Wines

93 Points! Orange peel and fruit with chocolate. Medium-bodied with round and polished tannins. Very pretty fruit and finesse. So pretty. Drink or hold. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

93 Points!  Cooler soils can be a little austere in this structured vintage of 2020, and you'll find angular tannins on the opening beats, speaking of the limestone, along with salinity, energy and clear purity of blueberry and raspberry fruit. Lovely, a lyrical take on St Emilion limestone from the Durantou family, Olivier Gautrat director. The first year with Noemie Durantou as winemaker, having taken over from her late father Denis. Cellar master Olivier Gautrat. - Jane Anson

90 Points! Very fresh and crisp with an attractive lightness of body and generous green-apple fruit. Pronounced green-peppercorn character in the long, bright finish. Sustainable. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! I found the 2022 Chardonnay Zotovich Vineyard to be the highlight of Samsara's Chardonnay roster. Half the grapes were foot-trodden before pressing, contributing a subtle phenolic grip throughout the wine that provides welcome tension and mid-palate assertion for this sandy vineyard site. Aromas of orange oil and Asian pear introduce the lively, clean palate, which straddles focus and weight before concluding with a pleasantly grippy, saline and energetic finish. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2022 Chardonnay Zotovich Vineyard is also exotic, with orange blossom, ripe citrus, spice, and sappy herb notes in a medium-bodied, racy, focused style on the palate. It's going to evolve nicely for 7-8 years or more. There are a tiny 250 cases, but it’s a beauty. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Elegant, vibrant and medium-bodied, so fresh, tangy and taut. Alive in florals, red tea, red cherries, cranberries and raspberries that keep ringing in the finish. Great acidity, moderate tannins and a medium body. Charming, almost delicate, but lithe and structured enough to age. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Seeing even more stems, the 2022 Pinot Noir Rancho La Viña Vineyard has a beautiful ruby hue to go with savory red and black cherry-like fruit supported by toasted nuts, savory herbs, violets, and orange blossom. I love its overall balance, it has fine tannins, and a great finish. Drink this incredibly classy, complex beauty over the coming 10-12 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Bright and fruity, offering cherry, strawberry, rose and Mediterranean scrub flavors. Shows no shortage of structure, remaining balanced and long. Reveals tobacco and mineral elements on the finish. - Wine Spectator

92 Points! Reverting to a spicy and savory taste profile, the 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Grigio shows a dark, mid-weight texture with extra heft that comes in the form of baked plum, candied cherry and spice. This is another good value wine from one of the most beautiful properties (and luxury hotels) in Italy. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! Expressive and expansive nose of fresh plums, cherries, cloves, nutmeg, flowers and sandalwood. It’s so transparent and vibrant, with a medium to full body and fine, tight tannins. Gorgeous fruit. From organically grown grapes. Try from 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The San Polo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Podernovi shows a very earthy side that evokes savory spice, smoke and gamey aromas. The core of this organic wine is colored by black fruit and baked plum, but the wine is primarily driven by the aromas it has picked up during oak and bottle aging. This adds a medium-heavy constitution and a good amount of warm-vintage fruit weight for a Sangiovese. The wine also has an accessible character that makes it best to drink over the next 10 years. The fruit represents a selection from over two hectares. - Monica Larner robertparker.com

97 Points! Aromas of salted nuts, toffee, brittle, and hints of tar. Honey. Candied almonds. Medium body. Very sweet. Crunchy and fresh. A blend of ports aged in wood from 40 years to 80 years. This is a new category for tawny port. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! A bird of a different feather, this tawny Port features a high-pitched jasmine note along with a range of singed white peach, bitter almond, hazelnut husk, dried clementine and green fig flavors that glide through effortlessly, all carried by superfine acidity through a remarkably long and persistent finish that tilts to the dry side. Shows delicate sweetness, which lets the panoply of flavors play out unencumbered. Beautiful. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

93-95 Points! The 2021 Sansonnet is once again a stand out. Blackberry jam, crème de cassis, chocolate, new leather, licorice and espresso give this large-scaled Saint-Émilion tons of depth. As always, Sansonnet is an extrovert, but in 2021 it benefits from a kick of acidity that balances things out nicely. It was impressive both times I tasted it. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! Excellent freshness and depth here with ripe but very vibrant berries. Spices, cigar box, black chocolate and incense, too. Quite juicy and bright on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Tannins are fresh and polished. Long and expressive finish. There is a “modern” touch here that gives a sense of restrained plushness to the vibrancy. Better from 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Fabulous nose of red fruits, summer flowers and licorice. The very complex interplay of huge fine tannins and richness reminds me of Grand Cru Burgundy, but this has a southerly personality. Great velvety finish that goes on and on. Doesn't want to stop. 80% grenache, 10% mourvedre and 10% cinsault. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Great red fruit aromas, but also wet earth and tar. Rich, concentrated and very suave on the full-bodied palate, this Chateauneuf has extremely fine tannins and terrific balance. Extremely long, velvety finish with great spicy complexity. A vineyard on sandy soil planted mainly with grenache plus small amounts of mourvedre and counoise. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink from release. - JamesSuckling.com

94+ Points! Crafted from 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Counoise, planted on safre soils in the commune of Courthézon, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Saintes Vierges exhales a delicate, refined bouquet of peony, rose, flowers, dark cherries and fresh thyme. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and tense with a textured, fine mid-palate, it possesses fresh, bright acids. This wine exudes a lot of vertical energy. It is best kept in the cellar for the next decade and will be enjoyable for the following 15–20 years. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Saintes Vierges is another beautiful wine. Ripe cherries, blueberries, rose petals, spice, and hints of spring flowers all emerge on the nose, and it shines on the palate for its beautiful elegance and purity. Medium to full-bodied, with ripe, polished tannins and notable freshness, it's going to evolve for 15 years with no issues. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! Offers a seductive, refined nose of potpourri, currant and fresh plum notes. Finely grained tannins encase the smooth palate, firmly grounded with bolts of iron. Heady incense and perfume notes carry through the medium palate, tightly packed with mouthwatering acidity and smoke. - Wine Spectator

97 Points! A dense, layered white with sliced apple, pear and crushed stone that follow through to a full body, yet it’s linear and fresh at the end. Very flinty and steely. Wonderful finish. It goes on for minutes. A new wine from here and a blend of chardonnay and a dash of friulano. Single vineyard and made in 25-hectoliter tanks. April 2022 release. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Lots of classic darker, herbal notes define the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, a rich, medium to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. With air, more chocolate, espresso, and spice notes emerge from the glass, and this medium to full-bodied, textured, ripe, yet also elegant 2019 is going to drink brilliantly for another 20 years or so. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Lots of classic darker, herbal notes define the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, a rich, medium to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. With air, more chocolate, espresso, and spice notes emerge from the glass, and this medium to full-bodied, textured, ripe, yet also elegant 2019 is going to drink brilliantly for another 20 years or so. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 Points! A fine, effusive quality from the sandalwood, violets, black pepper and blackberry concentrate. Quite a denser and more muscular expression, yet you won’t feel any chew from the tannins, as they melt into the dark fruit. Long and focused. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Revealing a vivid purple hue as well as a powerful, more black-fruited, iron, tobacco, and scorched earth-like aromatic profile, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Monastery Block is full-bodied, has a rich, powerful attack, great mid-palate density, and brilliant tannins. Coming from a famous block located on the western side of this great vineyard, brought up in new barrels, it's another 2019 that has a rounded, supple, approachable style while also bringing impressive density, depth, and structure. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Lots of violets, flowery incense, cassis, and spice notes emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS, a full-bodied, silky, elegant 2019 that shines just as much for its purity and balance as its richness and depth. Possessing good acidity, a lively, vibrant mouthfeel, supple tannins, and a great finish, it has plenty of up-front appeal yet should easily evolve for a solid 20 years if properly stored. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Another historic site and another opulent wine from Thomas Rivers Brown. Cabernet clone 337 delivers a fresh, high-toned, juicy red teeming with black fruit, black pepper and toasty cedar. Lush dark fruit is round and rich on the palate, framed by ultra-fine, satiny tannins and tangy blood orange acidity. - Decanter Magazine

99 Points! A big, muscular, powerful wine, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard T6 boasts a monster note of blackcurrants, fresh plums, scorched earth, tobacco, and chocolate. This all carries to a full-bodied 2019 with the ripe, savory, concentrated style of the vintage, building tannins, no shortage of fruit, and a great, great finish. It's certainly one of the biggest, richest, more structured wines in the lineup, yet the balance is spot on and everything is in the right places. It's going to take at least 7-8 years for this puppy to shed some of its considerable baby fat and hit maturity, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it evolve for 20 or 30 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

97+ Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon T6 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is made from Clone 6, an old California heritage clone that's notoriously shy-bearing. It boasts lovely aromatics, layering dried spices and exotic florals over super-ripe cherries, while the full-bodied palate is all silk and cashmere, finishing incredibly long and elegant. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com 

97 Points! This is a fantastic new wine, with crushed berries, stones, and oyster shell with moss and pine needles. Full and linear, with agile acidity that gives the wine energy. It’s salty and lively. So focused and mouthwatering. So attractive now, but will age beautifully. - JamesSuckling.com