Wines

92 Points! Tobacco, cedar, turned earth and leather aromas lead to a full body packing spiced plum, red cherry and savory bay flavors over chunky tannins. Grown in the hilly Sage Canyon area of Napa, the wine offers all the savory notes of merlot blended with 9% cabernet franc and 8.7% petit verdot, with most of the tannin coming from the latter two. -JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Twomey’s first vintage in the Deep End of Anderson Valley was made entirely with estate-grown fruit from their Bearman Bend property and Monument Tree. It has very pretty deep forest notes with red berry fruit dusted with brown baking spices and cedarwood. Compote-rich boysenberry fruit on the palate layers in a soft palate that feels livened by orange peel citrus. Silky tannins glide to a crushed stone mineral finish with more flamed orange peel, clove, and earth. - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter Magazine

92 Points! One-third of the Pinot Noir grapes come from two sites in the Russian River Valley: Bailey and Pinot Hill vineyards. Two-thirds are from Twomey’s ‘Last Stop’ estate in Russian River’s Green Valley sub-appellation. The site is planted to heritage clones of Calera, Mt. Eden, Swan, and Burgundy Dijon clones. They developed a hillside in 2017, and they imported some clones from their Prince Hill property in Oregon, which they bought in 2017. Elegant red berry fruit is laced with vanilla and cedarwood. Emerging brown spices layer in nuance on this medium-bodied Pinot Noir, which boasts plenty of dark fruit concentration with plush textures and ripe tannins. There’s a lovely floral lift on the finish. - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter Magazine

92 Points! Super bright and fresh, with tropical fruit notes leading the way, intermixed with pops of bright citrus fruit. Round and silky fruit on the palate is redolent of white peach, guava, and green papaya, all of which build with a lovely richness balanced by a fantastic thread of saline-minerality and lime citrus on the finish, along with a burst of spring flowers. Incredibly food-friendly. - Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter Magazine

93 Points! Figs, sous-bois, spice and cedar, with dark blackcurrant fruit, lively acidity and fresh, firm tannins. Refined and mellow, silky and complex. A good example of a fully mature Rioja. - Pedro Ballesteros MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Pierre Mansour, Decanter Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023

92+ Points! From Buntsandstein and Muschelkalk soils, the 2018 Bollenberg Riesling Neuberg starts with a pretty open, rather low-sulfured (15 milligrams per liter of free SO2), pure and elegant bouquet. Lean, saline and pure on the palate, this is an elegant, fresh and energetic dry Riesling from the eastern part of the Bollenberg. The finish is intense and complex yet also underlines the youth of the 2018. 12.5% stated alcohol. Tasted at the domaine. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com

93 Points! Ruby-red. Aromas of dried cherry, raspberry, vanilla, mocha and Cuban tobacco, with smoke and potpourri accents. Supple and expansive, offering sweet, spice-accented red and dark berry and floral pastille flavors that stain the palate. Dusty tannins add shape and grip to the very long, smooth, penetrating finish. I find this wine quite approachable now but it has the balance to age.  - Josh Raynolds, Vinous

92 Points! Another brilliant value that readers will love, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux,is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot, all of which spent 22 months in 50% new oak. This medium to full-bodied, round, balanced, mouth-filling beauty has lots of ripe black and blue fruits, some background spicy oak, velvety tannins, and a great finish. Drink bottles any time over the coming decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! Classy red here with currants, blueberries and mahogany aromas. Full body, chewy tannins and a long finish. Intense and powerful. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Released as the classic Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley in the past, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Spinning Plates has a vivid purple hue to go with a rocking bouquet of pure blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and subtle background oak. It's medium to full-bodied and round, with a beautiful core of sweet fruit and ripe tannins. All varietal brought up in 85% new French oak, this ripe, sexy, impressive 2021 will drink well for 15 years if well stored. - Jeb Dunnuck

Also known as Cuvee Amethyste, 93 Points! An expansive bouquet evokes ripe black/blue fruits, potpourri and olive paste, and a mineral flourish lends vivacity. Shows impressive depth and energy on the palate, offering sharply focused blueberry, cherry preserve, spicecake and candied violet flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Shows an appealingly light touch for its heft, and finishes on a gently tannic note, displaying fine delineation and firm mineral thrust. 70% whole clusters; raised in demi-muids, most of them neutral. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

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

98 Points! A blend of 76% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Château Villemaurine is killer stuff, offering black raspberries, black cherries, violets, floral notes, and chalky minerality. Full-bodied, pure, deep, and seamless, it’s layered and rich yet incredibly balanced, with fine tannins and an elegant mouthfeel. Huge minerality and a liquid rock-like character make this a stunning effort. Aged for 16 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old barrels, it’s going to evolve gracefully for 30+ years. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! The 2022 Villemaurine, 76% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Franc, is very deep purple black in color. It has a wonderfully fragrant nose of candied violets, cinnamon, cloves, and Sichuan pepper with a powerful core of blueberry pie and black cherries. The full-bodied palate is dense and muscular, with black and blue fruit layers supported by a refreshing backbone and soft tannins, finishing with an exotic spice lift. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

95 Points! The 2022 Villemaurine is an absolute joy. Rich and opulent to the core, the 2022 packs a serious punch. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, cloves, menthol and licorice infuse the 2022 with tremendous depth. Bright saline notes extend the finish effortlessly. Villemaurine is a big, heady wine, but all the elements are so well balanced. Tasted three times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! A sculpted Champagne, rich but still elegant, with well-honed acidity and a panoply of flavors set on the raw silklike mousse. Delivers grilled macadamia nut and biscuit, white cherry and nectarine fruit, crystallized honey, lime blossom, star anise and smoke accents. Long, salty finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged January 2023. Drink now through 2033. - Wine Spectator

93 Points, Tim Atkin's Wine Value of the Year! Wild and floral, with notes of rose petal, tarragon, and spring meadow herbs, this 100% Monastrell from Jumilla’s Valle Estrecho shows bright grip and chalky tannins. Aged seven months in old concrete tanks from the 1960s, it’s textured, vibrant, and deeply rooted in the fruit character of Monastrell and the stony, calcareous soils. It finishes with a bright lemon peel twist. - Tim Atkin

93 Points! The grand vin 2019 O Gran Mein is a blend of different varieties and vineyards that represents the best they have in white, fermenting each variety by plot, which gives them a lot of lots to make a blend. The idea is to achieve something that is complex but delicate rather than intense. It achieved 13% alcohol while it kept a pH of 3.34 and 6.29 grams of acidity, blending wines that fermented in stainless steel, concrete, foudre and 600-liter barrel and matured in tank for 14 months. It has aromatic complexity and depth and is elegant and nuanced, with herbal, balsamic and spicy aromas and the inland, river character. The palate is really balanced, and the mouthfeel is terribly stony, with a drying finish. Here they are again looking for potential to create this blend; they talk about wines for 30 years, guided by the first vintages in the 1990s. - Wine Advocate

93 Points! This shows lovely complexity with blackcurrant compote, cinnamon stick, orange rind, vanilla and undertones of almonds and herbs. The palate has so much blue fruit to it, tight tannins, a wave of fresh acidity and a fruit-forward, tangy finish. Very classy. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! The 2023 Chablis—sourced chiefly from vineyard parcels that border La Forest—continues to distinguish itself as one of the finest examples in its category. Its bouquet weaves together citrus oils, pear and white peach. The medium- to full-bodied palate is ample and textural, displaying considerable depth and energy that persist through to a long, sapid finish. While it can—and undoubtedly will—be approached young, it possesses all the prerequisites for graceful evolution, bearing in mind that a wine’s longevity depends not on the vineyard-site name alone but on the way it is worked and made. - Kristaps Karklins, robertparker.com