Very cool and bright, this shows aromas of grapefruit, candied lemons, sliced pears and fresh croissants. It's racy on the palate, with lively acidity and very fresh citrus fruit flavors. Vivid, but also silky in texture. Grand cru chardonnay from Cote des Blancs. Disgorged 2024. Drink now or hold. Score - 95. (Claire Nesbitt, jamessuckling.com, July 15, 2025)
This wine is always nuanced and fleshy, with notable concentration. Perfumed and inviting, with wild berry, plum, potpourri, spice and earth. A fine example of why this historic site remains such a valuable reference point for Chassagne-Montrachet. Hold till 2028 and then enjoy for a decade or more.
La Grande Montagne vineyard is located 200 metres above the Grandes Ruchottes, with a south/southeast exposure, and is composed of red earth and pebbles atop a substrate of marl-limestone from the Upper Bajocian period. The pebbly soils assist ripening by capturing the day's heat and releasing it slowly overnight, creating a fully ripe, intensely flavoured wine with apple, citrus, and an oyster-shell-tinged minerality. This wine has the potential to evolve through the mid-2030+s.
Ripasso revives young Valpolicella wine on Amarone pomace, concentrating colour, texture and depth. Farina's take bursts with black plum, dried raspberry and a hint of anise over a gentle pepper lift. Its supple weight and lively acidity shine beside hearty stews or turkey burgers. Drink: 2025-2027. Score - 90. (nataliemaclean.com, June 21, 2025)
45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Blanc, 15% Pinot Noir. This is a classy example of a sparkling wine. Citrus notes to start, followed by cream and pineapple, quite possibly piña colada too. There's excellent purity and freshness, making this light, enjoyable and difficult not to recall in a year or two. Best in Show: Best Value Sparkling. Score - 95. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2017)
The sunny Mediterranean region of Puglia can produce Chardonnay ranging from crisp and elegant to ripe and rich, depending on harvest times and choices in the winery. This wine was forged in stainless steel and has a foot in each camp, with juicy peach and mango fruit balanced by zippy acidity, crunchy green apple and floral notes.
The 2018 Gran Reserva Beronia was aged for 28 months in barrels. Oak-driven aromatics - cedar, vanilla, black fruit - drive the nose, with soft camphor and blackberry in the background. Dry, with fine tannins and juicy flow, the palate is smooth and well balanced. The 2018 is a polished crowd-pleaser. Drinking window: 2025-2040. Score - 93. (Joaquín Hidalgo, vinous.com, May 22, 2025)
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. A showcase for Coonawarra: complex black and red fruits mingle with savoury black olives and earthy tones, with fine tannins and a peppery lift at the end. Score - 95. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2025)
Aged for 13 months in barrels, 30% new and the rest of various uses, this malbec from Altamira, in the Uco Valley, has a pronounced accent on floral notes, something that is common in many malbecs from the area. Here, it is also accompanied by a lot of ripe red and black fruit, to a degree that does not become tiresome. The tannins create a firm texture with enough strength to support the weight. A delicious example of mountain malbec, a fresh Andean breeze to accompany grilled meats. [Will evolve into the mid-2030s+.] Score - 95. (Patricio Tapia, guiadescorchados.cl, 2025)
A juicy and delicious wine with aromas of black cherries, walnuts, flint, graphite and matchsticks. Medium-bodied with creamy and refined tannins and a pretty finish. Inky aftertaste with some iodine. 60% merlot and 40% sangiovese. Drink or hold. Score - 95. (jamessuckling.com, June 3, 2025)
This pale cream sherry is made from Palomino grapes and is aged a minimum of four years in American oak barrels following ageing in the traditional Solera system. (Total acidity: 4.5 g/l, total sugars: 110 g/l). Appearance: Clear, pale golden amber. Aroma: Subdued, apple and apple blossom with light yeast. Taste: Light, clean and refreshing. Acidity perfectly balancing crisp acidity and juice green grape and pear fruitiness. Aftertaste: Medium length, honeyed apple finish with drying acidity. Overall: The crispness and delicate complex flavours of fino but with light honeyed sweetness. Easy drinking sherry. Score - 4.5 Stars (out of 5). (diffordsguide.com, undated)
Super-fresh with balsamic herb, blueberry and floral aromatics, Guidalberto 2023 has blossomed into a grand vin all of its own. Invigorating cool forest berry flavours mingle with touches of spice and fine, silky tannins. So poised. Wow! Drinking window: 2026-2040. Score - 96. (James Button, decanter.com, July 11, 2025)
The 2023 Il Bruciato boasts a dark purple hue and exudes baked aromas of plum, pie spice, balsamic, and rich earth. Full-bodied, the palate is generous and rounded, with supple ripe tannins providing a fleshy sensation through the finish. I would prefer to enjoy this while it retains some freshness over the near term. This vintage is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Cabernet Franc, 19% Merlot, and the remainder Syrah and Petit Verdot. Maturity: 2025-2032. Score - 93. (Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com, March 18, 2025)
Sourced from vineyards all along the Loire Valley, this wine melds easy-drinking fresh qualities with a slight tinge of lees stirring to give a bit of backbone. Look for notes of green apple, white flower and lemon grass, with an impressively long minerality on the finish.
The 2022 Rubicon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (44%), Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc (12%) and Petit Verdot (4%). The deep broody blue black fruit aromatics retain an enticing brambly, savoury, mellow aromatic elegance showing violets, lavender and a freshly tilled earth complexity. The warmth and dryness of the 2022 vintage shows in the wine's rich generous mid-palate, with a plush accessible breadth but also a supple, creamy, attractively sweet fruited glycerol palate weight. This 2022 has the sweet fruit concentration of 2020 combined with the structural precision and elegance of 2017 but with perhaps an extra intensity of minerality, chalky granitic spice and pure black fruit persistence. A delicious Rubicon expression. Drink from 2026 to 2045+. Score - 95+. (Greg Sherwood, MW, gregsherwoodmw.com, Aug. 3, 2025)
Rose, sage mixed with dark and red berries. On the palate there was a lovely freshness to the fruit, balanced with a vanilla kick. [This will drink into the mid-2030s.] Score - 95. (International Wine Challenge, 2024)
Produced in Emek Sorek, this is a nicely structured Petite Sirah with suggestions of smoke, red cherry and black pepper. Pair with brisket or lamb.
Produced in Katzrin, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc has nice depth, with black cherry, raspberry, cassis, and black pepper. Approachable, but with enough tannin supplying support to pair with grilled meats or a beef brisket.
A medium-bodied cabernet sauvignon showing spiced berries and hints of tobacco and white pepper. Spicy and lightly savory on the palate with medium body and a firm finish. Drink now [through 2027]. Score - 90. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, March 6, 2024)
Intriga has been produced since the 2005 vintage, always based on vineyards planted some 70 years ago in the Linderos zone. The base is cabernet sauvignon (this year 88% of the final blend) along with 7% cabernet franc, and the rest is petit verdot. It was aged for 17 months in barrels and foudres, and the result is a classic example of the variety, but as it is in Maipo, with its accent on herbs and candied red fruit. The palate is tense, with firm tannins and juicy acidity in a wine that took advantage of a cool year like 2021 to offer pure sense of place. Score - 95. (Patricio Tapia, guiadescorchados.cl, 2024)