Wines

The finets version of this iconic cuvee we've ever tasted...

92 Points! The excellent 2019 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Fleuron, sourced from eight lieux-dits in Cramant, Chouilly and Cuis, was disgorged in October 2023 with five grams per liter dosage. Soaring from the glass with aromas of green apple, lemon zest, elderflower and toasted bread, it is full-bodied, textural and intense, supported by bright acids and chalky extract that provide a sensation of freshness. In short, it reflects identity of the northern Côte des Blancs with a signature touch of Gimonnet, of course. - Kristaps Karklins, robertparker.com

92 Points! The NV (2018) Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Delos Grand Cru is bright, crisp and bursting with character. Green pear, slate, crushed rocks and graphite are all beautifully knit together in this resonant, super-expressive Champagne. The Extra Brut is fabulous. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

92 Points! Paillard's NV Bouzy Grand Cru Les Terres Roses XIX, a rosé Champagne composed of 64% Chardonnay and 36% Pinot Noir, includes 6% red wine (from 2018) sourced from the lieu-dit Les Mignottes in Bouzy. Based on the 2019 vintage, it was disgorged in May 2023 without dosage (though it retains 1.5 grams of residual sugar). The wine wafts from the glass with a beautiful bouquet of wild strawberry, red apple, cowberry and brioche. On the palate, it's full-bodied, pillowy and textural, with a crisp core of red fruit, succulent but racy acidity and gently phenolic grip, concluding with a precise, lingering finish. - Kristaps Karklins, robertparker.com

97+ Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the single-varietal 2021 Granite Lake Cabernet Sauvignon rockets out with a firework display of ripe blackberries, mulberries, and warm cassis opening out to an undercurrent of tapenade, cardamom, and garrigue plus a waft of star anise. The medium-bodied palate is completely coated with ripe black berry and earthy layers supported by very firm yet ripe tannins and beautiful tension, finishing with lots of long-lasting savory sparks. This is like sipping a beautiful mountainside forest. It comes from a single vineyard on Howell Mountain at an elevation of 2,097 feet and was aged 22 months in French barriques, 30% new. 235 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW, TWI

97 Points! Like a stallion out of the gate, this shows an initial explosion of power, in the form of mouthwatering flavors and fine texture, before quickly settling into an elegant gait. The racy acidity is seamlessly knit, buoying the lacy mousse and flavors of cassis, toasted brioche and tangerine, with accents of candied ginger, hazelnut and fleur de sel lingering on the long, creamy finish. Drink now through 2035. - Wine Spectator

92 Points! A minerally Champagne, with smoke and brine notes underscoring crunchy green apple, black raspberry, brioche and marzipan flavors. The bright finish is driven by firm, lemony acidity. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged June 2022. Drink now through 2026. - Wine Spectator

98-100 Points - Wine Advocate 

"A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that weighs in at 13.3% alcohol, the 2025 Pontet-Canet is one of the finest wines this estate has produced. Wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet cassis, wild berries and plums mingled with notions of violet and burning embers, it's full-bodied, ample and velvety, with a degree of structural polish and sensuality that is rare in the Médoc, ripe acids and a long, penetrating finish. Over the last handful of years, technical director Mathieu Bessonnet and his team have revitalized Pontet-Canet's vineyards with well-timed soil work and precise phytosanitary treatments; and since 2023, the careful use of "pieds de cuve" in the winery, along with early blending, more refined barrel choices and cooler temperatures in the chai—plus more precise bottling practices—have conspired to take this estate to new heights of quality and consistency. In 2025, the team formed lower-than-usual "ponts" (whereby the canopies of adjacent vines are braided together in an arch) to retain denser foliage to protect the fruiting zone from sunshine, and they waited to pick late in pursuit of full maturity in Cabernet Sauvignon, finishing on September 23. The result is one of the wines of the vintage.times."

97–98 Points – James Suckling
“A precise and beautiful wine with total integration of the fruit and polished tannins that give a caressing and seductive mouthfeel. It’s medium-bodied with lovely fruit, a gentle nature and an overall softness and gorgeousness. Yet structured.”

96–98+ Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Pontet Canet is a wine of exquisite class. Silky, aromatic, and vibrant, the 2025 is all finesse. Crushed red and purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, and a gentle hint of spice are all wonderfully put together. Pontet-Canet is one of the more refined, sublimely beautiful wines of the year. This could turn out even better than my notes suggest. Tasted two times.”

98 Points – Falstaff
“Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate notes of candied violets, black cherries, some nougat, inviting hint of precious wood, multi-faceted bouquet. Juicy, elegant, ripe heart cherries, fine extract sweetness, ripe, silky tannins, freshly structured, mineral, blackberry confit in the finish, finesse-rich, harmonious style.”

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! Deep, dark fruit and moody, spicy, savory accents on a bold, fine-grained tannic texture backed by great acidity. It is structured, concentrated, layered and intense. It becomes broader and richer with each sip and lingers in the finish, echoing black cherries and star anise. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Matured for 10 months in 30% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir Laurelwood District has nuanced aromas of red and black cherries, licorice, saline, holiday spice and earth. The medium-bodied palate boasts expansive, fragrant flavors. It has an elegant frame of velvety tannins and bright acidity and a long finish with a flourish of spicy accents. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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

92 Points! The 2023 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is fabulous. Rich and creamy, it offers tons of immediacy. Apricot, chamomile, lemon confit and bright tropical notes all run through this super-expressive Chardonnay. Best of all, this is a superb value. - Antonio galloni, Vinous Media

From the winery: If you like big and bold Cabernet, try this. Our benchmark big red wine, with an almost Bordeaux sensibility. Red and and black fruit, big but polished tannin, and a super-long finish. Bring out the steak, the fire-charred foods, and all the braised goodness. 30 months in barrel but still remarkably fresh and full of fruit, guts and vitality.

Grown at 1450’ elevation on red, obsidian-strewn soil resulting from Mt. Konocti’s volcanic upheaval, Aglianico is Prima Materia’s most important bottling, bringing the monster Cabernet experience through this wonderful grape.

92 Points! A very fresh style of gruner veltliner with crisp pear, lemon balm and chamomile aromas, plus very lively acidity for this grape on the medium-bodied palate. Long, crisp finish with stacks of lemon zest freshness. Sustainable. Drink now. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! This incredibly youthful and concentrated dry riesling is a cool customer and needs a lot of aeration to reveal its great depths. Very delicate peach and apricot fruit with notes of chamomile and wild herbs. Really structured but also polished on the compact, medium-bodied palate. Extremely long, stony finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold. - 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

99 Points! The 2018 Pym-Rae can be thought of as a hypothetical mix of the 2016 and 2017, with more sexiness and opulence than the 2017 and a touch more elegance and precision than the 2016. Wonderful cassis, violets, tobacco, lead pencil, and chocolate notes define this beauty, and it's full-bodied, with a gorgeous sense of elegance and purity, perfect tannins, and an incredible finish. This stunningly majestic, flawlessly balanced Mountain Cabernet already offers pleasure yet will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age, and it should be a 50-year wine. Bravo! - Jeb Dunnuck

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

97 Points! Along with the 2022 vintage, the 2021 Domus Aurea performed even better than during my initial tasting, which was made especially clear in the context of the entire vertical. It is a spectacular example of Alto Maipo, beautifully capturing the distinctive herbal quality endemic to this site with a pitch-perfect combination of resinous, herbal aromas that meld with black fruits, purple flowers, sweet tobacco, cedar and well-integrated, high-quality new oak. The palate is rich, concentrated and staining in its intensity yet remains lifted and refreshingly light on its feet. It concludes with supremely refined, persistent, measured tannic grip, perfumed lift and a focused, chalky undertone. This is an effortlessly beautiful reference point for the region that should develop without issue over the next two decades.

I adored these recent releases from Quebrada de Macul, all of which beautifully showcase the supreme elegance, understated nature and aromatic complexity of which the best expressions of Alto Maipo are capable. Situated in the foothills of the Andes in Peñalolen in gravel and silt colluvial soils, the vines date from the 1970s and originate from pre-phylloxera plant material. A total of 40 hectares are planted and separated into four blocks, of which only one goes into the production of the Domus Aurea bottlings. The wines undergo a five- to seven-day cold soak before fermenting at cool temperatures in stainless steel, then spend 18 to 20 months in light and medium toast Darnajou and Dargaud & Jaeglé barrique, up to 80% new for the Domus. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com