Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (89-92)

A rich deep purple. the nose too is luxurious, with a touch of coconut as well. Totally fills the mouth but there is just a little more precision than the Chorey. The fruit and the coconut make me think of Lamingtons. As long as the coconut dies down this will be pretty impressive. Drink from 2025-2030.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-96)

Medium to dark purple. Pepper and spice up front along with some remarkably refined fruit. The intensity is compact at the front then opens out much more behind, with black raspberry becoming more apparent. The intensity is impressive for 2021 and the natural balance undeniable. Sweet fruit finish. Drink from 2028-2035.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)

A deep bright purple. The nose has the characteristic (of Brûlées) smoky struck flint note to it, which adds complexity to the red fruit which is as abundant here as the other wines. Lush in the middle then a structure which tames the extrovert nature, a good point of acidity alongside ripe tannins, and some darker fruit to finish. Potentially extremely fine. Drink from 2028-2035.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-94)

5 Star Wine. On arriving in Vosne-Romanée we do discover another level of elegance. A fresh but quite deep purple. An essential concentration of deep dark fruit, but this time with an absolute feeling of precision. Lifted, racy, electric, spicy with a depth of concentrated mostly raspberry fruit. We are getting there! Drink from 2026-2032.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-95)

Not deeper in colour, perhaps just a touch brighter even than the village Vosne. An even finer detail, with more precision, still just a note too much of new oak. Broader shoulders, more structure behind, which tames the fruit and stops it getting soupy. An exceptional intensity of liquid raspberry with great persistence. Drink from 2027-2033.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93-96)

The 2023 Haut-Batailley is another impressive wine from this Chateau. There's plenty of the typical dark fruit and overall breadth that is such a signature, but the tannins show greater finesse than in some prior years—a very positive evolution that continues here. Black cherry, plum, lavender, cloves, leather and licorice are all beautifully amplified. The 2023 marks another major step forward for Haut-Batailley.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93-96)

The 2023 Haut-Batailley is another impressive wine from this Chateau. There's plenty of the typical dark fruit and overall breadth that is such a signature, but the tannins show greater finesse than in some prior years—a very positive evolution that continues here. Black cherry, plum, lavender, cloves, leather and licorice are all beautifully amplified. The 2023 marks another major step forward for Haut-Batailley.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93-96)

The 2023 Haut-Batailley is another impressive wine from this Chateau. There's plenty of the typical dark fruit and overall breadth that is such a signature, but the tannins show greater finesse than in some prior years—a very positive evolution that continues here. Black cherry, plum, lavender, cloves, leather and licorice are all beautifully amplified. The 2023 marks another major step forward for Haut-Batailley.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93-96)

The 2023 Haut-Batailley is another impressive wine from this Chateau. There's plenty of the typical dark fruit and overall breadth that is such a signature, but the tannins show greater finesse than in some prior years—a very positive evolution that continues here. Black cherry, plum, lavender, cloves, leather and licorice are all beautifully amplified. The 2023 marks another major step forward for Haut-Batailley.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (97)

One of the stars of the vintage, the 2014 Haut-Brion is an exceptionally beautiful and vivid wine. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, tobacco and menthol are some of the notes that run through the 2014. Just as it did from barrel, the 2014 boasts tons of opulence, intensity and richness. Dried flowers, tobacco, menthol, licorice and smoke wrap around the huge, baritone-inflected finish. Readers should not be in any rush with the 2014, as it is likely to require a number of years before it even starts to drink well. The blend is 50 % Merlot, 39 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 11 % Cabernet Franc.

Vinous (98)

The 2019 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard is an utterly sensational new wine that screams terroir. Made from a tightly spaced vineyard, it shows off green peppercorns, nori, pomegranate seed, guava, satsuma zest, freshly tilled earth and stony undertones. The palate is plush with a soft texture and an incredible sense of tension. Layers of very delicate red fruits collide with stony minerals, blood orange zest and green olive tapenade. Utterly sensational to savor right now, this has another decade or more ahead of it.

Vinous (97)

Il Poggione 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers up a dark, earthy, almost animal-like expression, showing black soil and undergrowth, giving way to crushed black cherry, dusty spice, and dried florals which lift the experience. On the palate, soft, fleshy textures usher in fresh cherry and strawberry, as brisk acids add energy, with savory herbs and minerals saturating, as the 2015 Il Poggione’s fruit nearly masks its structural core. The finish is long yet fresh, with classic, fine tannins, dried red fruits and pretty inner floral tones lingering throughout this perfectly balanced expression. The 2015 s pure class and built for the cellar.

Vinous (96+)

Impressing from the first tilt of the glass, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino makes itself known, with a heady burst of exotic spice and crushed ashen stone giving way to dried black cherries and grilled herbs. This combines the energy of the vintage with the dark balsamic-tinged fruits of Montalcino’s southern reaches, as zesty acidity maintains balance throughout, and flinty minerals saturate toward the close. It finishes long, savory and structured, yet its tannins are more rounded than anticipated, creating both a classic feel, but also leaving a mouthwatering sensation that tricks the taster back to the glass for more. Easily one of the top wines of the vintage, the 2018 is not to be missed.

James Suckling (93-94)

This is very St.-Estephe, with blackcurrant, lead pencil, graphite and crushed stone. Medium-bodied, linear and structured. Excellent finish. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. 13.35% alcohol. 3.75 pH.

James Suckling (93-94)

This is very St.-Estephe, with blackcurrant, lead pencil, graphite and crushed stone. Medium-bodied, linear and structured. Excellent finish. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, 4% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. 13.35% alcohol. 3.75 pH.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

You just know that this estate is well placed to succeed in the vintage, and this really does walk the line of ripeness and salinity, such gorgeous definition and vivid energetic fruit. Stretches out through the palate also, has a relaxed confidece to it that is quite unusual in such a full--on vintage. Really impressive, Beaumartin family, David Suire director.

James Suckling (94-95)

There’s depth and beauty to this wine. It offers crunchy fruit, a chalky undertone and a hint of raw coffee bean. Medium body. Fine tannins. Bright and transparent. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc.

James Suckling (94-95)

There’s depth and beauty to this wine. It offers crunchy fruit, a chalky undertone and a hint of raw coffee bean. Medium body. Fine tannins. Bright and transparent. 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc.

James Suckling (95-96)

This is a tighter and more compact Petit Mouton with a full-bodied, compact palate that is framed nicely by the tannins. Savory and juicy. Structured. Contained. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Better than 2022?

James Suckling (95-96)

This is a tighter and more compact Petit Mouton with a full-bodied, compact palate that is framed nicely by the tannins. Savory and juicy. Structured. Contained. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Better than 2022?

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

The 2019 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is fabulous. Rich, powerful and vibrant, Le Petit packs a serious punch. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this jewel of a wine. Black cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, mocha and dried herbs build as this effusive, generous wine shows off its racy, alluring personality. I loved it.

James Suckling (98)

The purity here is really something. Blackberries and blackcurrants with sandalwood, mint and other classic herbs. Full-bodied and dense with ultra-fine tannins. Silky in all ways. Goes on for a long, long time. A blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 11% cabernet franc and 10% merlot. Joyous and serious wine for the vintage. And comparable to 2014 and 2015. Try after 2023.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2010 Viña Tondonia Reserva has all I expect from a Reserva from Tondonia, complexity, elegance and evolution, a developed nose with notes of forest floor and wild berries, herbs and flowers, a touch of iodine, brick dust and very fine, polished tannins. It has the seriousness and elegance of Tondonia. This is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho (they use the masculine form of the name of the grape) and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo that fermented in the ancient oak vats from when the winery was created 144 years ago and matured in well-seasoned, American oak barrels for six years. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 6.6 grams of acidity. 260,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2017.

Wine Advocate (95)

Desvignes's 2018 Morgon Côte du Py Javernières is superb, bursting from the glass with a captivating bouquet of violets, raspberries, dark chocolate and smoky blackberries. On the palate, it's full-bodied, velvety and layered, with a deep and multidimensional core, succulent acids and powdery tannins. Beautifully balanced and structurally refined despite its power and concentration, this is worth a special effort to seek out.

James Suckling (95-96)

Very pretty and polished with blackberry, blueberry and ink character, as well as a hint of hazelnut. It’s medium-bodied with well-integrated tannins to the fruit. Fine and flavorful finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

A rock star Margaux that should be snatched up by readers, the 2018 Château Marquis D'Alesme reveals a dense purple hue as well as ripe, sexy notes of blackcurrants, spicy oak, tobacco leaf, earth, and cedar. Deep, full-bodied, and gorgeously concentrated, it has velvety tannins, a layered, mouthcoating texture, and a great finish. It's a baby, but wow, what a wine. Hide bottle for 5-7 years if you can (you'll be forgiven for opening a bottle early) and it's going to evolve for 30-40 years.

Introducing the remarkable Monte Faustino Fornaser Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2017. Born from Veneto's fabled Valpolicella region in Italy, this wine is a testament to meticulous viticulture and winemaking practices. Monte Faustino, a bespoke winery where the Fornaser family exudes passion and respects deep-rooted Italian traditions, is renowned for its singularly stunning wines.

The 2017 vintage involves hand-picked Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes, partially dried on 'arele' trays, enhancing intensity and concentrating aromas. The fermentation process, followed by a 30-month maturing period in Slavonian oak barrels, yields a beautifully balanced wine that defies comparison.

Endowed with a rich ruby red hue, the Monte Faustino Fornaser Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2017 offers multifaceted sensory notes, a delightful spectrum spanning spiced fruit, tobacco to chocolate. Nuanced acidity complements embracing tannins, elegantly harmonising in a persistent finish. This fine wine is an epitome of quality, mastery, and timeless Italian character.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

Stands proudly at the head of the Mount Mary portfolio. A blend of 44% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 5% each of malbec and petit verdot, each variety handled according to its structure. Open/static fermenters, wood/stainless steel, 10-14 days on skins, 35% new oak from a range of coopers and forests, 16-20 months in barrel. Mesmerisingly silky, with a kaleidoscope of fruit and secondary flavours.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98-100)

High Cabernet, and the grape is dominant not just in blend but character, totally delicious, with tension, flesh, and confidence, building layers of black fruits, graphite, cocoa bean, espresso, pomegranate and smoked earth throughout the palate. When Cabernet works at Mouton, it is hard to beat, and it's on full display in 2023. One of my clear wines of the vintage. Of any vintage. 100% new oak for ageing. 40% grand vin, harvest September 7 to 30.

Wine Advocate (94+)

Planted in pure limestone above Gerard Perse’s other famous vineyard/terroir, Chateau Pavie, this 10-acre site’s vines average 47 years of age. Fashioned from remarkably low yields, this blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc is a powerful, dense, tannic wine that will require considerable time to round into shape. It exhibits a dense purple color along with sweet aromas of mulberries, black currants, minerals, cold steel, graphite, and background spice. Full-bodied, highly-extracted, dense, and made in an unfashionably tannic, broodingly backward style, this is a wine for the ages. It requires 8-10 years of cellaring, and should last for 25-30+.