Wines

96 Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Mount Veeder wine loaded with strong savory and mineral accents. Black fruit, graphite menthol and licorice lend complexity to this huge, explosive Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannins are pretty fierce at this stage, so readers should plan on being patient. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! Black raspberries, cassis, spring flowers, and tobacco notes dominate the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a beautiful, classic, medium to full-bodied, incredibly satisfying Cabernet that does everything right. Drink this complex, perfumed, elegant beauty over the coming two decades. The blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, aged in 81% new French oak. - Jeb Dunnuck

99 Points! A fabulous wine of focus and polish with very fine tannins that caress your palate and give great length to the finish. Medium to full body. The aromas of violets and currants are so beautiful. Dreamy. Best ever? A blend of 92% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc, 2% merlot, 1% malbec and 1% petit verdot. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Winemaker Chris Carpenter says that his Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder is intended to serve as a counterpoint to the La Jota Cabernet, which is from Howell Mountain, but that each wine showcases a softer expression of mountain Cabernet, and one that is poised for earlier drinking for collectors who stash bottles of the single vineyard Cabernet wines from Lokoya in their cellar. The soils atop Mt. Veeder are volcanic and sedimentary, and two sites provide the grapes for Mt. Brave. One is the Mt. Brave Vineyard, formerly Chateau Potelle Vineyard, and the site is above the fog line on the northern part of Mt. Veeder, where the soils are well-draining, and yields are generally two tons per acre in good vintages. The other is Veeder Peak Estate. Each site is about 24ha. This blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet France, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot was aged 23 months in 80% new French oak. Super fragrant with black fruits, black cherry, and graphite minerality with violets and cherry liqueur undertones. Full-bodied with pronounced tannins that have a chalkiness about them, balanced by very soft and supple fruit that makes this wine so approachable in its youth. An extended finish is marked by blue fruit and pronounced garrigue, blue agave syrup, sage, and crushed cocao nibs. - Decanter Magazine

97+ Points! The expressive, complex and nuanced 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a textbook traditional Rioja in the making. 2016 was a very elegant year, with aging potential, volume and very good acidity and freshness. It's full-bodied but fine-boned, has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.25 grams per liter acidity. It has terrific balance, with all the components in the right proportion to age superbly in bottle. They have also been working on the selection of wood used. This wine matured in French and American oak barrels for three years, and the oak is super integrated. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

97 Points! Spiced red and black fruits, new saddle leather, smoky tobacco, and lead pencil are just some of the nuances in the 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva, a pure, medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, beautifully textured Rioja from this team. With beautiful yet building tannins, a pure, focused style, and awesome length on the finish, it's a brilliant wine with a solid two decades of prime drinking ahead of it. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Complex aromas of dark fruit with violets, walnuts and chocolate. Classy. It's full-bodied with plush yet fine velvety tannins, and a precise and pointed finish. Juicy and savory. Tight finish. It's very long. This is beautiful now but will be even better in three or four years. Linear and vertical at the same time. Try after 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The grapes for the 2021 Reserva (sold as Crianza in Spain), mostly Tempranillo with some Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano, were picked late in a cooler year when they finished the harvest the 20th of October, with plenty of times for the grapes to develop full aromas and flavors and complete ripeness. It fermented destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, separating qualities, villages and soils, and matured in 80% French and 20% American oak barrels, 20% of them new, for 24 months, with racking every eight to nine months. It's a textbook example of their style in a very good year, with power, concentration and clout, elegance and freshness. It was a very harmonious year; the cycle was long and the tannins ripened to perfection. It's terrific... - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! The winery’s flagship, the wine that introduced Muga to the world, the 2021 Muga Reserva is Tempranillo-dominant, with Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano filling in the gaps. A larger-production wine, it offers tremendous quality, fermented in wooden vats using indigenous yeasts, the grapes separated by quality, soil type, and village origin. This one in particular is from a beautiful vintage and practically beams in full-bodied concentration, with supple, silky tannins and light touches of oak spice, cedar, balsamic, and white pepper. A new release, it should continue to thrive another 15-20 years. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

95 Points! From a slightly more challenging year for the region, the 2020 Muga Selección Especial checks in as 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and the rest Graciano and Mazuelo that's aged six months in new French barrique, followed by two full years in older French and American (70/30) oak barriques. Rocking levels of cassis and black raspberry-like fruit as well as graphite, spicy wood, violets, and lead pencil notes all shine on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, and silky tannins. It's already hard to resist. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! Their most gastronomical red is the 2020 Selección Especial, a blend of the four traditional varieties from Rioja—Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano—fermented in oak vats. Half of the destemmed grapes were put through an optical sorting machine. The wine matured in French oak barrels, 40% of them new, for 26 months and was racked every eight to nine months. 2020 was a warm year, and the wine comes in at 14.5% alcohol, with a pH of 3.56 and 5.75 grams of acidity. Manu Muga likes 2020 very much and says it's a year that suffers because it's in between 2019 and 2021. This is also a textbook example of this wine, a little more developed and tertiary, with generous spice and toast and a palate with more grip. The tannins are not as precise and elegant as those from 2021 (yeah, it suffers in the comparison), but it's a very worthy wine. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2020 Selección Especial Muga is Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. This aged for 26 months in 40% new French oak. Concentrated, with aromas of sour cherry, plum, fine oak, cedar and herbal notes, it's dry in the mouth with plush tannins and well-defined fruit. The tackiness adds structure and promises good aging potential.-  Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous

92 Points! The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III (F Block) is all about pure power and muscle. A blast of dark fruit hits the palate as this immediate, juicy wine shows off its open, accessible personality. - Antonio Galloni, robertparker.com

97 Points! A complex nose of raspberries, redcurrants, blueberries, spices and dried herbs. It’s medium-bodied with elegant tannins. Round, juicy and layered on the palate, offering great harmony and balance. Fresh, yet complex with a savory finish. Old-vine character. The vines are more than a century old. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

The oldest Malbec vines in Chile, planted 1890!

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

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

97+ Points! The Oddero 2021 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione shows that etched minerality and soaring verticality that you can expect of this celebrated MGA site. This (and the 2021 Barolo Brunate) are my favorites in this group of single-vineyard releases. I love the sharpness, the focus, the tension and those taut tannins that stitch it together. This wine reveals a note of candied cherry, raspberry and terrific fruit purity. It ages in botte grande for 24 months, and 3,000 bottles were created. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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

98 Points! The 2021 Barolo Villero soars from the glass with intensely spiced, balsamic-tinged aromatics. Deceptively medium in body, with superb persistence and class, the 2021 is simply magnificent. Beams of tannin shape the unforgettable, persistent finish. This is another wine that demands patience. The Villero is not an easy wine, rather it is a Barolo that offers a more inward, at times intellectual, expression of Nebbiolo. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

99 Points! The purity of fruit is really something else here, with currants and fresh flowers, such as violets and roses. Flower stems as well. Fantastic length and structure to the wine, with tightness and focus. Wonderful fruit. Graceful. A blend of 78% cabernet sauvignon, 8% merlot, 7% petit verdot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% malbec. Try after 2028. - James Suckling

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

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