Wines

96 Points! Mineral and focused, with aromas of preserved lemons, yellow apples, grapefruit rind, salted nuts and baking spices. The palate features a minerality and focused acidity. The salty, textural mouthfeel has a slight oxidative touch, bringing an interesting third dimension. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! The 2019 Colline Novaresi Spanna offers up scents of sweet dried cherry, mint, tobacco, dried herbs and crushed rose petal. Deceptive in its light-bodied structure, this ethereal red has plenty of depth. The savory, mineral side of Nebbiolo is very much on show. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

An important new source! The fermentation of this classically styled white, Aubépine, takes place in old oak barrels with the total lees from the press—no débourbage (wherein the lees are settled before the wine is racked off them). There are no finings and filtrations, nor additions of sulfites—though, as already mentioned, necessary exceptions can be made. Fermentations can last months or more than a year before dry. Aubépine is a specific site of old vines closer to the Cher than the Loire.

From the importer: I’m not sure why I didn’t bring in this perfect everyday white when I first started importing the Montepulciano; I certainly should have. The wine is pale straw in color, with aromas of almond, citrus and a hint of herbs. It is bone dry and finishes with a very attractive hint of apple-skin. This is a knockout everyday bottle of white wine, flavorful enough to stand up to a range of dishes but bright enough to make a good dry aperitif.

Varietal Composition: 50% Pinot Noir Lodi - Woodbridge AVA, CA USA 25% Pinot Noir - Central Coast AVA, CA USA 25% Chardonnay - Lodi-Woodbridge AVA, CA USA

95 Points! Highly aromatic scents of ripe cherry and dark berries, singed plum, cured tobacco and succulent herbs, with a vanilla undertone. Sweet, expansive and powerful, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors with smoke and floral accents. Rich and full but surprisingly lively, with excellent finishing thrust and sweet, harmonious tannins adding grip. Shows the ripeness of the vintage to good effect; this is a somewhat approachable and exotic Unico, especially with some air, but it has the concentration to age slowly. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous

97 Points! I like the intensity to this, with dark tar and smoky notes followed by graphite, tobacco, bitter cacao and dark fruit. Powerful yet tight and compact, with firm and polished tannins. Structured and so long. Tasted from magnum. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! This is at once fresh and elegant on first impression, with lovely hints of fragrant Turkish bazaar spices, game and dried mint lacing the crème de cassis, violet, and black and red licorice notes. Gliding across the palate, buoyed by fresh acidity and sculpted tannins, this expands to show deep notes of tarry smoke, fig cake, espresso and iron alongside the appealing fruit and spice. Long and creamy, offering both power and grace. Tinto Fino and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2037. - Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator

92 Points! Another brilliant value that readers will love, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux,is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot, all of which spent 22 months in 50% new oak. This medium to full-bodied, round, balanced, mouth-filling beauty has lots of ripe black and blue fruits, some background spicy oak, velvety tannins, and a great finish. Drink bottles any time over the coming decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! Classy red here with currants, blueberries and mahogany aromas. Full body, chewy tannins and a long finish. Intense and powerful. - JamesSuckling.com

100 Points! A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2019 La Joie is deep garnet-purple in color. It has a wonderfully flashy and flamboyant nose of blackcurrant cordial, redcurrant jelly, plum preserves, and potpourri with hints of chocolate mint, tilled soil, chalk dust, and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is very taut and muscular with tons of bright, crunchy black fruits and wonderful tension, finishing with tons of earthy nuances. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, TheWineIndependent

99 Points! Composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and the remainder of Petit Verdot, the 2019 La Joie is compact and unfolds more slowly in the glass. The nose is rich with graphite, sage oil, and black plum. The palate is full of kirsch, fresh leather, currant, and tobacco, with fine tannins that go for ages, along with the fruit and well-balanced acidity. - Jeb Dunnuck

100 Points! The 2019 Le Désir is just as stunning as the first time I tasted it from bottle. It's pure and layered, with alluring scents of Morello cherries, dried mushrooms, cigars, sage and aniseed wafting from the glass. The palate strikes a fine balance of concentrated fruit, loads of powdery tannins, and energetic bursts of fresh acidity. It has a deep core of concentrated, perfumed fruit with the first faint touches of umami character and a long finish driven by floral and iron tones. I can't get enough of this wine. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

91 Points! The nose offers yeasty bready aromas topped with fresh citrus, hints of stone fruit and strawberry tart. A palate of fresh croissants, red berries, green apple and lively lemon citrus, with the larger format lending lovely creaminess to the bright finish. Veuve Clicquot's iconic Yellow Label is a blend of 30% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier and 50% Pinot Noir, which provides the cuvée's signature structure. Up to 45% reserve wines in the blend ensure consistency. - Julie Sheppard, Decanter

98+ Points! Coming just about all from the Ecotone Vineyard (there's a splash of Georges III in here), the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mysterons is deep purple-hued, with an insanely good bouquet of red and black fruits, iron, bloody meat, and graphite, and it turns slightly more floral and violet-tinged with air. Classic, quintessential 2021 Napa Valley magic, it's full-bodied and has tons of obvious minerality, a stacked mid-palate, and enough tannins to warrant 5-7 years of bottle age. It will most likely merit a perfect rating at maturity. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Released as the classic Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley in the past, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Spinning Plates has a vivid purple hue to go with a rocking bouquet of pure blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and subtle background oak. It's medium to full-bodied and round, with a beautiful core of sweet fruit and ripe tannins. All varietal brought up in 85% new French oak, this ripe, sexy, impressive 2021 will drink well for 15 years if well stored. - Jeb Dunnuck

99 Points! A true wow wine, the deep, concentrated 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Hauts-Lieux (there's 20% Mourvèdre) offers awesome notes of blackcurrants, smoked meats, graphite, crushed rocks, and licorice. Extraordinarily concentrated, perfectly balanced, structured, and long, it's another sensational wine from this estate. - Jeb Dunnuck