New Arrivals

From a prime vineyard site across the street from Peter Michael, this vineyard was a key component to many of the great Beringer Knights Valley Cabernets of the past before it became the feature vineyard for the Greg Norman Estates program. Killer wine big, dark, powerful, what a steal!

95 Points! The cool climate of the vineyard really shines bright in the light-bodied, nuanced 2023 Chardonnay Escolle Vineyard, which offers lengthy, crisp, and subtle characteristics of gravel, green apple, and a hint of citrus and spice. Structured to age another 10 years, it captures the power and intensity of the appellation from a perspective of equal finesse. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

96 Points! This is from hearty Barossa soil, offering rich blackberries, blueberries and licorice, as well as sarsaparilla and a coal smoke. The palate is saturated with ripe dark plums and blackberries and smooth tannins stack up nicely, delivering such intensity of flesh and flavor into the long, fresh finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Dense and concentrated, this red showcases clove, chai tea and bittersweet chocolate aromatics that mingle with a note of hot cast iron minerality, which adds an appealing high tone. Delivers dense, thick tannins and toasted herb flavors, which leave an appealing impression on the finish. Drink now through 2036. - Wine Spectator

#FatOfTheLand

91 Points! The 2019 Colline Novaresi Spanna offers up scents of sweet dried cherry, mint, tobacco, dried herbs and crushed rose petal. Deceptive in its light-bodied structure, this ethereal red has plenty of depth. The savory, mineral side of Nebbiolo is very much on show. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

91 Points! The smart buy in the Ackerman lineup is the suave, polished 2018 Memoir Red Wine. A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% each Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and 6% each Malbec and Petit Verdot, it seamlessly marries cedary oak notes with cassis and dark chocolate flavors. Medium to full-bodied and less opulent and weighty than many of its Napa counterparts, it's still velvety-plush but also marked by ample freshness and length. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

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! 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

96+ Points! Very deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate Vineyard gives up warm cassis, black berry and black cherry notes with hints of cedar chest, black pepper, black soil and baking spices plus a waft of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, firm and tautly built, it has a lovely ripe and coarsely grained texture with oodles of freshness giving lift to the muscular fruit. It finishes on a complex earthy note. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

96-100 Points! A barrel sample of the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Aida Estate looks to be out of this world. It is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, and ratchets up all of the components that the 2014 had, but adds an extra dimension of glycerin, flavor intensity, fragrance, and lusciousness. It is a killer – a flattering, stunning wine that will be pushing perfection when released in a year or so. It should drink beautifully for 25-30+ years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

98+ Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with 10% Cabernet Franc, has opened significantly since I tasted it in March of 2022. Deep ruby in color, its aromatics have become more layered, with ringing tones of violet complementing blueberry, black cherry and redcurrants, plus sparks of aniseed, prosciutto and desert herbs. The palate is plush and supple, offering alluring spicy accents and generous, yet never onerous, fruit. Refreshing bursts of acidity call you back to the glass, and it finishes with fantastic length. It blossoms considerably as it spends time in the glass, alluding to continued evolution in bottle. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

96 Points! A structured and creamy-textured Jacquesson NV with a very fine-bubble texture and lovely polish. It's medium- to full-bodied with length and sophistication, in a friendly and approachable way. Yet there is something that tells you it's going to deliver more with aging. More pinot in the blend than in other years, because the chardonnay was affected by frost, and it is impressive. Chewy at the end with phenolic tension and a slight bitterness, though in a good way. 2019 base. Three years on the yeast. Dosage 1.5g/L. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 747 (2019 base) marries textural richness with notable vibrancy. Lemon confit, mint, white pepper, tangerine peel and graphite lend energy throughout. All the elements are very nicely balanced. I especially admire the textural depth here. Spring frost was particularly damaging to the Chardonnay, so the blend is distinctly Pinot-leaning in this release. Dosage is 1.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 2023. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

From the winery: 44% Petite Sirah, 27% Zinfandel, 19% Carignan, 10% Mataro. This bold, complex, and distinctive red blend is produced from vinesplanted in the 1880’s to the dry farmed and windswept vineyard of Sandy Lane. Rooted to sandy soil in the town of Oakley, this extraordinary sitehas been farmed by the Gonsalves family since the 1930’s, and produces vibrant wines with tremendous complexity and stunning purity of fruit. This is a gorgeous red blend that is brimming with ripe berry fruit, savory complexity, silky texture, and refreshing acidity. It displays the unique characteristics of this sun-soaked old vine vineyard and is utterly delicious.

97 Points! This is a stunning new release from Fleur de Miraval. The best year. Aromas of peaches and flowers with cotton candy and citrus. Hints of cherries and other berries. It’s full-bodied with very fine bubbles and a creamy texture. It’s fluffy on the palate, like feathers floating through the air. Salted caramel and sweet pastry in the aftertaste. Some earthy, soil character, too. So complex. This has been made from a base of the 2018 vintage. 25% pinot noir and 75% chardonnay grand cru (50% is proprietary reserve blends from 2007 onwards, and 25% is from opened bottles of blanc de blancs Champagne, dating back to 1998) This is really unique. Dry at the end with 4g dosage. - JamesSuckling.com

95+ Points! The depth of the nose of the 2020 El Veneno already talks about a much better vintage with very complete and full wines that are floral, expressive and ripe but delicate, what they always look for: delicate wines with power, the proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove. It's varietal, Mediterranean, fresh, expressive, rich and complex, with abundant, chalky tannins that coat your mouth and give it a dry sensation, earthy and mineral. It has more of everything. The finest vintage of El Veneno to date. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

95 Points! The effusive sliced-pear and white-peach aromas introduce you to this extraordinary, contemporary interpretation of this grape, which is so often dismissed as old-fashioned. The abundant fine tannins remind me of natural wines, but there’s a level of brightness here that’s totally Alpine and gives it remarkable drive at the very long wet-stone finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Aromas of black berries, brambleberries, floral, orange peel, and wet earth. Medium body, creamy and round tannins and a refined finish. Delicious. Just yummy. 52% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, and 8% petit verdot. - JamesSuckling.com

99 Points! A gorgeous wine, yet one that's going to demand bottle age, the 2019 La Mondotte comes from a tiny vineyard located just beside Pavie Decesse and is always a blend of mostly Merlot with roughly 15-30% Cabernet Franc, brought up in new French oak. Mulled blackcurrants, darker cherries, tobacco leaf, chocolate, lead pencil, and burning ember-like nuances all emerge from this brilliant wine, and it's full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful, with good acidity, building tannins, and a great, great finish. It holds onto the more classic, focused style of the vintage, yet it's a beast of a wine that brings the goods. Hide bottles for a solid 7-8 years or more, count yourself lucky, and it's going to have 30-40 years of longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! This has a fragrant nose of blackberries, red tea, cloves, bark, orange zest and dark chocolate. Sandalwood and tile, too. Full-bodied with chewy yet supple tannins and fresh acidity. Seamless and rich. Long and muscular. Try from 2027. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

100 Points! The black cassis comes out of the glass, together with iodine, sandalwood and subtle moss and wet-bark undertones, then turning to violets. The palate is mind-blowing, with a cashmere texture that unravels on the palate and continues on for minutes. It’s full of superbly complex, ethereal character and mouth-feel, One of the wines of the vintage. As glorious as it may be to taste now, this is one for your deep cellar. Try in 2029. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

96 Points! I love the bright nose of lime zest and ripe star fruit. Very focused, medium-bodied palate, but with a silky texture, this is a serious and sophisticated chardonnay. Plenty of stony minerality, plus nutty and licorice character at the very long, cool finish. Minimal sulphites added. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Fresh and deep nose, full of blueberries, minty cassis, mussels, cigars, dark spice and roasted sesame oak, which will need a year or two to fully integrate. A medium-to full-bodied Almaviva with supple, silky tannins and a wealth of black and blue fruit that provides a lot of charm now. Voluptuous and flattering on the palate, hallmarked by its tension and taut texture. Very long. This is the 25th anniversary bottling. 68% cabernet sauvignon, 24% carmenere, 6% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot - James Suckling

96 Points! 2020 was exceptionally dry, with 75% less rain than usual in the period between May and September, which resulted in an earlier harvest to produce a 2020 Almaviva with 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère (from Peumo), 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, so with no Merlot this time. The process was as careful as possible, without using any bombs, doing manual and optical sorting of the grapes, pressing in small vertical presses and aging of 20 months in French oak barrels, 73% of them new and the rest second use. The wine reached good ripeness with 14.9% alcohol. It still shows the effect of the élevage a bit, with abundant notes of sweet spices, a creamy touch and some smoke. I tasted it next to the 2019, and the wines have a very similar aromatic palette with a clear note of baked peppers. What was amazing in 2020 was that they harvested the Carmenere almost five weeks earlier than they normally would, and the result is not a green wine at all. As in all dry years, the wines show a little more tannic, a little in the style of the 2017—but the 2020 has more tension than the 2017, and the 2017 was more powerful and with a bigger tannic structure. The 2019 had more volume than the 2018, and the 2020 is closer to the 2019 than the 2018. - Luis Guiterrez, 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