Search results for: 'paraje de clesse'

97 points, Vinous' #6 Wine of 2024! Light and elegant, the 2021 Cheval des Andes is 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot. It achieves a feat that only cool years can provide: smooth texture, agile palate and just the right amount of freshness for a nuanced build. As it breathes, it begins to reveal notes of fresh cherry and plum, with a hint of menthol, maraschino cherries and a touch of pepper. It opens further with aromas of sandalwood and oak that complete the framework. This is a somewhat leaner, more ethereal Cheval than other years, but it has a higher level of precision. It's a wine inspired by Bordeaux, executed in a Bordeaux style, with Mendoza terroir. A wine without edges, it’s a polished red in the early stages of a long, balanced life. - Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous Media

98 points! The finest vintage of this wine I've tasted, the 2021 Cheval Des Andes is based on 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Malbec, and the balance Petit Verdot. It has a decidedly Bordeaux-like nose of ripe currants, leafy tobacco, cedarwood, and a kiss of flowers, with perfectly integrated background oak. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. It has this remarkable sense of purity and class, and while it's incredible today (especially with a decant), I wouldn't be surprised to see it evolve gracefully for two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 points! Complex aromas of blueberries, pie crust, fresh flowers and currant bush with hints of baking spices like nutmeg. Medium- to full-bodied with extremely fine tannins that are integrated and gorgeous. Graceful and refined, with super length. Interestingly, 20% of the wine was aged in large oak casks (2,500 liters), mostly from Slovenia. Try after 2027 but a joy to taste now. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Since Gerald Gabillet's arrival in Mendoza in 2018, Cheval des Andes wines have gained in elegance and precision. In a great vintage like 2021, the results are spellbinding. Near-equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, with 3% Petit Verdot; the fruit comes from an old vineyard in Las Compuertas and a newer property in the Uco Valley. A fruity, floral wine, with minty hints and a subtle layer of oak that contributes spice and cedar notes. The palate is silky and energetic, with a vibrant freshness and polished, grippy tannins that channel it nicely into the long, perfumed finish. - Decanter Magazine Learn More

98 Points! The 2020 Cheval des Andes was harvested from the last of February for the first time ever. It was Gabillet's second vintage at Cheval des Andes, and that year, he had to start without waiting for Pierre Olivier Clouet and Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc; when they arrived, they had finished picking the Malbec, which surprisingly was fresher in Las Compuertas (because of the higher percentage of clay?) than in Altamira (where the vines suffered more stress), saving the freshness. They now harvest using cold trucks (for the first time), and they also started earlier in the morning (six in the morning, impossible earlier in Mendoza...), which he reckons was very good for the precision of the wine. They used 40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 400-liter oak barrels and 20% 2,500-liter foudres, half of them new and with an élevage of 15 months on average, depending on the lots and varieties from 12 to 18 months. The final blend was 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, which makes a comeback as it was not used since 2016. The key was to finish the fermentation of the Petit Verdot without skins, and that way, they have been able to use it in the blends of 2021, 2022 and 2023 in small but increasing percentages. This is slightly riper than 2019, with a little more alcohol (14.5%) and with very good structural tannins but saving the freshness, and it has the spicy side from the Petit Verdot (Gabillet talks about white pepper). The wine has the ultra sleek and polished texture and the elegance and the balance that is the signature here; the wine is very clean and precise. I see very good regularity across the three vintages I tasted next to each other—this 2020 and the 2018 and 2019. Overall, this is a triumph over the adverse conditions of the vintage. They produced their usual 100,000 bottles (since 2018), as they are renewing their vineyards and want to keep the volume stable. They produce this volume from the 36 productive hectares they have in Las Compuertas and Altamira. There are some more changes: in 2020, they went for a lighter bottle, weighing 100 grams less than the one they used in 2018 and 2019, but close to 300 grams less than the bottle from before. It's also a slimmer bottle, always thinking about the environment. They are very focused on agroecology, accelerating the regenerative viticulture and using cover crops; they have planted 1,900 trees in the last three years, creating small clusters of biodiversity for birds. They have transplanted some centenary olive trees and keep their sheep and lamas on the property. Very green-minded. - Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

92 Points! The 2019 Cap de Faugères has tightened up a lot on the nose, showing dense black fruit, tar and graphite scents, quite Left Bank in style. The palate is much more expressive, featuring fleshy red berry fruit mixed with allspice, clove and white pepper. Persistent and quite convincing on the finish. Give it time for those aromatics to get their mojo back – which they will. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

91 Points! The 2019 Cap de Faugeres is terrific, just as it was from bottle. Rich and expansive, the 2019 is so expressive right out of the gate. Succulent red cherry, spice, leather and tobacco all kicked up in this attractive entry-level offering from Silvio Denz. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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

94 Points! Lovely finesse with good depth of fruit. Tobacco, paprika, roasted spices and sweet berries. Fine-grained and dusty tannins unwind nicely on the medium- to full-bodied palate. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! Rocking blackcurrants, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and smoky nuances all emerge from the 2022 Le Marquis De Calon Ségur, one of the biggest, ripest, sexiest second wines in the vintage. It's full-bodied and has a round, opulent mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and a great finish. This might truly shock you with a decade of bottle age. - Jeb Dunnuck

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

99 Points! Very complex aromas of pears, persimmons, honey and cooked apples. Mineral undertones. Always subtle and multidimensional. Full-bodied with a tight and dense middle palate that gives a superb mouthfeel. It's lively and flavorful at the end but in a reserved way. Just a hint of bitter lemon and lilac. I really want to drink this, but give it three or four years to reach the right place. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Based on 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon that spent nine months in barrel, the 2022 Domaine De Chevalier Blanc is a brilliant white revealing a vivid gold hue as well as bright citrus, crushed stone, mint, and honeysuckle-driven nuances. Pure, focused, and elegant, it has remarkable balance, integrated acidity, medium to full body, and a beautifully layered texture. It should evolve beautifully for 20+ years. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! The 2022 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is stunning. It exudes textural depth, intensity and pedigree from the very first taste. I imagine it will still be stellar in another few years’ time. For now, it is a wine to think about cellaring. Time brings out dried lemon peel, sage, mint, chamomile, salt and crushed rock scents that lend both vibrancy and complexity. In most vintages, the Blanc is either incredibly steely or ample in feel. In 2022, it is both. Tasted four times. Drinking window : 2027-2047 - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

96 Points! It sails out of the glass with bright, vivacious notes of waxed lemons, fresh grapefruit, and yellow apples, leading to hints of elderflower, cedar, and honeysuckle. The medium-bodied palate delivers a wonderfully satiny texture with a racy line cutting through the intense citrus and orchard fruit layers, finishing long and fragrant. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

95 Points! The 2022 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc has turned out brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, jasmine, white flowers, spring blossoms and spices. Medium to full-bodied, layered and enveloping, it's charming and sappy with a dense structure, bright acids, gastronomic bitterness and a long, saline and mouthwatering finish. Confirming my expectations, this blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon is one of the best white wines of the vintage. It should gain harmony with age. - Yohan Castaing, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

94 Points! Dark currants with blackberries and a touch of pencil shavings. Good perception of freshness despite the ripe black fruit. Tight, full-bodied and fine-grained on the palate. Long, structured and juicy. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Give it two or three more years. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Blackcurrants, smoky tobacco, crushed stone, and graphite emerge from the 2022 Echo De Lynch-Bages, ripe, concentrated, structured second wine. It has more than a small resemblance to the Grand Vin in a rounder, more mouth-filling style that will have two decades of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Blue fruits, subtle perfume, a juicy blackcurrant and stony minerality on the nose. Supple and juicy, a real sense of fun with detail to the fine tannins. Well balanced, gorgeous texture, depth and characterful. A great second wine still with terroir markers, a salty finish, chalky texture and grippy tannins. Still concentrated and serious, there’s an intensity to the fruit but really well delivered. Will be a beauty. 91 IPT. 3.69pH. Ageing 14 months, new and one year old oak barrels. 3.9 g/L total acidity. 91 IPT. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com

90 Points! From a parcel situated on Fixin's alluvial fan, the 2019 Fixin Champs de Vosgers bursts with aromas of rose petals, spices, orange rind and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, it's lively and perfumed, with an immensely pretty, charming profile. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

98 Points! The 2018 Cheval des Andes is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon fermented in small lots in 3,000- to 8,000-liter tanks and matured 40% in 225-liter oak barrels, 40% in 400-liter oak barrels and the remaining 20% in 2,500-liter oak vats for 13 months. Ninety percent of the oak used was French and the rest a blend of Austrian, Slovenian and German oak, 50% of it new. 2018 has been one of the best vintages in recent times in Mendoza, and the wine shows it. It's a cooler vintage, and the wine has improved in freshness and elegance without losing any clout. It's 14.5% alcohol and has a pH of 3.73. This is young, juicy, elegant and balanced and still has some herbal and toasted notes; it's medium to full-bodied, with the creamy and luxurious texture of the modern Bordeaux, ultra fine tannins and a long, dry and precise finish. It's still undeveloped and seems to have all the components and the balance between them for a long and positive development in bottle. With wines like this, I sometimes wish I had a time machine so I could see them in 20 years from now... I think this is the finest Cheval des Andes I've ever tasted. - Wine Advocate

98 Points! All four of the flagship Cabernets from Morlet are absolutely world class. Starting out, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee comes from To Kalon, which was a vineyard that excelled in 2018. Revealing a dense ruby/purple color as well as a flat-out awesome nose of crème de cassis, black raspberries, flowery incense, dried tobacco, and classy new leather, this carries to a full-bodied, opulent, seamless 2018 with incredible tannins, flawless balance, and a blockbuster of a finish. It’s classic To Kalon with it’s rich, powerful, yet weightless style. While unquestionably very different wines, I kept thinking of a great 1982 Bordeaux while tasting this beauty, as those show a similar level of class, richness, and balance. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 2-3 decades. This is the finest vintage I’ve tasted for this cuvée. - Jeb Dunnuck

96–98 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“Deep purple-hued, the 2025 Arômes De Pavie has a gorgeous, Cabernet-like nose of red and black fruits, smoky tobacco, crushed stone, and chocolaty, truffly nuances. It's rich and powerful on the palate, with full-bodied richness, a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, flawless balance, and a great finish. You'd be excused for mistaking this for the grand vin of a few years ago, and it's more in the style of the classic Pavie than the Grand Vin in 2025.”

95–97 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
“Flowers, black cherries, black raspberries, licorice, smoke, espresso, and crushed rocks create the perfume. Rich, supple, and energetic, the wine combines depth, freshness, and minerality with layers of ripe fruit and a long, vibrant finish. This is one of the finest vintages ever produced for Les Arômes de Pavie.”

94–95 Points – James Suckling
“This shows density and beauty in the integration of tannins and fruit. Medium-bodied with attractive blue fruit and a dark, earthy finish. Lightly salty. 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc.”

93–95 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent
“Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2025 Arômes de Pavie features fragrant notes of blackberry preserves, fresh black plums, and aniseed, plus touches of garrigue, pencil lead, and lavender. The medium- to full-bodied palate is chock-full of bright black fruit flavors, framed by firm, grainy tannins and a crisp line of tension, finishing long and chalky. Impressive! The blend is 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 14.25% and the pH is 3.5.”

98 Points! This is a glorious 2020 with such pure fruit of currants and blackberries, as well as dark chocolate. It’s full and layered and opens in the glass to a lovely layer of fine, velvety tannins that are bright and citrusy. Crunchy. It really opens and shows so many layers. Spectacular. Drink after 2027. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

97+ Points! The Grand Vin 2020 Château Croix De Labrie is brilliant and the finest wine I've tasted from this estate. Dense purple-hued, with a liqueur of limestone-like minerality intermixed with ripe black cherries, boysenberry, spring flowers, and graphite, it's full-bodied, has a wealth of fruit and texture, sweet tannins, and remarkable purity. Its oak is perfectly integrated, and it brings richness as well as an incredible sense of precision and purity. This brilliant Saint-Emilion will be drinkable in just 3-4 years and will evolve for two decades. Tasted twice with consistent notes. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

98–100 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

“With a single swirl, the wine releases an intoxicating perfume of flowers, crème de cassis, blackberries, Cuban cigars, graphite, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, and violets. The palate is where the magic happens. Seamless, vibrant, and energetic, the wine combines purity, precision, and intensity with remarkable freshness.”

97–99 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
“Pure cassis, leafy herbs, spring flowers, and graphite all emerge from the 2025 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande, a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, has a flawlessly balanced mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and an incredible finish. The balance, length, complexity, and pure class here are exceptional. It hit 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.7 and an IPT of 73. Hats off to director Nicolas Glumineau for another absolutely sensational Comtesse!”

97–98 Points – James Suckling
“A bright and vivid red with so much perfume. Aromas of black currants and violets that follow through to a medium body with fine, linear tannins that are long and very refined. Tannin-driven but caressing. Racy and elegant, with structure. 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.”

96–98 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Pichon Comtesse is an elegant, beautifully layered Pauillac. Dark fruit, lavender, rose petal, graphite, and spice all meld together effortlessly. The wine possesses exceptional purity, finesse, and persistence, with the energy and balance that have become hallmarks of the estate.”

95–97 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous
“The 2025 Pichon Comtesse has a wonderfully defined bouquet with cassis, blackberry, graphite, cedar, and floral aromas. The palate is poised and beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins, impressive freshness, and outstanding precision.”

95–97 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande strides confidently out of the glass with classic notes of cassis, ripe, fresh plums, and wild blueberries, followed by hints of lilacs, pencil shavings, and tilled soil with a touch of crushed rocks. The palate is wonderfully graceful with tight-knit black fruit and floral layers, supported by firm, fine-grained tannins and great tension, finishing long and minerally.”

98 Points! Absolutely bursting with blue and red fruits, the concentration is deceptive here, as it starts out juicy and full of air, but after a few minutes in the glass you start to feel the weight and the texture, and this turns into an extremely serious wine with real tannic hold. Gorgeous savoury finish, as you get so often in the best Burgundies, where weightlessness is such a brilliant veil to the power behind. 55% whole cluster. - Decanter Magazine

98 Points! The 2018 Clos de Tart Grand Cru was wonderful from barrel but now it seems to have gone up another level. It has an exquisite bouquet with wonderful mineralité infusing the brambly red fruit. Wonderful focus and quite profound complexity. You could nose this forever. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiselled tannins married with a killer line of natural acidity. Everything is perfectly proportioned in this wine, very persistent with layers of dark berry fruit laced with white pepper and tea leaf on the finish. Immense. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

98–99 Points – James Suckling
“A tight and powerful wine with a precise and structured texture. Restrained, steely and racy. Goes on for minutes. So much intensity. A bright and shining white. Stunning balance.”

97–99 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2025 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc gets my vote for the white wine of the vintage. Rich and powerful in the glass, but also beautifully vibrant, the 2025 dazzles from start to finish. Lemon confit, pear, slate, mint, white flowers and tangerine peel are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop over time. The 2025 is quite simply stunning. Don’t miss it!”

97 Points – Decanter
“The cooler microclimate at this estate favours hot and dry weather, and this proved no exception in 2025. Always showing the exciting combination of freshness and white stone fruit fleshiness expressed in a suave palate texture with nuance and refinement, evoking Meursault-like depth and opulence. A great success.”

95–97 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown
“The 2025 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc soars from the glass with vibrant notes of grapefruit essence, Granny Smith apples, and passion fruit, leading to a fragrant undercurrent of honeysuckle, lime blossoms, and sea spray. The medium-bodied palate is intense with citrus and tropical fruit layers with a refreshing line and chalky texture, finishing with great length and energy.”

95 Points! This is surprisingly full-bodied and round, reflecting the warmth and sunny exposure of the vineyard around the chateau. Tangy and vivid with currants, fresh flowers and plenty of energy and length. Delicate yet ripe. 77% cabernet sauvignon, 19.5% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 0.5% petit verdot. Needs two or three years to come together completely. Drink after 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The second wine of this great château, the 2021 Le Petit Mouton De Mouton Rothschild offers up a mini-Mouton-like nose of pure cassis, graphite, and spicy oak and hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a deep, layered mid-palate, plenty of fruit and richness, and almost velvety tannins. Based on 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged in 50% new barrels, this textured, focused, impressively concentrated 2021 will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age (which is rare for a second wine) and cruise for 10-15+ years in cold cellars. - Jeb Dunnuck

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

90 Points! Bright, soft and fruity with plum and currant character, with full to medium body and a chewy finish. Muscular. Better in 2016. - James Suckling