Brightening ruby. Fragrant nose with notes of cranberries, dried tomatoes and truffle. Densely packed with grippy tannins, salty texture, nice depth and a long finish. Score - 97. (Othmar Kiem & Simon Staffler, falstaff.com, Oct. 22, 2020)
A beautifully layered nose of purple fruit, violets and soil tones leads to exceptionally rich, velvety and sappy medium weight plus flavors that brim with dry extract that does a fine job of buffering the very firm but not hard tannic spine on the dusty and mocha-infused finish. This is a highly complex and robust but reasonably refined and well-balanced Epenots that is built for the long haul. Drink: 2025+. Outstanding. Score - 93. (Allen Meadows, burghound.com, April 15, 2013)
There is no other way to say it: this is a monster of a wine in the context of 2004 and there is no point in even thinking about opening one of these babies for at least a dozen years. Much like the Fremiers, this is aromatically pure but cool, tight and very backward, leading to exceptionally rich yet detailed full-bodied flavors that explode on the hugely long finish. This is one of those 'wow' wines and it wouldn't surprise me if it eventually merited a higher score as it is blessed with superb material, impeccable balance and striking length. In short, if you're going to buy it, put it in the cellar and forget it. Drink: 2018+. Outstanding. Score - 93. (Allen Meadows, burghound.com, April 1, 2007)
The 2016 Barolo Margheria shows the natural weight and gravitas of Serralunga in its dark flavor profile and textural resonance. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice, mint, chalk and bright saline notes are all laced throughout. Deceptive in its mid-weight structure, the 2016 possesses tremendous persistence and class to burn. Wilder suggestions of sage and lavender add savory top notes, while searing tannins punctuate the finish. Drinking window: 2024-2041. Score - 95+. (Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, Feb. 13, 2020)
At more than a decade, this wine is still shockingly youthful; given the vintage, it is surprisingly robust. There is a ripe plummy fruit here with hints of thyme and a touch of lavender that is very engaging. The texture is dense but not astringent, with more body than one would expect from 2011. The grapes were given a cold soak and then fermented entirely as whole clusters. Post-fermentation, the wine aged for nearly two years in cask (one-third new). Drinking window: 2022-2050. Score - 95. (Charles Curtis, MW, decanter.com, Dec. 14, 2022)
Showing admirably, with a plummy, forward fruit aroma that offers hints of spice, earth and black tea. The tannins are starting to settle down, yet there is no lack of structure or length. The finish is impressive, with floral notes giving expressive complexity to the dark fruit. The purity of fruit is doubtless down to the rigorous sorting at this domaine. Drinking now and should continue for at least another decade. Drinking window: 2024-2045. Score - 95. (Charles Curtis, MW, decanter.com, April 21, 2024)
The 2022 Epenots from Courcel is a powerful yet very expressive wine. The colour is deep, the abundant fruit aromas are open and aromatic, and the wine is endowed with massive extract and tannin. On the day, I wrote 'everything ++'. The enchanting plum and currant aromas have great complexity, with hints of earth, leather, spice, and blood. The feel of the wine today is massive. It might well close down, but with five to seven years in the bottle, this should be an extraordinary wine that will live for decades. Drinking window: 2030-2085. Score - 97. (Charles Curtis, MW, decanter.com, Jan. 22, 2024)
The new vintage of Rugiens (Haut) is a generous, almost fleshy wine with an ample, ripe plum fruit with earth, smoke, and clove accents. The texture is firm yet supple, with abundant extract, silky but supportive tannins, and impressive length. The grapes come from just over a hectare of vines at mid-slope where the soil changes from white marl to red clay. The wine should begin to open in five to seven years and will drink for 30 beyond that at a minimum. Drinking window: 2030-2085. Score - 95. (Charles Curtis, MW, decanter.com, Jan. 22, 2024)
This year, the Fremiers from Courcel is an explosion of fruit, with bright blackberry and cassis aromas edged with pepper and bay leaf. The texture is velvety and dense, with ripe, supple tannins and impressive length. The 0.79-hectare parcel lies in fairly deep clay soils just south of Croix Noires. This wine is a classic of the domaine, made with a whole cluster ferment and very little new oak. The wine should open in three to five years and will drink for the next 20. Drinking window: 2030-2065. Score - 94. (Charles Curtis, MW, decanter.com, May 29, 2023)
The 2022 Croix Noires was quite different from the 2021, with a dark colour and a super-ripe blackberry and plum fruit aroma with hints of earth, cigar leaf, and leather. The texture is dense yet supple; the tannins only kick in at the end. This wine does not lack structure, but it is more approachable than many in this cellar. The grapes are from just over a half-hectare down the slope from Chaponnières and not far from Rugiens-Bas. The grapes were fermented as whole clusters and are ageing in older casks. Drinking window: 2030-2065. Score - 94. (Charles Curtis, MW, decanter.com, May 29, 2023)
Restrained dark bramble fruit and vibrant spiciness, with notes of cold coffee, earth and bay leaves. The attack is dense and velvety, with thick, ripe tannins that are a bit sandy. Ripe and full-bodied with crisp acidity and good length focused on graphite. Power and grace, with a restrained chocolate aftertaste. Drink or hold. Score - 95. (Aldo Fiordelli, jamessuckling.com, May 21, 2024)
This supple, silky wine comes from 40-year-old vines and spent 11 months in oak. It evokes rose petals, violets, tangy cherry, and freshly picked berries. Drink through 2030.
From the sister property of Vega Sicilia in Rioja, a partnership between the Alvarez and Rothschild families, the 2021 Macan Clasico has unrelenting freshness and is gorgeously aromatic. The vintage conditions were perfect and the wines able to achieve exceptional quality. Here, the Tempranillo is joined by 3% Garnacha, which provides additional brightness to juicy layers of red berry, cigar, and dried herb, with a foundation of supple tannins. Medium-bodied, the oak is well-integrated, interweaving the lilting spice and toast notes from a combination of French and American barrels that aged the wine for 14-16 months. With a long, silky, and finessed finish, it's drinking perfectly now. Continue to enjoy over the next 10-15 years. Maturity: 2025-2040. Score - 97. (Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com, July 30, 2025)
The 2020 Valbuena 5° ages five years in oak and bottle, which gives it its name. Harvest was challenging due to Covid and rain, requiring due diligence in the field and a faster, earlier harvest than anticipated, the grapes coming from the Vega Sicilia estate's vines with about 35 years of age. It's an ethereal, medium-bodied wine of lovely delicacy and elegance, 97% Tempranillo blended with 3% Merlot, then aged 12 months in French and American oak, six months in stainless steel and then 18 months in bottle. Blackcurrant, cedar, and balsamic highlight a citrusy freshness. It will hit its prime in five years and age another 20-25. Maturity: 2025-2050. Score - 97. (Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com, July 30, 2025)
The NV Único Reserva Especial 2025 Release was produced with a blend of wines from 2011, 2012 and 2013, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.86 and five grams of acidity. It has the core of the 2012 vintage, possibly the higher percentage in the blend too, providing the power and structure to go along with the freshness and tension of 2013, which also contributes some balsamic characteristics, and it has less of the 2011. The wine shows extra complexity and elegance, and it has the Único nose with more nuance and subtleness. But what I like the most is the silky texture and the elegance of the tannins - as usual, they combine more developed characteristics with elegance and freshness. This is another stellar release of their non-vintage classical blend, slowly going back to the style of yesteryear. It was bottled in May 2021. Drink date: 2024-2040. Score - 98. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, June 19, 2025)
The vintage released in 2025 is the 2021 Alión, a year to remember, one of the best in recent times. 2021 was relaxed and textbook in all senses, with snow in the beginning of the year, a mild spring disturbed only by frost in Pesquera that didn't affect other villages and a relatively cool summer that slowed things down, and the grapes ripened to perfection without rain after September. They used grapes from 13 different villages throughout the Ribera del Duero, from a total of 130 hectares. The grapes were cooled down for 24 hours, and once destemmed, they were put in the oak and stainless steel vats, where they underwent a five-day cold soak and then native fermentation through a 'pied de cuve.' The wine has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.81 and 4.8 grams of acidity (tartaric). It's very fresh and fruit-driven, with the balance and elegance of the cooler year, and it's a little austere, with very elegant and polished tannins and a different quality, when the grapes ripen slowly. They believe 2024 has the potential to be like 2021, after the 2022 and 2023 vintages were a lot more challenging. It was bottled in June 2023. Drink date: 2025-2040. Score - 96. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, June 19, 2025)
Another combination of freshness and profoundness from Toro. Blackberries, graphite, ashtray, sandalwood, cocoa powder and dark olives on the nose. Fresh-veined, chalky tannins tighten the palate, with a nervy backbone. The tannins extend to a lengthy finish. Ripe but fresh. Drink from 2026. Score - 95. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, Aug. 13, 2024)
A wine of tremendous concentration and gastronomic invitation, the 2020 Macan has a small 3% addition of Graciano and is aged in French oak only for 18-20 months. The vintage was warm, lending a concentration of firm, age-worthy tannins to its striking beauty and powerfully elegant core. Aromatic in rose petal and dark chocolate, it's lengthy on the medium-bodied palate and balanced by underlying acidity, intended to show an evolution and departure in style, more finessed and structured, velvety and voluminous, but essential in its elegance and grace. Drink now through 2035. Maturity: 2025-2035. Score - 98. (Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com, July 30, 2025)
One of Spain's best-known and beloved wines, this vintage, the 2015 Unico, like always, saw five years of aging in barrel and vat and another five years in bottle. It was bottled in May 2021. Blending 96% Tempranillo and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vega Sicilia estate, usually from the same plots of 40+-year-old vines, it opens in expressive, juicy, lush pomegranate and dark cherry carried by supple, silky tannins and bright acidity. The length and structure are remarkable. The grapes were harvested 'al dente,' when they were crisp, fresh, and juicy, perfectly ripe. There is tremendous balance between the wine's acidity and freshness and full-bodied power. This will age 60 years and is winemaker Gonzalo Iturriaga's first vintage. Maturity: 2025-2085. Score - 100. (Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com, July 30, 2025)
The 2022 Vougeot Les Cras 1er Cru comes from a parcel next to Château de la Tour, planted next to Chardonnay from Domaine de la Vougeraie. It has a potent marine/estuarine-scented bouquet with mainly red berry fruit and hints of morels and crushed stone. The medium-bodied palate offers sappy red fruit, very smooth in style, although, like in previous years, I discern more complexity on Legros's Chambolle and Morey-Saint-Denis cuvées. Fine. Drinking window: 2025-2038. Score - 90. (Neal Martin, vinous.com, Jan. 11, 2024)