Search results for: 'romagna white'

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

94 Points! Made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc aged 25% new oak, the 2022 Château Cote De Baleau has a deep ruby/purple hue as well as a brilliant nose of smoky red and black fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed stone. I love its overall purity, and it's medium to full-bodied and has a silky, elegant mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Super perfumed on the nose. Sharp, just shy of sour blackcurrant and black cherry on the nose and palate, vibrant. Lovely crushed stone and powdery texture to the tannins - they're prominent giving some tightness on the mid palate with a liquorice and dark chocolate edge to the frame towards the finish. Serious but well worked, lean but detailed, just a bit tense right now though does feel sculpted with a cool minty freshness on the finish. Tasted twice and kept the higher score. Rolland & Associés consultants. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

93 Points! Very elegant with blackberries, black olives, spice and a hint of cedar on both the nose and palate. It's medium-bodied with well-integrated tannins that provide both length and beauty. Hard not to drink now. A blend 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. - JamesSuckling.com

92-94 Points! The 2022 Côte de Baleau has a well-defined bouquet with black cherries, bilberry and floral scents, quite complex and focused. The oak is nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with more pliant tannins than many of its peers, lending it a rounded texture, beautifully balanced with a minerally finish. This represents a big step up from the 2021. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! The 2022 Côte de Baleau is quite racy and extroverted in this vintage, as one might expect. Bright red-toned fruit, chalk, mint and white pepper lend notable brilliance to this mid-weight Saint-Émilion. Côte de Baleau is usually pretty forthcoming. The 2022 might need some time to come together. Drinking window : 2025-2037 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! Such an elegant wine for this Grand Cru that tends towards aromatic richness, the pineapple and basil notes very delicate on the nose. On the medium-to full-bodied palate there’s more succulence, but even there the crushed-stone minerality keeps everything very cool and straight. Very long, focused finish with so great vitality and very fine tannins. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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.”

94 Points! Beautiful nose, blackcurrant, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, cherries, crushed stones, blue fruit and bramble fruits. Sleek and straight, nice acidity, but this is quite linear with the Cabernet really giving the backbone, length and overall structure. Feels a bit tense, but it does have texture too so it’s not austere or harsh, just strong. Really well built, delivering power no doubt, but keeping a soft juiciness underneath. Very medicinal - clove, liquorice, unmistakable Cabernet speaking here, but feels clean and well worked. Nothing sticking out too much with body, plushness and cool freshness. Good potential, really impressively constructed. 3.7p. Ageing 30% new oak. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! More Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated, the 2022 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that spent 14 months in 20% new French oak. It's even better than the Les Hauts de Smith and has gorgeous aromatics of black cherries, currants, scorched earth, tobacco, and graphite. This textured, medium to full-bodied, seamless beauty has ripe tannins, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish. This matches, if not exceeds, the 2020. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Aromas of currants and blackberries with orange peel and rose petals follow through to a medium body with racy and polished tannins that go on for a long time. Vivid and energetic. Second wine of Smith Haut-Laffite. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. Give it two to three years. -  JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2022 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is a rich, heady wine. A blast of dark cherry, plum, licorice, menthol, chocolate, tobacco and incense makes a strong opening impression. This Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend is all opulence. I would give it a few years to settle down. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

93 Points! This is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with an élevage lasting 14 months in 20% new oak. A completely different nose to Les Hauts de Smith, which has all that lightly roasted Merlot fruit;this has the same intensity but now in a pure, perfumed, floral Cabernet style, touched with mint and white peach. This continues through into the palate, now joined by darker tones of liquorice, toast, tar and charcoal, with a very pure and finely knit together backbone of tannins. A remarkable wine bearing in mind it is a second label, with dark fruit, high-quality structure and great length. This is a delicious Pessac-Léognan with fine potential. Give it ten years at least. A long grip to this rather solidly built wine. - The Wine Independent

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

95 Points! A subtle graphite character makes this a very attractive and typical Bordeaux red. Aromas of dark plums with a touch of iron, as well as forest-floor, mineral and white-pepper notes. Medium to full body with fine, chiseled tannins and a perfumed finish. Tensioned and long. Quite transparent on the palate. Merlot from deep, thick clay. 80% in foudre. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

92-94 Points! This medium to full-bodied 2022 Marsau is an attractive wine produced from 100% Merlot. It has a delightfully pure bouquet of peony, violet, iris, menthol and cassis, followed by a crunchy and juicy yet fresh texture and then by a mineral-driven finish of remarkable purity, expressing elegant notes of licorice and pencil lead. Anne-Laurence and Mathieu Chadronnier have produced a red wine that punches above its weight. Bravo! - Yohan Castaing, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

94 Points! Lovely dark fruity fragrance with perfumed floral aromas on the nose, smells expressive and open. Smooth and supple, a lovely combination of tension, mouthwatering acidity and fruitiness here, such sleek texture with definition and soft juiciness. The tannins have grip and purpose with a softly fleshy and mineral sensation - liquorice, wet stone and graphite - giving a wide and interesting expansion on the palate. Feels cool and controlled, serious and focussed, with balance, still with concentration and power and grip. Feels very classy on the palate. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

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

98 Points! The Grand Vin from this terrific Pomerol estate, the 2022 Château Clinet checks in as 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 19 months in 80% new barrels. It's a beautiful Pomerol that clearly ranks with the greats from this address, offering a vivid purple hue, classic notes of cassis, leather, graphite, and black cherries, full-bodied richness, and a layered, seamless mouthfeel. It's another remarkable 2022 that brings the richness and depth of the vintage while staying light on its feel and flawlessly balanced. It has plenty of upfront appeal even today, yet there's ample structure here as well, and it's going to evolve beautifully over the coming 30 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! Streamlined and sleek, silky smooth but also gorgeously textured, clean and clear with grip and interest. Less fleshy and chewy than some, more charming and elegant with tannins that have a weight in the mouth. There is clear power and concentration underneath the juicy acidity with a straight backbone and direct energy from start to finish. Appealing layers of salinity, blackcurrant fruit, creamy vanilla, cool cola touches and crushed stones on the finish. Feels well made and sophisticated. 3.74pH. A yield of 34hl/ha. Earliest harvest ever starting on 6 September for Merlot and 20 and 21 September for Cabernet Sauvignon. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

96 Points! The 2022 Clinet is terrific. Vibrant, aromatic and beautifully sculpted, Clinet is also a terrific example of the energy quality-minded winemakers were able to achieve in 2022. Crushed rose petals, spice, blood orange, mint and white pepper give Clinet a compelling upper register of presence in the bouquet. Wonderfully delineated, Clinet builds effortlessly into the mid-palate and finish, where a closing burst of red/purplish fruit framed by clean mineral notes leaves a lasting impression. This is stellar. Tasted two times. Drinking window : 2030-2052 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! Intense aromas of dark violets and blueberries as well as terra-cotta follow through to a full body, yet it’s tight and focused with beautifully framed fruit from polished tannins and a long and rather endless finish. A complete and fresh Pomerol in 2022. - JamesSuckling.com

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

97-98 Points! This is always an idiosyncratic wine. This year it’s stunning, with a unique floral aspect and excellent depth of pure blue fruit, mulberries, dried herbs and white pepper. So juicy and mouthwatering on the palate, with a medium to full body and fine tannins. There is a crystalized mouthfeel, but the tannins are fresh and well knit. This is already delicious, which indicates its superb balance. 48% cabernet franc, 29% cabernet sauvignon and 23% merlot. - Zekun Shuai, James Suckling

95-97 Points! Seamless and silky in the glass, with superb balance, the 2024 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the wines of the vintage. All the elements are so well balanced, always a sign of a superior vintage at this address. Floral notes, spice, leather and mocha run through a core of layered, beautifully persistent dark red fruit. Harvest took place between September 17 and 25, during one of the rare windows with little rain. As always, Les Carmes is done with a high percentage of stems (52%), specifically 100% for the Cabernet Franc, 50% for the Merlot and 20% for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging 70% new oak barrels,19% 18HL foudre and 11% amphora. New oak is already very nicely integrated, another sign of a superb vintage. The 2024 is a brilliant effort by the team led by Technical Director Olivier Pouthier. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94-97 Points! The 2024 Château Carmes Haut-Brion comes from 7.8 hectares of vines in the heart of Pessac and is 48% Cabernet Franc, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance 23% Merlot that was vinified with 52% whole clusters and will spend two years in 70% new barrels as well as smaller portions in vats and amphora. It's one of the darker-hued wines in the vintage and has a terrific nose of ripe black fruits, smoky earth, violets, crushed stone, and hints of lead pencil. It's medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, and a great finish. I think it's clearly one of the top wines in the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck