Wines

96 Points! A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Syrah, with the Grenache matured in demi-muid and the Syrah in barrel, Cristophe de Courten's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve du Cygne will be tough to find, with just 2,500 bottles produced. It's a bit cedary but otherwise built along similar lines to this estate's other special cuvée: gorgeously full-bodied, silky, plush and complex, with hints of vanilla, black cherries, raspberries, a gentle whiff of garrigue and a long, elegant finish. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

96 Points! Plenty of red fruit character here, plus notes of wet earth, blood orange and violets. Excellent concentration for 2022 with beautifully integrated fine tannins, the fresh acidity helping to drive the long, delicately earthy finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! A giant amongst the 2021 Grand Cru red Burgundies, but still a sleeping giant. In spite of the stunning concentration on the rather full-bodied palate for the vintage, the stony minerality and bright acidity gives this great drive at the very long finish. A hint of green pepper from the use of whole clusters on the nose. Try from 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

93-95 Points! The 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu is excellent, wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, plums and cassis mingled with hints of spices, grilled meats and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's deep and tightly wound, with powdery structuring tannins and lively acids. This is a serious Santenots that will require some bottle age, and it's among the best that I can remember tasting chez Lafon over the last decade. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

Great value here. This wine comes from family estate and partners of malet Roquefort on the Right Bank. Vinification in stainless-steel temperature-controlled vats, clean, easy gorgeous!

96 Points, Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year 2024! A remarkable effort that channels the finesse of the vintage with rich, muscular edges, offering a base of graphite and cassis notes that gather around elegant layers of dried rosemary and white pepper. The richly textured core of raspberry and plum flavors show precision and just enough acidity to keep things sailing onto the finish around well-integrated tannins and touches of cocoa. Best from 2026 through 2040. - Wine Spectator

92 Points! A cabernet that shows structure, yet at the same time it is savory and pure with currant, chocolate and walnut undertones. Juicy with lots of cassis, too. Full-bodied, chewy and savory. Dry. Delicious. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Puente Alto and Pirque come together in this textbook Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon with a twist: it was aged in casks to add elegance to the region’s familiar complexity. Licorice, cassis, blackberry and thyme flavors appear at first followed by caramel. Very precisely calibrated, the firm tannins and expressive flavor underline the accomplished nature of the wine and lengthy, juicy finish. - Joaquin Hiudalgo, Vinous Media

93 Points! Pristine and fresh, with a spicy twist to the currant and berry aromas and a touch of minty herbs. Naturally fluid and juicy, with a medium body and fine-grained tannins. A cool, spicy and well-balanced carmenere to drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Limarí is a unique region. Its dry, cold climate characterized by cloudy mornings and sunny evenings, along with its calcareous and clayish soils, give it a distinctiveness compared to other white wine regions around the world. The 2022 Chardonnay Amelia encapsulates all these conditions, especially in a cold vintage. Winemaker Marcelo Pappa aimed to showcase this character by aging the wine for 12 months, with 90% in old French barrels and 10% in new ones. This greenish-yellow wine reveals aromas of lime, herbs, green apple and pineapple. The true difference lies on the palate: a saline, compact and vibrant Chardonnay with a dry, vivid and enduring finish. Undoubtedly one of the finest white wines in South America. - Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous

97 Points! Very serious and complex aromas of oysters, cooked apples, fresh seaweed and crushed stone. Full-bodied with a phenolic tension and depth. Chewy and impressive, with a phenolic finish. Excellent structure. No malolactic. Super drinkability and possibility to age. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

Intense, marked by minty berry, cherry and cedar flavors, picking up a nice earthy edge on the finish. Full-bodied, mature and ready to drink. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.-  James Laube, Wine Spectator, Nov 2009

95 Points! 2021 is the first vintage Jean Hoefliger started working with Conn Creek as a consultant. The 2021 Anthology (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Merlot) displays a deep garnet-purple color, offering a wonderfully savory nose of black olives and beef drippings, giving way to a core of red currant jelly, black raspberries, and fresh plums. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers intense, muscular red and black fruit layers with a firm, grainy texture and just enough freshness, finishing long and minerally. Nice! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

94 Points! The blend consists of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon from select sites in Napa Valley, 15% Cabernet Franc from Spring Mountain, 5% Merlot from St. Helena, and 5% Petit Verdot from Atlas Peak. It has a vibrant dark berry fruit character with loamy earth, green tobacco, plenty of lush fruit on the back end, and gentle yet firm tannins. The finish is distinctly black-fruited and laced with graphite. Founded in 1973, Conn Creek Winery is situated on the eastern side of Napa Valley, just off the Silverado Trail. With Jean Hoefliger as a consultant winemaker, there is a new emphasis on elegance and refinement. - Decanter Magazine

Bright currant, sweet cherry, and rose hip on the nose. The palate reveals layers of darker fruits, black plum, blueberry pie, and baking spices. A sappy and exceptionally drinkable CdR. Much richer than the average.

96 Points! With vines planted in 1992 in a cozy and protected position within the folds of hills above Gattinara at 400 meters in elevation, the Molsino vineyard is known to produce extra fruit weight, concentration and power. This is definitely the case with the Conterno Nervi 2018 Gattinara Vigna Molsino. Of the two single-vineyard wines made at this estate (the other being the Vigna Valferana), I'm giving the aging edge to this bottle and have extended the drinking window as a result. During my tasting with Roberto Conterno, he described this wine as having "broader shoulders" and "more bite to the mouthfeel." Those are exact descriptions, and I would add that Molsino shows special dimension, in terms of both width and depth, with red and purple fruits that spread evenly over the palate. The wine's finish is powered by tarry smoke and campfire ash that add vertical lift and length. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! Costanti's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is stunning. Dark, powerful and mysterious in the glass, the 2010 captivates all the senses with its breathtaking beauty and layered, multi-dimensional personality. Lavender, violets, savory herbs, smoke, plums and graphite flow through to the rich, explosive finish. There is a prism-like sense of transparency allied to pure power in the 2010 that is impossible miss. Readers who can find the 2010 should not hesitate; it is a must-have. While many 2010s are approachable today, the Costanti's 2010 is not; it is a wine for the cellar. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

99 Points! Fabulous aromas of blueberries, blackcurrants, sage and mint. Lead pencil and graphite, too. Full body and ultra-fine tannins that are slowly transformed to ripe and beautiful fruit. Super polished and textured. Great finish. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! Perfumed aromas of subtle currants, roses, lavender and sage, following through to a medium body with super-fine tannins that caress the palate and leave it fresh and inspired. A gorgeous and graceful 2022. Drinkable now, but better in 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Plum pastries with violets and spiced blueberry fruits. The palate has
impressive plushness and rich, fleshy appeal. Long finish. Try from 2022. - JamesSuckling.com 

93 Points! From a 13-hectare estate located north and slightly west of the village of
Saint-Emilion, the 2015 Château Corbin is mostly Merlot blended with 17% Cabernet Franc, all of which comes from sandier, clay soils. It offers ample notes of ripe cherries, strawberries, dried herbs and bouquet garni, with a beautiful floral quality developing with time in the glass. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc aged for 18 months in barrels, 40% new, the 2015 Corbin is medium garnet-purple colored with cigar box and spice box notions accenting the core of red and black plums, blackberry preserves and earthy layers plus a hint of lavender. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm, elegant and well balanced with grainy tannins, finishing lively and long. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com