France

91+ Points! Based on the same blend as the Brut Réserve with an addition of red wine, the NV Brut Prestige Rosé reveals a delicate, perfumed bouquet of strawberries, red berries, herbs, blood orange and guava. Medium to full-bodied, elegantly vinous and perfectly balanced, it has a pinpoint mousse and a long, ethereal finish. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

92-94 Points! The 2021 Chablis Le Bas de Chapelot comes across quite closed on the nose, though Edouard Vocoret mentioned how this cuvée has closed down at the time of my visit. The palate is complex with touches of apricot and white peach, plenty of minerals and flint, focused with a long tail on the finish. This is apparently mercurial during its barrel maturation but this bodes well. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! Made by a Bordeaux winemaker who moved to Napa and is now the winemaker and a partner at Realm, Benoit Touquette, the deep garnet-purple colored 2022 Arbalest is a blend of 60% Merlot (from the Right Bank) and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon (from the Médoc). Black cherries, juicy plums, and black raspberry scents jump from the glass, followed by hints of cinnamon toast, potpourri, and black pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock full of savory spiked black berry layers, supported by plush tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long with a peppery lift. 2000 cases were made. This would benefit from decanting but is approachable right now, or it will easily cellar for 8-10+ years. At an SRP of $22, this is a no-brainer bargain to stock up on.

I tasted this just a couple of weeks ago, and it was so good (and cheap) that the wine inspired this article...This iconoclastic blend of 60% Merlot from the Right Bank and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Médoc would be heresy if made by anyone but Benoit. He is not allowed to divulge his fruit sources, but let’s just say Benoit is pretty well connected in Bordeaux and the fruit tastes classified-y. 2022 was a warm, ripe, spectacular vintage, resulting in drop-dead deliciousness. Unfortunately, only 2000 cases were made. If you can find some, back the car up and load in all you can. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW. TWI

Charles de Cazanove’s flagship Champagne, the single vintage bottled Stradivarius is sourced solely from Premier and Grand Cru vineyards for a wine of the highest quality and is aged for over 84 months on lees. in this case, 13 years before disgorgement! Stradivarius is a symphony of meaning and passion; its unique flavor reflects the finesse of the vintage.

91 Points! Dark red with a garnet rim. Spicy aromas of dark plum, violet, coffee and minerals. Bright and fresh in the mouth, with precise flavors of plum, cherry, licorice and coffee and a creamy, sodt texture kept lively by vibrant acidity. Finishes long and clean, with hints of tobacco and fresh flowers. A very successful and typical 2001 in its midweight texture; I particularly like this wine's balance and refined style. Ready to drink now but should remain in optimal drinking condition and possibly improve for at least another five or six years. - Ian D'Agata, Vinous Media

96 Points! A structured and creamy-textured Jacquesson NV with a very fine-bubble texture and lovely polish. It's medium- to full-bodied with length and sophistication, in a friendly and approachable way. Yet there is something that tells you it's going to deliver more with aging. More pinot in the blend than in other years, because the chardonnay was affected by frost, and it is impressive. Chewy at the end with phenolic tension and a slight bitterness, though in a good way. 2019 base. Three years on the yeast. Dosage 1.5g/L. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The NV Extra-Brut Cuvée No. 747 (2019 base) marries textural richness with notable vibrancy. Lemon confit, mint, white pepper, tangerine peel and graphite lend energy throughout. All the elements are very nicely balanced. I especially admire the textural depth here. Spring frost was particularly damaging to the Chardonnay, so the blend is distinctly Pinot-leaning in this release. Dosage is 1.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 2023. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94+ Points! Disgorged in May 2022, the Paillard NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is superbly fresh, offering up aromas of orchard fruit, lemon, spring flowers and menthol touches. Medium to full-bodied, expressive and precise with a delicate mousse, it’s seamless, vinous, chalky and harmonious with a clean and precise finish. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

94 Points! Freshly squeezed lemon, green apples, oyster shell and white apricots with subtle brioche and exquisite yeastiness. A fruity entry followed by a medium to full body where you find the fine perlage carrying the intense chalky flavors to a nicely dry but approachable finish. Lovely length with spot-on balance between chalky fruit and autolysis. Disgorged in March 2022. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! This has chocolate, cedar and walnuts as well as some currant aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with some lovely fruit and juiciness. 55.8% cabernet sauvignon, 38.8% merlot and 5.4% petit verdot. Attractive now but another year or two will make it even better. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Easily the best Pauillac de Latour in recent years, showing supple tannins at five years old, textured and rippling with juice, opening to show gourmet smoked plum and blueberry fruit. Has the graphite edge of the appellation, waves of cocoa bean, liqourice and smoked earth, and the balance of 2019. The structure is already welcoming, even if the fruit young, and if you like your wines on the primary side, you can get stuck in straight away and be very happy about it - this is a buy buy buy, and a good upgrade from my initial En Primeur score. - Jane Anson

93 Points! The 2019 Pauillac is a serious wine. Dark cherry, plum, gravel, incense, licorice and pomegranate are all dialed up in this wonderfully deep, fleshy Pauillac. Deep and resonant, with fine balance, the 2019 captures all the natural radiance of the year. This is really quite stellar and delicious. A recent bottle of the 2009 reminded me how pleasurable the Latour Pauillac can be. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

92 Points! Plenty of chocolate plus some caramel and anchovy aromas. Rich and structured with ample richness wrapped around the rather fine tannins. Easy to enjoy thanks to the very good balance through the lingering finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Dark chocolate and floral notes on the nose. This has an appealing density on the palate, lovely weight, with a sculpted feel to the softly chewy tannins and dark fruit. Less immediately lively, bright and accessible than the 2018 but still stylish with a sense of character. Cool blue fruits meld with mint, liquorice, flint and touches of toast. A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in ex-Lafite barrels as well as stainless steel and cement vats. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! The 2022 Morgon Corcelette Vieilles Vignes Cailloux exudes charm from the outset, captivating the senses with enticing notes of blackberries, licorice, figs, lilac petals and hints of black pepper intertwined with nuances of balsamic reduction and grilled meats. While boasting a sturdy structure underpinned by chalky tannins, this cuvée presents as the most open-knit among its counterparts, such as the younger-vine or Sable cuvées. The rich black-fruited flavors expand on the mid-palate, revealing deeper layers of ripeness in a savory guise, characterized by flavors of grilled meats and balsamic reduction, followed by a cut of wet-stone salinity that persists with the chalky tannins to guide a mouth-watering finish. - Kenna Wells, robertparker.com

Planted mostly in the 1940's, the mix of vineyards comes mostly from Douby, a zone on the north side of Morgon between the famous Côte de Py hill and Fleurie, and the lieu-dit, Courcelette, a parcel completely made of soft, coarse beach-like sands. Much of these vineyards are on softly sloping aspects ranging from southeast to southwest. There are rocky sections also, but generally the vineyards are sandy, leading to wines led by elegance and subtlety, but endowed with great length and complexity from their very old vines. The climate here is a warm by contrast to those further uphill.

92 Points! This wine has a very youthful color and seems to be close to full maturity, without the density of the 1998, or its successor, the perfect 2000. It has abundant foresty notes, plenty of spice box, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, some background toasty oak, medium to full body and sweet tannin. A very delicious wine, it offers a complex and fragrant style. It should be drunk over the next 12-15 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2015

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

93+ Points! I have been drinking this wine out of half bottle, and this was the first regular bottle I have had over recent years. While this Pomerol is loaded, it remains extremely backward - hence the lower score. I would not touch a bottle for another 5-8 years. The half bottles are tasting at least 4 to 5 points better, and are obviously much more evolved. The full bottle exhibited a dense plum/purple color along with notes of cedar, forest floor, sweet jammy plums, black currants, licorice, and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied and powerful with high tannins as well as a rustic, massive mouthfeel and finish, it should be fully mature by 2015, and keep until 2030+ - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2009

94 Points! Mostly Chardonnay, the 2020 Limoux Blanc is a terrific white that has real class in its aromatics as well as texture. Light gold-hued, with a great nose of poached pears, honeyed citrus, crushed stone, toasted hazelnuts, and white flowers, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness that carries terrific mid-palate depth, bright, racy, yet brilliantly integrated acidity, and a crisp, clean, lengthy finish that brings an undeniable sense of salinity. A seriously good white, it deserves 2-3 years of bottle age (it needs a decant if drinking any time soon) and will evolve for over a decade. Bravo. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! This has very pretty energy and focus with sliced melon, pears, stone and fresh ginger. Dried flowers. Citrus, too. Medium-bodied with a solid density of fruit with white peaches and honey. Tangy and flavorful. Drink or hold. - James Suckling.com

94 Points! Sculpted smoky aromatics, love the carved out tannins and black fruits. This is a delicious 2012 that is full of plentiful berry fruits, blackcurrant and sloe, with an unfussy feel of hedgerow brambled freshness. The tannins have heft and give, and there is a sense of precision but also of expansion through the palate, great stuff. Ready to drink but only at the beginning of its drinking window. 60% new oak, 38hl/h yield. - Jane Anson, 2022

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