Wines

98 Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon bursts with open-knit, expressive scents of black cherry compote, warm cassis, and cinnamon toast with nuances of clove oil, roses, and dark chocolate. The full-bodied palate is rich, plush, seamless, layered, long, and decadent. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

97 Points! A gorgeous wine from Chris Phelps, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sleeping Lady Vineyard sports a dense purple hue as well as awesome aromatics of cassis, violets, flowers, and spicy oak. It’s young and unevolved, with medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It ranks with the finest wines I’ve tasted from this vineyard. All Cabernet aged 20 months in 70% new French oak, it has two decades or more of prime drinking ahead of it. - Jeb Dunnuck

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91 Points! Readers looking for a delicious, impeccably made Sauvignon Blanc from Napa could do a lot worse than the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc from Amici. This lightly colored white offers textbook notes of white grapefruit, tart lime, and sappy green herbs to go with a medium-bodied, refreshing, yet beautifully balanced style on the palate. Drink bottles over the coming year or two. - Jeb Dunnuck Learn More

99 Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard explodes with violets, aniseed and cast iron, with a deep core of crushed blueberries and black cherries, evolving continually with each approach to the glass. The palate is stunning with its intensity and lift, pure fruits, pixelated tannins and focused acidity that drives the very long finish. Its exceptional balance and super pure flavors, plus that characteristic streak of iron that appears across the Anakota portfolio, really take the 2019 Helena Dakota to the next level. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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99 Points! Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

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99 Points! The 2019 Estate Red is another magical wine from winemaker Sam Kaplan. Based on 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, and the rest Merlot and Malbec, all from the estate on Howell Mountain, it offers up a dense purple hue to go with stunningly pure cassis and darker currant fruits, full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, and a complex, nuanced style in its leafy herbs, flowers, scorched earth, and classy oak aromas and flavors. It’s brilliant any way you look at it. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following three decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

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97 Points! The 2019 Au Sommet Cabernet Sauvignon is magnificent. A classic mountain wine, the 2019 offers up an exciting mix of dark fruit, gravel, graphite, savory herbs, chocolate and menthol. The bouquet alone is mesmerizing, but there is plenty of fruit depth, complexity and overall structure, too. Quite simply, the 2019 is one of the best wines I have tasted from John Schwartz's Atlas Peak estate. Sadly, there is no 2018 or 2020. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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98 Points! The captivating Baricci 2019 Brunello is another gorgeous wine from this storied producer. It offers enticing scents of woodland berry, new leather, camphor, pipe tobacco and dog rose while the full-bodied, elegantly structured palate delivers juicy Morello cherry, red plum, licorice and cake spice before a flinty mineral finish. A backbone of tight, refined tannins and fresh acidity provide support and racy tension. While it’s still youthfully austere, it already shows great balance and precision. - Kerin O' Keefe

97 Points! The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino is youthfully inward and darkly floral with an herbal tinge and hints of crushed ashen stone that give way to vivid black raspberry and exotic spice. This is juicy and spry, with racy cherry-berry fruit and stimulating acidity that creates a sensation of boundless energy, even as a saturation of primary concentration settles in toward the close. The 2019 finishes with incredible length and youthful tension, leaving balsamic spice, sage and licorice notes lingering over a bed of dusty tannins. - Eric Guido, Viinous Media

97 Points! Baricci shines with this stunning 2019, from the estate’s south- to southeast-facing plots at 300 metres on the Montosoli hill. It is still far too young, but everything is in place for a long and gratifying life. Preliminary cedar and vanillin nuances melt into sumptuous cherry, and there's a pronounced stony, mineral edge along with juicy blood orange to impart further intricacy. Refined and graceful with layered substance, it has long, chalky, perfectly ‘al dente’ tannins and sappy, mouthwatering acidity. - Decanter Magazine

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98 Points! Another stunning vintage from this brilliant estate that is just delivering hit after hit. Concentration and intensity right from the initial aromatics, damson, cassis and blackberry fruits that you could almost drink now until the tannins build up across the palate and remind you that this is built to last. Velvety texture, black chocolate and crushed stone minerality on the finish. One of the wines of the vintage. Tasted twice, one week apart. 60% 1st wine. A yield of 45hl/ha. -Jane Anson, Decanter Magazine

97 Points! The 2019 Beausejour Duffau-Lagarrosse is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly expands on the nose to deliver impactful scents of blackberry preserves, Morello cherries, and warm black plums, followed by suggestions of Ceylon tea, iron ore, tilled soil, and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has exquisitely ripe, silt-like tannins and energetic, nuanced black fruits, delivering a fine backbone of racy freshness and tons of mineral sparks on the very long finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

96+ Points! From one of my favorite châteaux on the Right Bank, the 2019 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse) is 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. It's a tighter, more closed 2019, yet it offers beautiful purity and focus in its cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as notes of tobacco leaf, graphite, chocolate, and chalky minerality. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and again, with this remarkable purity and precision, it has enough tannins to warrant 4-6 years in the cellar and will be incredibly long-lived. It's a beautiful Saint-Emilion. It’s worth pointing out that the 2019 is the vintage bottled by Nicolas Thienpont and starting in 2021, the estate is in the hands of Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse. - Jeb Dunnuck

 

 

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97+ Points! The fruit for this 2019 Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz is picked predominantly from the old 1868 plantings in the Concongella vineyard on the Best's property. It is a resoundingly elegant wine, with a core of fruit that crouches, waiting on the mid-palate. It is complex and complete already, offering a window into what will be a very long life, indeed. It is an exercise in balance and length, line and form (mineral austerity comes to mind), with not a hair out of place. You'd be forgiven for saying the structure has an open weave, almost loose-knit quality about it, were it not for the super streamlined finish that shows all the openness and approachability is merely a clever disguise. This wine can be drunk now, and sure, it should be (it's delicious, the feel of it in the mouth is insane). But if you have the patience, wisdom and foresight to cellar it, your children will be amply rewarded. - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com

96 Points! An extremely sophisticated and concentrated shiraz that’s so precise and focused on the beautifully balanced, medium-bodied palate. The interplay of fine tannins and lively acidity is really fascinating. Very clean and long finish. From the Concongella Vineyard. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

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90-92 Points! The 2019 Vosne-Romanée Les Chalandins is matured with just under 50% whole cluster and 20% new oak. It has a well-defined bouquet of brambly red fruit, rose petal and light crushed rock aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a rounded texture and a harmonious, silky-smooth finish. A lovely wine from Camille-Giroud. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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92 Points! The 2019 Cap de Faugères has tightened up a lot on the nose, showing dense black fruit, tar and graphite scents, quite Left Bank in style. The palate is much more expressive, featuring fleshy red berry fruit mixed with allspice, clove and white pepper. Persistent and quite convincing on the finish. Give it time for those aromatics to get their mojo back – which they will. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

91 Points! The 2019 Cap de Faugeres is terrific, just as it was from bottle. Rich and expansive, the 2019 is so expressive right out of the gate. Succulent red cherry, spice, leather and tobacco all kicked up in this attractive entry-level offering from Silvio Denz. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

 

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97 Points! The organic Cavallotto 2019 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe shows thick texture and density with dark fruits, plum and blackberry layered with extra depth. This wine makes a big impact on the palate and wraps lavishly over the senses. This is one of the most opulent and full-bodied editions I have yet tasted. The fruit is sourced from a 2.38-hectare site with 60-year-old vines with southwest exposures at 310 and 340 meters in elevation. The wine sees 60 months of careful maturation in 20-hectoliter and 100-hectoliter Slavonian botti. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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98 Points! Tasting the 2019, I noticed that it has a slightly paler hue compared to recent vintages (though I never read too much into the colour of young Sauternes.) For certain, it has a highly-aromatic bouquet that is beguiling in purity, enticing aromas of honeysuckle and saffron, soon joined by camomile, white flowers and orange blossom. It has wonderful delineation and gains intensity with aeration. The palate is supremely well-balanced with fine bead of acidity. Very harmonious and armed with just the right amount of viscosity, this Yquem is surprisingly understated at first but gains presence, offering irresistible flavours of layers of honey, lemongrass, lemon thyme and orange pith. Yquem is so tempting in its youth, but I feel that this vintage will repay those with the nous to cellar for at least a decade. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

97 Points! The 2019 vintage of Château d'Yquem has the highest proportion (45%) of Sauvignon Blanc in any modern Yquem. The Sauvignon Blanc adds to the freshness, acting as a great balance to the succulent, sweet and voluptuous palate. Intense peach and apricot, combined with lemon and orange zest, make this highly appealing to drink right away - an ideal vintage with which to start Yquem’s ‘lighthouse’ project. However, it would be a shame not to give this 10+ years maturation to see how it develops. Very well, I suspect. - Decanter Magazine

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99-100 Points! The fantastic quality of the cabernet sauvignon really comes through here with black currant, blueberry and raspberry character. It’s full-bodied with such tightness. It’s so beautiful in the center palate. The tannins are wonderfully blended into the wine and flow across the palate. Rather leaner and racy. Ethereal. 37% of the production and 90% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

97-100 Points!The 2019 Château Margaux is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, accounting for 37% of the crop. The alcohol came in at 13.9%, the IPT was 75, and the pH was 3.66. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose begins with intense scents of crushed blackberries, warm cassis and plum preserves before fanning out into a whole array of floral, exotic spice and earth scents: iris, red roses, star anise, cassis, tilled soil, moss-covered bark and black truffles, with an emerging waft of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate quivers with energy, emitting loads of mineral sparks, featuring bold freshness and fantastically ripe, finely grained tannins to support the delicate, perfumed layers, finishing very long and wonderfully poised. The juxtaposition between the acidity and the richness in this Château Margaux is just extraordinary! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

98 Points! This expands sideways, vertically and downwards, with a creamy mid palate and a rose petal, peony, raspberry and cassis collision on the nose. This is chewy in its tannic structure, full on and yet delicate and sappy. Fresh, elegant, perfumed and concentrated - clearly will age for decades. This is close in character to the 2009 or 2015, two exceptional vintages at Margaux and classic to the graceful yet concentrated signature of the property. 1% Petit Verdot to complete the blend, 100% new oak although barely discernible already. 37% of overall production in the 1st wine this year. - Jane Anson, Decanter

Expected ABV: Under 14%

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100 Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it sails out of the glass with energetic scents of fresh blackcurrants, black cherries and black raspberries, plus hints of candied violets, dark chocolate, clove oil and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is exquisitely fine-knitted with tons of graceful nuances intertwined with the many shades of black fruits, accented by SO MANY minerals, finishing epically long and staggeringly gorgeous. WOW! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

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96 Points! The 2019 Château Croix De Labrie is gorgeous and jumps out in the vintage. Almost all Merlot brought up in new barrels, it offers a beautiful bouquet of red and black currants, spicy oak, dried herbs, and flowers, with a beautiful loamy earth and chalky minerality emerging with time in the glass. With remarkable purity and finesse, it's full-bodied, has a great mid-palate, silky tannins, and a great finish. It could be drunk today with a decant but will ideally be given 4-5 years of bottle age. I suspect it will have 20-25 years of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

98 Points! Fabulous aromas of blackberries, blueberries, pine needles and spices, such as nutmeg and allspice. White pepper, too. Full-bodied and very tight with a solid core of fruit and ultra-fine yet powerful tannins. It’s got so much energy and drive. Vibrant at every level. Precise and not overpowering, yet so structured. 97% merlot and 3% cabernet sauvignon. Made from biodynamically grown grapes. This needs time to soften. Try after 2026. - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

 

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97 Points! The 2019 Vigno had a spectacular and ever-changing nose from the moment I uncorked it. It started with some meaty notes and slowly started developing subtle nuances of roasted coffee, milk with cinnamon and herbs. It has a vibrant palate that makes it feel light and medium-bodied even at 14% alcohol, but the very low pH (3.32) and remarkable acidity (6.38 grams of tartaric acid) clearly lift it up. This is delicious, a wine that never fails to amaze me. It matured in 2,500- and 5,000-liter oak foudres and barriques for 14 months. 11,568 bottles and 60 magnums were filled in February 2020. This is not pure Cariñena, as it comes from a field blend with 10% to 15% other grapes—Malbec, Cinsault, Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon—that certainly add to it. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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90-92 Points! Unwinding in the glass with notes of pear, white flowers, fresh bread and mint, the 2019 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Raidillons is medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with tangy acids and chalky grip on the saline finish. This should turn out well. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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97 Points! With its colorful fantasy label, the Domenico Clerico 2019 Barolo Aeroplan Servaj shows dark fruit and a velvety texture with rusty nail and pencil shaving. This vintage carries more overall concentration and structure, and the results are both rich and extremely beautiful. Fruit comes from vines planted in 1994. The wine ages in large oak casks mostly, with about 10% in barrique. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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