From the renowned Gaja family, this wine is an eclectic blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc matured for six months in a mix of oak and stainless steel. Bright, fresh and aromatically complex, it features lifted floral notes, peach, citrus, tropical fruit and a pristine minerality. It will drink beautifully till 2027 and beyond.
Redcurrant, cherry and olive-leaf aromas follow through to a medium body with very fine, caressing tannins and a long, juicy finish. Lightly crunchy and chewy. Extremely well crafted and delicious already, but better in a couple of years. Drink or hold. Score - 95. (jamessuckling.com, Aug. 12, 2024)
A riot of pepper lights up the nose, from cracked black to green peppercorn to hot chili. Flint and leather undertones empower the heat, while aromas of raspberry jam and vanilla provide balance. The palate stays spicy, with snappy, confident acidity, but a sweetness lingers, and a finish of chili and chocolate ties everything together. Transcendent. Drink 2030-2040 or beyond. Cellar Selection. Score - 98. (Danielle Callegari, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 1, 2023)
From a beautiful site that must be seen to be believed, the Altesino 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Montosoli is redolent with dark fruit, blackcurrant and crushed slate. The mineral element of Montosoli and its schistic galestro-rich soils comes through beautifully in this vintage to add a linear sense of immediacy and verticality to the bouquet. The mouthfeel is especially elegant, and the wine's acidity is delivered expertly to showcase freshness but more importantly to highlight the quality of the fruit. The effect is very tonic and bright, and you get hints of baked brioche or oven-baked Italian focaccia bread, thanks to careful aging in Slavonian oak. Drink date: 2026-2045. Score - 97. (Monica Larner, robertparker.com, Dec. 14, 2023)
Ripe, expressive and concentrated, with plum pudding and baked fig supported by firming mineral notes and tight tannins. A warm dusting of Christmas spices adds to the opulence, yet the inner density shows the mineral energy to match the broad frame and richness. Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah. Best from 2026 through 2038. Score - 94. (Kristen Bieler, winespectator.com, March 31, 2025)
This Museum & Rare Collection release maintains a firm but fine backbone of polished tannins which, together with the youthful primary fruit (predominantly black), brings potency and great presence to the palate. Sage, winter greens and underripe strawberry lend nuance and freshness. There is subtle viscosity too, with tertiary tapenade character and nutty, savoury oak. But there's plenty of mileage here too, with mouth-coating tannins and cleansing acidity to the finish. Drinking window: 2024-2043. Score - 97. (Sarah Ahmed, decanter.com, March 27, 2024)
60% has been made in tank and 40% in barrel. I am very happy with this nose. The sunshine and volume of the vintage looks like it suits Valmur. An excellent volume of white fruit and flesh, a dusting of ripe citrus zest, a structure more typical of Cote d'Or, the oak fully integrated and proper persistence. Drink from 2027-2036. Tasted Jun 2024. Score - 92-96. (Jasper Morris, MW, insideburgundy.com, Jan. 2025)
Tasted as a barrel sample, the 2023 Vistamare is lifted and packed with aromas of citrus zest along with a floral bouquet of concentrated key lime, starfruit, sea spray, and loads of floral citrus blossom. Medium to full-bodied, with a bit of white pepper spice, it has a fresher, more linear drive at this stage that should round and flesh out over time. Score - 93-96. (Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com, Jan. 16, 2024)
Immediately captivating: the nose is vibrant and energetic, while simultaneously the epitome of elegance and poise with restrained fruit power. This is a silk evening gown of a wine: form-fitting, precisely tailored, mellifluous and effortlessly chic. Abundant in aromatics and lifted perfume, fine red fruits include wild strawberry tip, bramble and just-ripe blackcurrant, alongside hints of piquancy: Szechwan pepper, clove and a fine dusting of deep, lightly toasted cocoa powder. There's a charismatic iodine weave, the savoury and slightly saline minerality proving a foil to both the fruit flesh and the floral hues. Displaying extremely fine-grained tannins, it's firm, focused and delicate, with a graphite line, fresh acidity and plenty that will reveal itself in good time. Tasted pre-release. Drinking window: 2024-2046. Score - 96. (Cassandra Charlick, decanter.com, May 5, 2024)
Henschke has deemed the 2019 release 'a vintage graced by the nurturer', a reference to Prue Henschke's work in the vineyards and relentless pursuit of perfection in the viticultural field. I used to live on the property between Hill of Grace and Mount Edelstone and have seen first hand the hard work and love given to these vines, so hats off to the nurturer. Again, tiny yields in 2019, but it is a beautifully detailed, layered wine - as expected from these gnarled ancestor vines (160 years old). It's seamless with perfectly poised blackberry and dark berry fruits, five-spice, sage, softly spoken oak and the gentle tug of superfine, toothsome tannins. Lacy, mineral-laden acidity propels the wine forward and the finish is long, elegant and in perfect pitch. Grace by name, grace by nature. Drink from: [Now]. Drink by: 2073. Score - 99. (Dave Brookes, winecompanion.com.au, April 8, 2024)
Reflecting the cooler growing season in 2016, this is one of the most elegant Don Max releases I've tasted. Sourced from seven different blocks, it combines Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and increasing amounts of Malbec. Finesse, equilibrium and palate length with deftly handled 50% new wood. Drink date: 2021-2035. Score - 96. (timatkin.com, Chile Special Report 2019)
From Gaja, one of the world's pre-eminent wine families, comes the Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino: an explosively attractive, focused, sophisticated wine that will elevate any collection. It shows complex wildflowers, cherry, savoury herbs, earth, spice and oak. This powerful, graceful wine has a 20+-year lifespan ahead of it.
100% Nebbiolo. A disarming purity of red fruit with a subtle array of chalky minerals and tobacco, furnished with fine, papery tannins, sleek acidity and an impressive persistence. Score - 96. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2024)
100% Nerello Mascalese. Bright and buoyant with oodles of plums, dark cherries and violet florals which tumble over the tactile tannins and supple underbelly of fine vanilla oak. Score - 96. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2024)
Aromas of pear, green apple, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of citrus blossom introduce the 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet Le Concis du Champs, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy wine with good depth and cut. This is a specially strong rendition of this bottling, produced from massal selections planted at 14,000 vines per hectare. Drink date: 2025-2045. Score - 91. (William Kelley, robertparker.com, Jan. 30, 2025)
The 2022 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes is saline and mineral, unfurling in the glass with notes of white flowers, oyster shells and citrus oil. Medium-bodied, satiny and racy, with a pure core of fruit and a penetrating, mineral finish. It's derived from plantings at between 11,000-14,000 vines per hectare in Kimmeridgian limestone. Drink date: 2027-2045. Score - 93. (William Kelley, robertparker.com, Jan. 30, 2025)
The 2022 Saint-Aubin La Princée offers up notes of apple blossom, crisp orchard fruit and wet stones, followed by a medium-bodied, pure and racy palate that's fresh but charming. This will offer a broad drinking window. Drink date: 2025-2040. Score - 90. (William Kelley, robertparker.com, Jan. 30, 2025)
Smooth, broad and expansive, this unusually generous wine goes deep with ripe cherries and raspberries shaded by intricate cedar, cinnamon and slate nuances that develop as you sip and linger nicely on the finish. Smooth, velvety tannins are beautifully integrated with the ripe flavors. Best from 2027. Score - 96. (Jim Gordon, jamessuckling.com, Jan. 9, 2024)
From the first sniff, the 2020 Deconstructed Kogelberg Sandstone CY76 Chardonnay is immensely profound and swinging for the fences. It's this year's best Chardonnay and is the most impressive of the Kershaw lineup. Opening with layers of citrus and oak, checking all of the boxes, this beautiful Chardonnay has that special 'It' factor. With just-ripe, succulent layers of spicy citrus and yellow apple essence overflowing with elegance and finesse, this is Kershaw's most focused Chardonnay ever made. Medium-bodied and exuding precision and finesse, Chardonnay trophy hunters must seek this out and put it in their cellar. The palate explodes with impeccable layers of freshness and vibrancy with fantastic laser precision. I'd put this up against Burgundy any day. Only 497 bottles were produced, which were wild fermented and aged in 67% new French oak. My only complaint is that only three barrels were made for the entire world to share. Drink date: 2024-2040. Score - 98. (Anthony Mueller, robertparker.com, Dec. 29, 2023)
This revolutionary Burgenland dry riesling has an enveloping nose of white peaches, dried flowers and wild herbs. Stunning concentration and mineral energy enable this medium- to full-bodied masterpiece to easily handle its generous tannin structure. The Amalfi lemon, pear purée and sea salt finish doesn't want to stop. Primarily from an Alsace clone of riesling, the grapes macerated on the skins before fermentation and matured in a mix of large old acacia and smaller Stockinger oak casks. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Score - 97. (Stuart Pigott, jamessuckling.com, March 15, 2024)