The Aalto Ribera Del Duero 2019 is a cherished result of mastery and resilience, hailing from Ribera Del Duero, Spain. This fine red wine, crafted by the esteemed Bodegas Aalto, boldly reveals a striking blend of Tempranillo grapes. The Aalto Ribera Del Duero 2019 proffers a beautiful, deep cherry red hue, while enrapturing the palate with a melody of black fruit, sweet spices, and cocoa. Expert ageing in French and American oak barrels has conferred an exquisite body and structure, promising a captivating journey with every sip.

The brilliance of Bodegas Aalto is noticeable in every bottle, with renowned winemakers Mariano Garcia and Javier Zaccagnini offering over 40 years of experience in the Ribera Del Duero region. Their esteemed partnership driving a steadfast commitment to quality, sensitivity to terroir, and a meticulous approach to viticultural and vinification practices.

Imbued with elegance, complexity, and outstanding depth, the Aalto Ribera Del Duero 2019 encapsulates the essence of fine Spanish craftsmanship.

Vinous (93)

Pale, bright lemon-yellow. Captivating aromas of pineapple, grilled almond, coconut, iodine and flint. Concentrated, chewy and uncompromisingly dry on entry, then turns a bit silkier in the middle, offering savory flavors of lemon drop, minerals, menthol, mint and hazelnut. Quite smooth in texture for such a powerful grand cru but still youthfully tight. The very long, subtle, slowly mounting finish saturates the palate with dusty extract. This remarkably tactile wine boasts outstanding potential.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Chablis Moutonne Monopole Grand Cru comprises 12,633 bottles this year (minus the one I am tasting here). It has a delineated, crushed stone and lightly sea-influenced bouquet that gains intensity with aeration. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, elegant and poised, and the finest finish among the domaine’s Grand Crus. There is a sense of energy here, and a great aftertaste. Excellent.

Vinous (92)

The 2016 Barolo Capalot Vecchie Viti is dark, beguiling and very pretty. Rose petal, orange peel, cinnamon, kirsch, sweet red cherry and sweet pipe tobacco give the Capalot striking aromatic nuance and a real sense of exoticism that is quite inviting. Medium in body and constantly changing in the glass, the Capalot captures all of the complexities that make Nebbiolo and Barolo so fascinating. The tannins need time to soften, but there is plenty to look forward to once that happens.

Vinous (94)

The 2017 Barolo Capalot Vecchie Viti is another fabulous wine from Burzi. Dark, mysterious and beautifully layered in the glass, the Capalot is just captivating from the very first taste. Macerated black cherry, lavender, sage, spice, coffee and leather are some of the many notes that open over time in a Barolo that is deep yet also wonderfully transparent. The 2017 is so nuanced, so complex, so beautiful. It is also easily the best wine I have tasted from Burzi.

James Suckling (95-96)

This is very concentrated yet soft and fresh in texture. Full-bodied and round and mouth-filling. So impressive how it fills your mouth yet remains fresh. It’s so framed.

Vinous (97)

Good full pale ruby-red. Knockout aromas and flavors of red cherry, raspberry, licorice and minerals, complicated by hints of iris and violet. Extremely suave and polished on the extremely long, pure, mineral finish. Deeper, richer, more tannic and longer than the lovely 2013 Brunello Classico from Altesino, this is an absolutely beautiful Brunello. I especially like that the pristine, refined aromas and flavors of the famed Montosoli site are showcased to maximum effect here. One of the best Brunellos of the vintage.

Vinous (96)

The 2019 Solengo seduces with its richly decadent display of vanilla and mocha-tinged dark fruits and spices, which are wonderfully lifted by minty herbal tones and white smoke. This enters the palate like weighted velvet, smooth and fleshy at first, yet lively, as mineral-tinged black currants mix with fine-grained tannins, clamping down with youthful poise. Like the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove, this tapers off incredibly long and staining, with echoes of licorice beneath an air of cedar and tobacco; yet somehow, through it all, the palate is left watering for more. It will be many years before the 2019 is ready to show its best, but it will certainly be worth the wait. The Solengo is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese that spends eighteen months refining in a combination of 60% new to 40% second-pass barriques.

James Suckling (96)

Profound nose here with chili chocolate and sandalwood beneath the sweet blackberry background. A hint of violets, too. An opulent and densely packed palate with full body and concentrated blackberries. Very tight tannins rendered in a fine-grained and almost seamless way, with a lingering finish. Drinkable now if decanted, but better after 2025.

Decanter (96)

Cyprien Arlaud's vines cover a total of 1ha in Mazoyères, just below Latricières-Chambertin. Picked in three stages to maximise complexity, this was fermented with 30% whole bunches and aged in 20% new wood. It's right up there with the best expressions of the Grand Cru in 2018, marrying texture and weight to finesse and balance in a Pinot that caresses the palate with red cherry and raspberry fruit.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is very pure and intense on the nose, a melange of black and blueberry fruit infused with pressed violet petals. The oak here is seamlessly integrated. The palate is opulent on the entry with black plum and boysenberry jam. There is a subtle confit element to this Charmes-Chambertin with grippy tannins on the finish that delivers a subtle bitter/sappy edginess.

Vinous (95-97)

The 2020 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, matured in 15% new oak, showed just a tiny morsel of reduction on the nose, that the concentration here was still tangible. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine acidity, taut and fresh and very precise. This has real class and verve, though it will benefit from several years in bottle.

Vinous (89-91)

The 2018 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Ruchots 1er Cru is matured with 30% whole bunch and up to 20% new oak. This has a fragrant and more floral bouquet compared to the Aux Chesaux, incense and pressed violets emerging with aeration, along with a slight meaty character. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite dense and well defined. The slightly sinewy finish will demand a few years to soften. Maybe I am seeking more charm in this Morey-Saint-Denis.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Ruchots 1er Cru is elegant and refined on the nose, a mixture of blackberry, sous-bois and a light sea spray aroma. It just needs to gel together and it should do during the remainder of its barrel maturation. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. Very Morey in style with a sense of conservatism and linearity on the white pepper-dashed finish, I appreciate its persistence in the mouth. Cellar this for 4-5 years.

Decanter (95)

This is a three-way assemblage: three grape varieties – and equal percentage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 20% of Pinot Meunier – and a blend of 3 vintages, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The nose is full of flavours and rich with notes of white flowers and crème patissière. However, the palate is crisp, fresh and delicate with a lovely creamy texture. It is elegant, refined and very stylish (unlike the bottle!). It’s a pleasant combination of power and concentration blended with finesse and elegance. While the dosage is 9g/l, it feels much drier, more like a 5g/l and this probably due to the spinal cord of acidity.

Vinous (92-94)

(60% vendange entier; 80% new oak; according to Pascal Lachaux, 90% of the vines here run north-south): Bright, deep red. Wonderfully elegant, expressive nose combines redcurrant, raspberry, iron, tobacco and underbrush complemented by sweet smoky oak. Suave and fine-grained, with the red fruit flavors lifted by a peppery topnote. This very silky, smooth wine finishes with terrific rising length and solid tannic grip. A lovely showing today: seems clearly better than the Clos-Vougeot in 2014. These iron-rich soils generally yield relatively tender wines in a Chambolle style, noted Charles Lachaux.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2008 Vina el Pison comes from a single vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone. It is the epitome of elegance with a sensual bouquet, a silky texture, already complex flavors, and a lengthy, pure finish. It will offer at least a 20 year lifespan, just long enough for the 2009 to be hitting its stride.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

Probably the wine of the vintage, once again. Only 9,000 bottles of the 2013 Ausone were produced, as crop size was 50% of normal. However, proprietor Alain Vauthier and his daughter certainly have proven a truly great wine can be produced in some of the most trying conditions Bordeaux wine producers have had to deal with over the last 20 years. Yields were only 22 hectoliters per hectare and the final blend was 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. The haunting aromas of wet rocks, spring flowers, blue and black fruits and forest floor are followed by an incredibly dense, attractive wine with sweet tannin, stunning concentration and texture, medium body and a depth that is essentially unreal in a vintage such as this. The wine is a superb example of great winemaking under the most difficult circumstances. Unlike more recent Ausones, this should be reasonably drinkable in 5-6 years and yet be capable of lasting 25-30.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2018 Ausone is deep garnet purple in color. There is oak to begin, giving way to a great core of baked black plums, chocolate-covered cherries, licorice, and incense, plus Indian spices and violets. Full-bodied, it is rich, concentrated, and decadent in the mouth, with a fantastic backbone of freshness and velvety tannins, finishing very long and layered.

The Wine Independent (99)

The 2019 Ausone is a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts with uber-fragrant notes of liquid violets, licorice, exotic spices, and roses with a core of black cherries, plum preserves, black soil, and sassafras. Full-bodied, it is super concentrated with a razor backbone of refreshing acidity and very pixilated tannins, finishing with incredible depth and minerality. This wine dances!

Wine Advocate (95)

The special vineyard selection 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Alle Mura opens to brooding dark concentration and an impressive sense of depth. The aromas that characterize the wine are in a school of their own. Instead of the standard red cherry and rose, this expression of Sangiovese gives you rich layers of blackberry pie, Indian spice, cured meat, wet terra-cotta, tar and black licorice. Some 90% of the wine is aged in French barrique and the remaining portion sees large oak casks made with Slavonian oak. Dive further and you begin to sense chocolate and toasted espresso. The tannin management is excellent and there's a distant point of textural firmness that will soften with a few more years of cellar aging. Brunello Poggio alle Mura is one of the biggest wines of the vintage, and you can't knock the quality.

James Suckling (99)

A beautiful nose with tangerine peel, strawberries, rose petals, boysenberries, cranberries, red plums, red cherries and dark spices. Very grainy and refined on the palate with a real kick from the orange-rind undertones that permeate the entire palate. Tiptoes like a tightrope walker between power and finesse and executes its mission nearly to perfection. Drink now or hold.

A stellar example of German viticulture, the Bassermann Jordan Forster Kirchenstuck Riesling GG 2018 is a testament to the expertise and long-standing tradition of the Bassermann-Jordan estate. Recognised world-over for their remarkable quality, wines from this estate are deeply rooted in the Palatinate region, specifically the nutrient-rich Forster Kirchenstück vineyard.

This superb wine is a Grosses Gewachs (Great Growth), indicating a dry wine from the finest vineyards. Characterised by its elegant structure, this Riesling bears exquisite nuances of tropical fruits intertwining with delicate minerality reflective of its soil's distinct terroir. Matured in large oak barrels, it showcases a beautiful balance between vivid acidity and luscious sweetness, substantiating its ageing potential.

Bassermann Jordan Forster Kirchenstuck Riesling GG 2018 is a paragon of the winemaking excellence, offering drinkers an indelible experience. Exceptionally structured, it's a sublime companion for a range of cuisine. This wine validates the reputation of German Rieslings, capturing the time, place and craft in every drop.

James Suckling (95-96)

Beautiful fruit with currants and blackberries, as well as notes of walnuts and chocolate. So much blackberry fruit here. Aromatic. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins on the deep and structured palate. Racy and long finish. 79% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot and 2% petit verdot.

James Suckling (97)

Very dense black-fruit aromas, but also licorice, an entire microcosm of spice and a whiff of smoked bacon. Very dense and meaty with an incredible tannin structure that enables this to be simultaneously very big and elegant. Super-long finish with enormous mineral freshness. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (100)

Marvelously complex, deeply fruited and massively concentrated yet wonderfully drinkable, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin challenges the number of superlatives that can be thrown at it. Scents of violets, tree bark, truffle, purple raspberries and blackberries all appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, dense and velvety, and the finish shows enormous richness and length. Breathtaking stuff.