The 2022 from Alexander van Beek and the team at Giscours is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I find a real sense of fragrant harmony but also bright energy here...

97+ To be released in September 2024, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 20 months in 83% new French oak. Black cherries and cassis set the stage, underscored by hints of dark loam and...

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...

Rebecca George and Francoise Peschon make this 100% varietal wine from an estate site in Calistoga along the Palisades mountain range. It is a sensuous expression of the grape, sanguine in mineral, crushed rock, pencil...

Served blind, I'd think this was a top Hermitage due to its smoky character, topped with mint, peppery herbs, barbecued meat, black currants, blackberries, along with a hint of blueberry. The palate is rich, full-bodied...

Generous aromas of crushed raspberry, plum compote, cocoa and crushed herbs explode on the nose of this Cabernet. The palate displays rich, supple tannin balanced by juicy acidity and flavors of cherry gastrique...

The 2023 Lytton Springs is powerfully aromatic and expressive from the jump. It explodes from the glass with dark blue fruit, lavender and blood orange peel, framed by mocha-like richness and a wave of exotic spice. The...

A tightly focused beam of bitter cherry, damson plum and raspberry coulis streams through, with mouthwatering cut in the form of ocean breeze minerality that runs from start to finish. Iris and rose hip notes fill in the...

Crushed dark berries are complemented by violets and underbrush with a gentle touch of tobacco. The sophisticated palate shows exceptional definition and polished tannins that are seamlessly integrated into a core of...

95+ The 2021 I Sodi di San Niccolò is a powerhouse. Many recent vintages have been showier, but not the 2021. It's a wine that is going to require many years to shed its baby fat. Dark fruit, lavender, rose petal, menthol...

Offers beautifully rendered notes of hibiscus, rose petal, damson plum and mulberry that stretch out lengthily thanks to the fine-beaded acidity and taut, precise tannins. The sapid finish lets in tea and incense hints...

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard, blended with 12% Petit Verdot, is aging gracefully and just beginning to soften at the edges. The nose is woodsy and spicy with porcini powder, aniseed and new leather aromas...

This vintage has a lean structure with firm tanins, ripe plums and truffle; the oak dominates from start to grippy finish. - SUZANNE MUSTACICH

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard is in a wonderful spot for drinking right now. Blended with 15% Petit Verdot, it has a deep garnet color and beautiful aromas of truffle, pipe tobacco, graphite and...

Pure red berry fruit leads from the glass intermixed with heady cedar spices. Full-bodied, revealing a fantastic mid-palate depth of concentration with a spectacular vein of crushed stone minerality. The ripe, bright, red...

Very ripe and perfumed on the nose, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva is a dark red/ruby color and offers notes of baked berries, candied flowers, sappy herbs, and candied cherries. Full-bodied, it's ripe without...

The 2017 Sena was made in a warm, dry, early-ripening year. A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 15% Carmenere, 10% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot, it was aged for 22 months in 70% new French barrels and a...

This is deep and winey, with cassis, plum paste and linzer torte notes leading the way. Structured but succulent, offering singed apple wood, bay and cast iron accents that support the fruit through the long and focused...

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...

There are 1,400 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, which offers up charming red-fruited notes of cherries and redcurrants, plus some loamy-earth scents. While it comes across a bit more angular and more coarsely...

Crunchy bright fruit, delicious brambled griotte cherry and violet flowers, pulses of white pepper, sage, slate, crayon, black tea. Depth and character, easy to love, ready to drink. Stainless steel ageing, unoaked...

Another St Estèphe which was blighted by hail in the vintage, reducing yields by 30%. dark and smoky nose, with sweet black cherry, coffee bean and toast draped over black cherry. There follows a sweetly poised palate of...

The 2020 Cepparello is a total stunner, just as it was last year. Deeply colored, layered and explosive in the glass, the 2020 possesses striking textural richness and overall intensity. Black cherry, graphite, plum...

Another linear offering of the variety, excellent for further aging, the 2021 Cabernet Franc Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard is a showcase of the cooler-climate region, crisp on the palate in lengthy acidity and...

Deep rich plum in colour, spiced cumin, loganberry, blood orange, cranberry and white pepper, there is the austerity here which was true even during En Primeur, now elongating into finesse and consistency of delivery...

Airy and highly aromatic, the 2022 Syrah High Contrast Vineyard bursts from the glass with a perfumed blend of dried violets, lavender, camphor, cedar shavings, dusty earth and exotic spice. It envelops the palate with a...

Rich and supple, evoking cherry, blackberry, graphite and tobacco aromas and flavors. The dense, dusty tannins emerge as this builds to the long, lively finish, where a light astringency lingers. A bit rustic. Best from...

This takes a graceful tack, offering supple, cedar-lined notes of gently mulled red currant and black cherry fruit that glide through the tobacco-, mint-, licorice- and sandalwood-accented finish. Offering charm rather...

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...

A deliciously inviting nose, with dark and perfumed fruits, blackcurrant, blackberry and damson, with smoky crushed chalk, rose petal and toast, as well as a touch of honeyed oak. The palate builds on this start with a...