Wines

94 Points! Certainly on par with the single parcel releases, the 2022 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre raised all in larger foudre. It has a gorgeous nose of wild strawberry and raspberry-like fruit intermixed with loads of spice and Provençal goodness. It's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, elegant mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and great finish. It shows the slightly less concentrated style of the vintage yet just shines for its complexity, balance, and length. Drink bottles over the coming 10-12+ years. - Jeb Dunnuck

100 Points! Even better (as well as a perfect wine), the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Collection Charles Giraud checks in as a nominal blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre that was brought up in demi-muids. It reveals a deep purple color as well as heavenly notes of blackberry and currant fruits intermixed with loads of cured meats, spice box, Asian spices, and a distinct loamy soil and minerality. Always more structured and powerful than the Reserve Auguste Favier release (no doubt due to the Mourvèdre component), it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building yet polished tannins, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. Pure perfection in a glass, it’s as good as wine gets. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Hats off to winemaker Isabelle Ferrando for yet another thrilling wine! - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Sculpted smoky aromatics, love the carved out tannins and black fruits. This is a delicious 2012 that is full of plentiful berry fruits, blackcurrant and sloe, with an unfussy feel of hedgerow brambled freshness. The tannins have heft and give, and there is a sense of precision but also of expansion through the palate, great stuff. Ready to drink but only at the beginning of its drinking window. 60% new oak, 38hl/h yield. - Jane Anson, 2022

93 Points! Orange peel and fruit with chocolate. Medium-bodied with round and polished tannins. Very pretty fruit and finesse. So pretty. Drink or hold. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

93 Points!  Cooler soils can be a little austere in this structured vintage of 2020, and you'll find angular tannins on the opening beats, speaking of the limestone, along with salinity, energy and clear purity of blueberry and raspberry fruit. Lovely, a lyrical take on St Emilion limestone from the Durantou family, Olivier Gautrat director. The first year with Noemie Durantou as winemaker, having taken over from her late father Denis. Cellar master Olivier Gautrat. - Jane Anson

From Winehog: Two good friends, Eric Pignal and Loïc Lamy, have started a small wine project in a well-known cellar in Meloisey – the old cellar of the Rougeot negociant business.

Eric Pignal is the assistant winemaker of Château de Pommard, having worked before at domaines Dujac and Roulot. Loïc Lamy is currently export manager at Domaine de Montille.

Terroir: From the lieu-dit "Les Cornillaux" in the village of Leynes, on hard limestone and grey Liassic marls. Southwestern exposure, gentle slope.

Viticulture: Organic (not certified)

Vinification: Long, gentle pressing, indigenous yeast fermentation in older barrels with no added SO2, aged 11 months in barrel and 5 months in stainless steel tank, minimal total SO2, no fining, no filtration.

The Saisons Saint-Véran 2020 is a white Burgundy wine known for its bright, fresh, and balanced character. It offers a pale yellow color and a nose that combines delicate fruit aromas like peach and pear with floral notes of acacia and honeysuckle. Some vintages may also exhibit hints of exotic fruits and citrus. On the palate, it's typically dry, well-rounded, and mineral, with a lively acidity that contributes to a harmonious and refreshing experience. The wine often displays notes of fresh almond, hazelnut, and sometimes even a touch of butter or honey. 

92 Points! Focused and nicely structured, with aromas of red plums, forest floor, crushed violets and tobacco that carry into a medium- to full-bodied palate. The tannins are firm but integrated, holding a vivid line of acidity that gives the finish clarity and tension. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Coming from a steep, south-facing single vineyard, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Piaggione benefits from air and opens with wild raspberries, blackberries, flowers, orange peel, and sweet herbs. The palate is medium to full-bodied, linear, and tension-packed, with bright acidity, well-defined tannins, and a focused, driving finish that keeps building. It’s a more energetic, structured expression compared to the Sorgente and should age beautifully over the coming two decades. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

97 Points! This bursts with cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and rose flavors, offset by earth, iron and underbrush notes, all backed by dense, dusty tannins. Hangs together nicely, with freshness and a lasting impression of ripe fruit. - Wine Spectator

97 Points! A super-complex and spicy wine with aromas of licorice, smoky wood, dried roses and wild strawberries. Fruit sweetness on the palate, with a full body, crisp freshness, velvety tannins and a sleek, graceful and powerful finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! A restrained and fresh wine with a sleek nose of red cherries, red currants, licorice and dried violets. Plenty of elegance on the palate, with a tight-knit structure, velvety tannins and a super-fresh and precise finish of graphite and minerals. Almost drinkable now, but best from 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! This red is juicy and full of ripe, luscious cherry, raspberry and floral flavors. Wild herb and mineral accents add detail, while its harmony and freshness deliver added appeal as this winds down gracefully on the complex aftertaste. Excellent length. - Wine Spectator

90 Points! Very fresh and crisp with an attractive lightness of body and generous green-apple fruit. Pronounced green-peppercorn character in the long, bright finish. Sustainable. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Molettieri’s 2007 Taurasi Vigna 5 Querce is a big, big wine. Mocha, espresso, game, tar, licorice and dark raspberries meld together in an unusually ripe, flashy Taurasi. The 2007 boasts tons of richness and sheer power, but it needs at least another year to settle down and incorporate its oak. Unlike most Molettieri Taurasis, the 2007 should drink well with minium cellaring. - Antonio Galloni, robertparker.com

93 Points! I found the 2022 Chardonnay Zotovich Vineyard to be the highlight of Samsara's Chardonnay roster. Half the grapes were foot-trodden before pressing, contributing a subtle phenolic grip throughout the wine that provides welcome tension and mid-palate assertion for this sandy vineyard site. Aromas of orange oil and Asian pear introduce the lively, clean palate, which straddles focus and weight before concluding with a pleasantly grippy, saline and energetic finish. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2022 Chardonnay Zotovich Vineyard is also exotic, with orange blossom, ripe citrus, spice, and sappy herb notes in a medium-bodied, racy, focused style on the palate. It's going to evolve nicely for 7-8 years or more. There are a tiny 250 cases, but it’s a beauty. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2018 Pinot Noir Kessler-Haak Vineyard has a pale ruby color and fragrant scents of red berries, black tea leaves, lemon peel and earth. The medium-bodied palate is intense yet delicately styled, with a soft, grainy frame, bright, crunchy fruits and a long, spicy finish. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

98 Points! A gorgeous cuvée from three cool-climate sites (50% Gail, 40% Nelson, and 10% Coastview), the tiny production 2023 Syrah Sandstone Terrace shows the terroir of what winemaker Sam Smith says is the prevailing soil type in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the inviting nuances of each place, some extremely cool-climate and others surrounded by redwoods. White pepper, garrigue, smoked meat, and iron are all there, expertly layered around a light-bodied frame of persistent freshness and complexity. The grapes were native-fermented 85% whole-cluster before spending 10 months in barrel, 95% of it neutral. The wine is elegant, composed, fruity, and gamey, as luxuriously inviting as blue velvet. Drink now through 2030. - Virginie Boone, JebDunnuck.com

From the importer: The most important wine of the estate, the Dolcetto for the top wine is sourced from parcels found in prime positions, as well as the oldest vines of the estate.  The 7-year wait from harvest to release reflects the importance of the “San Fereolo” to Nicoletta, who carefully tends the wine through its 3 years in large barrel before a 3-4 year hibernation in the bottle cellar.  Our spring 2015 tasting of each vintage from 2001 to 2008 revealed a consistent vein of dense, warm fruit, which spoke of the Langhe source.  Fresh mineral notes, mint, licorice and savory elements permeated each expression, while a lively freshness was alive in every wine, including the 14-year old 2001 vintage.

From the importer: Nicoletta Bocca is known as a maverick for her ultra-long aged Langhe cuvées, among the finest in the entire region. “Valdibà” is her youthful expression of the Dogliani DOCG, made all in steel cuve, which shows in the fresh brightness of the wine. Nicoletta considers this to be classical Dolcetto, striking all of the notes one would expect from the variety, with a confident tannic backbone. From southeast and northwest-facing vines in the Barracone and San Fereolo vineyards in the Valdibà subsection of Dogliani.

This is the type of wine that reminds us why we got into the wine business in the first place. So much nuance! So much character! Deep, dark, fresh vibrant ruby, the Barbera here delivers oodles of powerful yet refined black cherry and blackberry fruit with hints of baking spice, underbrush, a touch of cracked pepper and the richness combined with tension that we see from the finest limestone-based reds, be they in Burgundy or Bordeaux. The old vines here provide outstanding concentration, this is powerful stuff, but the bottle age and quality of the vintage amplify that richness and power, taking this wine to another ‘umami’ level.

Generally 95% Barbera and 5% Nebbiolo, this ranks among the greatest expressions of Barbera we have experienced.  Nicoletta treats the wine with a high degree of respect, allowing it to evolve through 3 years of élevage in large, neutral oak, followed by another 3 to 4 years in bottle.

97 Points! Captivating aromas of licorice, plums and cherries follow through to a medium to full body with fine, creamy tannins and a refined, textured finish. So beautiful and enjoyable now, but will age beautifully. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! Le Lucére is a single vineyard of 3.5ha planted in 1996 below Salvioni and La Cerbaiona in Montalcino and producing about 13,000 bottles annually. Gentle fruit handling and a short maceration contribute to the graceful style of this Brunello. It ages in a combination of big oak casks and small barrels for a total of two years. What, in my opinion, could explain the exceptional freshness and the unwavering elegance of this Brunello is the eastern exposure of the vineyard on the northern side of the village. The dried cherry fruit is lifted with thyme and blood orange, a touch of wax and deep hints of smoky woodland. The palate is dense and velvety, with greatly refined tannins and predominantly floral flavours. Organic. - Decantyer Magazine