Wines

98 Points! I really appreciate the dark-berry and burnt-orange aromas that follow through to a full body, very integrated tannins and a ripe, juicy fruit character. Savory, succulent and salty. Hints of chocolate and salted nuts. So juicy and gorgeous. A fabulous red. - 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

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

95 Points, Wine Spectators #1 Wine of the Year! Warmed cassis and plum notes form the core, while lilting lilac, violet and iris accents stream throughout. Offers a flash of black tea on the finish, along with a beguiling, cashmere-like mouthfeel. Judicious toast lets it all play out beautifully. A pitch-perfect example of the vintage profile. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. - Wine Spectator

98 Points! Stunning aromas of blackcurrants, dark mushrooms and black cherries with forest-floor notes. Full body that fills your mouth with fine, caressing tannins and dark, flavorful fruit. The tannins are very intense and structural, spreading across the palate in layers and giving intensity and energy. Plenty of energy and verve here. This has gravity, too. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 3% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. - JamesSuckling.com

97+ Points! The deeply colored and glass-staining 2022 Château Giscours is packed with cassis, black cherries, violets, and graphite-like aromatics. Medium to full-bodied, it’s concentrated and intense, with beautifully ripe tannins, a pure, graceful mouthfeel, and a long, structured finish. There’s serious depth here, and while it already shows remarkable balance, I suspect it will shut down for a period before emerging as a classic Margaux a decade or so after the vintage. This beauty is going to be long-lived, and you can expect at least 30-40 years of prime drinking. Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and equal parts Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it’s a serious, age-worthy Giscours. Tasted multiple times with consistent results. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! A seriously impressive and beguiling Giscous in 2022 and one of the most elegant. A remarkable wine with gorgeous clarity and purity and just the most gentle seduction, even more so because it really doesn't feel as if it's trying too hard yet still delivering depth and complexity. Fresh and lifted, fragrant and so juicy but with textured tannins that give both the weight, structure and density to the quite bright, tangy, vibrant fruit. Nicely composed, feels quite powerful yet restrained and finessed offering lots of immediate drinking appeal but with a serious backbone that suggests long ageing too. Elegant, fineseed, subtle confidence with such cool minerality that gives freshness all the way through. It's not the most dense, or fleshy, but so refined. A compelling wine. Possible upscore in bottle. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.70pH. A yield of 27hl/ha, the lowest ever. No Sirene de Giscours this year. 100% grand vin. Ageing 17 months, 50% new oak. 10-15% press wine. Tasted twice. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

96 Points! The 2022 Giscours is compelling, just as it was en primeur. Deep, layered and inviting, the 2022 possesses notable textural richness and intensity. Yields were down about 25%, and drought starting in May produced tiny berries with thick skins. The 2022 is a very rich Giscours, one that will need a number of years to shed some baby fat. But even with all of that obvious richness, the 2022 clocks in at 13.5% alcohol. This is such a classy wine. Tasted three times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

96 Points! The 2022 Giscours has realized all the potential it showed en primeur, wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of sweet berries, mint, rose petals and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's textural and enveloping, built around lively acids and sweet powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. As I pondered two years ago, why is the 2022 so good? There are many reasons, but one is the high proportion of old vines—almost 60% of the blend derives from vines that are over 50 years old—in a vintage that favored vines with deep, well-established root systems. Another is the increasing precision of harvesting at this address: Giscours's old vines are frequently co-planted with younger replacements that have filled any gaps in the ranks over the years; so, blocks are now picked in two or three passages instead of all at once, with the younger vines picked first. The team also adapted hedging practices to limit hydric stress, which helps to explain the sweetness of the tannins. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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

92 Points! The new young red 2021 El Predilecto recovers Predilecto, which was a historic brand of the house, a wine with less aging than the rest and more fruity character. In this case, they want it to show the fruit expression of the vineyard without oak. They call it the new old concept in Rioja, what the wines used to be before the arrival of the French, pure fruit. It's a blend of 65% Garnacha from Cárdenas and Cordovín and 35% Tempranillo from Samaniego that fermented destemmed but uncrushed (so not exactly a carbonic maceration) with clean and fresh aromas and flavors. It's ripe and hedonistic, with 14.5% alcohol and good freshness. It matured in concrete for five months. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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

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

92 Points! Châteauneuf du Pape-like notes of red and black fruits, melted licorice, and peppery garrigue all emerge from the 2022 Côtes du Rhône Les Champauvins, a rich, medium to full-bodied 2022 offering beautiful richness and depth. Based on 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre that has the Grenache raised in concrete and the Syrah and Mourvèdre in oak, it's going to blow you away any time over the coming 7-8 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

90-92 Points! A floral, elegant bouquet of violets, iris, lilac and mulberries introduces the 2024 Grand Village, a moderately weighted, juicy and seamless wine. It offers a lively core of fruit framed by refined yet slightly austere tannins, lending the wine both charm and underlying structure. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

90-92 Points! The 2024 Grand Village (Lafleur) checks in as 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc that's resting in one-third new oak. This vivid ruby, semi-translucent hued effort has pretty red currants and subtle berry fruits as well as subtle floral and mineral-like nuances. It's medium-bodied, elegant, has supple, polished tannins, and outstanding length. - Jeb Dunnuck

90-91 Points! A fresh, crunchy red with sliced apples, cherries and light tannins. Medium- to light-bodied, it has a stone undertone and a clean finish. This will drink nicely. A blend of 88% merlot and 12% bouchet (cabernet franc). - JamesSuckling.com 

*Pre Arrival - Jan 2027 

98+ Points! The 2015 Côte Rôtie La Mouline has closed down substantially since I tasted it from barrel, yet it’s nevertheless a magical wine in the making. Sporting a deep, saturated purple color as well as a monster bouquet of crème de cassis, graphite, crushed rocks, and hints of flowers, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building tannins, and a focused, tight, backward vibe that’s going to need 4-5 years of bottle age. It’s going to be incredibly long-lived. - Jeb Dunnuck

98-100 Points! The 2018 Cote Rotie La Mouline is immensely seductive, offering up enticing notes of floral potpourri and red berries on the nose. Those strawberries and raspberries persist onto the full-bodied palate and through the long, lush finish, buoyed by supple, creamy-textured tannins. This is the most complete, compelling vintage of La Mouline I've tasted. - Wine Advocate

99 Points! Just about pure perfection as well as a desert Island wine, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mouline comes from a tiny parcel in the Côte Blonde lieu-dit and spent four years in new barrels. Incredible notes of black raspberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, smoked game, violets, and pepper all emerge on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied, round, supple, sexy Côte Rôtie offering ultra-fine tannins, an insane level of purity, no hard edges, and a monster of a finish. As with the other 2018s here, it leads with its fruit and has a supple, ethereal style on the palate... - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! Mineral- and citrus-driven nose with fresh aromas of lime pith, orange blossoms and grapefruit rind. The palate is medium-bodied with high-tension acidity, showing notes of mandarins, jasmine and salt brine. Fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in old French oak barrels for six months. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

From the younger (but not-so-young) vines on the Hanzell Estate, a stunner!

95 Points! Moving to the West Sonoma Coast (about 4-5 miles inward from the ocean), the 2022 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard boasts has a decadent feel but is not heavy. On the nose, it reveals bright, lifted notes of chalky earth, saline, citrus zest, white peach, honeycomb, and fresh flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it has a lovely freshness, with a kiss of sweet fruit through the finish. It has a lovely, savory, and mouthwatering feel without feeling austere and retains its rounded viscous texture, with notes of almond on the finish. Drink it over the next 6-8 years. - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com