Search results for: 'romagna cuvee'

99 Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is just about pure perfection and another example of Napa Valley magic. All Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 80% new French oak, it offers an incredible bouquet of pure cassis and blackberry fruits as well as textbook Pauillac-like notes of graphite, tobacco, toasted spices, and chalky minerality. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it’s one of those wines that somehow marries incredible intensity and richness with no sensation of weight or heaviness, perfect balance, and a layered, multi-dimensional style that’s hard to describe. It shows more tannins and chocolaty oak with air and needs to be forgotten for 4-6 years, and it will be a 40+-year wine. It’s heavenly juice. - Jeb Dunnuck

98+ Points! Altogether much more serious than Lail's Blueprint bottling (and priced accordingly), the 2019 J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon comes primarily from the Vine Hill Ranch, Dutch Canyon (Heimark) and Steltzner Vineyards. Marked by deep, seductive scents of cassis and rich loam, accented by hints of cedar and dried sage, it's full-bodied, concentrated and rich, finishing long, velvety, seamless and elegant. Pretty special stuff. - Joe Czerwinski robertparker.com

 

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100 Points! Lail's 2021 J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon blends lots from several high-end vineyards, including Heimark (Calistoga), Vine Hill Ranch (Oakville) and Steltzner (Stags Leap), plus Lail's own Mole Hill on Howell Mountain. It's an exciting wine, starting from the pulse-quickening aromas of raspberries and black cherries tinged with dark chocolate. In the mouth, this full-bodied beauty is richly concentrated, with a sensuous texture somewhere between silky and velvety, while the softly dusty finish shows terrific length and a spine-tingling hint of licorice. To reduce this wine to deceptively simple yet hard-to-pin-down words, it's complex, harmonious and elegant, yet it's enough of its place that it could only come from Napa Valley. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

98+ Points Jeb Dunnuck's Wine of the Year! One of the finest wines in the vintage, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dutch Henry Canyon area in Calistoga, Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville, and Stelzner in Stags Leap (which was added in 2018). It spent 20 months in 75% new French oak. Still tight and inward, it has sensational purity in its currant, mulberry, truffly earth, graphite, and leather aromatics. These carry to a full-bodied, rich, incredibly concentrated 2021 that has the vintage’s fresher, focused style, ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for a quarter of a century. - Jeb Dunnuck

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93-95+ Points! The 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos de Champs Martin Cuvée Carline unwinds in the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, vine smoke, raw cocoa, cloves, anise and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's layered and complete, with a tightly wound core of vibrant fruit framed by beautifully refined tannins and concluding with a long, saline finish. Less demonstrative than its 2019 and 2018 predecessors, I suspect it will emerge as the finest of the trilogy in the fulness of time, but it will require patience. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Fabulous aromas of honeysuckle, lavender, stone and menthol. Full-bodied, lightly off dry, spicy and powerful. Very long and rich. What potential. Fabulous gewurz. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2013 Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre comes from predominately Keuper marl-limestone soils in Hunawihr (Muhlforst area) and Ribeauvillé (Trottacker) which give this age worthy wine a full and powerful style. Nobly clear and elegant on the deep and concentrated but super subtle nose where ripe bright fruit aromas with a dash of lemon juice are displayed. Round, piquant and very elegant on the palate, this is an intense, complex, lovely mineral and extremely well defined wine with a stimulating vibrancy and a nice tannin grip which, in combination with the minerality, gives not just tension and power but also a very long and salty Gewurztraminer with mandarin flavors and flowers in the very persistent aftertaste...Produced from old vines from the former wine estate of the Lords of Ribeaupierre, the grapes are selected and harvested at the peak of their ripeness. It is a wine with flowery and spicy aromas and a dry personality, and yet so rich and so fruity that it almost hints at sweetness … a mere illusion...In youth, the roundness and viscosity can mask its typical dryness as well as the underlying finesse which is the Trimbach trademark. - Stephan Reinhardt, roobertparker.com

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95 Points! Lots of fresh flowers, limes, sliced apples and honeysuckle on the nose with candied lemon and heather notes. Full-bodied with a light phenolic tension, rich with lots of citrus peel and minerals in the finish. Concentration with freshness. Pinot bianco, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

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95 Points, Wine Spectator's #11 Wine of the Year 2025! This impressive Pinot is polished and detailed, offering dynamic flavors of raspberry and blueberry, with mineral and brown baking spice hints that build richness toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2035. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! Very firm, focused and concentrated, showing pure black cherries and blackcurrants on a lively frame of nervy acidity and moderate tannins. Mouthwatering acidity, with fruit expanding on the palate and spices like cloves and cinnamon developing. - JamesSuckling,com

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95 Points! For this light-bodied category this has a remarkable concentration of stone fruit, honeysuckle and slate character. But it’s the combination of this with the elegance of the mineral acidity that makes it stand out. Glides over your palate in the very graceful finish. Fermented and matured in two 1,000-liter Fuder barrels, of which one was new. Drink or hold. - Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com

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99 Points! Forget the world and fly into this incredibly concentrated and subtle recreation of a Chateauneuf from two centuries ago. A cornucopia of gingerbread, dried cherries, bitter chocolate and wild herbs on the nose. The quality of the tannins is as unique as the aromas. Endless layers of flavor in the super-refined finish. A cuvee of 23% grenache, 22% syrah, 20% counoise, 20% mourvedre, 7% cinsault, 3% clairette, 2% clairette rose and 1% each of bourbelenc, picpoul and roussanne. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Lastly, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude checks in as 25% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, 20% Counoise, 7% Cinsault, 2% Clairette Rose, and the rest a mix of varieties. It has a more medium-bodied, elegant, silky profile as well as remarkable complexity in its savory red fruits, pressed flowers, savory garrigue, and spicy nuances. I love its overall balance, and it has fine yet building tannins and a great finish. As always, this cuvée is more about complexity and elegance than power. - Jeb Dunnuck

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96 Points! The 2018 Geyserville is a blend of 68% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane, 10% Petite Sirah and 2% Alicante Bouschet. It's incredibly alluring, offering up layers of warm, tricolored fruits and loads of spicy accents on the nose, with a dusty, mineral-tinged undercurrent that adds to its appeal. In the mouth, it's generously fruited and fantastically juicy, its silt-like tannins providing just enough support, and it finishes very long and layered. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com Learn More

95 Points! The 2017 Chimère reminds me a little of the 2011 with its more elegant yet still powerful style. Beautiful notes of black cherries, blueberries, cured meats, pepper, tree bark, and new leather all emerge from the glass, followed by a rich, medium to full-bodied, tight, backward and unevolved Mourvèdre that needs forgotten for 4-5 years. As always, this cuvée is primarily Mourvèdre (it’s normally blended with Grenache and other varieties, even some white varieties) and there are a scant 100 cases made. - Jeb Dunnuck

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95 Points! I think the finest vintage for the classic cuvee ever, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape is a sensational blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 12% Syrah and the balance other permitted varieties. Aged mostly in tank, it offers a massive array of smoked herbs, lavender, black raspberries, toasted nuts, truffle and garrigue. Full-bodied, ripe, decadent and concentrated, it has slightly less structure than the '09, but has more raw material. This flat-out awesome Chateauneuf will have 20 years of longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck, robertparker.com, 2015

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95 Points! Peter Michael’s Bordeaux program is built around their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, Les Pavots. The 2008 Les Pavots, a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc and 11% Merlot, offers up notes of roasted coffee, cocoa, chocolate fudge, black currants, licorice and a hint of truffles. This full-bodied, beautifully rich red boasts an opulent texture, impressive purity and a long finish. Impressively made with impeccable attention to detail (it is sorted berry by berry rather than grape bunch by grape bunch), this 3,500-case cuvee should drink well for two decades or more. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Mostly Clairette (there’s 20% Grenache Blanc), the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Bernardine Blanc has a gorgeous array of ripe pears, honeyed tangerines, white flowers, and a wonderful sense of stony minerality. This all carries to a medium to full-bodied, richly textured, and flawlessly balanced white with integrated acidity and outstanding length. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Full, expressive nose of candied citrus, dried pear and vanilla that pulls you into this very structured, full-bodied white Chateauneuf, which has energetic acidity for this hot and dry vintage. The positive, fine tannins really help to drive this cuvee with clairette from the extreme east of the appellation and grenache blanc from the extreme west. This was vinified in a mix of demi-muid and foudre oak casks. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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96+ Points! The 2022 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru is taut and mineral, unwinding in the glass with a typically brooding bouquet of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of rose petals, spices, burning embers and beetroot. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, chalky finish, it will demand some patience. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

95 Points! The Mazis from Dugat-Py is profound, if not as expressively open as other wines in the cellar, yet there is abundant substance here. The aromas are spicy and complex, with an impressive depth of flavour to the black plum fruit and a round, supple structure. The grapes are from 75-year-old vines in Mazis-Bas; with the next vintage, Loïc will add a cuvée of Mazis-Haut from a sharecropping agreement. The fruit is fermented as 90% whole clusters; ageing is in 50% new casks. - Decanter Magazine

 

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98 Points! Originally a part of the legendary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house, Rare is moving their Champagne Millésime to a new brand and want it to stand alone. (Think Delamotte and Salon.) The 13th vintage for this cuvée, the 2013 Champagne Millésime is a blend is 70% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with the majority of the blend coming from the Montagne de Reims Grand Cru and Premier Cru. A bright yellow hue, its aromatics are exquisite and well-balanced, with fresh notes of key lime, candied apple, fresh croissant dough, fresh pineapple, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a rounded and supple texture and a pillowy mousse. It’s long on the palate and has a silky personality as well as a long, pristine finish. It has fantastic balance of decadence and freshness, and I could drink this all day. It’s going to have a long drinking window. Drink 2024-2044 and beyond. Disgorged December 2022. - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

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100 Points! The 2022 Lamella Shiraz has a little secret held within, and it's one not noted on the label. Within this cuvée, is just two barrels of fruit from the Stonegarden Vineyard, the original Lamella Vineyard, before the current Huttonvale Farm. Stonegarden was planted in the Eden Valley in the middle 1800s and is a historic site. The wine rises with Chinotto and blood orange, black tea and pressed flowers. It is, in its quiet way, kaleidoscopic and mottled ... it does not stay still, it gently moves across the palate like sunlight over the course of a day. The long finish speaks of raspberry pip and sandalwood, pomegranate, Boscobel rose and even the softest suggestion of scraped vanilla pod. If you have the benefit of time, I would recommend tasting this on both day one and day two. As I see it, day two has all of the complexity of day one, with the added seamlessness and silk that only time can bring. This is the most alluring Lamella I can recall ever tasting on release, despite many previous releases' flirtation with perfection. 100% whole bunch. 14.9% alcohol, sealed under natural cork and wax. - Erin Larkiin, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Mostly Merlot (there's roughly 20% Cabernet Franc), the 2019 Château Valandraud Virginie De Valandraud from the Thunevin team reveals a deep purple hue to go with a brilliant nose of spiced currants, black cherries, new saddle leather, Provençal herbs, and subtle floral nuances. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced on the palate, with gorgeous tannins and a great finish. It's the finest vintage for this cuvée I've tasted, surpassing the 2015, 2016, and 2018. It's going to drink brilliantly for 20 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2019 Virginie de Valandraud is wonderfully deep and super-expressive. Red plum, raspberry jam, espresso, crushed rocks, rose petal, lavender and tobacco build into the richly textured, resonant finish. This explosive, flavorful Saint-Émilion has a ton to offer. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! Blackberry, chocolate and hazelnut character on the nose, following through nicely to a medium body with integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Tight at the end, suggesting more to come with bottle age. Hints of mushrooms and earth. Second wine of Valandraud. Hint of wood at the end that will dissipate with age. Drink after 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

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96–97 Points – James Suckling
“Excellent GPL, medium- to full-bodied with a great expression of dark fruit that is evenly distributed. It’s fresh and precise with grainy, integrated tannins that should only integrate more. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot.”

95–97 Points – Wine Advocate (Yohan Castaing)
“The 2025 Grand-Puy-Lacoste reveals a classic, refined bouquet of cassis, dark berries, cedar and lead pencil, with discreet floral nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, structured and precise, it’s built around a well-defined core of fruit framed by finely grained, youthful, filigreed tannins with a tensile profile. Less demonstrative than some of its peers in Pauillac, it privileges balance and typicity over sheer power, concluding with a long, elegant and mineral finish. Produced from a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, this is the first vintage vinified in the estate’s new gravity-fed cellar, enabling more precise parcel selection.”

94–96 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A Cabernet-dominant blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot from yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare, the 2025 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is gorgeous, with ultra-classic Pauillac aromatics of red and black fruits, lead pencil, graphite, and crushed stone. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's up there with the top vintages of this cuvée, and it doesn't get more Pauillac than this.”

94–96 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous
“The 2025 Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a very poised bouquet with blackberry, cassis, cedar and subtle graphite aromas that unfold with superb precision. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, beautifully judged acidity and impressive purity. Fresh and focused, this possesses all the classic hallmarks of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, leading to a long, refined finish. A superb Pauillac in the making.”

 

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95 Points!  Blackberry, plum, light earth and undergrowth on the nose. Citrus, too. It’s full-bodied with rich, chewy tannins that turn energetic, fine and tight on the finish. Lively acidity. Second wine of Margaux. A blend of 69% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot, 9% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. Try after 2024. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

95 Points! This cuvée has been in the running for the best second wine in the vintage for a number of years now, and I think it just might be there in 2018. The 2018 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge checks in as 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, and it's no lightweight effort, revealing a dense purple color as well as gorgeous crème de cassis, black cherry, crushed violets, sandalwood, smoke tobacco, and incense. It's loaded with Château Margaux character, has medium to full-bodied richness, ample structure, and a great finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only improved with air. Don't underestimate this second wine – it's incredibly impressive. Hide bottles for 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.  - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

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97–99 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 La Mission Haut-Brion is magnificent. Vibrant and intensely expressive, it offers a captivating mix of blackberry, cassis, lavender, graphite, incense, and crushed stone. Deep, layered, and exceptionally refined, the 2025 combines the estate's trademark power with remarkable energy and precision. One of the wines of the vintage.”

97–99 Points – Wine Advocate (Yohan Castaing)
“A blend of 58.3% Merlot, 38.3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3.4% Cabernet Franc, the 2025 La Mission Haut-Brion reveals a refined bouquet of smoky cassis, dark berries, spices and lead pencil, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and layered, it’s built around a multidimensional core of fruit underpinned by fine, velvety tannins, concluding with a long, perfumed and precise finish. Combining depth with energy, it delivers a textural yet controlled expression of power, with a real sense of freshness.”

98-100 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
“Flowers, black currants, cigar wrappers, smoky espresso, graphite, crushed rocks, and licorice create the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is vibrant, energetic, fresh, and layered. There is remarkable purity to the fruit with waves of cassis, black cherries, cocoa, and tobacco that build from start to finish. The finish is long, complex, and packed with smoky minerality.”

96–98 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A Merlot-heavy blend of 58.3% Merlot, 38.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc that's being raised in 60% new French oak, the 2025 Château La Mission Haut-Brion sports a dense ruby/purple hue as well as juicy black raspberries, currants, smoky tobacco, freshly sharpened pencils, and liquid violet nuances on the nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, concentrated, layered mouthfeel, focusing tannins, and beautiful overall balance and length. It's a slightly more inward, focused expression of this cuvée, but that's the vintage, and this has tons to love.”

96–97 Points – James Suckling
“A very refined and polished La Mission with blackcurrants, graphite, crushed stones, violets, and hints of tobacco. Medium- to full-bodied with beautifully integrated tannins and excellent freshness. Precise and focused with a long, persistent finish.”

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