Wines

92 Points! Aromas of cherries and raspberries, dried flowers, chocolate, cedar and dry earth. Medium-bodied with round texture and dusty tannins. Ripe and velvety with a flavorful, slightly salty finish. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Pure and focused, offering violet, cherry, raspberry and mineral aromas and flavors. Shaped by vibrant acidity, this red persists with a lingering, resonant aftertaste. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! A lovely mix of red berries, bright orange peel and spicy cedar on the nose, following through to a full, round and silky palate with very fine tannins that are well integrated into the texture. Lots of flavor and good length. Hard not to settle down to a glass or two of this. - JamesSuckling.com

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antoni Galloni, Vinous Media

This Barbera matures in 50hl steel tanks for 9 months, reaching a perfect balance of deep red fruits, perfume and pinpoint acidity. A joy to drink. Fruit is sourced exclusively form Monforte d'Alba...

91 Points! The 2020 Barbera d'Asti Montebruna is a plump and rich red with ripe berry notes, toasted spice, cinnamon and grilled Mediterranean herb. Despite the heft and brawn of this wine, the mouthfeel is pushed along by fresh acidity and a powerful 15% alcohol content. This is perfect companion to a meal heavy in cheese or cream. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

91 Points! Aromas of cherry chocolate, dark licorice, hints of bark and moist earth. Full-bodied with velvety, supple tannin structure and some chalky texture in the finish. Juicy and flavorful. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Part of the Scarrone Vineyard was replanted in 1989, and these younger vines give rise to the Vietti 2020 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Scarrone. This wine is also thick and darkly concentrated but not to the same degree as the version made with fruit from old vines. Indeed, it's fun to try these two bottles side by side. Dark fruit, baked plum and sweet spice give extra dimension and volume to this wine. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

93 Points! Intense nose with hints of coffee and black chocolate to the raspberry jam and dark cherries. Nicely dry and bitter with dark-chocolate character that extends to the long, polished finish with silky tannins. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

92 Points! When you buy something through our link, we may earn a small commission. Wine Enthusiast doesn't accept money for editorial wine reviews. Read more about our policy. Dark and intense in color, the wine has intense aromas of spiced black plums, blackberry pie and black cherries. Though the fruit is very intense, it is wrapped up by herbal and cocoa notes. The palate is lush and velvety, with fine tannins that give the wine the structure it needs to keep the fruit from being too dominant. This is a big, bold and beautiful wine. - Wine Enthusiast

91 Points! The 2019 Palazzo della Torre is simply stunning, with a perfumed mix of exotic spice, crushed cherries and vanilla bean. This is cool-toned and racy in style with silky textures contrasted by tart wild berry fruit and clove. Residual acids maintain a wonderfully fresh impression as this tapers off with traces of cocoa and rosy inner florals. The 2019 still shows a bit of its oak (about 20% new) when first opened, yet it comes together beautifully in the glass. Palazzo della Torre is a blend of traditional Valpolicella varieties and a 20% addition of Sangiovese, which takes this to the next level. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

Winery notes: “A rare and typical champagne that truly reflects the terroir… A pure and intense moment with Champagne’s oldest grape variety. Made with 100% Meunier grape varietal, this surprising cuvée unveils subtle and fruity perfumes as well as a beautiful aromatic complexity.”

91 Points! Bright yellow. Intense, mineral-laced aromas of redcurrent, blood orange, ginger and smoke, with a hint of white pepper in the background. Dry and nervy, displaying very good clarity to its red berry and citrus fruit flavors. I'd have thought of dosage here was quite a bit lower. Spreads out slowly on the finish, with the mineral and red berry notes echoing. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

97 Points! What an amazing nose of grilled dried seaweed, oyster shell, dried strawberry and iron. Full to medium body with linear tannins that give it drive and length. Iron shavings. Tight at the end. Superb. Drink after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! A tightly focused, long and pure expression of Pinot, with raspberry coulis and blood orange zest notes streaming along, laced liberally with sous-bois, red tea and savory accents. Reveals lots of underlying energy, with everything in lockstep through the mineral-edged finish. Best from 2024 through 2031. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! The 2020 Barbera d’Alba Vigna Serraboella is bright, effusive and full of character. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, spice, rose petal and pipe tobacco makes a strong first impression. Ripe, silky tannins add to the wine’s considerable appeal. The Serraboella is such a delicious wine. It spent 18 months in cask and neutral oak. - Antonio Galloni , Vinous Media

95 Points! Dark and balsamic in the glass, the 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella captivates with masses of plum and cherry sauce offset by clove and cocoa nuances. It's velvety-smooth and elegant on the palate, propelled by racy acidity that also helps to sweeten its tart red and black fruits. The concentration here is potent and staining, as the 2016 finishes with dramatic length, leaving bitter hints of coffee grind and dark chocolate, along with fine-grained tannins that promise a very long life. This is a beast in need of taming. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

This no-frills Valpolicella is dangerously drinkable. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

This is one of the most under the radar wines in all of Piedmont. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media