Wines

93 Points! Lilting jasmine, white sesame and honeysuckle notes are backed by elderflower, mirabelle plum and bitter orange accents in this lithe and refreshing version, with a cool sweet/dry tension on the pretty finish. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! Verdelho makes medium-dry wines; the grapes for this come from Porto Moniz on the cool northwest corner of Madeira island. Mid-deep amber with a green glint. Lovely, lifted savoury aromas with a hint of dried apricots and raisins, very appetising. Delicate leafy, greengage fruit, with considerable richness (75g/l residual sugar) offset by zesty acidity that persists onto a long mouth-watering finish. Lovely poise for a relatively young Madeira wine. Enjoy a glass of this with consommé, clear soups or a Welsh rarebit. - Decanter Magazine

99 Points!  The 2016 Chateau D’Yquem is pure magic and dessert wines don’t get much better. Offering a pale gold color as well as a blockbuster bouquet of honeyed tangerines, tart apricots, liquid rocks, white flowers, and honeysuckle, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, an opulent texture, vibrant acidity, and again, an incredible sense of minerality, despite having no shortage of sweetness or richness. The 2016 is a classic blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon that hit 14.2% alcohol with 135 grams of residual sugar. It’s already complex and approachable yet will keep for 3-4 decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

99 Points! A very classic Yquem. Breathtakingly wide spectrum of floral honey, exotic fruit (passion fruit, mango and pineapple), caramel and marzipan aromas. But none of this is a jot too much. In fact, the wine is extremely precise and finely nuanced. Wonderful freshness and textural complexity, in spite of the considerable concentration and extravagance. Very suave and sensual finish that goes on and on. - James Suckling

98 Points! Containing 135 grams per liter of residual sugar, the pale lemon-gold colored 2016 d'Yquem leaps from the glass with honeyed apricots, pineapple, green mango, crushed rocks, candied ginger, coriander seed and citrus peel with hints of orange blossom. The palate is very tightly wound, vibrant and refreshing with layer upon layer of minerals and spices, finishing with epic poise and persistence. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

93 Points! A refreshing bite to the fruit balances the intense lusciousness of the weighty mid-palate, full of honeyed almonds, walnuts, preserved cherry and plum. The crunchiness provides at once lift and structure to the palate, with zesty tannic grip. Savoury lining of dried sage, tarragon and mint. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! Lots of prunes, figs and black dates here with dried persimmon, saffron, walnut, old books and caramel. This is bone-dry and tangy with lots of walnut on the palate. Intense, balanced and long with a nutty finish. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

90 Points! The NV Amontillado Escuadrilla Solera Reserva which is over 15 years of age reveals some caramel notes, a touch of raisins, and an overall sweet sensation in the nose, complemented by the recurring hazelnut notes, while the palate is very dry, full-bodied, powerful and even has some tannin in the finish. Very persistent. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! Hailing from a warm vintage that was one of the best in what would otherwise have been a fairly ordinary decade, the 1985 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon is starting to take on a deep golden appearance, commencing to amber. It offers a gorgeous, suave texture and a very complex nose that's a touch oxidative but that adds a layer of additional intrigue: it's all nuts, raisins, walnuts, olives, warm pastry, cinnamon, cooked orange peel. It's round and sweet (95g/L) but not unctuous with richness on the mid-palate while retaining enough acidity to refresh the mouth on the long finish. A wine that is very comfortable in its own skin, providing a very relaxing experience.

Moulin Touchais produces sweet Chenin Blanc in the Coteaux du Layon appellation. The wines are most often late harvested, although in some vintages - such as 1997 - a high level of botrytis builds on the fruit. What makes the winery special is its late-release policy: the wines must spend a minimum of 10 years in the underground cellars beneath the village of Doué la Fontaine before release. - Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, 2021

94 Points! A beautiful, vintage-dated tawny that straddles the fruit of a young port with the nutty and walnut character of a tawny. It shows dried fruit, such as figs and raisins. Some chocolate, too. Medium sweet. Lightly balsamic. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

93 Points! This is inviting, with gently warmed morello and maraschino cherry fruit mixed with cinnamon, date and red licorice notes that show good persistence through the finish, which offers a sandalwood echo. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! Medium amber with a green rim. Aromas of burnt orange, tobacco, toffee and herbs, with a hint of potpourri adding an exotic component. Broader and deeper than the Charleston, offering sappy orange marmalade, chestnut honey and toffee flavors underscored by tangy acidity. Shows a sweet, nutty quality on the smoky, gently spicy finish. I like this wine's heft and thrust. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

95 Points! This smells like apricot tarte tatin with notes of toasted nuts and caramelized bananas. Very crisp and concentrated this has tremendous energy in spite of the intense maturation character, the touch of sweetness pushed way into the background. Super-long finish that’s both rich and refreshing. Drink or hold. - Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! You can taste that these were super-ripe grapes and those golden aromas envelope you on the very focused, medium-bodied palate. Then the mineral acidity cuts through the richness with a samurai sword-like flash that knocks you back in your chair. Very long and super-crisp finish. Excellent potential! - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Selbach's 2022 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese opens with a coolish and flinty nose with very fine mineral expression and remarkably precise and delicate fruit. Round and generous on the palate, with very fine and saline acidity, this is a creamy-textured, sweet but well-balanced Auslese with a long, aromatic and mineral Domprobst finish. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in November 2023.Selbach's 2022 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese opens with a coolish and flinty nose with very fine mineral expression and remarkably precise and delicate fruit. Round and generous on the palate, with very fine and saline acidity, this is a creamy-textured, sweet but well-balanced Auslese with a long, aromatic and mineral Domprobst finish. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in November 2023. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com