Wines

93 Points! This unusual gruner veltliner is brimming with floral aromas and has a wonderful interplay of restrained creaminess, bright yellow apple and pear fruit and elegant acidity on the medium-bodied palate. Long, precise finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Chopped apples, honey and lemon pith on the nose, with an earthy minerality too. It’s medium-bodied, creamy and layered, with a long and delicious finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

97+ Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Missouri Hopper is a little youthfully mute to begin, slowly revealing evocative crème de cassis, blueberry pie, chocolate box and black tea notes with nuances of forest floor, wild sage and crushed rocks. Full-bodied and packed to the gills with black fruits and earthy layers, it has a firm, grainy frame and just enough freshness, finishing with epic persistence. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

97 Points! A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Pym-Rae displays a deep garnet-purple color and reveals wonderfully fragrant notes of candied violets, wilted roses, damp soil and black tea over a core of red and black currants, black cherries and warm blackberries plus touches of cigar box and camphor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is evocatively singular, offering that rock-solid structure of mountain fruit, yet these are wonderfully ripe, silt-like tannins that beautifully support the elegant red and black fruit layers, finishing very long and very perfumed. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

98 Points! Top 100 Wine in the United States from James Suckling! This is the debut vintage of this wine from the esteemed Bordeaux owner, Alfred Tesseron, who bought the property in the Napa mountains in 2016. Aromas of plums, wet earth, fresh herbs and tobacco. Some green olives. Turns to blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, yet reserved and layered with chocolate, walnuts and plums. Firm yet polished tannins give a framed sense to the wine. Savory. Racy and beautifully structured, it’s extremely drinkable already. Real wine. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Pym-Rae leaps from the glass with bold notions of black cherries, mulberries, plum preserves and dark chocolate with an opulent undercurrent of Indian spices, potpourri, sandalwood and cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with rich, seductive black fruit preserves and an explosion of exotic spice sparks, framed by firm yet beautifully plush tannins and fantastic tension, finishing very long and achingly fragrant. Possessing loads more weight and mid-palate density than a lot of 2017s, this second showing is an absolute knock-out. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2020 Pinot Noir Angel Flower is a soulful, complex wine that you don't really want to pick apart. Compared with the Pinot Noir Earth Smoke, which hails from the same small estate, it's not as obvious and takes longer to get to know. It's harmonious, round and calming, sitting comfortably in the mouth like a good friend visiting. It's my job to deconstruct wines, but I feel that to do so would be to destroy them. Pure, elegant, and quiet with a confident but unobtrusive line of acidity and airy-light chalky tannins that envelop the mouth. Rich intensity of sweet strawberry, fruit, fennel, thyme and smoky characters without any sense of heaviness. Initially, you might prefer Earth Smoke for its immediate aromatics, but I'd prefer to spend time with Angel Flower getting to know it. Over three days, I tried to get to the bottom of it but soon realized that might take years. - Rebecca Gibb, MW, Vinous Media

100 Points! The head-turning 2022 Quilceda Creek ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon has 10% Mach One Vineyard fruit blended in, with the remainder coming from the famed Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The nose is beyond alluring with toasted walnut and gorgeous purple rose petals that combine with boysenberry cordial, Turkish coffee and shades of dark licorice. The crazy complex aromatics bring you back to the glass for more enjoyment. Pillowy and opulent on the mouth, the seamless texture leads alongside outstanding weight and finesse.  This is a perfect wine in a vintage that shows what can be accomplished in a slightly cooler year. Savor this remarkable achievement over the next twenty plus years to come. - Owen Bargreen

100 Points! The head-turning 2022 Quilceda Creek ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon has 10% Mach One Vineyard fruit blended in, with the remainder coming from the famed Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The nose is beyond alluring with toasted walnut and gorgeous purple rose petals that combine with boysenberry cordial, Turkish coffee and shades of dark licorice. The crazy complex aromatics bring you back to the glass for more enjoyment. Pillowy and opulent on the mouth, the seamless texture leads alongside outstanding weight and finesse.  This is a perfect wine in a vintage that shows what can be accomplished in a slightly cooler year. Savor this remarkable achievement over the next twenty plus years to come. - Owen Bargreen

WS Top 100 2021 #45

97 Points! Juicy and muscular, with a ball of plum paste, warmed fig compote and black currant reduction flavors that need time to unwind. Ample graphite- and bramble-accented grip underscores the fruit on the finish, while a ganache note finds room to strut its stuff in the end. Should be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2030 through 2055. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! The 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée is a terrific introduction to the range. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, spice, rose petal and a touch of whole cluster savoriness are all beautifully delineated. This is such a gorgeous and expressive Pinot. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

93 Points! Aromas of strawberry fruit leather give way to notes of turned earth and crushed black basalt. The palate is savoury, with underlying dried fruit flavours. Montmorency cherries, garden soil and clove, evolve into notes of savoury herbs and streaks of graphite minerality. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points! This is the best American sparkling wine I've ever tasted. The 2019 vintage base also includes 25% reserve wines from the 2017 and 2018 harvests. This Grand Reserve Chardonnay made from the cool Sta Rita Hills is crafted with a Champagne pedigree, and it shows. This Blanc de Blancs from across renowned Sta Rita Hills vineyards has undeniable Old World charm and sophistication. The aromatics boast ample toasted biscuit notes and great yeasty complexity from the 30 months on lees. The palate has a fantastic depth of fruit, spiced pear, cardamom, nutmeg and bruised apples. There is a subtlety of savoury biscuits and hints of almond cream. Elegant, yet bold and wildly delicious. - Clive Pursehouse, Decanter Magazine

93 Points! The NV Chardonnay Grand Reserve (Sparkling) is compelling, especially in the way it straddles the line between still and sparkling wine. Creamy and resonant in the glass, the Grande Reserve is laced with apricot, white flowers and chamomile. This is a superb showing for the entry-level wine in what will soon be a range of sparklers from Racines. This release is a blend of fruit from Wenzlau, Bentrock, La Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict .... These new releases from Etienne de Montille’s Racines kick off with the first sparkling wine made in collaboration with Rodolphe Péters. The new Grande Reserve, all 2018 in its first release, will gradually become a multi-vintage blend in the style of Péters’s Cuvée de Réserve Champagne. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

97 Points! Very complex, showing enticing aromas of nougat, dried apples and flint at first, turning to floral notes of lilacs and honeysuckle with a hint of smoke. Medium-bodied with some oily texture, it has a creamy yet refined palate and a steely mineral aftertaste. Vibrant and featherlight yet concentrated. So excellent to drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93+ Points! The young, balsamic and still faintly medicinal entry-level white 2023 Louro is dense, ripe and powerful at 13.9% alcohol, pungent and intense with a bitter twist in the finish. It's very tasty, almost salty, with cleanliness and precision, combining power with freshness and elegance. This is quite impressive and a preview of the rest of the 2023s to come. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points Tim Atkin, MW!

98 Points! Originally a part of the legendary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house, Rare is moving their Champagne Millésime to a new brand and want it to stand alone. (Think Delamotte and Salon.) The 13th vintage for this cuvée, the 2013 Champagne Millésime is a blend is 70% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with the majority of the blend coming from the Montagne de Reims Grand Cru and Premier Cru. A bright yellow hue, its aromatics are exquisite and well-balanced, with fresh notes of key lime, candied apple, fresh croissant dough, fresh pineapple, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a rounded and supple texture and a pillowy mousse. It’s long on the palate and has a silky personality as well as a long, pristine finish. It has fantastic balance of decadence and freshness, and I could drink this all day. It’s going to have a long drinking window. Drink 2024-2044 and beyond. Disgorged December 2022. - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

#PiperRare

93 Points! Medium amber with a green rim. Aromas of burnt orange, tobacco, toffee and herbs, with a hint of potpourri adding an exotic component. Broader and deeper than the Charleston, offering sappy orange marmalade, chestnut honey and toffee flavors underscored by tangy acidity. Shows a sweet, nutty quality on the smoky, gently spicy finish. I like this wine's heft and thrust. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

95 Points! This smells like apricot tarte tatin with notes of toasted nuts and caramelized bananas. Very crisp and concentrated this has tremendous energy in spite of the intense maturation character, the touch of sweetness pushed way into the background. Super-long finish that’s both rich and refreshing. Drink or hold. - Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! They now work a lot to produce this wine, a blend of 11 wines selected from the 17 they made. It's a wine that represents Bierzo and is from a year when they used more grapes from sandy soils. It has 13.16% alcohol and a pH of 3.66; it's serious and restrained but juicy and easy to drink. Seventy percent of the wine matured in barrel and the rest in troncoconic oak vats. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

95 Points! Black berry, black cherry and sandalwood aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, with chewy tannins that are polished and fresh. Linear and racy at the end. A crisp and solid young Bordeaux. Give this three or four years to come around. Best after 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The 2021 Rauzan-Ségla is impressive. Dark, somber and brooding, the 2021 offers up a heady concoction of black cherry, plum, graphite, new leather, scorched earth, game and tar, all amplified in a dramatic, super-classic Margaux. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. I loved this en primeur, and I love it just as much today. Élevage made all the difference here. Tasted three times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media