Search results for: 'model a one plot'

95 Points! A juicy and flavorful Champagne with phenolics and a brightness and energy. Full with lots of flavors like sliced pineapple, dried peach and stone, yet it is fresh and vibrant. New label and bottle. Henri Giraud DNA in this. About 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Based on the 2017 vintage (complemented with some 50% from the house's perpetual reserve) and disgorged in January 2020, the latest rendition of the NV Brut Esprit Nature is showing very well, mingling aromas of yellow orchard fruit and peach with nuances of toasted bread, candied peel, white flowers, clear honey and fresh almonds. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it's elegantly vinous, with lively acids and a long, delicately oak-inflected finish. Fermented in barrels, some 20% of the blend derives from domaine holdings. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

95-96 Points! Very good poise, tension and depth, with a light peppery, mineral and citrusy touch to the fruit. Good fruit here, with medium to full body and elastic, chalky tannins. There is something quite pure and transparent in the middle. So elegant, al-dente and long. An excellent wine from this difficult vintage. 70% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Picking between September 26 to October 8. - Zekun Shuai, James Suckling

92-94+ Points! A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2024 Château Bellefont-Belcier is deep purple-hued and opaque, showing remarkable purity in its black and blue fruits, graphite, crushed stone, and violet notes. Medium-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has a pure, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and integrated acidity. This château continues to never put a foot wrong, and their 2024 will absolutely be worth your time and money. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, mushrooms and earthy notes. Spices as well. It’s full-bodied with an unctuous texture. Balanced and savory with a fine, chewy tannin structure. Flavorful finish with length. One of the best ever from here. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Bright, with crushed-stone and floral character on the nose. Medium body with a firm core, expanding through the palate. Vivid and bright. Lots of good energy. Crushed-stone and lightly chalky character at the end. Needs two or three years to come around. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

92 Points! The 2019 Potensac is fabulous. Bright and focused, the 2019 impresses with its energy, balance and total class. Crushed flowers, mint, cinnamon, crushed rocks and blood orange all open in the glass. The 2019 is class personified I love the purity here. The 2019 is a standout, and should be a terrific value, too. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

#BordeauxBlowout

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

95 Points! A blend of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot, the 2022 Château Petit Gravet Aîné exhibits a ruby/plum hue as well as terrific aromatics of red, blue, and black fruits interwoven with lots of gamey, floral, and tobacco nuances. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Saint-Emilion that has ripe tannins, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. It shines even today yet is going to evolve gracefully over the coming two decades or so. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2022 Petit Gravet Ainé is a gorgeous, exotic wine. Kirsch, dried flowers, mocha and new leather open. Ripe, fleshy and layered, the 2022 is definitely on the riper side. Creamy and opulent in texture, it clearly needs time to settle down post-bottling. Today, I admire its balance. This is a wild wine that is sure to take readers on quite a ride over the coming two decades or so, maybe more. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94-95 Points! Supple, fresh, deep, floral and heavily influenced by its mineral essence, the wine offers an intense, spicy, salty, fruit-packed experience with layers of berries, energy and length. Produced from 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot, making this one of the heaviest concentrations of Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux. Drink from 2027-2045. - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

97 Points! A lovely enticing nose filled with rich plum, fig and blackcurrant fruits - heady and opulent. The palate is precise with a distinct texture, certainly dense and ripe but the flavours just settle on the tongue giving spiced touches of liquorice but allowing the freshness and acidity to underpin the overall taste. It feels very carefully constructed with everything in place allowing power and generality but neatly packaged and not overdone. A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Wines are aged for 18 months in 100% French oak, 76% new. - Decanter Magazine

97 Points! Subtle and complex red with blackberry, black truffle, sweet tobacco and mahogany. Highlights of lavender and violets. Full-bodied and very tight with finesse and tension. Very polished, fine tannins. Long finish. Delicious already, but best after 2022. JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is based on a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It’s a more backward, closed wine, offering classy notes of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, freshly crushed stone, and cedar. More medium to full-bodied and elegant, I’d like to see a touch more density and richness on the mid-palate, but it's beautifully balanced, has gorgeous tannins, integrated acidity, and outstanding length on the finish. Give this classic, impressive, old school beauty 4-5 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 15-20. - Jeb Dunnuck

94-95 Points James Suckling

"A solid red, structured and textured, showing cherries and baking spices on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied with sinewy tannins. Crunchy at the center, with a flavorful, vivid, and persistent finish."

93-95 Points Jeb Dunnuck

"Sporting a vivid purple hue, the 2025 Château Gloria offers cassis, assorted red and blue fruits, liquid violets, and classy oak. Pure and incredibly polished on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, elegant mouthfeel, and a great finish. This château needs to be on everyone's radar."

93-95 Points Neal Martin, Vinous

"The 2025 Gloria has a lovely bouquet with well-defined blackberry, violet, and crushed stone aromas, the oak seamlessly integrated. Medium-bodied with fine, grainy tannins, good concentration, and a tensile, mineral-driven finish."

93 Points Decanter

"Bramble fruit aromas lead to a supple and controlled palate with gorgeous weight and ripe tannins. Blackcurrant, licorice, and stone notes combine with freshness and complexity. Balanced, elegant, and full of promise."

93 Points Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

"A ton of intense cassis and bilberry fruit with lovely quality, balance, and finesse. Cocoa bean, espresso, and silky tannins create a very impressive wine."

92-94 Points Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

"Medium-bodied, soft, fresh, and silky in texture. The fruits are ripe, sweet, vibrant, and already approachable. Enjoyable on release yet capable of evolving gracefully for two decades."

In February 2021, Michael David Winery sent four 70ml frozen Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon samples to the International Space Station to investigate the microbial ecology and dynamics of grape juice fermentation in the absence of gravity. Meanwhile, identical samples remained on Earth in an environmental control chamber that mimicked the ISS ambient temperature. When the experiment began, the portions were thawed at the same time, allowing native microbes to ferment. At the conclusion of the experiment, the samples in space experienced CO2 build up, a sign of successful fermentation. 

Once the samples arrived back on Earth, they were sent for DNA fingerprinting and DNA sequence matching to determine the number and identification of the different propagations. It was found that the juice fermented in Zero Gravity propagated different species than the sample that remained on Earth. Our team isolated the most successful microgravity-grown yeast strain, a species of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified as MT965 by Michael David Winery winemaking, to produce Zero Gravity Cabernet Sauvignon. This bottle is a result of passion, science and exploring a new frontier in wine.

Deep ruby in hue, the inaugural vintage of Zero Gravity Cabernet Sauvignon (aged in 100% neutral oak) offers layered aromas of blackberry strudel, bright acai berry and warm vanilla on the nose. Full bodied with a luxurious and velvety mouthfeel, out of this world flavors of juicy raspberry, dark cacao and cinnamon bun are carried through by a polished finish with pleasant hints of oak and spice. 

97–98 Points – James Suckling
“The aromas of blackberries, black olives and hints of tobacco and dried fruit are fascinating and enticing. It’s medium- to full-bodied with creamy and polished tannins and a savory finish. Turns refined and focused after the layered fruit. Classic in character, with a caressing texture and balance. Hints of ripe fruit and freshness at the same time.”

96–98 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous
“The 2025 L’Évangile has been given new impetus by winemaker Juliette Couderc. It is initially backward, but it really comes forth with a few swirls of the glass: black cherries, mint and juniper berries, just a hint of truffle, quite vibrant and vivacious. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins, a fine bead of acidity, superb minerality and a very saline aftertaste with impressive length. A marvellous L’Évangile.”

95–97+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A Merlot-heavy blend of 86% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon harvested between August 26th and September 15th, the 2025 Château L'Evangile will spend time in 40% new barrels, 40% foudre, 5% amphora, and the rest in once-used barrels. It has lots of cassis and juicy cherry fruit intermixed with graphite, lead pencil, violets, and classy oak on the nose, and it's medium- to full-bodied on the palate, with a pure, focused mouthfeel, fine tannins, and outstanding length. Checking in at 13.7% alcohol with a pH of 3.75, it's a serious, concentrated 2025 that brings considerable structure, remarkable purity, and a great finish.”

94–96 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 L’Évangile is a very beautiful wine. Silky and medium in body, the 2025 is a classic L’Évangile. Bright red-toned fruit, mocha and rose petal all grace the palate. Touches of blood orange and white pepper lift the brilliant finish. This is a very precise wine and one of the top Pomerols of the year.”

96 Points – Georgina Hindle, Decanter
“Nice plump roundness on the palate with a touch of strawberry acidity to bring life and lift. Fine tannins, a cool crisp blue fruit edge with liquorice and wet stone aspects. Mineral, salty, spiced grip on the finish. A serious, refined style with charm and structure.”

96 Points – Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
“Damson colour, with a ton of juicy blue and black fruits, well judged density, energy and lift. Grilled cumin, peony, iris flowers, slate and crushed rocks. Clear ageing ability and impressive precision across the vineyard.”

Hampden Estate 1753 Single Jamaican Rum is a rich, full-bodied rum that pays homage to the long history of Hampden Estate, one of Jamaica’s most iconic distilleries. Made using traditional methods, it blends both pot still and column distillation, resulting in a rum that’s complex, bold, and full of character. The rum is aged in a combination of American oak and ex-bourbon casks, which imparts deep, warm flavors.

The nose is immediately inviting, with intense aromas of tropical fruit, like ripe bananas and papaya, alongside a pronounced, earthy funk that is characteristic of Jamaican rums. There’s also a hint of spice, brown sugar, and oak. On the palate, the rum is rich and flavorful, with layers of dark fruit, molasses, and a slight peppery warmth. The influence of the casks provides a rounded, smooth finish that is both sweet and slightly smoky. Hampden Estate 1753 is a complex rum that shines in sipping cocktails or enjoyed neat, offering a true taste of Jamaica's rum-making heritage.

96 Points! A deep, quite herbal expression, with liquorice and crushed blueberries to the cassis fruit. Full-bodied, powerfully fruited, dense and deep. Really mouthcoating, intense fruit. The tannins are ripe, fine and plentiful, all saturated in blackberry juice on a long finish. Certainly one of the more successful Châteauneufs this year. Will age well. A Mourvèdre-led expression of Beaucastel - it contains more than usual, at least 35% and probably more. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! Toasty, meaty and inviting, this fresh red shows an understated, savory side, with notes of singed spices, mesquite, wet earth and fresh tobacco leaf flanking a silky range of plum and warm cherry compote flavors. Channels its terroir, with a round feel held in check by refined tannins. The finish is lined with cool minerality and heavy iron. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Terret Blanc, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul de Pinet, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne. Drink now through 2030. - Wine Spectator

98 Points! The 2022 Pinot Noir The Traveler is captivating. It is also one of the most dense, powerful wines in this range. Blue/purplish fruit, menthol, lavender, mocha and licorice are all amplified. Time reveals more delicacy, while soft, silky contours wrap it all together. This is inky and plush, with seamless balance and mind-blowing intensity. What a wine! - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

98 Points! The 2022 Pinot Noir The Traveler is a deep magenta ruby hue and is entirely from a suitcase clone that is now referred to as the "Wayfarer Clone." In the glass, it reveals a complex and layered nose of ripe cherries, wildflowers, black raspberries, forest herbs, and blood orange. It’s driving on the palate, with refined tannins and coiled, bright acidity throughout, and it’s fully ripe but has a persistently long finish. Not a wine for the faint of heart, it’s built for the long haul and is going to show its best if given time in the cellar. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

From the importer: “Pipinot” is Lara and Mattia’s flagship wine, produced from four vineyards around Lauzacco of dolomitic limestone origin with soils varying in proportions of loamy clay, gravel, and sand. In homage to the traditional ramato style of vinification wherein Pinot Grigio’s notable pink skins contribute color and texture, the 2023 “Pipinot” macerated for 30 hours before fermenting via indigenous yeasts in the pied de cuve method, aging for eight months in a combination of equal parts stainless-steel tank and 20-hectoliter Slavonian oak botti before being bottled without filtration. Pouring a lovely light gold with glimmers of pink, this texturally layered wine offers notes of melon rind, white cherries, and licorice on a generous but focused frame, with notable but non-intrusive grip and persistence. Aside from the obvious linguistic connection to its constituent grape variety, “Pipinot” in Friulian dialect refers to a rambunctious child—perhaps one who has ambitious ideas about making big changes at the family winery (!)… The 2023 underwent partial malolactic fermentation and contains 13.68% natural alcohol.

The Liquori delle Sirene are a collection of bitters and liqueurs made by the lovely Elisa Carta, a trained sommelier and olive oil taster, and a passionate herbalist. All of her products were born on Lake Garda, and were inspired by its gardens, colors, sunsets, and aromas. Many of the botanicals come from here. The name Sirene is a tribute to one of the most beautiful bays in the lake, Baia delle Sirene (Bay of the Sirens), and its story. Liquori delle Sirene are the fruit of a long and passionate research, and the reworking of old family recipes for Italian liqueurs and elixirs. No chemicals or artificial coloring are used in any of Elisa’s products. The precious China Calisaia from South America is queen in this bitters. The bark of the plant, after being carefully selected, is processed by hand to extract the aromatic and spicy part. The characteristic dark red color makes it absolutely unique, not surprisingly, this China is called China Rossa. This bitters marries beautifully with Old Fashion making it understood and original.

98-100 Points! The 2018 Cote Rotie La Mouline is immensely seductive, offering up enticing notes of floral potpourri and red berries on the nose. Those strawberries and raspberries persist onto the full-bodied palate and through the long, lush finish, buoyed by supple, creamy-textured tannins. This is the most complete, compelling vintage of La Mouline I've tasted. - Wine Advocate

99 Points! Just about pure perfection as well as a desert Island wine, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mouline comes from a tiny parcel in the Côte Blonde lieu-dit and spent four years in new barrels. Incredible notes of black raspberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, smoked game, violets, and pepper all emerge on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied, round, supple, sexy Côte Rôtie offering ultra-fine tannins, an insane level of purity, no hard edges, and a monster of a finish. As with the other 2018s here, it leads with its fruit and has a supple, ethereal style on the palate... - Jeb Dunnuck

Juveniles is the latest in a long line of excellent collaborations between whisky blender Compass Box and Paris wine bar Juveniles Bistrot à Vins. Whiskymaker John Glaser and Tim Johnston are long-time friends and this special whisky has been created to celebrate wine and friendship. Every Juveniles collaboration has featured a jester on the label, and this release has one of his bells in the punt of the bottle, ready to give a jingle every time you pour. For this Limited Edition, Compass Box was asked to create something “...bright, smooth, not smoky... an assemblage perhaps between 12 and 15 years-old…”. John Glaser has pulled together whisky from Strathmill, Balmenach, Clynelish and Glendullan from refill hogsheads, re-charred hogsheads and both first-fill and refill sherry butts to create a zesty dram that balances crisp barley sugar and pear drop notes against rich vanilla and soft herbal notes. Perfect for dinner – chilled or over ice as an aperitif, or with cheese as the evening continues. Not chill-filtered. Natural color. Bottled at 46% ABV.

100 Points! One of the greatest wines produced in Bordeaux this year is the 2019 Lafite Rothschild, an impeccably balanced classic of immense charm and grace. Wafting from the glass with arresting aromas of cassis, blackberries and cherries mingled with violets, cigar box and warm spices, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, its velvety attack segueing into a layered, concentrated mid-palate framed by exquisitely powdery tannins and ripe acids, and concluding with a long, perfumed finish. This rivals the 2010 and 2016 as the greatest Lafite of the decade, and of those three vintages, it's clearly the most sensual and demonstrative out of the gates. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

100 Points! So much sweet tobacco, Spanish cedar, dried flowers, dark mushrooms and roses. Really aromatic. This is so polished and very powerful, yet ethereal and refined at the same time. The finish goes on for minutes. Tight and harmonious. You want to drink it! So balanced, yet it will age beautifully. It will be this good forever. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! A fine-tuned, elegant Barolo with aromas of dried cherries, dried roses, licorice and mint. Full-bodied, it shows smoothness, density, weight and soft tannins despite the structure, with refreshing acidity and a long, vibrant finish full of savory flavors. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Laced with cherry, strawberry, rose, mineral and white pepper flavors, this red is expressive despite being linear and taut. Firms up on the finish, where lively acidity drives the fruit and savory elements. Shows excellent harmony and potential. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! A blend of fruit from five MGA sites (Brunate, Liste, Cerequio, Cannubi and Raviole)...The Damilano 2021 Barolo Lecinquevigne offers nice intensity and standard Nebbiolo complexity with dark fruit, cassis, spice and toasted tobacco leaf. You do not taste the personality of any one site, but that's not the point. Aged in large botte, the wine is open-knit in texture and immediate. You can wait longer or pull the cork now. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

98 Points! One of my favorite wines (although it's hard to find), La Violette makes a rich, sexy, yet always elegant and seamless style of Pomerol. Their 2019 Château La Violette is deep purple-hued and offers an incredible perfume of blue fruits, iron, tobacco, spice box, flowers, and loamy earth. Full-bodied on the palate, it shows the pure, elegant style of the vintage, has beautiful tannins, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. There's lots of creamy background oak that needs time to integrate, but this is another remarkable release from this team. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following 20-25. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! The 2019 La Violette offers typical ravishing scents of blueberry, crème de cassis and violet (of course), modern yet irresistible and well-defined, and better than in previous years. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy yet balanced, with supple tannins, copious, lightly spiced red fruit and a pure, concentrated finish. A delicious Pomerol that offers hedonic pleasure. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

98 Points!This is a compact cylinder of ripe and fresh fruit with currant, fresh-herb and dry-earth character on the palate. So solid. Full-bodied yet refined and checked in every way. Well-defined, formed and perfect. Just a hint of volcanic salt and iron. Contemplate this one. Try after 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

96+ Points! The 2016 L'If, 100% Merlot in this vintage, is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. The allure the 2016 showed as a young barrel sample has been replaced with huge structure and prominent yet well balanced tannins that both give the wine its strong-voiced personality. Readers should be prepared to be patient with the 2016, as it is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. Even so, the 2016 is super-impressive in the early going, not to mention a fabulous wine in the making. Cyrille Thienpont gave the 2016 14 months in French oak, 50% new. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media