Wines

96 Points! Attractive, showing blackcurrants, lead pencil and flowers such as lavender and violets on the nose, as well as tobacco. Medium-bodied and juicy with firm and linear tannins that are rather endless. Impressive stones and chalkiness. Excellent length and crunchiness. 53% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. Drink in three or four years. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Deep garnet-purple colored, notes of black cherries, juicy blackberries, and wild blueberries come bounding from the glass, chased by hints of licorice, mint tea, and lavender oil. The medium-bodied palate is so light on its feet and finely textured, delivering wonderful tension and loads of minerally sparks on the long berry-laced finish. Nice! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

94 Points! The 2022 Carruades De Lafite is beautifully balanced and has that classic Lafite elegance in its aromatics and overall mouthfeel. Sweet cassis, violets, spring flowers, and cedar notes all emerge on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied, has a balanced, elegant texture, and beautifully integrated tannins. As with the Grand Vin, it brings ample richness and depth while holding onto a beautiful sense of freshness. Drink this brilliant second wine over the coming two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! The 2022 Carruades de Lafite is a dense, full-throttle Pauillac. Far from an easygoing second wine, the 2022 Carruades is going to need a number of years to be at its best. It’s an almost shockingly powerful wine endowed with serious balance and tons of class. Touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot lend hints of spice to round out the blend. The 2022 is stellar. I may very well be underrating it today. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

90 Points! The 2022 Vinha Grande is a blend of Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz that matured in used French oak barrels for 12 months. 2022 was a very warm and very dry year (with one-third of the normal amount rain; 2005 was the driest year in Douro). It's an aromatic, gentle and approachable red with notes of berries, herbs and spice, a certain creaminess and a velvety palate with contained ripeness. They have room for growth here, because this wine is a mixture of grapes from different vineyards, showing the character from Douro; it's approachable and good for the table, with a certain structure and fine tannins. It's soft and easy. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! Coming from a vineyard in the Yountville region near the Kapcsandy estate, this wine is a beauty. A vivid expression of black-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon with terrific purity, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, an opaque purple color and full-bodied power, the tannins are sweet and the wine large-scaled, rich, pure and well-balanced. Give it another 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following two decades. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

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94 Points! Compared to the Le Coste di Monforte, this wine is immediately earthier and more savory, with salty mineral notes backed by dark berry and plum. The Amalia Cascina in Langa 2016 Barolo Bussia offers a classic interpretation of Monforte, and there's a lot of depth and complexity to be found in this expression from the Bussia vineyard, one of the largest in the appellation. Specifically, fruit for this wine comes from the Fantini site located at a high 450 meters above sea level. It is characterized by Diano sandstone, one of the four major soil types in the appellation. Vines were planted in 2007. Winemaking is straightforward, with 25 days of extended maceration. Fermentation is kicked off with pump-overs and ends with submerged cap. The wine spends one year in barrique but is then racked over to larger French oak casks for a second year of aging. The wine's approach to the palate is delicate and finessed with silky texture and long flavor persistence. Of the two Barolos from Amalia Cascina in Langa, this wine gets a special nod. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! From barrel, the 2022 Barbera D’Alba Carra sports a youthful dark purple color and is fruity with ripe plum and pressed lavender as well as some iron richness and gamey notes. Medium to full-bodied, it’s snappy with fresh acidity, but it has a more rounded feel. With some notes of ripe wild herbs that last through the elegant finish, this is a classic and ripe vintage, but it retains very nice freshness. Drink it over the next several years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! The Cascina Penna-Currado 2022 Barbera d'Alba Carrà is executed as a "Superiore," although it is not labeled as such. Proprietors Elena Penna and Luca Currado say they only envisage having one Barbera in their new portfolio in addition to cru selections of Nebbiolo. They have a 25-year lease on the site that provides fruit for this pretty wine, and a careful selection is made to prioritize the best clusters. Healthy fruit is produced here thanks to luminosity and cool hillside breezes. A brief maceration is executed, and the wine matures in Slavonian oak casks. Tart plum and blackberry is folded into tangy licorice over medium-plus richness. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

Luca and Elena have always been particularly invested in Barbera d’Alba as they were among the first to invest in it seriously. They believe strongly in the potential of this grape in communicating what the Langhe has to offer to a wide audience. The Carrà site is in the San Sebastiano area of Municipality of Monforte, with a particularly great natural biodiversity. Grapes come from predominantly from two parcels; one planted in 1965 and another in 2000. The wine is vinified partially whole cluster and aged in botti making it rich and concentrated but not too ripe.

95 Points! The 2019 Roero Bricco Medica presents a dark, almost somber expression of Roero. Black cherry, gravel, spice, cured meats, iron, game and incense, along with the wine's sheer structure, convey brooding, virile intensity. Huge tannins wrap it all together. This potent, Serralunga-like Roero is positively lights out. What a wine! - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! Val del Prete's 2015 Roero Riserva is superb, and also one of the best wines I have tasted from Val del Prete in a long time maybe ever. Sweet cinnamon, orange zest, rosewater, dried cherry and mint notes give the 2015 striking aromatic nuance that resonates beautifully on the palate where the wine offers striking fruit purity and silky, noble tannins. All the elements are impeccably balanced in an inviting Roero that hits all the right notes, and then some. This is such a gorgeous wine. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2019 Chianti Classico has changed dramatically since I last tasted it, either because of more time in bottle, or because this is a later bottling. In any event, the 2019 is dense, ample and resonant in feel. Readers will find a serious, texturally intense Chianti Classico that delivers the goods, big time. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2019 Chianti Classico has changed dramatically since I last tasted it, either because of more time in bottle, or because this is a later bottling. In any event, the 2019 is dense, ample and resonant in feel. Readers will find a serious, texturally intense Chianti Classico that delivers the goods, big time. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! A crunchy wine with a bright shining color. The nose is pure sangiovese from Chianti Classico, with restrained yet well-defined red cherries, wax, subtle flowers, minerals and cherry stones. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows refined if not filigreed tannins, tight-knit acidity and a savory, chewy, tight, yet well-balanced finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! A fresh, balsamic-tinged version, with a core of cherry, raspberry and black pepper notes. Firm, revealing sweet fruit in the end. A good steak or pasta with ragù will provide a good match. - Wine Spectator

92 Points! A bright ruby color, the 2021 Barbaresco is fresh and floral on the nose, with notes of fresh roses, raspberries, sweet herbs, and fresh peach. Medium-bodied and bright on the palate, with tangy citrus taking the lead, it offers finely coiled tannins, zesty acidity, and a chalky texture, then turns to more tangy cranberry-noted fruit, with a good bit of grip on the sides of the palate. This is a refreshing and energetic Barbaresco to drink over the next 10-12 years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

93 Points! A delicious, well-rounded and velvety Chianti Classico with aromas of strawberries, raspberries and mild spices. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins and texture. Juicy and velvety with elegance and a pure character. Fresh and delicious finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Sleek and saturated with blackberry, black cherry and pomegranate flavors, this red has density and polished tannins. Balance is this version's hallmark, with hints of mineral, spices and cocoa powder lining the long aftertaste. Drink now through 2033. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! This is really fine on the palate with wonderfully integrated tannins that give tension and focus. It’s medium-bodied with lovely berry, cherry, cedar and spice. Peaches and flower stems, too. Creamy texture. Extremely long and vivid. Structured, but showing beautiful drinkability with wonderful balance and form. One to drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Cherry, plum, leather, earth and tomato leaf flavors highlight this broad, beefy red, with iron and sanguine accents creeping in as this winds down on the finish. Succulent and long, with a dusty grip in the end. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! While the 2022 Cabernet Franc Appellation San Carlos is bright and fresh at first blush, it also has a tension of tannin lurking beneath the surface, offering memorable twin powers of verve and intensity. Green tea and tomato leaf give it a savory, herbal edge that delights, contrasting well against a foundation of cassis and black plum. This one stays with you. Cellar through 2037. - Virginie Boone, robertparker.com

92-94 Points! Crème de cassis, graphite, sweet tobacco, and sweet, loamy earth notes all define the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, a nicely textured, layered, pure, seamless barrel sample. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Chalk, chamomile tincture and dried lemon peel have immense lift on the nose of this wine. They also pervade the bright, balm-like but concentrated palate with their aromatic intensity. This wine is fluid and layered, showing signs of evolution that is set to continue for many years. Gentle sweetness balances the bracing freshness and makes this a real experience. The finish is off dry but very balanced and long. Drink until 2040. - Wine Enthusiast

94-96 Points! Broader and more flamboyant than the Chapelle-Chambertin, the 2020 Echézeaux du Dessus Grand Cru bursts with aromas of plums, wild berries, exotic spices, orange rind, peonies and smoked meats. Full-bodied, ample and perfumed, it's layered and concentrated, with a fleshy, multidimensional core of fruit, lively acids and a long, expansive finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

94-96 Points! Tremblay's 2021 Echézeaux du Dessus Grand Cru is a hauntingly floral, ethereal wine, wafting from the glass with scents of sweet plums and berries mingled with exotic spices, orange zest and vine smoke. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, it's deep and seamless, with a cool core of fruit, melting tannins and a long, floral finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com