The 2017 Dom Pérignon is just as stunning as it was last year, if not more so. What a wine! Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers and chalk soar out of the glass. The 2017 is like a slightly more refined version of the...

The crushed-berry, smoke and stone aromas are appealing. Medium to full body, round and chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Shows depth and structure. Give it a year or two to soften and come together. Drink in 2022.

Very perfumed and subtle with dried flowers and citrus, as well as blue fruit. Full-bodied with wonderfully diffused, integrated tannins that just run over the edges of the wine. It’s extremely polished and very, very...

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...

There was no frost in the vineyard in 2017, due to its situation high upon the limestone plateau. Composed of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested from September 25 to October 3...

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...

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...

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%...

Fresh cherry, strawberry, earth and tobacco flavors hold court in this silky red. Firms up on the finish, yet stays balanced and lingers. Best from 2021 through 2033.

A tight, solid red with crushed-berry, sandalwood, stone and cement flavors. It’s full-bodied, yet very tight and compact with excellent depth and intensity. Closed and austere, but there’s both energy and levity to it at...

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...

Plum, berry, dried-flower and light rose-stem aromas follow through to a full body with firm, rounded tannins and a chewy finish. Fruit comes out at the end. Drink after 2024.

The organic San Giusto a Rentennano 2017 Percarlo is a pure expression of Sangiovese from a hot and dry vintage that resulted in smaller berry size, richly concentrated flavors and a well-contained 15% alcohol content...

The aromas of blackberries, cedar, sandalwood and black tea are compelling. Black olives. Rosemary and sage undertones. Full-bodied, rich and powerful Seña with impressive and powerful tannins, yet harmony and balance...

With all of its supple black cherry and sweet plum brightness, this lasts on smoky, spicy tannins. It’s powerful, a little syrupy in its ripeness, ready to bring its fruit to roast duck.

A beauty in the making, with waves of dark currant preserves, warmed fig and steeped blackberry fruit, all infused with chai spice, tobacco, singed alder and espresso cream accents. Very grippy on the finish, but this is...

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...

The 2017 Reserve is smoking good. Ample ripe berry fruits, ground pepper, bouquet garni, and loamy soil notes all define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, layered texture, some classic 2017 firmer...

The 2017 Volnay Les Chevrets 1er Cru has an open-knit, well-defined bouquet of brambly red berry fruit and discreet wilted rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, quite grippy and a little drier than its peers...

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...

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...

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...

From a warm and sunny vintage that produced darkly concentrated fruit, the Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a teaser and a super pleaser. This is one flashy wine. This carefully calculated...

The 2017 Chateau Pape Clement Blanc showed spectacularly well and is one of the wines (if not the wine) of the vintage. Based on 55% Sauvignon and 45% Semillon aged 14 months in barrel, it offers powerful notes of honeyed...

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple colored. It skips out of the glass with youthful notes of black raspberries, fresh...

This wine is both weighty and stylish. Its power comes from luscious black fruits that are juicy and powerful. Expect this wine to age well and drink from 2024. - ROGER VOSS