Wines

94 Points! A lively, precise and well-composed pinot with notes of sour cherries, red currants, crushed roses and mild spices on the nose, followed through to a medium body with bright acidity. It’s crisp and spot-on, with succulent wild berries at the center and verve throughout. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2021 Pinot Noir San Saba Vineyard is striking.  Bright, aromatic and full of punch, the 2021 delivers tons of savory flavor intensity in its deceptively mid-weight frame. Crushed red cherry fruit, rose petals, mint, chalk and white pepper abound. This layered, delineated Pinot hits all the right notes. Impressive. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94 Points! Sour cherry, oregano, marjoram and bay leaf aromas make for an engaging nose of fruit and herb on this bottling from a vineyard just below the Santa Lucia Highlands. The palate snaps with strawberry and raspberry flavors that are cut by the eucalyptus leaf and wild sagebrush impacts. - Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast

94 Points! Grace meets tension in this impeccably structured Pinot, which delivers cherry and brooding blueberry flavors that pick up accents of forest floor, river stone and dark, dusky spices. Concludes with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2033. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! his shows aromas of red plums and dried wild strawberries with hints of chocolate orange, red licorice, dried flowers and crushed stones. Medium- to full-bodied, plush and complex with velvety tannins that are soft and lingering. Attractive core of ripe red fruit and a chocolaty finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The 2021 Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir is alive and energetic, svelte and composed. As I write this, I am sitting at the bottom of the Burn Cottage Vineyard in Lowburn, looking up the rows. This is a mineral, nuanced expression, with graphite and white tea, pomegranate pearls, raspberry licorice, rosehips and crushed pink peppercorns. This is what I came here for. It’s thrilling, lacy, delicate and focused. Exciting wine, exciting drinking. It sits on the palate nicely—evenly weighted, and it spools through the long finish... yes! 13.5% alcohol, sealed under natural cork. - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills comes from declassified fruit grown at Domaine de la Côte, plus purchased fruit from three other vineyards, including La Rinconada. It's a particularly complex and expressive iteration of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir from Sandhi. It has an alluring perfume of raspberry, strawberry, tea leaves, tobacco, potpourri and gravel dust, and it reveals botanical undertones as it spends time in the glass. The light-bodied palate has a deep core of spicy, herbal fruit, a frame of chalky tannins, energetic acidity and a long, layered finish. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

92-94 Points! The 2021 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes, tasted from a one-year-old barrel (there will (be) 20% new in the final blend) has a tightly-knit bouquet with blackberry and raspberry fruit, quite elegant after three or four minutes of aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a lovely, confit-like entry, very well balanced with a silky texture, hints of raspberry jam and white pepper on the finish. Beautifully defined from start to finish. Excellent. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

97 Points! The 2021 Pinot Noir Suerte Solomon Hills Vineyard comes from 21-year-old vines planted in sand and was matured for 17 months in 53% new French oak. It has a deep, alluring perfume of strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate, with nuances of blood orange, tea leaves, graphite and fresh tobacco that continue to unfurl as it spends time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is more coiled at this youthful stage, its flavors driven by iron-like mineral tones. It has a fine, powdery texture, mouthwatering busts of acidity that call you back to the glass and a long, spicy finish. It deserves 3-5 years in bottle to unwind and will be long lived. 344 cases were made. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

95 Points! I always love Lato's Pinot Noir from this site, and his 2021 Pinot Noir Suerte Solomon Hills Vineyard is no exception. Revealing a ruby hue as well as gorgeous notes of wild strawberries, black tea, toasted spice, and exotic flowers, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, layered, supple texture, integrated tannins, and outstanding length. Drink this more up-front, fruit-loaded, gorgeous Pinot Noir over the coming 5-7 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir JINSEI Tobias Glen Vineyard opens slowly to warm black cherries, cranberries, woodsmoke, bergamot, dried flowers and a touch of tobacco and graphite. Medium-bodied, it’s wonderfully concentrated and savory, with meaty touches intertwined with the dark, ripe fruits, juicy, grainy and finishing long with lots of nuance. This has an appealing deeper, darker character than the rest of the lineup...made by consulting winemaker Stéphane Vivier. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

94 Points! A rich and ripe impression on the nose of this estate edition, this has a violet-like floral edge, as well as forest-berry and sappy tones. The palate has rich, punchy flesh and a sense of weight, with ripe red cherries, earthy herbs and sous-bois. A bolder edition of this pinot with real weight. The acidity is salient, too. Drink over the next eight years. - 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

94 Points! Deep, cherry nose with a slew of spicy notes and hints of smoke and balsamic vinegar. Super balance of concentrated fruit and fine tannins on the generous palate, the acidity lifting the ample body beautifully at the very long, intense and focused finish. From grapes that were sustainably grown, with no use of herbicides. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93-95+ Points! The 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos de Champs Martin Cuvée Carline unwinds in the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, vine smoke, raw cocoa, cloves, anise and peonies. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's layered and complete, with a tightly wound core of vibrant fruit framed by beautifully refined tannins and concluding with a long, saline finish. Less demonstrative than its 2019 and 2018 predecessors, I suspect it will emerge as the finest of the trilogy in the fulness of time, but it will require patience. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

93-95 Points! The 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Les Champs Martin unwinds in the glass with scents of freshly baked bread, wet stones, white currants, confit citrus and crisp green orchard fruit. Full-bodied, ample and seamless, it's layered and racy, with broad shoulders, bright acids and a long, mineral finish. Its elegant profile belies considerable reserves of chalky structuring extract that will make this a wine for the long haul. - William Kelley, robertparker.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

92-94 Points! from a large 1.48 ha holding with vines that run from the bottom to the top of the vineyard...This is also mildly toasty on the cool, pure and restrained dark wild currant aromas that are even more markedly sauvage. There is superb delineation to the tautly muscular flavors that are shaped by sleek fine-grained tannins on the youthfully austere and powerful but not rustic finale that offers another dimension of depth. Excellent. Sweet Spot Outstanding. - Allen Meadows, Burghound #89

91-93 Points! Like the Champeaux, the nose is mildly toasty but it's not so oaky that the aromas of dark cherry, plum and newly turned earth can be appreciated. The medium-bodied and more powerful flavors also possess a really beguiling texture where the intensity does a slow build from the mid-palate to the youthfully austere finale that displays excellent length. This is textbook LSJ. Outstanding. - Allen Meadows, Burghound #89

94 Points! A really sophisticated wine for this appellation, which is often associated with robust and rustic wines. Full forest berries, generous body and fine tannins, with plenty of wet-earth minerality that drives the very long, velvety finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A deep transparent ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Cuvee Number One is floral with the perfume of candied violets, cola spice, and cherry preserve. Full-bodied and classic, with grenadine, pressed flowers, and vanilla spice, a soft texture, and fine tannins, drink this plush and juicy style of red over the next 4-5 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2021 Cuvee Number One Pinot Noir is medium ruby-purple in color. Scents of black cherries, raspberries, and roses leap from the glass, with touches of black pepper, charcoal, and wild thyme. The medium to full-bodied palate is plush and juicy, with well-knit freshness and a lifted finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, TWI

92-94 Points! The 2020 Beaune 1er Cru Aux Cras (Domaine Gagey) is also very promising, unwinding in the glass with notions of raspberries, orange rind, clove and vanilla pod. Medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, with a bright spine of tangy acidity, it's beautifully balanced. On paper, this is a site that should suffer in dry vintages, but Jadot's old-vine holdings (formerly belonging to the Château de Chorey) have turned out a fine performance all the same. - William Kelley, robertparker.com