With its velvety, fruity core sprinkled with gorgeous chocolate flavours, this fresh, characterful wine is a showstopper. Great with a meal, it will make a lovely accompaniment to beef Wellington, bacon-wrapped dates, or hard cheeses.
Of all the 2021s to taste and assess there is no shock that Volpaia's is just about as young and immovable as any. This is not major news for a vintage of great structure matched by upbringing for classic Classico. These are children of manners and respect, knowing their place in history, they being sangiovese, reticently expressive, necessary patient, with this Volpaia as experienced and abiding as any. The substance is that of a layered and complex weave with five per cent merlot involved to soften but also pull verdancy from a very tannic example. Bigger than recent vintages, weightier and potentially far more profound. Time will tell. Drink 2025-2032. Tasted February 2023. Score - 94. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)
The 2022 Angel's Share Shiraz is saturated with black cherry, raspberry, licorice and pink peppercorn-rolled pastrami. In the mouth, it is all of this: silky and spicy and concentrated but not heavy. Nicely done. Drink date: 2023-2032. Score - 91+. (Erin Larkin, robertparker.com, Aug. 24, 2023)
A savory version, revealing earth, leather, eucalyptus and iron flavors alongside cherry and plum notes. Supple in texture, this red is focused by vivid acidity, showing outstanding balance and length. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2040. Score - 92. (Bruce Sanderson, winespectator.com, Oct. 15, 2024)
Aromas of baked red fruit, hot stone and baking spice. Full-bodied with soft tannins. Juicy and nicely spiced. Easygoing. Drink now [through 2027]. Score - 90. (jamessuckling.com, July 4, 2022)
The Red is likely to be one of the last you will see of this Stratus label as it has since been eliminated from the portfolio. The '19 mix is cabernet franc, petit verdot, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sangiovese for a junior case in point to the Grand Vin of similar blending nature. This 2019 is simple and trustworthy, a wine so clean and focused with a distinct raspberry-ness, tart and faintly sweet while lending its emphasis for acidity to prevail. It's also a bit tannic, more than other vintages and so there is some structure and power to this one. It may just age a few more years than most might want to give it credit for. Good swan song if it happens to be the last Wildass Red. Put a few aside. What is there to lose? Drink 2023-2027. Tasted November 2023. Score - 89. (Michael Godel, winealign.com)
This is the 66th vintage of this Australian classic. The first of these was made in 1954 and I am honoured to say that I have been fortunate to have tasted every one of these vintages through various verticals to celebrate milestones. The wine has never looked better from this exceptional Coonawarra vintage. It's classic Coonawarra, medium bodied with delightful regional and varietal characters. Leafy and slightly chalky tannin overlay to the vibrant blackcurrant fruit characters. The tannins are super fine and the oak so well played. Perfumed and alive, this is a wine for extended cellaring if you wish. Drink: 2023-2053. Score - 96. (Ray Jordan, winepilot.com, May 2023)
Fermented in stainless steel before being aged, sur lie, for 15 months in French and American oak, this wine offers citrus, ripe orchard fruit and tropical fruit accented by caramel, vanilla, and a refined mineral note. A good option for grilled seafood or autumnal soups.
This is round and creamy, offering ripe blackberries, blueberries and hints of chocolate and cedar. Medium- to full-bodied with succulent fruit and fine tannins. Compact and focused, with good length and balance overall. Drink or hold [into the mid-2030s]. Score - 93. (jamessuckling.com, Sept. 6, 2024)
Mesmerizing aromas of sandalwood, lavender, sage and currants. Mint and spearmint. Lead pencil shavings. Light coffee bean too. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins. It goes on for minutes. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, and 10% petit verdot. So approachable already, but this will age beautifully. Best after 2026 and beyond. Score - 99. (jamessuckling.com, Nov. 28, 2023)
Juicy and engaging, with a relatively open-knit feel to its bramble-laced cherry and dark plum puree notes. Offers a light kiss of toast, letting the fruit linger unencumbered. Drink now through 2032. Score - 91. (James Molesworth, winespectator.com, Nov. 15, 2024)
The Syrah-based (85%, with 10% Grenache and 5% Mourvèdre) 2021 Costieres de Nimes JT offers up varietally expressive scents of violets, blackberries and blueberries. Aged in a mix of French oak and concrete, this full-bodied wine is soft and approachable, with a bright, mouthwatering finish. Drink date: [Now]-2030. Score - 91. (Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com, May 16, 2024)
Blackcurrants and black cherries with lovely flowers on the nose. Medium-bodied with ultra fine tannins that give focus and tension to the wine. Pretty and poised. A little shy now. From organically grown grapes. Drink after 2027 [into mid-to-late 2030s]. Score - 98. (jamessuckling.com, Aug. 7, 2023)
I like the sour cherry and spiced plum fragrance, alongside licorice and clove spice. Fresh and supple, with a medium body and nicely integrated tannins. Drink now. Score - 91. (jamessuckling.com, Oct. 9, 2023)
Made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tenuta San Guido 2022 Guidalberto gives you a good taste of the same DNA that brings us one of Italy's greatest wines, Sassicaia, but it's offered in a more immediate style here (thanks to the addition of the Merlot). This warm vintage opens to medium-dark concentration and very plump aromas that take you immediately to blackberry and blackcurrant sitting out in the sun at your local farmers market. The wine shows a soft and gentle side with a pretty level of elegance transmitted through the fruit freshness and the light oak spice that is discernible here but delivered with grace. Drink date: 2024-2030. Score - 94. (Monica Larner, robertparker.com, March 21, 2024)
Flush with warmed cassis and plum reduction notes, this is inlaid with violet, cocoa, humus and singed alder accents. Generous in feel, with enough cut on the finish to match its heft. Best from 2025 through 2036. Score - 92. (James Molesworth, winespectator.com, March 4, 2024)
The 2016 Grand Vintage Extra Brut is the 77th vintage Champagne released by Moët & Chandon. Comprising 34% Pinot Noir, 48% Chardonnay and 18% Meunier, it was aged for six years prior to disgorgement. It will offer complex, layered aromas and flavours, including baked bread, hazelnut, orange blossoms, and fine minerality, all framed by superb structure and tension. A classic in every sense.
This is sourced from McLaren Vale. It is a totally captivating and quite beautiful Grenache loaded with all the seductive goodies you expect from this variety. The bouquet reveals a rose petal and strawberry, blueberry thing contributing to the exotic perfumes. It's a wine that relies on the beautiful fruit characters, so only a smidgen of oak edges in. Super example of the variety. Drink by: 2023-2029. Score - 94. (Ray Jordan, winepilot.com, Sept. 2023)
This Cabernet comprises fruit sourced from prime sites in Napa, Sonoma, Lake County and Mendocino. It's fruit-forward and balanced, with deep, dark ripe cherry and purple fruit embroidered by mint, vanilla, hazelnut and earth, all presented in velvety tannins. A good choice for braised short ribs, sautéed portobello mushrooms, well-seasoned steak, or hard cheeses such as aged cheddar or Gouda.
For me, this is the best Purple Angel since 2016, another cooler, fresher vintage in Chile.Partnering Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot, with equal parts of the blend from Apalta andMarchigüe, this has plenty of graphite and tarragon on the nose, supple, granular tannins,layers of coffee bean, chocolate and black cherry and a balanced, nuanced finish. Drink date: 2025-2036. Score - 97. (timatkin.com, Chile Special Report 2024)