(Translated from the French) Delicious and seductive in both aromas and flavours. Fruity notes prevail, with hints of jammy red fruit that seem light thanks to the fine bubbles. A moderate sweetness entices, with accents of red currant jelly, but the Champagne remains straightforward and vivacious. Balanced. Score - 94. (Terre de Vins, Dec. 2023)
This wartime Ukranian Charmat method sparkling wine is made from a blend of chardonnay, riesling, and aligoté. Notably floral and endearing with aromas of tender rose, jasmine, lime and sweet grapefruit. Off-dry and zesty with an enduring character. Tasted December 2024. Score - 88. (Sara d'Amato, winealign.com)
Made from Cabernet, Merlot and Saperavi, this velvety, flavourful bubbly evokes ripe cherry, berry jelly, dark chocolate, coffee, and sweet spices. Serve lightly chilled.
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 Sangiovese and Nebbiolo grapes for this classic Tuscan blend are grown on the Poppiano Estate in southwest Florence. This expressive Chianti reveals aromas and flavours of ripe fruit with notes of black cherries, raspberries and Mediterranean herbs. It is medium-bodied with soft tannins on the lingering finish. KPM
The summer was so arid in 2022 that the vines shut down and ripening was halted until mid-August rains arrived. This helped to preserve acidity in the grapes, giving sensational freshness to balance the rich and finely structured palate. Masseto 2022, then, combines the best of both worlds: fruit ripeness and concentration, and freshness and poise. It's not as immediately seductive as the 2021, but there is so much potential in this long-lived vintage. Scents of cool, damp earth, dark hedgerow berries, Mediterranean scrub, and cocoa and wood give a sense of what is to come once time has untangled everything. Zingy, crunchy acidity steals the show early on, segueing into a mouthful of succulent yet dense dark berries and spice imbued with plenty of energy. Then some balsamic herbs and floral notes lighten the palate, before a touch of salinity and some bitter herbs emerge on the finish, with a refrain of bright cherry. Something special. Drinking window: 2026-2050. Score - 98. (James Button, decanter.com, July 11, 2025)
Two parcels in Villalba (an area which produces some of the region's most structured reds) provide the grapes for this assemblage of Tempranillo with a little Viura and Malvasía. The oak is just a little drying, but there's plenty of underlying dark berry fruit and tannin. Just needs time. Drink date: 2024-30. Score - 92. (timatkin.com, Rioja Special Report 2022)
Friendly and fruity but also tangy and appetizing, this nervy, light-bodied wine includes 12% cortese grapes. Crisp lemons, limes, kiwi fruit and jicama. Juicy and refreshing with low alcohol. Drink now. Score - 91. (jamessuckling.com, May 30, 2024)
Produced in I.Z Emek Hefer. This red blend is rich and dark, with plentiful black fruit, plum, spice, savoury herbs and oak. Well-balanced and versatile with food.
Aromas of black licorice, iodine and blackberries with hints of nutmeg. Medium- to full-bodied with a super structure yet at the same time polish and finesse. Extremely long and attractive with energy and polish. The glacial soil and western aspect of the vineyard make this special. Better in two or three years and beyond. Try after 2027. Ranked #39 in James Suckling's Top 100 World Wines of 2024. Score - 99. (jamessuckling.com, Feb. 4, 2024)
The Lageder family has helped attract attention to Alto Adige in Northern Italy with a portfolio of stylish red and white wines. The Terra Alpina range is produced with grapes grown on the estate as well as ones purchased from neighbouring vineyards. This pinot grigio is a serious expression of the grape that's also easy to enjoy. A pleasing mix of floral, fruit and herbal notes stand out as part of this lively white's crisp and refreshing character. Drink now to 2026. Score - 90. (Christopher Waters, theglobeandmail.com, June 21, 2023)
This is immediately appealing on the nose with Granny Smith apple, nectarine, feijoa and green tea aromas, leading to a delightfully flavoursome palate that's juicy and lively. Varietally expressive and delectably appealing. At its best: now to 2026. Score - 93. (Sam Kim, wineorbit.co.nz, Nov. 2023)
'The idea of Massetino is to create a more approachable wine,' states winemaker, Gaia Cinnirella. And combined with the plump juiciness and aromatic appeal of 2023, this is incredibly enticing. Ripe dark berry scents mingle with damp earth, Mediterranean scrub and chocolatey nuances. It has a steely energy, coiled and bright, its vertical structure padded out by generous juicy, creamy red and black berries, and supported by fine-grained tannins. It's a bold expression this year, with a slightly drying woody finish that should resolve with time in the bottles, but it's countered by freshness and a really lovely line of acidity which runs through the body. Delicious! Drinking window: 2026-2045. Score - 96. (James Button, decanter.com, July 11, 2025)
The 2022 Chianti Classico Riserva Marchese Antinori is terrific. Soft and pliant, with fabulous balance, the 2022 is a total charmer. Antinori's style today, one that favors a lighter hand than in the past, works so well here. Succulent red cherry, spice, new leather and rose petal are front and center. All of this fruit is from Antinori's Tignanello property. It captures all the essence of site in a more approachable style that is undeniably appealing. Drinking window: 2025-2034. Score - 93. (Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, July 10, 2025)
The Quadrus Reserva is grown and crafted in Portugal by Toronto-born brothers Tony and Mario Amaro of the famed Opus Restaurant. Vines for this wine are grown 650 metres above sea level in a terraced vineyard rich in schist. This lovely red is already mature and ready to enjoy, showing notes of red plum, beetroot, and dried herbs, with a touch of vanilla.
Made from 100% Assyrtiko grown in and around Nemea on the Peloponnese Peninsula, this wine was vinified in stainless steel using wild yeast. Crisp and saline, it offers notes of tangy citrus, crunchy apple, and marine stones on the way to a long, layered finish. Savour it through 2035.
This is a little reticent than some of the wines presented in this vintage on the nose, but with time it reveals the scents of black pepper, blackcurrant and vanilla cream. The palate shows a very complete substance, fresh and convincing, quite seamless in style, with some ripe grip underneath it. An impressive composition overall, very elegant and correct, albeit with a flourish of tannins in the finish. A very promising start, and a long, lingering, tannin-infused finish. Very good, with fine cellaring potential. [This will hold into the early 2030s.] Score - 94. (Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, Sept. 2018)
Corbières warmth fills this red blend with blackberry, plum, dark cherry, forest berries, chocolate, pepper, smoke, leather, and vanilla. The body is generous yet smooth, with ripe fruit, mouthwatering acidity, and supple tannins that work well beside roast beef, grilled steak, pasta, or soy glazed dishes.
Tornatore is one of the larger wineries among dozens on the north slope of Mt. Etna. Made from the local carricante grape, this is a hefty yet streamlined white with a complex and well integrated nose of almost tropical guava and olive overlaid with the flinty/smoky aromas of Etna's volcanic soils. Almost peppery as well. It is a full bodied fairly dense and serious white with girth and length. Really solid and well balanced with excellent length. Tasted March 2024. Score - 91. (David Lawrason, winealign.com)
With unpretentious, no-nonsense classicism, this is a Sancerre of elegance and poise that opens with a beautiful nose of chamomile, apple blossom and lemon curd. The palate follows with fleshy citrus, juicy Asian pear and a touch of guava. Subtle mineral framework. Enjoy with a cured goat cheese. Drinking window: 2024-2028. Score - 92. (Ines Salpico, decanter.com, Oct. 8, 2024)