Displaying 2726 - 2750 of 23920
Score
Château Lassègue
2019 Lassègue
94-95 Points James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

Bordeaux 2019: Full Scores and Notes, 1,000 Wines TastedThis is a very intense, focused red with blackberry and spice character. I am impressed with the polished tannins and flavorful finish. One of the best I have seen from here for a while.

2018 Arcanum
94-95 Points James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

Italy’s Incredible Year: About 6,400 Wines Rated This shows excellent potential with currant, blackberry and tar aromas and flavors. Full body. Round and chewy tannins.

Vérité
2004 Le Désir
94+? Points Stephen Tanzer, Vinous

Bright medium ruby. Kirsch, mocha and brown spices on the nose. Large-scaled, rich, sweet and powerful; can't quite match the nuance of La Joie but boasts powerful medicinal reserve. Today this is almost more Pauillac in style than La Joie, no doubt due to its sizable and very firm Cabernet Franc component. Finishes classically dry, with explosive black cherry fruit. All three of these Verité wines possess terrific energy, but this one is the most backward of the trio.

Yangarra Estate Vineyard
2022 King's Wood Shiraz
94+ Points Erin Larkins, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2022 King's Wood Shiraz is exotic and visceral on the nose; blood and iron, pressed roses and crushed ironstone gravel all waft out of the glass. On the palate, the impact of the old oak is felt—or rather, it is not felt, which adds a seamless flow to the fruit and tannin across the tongue. It matured for 18 months in a combination of large-format (25 hectoliters) Austrian and French oak foudres. The wine is all tobacco and Earl Grey tea, brick dust and pipe resin, arnica and a hint of star anise. Great. 14% alcohol, sealed under

Zena Crown
2021 Slope Pinot Noir
94+ Points Eric Guido, Vinous

The 2021 Pinot Noir Slope is impossible to ignore. A cascade of crushed blackberries and cherries reaches up, followed by notes of cola, lavender pastille and lifting hints of pine. This shows abundant energy, splashing across the palate with a juicy wave of ripe wild berry fruits and sour citrus, all neatly framed by tactile mineral tones toward the close. Blood orange and inner sage notes flourish through the finish, all over a bed of fine tannins. The 2021 tapers off dramatically long and beautifully balanced.

Penner-Ash
2021 Pas de Nom Pinot Noir
94+ Points Eric Guido, Vinous

The 2021 Pinot Noir Pas de Nom takes its time in the glass, at first understated and coy, as swirling brings about an undeniably attractive yet nuanced blend of violet pastille, blood orange, incense and rum-soaked cherries. It’s energetic and spry, with cool-toned acidity and crisp wildberry fruits that sweep across the palate, leaving a tinge of sweet spice and lavender toward the close. The 2021 finishes with firming tannins that add a classically dry sensation, repeating blue and purple florals and cola trace. Simply breathtaking. The Pas de Nom is a barrel selection of different vineyards that can change from vintage to vintage.

Zena Crown
2021 Block 6 Pinot Noir
94+ Points Erin Brooks, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

From grapes grown on marine sedimentary soils, the 2021 Pinot Noir Block 6 is bursting with cranberry, rhubarb, cola, mushroom and botanical aromas on the nose, and it reveals finer nuances as it spends time in the glass. The light-bodied palate is silky and electric, its linear acidity enlivening concentrated, bitters-laced fruit, and it has a long finish with a flourish of spicy accents. 230 cases were made.

Gran Moraine
2021 Dropstone Chardonnay
94+ Points Erin Brooks, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Dropstone Chardonnay is pure, chiseled and ideal for long-term cellaring. It has dynamic scents of peach, crème fraîche, elderflower, almonds, beeswax and flint. The light-bodied palate is electric! A silky texture and firm, linear acidity drive concentrated, layered flavors, and it has a long, shimmery finish. 183 cases were made.

Copain
2022 Côte Bannie Pinot Noir
94+ Points Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

From the Sonoma Coast, the 2022 Pinot Noir Cote Bannie is based on the two vineyards of Bloomfield and Seascape and spent 14 months in 10% new French oak. It pours a youthful ruby hue, with more savory notes of spice and incense, along with wild small berries, minty herbs, and forest floor. Medium-bodied, it has a savory, mouthwatering bit of citrus on the palate, with orange peel, fine-grained tannins, and fresh acidity, its peppery spice lasting long after the wine is gone. It is clean and bright and has the potential to age gracefully over the next 15 years.

Capensis
2019 Chardonnay
94+ Points Anthony Mueller, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2019 Chardonnay reveals luscious notes of yellow apples, lees and oak tones with elegant aromas of Asian pear. It is fresh and precise, balanced and complex. With a medium to full body, the wine presents succulent acidity and oak spiciness that lingers on the palate, promising to remain food friendly for years to come. Age this wine for best results. Only 6,450 bottles were produced.

Siduri
2021 Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir
94+ Points Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard features evocative notes of black raspberries, mulberries, and cranberries followed by hints of garrigue and damp soil. The medium to full-bodied palate has a wonderfully earthy/savory character with plush tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

Ex Post Facto
2021 Syrah Santa Barbara County
94+ Points Erin Brooks, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Syrah comes from the Perilune Vineyard, where vines were planted in sandy soils in 2017, in the Sta. Rita Hills. Made with 100% whole clusters, it's expressive and alluring with pure scents of cassis, bitter chocolate, garrigue and cracked peppercorn. The medium-bodied palate features a concentrated core of floral fruit framed by silky tannins and refreshing acidity, and it has a long, ethereal finish. It's beautiful now and will reward 3-5+ years in the cellar.

Brewer-Clifton
2021 3D Chardonnay
94+ Points Erin Brooks, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Chardonnay 3D opens with matchstick aromas that give way to perfumed quince, peach and exotic floral and ginger tones. The light-bodied palate, however, is bright, salty and mouthwatering. It has a luxuriously silky texture and an expansive finish that hints at latent exotic tones. It's the most coiled of the Brewer-Clifton Chardonnays this year and will benefit from several years in bottle

Mt. Brave
2021 Cabernet Franc Mt. Veeder
94+ Points Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

The 2021 Cabernet Franc Mount Veeder should be snatched up by savvy readers, It's a stunning value in top-end Cabernet Franc that will have two decades of longevity. Cassis, black raspberries, graphite, and plenty of varietal floral notes emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, building tannins, and outstanding overall balance. It's a powerful, structured, yet elegant 2021 that will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and evolve for 15+.

Vérité
2014 Le Désir
94+ Points Erin Brooks, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2015 Le Désir is a blend of 64% Cabernet Franc,27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec.It's dusty and a touch closed at this stage, featuring reticent notions of red and black currants, cigars and mushrooms. The palate is softening and juicy, with a deep core of fruit and a mineral-driven finish. Put it away and forget about it for a while—it's in a muted phase right now.

Copain
2021 Côte Bannie Pinot Noir
94+ Points Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

A youthful ruby color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Cote Bannie is fresh and lifted with poppy red fruit and rosy perfume, wild raspberry, and cinnamon. On the palate, it displays a refined texture with medium body, fine tannins, and a soft mouthfeel. Ripe with fruit that offers immediate appeal, it has good tension and great energy throughout, with fresh lift on the finish and notes of ripe orange zest and dusty earth. This is a gorgeous wine drink over the next 6-8 years.

Arrowood
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers-Remick Ridge
94+ Points Erin Brooks, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers-Remick Ridge Vineyard matured for 32 months in 78% new French oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. Opaque ruby-purple in color, its perfume is singular and pure: crushed blueberries and violets are complemented by mint leaves, sage, thyme and loamy earth. The full-bodied palate is powerful yet graceful, with loads of grainy tannins, seamless freshness, tempered ripeness and a long, floral finish. 210 cases were made.

Arrowood
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale
94+ Points Antonio Galloni, Vinous

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale is terrific. Deep, dense and beautifully balanced, the 2018 captures all the stylistic signatures that make the Arrowood Cabernets so appealing. Black cherry, plum, spice, new leather, licorice and chocolate are wonderfully fused together. Give this powerhouse a few years to soften.

Yangarra Estate Vineyard
2011 Old Vine Grenache
94+ Points Jeremy Pringle, Wine Will Eat Itself

This impressed when I tasted it in the Vale a few months back and it’s looking even healthier with a bit more flesh on its bones now. Yangarra winemaker Pete Fraser is big on exposure and canopy management; it’s paid off in 2011. The vines themselves were planted in deep sandy dunes in 1946.
White pepper, raspberry and deeper, darker cherry aromatics with a touch of brown leaf. The acidity sits naturally high given the cool growing conditions but it sinks into the fruit over time, seguing into quality textured tannin. Low oak interference is a plus as is the lack of overtly sweet, confected characters. Absolutely no sign of the alcohol heat that can mar Grenache either. It’s coiled and tight at the moment but with air it reveals a silken mouthfeel that is wonderfully becoming. I’m betting on this having a very bright future indeed. 94+ Excellent

Yangarra Estate Vineyard
2016 Old Vine Grenache
94+ Points Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

The vines were just over 70 years old at harvest. The grapes were well treated in the winery. The price is $35. Australian wine is a lovely place sometimes.
The beauty of redcurrant and liquorice. The woody spice notes, splashed generously about. The tannin, firm and fine but commanding. Whole bunch influences are sensed as the fruit gushes through. I don’t really need to go on. This is a tip top terrific grenache, without a shadow of a doubt.

Hickinbotham
2020 Brooks Road Shiraz
94+ Points Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

This 2020 Brooks Road Shiraz is littered with rendered lamb fat, BBQ char, clove bud and licorice on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is defined by red fruit, and it is savory and fine. This is not at all a big wine. It is medium-bodied and carries its fruit and freshness well. Much of this cuvée is from the 1971 plantings outside the house I am sitting in right now (in Clarendon). Saline acidity curves through the fruit, and the tannins shape the course of the finish. Lovely wine. Classy. (The plus sign in the score relates to the fact that I am sitting here also tasting the 2014 alongside, and if anything, it's a better wine, as it has gained momentum in the spice and character department; so, it follows that this wine will only improve in time.)

Mt. Brave
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder
94+ Points Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it features bold notions of warm cassis, plum preserves, and mulberries with touches of tree bark, dried mint, and chocolate box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has wonderfully fine-grained tannins and bright acidity supporting the vibrant, crunchy black fruits, finishing long and energetic.

Giant Steps
2021 Wombat Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir
94+ Points Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The Wombat Creek Vineyard is the most southerly in the collection and the highest altitude too, at 400 meters. It was planted in the 1980s as a source for cool-climate, Upper Yarra sparkling base. In the last 10 to 15 years, the site has emerged as one of the more exciting table wine sites in the area. Wild fermented and and made with 100% whole bunch, the 2021 Wombat Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir underwent carbonic maceration for a total of three weeks on skins. On the nose, there are notes of fennel flower, red apple skin, fig, lavender, quince and pork fat, shaped in the mouth by mineral/lead pencil/graphite tannins. This was bottled without fining or filtration. It is bright, sappy and crunchy, with a cavalcade of exotic spice complexity. It actually looked a lot better after an hour or so in the glass, suggesting that if you must drink it early, do the right thing and decant it.

Giant Steps
2021 Wombat Creek Vineyard Chardonnay
94+ Points Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Not only is Wombat Creek the vineyard with the highest elevation in the collection (100 meters up the hill from Applejack, circa 400 meters elevation), it is also the most southerly. Planted to the I10V1 clone, this is an interesting (understatement) pigeon pair to the Applejack, in that it boasts the same clone and the same winemaking yet is a higher, cooler site on red dirt instead of gray clay. Fruit for the 2021 Wombat Creek Vineyard Chardonnay was picked a full 10 days after Applejack, "and it was just a matter of waiting until the fruit was ready," says Steve Flamsteed (a.k.a. Flamo). "We had no rain events or botrytis stress at all." Approximately half of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. "By the time we got around to picking it, some of the malic acid had respired," Flamo explains. And it goes a long way toward softening the wine, lending it a nutty, savory character. Pork crackling comes to mind, and in combination with the white orchard fruit and taut saline acidity, it gives the wine an extra dimension of complexity and interest. I think this wine needs some time to unfurl and evolve—I'd love to see it again in a year's time...

Giant Steps
2021 Applejack Vineyard Chardonnay
94+ Points Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Applejack Vineyard Chardonnay is a fascinating wine, and I clicked part of the way through tasting it that the Pinot Noir from the same vineyard is usually the wine that turns my dials—a realization that made this tasting all the better. Fruit is from the Applejack Vineyard, just "down the hill" from Wombat Creek Vineyard (actually about a 10-minute drive up a winding, hilly road, taking you up about 100 meters in elevation). This is taut, linear and shaped by firm yet supple phenolics that show an array of characters on the mid-palate and beyond: white miso, red apple skins, cheesecloth and musk. This, again, like the other Chardonnays, is salty and littered with preserved lemon, crushed nuts and orchard fruit. It's a brilliant wine and one that will only get better as it ages and gathers spice momentum.