Wines

94 Points! A blockbuster in a showy, rich style, with bolts of iron grounding a lush stream of chocolate, cherry and blackberry. Mesquite and sandalwood smoke notes linger through the smooth finish, which is flecked with spices, herbs and salt. A long bolt of graphite adds to the well-built feel. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. - Wine Spectator

93+ Points! Aged in demi-muids, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet is drawn exclusively from la Crau, a blend of 70% Grenache and 15% each Mourvèdre and Syrah. The nose is toasty and cedary but balanced by scents of red raspberries and strawberries, while the mouth is full-bodied and supple, finishing smooth, sexy and long. It's already approachable, but the wood should integrate nicely over the next several years. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2021 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard Block UU has a ton of density and power. Racy and deep, the 2021 packs a serious punch. This mineral, savory Chardonnay has so much to offer, but it also needs time to come together. Citrus, orchard fruit and savory notes abound in this very serious Chardonnay from Foxen. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! Fermented and aged in a combination of tank and puncheon, the 2024 Chenin Blanc Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard Old Vines is concentrated, crystal-clear and most importantly, absolutely delicious. Lemon oil, ripe pear, chalk and white pepper blossom in the glass with real lift. Energetic and lively, the 2024 confidently marches across the palate. A rounded, lightly creamy finish wraps things up with a pretty little bow on top. - Billy Norris, Vinous

93 Points! Fermented in equal parts stainless steel and neutral puncheons, the 2024 Chenin Blanc Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard is a beautiful representation of the variety sourced from vines planted in 1966. It opens with an airy, ethereal bouquet that gradually blossoms with dried jasmine, tangerine, crushed stone and citrus peel aromas. The palate is broad, textural and glossy yet enlivened with invigorating acidity that runs through the vibrant, mouthwatering finish. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

93 Points! Warm slate, lemon flesh and pith, hard apples, chamomile and white tea are nervy and long in this brisk chenin blanc, the concentration of fruit and savory notes making for a fascinating expression of the variety. As lively and mouthwatering as it is right now, there is a bright midterm future ahead as well. Drink or hold. - James Suckling.com

93 Points! A stunning example of Chenin’s range and appeal. Green fig and crunchy melon are open and inviting, layered with a savory jolt of salty mineral, chive and sage notes. Cool minerality keeps pace with the fruit through the firm finish, supported by fine, piercing acidity. Silky, long and pure. Drink now through 2033. - Wine Spectator

From the importer:

Produced from 35+ year old vines, this wine is normally vinified dry.

From a single vineyard parcel on one of the highest points in the appellation. The soils here are comprised of silex (flint) and a small amount of clay over limestone bedrock. Always vinified dry, this is one of the purest expressions of Montlouis that one can find. Plenty of minerals, pear and some quince in the nose, the acidity is crisp and intense giving way to a full wine that opens up over the palate leaving more quince and river rock sensations.

95 Points! These village-specific wines are growing in popularity, and among the various expressions on the market today, this wine from Verduno is really quite special thanks to its highly distinctive floral aromas and its delicate sense of inner balance. A new project being inaugurated with this vintage, the Fratelli Alessandria 2019 Barolo del Comune di Verduno shows a fine, streamlined mouthfeel with polished tones of river stone, crushed rose and licorice root. The aromas are refined and fragile. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! A recurrent question with amply aged Italian classic reds like Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino is whether or not the extra ageing stipulations in place for the Riserva categories are truly necessary; it can often seem as if younger versions have the edge on older, 'grander' wines, since they show brighter fruit structures. This 2019 Riserva illustrates the benefits of extra age. It's pale, now, with some gentle bricking at the meniscus; the aromas are refined and harmonious, packed not just with red fruits but with autumnal warmth and oak-copse charm, as if the wine was evoking the landscape in which it came into being. On the tongue, it's still quite grandly structured and clearly has further development ahead; look behind those succulent if ample tannins, though, and you'll find beautifully articulated fruit supported by deft redcurrant acidity. Grand Barolo from this outstanding vintage. - Decanter World Wine Awards

93 Points! In the bottle with the red wax capsule, the Fratelli Serio & Battista Borgogno 2019 Barolo Riserva Cannubi shows a hint of tertiary definition with faded fruit, autumnal leaf and black tea. The wine is finely knit in terms of mouthfeel, and you get a slightly textured effect with granular tannins. Fruit is selected from one part, the Vigna Battista, of the three parcels farmed in Cannubi, with southern exposures on sand, silt and clay. That limestone sand is what adds the special finesse to Cannubi fruit, typically, although climate change has complicated things. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! Very attractive, juicy wine with so much ripe melon, plus hints of lemon zest and pie crust. Long and elegant with beautifully integrated natural-grape sweetness. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

91-93 Points! The 2021 Irancy Les Cailles is a beautiful wine, busting with fragrant aromas of rose petals, peonies, warm spices and forest floor, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and perfumed palate framed by supple, melting tannins and mouthwatering acids. Spared by the frost, this site can suffer in very hot vintages but clearly thrived in the cooler 2021 vintage.

As I've written before, Thierry Richoux—and now his sons Félix and Gabin—prove that Irancy’s wines can be a revelation. Pioneers of organic farming (and now certified as such), they realize the appellation's potential, limiting their yields, harvesting by hand and maturing their wines for two years—the first year in foudre and tank, the second in smaller oak barrels...Supple, melting and vibrant, with exquisitely floral aromatics, readers who privilege sensuality and perfume over weight and power will want to secure some of the 2021s when they are ultimately released. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2021 Whole Bunch is pure Shiraz and…whole bunch (obvs). The stems are nicely integrated here with black pepper infused black fruit that feels energetic. The palate is medium-bodied with peppery red and black fruit, taut and fresh with a touch of black olive compote on the finish. I love this - surfeit with freshness and vibrancy. Delicious. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! The 2021 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills) is bright, focused and full of energy. Ripe pear, citrus peel, white owers, mint, white pepper and crushed rocks. This mid-weight, crystalline Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay is full of character. This is a very strong vintage for the Gainey. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! Lavender and sage with berries and dried strawberries, but so perfumed and subtle. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins that are totally integrated with finesse and beauty at the end. Caresses your palate. - JamesSuckling.com  

96 Points! The 2020 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a classy, polished wine. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, new leather, licorice and lavender all take shape. As always, Costa Russi is the most supple and charming of the Gaja Barbarescos in the early going. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! The Gaja 2020 Barbaresco Costa Russi has a rose and floral note that emerges at first, and it doesn't have the heavy dark earth or cured leather aromas that we get in the Barbaresco. This wine is focused on fruit tones, bright ones, and those nuances are juicy, generous and long. There's more youth in this wine, and the tannins are extremely fine and silky. Count on this wine to improve with age. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! A lush, broad version, with creamed peach and apricot racing alongside heather, bitter almond and green herbs. A salty mineral vein keeps the energy high, with flickers of salted butter and smoke at the end, which shows bitter contrast. Drink now through 2028.- Wine Spectator

93 Points! A co-fermented blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, the 2022 Cote Rotie Blonde du Seigneur evokes a complex, fresh and elegant bouquet of spices, smoke, violets, roses and dark wild berries mingled with a touch of herbs. Medium to full-bodied, tense and juicy, it's elegant, with a discreet tannic frame, good depth at the core and a tense, energetic mid-palate, leading to a long, saline and mouthwatering finish. Fermented with 10% whole bunches and crafted from vines planted in Coteaux de Semmons, Bassenon and from the young vines from Maison Rouge, this classic, well-crafted and stunning Côte-Rôtie was matured in barrels, of which 10% were new. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2023 Etna Rosso A Rina wafts up with a savory profile, mixing woodland berry with nuances of sage, wet concrete and a burst of tangerine. This displays a lovely sweetness with its ripe strawberry and cherry fruits as rosy inner florals cascade throughout. It leaves a saturation of primary concentration as depths of tart raspberry mingle with autumnal spices through the long, refreshing finish. The product of severe selection, this is the only red from Girolamo Russo in 2023 due to the challenges of the year. It is not to be missed.  - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

93 Points! Smoky and perfumed with aromatic herbs, a bit of tar and lifted dark fruit. Medium-bodied. It shows firm, dusty, yet good tannins with crisp acidity and a tight finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! So good, this is a vibrant mix of young and exuberant, luxurious, seriously creamy in texture, crushed stone, baked earth, smoked caramel, damson, sweet blackberry and damson fruits. This is pure pleasure, hard to resist. 45% new oak, 40hl/ha yield, harvest September 23 to October 4. Remi di Constanzo technical director. - Jane Anson

94 Points! Sweet berry and cherry aromas with violets, following through to a medium to full body with creamy, linear tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Tight and curated, in a structured way. Try after 2027. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

94 Points! Rock-solid, with a mouthwatering roasted apple wood and mesquite frame around a well-layered core of black currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavors. The finish features dots of tobacco and tar that add range but the real driver is a long bolt of iron, which gives this a throwback feel. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2038. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! The 2019 Gloria personifies classic Saint-Julien, offering blackberry, wild hedgerow, cedar and tobacco scents, maybe a little conservative in style, but unashamed about that. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite firm tannins. Fresh and saline, this gets the saliva going with a precise, persistent finish and leaves hints of graphite on the aftertaste. Excellent. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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

96 Points! Quite a scented and fresh Gloria with lovely fragrance and firmness. Nothing overstated this year, showing beautiful texture and restraint. This initial balance as well as sharp-etched tannins will give it the ability to age. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Cassis, spicy oak, exotic blue fruits, and chocolate notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Gloria, a concentrated yet beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied effort from this team. It has terrific purity, a chalky sense of minerality, ample tannins, and a great finish. The 2022 is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged 14 months in barrel. Hide bottles for 4-6 years if you can and enjoy over the following two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2022 Gloria was picked from 12-26 September and matured in 40% new oak, slightly less than the Saint-Pierre. It has a perfumed, floral nose with crushed violet infusing the black cherry and blueberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with sumptuous tannins that belie the structure underneath. With pure fruit and well-judged acidity, this 2022 is sensual with a persistent and lightly spiced finish. Superb. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

94 Points! A vibrant rosé Champagne, with firm, well-honed acidity deftly wrapped in a smooth texture and rich notes of marzipan, dried white cherry, blood orange peel and salted Marcona almond. Reveals hints of ground ginger, lemon thyme and wet chalk, with a long, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2030. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! A refreshing bite to the fruit balances the intense lusciousness of the weighty mid-palate, full of honeyed almonds, walnuts, preserved cherry and plum. The crunchiness provides at once lift and structure to the palate, with zesty tannic grip. Savoury lining of dried sage, tarragon and mint. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! The 2021 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is one of the vintage's successes, wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis and raspberries mingled with notions of violets, rose petals, pencil shavings and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, with a deep, layered core of pure fruit framed by ripe acids and sweet tannins, its suave, charming profile means that it will offer a broad drinking window. A slightly lower percentage of new oak, with lighter toasts, is reflected in better barrel integration out of the gates. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

95 Points! A refined, classic Pauillac with cassis, pencil shavings, ash and cherries. Juicy and really fine on the palate with silky tannins unwound into a layered, long finish. A refined, elegant interpretation that does not fall short on intensity. Real finesse here. Already delicious, but can hold, too. - JamesSuckling.com Learn More

94 Points! A brilliant white Fronsac, the 2022 Grand Village Blanc is bright, juicy, and beautifully textured, with crushed stone, mint, lime, and chalky minerality all defining its aromatics. Medium-bodied and fresh on the palate, it shows remarkable purity and elegance, with a clean, focused finish. Its oak (one-third new) is perfectly integrated. You could drink this today or in a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

70% Sauvignon, 30% Semillon