Search results for: 'spain white reader'

95 Points! The 2021 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills offers a richer, nicely oaked profile that includes honeyed stone fruits, toasted spice, crushed stone, and salted citrus-like nuances. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, and has a concentrated, mouth-filling profile that's grounded by a beautiful spine of vibrant acidity. It benefits from air, and this is another awesome Chardonnay from this team that readers will absolutely love. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! A really drinkable Ribera del Duero that shows restraint and finesse. Dark cherries and grilled herbs with a hint of white pepper and cocoa powder. Full and supple with fine, precise tannins. Very long, persistent and rather intellectual. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! This is a cooler-climate Syrah done with the light touch of a Pinot Noir master. The nose is extremely peppery, reminiscent of a tour through a Tellicherry peppercorn factory, yet with tart cranberry, rust and soil elements as well. The palate is immensely grippy with more white pepper as well as charcoal and brisk red-fruit flavors. It will also cellar very well. - Wine Enthusiast

94 Points! The 2018 Syrah Schock Family Vineyard is Gavin Chanin's first Syrah, and it is fabulous. Deep and rich, but not at all heavy, the 2018 has so much to offer. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2018 is an embryonic wine at this stage. What comes across is the wine's exceptional balance and harmony. Time will be needed for Syrah aromatics to emerge. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antoni Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! Aromas of limes, white nuts, green apples, savory seaweed and seashells. So delicious, with a creamy, nutty touch and a savory, lightly saline finish. Nori at the end. Really long and intellectual. Viura aged in Sherry butts. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93+ Points! The 2021 Monopole Clásico Reserva comes from a cooler year with a long cycle and was produced with grapes that were picked on October 7 and 8, fermented in stainless steel, then matured in oak barrels and Sherry casks of different sizes—300, 400 and 500 liters—where it matured for eight months and managed to grow a veil of flor yeasts in the butts filled with the wine. Still pale and young but with incipient complexity, it has a very spicy nose with notes of esparto grass, hints of pollen and cereals. It's fresh and comes in at 13.38% alcohol, with a pH of 3.26 and 5.61 grams of acidity, meaning balance and freshness. It has depth, complexity and character, with more freshness and acidity and some grip, showing more of the character of the vintage. It's very tasty and ends with a very pleasant bitter twist in the finish. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

96 Points! The 2021 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto is powerful and explosive in the glass. A rush of wild red cherry, spice, kirsch, menthol, rose petals and incense races across the palate. Deep, savory and intensely mineral, the 2021 is magnificent. Readers will find a wine of stature and pure breeding. Superb. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! Crunchy black cherries, raspberries, leather, and peppery floral notes all emerge from the 2021 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, an incredibly pure, medium-bodied Pinot Noir that has fabulous concentration, a focused, nicely structured mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's a hidden little gem of a Pinot Noir that readers should snatch up! - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! The 2021 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has also turned out brilliantly in bottle, and readers will have a hard time choosing between this and the Lavaux Saint-Jacques. Bursting from the glass with aromas of peonies, wild berries, cherries, orange zest and spices, it's full-bodied, ample and multidimensional, with a broad attack that segues into a layered, enveloping core, concluding with a long, spicy finish. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

94–96 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Lynch-Moussas is so classy. Silky and refined, the 2025 is all charm. All the elements are so well balanced. Readers will find a Pauillac of undeniable appeal. This is so precise. The 2025 is going to need a few years to soften as the tannins are quite imposing, and yet there is so much wine. A major step forward.”

98 Points! Blackberries, plums, currants, tobacco and violets on the nose. Bitter chocolate and mocha, too. It’s refined and focused, with a medium to full body and firm, tightly-knit tannins. Very long, laser-focused and polished. Very classy. Best of the trilogy. Try after 2027. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

97 Points! Heady and expressive on the nose, seductive tones of ripe fruit and perfumed flowers. Gorgeous intensity on the palate, rich, round and ripe - gently chewy - but cool and refreshing too. This has a dynamic undercurrent with tannins that are fine but firm giving a slightly narrow frame. It’s a bit more serious than some, brooding, but clearly well made with definition. There’s a confidence here, vibrant and detailed fruit with an excellent lingering impression of the terroir in the slightly salty, chalky, graphite touch. Layered and well built with supreme classicism. A top buy. I'd like to own this one! - Decanter Magazine
 

96 Points! Even more outstanding than the 2020, the incredibly priced 2021 Reserva is young in boisterous blue fruit, with a generous, full-bodied palate of richness and upfront power. The tannins add length and breadth to the wine, which is tasting great and could go another 10-15 years. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

96 Points! Elegant yet perfectly structured, this is the most floral of the Murrieta Reservas I’ve tasted in recent years. With 8% Graciano and 4% Mazuelo, the nose is perfumed with pretty rose petal and delicate red berry fruit, as well as wild herbal aromas. Blueberry fruit typical of Tempranillo directs the palate, rounded out with a little fleshy Garnacha, and framed by subtle American oak. It offers immediate appeal but will age gracefully for many years to come. - Decanter Magazine

95 Points! Their flagship wine comes from one of the finest vintages in recent times. The 2021 Marqués de Murrieta was previously called the Reserva and still qualifies as such, but it's not included in the name now. It was produced with 86% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano, 4% Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha Tinta from their 300 hectares of vines in their Ygay estate on limestone and clay soils with alluvial influence. The grapes were picked between the 27th of September and the 15th of October, and each plot and variety was vinified separately in stainless steel, matured in American oak barrels for 26 months, then blended and kept in concrete for a few months until bottling, which was a longer élevage this year. It's very spicy, peppery, with a combination of berry fruit and some incipient tertiary aromas, hints of forest floor and truffle. It's very Rioja, with clout, elegance and freshness and the elegant tannins that are the signature of 2021. It comes in at 14.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.6, denoting ripeness and balance. It's delicious, fresh and available. Bravo! - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

96 Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic Mount Veeder wine loaded with strong savory and mineral accents. Black fruit, graphite menthol and licorice lend complexity to this huge, explosive Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannins are pretty fierce at this stage, so readers should plan on being patient. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94 Points! Black raspberries, cassis, spring flowers, and tobacco notes dominate the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a beautiful, classic, medium to full-bodied, incredibly satisfying Cabernet that does everything right. Drink this complex, perfumed, elegant beauty over the coming two decades. The blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, aged in 81% new French oak. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! The 2019 Faugères is one of the most elegant wines I have ever tasted from Silvio Denz's Saint-Émilion estate. Silky, aromatic and super-expressive, Faugères is absolutely exquisite. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, dried flowers and cinnamon are some of the many nuances that open in the glass. There is plenty of the textural richness readers have come to expect over the years, but the 2019 is less over the top than some previous vintages. And that's a good thing. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

95 Points! A full-bodied red with fine tannins and plenty of plum, milk-chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s creamy and attractively textured. Rather flamboyant for the vintage. Generous and formed. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Magnificent black cherry, tea leaf, cocoa and violet perfume. Elegant, round and silky on the palate, with ripe polished tannins, amazing structure and nicely-integrated oak. Fruit-driven and persistent finish. - Decanter World Wine Awards

95–96 Points – James Suckling
“A very structured red with black currants, blackberries and chocolate aromas. It’s full and flexing, with solid tannins and a long finish. Impressive. Better than 2022?”

93–95 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Malescot Saint Exupéry is classic Malescot. Dark, powerful and quite brooding. Dark-toned fruit, gravel, incense, licorice, tobacco and dried herbs are delineated with serious concentration and pure, unbridled power. This backward, massively tannic Margaux is a wine for readers who can be patient.”

92–94 Points –  Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2025 Château Malescot St. Exupéry offers up aromas of sweet blackberries, plums, pencil shavings and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and fleshy, with a sun-kissed core of fruit and powdery structuring tannins, it's a dramatic, generous, crowd-pleasing style of Margaux.”

97 Points! Dried tropical fruits like mangoes and green papaya, with lemons and green apples. Limes, too. Full-bodied yet tight and compacted with great length and persistence. Muscular yet fresh. 66% sauvignon blanc and 34% semillon. Drinkable but needs five or six years to soften. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

96 Points! Ripe and expressive on the nose, aromatically complex with notes of carmalised lemons, honey, peach and wet stones. Clarity and precision from the start, such a well defined palate with striking high acidity, crisp and sharp citrus fruits and a salty undertone. Soft spicing comes in towards the finish suggesting this needs more time and will have a long life ahead but the nuanced bitterness, freshness and lift are all so appealing. Excellent weight and balance too with a bright and long finished - a gourmet style with plenty to like. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points!  The 2020 Château Cos D'Estournel Blanc, a blend of 66% Sauvignon Blanc and 34% Semillon, brings another level of density as well as complexity. Honeyed pineapple, melon, crushed stone, and spicy, savory herbs notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a beautifully layered, elegant mouthfeel and a great finish. It's a gem of a white and ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage. It should keep for 10-15 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! A harmonious red that marries modern pomp with restraint and elegance. Full-bodied and lush, yet fresh and well-defined by sinewy tannins. Features flavors of pureed blackberry, licorice snap, herbed black olive and mocha that expand on the palate, with tarry smoke and loamy earth character. Best from 2023 through 2033. - Wine Spectator

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