This lively fizz is a 50-50 blend of Arinto and Loureiro. Part of the blend is aged in wooden barrels to develop rich toasty notes while the rest undergoes secondary fermentation in stainless steel. The final result is a vibrant, youthful yet layered bubbly evocative of juicy white fruit and brioche. Pair with mild cheeses, steamed shellfish or sushi.
A slightly different breed than the '21, the 2022 Antinori 'Tignanello' Red Wine really needs about an hour in the decanter to get going. I enjoyed this wine on five occasions while staying in Firenze and each time I noticed how the wine began to slowly evolve after an hour. It is even more heady and intense than the '21, with a seamless texture and polished tannins that frame a gorgeous core of creme de violette, cassis, loamy soils and suggestions of sweet pipe tobacco on the palate. A total head-turning bottling, make sure to give this a lot of air if enjoying in its heady youth. Drink date: 2026-2046. Score - 99. (Dr. Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com, June 10, 2025)
Flint and cashew aromas get a vibrant lift from the lemon and lime curd aromas on this highly classy-yet-approachable Chard from one of New Zealand's most famous brands. Similarly, the palate feels open and complete, with lovely texture and acidity zhuzhing up the grilled stone fruit and spice flavors flowing to a long finish. Drink now with roasted chicken or mushroom or cellar for several more years. Score - 95. (Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast, Nov. 1, 2025)
Presenting expressively vibrant white pomelo, honeydew melon, green apple, and greengage, evolving to dill, tarragon, zesty lime, and gooseberry. Finishes with elegantly lingering ... minerality and delicate marzipan nuances. Score - 92. (International Wine & Spirit Competition, 2024)
From the historic estate, a Brunello with a classic plant and great olfactory impact: black mulberry on the nose, touches of clementine peel, then cinnamon, to the salty palate, with a finish on notes of small fruits and sweet spices. Persistent. Score - 95+. (Luca Gardini, gardininotes.com, Oct. 2024)
Beautifully perfumed aromas of violets, cedar and fresh raspberries with some strawberries, too. Full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins that add tension and focus, as well as a crunchy undertone. Needs three or four years to soften. Best after 2028. Score - 97. (jamessuckling.com, Sept. 24, 2024)
The Donatella Cinelli Colombini 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne (with 8,700 bottles coming to the market at the new year) has a slightly darker character with more savory tones compared to the already toasty classic Brunello from the same vintage. Made with organic fruit, the wine shows hints of fireplace soot, Viennese coffee and grilled herb over a full-bodied texture. The tannins are well managed and so is the acidity. This is the first vintage in which 'Prime Donne' has earned recognition as an official 'vigna,' or vineyard, in the appellation. Drink date: 2026-2040. Score - 94. (Monica Larner, robertparker.com, Nov. 21, 2024)
A solid red with mushroom, bark, blackberry and black-truffle character. Full and layered with open tannins and a long, persistent finish. Creamy and polished. From a single vineyard with vines averaging 50 years old. Best from 2026. Score - 98. (jamessuckling.com, Sept. 26, 2024)
The 2023 Le Serre Nuove dell'Ornellaia is a delight. Crushed flowers, ripe red cherry fruit, spice, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco are all nicely laced together. This mid-weight Serre Nuove is notable for its forward fruit, mid-weight structure and overall appeal. Floral top notes extend the effortless, silky finish. Drinking window: 2025-2035. Score - 93. (Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, Feb. 27, 2025)
Aromatic and evocative, bursting with pink grapefruit, tropical fruits, elderflower, lemongrass and snow pea, with a creamy lees undertow and flashes of herbal/mineral notes. A rich, mouth-filling palate, generous in tropical fruit and citrussy acid drive, which tightens up to a nicely crisply saline, long dry finish. Lovely now but fruit intensity and balance suggest this will mellow nicely in the bottle too. Richelle Tyney joined Greywacke in 2021, bringing steady-handed finesse to an already very smart collection of wines. Drinking window: 2025-2032. Score - 95. (Emma Jenkins, MW, decanter.com, Sept. 1, 2025)
A blend of mainly saperavi with other local red varieties from the Alazani Valley in the Kakheti region, this in an off-dry wine in the traditional style, with velvety texture and sweetness off-set by pleasantly tart acids. Fruit is immediate and fresh, youthful, and while the depth, complexity and length are modest, this works very well in the price category, showing more polish than many. Drink or hold short term, with a light chill. Tasted October 2021. Score - 88. (John Szabo, MS, winealign.com)
The Romanian variety Grasa is capable of producing dry and semi-sweet styles. A true gem, it's found only in Romania, and even there only approximately 450 hectares are planted. These are ripe, round wines with suggestions of walnut, almond and apricot. They are notably balanced and vibrant. This botrytis-affected wine will be ideal with nuts, dried fruit, or blue-veined cheeses.
A medium-bodied red with blackberries, currants, herbs and baking spices on the nose. Fine tannins with a juicy core of berries and peppercorns on the palate and a flavorful finish. Grenache, syrah and mourvedre. Drink now [through 2027+]. Score - 90. (jamessuckling.com, Nov. 15, 2023)
Created by the superstar team of Jon Bon Jovi, his son Jesse, and iconic winemaker Gérard Bertrand, this blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre was first released in 2017 and has earned an enthusiastic following for its snappy, pure, fresh melon, cherry, peach, dried herbs, spice, and wet-stone minerality. Fun, appealing and fresh, it's everything you want in a rosé.
Sourced from northwestern Barossa Valley vineyards, this classically styled Aussie Shiraz is big, bold and delightfully complex. Ripe blackberry, chocolate, licorice and plum are joined by mellow oak notes from 12 months in barrel. The producer suggests decanting this and allowing it to breathe if drinking early (prior to 2027), as their minimal fining and filtration techniques can mean sediment may be present. Enjoy through 2032.
A deft demonstration of Chile's prowess with French varieties, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carignan reveals wonderful purity and transparency. Like the best of ensembles, the component elements all shine while creating a seamless, balanced, thoroughly satisfying experience. Look for mixed red and dark fruit, savoury herbs, spice, and an earthy undertone and drink now through 2028+.
As difficult as it is to pick a winner between the Gualtallary and El Cepillo bottlings, the 2021 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard gets my nod as the supreme example of the Gran Enemigo Single Vineyard Cabernet Francs. It hails from a plot planted on calcareous rocky soils in 1995 with 10,000 vines per hectare, fermented with 40% whole bunches in barrique and underwent a 15-month élevage in 100-year-old foudre. Opening with a brooding, inward and quietly perfumed nose, its aromatic profile ceaselessly expands to encompass all manner of herbal and floral complexity, combining simmering intensity with supreme elegance. The palate follows suit with a rich, silky, refined and gently succulent energy, releasing into a graceful, dense and glacial conclusion that gives equal measure to vertical energy and horizontal richness. The finish slowly but steadily builds upon itself, revealing shimmering acidity and ultra-refined tannins with increased aeration. There is no better example of Cabernet Franc's suitability in the Uco Valley, a match rendered here with incomparable finesse, depth and complexity. Drink date: 2024-2041. Score - 99. (Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com, May 1, 2025)
According to winemaker Alejandro Vigil, the name Mundus Bacillus comes from the bacterial world that exists in that small, 1.4-hectare piece of the Adrianna Vineyard, in Gualtallary, about 1,400 meters above sea level and toward the north of the Uco Valley. The symbiosis of that molecular world with the roots and the strong presence of calcium carbonate make this malbec seem to cross the variety's borders and offer a wine that's much more austere wine than its partners in this line (Adrianna Fortuna and River), with tannins that are much chalkier and more severe. The malbec aromas appear in the form of sour cherries, but it also has a good share of mineral, saline aromas that lend it an interesting complexity. The cool 2021 season has only exacerbated the tense and energetic character of this wine, one of the best in a vintage that has been excellent in Mendoza. Add to that that this is the first time since this wine originated in 2013 that it wasn't aged in barrels or oak, but rather in concrete tanks. Score - 100. (Patricio Tapia, guiadescorchados.cl, 2024)
Created by legendary 'flying winemaker' Michel Rolland, this blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Agiorgitiko is rich and decadent. There's engaging wood smoke, generous chocolate cake and blackcurrant, and a long, smoky finish. This will drink into the mid-2030s and will be great with lamb or mushroom-based dishes.