Wines

96 Points! The 2019 Château Croix De Labrie is gorgeous and jumps out in the vintage. Almost all Merlot brought up in new barrels, it offers a beautiful bouquet of red and black currants, spicy oak, dried herbs, and flowers, with a beautiful loamy earth and chalky minerality emerging with time in the glass. With remarkable purity and finesse, it's full-bodied, has a great mid-palate, silky tannins, and a great finish. It could be drunk today with a decant but will ideally be given 4-5 years of bottle age. I suspect it will have 20-25 years of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

98 Points! Fabulous aromas of blackberries, blueberries, pine needles and spices, such as nutmeg and allspice. White pepper, too. Full-bodied and very tight with a solid core of fruit and ultra-fine yet powerful tannins. It’s got so much energy and drive. Vibrant at every level. Precise and not overpowering, yet so structured. 97% merlot and 3% cabernet sauvignon. Made from biodynamically grown grapes. This needs time to soften. Try after 2026. - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

94 Points! Rich and intense nose, concentrated with dark bramble fruits. A shot of sharp intense strawberry and raspberry fruit hits the palate, super succulent and instantly mouthwatering, quite lean and linear though there is a nice expansion of fruit flavours while the tannins stay quite firm and straight. Touching on austere and severe but the softly plump juiciness keeps this enjoyable and there is layering of elements. Acidity is on the prominent side but this is quite captivating with crunchy, bright, just-ripe red fruits and chalky texture on the finish. Yield: 35 hl/ha. 30% new oak barrels. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

92 Points! A firm and tight red with blackberries, crushed stones, ink and iodine. Medium-bodied with medium tannins that are polished and very pretty. Refined and delicious. Always an excellent value. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2022 Château D'Aiguilhe brings more of everything, with a gorgeous nose of black raspberries, crushed stone, spring flowers, and violets that opens up beautifully with air. This carries to a medium to full-bodied effort delivering ripe, polished tannins, a seamless mouthfeel, and a great, great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Floral character such as orange blossoms and cassis with lead pencil aromas that follow through to a medium body and a lovely balance of fruit and freshness. It’s long and caressing with everything in place. Crisp. Best ever? 60% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! Rocking levels of darker currants, chocolate, tobacco, and spicy notes all emerge from the 2022 Château D'Armailhac, a blockbuster from this château that has ripe, velvety tannins, a beautiful mid-palate, and outstanding length. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, this is easily the finest Armailhac I’ve tasted. It already offers pleasure today yet deserves 4-6 years of bottle age and will evolve for 20-30 years if well stored. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2022 Chateau d'Armailhac was picked from 8 to 27 September and matured in 50% new oak. This has a very pure and sensual bouquet with precocious black plum, cassis violet and espresso scents. The palate is medium-bodied with muscular tannins on the entry, though I find just a little more complexity compared to the Clerc Milon this year. There's a gently and discrete crecendo toward its delineated and minerally finish. Excellent. This is more like the d'Armailhac that I was familiar with, say, ten years ago. It will surely be irresistible once it reaches its peak. You've been warned. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

94 Points! Deep garnet-purple colored, it gallops out with powerful notes of black currant jelly and plum preserves, followed by hints of dusty soil, dried lavender, and tapenade. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers plenty of black fruit preserves flavors with seamless freshness and grainy tannins, finishing satisfyingly earthy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

96 Points!  A successful wine that has lived up to En Primeur promise. The emphasis remains on texture and depth, velvety tannins, perfumed violets, rose and raspberry leaf aromatics, slate, crushed rocks, serious at first then softening to show raspberry puree and smoked blackcurrant fruits. Cocoa dusting on the finish and clear spice, a little austere right now. The terroirs of the newly-purchased Château Pontac Lynch are in this Issan vintage, meaning the blend uses five grape varieties for first time. Not easy to add these distinctive varieties while maintaining the elegant, finessed style of this estate, but it works. 50% new oak, 38hl/h yield. - Jane Anson

96 Points!  The 2020 Château D'Issan is a stunningly good Margaux, and this is another estate that seems to producer brilliant wines every vintage. Pulling from 51.04 hectares of vines and a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, it's a selection of just 45% of the total production and spent 18 months in 50% new and 50% once-used French oak. Beautiful, spiced-laced red and black fruits, chocolate, smoked tobacco, and incense notes define the aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied restrained, elegant 2020 with terrific mid-palate density, ripe, velvety tannins, and terrific overall balance. This is one of those beautiful, classic wines that grows on you with time in the glass, and hats off to Emmanuel Cruse for yet another incredible wine. It's going to evolve for another 25-30 years if well-stored. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! The 2007 Valpolicella Superiore from the celebrated Monte Lodoletta vineyard is rock-tight with a midnight black appearance and aromas that emerge with fierce determination. The fascinating aromatic medley includes dark spice, prune, Spanish cedar, tar, black licorice, balsam herb and blackberry tart. The mouthfeel is plush and rich with super-tight tannins that grip nervously to the finish. It has only started its bottle evolution and requires more time to soften and develop. Drink 2017-2035. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com, 2013

92 Points! In the glass, the 2022 Morgon Les Délys reveals opulent aromas of cherries, violet petals, smoked meats, sage and warm brown spices. Full-bodied with no lack of concentration, the wine unfolds on the palate with sappy bramble fruits complemented by gratifying notes of licorice and slate. The tightly woven tannins impart a robust mouthfeel, suggesting the need for additional time in the bottle to achieve optimal refinement. - Kenna Wells, robertparker.com

92 Points! The 2022 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes Sable offers up aromas of baked blackberries, prunes, lilac petals, brown spices, vine smoke and tinges of orange rind. The medium to full-bodied wine supports a layer of grilled purple fruits, evenly dispersed along the palate, with a firm backbone of chalky, coating tannins. Ripe acids infuse the wine with verve, accentuating the nuanced undertones of white pepper and sage, particularly evident on the finish. While already displaying great promise, this wine will benefit from a few more years of bottle aging to allow its various elements to fall into place. - Kenna Wells, robertparker.com

94 Points! Offering up an elegant yet bright bouquet, this 2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs opens in the glass with orchard fruits, verbena, lemon zest, pastry, and slightly reductive aromas. Chiselled and perfectly balanced, the palate is lively and intense, and expresses clearly the fruit and the straightforward nature of the 2014 vintage. Should age well for a decade or so. - Yohan Castaing, Decanter Magazine

94+ Points! Linear and focused, the bright straw-colored 2014 Champagne Blanc De Blancs is lifted with mineral aromas of chalky earth and flinty notes followed by green apple, powdery floral aromas, and lime candy. Bright and electric on the palate, its long, fresh spine of acidity propels the wine forward, with mouthwatering saline and a mineral-tinged backbone. A wine that commands attention, it has a fine mousse and is focused and long on the palate, with vibrant citrus. It’s going to have significant longevity over the coming 20 years. It saw 6.5 gram per liter dosage. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

94+ Points! The 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Le Clos is tighter and more focused, with a more blue-fruited perfume of cassis, graphite, violets, and peppered meat-like aromas and flavors. The polar opposite of the broad, ripe, sexy Domaine des Grands Chemins, this stays focused and inwards on the palate, with ripe, polished tannins, beautiful balance, and outstanding length. Hide this for 4-5 years and it's going to drink brilliantly over the following 10-15. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! Another wine from the producer’s 1915-1918 plantings, the 2020 Cabernet Pfeffer Dryfarmed Old Vines offers vanilla and raspberry highlights along a broad, generously full palate. The oak is present, adding a hint of char, but it’s integrated, and the tannins are softened by good acidity. There’s a touch of pink peppercorn on the finish. Drink now through 2030. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! The 2024 Red Wine Evangelho Vineyard is bold, juicy and wonderfully expressive right out of the gate. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and pomegranate makes a strong first impression. Carignane is front and center in this gorgeous, engaging Contra Costa red. Readers will have a very hard time keeping their hands off of this. What a gem. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Own-rooted, 1890s-planted vines in over thirty feet of pure sand...

94 Points! Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged six months in stainless steel vats, the 2024 Chardonnay has a medium to light gold hue and offers exotic citrus, minty herbs, and subtle tropical flower notes that all define this clean, crisp, remarkably pure Chardonnay. It puts on weight and richness with time in the glass and is a terrific mix of both richness and freshness. This is a no-brainer purchase for those who love Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, and I love its purity. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! This white’s sleek mix of ripe pear, ginger and pomelo flavors show striking restraint, coiled around a mouthwatering thread of acidity. Details of lime zest, white peppercorn and dried tarragon linger, along with a whiff of sea spray. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! This has a succulent texture, remaining pure and long throughout. Salinity, minerals and springtime blossoms stay taut alongside lemons and crunchy orchard fruit with a lingering kick of tactile melon pith. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2022 Anza red blend, which I already tasted last year, and seems to have had very little development and comes through as young and fresh, perfumed, floral and elegant. It's a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, Viura and Malvasía with a very elegant, medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! Chalk, vibrant berries, hibiscus and wet stones. Rich in red cherry fruit and plums, but fresh, with a medium to full body and tight, fine-grained tannins. Long and structured. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94-96 Points! It features stunning aromas of licorice, blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, creamy and lush on the palate, it finishes long and silky, with hints of black olive lending a welcome savory edge.- Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2022 Cairanne L'Estevenas offers red and black fruits, spring flowers, game, mint, and rose petals in a Côte-Rôtie look-alike. Medium-bodied, focused, and elegant, with beautiful tannins, this 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah includes 30% whole clusters and was aged 18 months in concrete, bottled without filtration. Drink bottles over the coming 7-10 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

#Domaine_Alary_Part_II

92-94 Points! A prospective blend of 50% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache and 20% Carignan, the 2022 Cairanne la Brunote offers up notions of black truffles, black cherries and black licorice. Full-bodied and richly concentrated, it's almost creamy in texture, with a lingering finish. Yum. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

#Domaine_Alary_Part_II

92 Points! The 2023 Riesling Brandluft is from Muschelkalk soils with sandy elements and has been cultivated by the Boeckel family for at least 120 years. Based on averaging 35-year-old vines planted at high density (6,800 vines per hectare), the wine offers an elegant bouquet of white fruits intermingled with delicate limestone notes. On the palate, this is a full-bodied, intense, juicy, well structured and powerful Riesling that is rich and elegant and already drinks perfectly well. There are fine tannins on the finish, which makes this an excellent gastronomic dry Riesling. 13% stated alcohol. Diam 10 cork. Tasted at the domaine in November 2024. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com

94 Points! Lovely aromas of dried flowers, red cherries, dried herbs and a subtle stemmy note. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, nervy and penetrating, with impressive concentration and attractive, nervy freshness that brings everything together. The finish is long and persistent. From a vineyard planted in 1946 on granite soils. Whole clusters and aged in foudres. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Mostly Chardonnay, the 2020 Limoux Blanc is a terrific white that has real class in its aromatics as well as texture. Light gold-hued, with a great nose of poached pears, honeyed citrus, crushed stone, toasted hazelnuts, and white flowers, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness that carries terrific mid-palate depth, bright, racy, yet brilliantly integrated acidity, and a crisp, clean, lengthy finish that brings an undeniable sense of salinity. A seriously good white, it deserves 2-3 years of bottle age (it needs a decant if drinking any time soon) and will evolve for over a decade. Bravo. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! This has very pretty energy and focus with sliced melon, pears, stone and fresh ginger. Dried flowers. Citrus, too. Medium-bodied with a solid density of fruit with white peaches and honey. Tangy and flavorful. Drink or hold. - James Suckling.com

92 Points! Aromas of ripe fruit with fresh herbs and green walnuts that follow through to a full body, round and velvety tannins and decadent fruit. Delicious finish. A fascinating wine now that has evolved beautifully. Drink now. - jamesSuckling.com