Wines

96 Points! Juicy, ripe, plummy fruit with a spicy wood touch and a hint of citrus. Assertive and fine-grained with medium to full body. Excellent tannins are nicely woven and integrated with the fruit. Long finish. La Hoya stands out in this challenging vintage. 95% tempranillo and 5% viura. Sand and silt soils on an east-facing slope. 3.3 hectares. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The bottled version of the 2023 La Hoya feels quite serious and harmonious. It spent its first winter in 500- and 600-liter barrels and the second one in a 4,000-liter oak foudre. The nose is quite subtle and a little shy, with finesse. The top part of the plot is sandy, and the lower part has more silt; the combination gives the wine fruit and structure. It also has a lot of limestone and comes through as very balanced too. It's medium-bodied and really fine-boned. This is now showing much better than anticipated. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

97+ Points! The bottled 2023 San Lázaro, from the 1.62 hectares of vines they have, shows contained ripeness and has 14.4% alcohol. This is always more restrained, and there's no exuberance here; there's subtleness, finesse and verticality. It has a spicy side, with notes reminiscent of curry, a little à la Vosne-Romanée, a little cinnamon perhaps, but with the Tempranillo austerity, of course. The palate is medium-bodied, with great balance and super fine and elegant tannins. The wine is a little closed at the moment, but it should grow with time in bottle. It's really good and challenges El Carretil this year. I give it the edge—perhaps because it is the more approachable of the 2023s. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

96 Points! From one of the warmer sites in the appellation, the 2023 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard is big in style, tannin, and dark berry flavor yet well-balanced, a showcase of intensely rich, layered fruit that is accented in sage, spice, and dried herb. Winemaker Sean Capiaux has worked with Pisoni since 1998, and as such is one of the longest-standing purchasers of that fruit, and his understanding of the site is in clear view here. This will be a long-lived wine; enjoy best 2028-2038. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

Carlisle is wrapping it up after the great 2023 vintage. This is your last shot!

96 Points! Moving to the Russian River Valley, the 2023 Zinfandel Piner-Olivet Ranches is a saturated red color and amplifies things with its more forward, layered feel, offering aromas of kirsch, bright pepper spice, cedar, and fresh flowers .The acidity shines through more vibrantly compared to the Sonoma Valley wines, with a more electric feel, ripe tannins, and a long finish. It reminds me of great Barbera, retaining both ripeness and vibrant acidity. It’s a tremendous vintage of this wine to drink over the coming 12-15 years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

97 Points! Dense licorice and forest berry aromas mask the deep tannin structure of this Chateauneuf-du-Pape masterpiece. Full-bodied but with a lightness of touch. Then the power and stony intensity pour over you in a giant wave. The freshness is extraordinary for this hot and dry vintage. Serious tannins in the very long, compact and refined finish. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The estate lost some Grenache due to shatter, so the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape is based on 40% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 10% Counoise, 10% Syrah, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties. It was all destemmed except for the Syrah and brought up in foudre. The higher Mourvèdre component gives it a more serious, focused style than most in the vintage, and it has darker blackberry fruits intermixed with roasted herbs, spring flowers, violets, and some meaty nuances on the nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a deep, pure, layered mouthfeel, it has ripe, velvety, yet building tannins and a great finish. Another beautiful vintage for this cuvée, it has the approachable style of the vintage yet brings more than enough density and concentration to evolve for 30 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

97-98 Points! This shows real precision and sophistication. Tight and dense palate that is concentrated but not heavy, with intensity and minerality. Sea salt and white pepper at the end. This is really at the top level of dry white Bordeaux now. 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% semillon. - JamesSuckling.com

95-97 Points! The 2023 Château Cos D'Estournel Blanc includes slightly more Semillon and checks in as 70% Sauvignon and 30% Semillon, raised in just 7% new French oak, with the rest in once-used barrels. A selection made mostly in the cellar, it has a vivid gold hue as well as a stunning nose of ripe lemon, honeyed flowers, mint, crushed stone, and subtle hints of toast. Gorgeously textured, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, with the bright, almost racy acidity of the vintage, it's pure class. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! A powerful but sleek red that's so concentrated and focused, yet polished and satiny in texture. Rich, fine-grained tannins support black cherries, blackcurrants, iron, flowers and a hint of black-olive flavor. A serious, structured wine that needs a steak to pair with, or more years in the bottle to mature. Drinkable now and best from 2030. - JamesSuckling.com

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96 Points! Very cool, silky and precise in spite of the awesome old-vine depth. In fact, it has a personality that’s gentle and polite. The fine-grained texture on the medium-bodied palate makes you feel like you’re licking the granite soil of the site. I love the delicate spicy aromas and touch of red roses. There’s a dramatic mineral freshness in the emphatically dry finish. Fermented with a good proportion of whole-cluster then matured two-thirds in concrete tank and one-third in used Burgundian barrels. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! One of the great dry white wines of the Loire. This dry chenin blanc is rich and concentrated, but also graceful and delicate. Full-bodied but so elegant and precise, with a wet stone minerality that builds in a spectacular manner in the very long, refined finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The 2023 Vouvray Sec Le Mont is precise, upright and flinty. It's less immediately charming than the styles we've seen in recent warmer vintages, but it was only tasted three weeks after bottling—this is one to revisit. There's just the right amount of juicy, peachy flesh within this light-bodied yet concentrated wine. It has the potential to charm but does so without showing off. Flinty and tightly sewn together, it has curves in the right places, but you're just going to have to wait for it to take shape. - Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media

96 Points! The beautiful, complex Corton-Charlemagne from Dugat-Py offers ripe pear, quince and passion fruit aromas, coloured with hints of soft white flowers, baking spice and butter. The texture is marvellously balanced; dense, rich and creamy, but not fat. The grapes are from 0.4ha of 55-year-old vines acquired from the estate of Gabriel Muscovac in Pernand (first vintage 2011). Dugat-Py gives the wine a traditional, long maturation in cask without stirring the lees. The vines are well-located for a warm vintage since they climb from mid-slope in Pernand to the top of the hill and have given a superb result in 2023. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points! Salty and spicy, with aromas of ginger, cardamom, lemons and sea salt. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, sharp and pungent, with a precise, saline character. Rich, focused and delicious. From grapes grown in Gualtallary. Fermented and aged in French oak, of which 35% was new. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2023 Chardonnay El Enemigo comes from Gualtallary, Uco Valley. Aged in 500-liter French oak barrels, it opens with green apple, chamomile, white peach, herbs and a subtle vermouth note. Dry, compact and saline, the oak broadens the palate where richness is otherwise restrained. The 2023 is a modern, refined profile for Gualtallary Chardonnay in a warm vintage. - Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous

94 Points!  Ale Vigil is partial to a touch of flor in his top whites, as long as it occurs naturally in the winery. This left-field Gualtallary Chardonnay is savoury, spicy and slightly salty, with a brine-like top note, lovely texture, subtle 35% new wood, hints of aniseed and wild thyme and a core of beeswax and citrus zest. - Tim Atkin, MW

93 Points!  The 2023 Chardonnay derives from Adrianna Vineyard, was vinified in 500-liter barrique and incorporates some biological aging and a small portion of a five-year-old solera. Leading with a bright, citrus-driven nose bolstered by an elegant nutty richness, the palate is vibrant, textural and seamless, concluding with a succulent and nuanced finish. As with the whole El Enemigo range, this offers a fantastic value that entirely transcends the price point. - Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com

96 Points! Aromas of red and dark fruit, crushed stones, dried herbs, flowers and salt-cured meat. The palate is tightly woven with a silken mouthfeel, fine tannins and a succulent, minerally finish. A wine of real nerve and approachability young, with ample aging potential. A good example of what a cool vintage in a cool appellation can produce. Drink or hold. - JameSuckling.com

96 Points! The 2023 Chardonnay Shale and Stone, from Truchard in Carneros, is all class. Apricot, lemon confit, marzipan, tangerine peel, tropical fruit and a kiss of French oak grace this exotic, dynamic Chardonnay from Frog's Leap. Airy and gracious, with stunning balance, the 2023 is fabulous in every way. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

96 Points! Capacious notes of spiced blueberry compote, red florals and a squidge of balsamic; full of juicy tension and verve with a persuasive freshness that lingers. - Decanter World Wine Awards

96+ Points! Moving back to the Russian River Valley, the 2023 Pinot Noir Jennifer's Vineyard is a medium ruby color and is more expressive, primary, and floral in this vintage, with notes of mixed berries, crushed roses, and sweet herbs. The palate reveals more tension and brightness and is more approachable and open than the nose suggests, with bright acidity, well-defined tannins, and hints of citrus and dried herbs on the finish. I would give this one another year to allow its more savory and layered depth to unfold. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

96 Points! Super elegant and super filigreed, with ravishing aromas of honeysuckle, white peaches and Asian pears, this is a very sophisticated and polished wine for this category. Incredibly refreshing, but also incredibly silky on the light-bodied palate. Then comes the extremely long and precise finish in which floral and wet-stone elements are almost perfectly interwoven. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! This great Spatlese from the Graacher Himmelreich has everything we hope for from this famous site: excellent concentration and delicacy on the barely medium-bodied palate, terrific slatey character and a broad spectrum of aromas that range from white flowers and peaches to blackcurrants. Super-stony and precise finish. All of this has a wonderful spring-like freshness that makes it irresistible. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A smoky mineral layer hovers in the backdrop of this streamlined, concentrated Riesling, with beautiful clarity and range to its notes of lime oil, peach and green herbs. Flinty and sultry through the long finish, which features some phenolic extract for a dry impression. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! Mulled black cherries, roasted garrigue, spice, and hints of fresh cut flowers and rose define the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz, which is based on 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah from 50% galets roulés and 50% sandy Safre soils in les Cassanets lieu-dit, fully destemmed and aged in 80% demi-muids and 20% neutral barrels. It's medium to full-bodied and elegant, with ultra-fine tannins, a seamless, layered, elegant mouthfeel, and fine tannins. It's impeccably made, very clean, and pure, with beautiful length on the finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 Points! Intense, Bold, Citrus Fruit, Lime, White Blossoms, Chalky, Medium to Full bodied, Refreshing Acidity, Subtle Oak, Satiny Texture, Ready to Drink. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

96 Points! From the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros and brought up 16 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Goldberg Variations No. 6 Hyde Vineyard offers pure tropical fruits, white flowers, minty herbs, and some spicy nuances. Medium to full-bodied, it has a soft, supple, layered mouthfeel, integrated acidity, remarkable purity, and a great finish. It's certainly a slightly softer expression compared to the Central Coast releases, but shines for its incredible purity and finesse. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Blackberries, dried hibiscus and earth. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate, showing a narrative of exceptional delineated fruit integrated with fine-grained, compact tannins that shift from precise to ethereal. Very impressive. A blend of 70% merlot with 30% bouchet (cabernet franc). Already compelling but will evolve eternally. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The 2023 Pensées de Lafleur has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with notes of sweet dark berries mingled with violets, blood orange and hints of truffle. Full-bodied, supple and fleshy, it's deep and complete, with a seamless core of fruit framed by sweet tannins and succulent acids. As I've written before, this cuvée, derived from vines growing in the part of Lafleur's vineyard through which a water course once flowed and where the soils are richer in clay and better hydrated, still lives in the shadow of its grander sibling, but it's a must-purchase for me every year. - William Kelley, robertparker.com