Wines

98+ Points! Drop-dead gorgeous, the kaleidoscopic 2019 Aglianico del Vulture Superiore Riserva Titolo seduces with a cascade of violets and lavender, giving way to shavings of pine, incense, and a core of crushed black cherries. It's deeply textural, with masses of mineral-infected red and black fruit flowing across a stream of pure velvet. The 2019 folds in upon itself throught the finale yet maintains exceptional freshness, finishing with a pleasantly bitter tinge of cocoa as notes of tobacco fade. The titolo Riserva hails only from Elena Fucci's oldest vines, between 60 and 70 years old. It is refined in a single 500-liter barrel for 40 months. This edition marries the majesty of the Titolo vineyard and its old vines with the magic of the 2019 vintage. Fantastic. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

93 Points! A good, complex wine, the leesy character enhancing the citrus and stone fruit with subtle minerality and a whiff of flowers. Vibrant and silky, this is well balanced on the palate with medium body and refreshing acidity. - JamesSuckling.com

92-94 Points! The 2021 Chablis Le Bas de Chapelot comes across quite closed on the nose, though Edouard Vocoret mentioned how this cuvée has closed down at the time of my visit. The palate is complex with touches of apricot and white peach, plenty of minerals and flint, focused with a long tail on the finish. This is apparently mercurial during its barrel maturation but this bodes well. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

98 Points! Even better, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon The Estate is straight-up awesome and will stand up to anything in the vintage. Pure creme de cassis, crushed stone, liquid violets, and classy oak all emerge from this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, which is full-bodied, concentrated, and flawlessly balanced. There are a scant six barrels produced, but if you see a bottle, buy it. It will probably take a decade to hit maturity, but it will evolve for well over two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! A very attractive, medium-bodied Amontillado with a slew of dried fruit and a delicate hint of toffee. Elegant and dry with just a hint of bitterness that the rich flavors balance very nicely. Very clean finish. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! More iron, red fruits, tobacco, and obvious minerality emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a site on Pritchard Hill (Montagna). Aged 22 months in new barrels, it’s full-bodied, rich, and powerful, with serious tannins as well as concentration. It needs to be forgotten for 7-8 years if possible. This is serious, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon. - Jeb Dunnuck

90-92 Points! Blackberries, spicy garrigue, herbes de Provence, and some peppery nuances all emerge from the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Sinards, a medium-bodied, supple, elegant red with tons of character. - Jeb Dunnuck

93-95 Points! The 2020 Gigondas Clos Des Tourelles should be a step up. Medium to full-bodied, pure, and remarkably well-balanced, it has a terrific mix of red and almost blue fruits as well as peppery herbs and flowers. Already complex and nuanced, yet concentrated and rich, it’s a serious effort from the Perrin family that’s going to have 15+ years of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! A creamy texture carries lush, ripe tropical fruits, ample butter and toast nuances in this bold, full-bodied wine. The layering of baked apples, vanilla, Bartlett pears and almonds is impressive and delicious. - Wine Enthusiast

93 Points! A medium-bodied, balanced and elegant chardonnay with notes of apples, spiced pears, burnt lemons and sweet spices. Delicate and creamy with a fine texture and a supple, mellow and delicious finish. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Pure aromas of lemon confit, poached Asian pears, pastry and lanolin. The palate is medium-bodied with focused acidity and a creamy texture, giving notes of lime curd, orange blossoms, yellow apples and flint. Very well constructed and polished. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Elegant and fragrant up front, with notes of orange blossoms and ginger paste alongside fleshy, juicy flavors of ripe melon, peach, apricot and fresh lemon zest. Accents of smoked sea salt and fennel pollen linger on this white's sleek frame. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! The 2019 Faugères is one of the most elegant wines I have ever tasted from Silvio Denz's Saint-Émilion estate. Silky, aromatic and super-expressive, Faugères is absolutely exquisite. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, dried flowers and cinnamon are some of the many nuances that open in the glass. There is plenty of the textural richness readers have come to expect over the years, but the 2019 is less over the top than some previous vintages. And that's a good thing. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

95 Points! A full-bodied red with fine tannins and plenty of plum, milk-chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s creamy and attractively textured. Rather flamboyant for the vintage. Generous and formed. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A nice touch of fine reduction that protects the fruit and almost mingles with the oak spices, giving this a dusty feel with dulce de leche, blackberries, cassis and graphite. A crunchy, medium-bodied palate with fresh, juicy tannins and a firm, lively finish. Long, elegant and fluid. A very good expression from this lighter vintage. Drink from 2024. - JamesSuckling.com Learn More

92 Points! A harmonious red that leans toward traditional in style without forsaking its concentration or fruit expression. An overtone of tobacco, vanilla and milled white pepper is a fragrant thread winding through ripe and juicy black cherry and plum fruit, framed by refined, supple tannins. Hints of leather, red licorice and wild thyme play on the fresh, focused finish. Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo. - Wine Spectator

98 Points! This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon features big, round, silky, and lush blackberry flavours with sagebrush nuances and dark chocolate. It is full-bodied with a rich, dense black and blue fruit core, complemented by tantalising acidity. Dazzling in its opulence, it is perfectly balanced by superb, fine-grained tannins and bright minerality. Favia is the project of husband and wife duo viticulturist Annie Favia and winemaker Andy Erickson. - Decanter Magazine

98 Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville explodes with bombastic notes of creme de cassis, black cherry preserves, and boysenberries giving way to nuances of cedar, graphite, and lavender oil. The full- bodied palate is jam packed with intense black and blue fruit layers supported by a solid line of firm grainy tannins and amazing tension, finishing long and with wonderful purity. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW, TWI

93 Points! The red blend 2019 Pacio Tinto was produced with Brancellao, Merenzao Caíño Longo, Sousón and Mencía grapes that fermented in granite lagars with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in used 500-liter oak barrels and has a very Ribeira Sacra character, mixing rusticity with elegance, wilderness with restraint. It's medium-bodied with fine tannins, pure flavors and a long, clean finish. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! Plums with orange peel and orange blossom on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins that are polished and curated with lovely tension and texture. Drinkable now but will age nicely. Shows tension at the end. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! I found the 2018 Vinyes Velles to be quite ripe with notes of prunes and decayed violets, with 14.5% alcohol and a low pH, so the nose seems overripe but the palate feels fresher. It's 84% Cariñena and 16% Garnacha matured in 225-liter oak barrels for 15 months. Ripe and generously oaked. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93+ Points! Dark depths of crushed plums, black cherries, balsam herbs and dark chocolate form a beguiling display as the 2019 Nero d'Avola Vrucara smolders up from the glass. This is pure elegance, silky and textural, yet full of youthful tension, with tart wild berries and zesty citrus colliding under an air of inner rose. The 2019 is structured with sweet tannins and is dramatically extended, showing hints of brown spice, mocha and clove that linger on and on and on. This is a powerful rendition of Vrucara. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media