Wild blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, tobacco and dark spice on the nose. Dried violets, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, powdery tannins and a creamy texture. Intense, yet restrained and refined, with a...

A modern slanting wine, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino is lush with wooded spices, smoky cigar box, preserved cherry, sweet tobacco, and dried roses. It is full-bodied on the palate but has a compact structure, with ripe...

Mineral, macadamia, pine nuts, white sesame and white fruit with a touch of spice. A bright and linear Capellania that shows excellent tension, freshness and complexity. Long and appetizing finish. More taut and...

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sunset Block emerges from one of the newer parcels planted during the large redevelopment here that started in 2014. It shows a bit more brightness and energy than the main Cabernet bottling...

A perfumed nose of redcurrants, sour cherries, bay leaves and spices. Medium-bodied with chewy tannins. Dusty texture in the mouth with structure and a bright core of red fruit. Flavorful, ample and tannic finish with...

(92-95 points) I tasted from two barrels seemingly destined for the 2018 Saint Joseph les Pierres. One was full-bodied, plush and long, with notes of mocha and black cherries, while the other showed explosive red fruit...

Starting off an incredible lineup of 2018s, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard has a purple/blue hue as well as a powerful bouquet of ripe blackcurrants, blueberries, smoked tobacco, and new leather, with a...

Blackcurrant, pine cone, walnut, crushed gravel and dried flowers on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined. Try from 2023.

It’s rare to taste gamay from Moulin-à-Vent and think of Volnay. And, as much as I would praise the beauty and grandeur of this wine, a pure extract of the earth, I wonder what that association with the Côte de Beaune is...

After 15 years of searching, they have come up with a blend of 85% Bobal and 15% Moravia Agria that they thought worthy of carrying their surname, which is what the new top of the range 2018 Ponce is. It was produced with...

A lifted hint of oak toast is faint on the fresh nose of this wine. On the palate, the dense fruit strikes first and takes center stage. This wine brims with ripe, crunchy red-cherry notes, framed and help by firm...

Aromas of minerals, crushed stones and cherries. Pine needles, too. Floral. Full-to medium-bodied with a tight, linear palate and super fine tannins. Extremely deep. Fresh. Light saltiness. Give this three or four years...

The 2018 Syrah impresses for its precision and nuance. There is plenty of the textural richness readers have come to expect from Pride, but that is balanced by striking aromatic definition and presence. Floral accents...

Sourced from excellent sites including Heintz Vineyard, Dutton Ranch and Running Creek Estate, this white has wide appeal. Tropical-fruited in flavor and unctuous in texture, it is balanced by sleek acidity. - VIRGINIE...

Rotem and Mounir Saouma’s aim with Omnia is to build complexity from the diversity of their nine parcels spread out over all five of Châteauneuf’s villages. The diversity continues in the cellar, where Mounir puts the...

Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2018 Pinot Noir Larry Hyde comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of Morello cherries, pomegranate and raspberry coulis, plus hints of roses, tilled soil and wild sage...

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...

A great success in any vintage, but a marvel in a difficult year, this superb wine offers a deep, dark, red hue. The perfume, with its blend of flowers, licorice, garrigue, spices, cherries and plums is gorgeous. Richly...

(94-96+ points) Based on 62% Cabernet Franc, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Merlot, brought up in 20% new French oak, the deep purple 2018 El Alma de Jonata boasts a rocking Cabernet Franc nose of smoked black...

(91-94 points) 30 year old vines from first class massale selection. Dominique tells me that there are very many small stones here despite it being theoretically a clay rich site. Glorious purple. Svelte luxury strawberry...

(91-93 points) Planted at the same time as Craipillot, Au Closeau offers a brighter deeper richer purple. This is luxurious but not clumsy, with a little spicy touch, from 50% whole bunch. Works very well here, with a...

Instantly appealing pinot. Complex and powerfully fragrant with violets, blackcurrants and purple cherries, as well as fresh wild herbs and swirling spices. Then, a smooth, succulent feel to the palate follows with such...

Aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and...

The 2018 Darmagi is elegant, delicate and refined. It shows the mid-weight structure of the year in Barbaresco, with lovely varietal character and exceptional textural finesse. Bright red/purplish fruit and lifted floral...

Complex nose, blending notes of elderberries, black cherries, spices, cedar,and violets. It’s full-bodied and structured with elegant tannins and a fleshy texture. Flavorful, savory finish. Try after 2024.

The 2018 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru does not quite have the amplitude of Magnien's Clos Saint-Denis, but it displays more vivacious red fruit, clarifying with aeration and eventually develops quite an ethereal quality...

96+ The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Sugarille is layered with aromas of black licorice, wild raspberry, smoky cedar, and sweet Mediterranean herbs. It is medium to full-bodied with gorgeous concentration and length in its...

Ripe melon and pear aromas and flavors are singed by vanilla and toasty oak in this white, which is balanced and fluid overall, with adequate acidity to balance its rich character. Drink now. – BS