Search results for: 'note red'

95 Points! This has a lovely core of fruit with aromas of nectarines, grilled lemons and flint. The midweight, textural palate shows balanced acidity, finishing with a slight phenolic grip. Moving out of the cooler 2023 bottling, this is far more generous and open. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! For fans of Chardonnay without malolactic fermentation, Shafer's 2024 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch remains a standard-bearer. Ripe pineapple, pear and honeysuckle mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is loaded with opulent mango fruit that's expansive and lush but brought back into focus on the crisp citrus-and-green-apple finish. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95 Points! Spicy and creamy shiraz-based blend with velvety tannins framing a silky core of dark fruit, licorice, cloves, grilled herbs and spices. Five spice and smoked paprika coming through. Full-bodied yet elegant. 65% shiraz, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 9% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The star of the show is the 2022 Ontogeny, a broad, layered, richly textured 2022 that has gorgeous cassis and blue fruits as well as integrated oak, some classic Cabernet graphite, iron, and smoked tobacco. It’s rich, full-bodied, and wonderfully complex, with ripe tannins and a great, great finish. I love it today yet it should cruise over the coming 10-15 years in cold cellars. - Jeb Dunnuck

97+ Points! Bright red. Intense, sultry aromas and flavours of red roses, violets, nail varnish, pomegranate reduction and red cherry syrup, plus sexy vanillin oak. Layered and nicely mouthcoating, with a string underlying spine that neatly supports the ripe red fruit and sexy spice flavours. Finishes long with hints of blood orange and candied violet. More than other more forward-drinking 2020 Brunellos, this needs to spend time in a good cellar, for it is bound to improve considerably. - Ian D'Agata Wine Review: 

97+ Points! Brunello of identity, the result of a protocol aimed at enhancing the elegance of Sangiovese di Montalcino. Imposing aroma, which attacks on notes of pomegranate, with touches of juniper and wild mint and hints of licorice root. Savory palate, recall notes of red fruit and balsamic notes. - Luca Gardini

97 Points! The 2020 Brunello from Fuligni is fragrant, smooth and delicious. It opens with enticing aromas of wild berry, violet, crushed mint and pine forest. Full-bodied and loaded with flavor and finesse, it delivers mature Marasca cherry, raspberry, star anise and cake spice set against fine-grained tannins. Boasting a weightless finesse, it’s well balanced, with fresh acidity. - Kerin O'Keefe

97 Points! A bright red color with orange highlights, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino is very pretty, with a delicate rustic hint that I find quite attractive. It reveals attractive red fruit on the nose, with notes of cranberries, wild herbs, and just a subtle hint of saddle leather and blood orange. Mid-weight, it's light on its feet while delivering wonderful energy and freshness, with snappy ripe red fruit, a refreshing, angular feel, and mouthwatering saline and acidity. This is certainly one of the highlights of the 2020 vintage.  - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

95 Points! Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Lagrange explodes from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked red and black plums with suggestions of rose oil, cedar chest, pencil lead and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic vibrancy for the ripeness, packed with juicy black fruits and compelling tension with a finely grained texture to support, finishing on a lingering mineral note. Nicely done! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

97 Points! The flagship 2018 Château Lagrange is a more dense, backward, serious wine, offering an unevolved yet incredibly promising bouquet of cassis, blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and violets. A big, rich, full-bodied Saint-Julien, it delivers thrilling purity of fruit, plenty of background oak, ripe, silky tannins, and a great mid-palate. This is serious stuff, but it's going to require patience. Hide bottles for 7-8 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! This lively red is round in profile, exhibiting red fruit flavors of cherry, raspberry and pomegranate. Iron and licorice notes chime in as this gives way to dense, lightly chewy tannins on the finish. Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. - Wine Spectator

98-99 Points! A superb red for the vintage with so much character, singing Lafleur like a world-class opera singer. So spicy and floral, showing tobacco, cherries and redcurrants. Some milk chocolate and truffles. Complex with seductive tannins and creamy acidity. Wonderful length. Reminds me of the 1978. A blend of 45% merlot and 55% bouchet (cabernet franc). - JamesSuckling.com

95-97 Points! Deep garnet-purple colored. Needs a lot of shaking to unlock notes of fresh red cherries, black raspberries, and blackberries, opening out to hints of lilac, Sichuan pepper, underbrush, and fertile loam. The medium-bodied palate delivers a firm frame of grainy tannins and just enough freshness to support the tightly knit red and black berry layers, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent

94-96 Points! The 2024 Château Lafleur is classic in every way, offering a gorgeous perfume of black raspberries, gravelly earth, and spring flowers that evolves toward more violet and mineral-driven notes with air. Medium-bodied, with a layered, rounded mouthfeel, it's not massive but shines for its precision, ripe, polished tannins, and gorgeous finish. This is a wine that gains in nuance the longer it sits in the glass, and these subtle, graceful 2024s from the Guinaudeau family feel like a throwback to the 1980s, made with remarkable purity and precision. - Jeb Dunnuck

*Pre Arrival - Jan 2027 

95–97 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
“Black cherries, licorice, flowers, chocolate, smoke, and mint leaves create the perfume. The multiple layers of fruit grab your attention with their elegance, purity, and energy, finishing with a refreshing touch of chocolate-mint and a light touch of sea salt, adding sapidity.”

95 Points – Georgina Hindle, Decanter
“Beautiful aromatics, floral notes and Chinese five spice with sweet red berry fruit. Juicy and lifted, with a calm, chiselled frame and velvety tannins. Balanced and poised with lovely layering of texture and aromatic complexity.”

94–96 Points – The Wine Independent (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)
“Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2025 Canon-la-Gaffelière slowly emerges with notes of lavender and lilacs, red currant jelly, fresh blackberries, mossy tree bark, tar, and cardamom. Tightly wound with mineral-laced fruit layers and a savory lift.”

94 Points – Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
“High pumice stone grip, certainly very much on the limestone character, attractive and with plenty of lift and grip, with attractive drama from grilled sandalwood and incense oak notes.”

94–96 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Canon La Gaffelière is bright and beautifully focused right out of the gate. Orange peel, sage, mint, pipe tobacco, dried flowers and mocha soar out of the glass. I especially admire the energy here.”

92–94 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A lighter, more herbal-styled wine offering juicy red fruits, sappy flowers, graphite, tobacco, and a kiss of minerality. Medium-bodied, with fine, polished tannins and a good finish.”

96 Points – Georgina Hindle, Decanter
“A great Pomerol in the making. Really floral and so perfumed with violets and iris notes. Juicy and bright with strawberry and red cherry, the acidity up front while the fine tannins gently coat the sides of the mouth in a chalky powderiness. Monumental precision and freshness.”

96 Points – Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
“Packed full of muscular tannins, each strand feeling luscious and silky, deep intense fruit, this is Pomerol at its heart, black chocolate, cocoa bean, olive tapenade, red rose petals, creamy blueberry fruits.”

95–97 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“A Merlot-heavy blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc, the 2025 Clos Du Clocher has a brilliant nose of juicy red and blue fruits with notable complexity in its spicy wood, flowers, and graphite-like nuances. Rich and medium to full-bodied, with wonderfully polished tannins and a great finish.”

94–96 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
“The intense floral aromatics promise to capture your attention. The palate is silky, vibrant, and fresh with lift and refinement to all the sweet red berries and pit fruits. The finish is refined, long, and lifted.”

94–96 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown
“The 2025 Clos du Clocher bursts with vivacious notes of juicy black plums and boysenberry preserves, opening out to reveal hints of crushed rocks, tapenade, and espresso. Very bright, shimmery Pomerol and a real head-turner.”

95 Points! With its seamless textural slide across the palate, this is a superb example of what is considered a distinctly Australian blend, showing both generosity and serious intent. A magnificent full nose leads to a lively dance of red plums over blue and black fruits, although the strong acid spine results in a rather sharp finish. Time in the cellar will reveal more integrated harmony between the essential elements. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! Rich, succulent flavors of wild berry are ripe and plush, but there's terrific restraint here as well, with cedary tannins and an element of palo santo, along with tobacco, dried herb and green tea notes that are firm on the finish, as more grace notes reveal themselves. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

98 Points! The 2021 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is a towering wine. Just as it did en primeur, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. The Cabernets are very high in the blend, and that comes through in a Saint-Julien endowed with ton of explosive vertical lift. Lavender, dried herbs, mint, spice, rose petal and a kick of orange peel are some of the notes that run through this striking Pichon Comtesse. The aromatics alone are compelling, but everything about the 2021 speaks to class personified. Bright saline notes extend the finish. In a word: sublime. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

97 Points! Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants and graphite. Metal shavings. It's medium-bodied, with a classy center-palate of fruit and fine, velvety tannins leading to an almost endless finish. This has so much class, especially for the vintage. Very low production. Drink after 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Subtle and attractive aromas of blackcurrants and flowers with hints of spices. Black truffles as well. Medium to full body, with fine tannins that are nicely integrated and racy. Succulent at the end. Umami, too. Drinkable but better after 2027. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

94 Points! Vibrant plum colour with violet edging, glass staining and gorgeous. A serious Pavillon Rouge, as is typical of the vintage, with fleshy raspberry and bilberry fruits, espresso and cocoa bean, precise and clean-cut, taking serious aim at the tannic frame. This is even more concentrated than 2016 in terms of the analysis, and the intensity of the fruit character suggests long ageing ahead of it. The estate saw 80mm of rain on August 13 but apart from that there was almost no rain for six weeks. 36hl/h yield (compared to 55hl/h in 2016, explaining the extra concentration here), 55% new oak for ageing. - Jane Anson

95 Points! The pale and delicate red 2023 Ollos de Maia, made with 40% each Brancellao and Caíño Longo and 20% Zamarrica (a.k.a. Caíño da Terra), was produced with a very long maceration. It's perfumed, aromatic and elegant, with notes of dried rose petals and wild herbs and is fine-boned and elegant palate with very fine tannins and great balance and harmony. It's really impressive, clean, focused and precise. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

100 Points! One of the most powerful and significant La Fleur-Petrus I have ever tasted with incredible depth and power. It’s full and so layered with fine and intense tannins. It shows very dark fruits, dark chocolate with hazelnuts, and milk chocolate with almonds. This will age for eternity. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

100 Points! The finest vintage from this address I've ever tasted, as well as a perfect wine, the 2020 Château La Fleur-Petrus reveals a dense purple hue to go with a deep, layered, full-bodied, yet flawlessly balanced style carrying a smorgasbord-like array of red and black fruits, chocolate, dried flowers, spicy oak, and damp earth. It's not a powerhouse in the style of Trotanoy, Vieux Château Certain, or say, Clinet, but is all about finesse, elegance, and complexity. This magical Pomerol will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise for 20-30 years in cold cellars. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

97-99 Points Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

"Smoke, licorice, charcoal, black raspberries, espresso, dark chocolate, and floral aromatics open the perfume. Elegant, energetic, deep, and long, with layers of sweet, polished fruit, espresso, licorice, and a profound mineral essence."

96-98 Points Antonio Galloni, Vinous

"Elegant, polished, and super refined. Bracing mineral notes cut through dark red and blue-toned fruit, spice, mocha, leather, and licorice. Seamless and profoundly elegant with magnificent balance and a gorgeous sustained finish."

96-98 Points Jeb Dunnuck

"Ripe currants, black cherries, graphite, scorched earth, and chocolate define the bouquet. Full-bodied with deep, layered richness, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Loaded with potential."

97 Points Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

"Fragrant, intense and vivid with rose bud and violet flowers. Powerful chalky tannins build slowly across the palate. Concentrated, elegant, savory and incredibly satisfying."

97 Points Decanter

"Supple and juicy with beautiful acidity, ripe strawberries, blueberry notes, chalk, flint, and graphite. Friendly, balanced, smooth and full of energy and elegance. A real wine of its place."

96-97 Points James Suckling

"A deep and layered red with chocolate, berry, cherry, orange peel, and limestone aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with lovely fruit and a tangy, vivid finish."

94-96 Points Wine Advocate

"Dark berries, plum, and kirsch mingle with iris and anise. Full-bodied, layered, multidimensional, with tangy acids and a long penetrating finish."

94-96 Points Neal Martin, Vinous

"Bright aromas of red and black fruit, orange rind, and crushed limestone. Succulent ripe tannins, citrus freshness, graphite and white pepper emerge on a long, satisfying finish."

95 Points & Wine Spectator #4 Wine of the Year 2022! Well-built and rather refined for the vintage, with a deep well of red and black currant paste and plum reduction flavors supported by a deeply inlaid iron note, all of which run the length of the wine. Offers subtle savory, tobacco and singed cedar notes that add range, with a savory echo that leaves a mouthwatering feel in the end. Built to cellar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2040. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! Ripe redcurrants and plums with violet and other flowers on the nose. Full-bodied with firm, polished tannins that are ripe yet firm. Pure fruit here. Pretty center-palate. Chewy finish. Give this at least five or six years to come around. Best after 2026. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com Learn More

96 Points! Plums, currants, pine cones, mushrooms and bark on the nose. Some licorice, too. It’s medium-bodied with tightly knit tannins. Tight and fresh with fantastic tension and drive. Refined and focused. Spicy and lightly salty at the end. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! This delivers a tumble of ripe raspberry, plum and boysenberry fruit flavors, lined with violet, red tea and sweet tobacco notes that add lift and range. The long, racy, chalk-lined finish leaves a pure feel that’s not easy to achieve in this vintage. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. - Wine Spectator