Search results for: 'layer cellars'

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

94 Points! Hailing from a warm vintage that was one of the best in what would otherwise have been a fairly ordinary decade, the 1985 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon is starting to take on a deep golden appearance, commencing to amber. It offers a gorgeous, suave texture and a very complex nose that's a touch oxidative but that adds a layer of additional intrigue: it's all nuts, raisins, walnuts, olives, warm pastry, cinnamon, cooked orange peel. It's round and sweet (95g/L) but not unctuous with richness on the mid-palate while retaining enough acidity to refresh the mouth on the long finish. A wine that is very comfortable in its own skin, providing a very relaxing experience.

Moulin Touchais produces sweet Chenin Blanc in the Coteaux du Layon appellation. The wines are most often late harvested, although in some vintages - such as 1997 - a high level of botrytis builds on the fruit. What makes the winery special is its late-release policy: the wines must spend a minimum of 10 years in the underground cellars beneath the village of Doué la Fontaine before release. - Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, 2021

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

92-93 Points! A fresh and solid TL with currants and cherries. Hints of chocolate and spice. Medium to full body. Juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Lovely richness and depth. A blend of 59% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot and 6% petit verdot. - James Suckling

92-94 Points! Dark cocoa, flowers, tobacco leaf, and spicy currants show in the nose. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, lush, deep, and loaded with chocolate coated plums, spice, and cherries. There is richness to the layers of fruit on the mid-palate, and in the finish. The wine sports a new name as it is now known as only Tronquoy. The label has been updated as well with a new, modernized design. 14.5% ABV, 3.8 pH. Drink from 2026-2040. - Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

94-96 Points! Lots of plums, blue and black fruits, earth, chocolate, and hints of earth all emerge from the 2022 Château Tronquoy, a full-bodied, pure, powerful Saint-Estèphe with impressive tannins and a great finish. It shows more floral and red-fruited nuances with time in the glass, and this is clearly a beautiful wine in the making. It shows the ripeness of the vintage while staying pure, balanced, and seamless. - Jeb Dunnuck

91 Points! Le Creete vineyard is located at the southern end of Lake Garda and planted on the limestone and clay soils that make this region so interesting. As if basking in the sun, the wine opens with aromas of warmed pineapple, guava and lemon with heady white flowers wafting in and out. The palate lifts with tart notes of passion fruit and lemon peel, with a texture that has layers upon layers to explore. Crushed chalky notes define the lengthy and elegant finish. - Wine Enthusiast

90 Points! This has tropical fruit aromas like jackfruit, guava, pineapple and grapefruit. It’s juicy, ripe and fleshy with a medium body and a tasty finish. - JamesSuckling.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

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

95-96 Points! A dense wine with good richness and concentration. Slightly chewy, with an almost full body and a tight-grained finish. Long, structured and powerful. Not a lighter year for Pichon Baron, thanks to the low yield of just around 20 hectoliters per hectare. 87% cabernet sauvignon and 13% merlot. - Zekun Shai, James Suckling

94-96 Points! Beautiful stuff, the 2024 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron has ripe currant and cassis fruit intermixed with classic lead pencil, graphite, and tobacco nuances. It's medium-bodied, with a pure, layered, and elegant mouthfeel, notable tannins, and outstanding length. The 2024 is based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot, hitting 12.7% alcohol with a pH of 3.71. - Jeb Dunnuck

90-92 Points! Unwinding in the glass with notes of pear, white flowers, fresh bread and mint, the 2019 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Raidillons is medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with tangy acids and chalky grip on the saline finish. This should turn out well. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

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

95-96 Points! Very good poise, tension and depth, with a light peppery, mineral and citrusy touch to the fruit. Good fruit here, with medium to full body and elastic, chalky tannins. There is something quite pure and transparent in the middle. So elegant, al-dente and long. An excellent wine from this difficult vintage. 70% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Picking between September 26 to October 8. - Zekun Shuai, James Suckling

92-94+ Points! A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2024 Château Bellefont-Belcier is deep purple-hued and opaque, showing remarkable purity in its black and blue fruits, graphite, crushed stone, and violet notes. Medium-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has a pure, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and integrated acidity. This château continues to never put a foot wrong, and their 2024 will absolutely be worth your time and money. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! Sourced from the producer's certified-organic Double L estate as well as McIntyre, Tondre, and other sites, the 2023 Chardonnay Highland gathers the grapes and barrel-ferments in 25% new French oak, making an approachable white that can be enjoyed in its youth. Medium-bodied layers of green apple and Meyer lemon flavors are accented in woody undertones and baking spice, finishing in a richness of crème brûlée. Drink now. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

93 Points! Coming from Sonoma and based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and smaller amounts of Petit Verdot, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Details is a smoking bottle of wine, as well as an incredible value. Darker berries, currants, scorched earth, lead pencil, and hints of chocolate all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a plush, layered mouthfeel, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It's from Sonoma but will stand toe to toe with any number of Napa Cabernet Sauvignons that run two to three times the price. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2019 La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou is matured for 12 months in 60% new oak. Interestingly, that Earl Grey tincture continues to define this very classically styled wine, enhancing the black fruit. Hints of ash emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and plenty of graphite-infused black fruit that render this quite Pauillac in style. Impressively persistent on the tobacco-tinged finish. Leave this for 4–5 years in bottle just to smooth its edges. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

96 Points! Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, licorice and walnuts. So St.-Julien. Full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and chewy tannins that are really long and serious. Like the 1995 Ducru! One for the cellar. Needs at least until after 2028. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

95 Points! Where you can drink Le Petit Ducru relatively soon, with La Croix you need to wait a few years for the structure to soften. The tannins are silky, the black fruits drenched in espresso, liquorice root spice and smoked oak. An extremely successful La Croix, sexy and powerful while still elegant and sculpted. Give it five or six years from now, and expect a drinking window of at least 15 years. Almost entirely from specific plots within the Ducru vineyard, plus a few young vines of the Grand Vin. 60% new oak.- Jane Anson

90 Points! This white’s lovely mix of fresh lemon, pear and pomelo is pure and focused, with accents of peach blossoms, creamy oolong tea and dried ginger. Lemon oil and fresh-clipped herb notes linger on the finish. - Wine Spectator

From the winery: Crafted from several distinct vineyard sites, this wine incorporates two Sauvignon Blanc clones — Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Gris — for added complexity and texture. In expressing the Dry Creek Valley’s unique terroir, the 2024 vintage opens with bright aromas of lemon blossom, passionfruit, pineapple-guava, kiwi and jasmine. On the palate, vibrant notes of tart pineapple, lemon gelato, tangerine and grapefruit are balanced by hints of white pepper and citrus pith. It is a wine of depth with layers of complex aromas, flavors and textures, while remaining fresh and bright with brisk acidity.

94 Points! Bright, with crushed-stone and floral character on the nose. Medium body with a firm core, expanding through the palate. Vivid and bright. Lots of good energy. Crushed-stone and lightly chalky character at the end. Needs two or three years to come around. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

92 Points! The 2019 Potensac is fabulous. Bright and focused, the 2019 impresses with its energy, balance and total class. Crushed flowers, mint, cinnamon, crushed rocks and blood orange all open in the glass. The 2019 is class personified I love the purity here. The 2019 is a standout, and should be a terrific value, too. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

#BordeauxBlowout

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

97 Points! A hidden gem of a wine that doesn't get the recognition it deserves, the 2022 Château Couhins Blanc is 93% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Sauvignon Gris brought up in 18% new barrels, with the balance in used oak and tank. Bright citrus, honeyed lime, mint, sappy flowers, and chalky minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with gorgeously clean acidity and a great finish. Savvy readers should snatch up this ripe, voluptuous, sensationally layered, textured, complex white. It's always hard to predict how these concentrated dry whites will age, yet this should benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it still drinking beautifully at age 20. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Clear, pure and mineral with sour cream, white fruit and a touch of gooseberries. Medium-bodied on the palate, this has fresh medium acidity. Dissolved yet grainy in texture with a lengthy finish. Drink now. - Zekun Shuai, James Suckling

94 Points! The 2022 Couhins Blanc is superb, especially in the way it balances its brisk, saline character with notable mid-palate depth. White flowers, citrus peel, white pepper, sage and mint are all beautifully delineated. Intensely saline, mineral undertones support the persistent finish. This is commendable. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media