The Wine Independent (100)

The Ornellaia 2019 with 62% has the most Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend since the 65% used in the 2001 and 2002 vintages. It is bold and bright on the nose, full of joyful blackberry, cream, and sweet spice. It is very much like the 2016 Ornellaia in terms of finesse and harmony but bigger, bolder, more youthful, and maybe on a larger scale in terms of the brightness of aromas and flavors. On standing the nose becomes much more nuanced and fragrant with blue flowers like iris and violet. There is great concentration on the palate, but it is held together within a very elegant, tight structure. This is a powerful style of Ornellaia but with the 2019 the tannins are more refined than ever and there is a thrilling acidity enlivening the palate! According to Axel Heinz, Director of the Estate, "I think we have learned to tame the tannins.” This 2019 Ornellaia is a beautiful, luxurious, and vivacious wine.

Matthew Jukes (20+)

An long-forgotten image flashed into my mind when I first tasted this wine. It took me back to a visit, as a child, to a stately home. Goodness knows where this place was, but I remember walking down a long corridor when a huge door opened to my left. As I walked past, I caught a glimpse of the most glamorous and beautifully decorated room beyond the person holding the door ajar. The door closed, and I passed by, but this image has stuck with me ever since. This momentary glimpse of incredible splendour is echoed in this magnificent wine. It starts midnight black in the glass, then as one focuses on the surface, can one see stars? Interestingly, it finishes black, too, in the form of ultra-fine sooty tannins that caress the taste buds as the flavour senesces. Between these two moments of perfect calm, there is layer upon layer of splendour and magnificence. The keyword for this vintage is ‘proportion’, as I found out half an hour through the presentation. It is an inspired choice because every element of 2020 Ornellaia is in scintillating proportion. 2020 Ornellaia represents more than harmony or balance and more than composure and equilibrium – it is truly in perfect proportion. In fact, I have never tasted a vintage of Ornellaia like it. There is a sense of greatness here, both in the intensity of the fruit and also its freshness and lift on the nose and palate – it is astonishing. The Cabernet theme (the blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot) is dominant both in the primary fruit notes but also in the signature flavours. Merlot adds glossiness and also traction, while Cabernet Franc appears to add grace and also crispness and aromatic flourishes. Petit Verdot acts as the invisible welds that pin this magnificent structure together – a complete three-dimensional flavour with no apparent flaws whatsoever. This wine will undoubtedly drink early in its life, given the silkiness and generosity on display, but it will not genuinely get into its stride for a decade, and I feel it will take another decade for it to blossom fully. My childlike fascination with today’s glimpse into the glass will no doubt grow into a full-blown stroll around this wine with the door flung open wide in years to come. This wine will prove to those with the good fortune to own it that its best is yet to come, so be patient in spite of its early allure. Until then, I do not doubt that it is a work of perfect proportion, so I am delighted to award it my first-ever perfect score for Ornellaia.

Wine Advocate (94+)

No 2013 or 2014 was produced of the old-vine selection, so I tasted the 2015 Propiedad, a pure Garnacha since 2010. But, as it's selected from old vines in five plots in different parajes—Valtomelloso, Valviejo, Las Mulgas and Corral de Serrano—it always has a small percentage of other traditional grape varieties. The vines range from 30 to 90 years old, and like the rest, they are organically farmed. The destemmed and crushed grapes fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and pigéage. It underwent malolactic in barrique and then matured in larger oak casks for 18 months. Again, there is a difference in precision, brightness and depth from la Montesa to this Propiedad. This is, in Palacios's mind, an old-vine cuvée from Alfaro. The palate combines juicy fruit with earthy tones, very fine tannins and balsamic, Mediterranean herbs and a tasty, almost salty finish. Transparent, subtle and delicious, with some hints of the wines from yesteryear. For Palacios, this should be the typical wine from Alfaro—and a very good one at that! 40,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2017. There will be no Propiedad in 2016; it's only produced in some vintages.

The 2016 Palmer Historical XIX, a vintage now widely recognised as one of the greatest vintages in modern times in both Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley. Jancis Robinson suggests that 2016 is “the best Bordeaux vintage I will probably ever taste” across her extensive career as a Master of Wine.

Château Palmer was the pinnacle of success in 2016 achieving four perfect 100-point scores, giving Bordeaux collector’s even more reason than normal to eagerly add this sought-after wine to their collection.

This wine offers a rare, unique and fascinating historical insight into the history of Bordeaux. It is a collector’s gem, with around 4,500 bottles made.

Vinous (98)

The 2008 Clos des Goisses is just as impressive today as it has always been. Rich, dense and explosive, the 2008 exists in three dimensions, with remarkable textural depth and vertical intensity to burn. Clos des Goisses is notoriously slow to develop. Readers who can be patient will be treated to a spectacular Champagne. The blend is 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, which makes the 2008 a rare Clos des Goisses that favors Chardonnay. About 75% of the lots were fermented in oak. Disgorged April 2017. Dosage is 4.25 grams per liter.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The 2009 Extra Brut Clos des Goisses is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with aromas of warm bread, fresh peach, ripe citrus fruit, lemon confit and fresh pastry. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a textural attack that segues into a muscular, tight-knit core that's multidimensional and intensely mineral, concluding with a long finish. Only 20,000 bottles were produced—in other words, half the legal yield. This is a serious, structured Clos des Goisses that transcends the vintage's tendency to facility, and it will merit and reward extended bottle age.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2008 Vintage Brut offers a clear and toasty aroma on the nose. Pure, fresh, lean and delicate but complex and mineral on the palate, this is a lithe and elegant, very finessed and persistent 2008 with grip and expression. This is a complex, intense yet light and very elegant Champagne with a pure, mineral-structured and persistent finish.

Decanter (98)

Best in Show 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir With fourteen years' ageing under its belt, this Champagne has had time to gather and marshal all its resources - which it does with great style and assurance. It's a pale, glowing lemon yellow, with a fine mousse and ample wealth of billowing vanilla, cream and plump hazels. The palate has dramatic intensity and drive, delivering a wealth of chalky lemon; its athleticism and vigour almost come as a surprise after that floating veil of seductive scent. A fresh, mouth-cleansing finish completes the appeal of this skilful, sagely judged blend from a hugely likeable vintage.

Wine Advocate (95)

Great elegance and finesse already on the perfectly brilliant and aromatic nose shows Pol Roger's 2008 Blanc de Blancs Brut, displaying white and stewed apples with fine citrus flavors and discreet chalky aromas. The palate is dense and citric, as if limes and lemons are squeezed on a chalky rock. The purity, power and intensity is as remarkable, as is the finesse and persistence of the bubbles, the mousse on the palate and the long, persistent finish. Dosed with seven grams per liter, this extraordinary Blanc de Blanc Brut tastes drier than the Réserve Brut, but reveals a perfect ripeness of yellow fruits. The finish is lovely aromatic and intense, but also clear, fresh, firm and absolutely stimulating. This is a great Blanc de Blancs from the Grand Cru villages of Oiry, Chouilly, Cramant, Avize and Oger.

Tim Atkin MW (95)

Pujanza wasn't hit by the hail that affected Rioja in 2017, but this is still a pretty concentrated number, made entirely from Tempranillo grown at 630 metres and aged in 25% new wood. Chalky, dense and youthful, it's a wine that's made to mature in bottle, combining intensity with focus, freshness and serious tannins

IWSC (97)

An expressive buttered brioche nose, gun smoke reduction, red fruit and toasted almond and pistachio notes. This very precise and elegant Champagne has a piercing acidity that underscores the long finish of lime zest, quince and apple.

Rathfinny Rosé Brut 2016 is the second vintage of Rathfinny's flagship sparkling wine, with an expressive red-fruit style that beautifully showcases the increased presence of Pinot Noir within the blend. Vivid coral in hue, it has a lifted nose of wild strawberries and mandarin zest, giving way to a rich mousse of Rainier cherries and candied red apple skin, and a silky, strawberry shortcake finish.

Wine Advocate (99)

The 2004 Passito Rosso Vino Dolce Vigna Seré (500-mililiter) is a masterpiece that is impossible to repeat. In fact, the wine has not been produced since 2004. Even if a vintage as good as this did come along, we'd need to wait another 13 years before we could enjoy this level of maturity and evolution. Formally a Recioto della Valpolicella, this sweet red wine is made with air-dried fruit as local tradition dictates. Luckily no botrytis set in that year, because that would have eroded the wine's deep and luscious color saturation. The bouquet delivers a generous flow of dark spice, bitter chocolate, espresso, raisin, plum, barbecue spice and teriyaki smoke. The concentration and layering of the wine are both rare and distinctive. The mouthfeel sees sweet flavors with a syrupy mouthfeel. The finish offers hints of caramelized brown sugar and savory hickory. The aging window is impossible to predict, but the wine is surely built to last. I can think of no other wine that comes close to matching this unique style.

Wine Advocate (94+)

This is a historic Tuscan wine, with the first vintage produced in 1968. The San Felice 2016 Vigorello is a blend of the Tuscan indigenous grape Pugnitello, with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. It offers depth, intensity and a profound level of dark fruit with blackberry, plum, spice, earth and campfire ash. Robust and softly textured, it has the length and power to pair with a juicy leg of lamb with white beans and rosemary potatoes. An ample 40,000 examples of this lovely vintage were made.

Decanter (99)

To be honest I gave the Sassicaia 1985 a 100 points at the same tasting, but those notes have already been published, and it’s a vintage that has been celebrated plenty of times. Both bottles were from one of the standout tastings of the year – in Rome, a vertical of Sassicaia dating back over five decades. This 2006 has guts and glory, there is stuffing here. The exotic heat comes through like a pan-seared filet steak, nothing more than a flash fire that gives way to succulence. More exoticism with the dancing array of flavours, from plums, damson and spices to forest fruits and heather then the menthol kicks comes in. You just want to linger over this glass, pick apart the individual flavours and get to understand what it is saying.

James Suckling (98)

Love the aromas to this young red with blackcurrants, sage, cinnamon and five-spice character. Changes all the time. Full-bodied, dense and powerful with a ripe and rich tannin backbone that gives form and beauty to the ripe and beautiful fruit. Tight and very long. Approachable now but will reward more in five to six years. A classic Sassicaia.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2016 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is another wine I love. It is an exceptional wine from one of the best vintages in Tuscany in the last decade. 2016 was a cooler and more classic vintage than 2015 and one can almost sense more freshness, comfort and ease for the vine in the natural harmony of this wine. The wine has vibrancy, a mouth-watering freshness and a beautiful natural grace. The nose is bright and clear with very precisely delineated aromas of wild flowers, meadow grass, violet, rose and cassis. The 2016 is looking stunning, with a wonderful texture and flow, yet a twist of nervosity and energy too. Drinking now but it needs maybe 5 years to begin to show its best.

The Wine Independent (97)

The 2017 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is such an impressive wine in a hot and very dry vintage like 2017. It has a wonderful fragrance of sweet spice, pressed flowers and Mediterranean herbs with youthful, bright blackberries and forest floor notes. A problem with the 2017 vintage was that the nights were hot as well as the days so it was challenging to accumulate aromatics and achieve full phenolic ripeness. Paoli and his team had to harvest early and shorten maceration times. In any case they have done an excellent job. It has lovely concentration and power on the palate yet it still retains the classic Sassicaia signature of vibrant acidity and harmony and flow across the palate.

Wine Advocate (97+)

This is a classic vintage of an Italian icon now celebrating its 50th vintage. The Tenuta San Guido 2018 Bolgheri Sassicaia lays out a familiar blueprint that borrows from the proven track record of this landmark estate that extends into the hills just beyond the Tyrrhenian shores of Tuscany. This vintage is crystalline and pure in its delivery, and if you are familiar with previous editions, it is impossible to mistake this wine for anything but Sassicaia. The growing season started off cool and wet but turned to warm and dry conditions comfortably before the harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc in a supporting role deliver a graceful mid-weight texture that holds back style-wise in terms of phenolic density. The wine's careful balance is achieved thanks to the nuanced character of the fruit, the present acidity, the well-managed structure and the contained alcohol. The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe. Overall, the 2018 Sassicaia weighs in with a svelte frame and long persistence. Moreover, it is distinguished by the archetypal elegance and pedigree of the classic vintages of the past. This new release gives you much pleasure to await.

The Wine Independent (100)

This 2019 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is really very special. A subtle change has occurred and the typically aristocratic and elegant finesse of Sassicaia now has a little more joie de vivre. It is intense and deeply concentrated without being heavy and with very fine, beautifully integrated tannins that harmonize with the body of the wine. Carlo Paoli, MD and head of winemaking, views 2019 as “one of the great vintages of the last decades. Although it was not generous in quantity (about 15% less than in 2016), for the quality of the grapes… it is to be considered exceptional.” The winemaking team are at their peak in terms of understanding and managing the vineyards and the more extreme vintage variations they face due to climate change. There were 280,000 bottles made this year but in response to climate change, Paoli plans to reduce the quantity. The 2019 reminds me a lot of the sublime 2016 but somehow it is bolder with even more energy, vivacity, and exuberance. Drink from 2024-2050.

James Suckling (97)

A very perfumed Sassicaia on the nose with forest floor, citrus and deep dark fruits. Blackcurrants. Cedar and black tea. Some balsamic. Pine needles. Full and very succulent. Really long, structured and complete. Tangy and energetic with a linear line of fresh tannins and acidity. Very Sassicaia throughout. 85% cabernet sauvignon and the rest is cabernet franc. Very attractive now in a youthful and vibrant way, but this will be better in three to four years. Try after 2027.

James Suckling (99)

Gorgeous floral and deep, dark berry aromas with hints of spices such as cinnamon and hazelnuts. Full body and ultra-fine and strong tannins that are powerful yet so sleek and beautiful. Fantastic length and texture. Deep, dark and profound. Takes you on a long journey and shows you its true character. Better in 2025. Give it time.

James Suckling (99)

Wow. Fantastic aromas of blackberries, currants, minerals, violets and graphite. Full-bodied with firm, silky tannins that are incredibly polished and intense, yet ever so refined and integrated in the wine. It goes on for minutes. The is one of the best modern-day Orenos so far. Best in 2025 and onwards.

Decanter (96)

The nose is shy and subtle, though notions of red apple, peppery rye crumb, stone and lemon emerge with more air. Tightly coiled, the palate suggests spicy riches with its insinuations of white pepper and tangerine peel. A lovely interplay of Pinot richness and Chardonnay slinkiness, showing depth, svelteness and elegance. It justs needs air to breathe. Gorgeous.

Vinous (98)

It has a greenish, tawny rim, quite deep at its mahogany core more than you would expect for a Port of this age. The nose is quite arresting, does not hang about, delivering a cornucopia of aromas: grilled walnuts, espresso, smoke, antique bureau and dried fig, all extremely well defined. Monitoring this over three or four hours, it gains intensity, hints of liquorice and menthol joining the chorus line, just the right amount of volatility. The palate is medium-bodied, slightly viscous on the entry, very spicy with sweet honey and brown sugar notes, completely offset by the combination of natural and volatile acids. Despite its age, this is a fiery Port with extraordinary lingering notes of Japanese shiso leaf, fig jam, damson and stem ginger, clean and poised with that volatility kicking towards the finish. This has wonderful sweetness, with 218g/L residual sugar that counters any oxidation. At around £4,000 per bottle, it is not inexpensive. But you are paying to drink history, knowing that it will never be released again. Of course, this 1896 is ready to be drunk now, but such is its concentration and vigour, that it could be cellared if you insist on your fortified wine being at least 125 years old.

Wine Advocate (94+)

Following the exceptional 2010, the 2011 Altos de Lanzaga was the top of the range until Las Beatas arrived and stole the show. Still you should not overlook this exceptional cuvée from four plots of old, head-pruned vines in the village of Lanciego at 500-600 meters altitude, which are worked biodynamically. The wine fermented in 3,000-kilo oak vats with wild yeasts for 20 days and matured in 1,500 and 225-liter oak barrels for 18 months. It is a little reticent, very young and a little closed, subtle and a little shy. The palate shows very good flavors of red berries and flowers, plus a great balance between alcohol and acidity that give the wine length and persistence. 2,530 bottles produced.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

A strikingly beautiful chardonnay with its flowery bouquet bearing witness to the sheer purity of the incredibly long palate, the full palette of chardonnay flavours on display. Nectarine, white peach and grapefruit zest are sewn together by an invisible silver thread of acidity.

Wine Advocate (93+)

The 2016 Macán Clásico is their second wine in the Bordeaux sense. In 2016, they fermented the wine in stainless steel and reduced the number of new barrels to 50%, while 5% of the barrels were produced with American oak at the Vega Sicilia cooperage. The new winery was 100% ready and now has much better facilities. The élevage lasted 12 months, and this has contained ripeness and integrated oak. The year had freshness and balance and helped to produce lighter and more expressive wines, like this one. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this cuvée. 97,654 bottles, 1,060 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in August 2018.