star anise, dusty soil, and...