Search results for: 'mostly a one plot'

100 Points! The 2020 Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse), made mostly by the team of Nicolas Thienpont (the final blend was put together by Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse), is another tour de force from this incredible terroir, and undeniably one of the wines of the vintage. Based on 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new French oak, it offers a sensationally pure bouquet of black raspberries, blueberries, scorched earth, graphite, and a dense, smoky, floral character that emerges with time in the glass. With a voluptuous, layered mouthfeel, gorgeous mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a liqueur of mineral-like character on the finish, it shows the density, purity, precision, and vibrancy of this vintage perfectly and displays that rare mix of richness, intensity, elegance, and length that are the hallmarks of a truly great wine. This is unquestionably in the ranks of the 2009, 2010, and 2016 and will evolve for 40 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 Points! Intense but delicate, really an exciting wine to taste where you feel the energy build through the palate. Unmistakable limestone influence with the floral aromatics, a jumble of peony, roses and violets, opening up to brambled raspberry and loganberry fruits, with fennel, oyster shell and slate. Huge ageing potential. Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Cabernet Franc in this blend, just one of the many ways in which it stands out from its peers even on the limestone plateau of St Emilion, its delicacy suggesting it is one of the most Burgundian of Bordeaux wines. This vintage was overseen during the growing season and vinification by the team under Nicolas Thienpont, but given its final blend and ageing by new co-owner Josephine Duffau-Lagarosse, along with Prisca Courtin-Clarins. - Jane Anson

Les Moutons comes from Laurent’s favorite Malbec plot at the top of the hill on its poorest rocky topsoil on Jurassic limestone bedrock. This is where les moutons (the sheep) like to hang out the most, eating and fertilizing—“a sort of organic doping of the vineyards,” Laurent says.

“Les Moutons is destined to be my grand cuvée,” Laurent says

This 0.45ha upper plot in the vineyard always produces extraordinary wine from its 45-year-old vines, which he partially attributes to the plot’s spare soils and the regularity of sheep contributions. But perhaps the most significant factor is that it’s not made every year. Laurent’s vision for this wine is to have something serious and precise, and when the year doesn’t line up the way he wants it to, like 2021 and 2023, he blends it into Les Calades. 

Once the grapes arrive, half are destemmed and layered, “millefeuille style,” with the whole bunch clusters in a 30hl tronconic wood vat for around three weeks of natural fermentation with a control of between 12-14°C. The must is pumped over once per day until pressing.

Despite the notable beauty and class of the wine each year that it’s made, Laurent says that he’s still finding his way to fully realize his vision for this wine. In 2019, it was aged for 13 months in equal parts amphora, foudre and barrel. All of this 2020 was aged in 8hl Italian terracotta amphoras, and in 2022 it was four-year-old French oak barrels (at least from October 2022 to October 2023). As with the other reds, Les Moutons is not fined but passes through a light filtration, and has no added sulfites at any time.

98 Points! Incredible aromas of pine tree, mineral, cigar box and tobacco leaf but then it turns to currants and black truffle. Forest fruit and forest floor. Soya. Full body, round and decadent with a combination of ripe fruit and earth, spice and long finish. The uniqueness of Pavot is streaming here. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The 2014 Proprietary Red Les Pavots (3,570 cases) is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot aged in mostly Taransaud barrels with a small helping of Darnajou thrown in. This wine is fabulous in the vintage, although certainly less profoundly concentrated and extracted, as well as structured, compared to the 2013, which was off-the-charts fabulous. This is a brilliant wine, charming, with front-end loaded plum, blackcurrant and black raspberry fruit interwoven with graphite, tar and truffle notes. The wine has sumptuous texture, sweet, velvety tannin, and a long, full-bodied finish. It should drink well for at least two decades. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2022 Ikewen Tinto reminds me of the character of the 2018, perhaps a little narrower and spicier. It fermented with 100% full clusters but was still unoaked. There's also a lot of finesse here; it's elegant and floral, ethereal but with lots of energy and light. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

This wine was born in the 70s and is the result of blending plots of schist and mica schist located around the family cellars. A beautiful classic from Muscadet Sèvre & Maine which tells the story of the Luneau-Papin estate with each harvest.

98+ Points! From more than 100-year-old vines, the 2023 Ürziger Würzgarten In der Kranklei Riesling Auslese Alte Reben (Gold Capsule) is from a 2.2-hectare plot in the south-facing, terraced cru on red slate. Deep, clear and pure on the fragrant yet intense and refreshing nose that shows lemongrass, ginger and herbal as well as saline slate aromas. Very generous and lush yet also refined and filigreed on the palate, this is a savory and stimulating saline Auslese with fine, crystalline acidity and candied lemon and grapefruit aromas on the long finish. There are 140 grams per liter of residual sugar, which do not taste extraordinarily sweet but round and generous. The grapes were picked in early October with 15% of botrytis. 8% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine from AP 15 24 in January 2025. - Stephan Reinhardt, robertparker.com

The Capron-Charcousset Savigny Les Beaune 2008 is great follow-up to the previous Villages Savigny from their plots in Les Pimentiers we sold a couple of years back. It’s a prime example of what we do, sourcing classic older Burgundy, perfectly stored, and bringing it direct to you at insane prices. Savigny Les Beaune is one of the most underpriced appellations in Burgundy. The soils are great, the exposures varying, and the producers in this village all finely tuned in to making wonderful Pinot Noir.

As opposed to that previous wine from Capron, the style here is open, giving, with fantastic aromas of savory red cherry, spice. This one jumps straight out of the bottle, no waiting required! The youth and vigor here are remarkable, this wine is still young at 16 years of age but is ready to rock. We believe their parcels in Le Village and Dessus les Gollardes form the backbone of this delicious bottle of Pinot Noir.

93 Points! The super bargain of the portfolio has to be the red 2017 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza, which this year shows more development and faster aging, with more tertiary notes than the other reds from 2013 and 2014 that I tasted next to it. The frost of April 2017 killed 100% of the vegetal mass at Cubillo, and the grapes they picked were exclusively from the second generation, therefore fruit that ripened in a much shorter cycle, as the harvest was also earlier. It has notes of damp earth, mushrooms, truffles and forest floor, dry leaves and decayed flowers and herbs. It has a polished palate and is medium-bodied, with mostly resolved tannins, and it feels a little lighter. But it's still worth it. It was produced with a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 5% each Graciano and Mazuelo from vines averaging 53 years of age. It fermented in their old oak vats and matured in used American oak barrels for three+ years. It has 13.5% alcohol, a 3.0 pH and 6.5 grams of acidity. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

96+ Points! Castello Romitorio’s 2021 Brunello di Montalcino channels much of the estate’s fruit over seven plots, as no Riserva was produced, resulting in a wine of notable depth and cohesion. Whispered and delicate at first, the bouquet unfolds with white pepper, blue flowers and grilled herb before moving toward darker tones of sweet blackberry. The palate is open-knit yet powerful, showing juicy ripeness, layered complexity and a structured mid-palate that remains streamlined in classic Sangiovese fashion. Fermented in cement with maceration times tailored to the thickness of the skins from each plot, typically ranging from 18 to 24 days and extending up to 30 days when needed, the wine was aged for 24 months in oak, with 90% in large barrels and 10% in second- and third-passage tonneaux. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! This is plush and features cherry, plum, wild herb, iron and spice flavors. Its tannins are well-integrated with the fleshy texture and resonant flavors, which gather steam by the lingering finish. Shows terrific balance and length overall. - Wine Spectator

97 Points! A mixture of black and blue fruit, very perfumed and elegant. Cherries, plums and blueberries with a peppery undertone. Crushed violets, too. Bone-dry on the palate with abundant, silky tannins and a juicy, lengthy finish. Drinkable now, but better from 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The 2021 Malbec Nicasia Vineyard originates from a small plot nestled within Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley. It was aged up to 16 months in concrete vats and foudres and boasts a deep purple color. The complex nose unveils layers of crushed plums, blueberries, herbs, curry, lavender and graphite. Initially dry and plush, the palate transitions into a taut, chalky, overwhelming, and juicy texture, as if embodying structure and suppleness. This unique and flavorful Malbec offers a high-pitched intensity of flavor that lingers, showcasing a prolonged focus on the fruit. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous Media

Monthelie "Vieilles Vignes" is drawn from three parcels amounting to 1 hectare of vines planted in 1976. Among Garaudet's holdings is a plot in Les Toisières. This lieu-dit abuts Meursault Premier Cru Les Caillerets. The soils are of clay-limestone loam composition over a limestone substrate. 12 months aging in 30% new oak.

93 Points! The red 2023 Nossa Calcário Baga was produced with grapes from three plots of old vines (100 to 140 years old!) on Jurassic limestone soils with clay and marl only 15 kilometers from the ocean. The partly destemmed grapes fermented in open oak lagares with some pigéage, and the wine matured in 500- and 600-liter oak barrels and a 1,500-liter oak vat. It comes in at 12.5% alcohol and 5.52 grams of acidity. It reveals notes of ripe berries, decayed leaves and some spices, with an earthy touch that gives it complexity and a rustic twist. It has a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins and finishes dry. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

A brambly nose with potpourri, simple candied cherries and a touch of white pepper. Generous and sweet-ish on the palate, this has medium body, soft-grained tannins and easy fruit in the finish. Vegan. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

Bodegas Morca is located in the village of Borja, in the province of Zaragoza. Grapes of Garnacha from small plots with low yields are hand-picked and fermented separately in small vats, then transferred into French oak barrels to stay for 6 months to complete its ageing procedure. This opaque purple wine exhibits richness and finesse with layers of blackberry, blueberry and plum notes, mineral, mocha and spice box details edged with dark chocolate, licorice and cracked pepper.

94+ Points! The very young and pale white 2024 Txuria has a serious and stony nose. It was produced with grapes from small dry-farmed plots in different locations—Dicastillo (490 meters above sea level) and Andosilla (395 meters above sea level) in Navarra and Ábalos (550 meters above sea level) in Rioja—on sandy and silty soils with clay and limestone. It fermented in stainless steel without malolactic and was kept with the lees, 50% in stainless steel and the rest in used 400-liter French oak barrels. It has great purity, elegance, focus, clarity and balance. It comes in at a moderate 12.5% alcohol, with surprising freshness (pH 3.09) and high acidity (6.7 grams). This is stunning...- Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

95 Points! They adjusted the picking dates, and the 2022 Camino de Auritz sees a jump in freshness and elegance, finishing with a full 1% less alcohol than the 2021 (this has 13.5%). It's Garnacha from two old plots of 0.22 and 0.1 hectares on limestone soils at 450-plus meters above sea level, where they found some plants of Garnacha Gris. It fermented with 50% full clusters and indigenous yeasts (including malolactic) and matured in used French oak barrels for 11 months. This is a big jump in quality from the previous year. Unfortunately, there are only 874 bottles of this wine. It was bottled in August 2024. The wine is harmonious and approachable but should also age nicely in bottle. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

92 Points! Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills comes from a mix of sites (mostly Fiddlestix, radian, and Sanford & Benedict) and saw 15 months in neutral oak. Its medium ruby hue is followed by a complex, medium-bodied 2022 that has some gamey, iodine-like character in its savory red fruits, leafy herb, bay leaf, and forest, earthy nuances. I love its overall balance, and it has terrific complexity and a satisfying, lively, upfront style that will drink nicely through 2032. - Jeb Dunnuck

From the winery:

A longtime favorite, the 2023 SRH Pinot Noir combines wines from a “who’s who” of the most famous vineyards in our region. This wine comes from: Fiddlestix (42%), Radian (15%), La Rinconada (15%), Bentrock (8%), 10ninths (7%), Sanford & Benedict (5%), Spear (5%), and Rancho La Vina (3%). The very cool 2023 produced a superb SRH blend with grapes being picked over a remarkable 5-week period from Early September to Mid-October. Temperatures throughout the late summer and early Fall were moderate, and ripeness gained gradually until the last lots could be picked at Radian on October 12.

The deliberate inclusion of 20 separate blocks (9 distinct clones) at 8 vineyards is intended to create great complexity in the final blend, which we think is accomplished here. The wine shows wildly different berries (cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, loganberries) and red and black cherries, along with rhubarb, cola, and a panoply of baking spices (nutmeg, cardamom, cloves) and floral notes such as red rose and blood orange. The medium bodied wine has a silky texture and great length buoyed by great acidity and present tannins. The most approachable of our Pinot Noirs, the SRH will drink well right out of the gate, improve for 5-7 years and last another 8 after that at least.

A picture-perfect example of the elegant complexity and aromatic intensity of the best of Vosne. Here the Vigots combine fruit from two plots, ‘La Colombière,’ near the heart of the village and planted in 1979/1980, and ‘La Croix Blanche,’ at the border with Nuits, planted in 1947/1948. (Know that Mugneret-Gibourg’s Vosne villages sources fruit from these same vineyards!) Silky, refined, sublime.

96 Points! Juicy, ripe, plummy fruit with a spicy wood touch and a hint of citrus. Assertive and fine-grained with medium to full body. Excellent tannins are nicely woven and integrated with the fruit. Long finish. La Hoya stands out in this challenging vintage. 95% tempranillo and 5% viura. Sand and silt soils on an east-facing slope. 3.3 hectares. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The bottled version of the 2023 La Hoya feels quite serious and harmonious. It spent its first winter in 500- and 600-liter barrels and the second one in a 4,000-liter oak foudre. The nose is quite subtle and a little shy, with finesse. The top part of the plot is sandy, and the lower part has more silt; the combination gives the wine fruit and structure. It also has a lot of limestone and comes through as very balanced too. It's medium-bodied and really fine-boned. This is now showing much better than anticipated. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2021 Anza Especial was produced with the idea to obtain a wine with aging potential while keeping the freshness and drinkability from early on. It was produced with the fruit from three old vines—Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha and Viura—fermented by plot in stainless steel and matured in used 500-liter oak barrels. It encapsulates the perfume, finesse and elegance that is present in the whole portfolio here with the aid of a very balanced 2021 vintage. It has notes of violets, red and black berry fruit, wild herbs and subtle spices. The palate has symmetry, elegance and precision, the tannins are extremely fine-bonded, and the flavors pure and precise and stay in your mouth for a long time after you swallow. Great juice. It should age effortlessly. 2,800 bottles produced. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com