Wines

94 Points! Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the base appellation 2018 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast was 60% destemmed and spent 11 months in 20% new French oak. This gorgeous Pinot Noir displays lots of red and black raspberry fruits, notes of forest floor, smoked earth, and a touch of graphite. With medium-bodied richness, a solid spine of acidity, building tannins, and straight-up beautiful balance, it's going to benefit from another year or two of bottle age and keep for a decade. It's beautifully done. - Jeb Dunnuck

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94 Points! Arietta's 2018 Merlot Hudson Vineyard shows the cool, savory style of Carneros. Dried herbs, licorice, menthol, gravel and spice lend striking aromatic complexity throughout. This is an especially savory, nuanced style. The 2018 is a fabulous wine that will challenge readers' conceptions of what Napa Valley Merlot is all about. The Arietta wine emerges from the oldest vines Merlot vines at Hudson, planted in 1986. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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94 Points! This is attractive with floral character and notes of fresh cherries and blueberries. Some dried herbs, too. Medium-bodied. So polished, silky and seamless with chocolate-coated red fruit and a delicate finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2018 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Cailles 1er Cru displays more mineralité on the nose compared to its peers - well-defined, focused, neatly integrated oak, aromatics that seem to unfurl in the glass (an uncommon trait in this vintage). The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, well balanced and quite refined. A judicious touch of cracked black pepper and allspice on the elegant finish gains detail with aeration. Give it just another 12 months in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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95 Points! This is a cooler-climate Syrah done with the light touch of a Pinot Noir master. The nose is extremely peppery, reminiscent of a tour through a Tellicherry peppercorn factory, yet with tart cranberry, rust and soil elements as well. The palate is immensely grippy with more white pepper as well as charcoal and brisk red-fruit flavors. It will also cellar very well. - Wine Enthusiast

94 Points! The 2018 Syrah Schock Family Vineyard is Gavin Chanin's first Syrah, and it is fabulous. Deep and rich, but not at all heavy, the 2018 has so much to offer. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2018 is an embryonic wine at this stage. What comes across is the wine's exceptional balance and harmony. Time will be needed for Syrah aromatics to emerge. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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94 Points! This is an organic blend of fruit from six MGA sites: Terlo and Liste (in Barolo), Ravera di Monforte and Mosconi (in Monforte d’Alba) and Gabutti and Baudana (in Serralunga d’Alba). The 2018 Barolo Via Nuova is fermented in steel and aged in oak according to time-tested local tradition. This mid-weight blended Barolo has a more prominent herbal or balsam signature at the back of red and purple fruits, licorice and pressed violet. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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93 Points! I found the 2018 Vinyes Velles to be quite ripe with notes of prunes and decayed violets, with 14.5% alcohol and a low pH, so the nose seems overripe but the palate feels fresher. It's 84% Cariñena and 16% Garnacha matured in 225-liter oak barrels for 15 months. Ripe and generously oaked. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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94 Points! This has bold and rich blackberries and dark plums with licorice, coal smoke, cedary oak and tarry notes. The palate is quite round, soft and fleshy with rich blackberries and blueberries. Dark chocolate, too. The cedary and spicy oak is well integrated and wraps deep into a glossy finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! This bold 2018 Fat of the Land is a single vineyard Greenock Barossa Shiraz boasting lashings of sweet blackberry and licorice aromas wrapped in a cloak of new French oak. This is done in quite a sturdy style with firm oak tannins supporting sweet, ripe, voluptuous fruits. A long finish tops off an impressive package for fans of the style - Angus Hughson, Vinous Media

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94 Points! The 2018 Fonbadet is superb. Classically elegant and refined, the 2018 graces the palate with exquisite finesse right out of the gate. Red berry, floral, blood orange and minty flavors convey freshness as the 2018 opens in the glass. Bright acids perk up the nuanced, persistent finish. Readers won't find too many 2018s that are this delicate, sensual and flat-out charming. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93 Points! The 2018 Fonbadet makes good on the promise it showed last year, presenting a finely chiseled bouquet of blackberry, graphite and light sous-bois scents. Coy at first, it unfolds with confidence. The palate is very cohesive with well-judged natural acidity. There is plenty of coiled-up energy in this Fonbadet, but what really distinguishes it is the fineness of the tannin's and the persistence on the finish. Bravo! - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

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98 Points! The Grand Vin 2018 Château Haut-Bailly checks in as 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It spent 18 months in 60% new French oak. This is a beautiful, classic expression of this terroir, and its dense purple hue is followed by gorgeous black cherry and cassis fruits interwoven with ample tobacco leaf, cedary herbs, earth, truffle, and floral nuances. While 2018 was a hot, dry year (at the end of the season anyway), this shows a mix of cooler-climate, vibrant aromatics paired with a rich, concentrated, fresh style on the palate. It has plenty of tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. A beautiful, elegant 2018, it's going to need 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 3-4 decades. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

99 Points!  Complex and expressive nose, offering red and dark fruit, spices and pepper with wood and mushroom undertones. Fresh mussel shell and a hint of ink, too. Full-bodied with a fine texture and great balance between the acidity and the controlled, tannic structure. Very long finish. Goes on and on. Tiny production, 21 hectoliters per hectare. Try after 2025. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com Learn More

94-95 Points! I can’t remember a Haut-Batailley this tannic, yet the tannins are savory and very ripe with beauty and purity. Full-bodied, chewy tannins and a long and intense finish. - James Suckling

94 Points! The flagship 2018 Château Haut-Batailley checks in 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot that was brought up in 60% new French oak. It's another deeply hued, classic Pauillac in the vintage that has wonderful purity as well as loads of ripe blackberry and currant fruits, medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful aromas and flavors of graphite, cedarwood, and tobacco, building yet polished tannins, background oak, and a great finish. This pure, classic Pauillac needs 7-8 years of bottle age (it will certainly offer pleasure earlier) and will drink fabulously well for over two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

92-94 Points! Blended of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot aging in 60% new barriques, the 2018 Haut Batailley is very deep purple-black in color and takes some coaxing to reveal profound notes of dark chocolate, crème de cassis, blueberry pie and anise with waves of raspberry pie, lavender and Indian spices. Full, very tightly would and jam-packed with layers of crunchy black and blue fruits, it has a firm line of ripe, grainy tannins and compelling freshness, finishing long with a mineral hint coming through. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

92 Points! The 2018 Haut Batailley has come together well. Plump and juicy in feel, the 2018 possesses quite a bit of creaminess in its dark fruit, chocolate, spice and leather. The new oak is prominent at this stage. Even so, this is nicely done and promising. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

 

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96 Points! Disgorged without dosage, the NV Extra Brut Rosé Fac-similie (LC18) bursts with aromas of red berries, plums and spices mingled with freshly baked bread and dried white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and sapid, with delicate structure and an enveloping core of irresistibly succulent fruit, lively acids and a long, saline finish. While the Fac-similie shares the charm of its white counterpart, its gently phenolic grip seems to temper some of the exuberance of the vintage. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

 

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93 Points! The 2018 Château de la Dauphine was a knockout when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it has a very clean, precise bouquet of shimmering blackberry and wild strawberry aromas, underlying blood orange notes coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, plenty of graphite-tinged black fruit and a very elegant yet long finish. Superb! - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! A delicious wine that has been well handled comprising vibrant fruits with brambles and hedgerows keeping things on the right side of slick. A good job done here with the estate retaining biodynamics even through a tough vintage. Drinking Window 2022-2032 - Decanter Learn More

93 Points! The 2018 La Gurgue is one of the little jewels of Margaux. Pliant, supple and inviting, the 2018 has so much to offer. All the elements are wonderfully fused together. Ripe red cherry, blood orange, mint and sweet floral notes all build as this racy Margaux shows off its sensuality and charm. Mildew was especially severe, and yields were just 12 hectoliters per hectare, but the wine is superb. The blend is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media Learn More

97+ Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 La Mondotte strolls nonchalantly out of the glass with expressive scents of plum preserves, blueberry compote and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by suggestions of candied violets, licorice, hoisin and black truffles with a waft of ground cloves. It's medium to full-bodied with seriously impressive tension and wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins supporting the generous black fruit preserves layers, finishing with amazing length and loads of panache. It will require a good 4-5 years to unlock some of its finer nuances, then drink this powerhouse over the next 25+ years. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

98 Points! Blackberry, plum, mushroom and wood undertones. It’s full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins. Savory and fleshy texture on the palate. Well balanced. Flavorful finish with length. Such polish and composure for a young wine. So classy! Try after 2026. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

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95 Points! Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lagrange explodes from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked red and black plums with suggestions of rose oil, cedar chest, pencil lead and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic vibrancy for the ripeness, packed with juicy black fruits and compelling tension with a finely grained texture to support, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Nicely done! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

97 Points! The flagship 2018 Château Lagrange is a more dense, backward, serious wine, offering an unevolved yet incredibly promising bouquet of cassis, blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and violets. A big, rich, full-bodied Saint-Julien, it delivers thrilling purity of fruit, plenty of background oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a great mid-palate. This is serious stuff, but it's going to require patience. Hide bottles for 7-8 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

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97 Points!  A seductive Margaux with an intense nose of black fruit and red plums. Some herb and wood notes, too. It’s full-bodied with pretty, pure-berry flavors with some crushed stones and cement. The texture is silky and fine-grained and the tannins melt into the wine. Precise, flavorful finish with length. Try after 2024. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

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94 Points! The second wine of Troplong Mondot, the 2018 Troplong Mondot Mondot come mostly from designated parcels and is 100% Merlot. It shows the new style of this estate beautifully and offers remarkable purity in its black raspberry and cassis fruits as well as complex notes of white flowers, violets, and spice. Medium-bodied, silky, and beautifully balanced, it has a terrific floral quality as well as ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and an attractive, chalky minerality on the finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! A really sexy second wine from Troplong with black cherries and stone. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and an attractive finish. - JamesSuckling.com

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95 Points! Monteraponi follows a Burgundy-adjacent farming philosophy that seeks to carve out distinct identities for strong red and white wines. The top-shelf red from the estate is the organic 2018 Baron'Ugo, a blend of 90% Sangiovese with smaller parts Canaiolo and Colorino for more color and vibrant fruit flavors. This vintage delivers a very clean and polished execution, and there is plenty of freshness, thanks to vineyard positioning at a cool and breezy 560 meters in elevation on limestone alberese soils. The oak is woven in a delicate manner in this wine. Production is 6,600 bottles. This is a little treasure from Tuscany. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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From the winery: Martin Ray's son, Peter took over the farming in the 1960s and has maintained minimal human intervention on the vines. 1800 feet elevation in the hillsides above the town of Saratoga. Planted in the late 60’s on Franciscan shale soils. Organic, dry farmed, head-trained vines.

 

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94 Points! The Paolo Scavino 2018 Barolo Monvigliero offers dried rose and smoky notes with crushed stone and peppery spice. This is a steady and careful production of 4,800 bottles, and the wine has a lean or compact mouthfeel and a special personality with rigid pinpoint aromas that rise tall from the glass. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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