Wines

95 Points! From vines that were planted in 1910. This is aromatically similar to the regular cuvée but there is notably more concentration, power and dry extract to the broad-shouldered flavors that pushes the very firm tannic spine to the background on the hugely long, palate coating and driving finish. This opulently full-on effort is a manifestly old school Clos de Vougeot that is not only very much built-to-age but is going to require lots of it. In a word, excellent. - Allen Meadows, Burghound

93 Points! The 2015 Viña Cubillo Tinto Crianza reflects the warmer conditions of the year, and with the riper fruit they picked to produce this wine, they still managed to keep around 13.5% alcohol. The Cubillo vineyard has more clay, and sometimes clay soils take heat better and make the wines fresher than those from poorer soils. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 2008 Carmen Gran Reserva has a classic nose with notes of American oak, some herbaceous character (I mean it in a positive, fresh way) in the shape of some spearmint. It displays an array of notes of tobacco, cured meats, leather, balsamic herbs and a hint of chalk. The medium-bodied palate reveals a powerful Gran Reserva, with intense flavors, great acidity and length. This wine is very different in style to the rest of Benjamin's wines, following the patterns of the classical Riojas of yesteryear. Bravo! - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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

94+ Points! This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. The 2015 Moulin Saint-Georges is blended of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 85% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals a gorgeous plum preserves, licorice and blackberry pie-laced nose with touches of cedar chest, cigar box, black olives and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and very firmly textured with grainy tannins, it has a lively backbone supporting the generous black fruit, finishing with lingering savory notes. Give it a good 5 years or more in bottle and drink it over the next 20+ years.- Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

95 Points! Blackberry, fresh herb, wet earth and tar aromas follow through to a full body, with powerful tannins and density yet an agile and polished, textured finish. Much better than 2014. The second wine of Clos Apalta. Try it in 2021. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A brilliant effort for the vintage, this muscular, dense purple-colored, powerful, rich 2008 offers notes of graphite, truffles, black cherries and blackberries along with moderately high tannins, full-bodied richness, impressive purity and a multidimensional mouthfeel. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and enjoy it over the next two decades. It should prove to be one of the longer lived wines of the vintage. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

96 Points! A candidate for the -wine of the vintage,- the 2008 Haut-Bailly possesses incredible complexity. Tell-tale notes of lead pencil shavings, charcoal, damp earth, black cherries and black currants intermixed with a hint of subtle barbecue smoke are present in this classic, quintessential Graves. Medium-bodied with an emerging, precocious complexity, it is a super-pure, beautifully textured, long wine that can be drunk now or cellared for 20-25 years. Bravo! - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

94 Points! Fully mature, yet still pure and layered, with plenty of vibrancy, the 2008 Château Haut-Bailly has quintessential Haut-Bailly sweet darker berries, smoked tobacco, minty herbs, and floral aromas and flavors. These carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has firmer, focusing tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This is a more austere, focused style from the estate that has a classic, age-worthy style. It should hold nicely going forward and, I suspect, have another 10-15 years of prime drinking, with a gradual decline thereafter. - Jeb Dunnuck, 2023

94+ Points! Another resounding success for the vintage, the opaque purple-colored 2008 Clinet (14.4% alcohol) is composed of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare, while higher than in 2010, were still modest. Another powerful, big, large-scaled effort, the 2008 exhibits an inky/purple color as well as sweet creme de cassis, blackberry, plum, Asian spice, licorice and incense notes. Layered and full-bodied with stunning purity and a 40+ second finish, this beauty needs 3-5 years of bottle age and should keep for 25-30 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

96 Points! The 2008 Camaspelo is made up of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. Fresh herbs and spices, earthy minerals, cassis, and black currant aromas lead to an elegant, stylish Catherine Deneuve of a wine. This finesse-filled effort will provide pleasure through 2023. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2008 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is an exceptional wine that is only made in the best years. It was produced in 2008, 2010 and 2013. The wine undergoes a 40-day maceration time with four years in oak and one more year of bottle aging. The results are sublime and generous. Riserva Rüncot opens to a beautifully tempered and expressive bouquet that exhibits elements of wild berry, forest floor, candied fruit, licorice, cola and dried ginger. The balsamic signature is particularly beautiful and elegant. Smooth and silky tannins denote the mouthfeel and carry the wine forward over the palate. This is one of the top releases from Piedmont this year. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

95 Points! A wine with purity and integration, offering black-cherry, blueberry and orange-peel aromas and flavors. Hot stone, too. Full-bodied and very tight with integrated tannins that go on. Needs time to show it all. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! This red is opulent and bursting with cherry, raspberry, rose and earth flavors, and an underlying spiciness from the new oak. Harmonious and long, refined tannins detail the finish. Best from 2023 through 2043. - Wine Spectator

98 Points! The 2015 Cristal is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. No malo-lactic was employed, and 25% wine was aged in oak. The dosage is 7 grams per liter. An exquisitely delicate yet complex perfume of clover honey, freshly shaved ginger, marzipan, and jasmine slowly emerges from the nose, giving way to a core of pear tart, persimmons, and apple butter. The palate is an exercise in finesse, featuring very fine bubbles and fantastic intensity with a myriad of spice and floral nuances, finishing with impressive persistence and jaw-dropping poise. This is a style for those that embrace purity, soft-spoken expression, and impeccable crafting. It won't disappoint those who love Champagne in its initial youthful perfume flushes, yet will undoubtedly reward the patient with a richer, toastier, more obvious and opulent style with 5-10 years+ of cellaring. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

97 Points! For the warm and dry vintage this has tremendous freshness and elegance. The complex nose of citrus blossom, mint, lemon and lime zest opens up slowly as this aerates in the glass. The wine’s ample structure is still quite firm, which is a vintage characteristic, the mousse very fine but also very lively for an eight-year-old champagne. Cristal fans will love this as it is, but a year or two more in the bottle will do a lot for the very long mineral finish of this youthful masterpiece. A cuvee of 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay, picked from all 45 Cristal vineyard plots. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023. Drink from release. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! This is very minerally and stony, with chalk and salt and oyster-shell undertones. It’s full-bodied and layered, yet remains intense with a lively finish. Done dry. Umami. No dosage. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Field blend from a single plot in Cumieres. Better in a few years. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The 2015 Champagne Starck Brut Nature is forward with vinous and spicy aromas of saline and red currant, orange blossom, and smoke. It is expansive on the palate while maintaining a core of fresh acidity, with peach, dried flowers, and wet stone. This complex and unique expression is full of energy and has great gastronomic appeal. Drink 2022-2040. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! A great 2015 vintage champagne! Super-elegant synthesis of pinot noir and chardonnay character with a dazzling interplay of complex red apple, citrus and delicate floral aromas with racy acidity and chalky minerality, that is animating for mind and body. Unusually graceful finish for the vintage. 70% pinot noir from Verzy, the highest point of the Montagne de Reims, that’s also very close to the forest. 30% chardonnay from Chouilly, another rather cool location. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2015 Blanc de Blancs is a fabulous choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Soft and creamy, the 2015 is immediately caressing in its embrace. Citrus confit, white flowers, spice and a hint of pastry all meld together. There is something effortless about the 2015 that is hard to describe. The 2015 is not the last word in complexity, but it is supremely delicious. Terrific for the year. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media