America

From the winery:

The 2023 "The Dude" is a meticulously assembled blend of fruit drawn from prestigious Napa Valley appellations: Calistoga, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain. The wine was refined for 16 months, utilizing 40% new oak to elegantly frame the fruit while allowing the terroir to shine.

Composition 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec

93 Points! The 2020 Zinfandel Sheep Camp lifts up more like a spiced herbal tea than wine, with rose buds, cedar shavings, rosemary and dried strawberries forming its bouquet. This is soft textured with chalky minerals and crisp red fruits that give way to dusty tannins. The acidity wins the day, adding a vibrancy yet also spiciness that tugs at the cheeks as the 2020 finishes with admirable length and full of tension. - Eric Guido, Vinous

91 Points! Lifted, with cherry cola up front, the 2020 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley has a generous palate of fresh cranberry cocktail, sweet baking spice, and tangy acid on the finish. This red is hard not to love and is full of pleasure. Drink it now or over the next 5-6 years. - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

98 Points! Aromas of seaweed, fresh and dried strawberries, salt and white pepper. Medium- to full-bodied, showing persistence, intensity and structure, with firm, muscular tannins. Long, lightly chewy finish. Needs three to four years to soften, but a solid wine. Best in 2028 and beyond. - JamesSuckling.com

100 Points! An incredible debut wine, showing beautiful aromas of strawberries, cantaloupe, flint and dried seaweed, as well as iodine and dried flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, with Musigny-like power, a magical flex of tannins and closed, poised fruit. Endless. Nothing like this in California pinot noir. Drinkable now, but wait five years if you have the patience. - JamesSuckling.com

99 Points! Spellbinding aromas of rose petals, strawberries, citrus and bark, with hints of lemongrass. Medium-bodied, tight and structured, this offers a captivating combination of linear intensity and calmness, so classy and sophisticated. A continued benchmark for American pinot noir. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Very complex, showing enticing aromas of nougat, dried apples and flint at first, turning to floral notes of lilacs and honeysuckle with a hint of smoke. Medium-bodied with some oily texture, it has a creamy yet refined palate and a steely mineral aftertaste. Vibrant and featherlight yet concentrated. So excellent to drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! All Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend put together by Randy Dunn, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is inky purple-hued and offers a brilliant nose of cassis, new leather, graphite, and truffly earth. This rich, spicy, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has terrific purity, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a broad, layered, expansive mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this remarkable Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon over the coming two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! Aromas of red and dark fruit, crushed stones, dried herbs, flowers and salt-cured meat. The palate is tightly woven with a silken mouthfeel, fine tannins and a succulent, minerally finish. A wine of real nerve and approachability young, with ample aging potential. A good example of what a cool vintage in a cool appellation can produce. Drink or hold. - JameSuckling.com

100 Points! Another singular, as well as absolutely perfect, wine from this remarkable family team, the 2022 Syrah Life And Death is 100% Syrah from Bien Nacido and Stolpman vineyards, aged 21 months in 61% new oak. It has a deep ruby/purple hue as well as a classic Bien Nacido nose of blackberries, pepper, iodine, and iron notes, with perfectly integrated background spicy oak. Deep, pure, elegant, and beautifully balanced on the palate, it has full-bodied richness, integrated acidity, and a seamless profile. This is stunning stuff that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and can be enjoyed over the following two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

99 Points! The 2022 Red Wine Life And Death is Grenache-dominated yet includes 22% Syrah, 13% each of Mourvèdre and Graciano, and 8.5% Petite Sirah, all of which was fermented with 25% whole clusters and brought up in 70% new oak. It offers a sensational perfume of black raspberry and black cherry fruits intermixed with camphor, lavender, white flowers, and peppery, almost garrigue-like nuances. With full-bodied richness, remarkable purity, and a massive, yet somehow elegant, seamless mouthfeel as well as incredible length, it's a masterpiece of a Rhône-like blend from California's Central Coast that could come from nowhere else. The fruit sourcing here is a mix of Bien Nacido, Stolpman, Alta Mesa, Sanger, and Rancho Boa Vista, and the marriage of richness, purity, and finesse is something to behold. This beauty will evolve for 15-20 years if well stored. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Blackcurrant, graphite, lavender, mint and stone aromas. Full and flavorful but remains lightly austere in the best sense, giving it tannic tension. Needs time to soften but already plenty of form and focus. Spring 2024 release. Best in three or four years. Drink from 2027. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reliquus comes from a blend of Grace Family and Cornelius Grove and is intended to be a more accessible expression from this team. It’s a stunning wine that brings beautiful depth and richness as well as classic Cabernet Sauvignon notes of cassis, leafy herbs, tobacco, and chocolate. This broad, mouth-filling, velvety beauty will drink well for at least a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

From the winery: The fruit for this wine comes from two vineyard blocks located in the western slopes of Sonoma Valley, within the appellation's overlap with the Sonoma Coast AVA. The sites are distinguished by their extremely rocky soils - stones from which were used in the mid-1800's to construct the miles of stone walls that ribbon the region. The site's coastal influences and rocky, well drained soils produce moderate yields of very concentrated Zinfandel.

97 Points! From the Sierra Madre Vineyard in Santa Maria and aged 16 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard delivers Chassagne-Montrachet minerality and white flowers, with beautiful stone and citrus fruits. Medium-bodied, it has a vibrant, pure, focused mouthfeel and salty minerality on the finish. It's another incredibly classy, pure, seamless Chardonnay from Lato that does everything right. - Jeb Dunnuck

98+ Points! In contrast, the 2021 Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard is more masculine and feral, with ripe black fruits, cracked black pepper, leather, iron, and spring flowers, and a certain bloody character developing with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, it has a similar level of polish but is a touch more concentrated and lengthy on the palate, with ripe, building tannins and awesome length. Drink this spectacular Syrah over the coming 10-12 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! From the Solomon Hills Vineyard, not far from Bien Nacido, and brought up 17 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir Suerte is slightly deep ruby/plum-hued and shows spicy black cherries, black tea, orange blossom, and forest floor notes. It's incredibly complex and layered, medium-bodied on the palate, with a pure, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and some classic Santa Maria salinity on the finish. It too will keep for a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck