Wines

95 Points! Tasted with Lisa and Philip Togni in their winery atop Spring Mountain in February of 2024. The Tanbark Hill was bottled in June of 2023. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged up to 20 months. The tannins are quite assertive at this young stage, in classic Spring Mountain Togni fashion, with a fine granularity about them. The wine feels quite complete, teeming with pure dark berry fruits and very fresh. Deeply mineral-tinged dark berries and black currants are framed by a wine with noticeable coiled-up energy and tension. It’s mostly mouthfeel at this stage and will soften with a few more years. - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter Magazine

93 Points! The medium to full-bodied 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill Vineyard delivers complex notes of mountain fruit, with hints of sage and bay leaf accenting cassis, blueberries and raspberries. In the mouth, it's firmly buttressed by grainy tannins, with terrific acids that linger on the finish in mouthwatering fashion. This, Togni's "early-drinking" wine, should age two decades with ease. -  Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill Vineyard is one of the most potent vintages of this wine I can remember tasting. Dense and textured, the 2021 shows ample dark fruit and complex earthy/savory undertones that add balance. The 2021 benefits from the addition of some excess fruit that would have been used in the main label but that, for practical purposes, ended up in the tanks for the Tanbark Hill. Readers will find a wine of breadth, power and character. In this vintage, the Tanbark Hill gives a very good idea of the quality and style of the Grand Vin. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! The 2021 Poggio de Colli, 100% Cabernet Franc, is stunning. It’s peppery and floral throughout, with masses of crushed strawberry and raspberry spiced up by tangerine zest. This impresses further with its wiry textures offset by tantalizing acidity. A core of tart wild berry fruit cascades across the palate, underscored by saline minerals and hints of citrus. Fine-grained tannins emerge through the finish as the 2021 tapers off spicy yet fresh, leaving the mouth watering despite its structure and intensity. This is a ripe vintage for Poggio de Colli, yet it is still a glorious Cabernet Franc that will pay dividends in the cellar. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

95 Points! The 2023 Riesling Pfaffenberg has subtle citrus and a darker aspect that disappears on the palate. The body is zesty, driven and energetic, with stony determination and citrus wings, grapefruit, tangerine and all the tangy stuff. Despite this soaring nature, this is anchored in stone. The 2023 is compelling, strait-laced, precise and oh-so juicy. Wonderfully dry. - Anne Krehbiel MW, Vinous Media

96 Points! Dark and brooding in bearing, the 2021 Pichon Baron is a somber, mysterious wine. It is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur. Graphite, leather, spice, mocha and dried herbs meld together in a wine of power, precision and contemporary classicism. It's one of my early favorites in this vintage. I won't be too surprised if it turns out even better than this note suggests. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! The 2021 Pichon-Longueville Baron is showing very well in bottle, unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, sweet berries and violets mingled with subtle hints of orange zest and cigar wrapper. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with good depth at the core, bright acids and sweet tannins that assert themselves on the gently structured finish, its serious, slightly reserved profile reflects the unusually high (89%) percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 concluded its élevage in large wooden vats for a month and a half, saw a touch less racking than normal, and was only fined with a small amount of gelatin, not egg white, as has been the rule at this address for several years now. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

95 Points! Black currant, violet, lemon blossom and black berry aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and tobacco, black fruit and cedar undertones. It’s tight and chewy, suggesting it needs some bottle age. Some iodine. Oyster shell. 88% cabernet sauvignon. Give this four to five years. Try after 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

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

95-96 Points! A dense wine with good richness and concentration. Slightly chewy, with an almost full body and a tight-grained finish. Long, structured and powerful. Not a lighter year for Pichon Baron, thanks to the low yield of just around 20 hectoliters per hectare. 87% cabernet sauvignon and 13% merlot. - Zekun Shai, James Suckling

94-96 Points! Beautiful stuff, the 2024 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron has ripe currant and cassis fruit intermixed with classic lead pencil, graphite, and tobacco nuances. It's medium-bodied, with a pure, layered, and elegant mouthfeel, notable tannins, and outstanding length. The 2024 is based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot, hitting 12.7% alcohol with a pH of 3.71. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2004 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of rich dark berry fruit, cigar wrapper and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with velvety tannins and a seamless, charming profile, it is really beginning to drink with some style. It's one of the wines of the vintage and continues to represent terrific value. - William Kelley, robertparker.com, 2022

98 Points! The 2021 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a towering wine. Just as it did en primeur, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. The Cabernets are very high in the blend, and that comes through in a Saint-Julien endowed with ton of explosive vertical lift. Lavender, dried herbs, mint, spice, rose petal and a kick of orange peel are some of the notes that run through this striking Pichon Comtesse. The aromatics alone are compelling, but everything about the 2021 speaks to class personified. Bright saline notes extend the finish. In a word: sublime. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants and graphite. Metal shavings. It's medium-bodied, with a classy center-palate of fruit and fine, velvety tannins leading to an almost endless finish. This has so much class, especially for the vintage. Very low production. Drink after 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Concentrated. Medium-ruby color, with ripe plum, cigar tobacco and smoke aromas. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Still closed, almost clumsy. Give it time.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective, 2000. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! The 2019 Odyssee is an eclectic blend of Bordeaux and Rhone vineyards, made by Pierre Graffeuille (now at Montrose) and Matthieu Dumarcher, composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Medoc, and 25% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre from the Rhone. Medium garnet-purple in color, it springs from the glass with vivacious notes of black raspberries, mulberries, and juicy plums, followed by an undercurrent of crushed blackcurrants, Indian spices, and charcoal with a waft of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with spicy black fruit flavors, supported by velvety tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a skip in its step. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

94 Points! Such a fetching nose full of spices, showing lots of cumin, tangy peppercorn to the fresh blackberries and blueberries. Medium-bodied palate with a tangy profile of spice and blue fruit. Tannins are creamy and small-grained, giving a nice, seamless grip to the finale. Cabernet sauvignon, grenache and mourvedre. Irresistible now, but can hold, too. - James Suckling

96 Points! Brilliant and worthy of comparison to top Pinot Noirs and Burgundies, the 2023 Pinot Noir offers a gorgeous array of red and black fruits intermixed with forest floor, dried flowers, baking spices, and leather. This medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir reveals a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, integrated acidity, and a great finish. Made with 30% whole clusters and fermented in oak tanks before 11 months in 65% new French oak, it shows the softer, supple, incredibly charming style of the vintage and will drink beautifully over the coming 10-12 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The organic Planeta 2023 Sicilia Menfi Chardonnay is a creamy and rich interpretation with sweet almond, apricot and Sicilian candied fruit. The wine delivers beautiful intensity over a thickly layered, full-bodied mouthfeel. Fruit comes from the Ulmo vineyard (positioned at 250 meters above sea level) and Maroccoli (at 415 meters in elevation). The wine is aged in Allier French barrique with 40% new oak, 30% second-use and 30% third-use barrel for 11 months. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! Almost Burgundian style to this wine, due to reductive character, with smoky aromas, pink grapefruit and candied cedar. Mellow, full-bodied and opulent with a creamy texture, refreshing acidity and a polished finish. From organically grown grapes. Sustainable. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot, the organic Podere Sapaio 2023 Bolgheri Volpolo di Sapaio is a charming wine with generous layers of fruit, offering precise notes of blackcurrant and sweet plum. Oak is gently interwoven into the elegantly rich mouthfeel, adding polish without overshadowing the fruit. Fermented in stainless steel and moved into barrique for 14 months of élevage, the 2023 combines freshness and vitality. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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

95 Points! The 2022 Chateau Poesia is made from 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, fragrant notes of red currant jelly and Morello cherries come bounding out of the glass, followed by hints of violets, cinnamon stick, and underbrush. The full-bodied palate is packed with expressive black and red berry preserves flavors, framed by plush tannins and wonderful tension, finishing long and perfumed. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

93 Points! A ripe and lightly savory nose with iron, graphite, minerals, mature plums and orange rind. Juicy and structured, this has medium to full body and a tightly wound finish. Give it two more years in bottle. Try from 2027. - James Suckling

94 Points! The 2022 Poesia, which suffered minor frost damage in early April, has a more marine-tinged bouquet thanks to its clay/limestone soils. Blackberry and blueberry fruit, fine delineation, taciturn at first, but it opens well in the glass after aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, peppery entry. The limestone comes through nicely here. But it's quite backward on the finish and therefore it will require 4-5 years in bottle. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2022 Poesia is a heady, opulent wine. Inky dark fruit, herbs, lavender and chocolate abound. In this vintage the Franc is up to 30% and that comes through in the wine’s distinctly savory profile. This exotic, flamboyant Saint-Émilion possesses tremendous aromatic presence to play off its opulent fruit. The oak needs to integrate, but then again, this is an en primeur sample. Frost lowered yields to 30 hectoliters per hectare instead of the more typical 45 or so. Drinking window : 2032-2047 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2022 Château Poesia is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc that's from more limestone soils brought up in a mix of barrels (50% new) and tank. It brings more elegance and finesse compared to the Château D'Arce and has beautiful black raspberry and red plum fruit intermixed with smoky tobacco, chalky minerality, and a huge floral, incense-like character. It's full-bodied, has a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a beautiful finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Pure berry fruit and cedar aromas, the wine has great purity. It is a straight line of freshness as well as black-currant fruits and ripe acidity. The wine is beautifully textured and firm at its core. Drink from 2028. Organic and biodynamic. - Wine Enthusiast

95 Points! This is a very pretty 2021 with a solid, beautiful mid-palate and density. Juicy fruit, slightly chewy tannins and a savory finish. Hints of graphite. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Ripe blue fruits, spring flowers, violets, tobacco, and some graphite notes all emerge from the 2021 Château Pontet-Canet, a richer, medium to full-bodied Pauillac that has polished, building tannins, terrific overall balance, and outstanding length. It picks up more classic Pauillac lead pencil notes with time in the glass (I was able to taste this on multiple occasions) and is a fleshy, beautifully textured 2021 that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for two decades. The 2021 is based on 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot that was raised 50% in new oak barrels, 35% amphora, and the balance in once-used oak. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Bright, with crushed-stone and floral character on the nose. Medium body with a firm core, expanding through the palate. Vivid and bright. Lots of good energy. Crushed-stone and lightly chalky character at the end. Needs two or three years to come around. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

92 Points! The 2019 Potensac is fabulous. Bright and focused, the 2019 impresses with its energy, balance and total class. Crushed flowers, mint, cinnamon, crushed rocks and blood orange all open in the glass. The 2019 is class personified I love the purity here. The 2019 is a standout, and should be a terrific value, too. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

#BordeauxBlowout

95 Points Vinous! From the winery:The Loechel Eden Valley Shiraz is sourced from a single vineyard at the Southern tip of the Eden Valley township. It was planted half a century ago by the Loechel family to granitic loam, at 400 metres altitude.

The vineyard is planted on a steep Easterly aspect with high drainage and low yields, resulting in concentrated fruit and rich, complex wines. The vineyard is picked in three seperate components which are kept seperate throughout vinification. One third of the vineyard’s fruit is retained to produce the Loechel Shiraz which is determined at blending prior to bottling

94 Points! The 2017 Amarone della Valpolicella Morandina is youthfully coy, slowly evolving with a delicate blend of dusty rose, stone dust and dried strawberries. This displays fantastic balance, cooling and crisp, with silken textures and depths of red and black fruits that slowly saturate. Crunchy tannins resonate as the 2017 tapers off dramatically long and staining, leaving a pleasantly bitter twang and saline minerals to linger on. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2020 Uvaggio is a fabulous introduction to this range. Pliant, layered, and wonderfully silky, the 2020 is all charm. Soft contours wrap around red/purplish fruit, dried herbs, rose petals, blood orange, mint and white pepper. This is an especially generous style, but it all works so well. Bright mineral notes extend the effortless, vibrant finish. Dollops of Vespolina and Croatina play off Nebbiolo so well, - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

96 Points! The 2020 Pinot Noir Earth Smoke is a massively different wine from its stablemate Angel Flower, giving a more expansive wine that blossoms in the mouth without any sense of weight. There's elegance and sense of precision. And do you know what? It feels special. If I were tasting blind, aromatically, I'd think it were a cool climate Syrah with sandalwood, fennel, agave and white pepper characters in abundance alongside pure cherry fruit. The finish is fresh and precise. - Rebecca Gibb, MW, Vinous Media