Wines

95 Points! A tightly focused beam of bitter cherry, damson plum and raspberry coulis streams through, with mouthwatering cut in the form of ocean breeze minerality that runs from start to finish. Iris and rose hip notes fill in the background as the long, piercing finish shows a remarkably pure and unadorned feel. A high-definition Pinot. Drink now through 2035. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! The flagship 2010 Barolo Brunate benefits from thicker soils to build its structure and intensity. Despite the thicker soils, this is a silky and elegant wine that reflects the best merits of the vintage. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! Wow. This is very powerful 2010 Barolo with a great depth of fruit and powerful tannins. Full and super-structured Barolo. Goes on for minutes. Great wine from a popular vintage. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Beginning to turn the corner, this red exhibits fragrant aromas of cherry, leather, mushroom and spice. Smooth and full of ripe fruit, with a firm structure for support. Still needs some time, but already shows complexity and harmony. Best from 2018 through 2035. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! With fruit from Castiglione Falletto, the 2019 Barolo Villero is graceful and light with a beautifully silky approach to the palate. It is pleasing to the eye, thanks to the shiny ruby color that is characteristic of this vintage, and to the nose, thanks to a graceful bouquet with redcurrant, spice and blue flower. It shows similar traits to the mouth, thanks to a very sharp or linear element. Oddero's Villero knocks it out of the park across this portfolio of new releases. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! The aromas are high-toned with cassis and graphite, and a cinnamon-dusted red berry character nuanced by the woody, spicy aromas of just-cut rose stems balanced by fresh rose petals and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's a creamy wine with a bit more satin or velvet texture than the 2021, and a touch more sweetness in the berry fruit, but balanced by the textural integrity of the tannins. The finish is sweetly floral and tamed by a salty mineral quality that lingers. There's a real brightness to this wine as it opens in the glass.The aromas are high-toned with cassis and graphite, and a cinnamon-dusted red berry character nuanced by the woody, spicy aromas of just-cut rose stems balanced by fresh rose petals and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's a creamy wine with a bit more satin or velvet texture than the 2021, and a touch more sweetness in the berry fruit, but balanced by the textural integrity of the tannins. The finish is sweetly floral and tamed by a salty mineral quality that lingers. There's a real brightness to this wine as it opens in the glass. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points! Generous, with savory aromas of ripe blackcurrants and fresh black cherries and a gentle texture that shows a slight nip of tannin. It is well structured and a bit tight, which is normal for a young cabernet sauvignon-based red that’s a proven collectible. Gives up graphite and pencil shavings, some cocoa and espresso. Full-bodied. Spicy, toasty oak is really showing through right now. Best from 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The aromas are high-toned with cassis and graphite, and a cinnamon-dusted red berry character nuanced by the woody, spicy aromas of just-cut rose stems balanced by fresh rose petals and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's a creamy wine with a bit more satin or velvet texture than the 2021, and a touch more sweetness in the berry fruit, but balanced by the textural integrity of the tannins. The finish is sweetly floral and tamed by a salty mineral quality that lingers. There's a real brightness to this wine as it opens in the glass.The aromas are high-toned with cassis and graphite, and a cinnamon-dusted red berry character nuanced by the woody, spicy aromas of just-cut rose stems balanced by fresh rose petals and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's a creamy wine with a bit more satin or velvet texture than the 2021, and a touch more sweetness in the berry fruit, but balanced by the textural integrity of the tannins. The finish is sweetly floral and tamed by a salty mineral quality that lingers. There's a real brightness to this wine as it opens in the glass. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points! Generous, with savory aromas of ripe blackcurrants and fresh black cherries and a gentle texture that shows a slight nip of tannin. It is well structured and a bit tight, which is normal for a young cabernet sauvignon-based red that’s a proven collectible. Gives up graphite and pencil shavings, some cocoa and espresso. Full-bodied. Spicy, toasty oak is really showing through right now. Best from 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! A vibrant red, with a tasty burst of boysenberry and blackberry compote notes leading the way. Displaying singed alder, cocoa, tobacco and licorice snap elements, this offers enough energy to keep the finish going. Drink now through 2034. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

92 Points! A proprietary red blend of Petite Sirah, Grenache, Syrah, and Zinfandel aged eight months in 31% new oak. Orin Swift has opened a new, lovely tasting lounge in the town of St. Helena, CA and is worth a visit for those coming to the Napa Valley. Dave Phinney, the founder of Orin Swift, calls all the picks and continues working and honing these wines in the cellar. Rich black cherry, toffee, and caramel spices lead to a full-bodied wine with red berry fruit and chocolatey, robust, chewy tannins. The long fruit driven finish offers ample brown spices and toasty cedarwood. - Decanter Magazine

91 Points! Potent and dense, with brooding flavors of blackberry and cherry accented by bitter chocolate, cracked pepper and savory meat tones as this builds tannins on the finish. Grenache, Syrah and Petit Sirah. Best after 2025. - Wine Spectator

92 Points! The 2020 ‘Machete’ is a proprietary blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache that was stored in 34% new French oak for 14 months before bottling. A soft texture greets you as green peppercorns greet you alongside black currant jelly, cigar ash and dark chocolate shavings with kirsch cordial notes. Considering the vintage, this is a really good effort. - Owen Bargreen

91 Points! The 2022 Papillon Red Wine is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% each Malbec and Syrah, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot. It also includes a bit more than 5% of 2021 vintage wine, so it is labeled as Napa County, rather than Napa Valley. All the bookkeeping aside, it offers plenty of ripe cherries and a faint herbal streak on the nose, a full-bodied, silky-textured palate and a welcome bit of cedar (it spent 13 months in 40% new oak) on the charming, supple finish. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95 Points! Displays beautiful aromas of ripe fruit, with currant, plum and blackberry. Complex and full-bodied, with soft, polished tannins and a long, long finish. This shows a deft hand in the winemaking. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! Still very young. Shows complex aromas of ripe fruit, blackberries, plums and currants. Polished, with soft tannins, a full body and a very long finish. - James Suckling, 2013

94 Points! The 2005 Ornellaia opens with striking, compelling aromatics that draw the taster in. Still deep, rich and intense throughout, the 2005 has held up beautifully. Sweet herbs, tobacco, spices, sage and plums add shades of dimension to a core of super-ripe, exotic fruit that is one of the vestiges of a late-ripening vintage in which the fruit was allowed to hang until the very end. The 2005 remains an infant. It should drink well for another 15+ years. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 2015

91 Points! Le Creete vineyard is located at the southern end of Lake Garda and planted on the limestone and clay soils that make this region so interesting. As if basking in the sun, the wine opens with aromas of warmed pineapple, guava and lemon with heady white flowers wafting in and out. The palate lifts with tart notes of passion fruit and lemon peel, with a texture that has layers upon layers to explore. Crushed chalky notes define the lengthy and elegant finish. - Wine Enthusiast

90 Points! This has tropical fruit aromas like jackfruit, guava, pineapple and grapefruit. It’s juicy, ripe and fleshy with a medium body and a tasty finish. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! Velvety tannins, perfumed floral nose, opening to cedar, mint leaf, red cherry puree, all expanding outwards through the palate, with finely boned tannins adding a touch of control. Plenty of tertiary notes of truffles, campfire smoke and saffron-laced spices, but the fruit is still very much in tact. As it opens further you get intense aromatics of violet and exotic spices. You could sit with this for hours, just enjoying how finessed Cabernet Sauvignon can become with age - and how the clay that underpins the gravels on so much of Palmer's vineyard has helped keep freshness. Exceptional, and it has been delivering at this level for at least a decade. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, September 2021  

95 Points! The 1990 Palmer has long been one of my favorite vintages; at 31 years of age, it is still utterly sublime. It opens wonderfully in the glass with blackberry, forest floor, crushed iris petals and just a touch of dried blood. You would actually think that this comes from a cooler growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins. This has evolved since I last tasted it, mellowed and lost some of its plumpness, becoming more linear and almost reserved towards the finish. There's a touch of green bell pepper on the aftertaste. Wonderful. - Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2022

95 Points! The 2012 Palmer is already offering demonstrative drinking at age 10, bursting with aromas of cherries, blackberries, violets and spices, framed by a lavish application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, ample and enveloping, it's fleshy and sensual, with a deep and layered core of fruit that's discreetly underpinned by succulent acids and sweet, powdery tannins. Concentrated, broad and persistent, this is one of the most successful wines of the vintage, as well as one of the most dramatic. Thomas Duroux is crafting more integrated, less overtly oaky wines at Palmer today, but this 2012 is nonetheless a terrific effort. Château Palmer now systematically holds back an important percentage of its production for later release, and this September it's the turn of the 2012, a dramatic, sensual wine that is one of the clear successes of the vintage. - William Kelley, robertparker.com 2022

97 Points! A showstopper of a wine that offers a fragranced nose of purple flowers, blackcurrant, cola and liquorice. Smooth and silky, this has a gorgeous weight and texture, full and filling, a density of chalky, almost chewy tannins but bright, juicy acidity. Excellent construction, delicately layered but builds to an impressive whole that has such allure on the palate. A joyous wine brilliantly delivered. - Decanter Magazine

95+ Points! The 2021 Palmer has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with expressive aromas of blackberries, cherries and mulberries mingled with notions of iris, dark chocolate and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with an enveloping core of succulent fruit framed by rich, sweet tannins, it concludes with a long, expansive finish. It's a blend of 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

95 Points! This wine is very fragrant, with blackberries, blueberries, black olives, bark and forest floor as well as some minerals and stone. Medium-bodied with racy and firm tannins that build to a fresh and steely finish. Needs three to five years to soften. You can almost taste the skins. Reminiscent of the 1995 Palmer but with more precision. 56% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The 2013 Barolo Ginestra shows grace and purity, with significant power at the back that is partially fueled by the wine's well-integrated alcohol (recorded at 15%). The wine's texture is compact, and the flavor knitting is tight and carefully detailed. These qualities bode very well for the future evolution of this vintage that will undoubtedly soften and flesh out with more time in the bottle. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2005 Barolo Bric del Fiasc is a huge, muscular wine. In 2005 the wine shows a decidedly fruit-driven, fresh style. The purity of fruit here is remarkable. The dark, brooding quality that is often present in the wine is absent, while floral, perfumed elements dominate in this vintage. The fruit remains dense, ripe and primary. From start to finish, this is a remarkable Bric del Fiasc. - Antonio Galloni, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2006 Barolo Bric del Fiasc is a dramatic, sweeping wine that bursts onto the palate in a powerful expression of this Castiglione Falletto vineyard. Dark red fruits, smoke and grilled herbs are just some of the nuances that come to life as this imposing, focused Barolo opens up in the glass. Today, the wine is a touch austere, but in a few years the structure should fill out nicely. It is impossible to ignore the sheer pedigree and class here. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. - Antonio Galloni, robertparker.com/Vinous Media

94 Points! A rich, sumptuous Barolo, laced with cherry, plum and mineral aromas and flavors. Complex and well-structured, with a long, fruit- and spice-filled aftertaste. Best from 2013 through 2030. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! Saving the very best for last, the 2007 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunziata is a gorgeous expression, with towering varietal characteristics that casts a long shadow. There’s so much going on in the glass: Prune, blackberry, cassis, dried herbs and licorice are beautifully woven together. The wine is firm and crisp in the mouth with perfectly integrated tannins. You can drink this wine in a few years, or decide to keep it for later. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com