Wine Advocate (96+)

The 2018 Valtuille El Rapolao, like the rest of the single-vineyard wines, has not been bottled separately since 2015. This comes from the coolest paraje of Valtuille, as it gets the sun for one full hour after the rest of vineyards of the village. This was harvested early and matured exclusively in 500-liter oak barrels; it has lower alcohol and is more elegant than the 2014 and 2015. This was a little closed at first and needed some time in the glass to open up. It's a more floral and refined version of Villegas, with more layers, more depth and complexity. There's no rusticity here, which was in the character of the 2014 and 2015. Impressive! 1,700 bottles were filled in May 2020.

Wine Advocate (98)

All of these wines from Cavallotto deliver a very floral and perfumed subtext that gives lift and delicate buoyancy to the overall bouquet. This is the Castiglione Falletto magic that shows so well in this classic vintage. The 2016 Barolo Bricco Boschis offers dried cherry, sandalwood, bramble and forest floor. The wine reveals a slightly wild and untamed character that adds to its interest and personality. Overall, this is an elegant wine with a streamlined and elegant finish. The aromas are focused and bright. I can't wait to taste the Riserva expression from this site when it is released in three years' time.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

A combination of an extraordinary vintage and a fantastic producer are behind this stunning wine. It opens with aromas recalling woodland berry, pipe tobacco, forest floor, balsamic notes of camphor and new leather. Still youthfully austere, the firmly structured palate delivers ripe Morello cherry, licorice, ground clove and iron notes set against tightly knit, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it well balanced

Wine Advocate (93)

Ceretto's classic 2017 Barbaresco opens quickly and nicely in the glass. That playful accessibility is a trait that I found in many of the Barbarescos from this vintage. Compared to the two vineyard-specific expressions (Asili from Barbaresco and Bernadot from Treiso), this wine offers broad brush strokes of wild berry, spice, licorice and iron ore. That's exactly the mission of this wine: It provides an authentic portrait of a grape. Fruit represents a blend from various sites, including young vines from Asili and the lower parts of Bernadot. This wine is poised for near and medium-term drinking.

Vinous (95)

The 2019 Sangiovese Romagna Predappio Riserva is shaping up to be the most classic and refined rendition I've yet tasted of Le Lucciole. The past nine months have added dark, savory depths to its captivating bouquet of crushed raspberry, grilled herbs and smoked dark chocolates. This is silkier and more supple today. A stern mineral core underscores wild berry fruits and exotic spices. Tantalizing acidity adds balance through the structured finale. The 2019 reminds the taster that its years are shy of maturity, tapering off with a saturation of fine tannins that grumble beneath an air of balsam herbs and violet florals. This bottle was followed over two days and never faltered. What a beauty.

Vinous (92)

Mixing both savory and sweet, floral and herbal, earthy yet packed full of bright cherry-berry fruits, the 2019 Sangiovese makes quite a first impression. This is silky in texture, yet juicy and spry with zesty, red berry fruits motivated by brilliant acidity under an air of inner violets and exotic spices. The 2019 has energy to burn, tapering off long and slightly grippy, creating a classically dry impression while also holding your attention firm with its lingering hints of licorice and candied almonds. There is so much balanced pleasure to be had from this Predappio Sangiovese.

Kerin O'Keefe (97)

Forest berry, spice, hay and menthol aromas mingle with whiffs of new leather on this stunning, fragrant Brunello. A top-scorer vintage after vintage, the 2018 combines elegance and a full body, delivering dried cherry, blood orange, licorice and ground clove alongside firm but refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it energized while a saline mineral note adds depth to the finish.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

Wild berry, fragrant purple flower and crushed herb aromas mingle with whiffs of tilled earth and new leather in this dazzling red. The stunning, savory palate boasts remarkable finesse combined with an ageworthy structure, offering succulent black cherry, raspberry compote, licorice and tobacco alongside taut, refined tannins. It's impeccably balanced by bright acidity. It's already tempting, but hold for even more complexity.

James Suckling (100)

The opulence of fruit and complexity of earth, meat, mushroom and cedar is breathtaking. It’s full-bodied, deep and powerful with so much intensity and depth. Chewy and layered, it goes on for minutes. Give it even more time. Try after 2023.

Wine Advocate (93+)

I tasted a very young and recently bottled 2018 La Bruja de Rozas, their village Garnacha from the village of Las Rozas de Puerto Real. It's from a vintage that feels very complete and balanced and delivered very healthy grapes, good yields and grapes with ripe flavors and very good freshness. The wine is juicy but also sharp and mineral, backward and nuanced; it's shy now, but it has great depth and is finely knitted, textured, mineral and salty. I think this will surpass the already-amazing 2016. It fermented and matured in oak vats of different sizes, yet there is such purity of fruit and the wine is so intense that the oak is completely transparent. I had the chance to drink this wine on repeated occasions, as I find it has an unbeatable price for the quality. It's a more complete version of the 2016—it's pale, bright and transparent, spicy, elegant, nuanced, juicy but complex, with not only fruit but also violets and an herbal side, and it's characterful and a bit funky with finesse and a texture of chalk and granite. Like a Poulsard from Chambolle. High drinkability with aging potential. 53,478 bottles produced (the second largest vintage after 2016). It was bottled in August 2019.

Wine Advocate (94)

The first red to be bottled and sold is the 2020 La Bruja de Rozas, which feels a little more reductive this year. The grapes were picked before the torrential rains, so the wine shows a little riper than the wines that were picked after (the single vineyards). It's flinty and with a note of struck match, with good ripeness at 14.5% alcohol. This is always aromatic and floral, pale and surprisingly ethereal and expressive, a very pleasant and surprising wine that tends to please most people. This is the wine that I buy in volume, as it's a superb introduction to the Comando G portfolio and style at a very good price. Even though the nose is never short of spectacular, to me the signature here is the super fine grainy tannins from the decomposed granite soils. This goes back to the freshness of 2016 and 2018, perhaps a little rounder and less herbal, somewhere in between the two vintages. 43,175 bottles were filled in late August and early September 2021.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

This savory stunner has enticing scents of violet, rose and wild berry that gain complexity alongside notes of leather, camphor and sandalwood. The elegantly structured palate is all about precision, featuring juicy cherry, blood orange, star anise and tobacco framed in taut, refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it energized.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

Extremely elegant and focused, this compelling wine defies the heat of the vintage, starting with a heady fragrance of ripe dark-skinned berries, violet, camphor, dark spice and whiffs of crushed herbs. On the linear, elegantly structured palate, tightly woven but extremely polished tannins accompany juicy Marasca cherry, blood orange, licorice and white pepper while fresh acidity keeps it balanced and fresh. Drink 2025–2032

Wine Advocate (94)

The Cortonesi 2016 Brunello di Montalcino La Mannella shows dark fruit with dried cherry, blackcurrant and plum. On a second wave of aromas, you encounter softer spice with toasted almond, tilled earth and grilled herb. This is a classic expression of the crisp but sunny 2016 vintage with an open and food-friendly personality. There is a playful touch of sweet cherry on the close. Fruit is sourced from the La Mannella zone, one of the coolest growing areas in the appellation at moderate 350 meters above sea level. Winemaking is traditional, using 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak for three years of slow aging, and this reinforces all those fun berry notes on display in the 25,000-bottle release.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The Cortonesi 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Poggiarelli draws its fruit from a vineyard planted in the 1970s and replanted in part during the 1990s. Its fruit has made this designate wine since 1998, and like many of the Selezioni (and the Brunello cru expressions), this wine shows a pretty mineral character that lifts above the bright red fruit. It's absolutely true that these special sections from Montalcino are always recognized by their terrain or soil-adjacent aromas. In this case, I can smell those flinty or gravel-like tones from the schistous Galestro rocks. That special aromatic signature is followed by dark fruit and balsam herb, firm tannins and bright acidity. This is a limited 4,000-bottle release.

A unique multi-vintage blend of Brunello di Montalcino from barrels that were not ready when they first bottled the 2015 and 2016, with the addition of some 2018 to add freshness. This is a minute release of just 150 cases.

Wonderfully captivating flavours of Brunello, always very approachable and utterly delicious, with warm sun-baked aromas and lovely smooth developed finish. In fact, This is just like drinking mature Brunello di Montalcino. The palate is velvety with taut, finely-knit tannins. Precise, ripe plum fruit with Italian warmth and refined spiciness, with elegance and lift on the finish.

Wine Advocate (100)

It's an historical wine, a one-off, semi-sweet white produced at the end of the Spanish Civil War, a wine impossible to replicate, fruit of impossible circumstances, a wine I've had the luck to drink and share with many people on a number of occasions and which never fails to impress everyone. The perfect 1939 CVNE Rioja Blanco Semi Dulce Corona is a mythical wine! 1939 saw the end of Spain's Civil War, and the country was upside down. There were some major battles fought in Rioja, and by the time they had to harvest the grapes, there were not enough men in the village. They must have focused on the best parcels, surely giving priority to red grapes. Some vineyards were overlooked, as happened with the whites that eventually produced this wine. These grapes were harvested extremely late, into November, close to December and their health was not optimal, they had developed some botrytis and were clearly rotten. The people in charge of making the wine surely didn't know about botrytis cynerea, or noble rot, and were surely afraid their grapes were rotten and they would not be able to produce any decent white. So they did the best they could, but the fermentation never finished completely and there was some residual sugar in the wine. So, as they did with all their wines, they put it in oak barrels to mature and kind of put it in a corner hoping nobody would notice its shortcomings. We have to realize that CVNE was already producing quite a lot of wine at the time, so it's not unusual to have a few stray barrels here or there that nobody pays attention to. What is not that normal is that the wine was REALLY forgotten and was "found" during a stock take for an audit in 1970! So the wine aged slowly in barrel for some 30 years! Once found, nobody saw any reason to keep the wine in barrel any longer, so they decided to bottle it. Not knowing quite what to do with it, the bottles were stacked somewhere and the same story was repeated, as the stash was forgotten and basically untouched until thirty something years later: thanks to the daughter of one of the family owners (the winery is still in the hand of the same family that created it back in 1879). The proud father had a vague idea about a somewhat sweet wine that could be served at his daughter's wedding and asked to get some bottles to taste. They uncorked it, tasted it and found a complex, subtle white with great balance between alcohol, acidity and a little bit of residual sugar (around 20 grams), which took the edge off the acidity and made the wine rounder, as old Viura can be too austere. The slow aging, first in an oxidative way during the years in oak provided some nuttiness, and spicy aromas, while the botrytis added some of those dry apricot, beeswax and pollen notes, hinting on honey, but also the long reductive period in bottle made it very elegant and polished, with infinite nuances of white pepper, quince, faint smoke, walnuts, petrol...This redefines complexity, elegance and slow aging. The palate is prodigious, with a gobsmacking (literally!) balance, pungent flavors, freshness, acidity, very faint sweetness and length like only something which has slowly evolved over 70 years can be. The aftertaste should not be measured in seconds, but in minutes, and the empty glass keeps changing and giving different tones for hours. If you leave a little bit in the bottle for the day after (yes, it's difficult, I know!) the wine is even better on the second day. There is no reason to believe that if the wine is as good as it is today it is not going to reach its one-hundredth birthday. The wine is mainly Viura, but there might have been a little bit of the white Garnacha Blanca in the blend. At this stage nobody really knows (or cares). This is simply otherworldly, superb, perfect wine, whose only improvement would come if they had bottled some magnums! A dream. A unique, historical wine. If there is a perfect white Rioja, this is surely it. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2039.

Wine Advocate (93+)

The 2007 Imperial Gran Reserva is again a great wine in the making. Red fruit and plenty of spices (nutmeg), the palate shows great acidity and abundant tannins that need resolving with time in bottle. Great tension and nerve. I think it will take some time to be released, which is good as it will require some patience. Drink 2016-2021.

Vinous (94)

Deep, bright ruby. Highly complex, expansive scents of ripe dark berries, cherry pie, mocha, pipe tobacco and vanilla, with a smoky overtone. Sweet, deep blackberry and floral pastille flavors are complicated by notes of spicecake and bitter chocolate, showing unlikely vivacity on the back half. This ripe and rich but elegant Rioja combines finishes supple, smoky and very long, with velvety tannins making a late appearance to add grip.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

This comes from vineyards in Villalba, Briones and Torremontalbo and is another brilliant release from María Larrea. Savoury, sweet and well balanced, with 15% Graciano adding extra backbone and the zest that you expect from this special red

James Suckling (97)

This is very ripe with blackberries, dried fruit, toasted oak and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra-fine, linear tannins and a racy, refined finish. This has fantastic structure and length. It goes on for minutes. It needs time to open and refine even more. One of the best Imperiale Gran Reservas in a very long time. Drink after 2023.

James Suckling (97)

This is very ripe with blackberries, dried fruit, toasted oak and black licorice on the nose. Full-bodied with ultra-fine, linear tannins and a racy, refined finish. This has fantastic structure and length. It goes on for minutes. It needs time to open and refine even more. One of the best Imperiale Gran Reservas in a very long time. Drink after 2023.

James Suckling (98)

Polished and structured with firm, very fine tannins. Lots going on here, with layers of black fruit, dried spices, graphite, coconut and cracked pepper. Full-bodied and so intense. Keeps going. Long. The tannins are so fine and so numerous. One of the greatest modern gran reservas. 85% tempranillo, 10% graciano and 5% mazuelo. Try in 2025.

James Suckling (99)

Incredible, reserved ripeness and depth already evident on the nose after one whiff, offering plum, cedar, rose hip, sandalwood, and licorice. Full-bodied with superb depth of fruit and an abundance of polished tannins that give the wine poise and grace, even though it’s long and powerful. The quality of the tannins are exceptional. Sheer and refined. This comes from the center of Cannubi. Aged five years in Stockinger cask. Better after 2026.

If you crave a full-bodied, magnificently complex wine, the Damilano 1752 Barolo Cannubi Riserva Special Selection Case NV is your perfect choice. Exclusively made by Damilano, a revered producer in the famous Barolo region of Piedmont, Italy, this top-tiered wine is meticulously crafted from Nebbiolo grapes sourced from the esteemed Cannubi vineyard.

The wine-making process for the Damilano 1752 Barolo Cannubi Riserva Special Selection Case is precise and traditional. The grapes undergo a prolonged maceration period, before being aged in large oak barrels for approximately 60 months. In the glass, this Barolo presents an intense ruby red colour. The aroma spells an opulent bouquet of red fruits, intertwined with delightful hints of vanilla, tobacco, and spices.

Upon savouring, it satiates the palate with rich tannins, perfectly blended with vibrant acidity, culminating in a lingering, persistent finish. The Damilano 1752 Barolo Cannubi Riserva Special Selection Case NV unequivocally showcases Damilano's commitment to exceptional quality.

Wine Advocate (96)

They hit the nail on the head with the harvest date of the 2016 Las Lamas, and the wine shows incredible precision, elegance and symmetry this year. I've often discussed with Ricardo Pérez Palacios how sensitive Mencía is with the harvest date and how the grape has a very short picking window, to the point that, in 2016, you feel one day difference. They have been fine-tuning this wine in the last few years, and the result is evident. 3,655 bottles and some larger bottles were filled in June 2018.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2014 Moncerbal, 96% Mencía and 4% white varieties, follows a very clear line that, since 2012, is producing very elegant wines, but this 2014 could be the epitome of it. It could very well be the finest vintage of Moncerbal to date. It has a captivating nose with lots of freshness, floral, complex, elegant and nuanced. The palate has electric freshness, when the Mencía is not particularly high in acidity. This was expressive from minute one and kept changing in the glass and developing nuances. Talk about complexity, and to me, aging potential. 2,675 bottle, 73 magnums, 20 double magnums and 13 Jeroboams were filled in March 2016.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2019 Moncerbal is a "vino de paraje," produced with grapes (mostly Mencía but also 4% white grapes) from different plots that totaled 1.51 hectares in the same zone of the village of Corullón. It fermented with some full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats for 46 days and matured in oak barrels and foudres for 11 months. It's one of the lower-alcohol wines (together with the Corullón) at 13.5% alcohol. This is super aromatic and floral, with notes of violets and also white flowers and even a citrus touch. This is the showier wine of the 2019s—textured, long and gentle, with a great finish. It has changing aromas and flavors, mixing flowers, herbs, berries, earth and even a lactic touch sometimes. It should develop further complexity in bottle. This is a great vintage for Moncerbal, keeping the freshness and poise of the 2018 in a warmer year. They use less and less new oak barrels, contrary to what they thought they'd need with the new winery. 3,488 bottles, 101 magnums and some larger formats were produced in 2019.

Vinous (92)

Vivid ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes black raspberry, candied lavender and incense, with a hint of Asian spices in the background. Lively, deep, expansive red and dark berry and floral pastille flavors are given back-end lift by a building mineral quality. The nervy, clinging finish features fine-grained tannins and repeating floral and spice notes.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Produced in what Jorge Monzón calls the "tragic", frost-hit 2017 vintage, when yields were down 85%, this shows that, in the right hands, what survived was often very good indeed. Marrying Tinto Fino with 5% Monastrell and 2% Albillo Mayor, all of it aged in old wood, this is herbal, chalky and intense, with stem ginger and wild strawberry flavours, fine tannins and impressive length.