France

Ten years after the vintage, Château Palmer is re-releasing its magnificent 2016 direct from the estate as the Ten Years On release, in a special commemorative label and branded wood case. The timing tells the story: a decade in, the critics have re-tasted, and the verdict is five 100-point scores (Leve, Dunnuck, Galloni, Wine Enthusiast, Anson), with Dunnuck calling it the finest Palmer he's ever tasted, ahead of the legendary '09 and '10. Margaux perfume, near-Pomerol richness, and decades still ahead of it. $424.98 per bottle, pre-arrival, ETA Winter 2027, and quantities are strictly limited.

100 Points – Jane Anson
Cassis, bilberry, cigar box, tobacco and pencil lead, with Palmer's unmistakable violet and peony perfume. Powerful, muscular and still youthful, with the structure and chiseled fruit of great Bordeaux. Anson sees enormous potential here and decades of evolution ahead.

100 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
Dunnuck calls the 2016 the finest Palmer he has ever tasted, surpassing both 2009 and 2010. Crème de cassis, graphite, crushed rock and spring flowers lead into a deep, concentrated palate with remarkable purity, balance and ripe tannins. Classic, regal Bordeaux with the potential to age for half a century.

100 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous
One of the most brilliant wines of the 2016 vintage. Rich and expansive, with dark cherry, lavender, spice and mocha, yet beautifully floral and refined. Galloni sees it taking its place among the greatest vintages in Palmer's history and sums it up in one word: “Magnificent!”

100 Points – Wine Enthusiast
Powerful tannins and concentrated black fruit wrapped in Palmer's signature velvet texture, with vibrant acidity providing freshness and lift. A superbly structured Palmer built for long-term aging. Cellar Selection and Top 100 Cellar Selection of 2019.

92 Points! An archetypal Alsace dry riesling with a wide spectrum of aromas ranging from lemon and crisp pear to fresh pineapple and candied orange. Very crisp and focused palate with a wonderful freshness that’s hard to resist. Long, ample finish that’s very clean. From organically grown grapes. Drink from release. - JamesSuckling.com

This wine is a complete cellar savior. Guillaume has constructed the perfect, bulletproof white wine quaff for any season, as the blend of 40% Viognier, 30% Grenache Blanc and 30% Roussanne provides a little bit of everything. The Viognier? Florals, honeysuckle, great mid-palate weight. The Roussanne? Minerality, structure, power. The Grenache Blanc? The ease, the glue that fits these two grapes perfectly together and fills in all the cracks. This stuff is majorly gulpable and incredibly friendly towards a number of cuisines…or maybe just your patio and a glass…either way you’re winning.

Bitouzet works a 0.71-hectare parcel of vines in the lieu-dit Les Herbeaux in northern Meursault, adjacent to premier cru Les Malpoiriers, and planted in the early 1950s (with a portion replanted in 2010). Aged 12 months on its fine lees in 228-liter barrels, a maximum of 15% of which are new, the domaine’s Bourgogne Blanc presents as a Meursault in miniature, with sneaky power, pronounced salinity, and a tightly coiled structure that rewards a few years of cellaring. A fresh, direct wine that combines the varietal typicity of Cote d'Or Chardonnay with the broad richness typical of Meursault.

96+ Points! The most balanced and transparent wine in the range, the 2023 Les Jardinières is showing superbly this year. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of blood orange, elderflower, violets, peonies and dark cherries, it’s medium- to full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a fleshy yet vibrant core of fruit and beautifully integrated tannins. Concluding with a long, perfumed and ethereal finish, this is one of the vintage’s most complete and characterful renditions of Gigondas. Paul Fumoso is positioning Domaine Gour de Chaulé among the most compelling addresses in the Southern Rhône today. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

From a parcel of one-third of a hectare in the heart of Chassagne on the eastern side. The vines are 45 years old and they sit with an east-southeast exposure. The cuvaison is about two weeks long and the élevage lasts for 15 to 18 months. Very little new oak is used. This is an assertive wine with strong scents and flavors that tend to the “sous bois” and leather/animal; powerful with a solid backbone of tannins; a humble, honest and satisfying wine.

This wine is from some of the oldest vines in the estate, planted between 45 and 85 years ago. The parcel is about 1.5 hectare in size and sits on a hillside between Saint Aubin and Gamay with an east-southeast exposure. There is an élevage of 15 to 18 months (with very little new oak used). Perhaps the most serious and complex of the red wines of the domaine with a character dominated by red fruits and spices supported by substantial backbone.

Hailing from the nearby commune of Fuissé, this bottling comes from the En Vers Chânes vineyard in which Olivier owns a mere quarter of a hectare of 45-year-old vines. The high altitude (400 meters) and sandy limestone of this site produce a wine of striking poise and penetrating minerality, and Olivier’s measured aging regimen of 50% steel and 50% used barrels contributes a richness of texture without sacrificing zip.

95 Points! The aromas of orange peel, citrus, fresh mushroom, bark, smoked meat and currants is fantastic. The palate is pure and focused with super-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Muscular and formed, yet agile, Takes the appellation to a new level. Partially aged in amphore. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A svelte, seductive and seriously appealing 100% Merlot grown atypically on clay-dominant soils on one of the highest points of the Francs Côtes de Bordeaux. Wild strawberries, Morello cherries and subtle spices on the nose and palate, softly sweet, generous, round, plump, juicy and mouth filling, all harmoniously packaged and carefully balanced with freshness from start to finish. Complete and evocative with purity of expression. Seek it out. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! Composed of 100% Merlot, the 2019 Marsau is medium to deep garnet-purple colored. It struts out of the glass with assured notes of juicy black plums, blackberry preserves, tar, and cumin seed with touches of violets and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegant and lively, with lots of bright, savory sparks to the restrained black fruits, finishing on a lingering mineral note. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

Champagne Duménil is one of those discoveries that reminds us how many great growers are still hiding in Champagne. This small family estate, now led by Frédérique Duménil, has roots stretching back to the 1800s, but one of its most important decisions came in 1969, when Frédérique's grandmother Cécile planted Chardonnay in the Pinot-dominated Montagne de Reims. She loved vintage Champagne and believed Chardonnay would give their wines greater longevity. More than 50 years later, the 2015 Duménil Vintage Brut proves her right. A blend of 60% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier and 20% Pinot Noir from cooler north-facing slopes, it spent more than six years on the lees before disgorgement in 2022.

Now roughly 11 years from vintage, it's drinking beautifully, with bright stone fruit, citrus, subtle tropical notes and a gorgeous green-gold hue. Rather than being heavily brioche-driven, it shows impressive freshness, precision and energy, with the structure to explain exactly why Cécile believed so strongly in Chardonnay. Vintage Champagne routinely sells for $85 to $100+, and this would be an excellent value at its normal $70 retail. At $34.98, it's ridiculous. Eleven-year-old, vintage-dated grower Champagne with more than six years on the lees for under $35, and we have only 180 bottles.

98 Points! Coming from the Bois de Boursan and Crousroute lieux-dits, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Roussannes De Charles is a bigger, richer wine offering ripe stone fruits, brioche, orange marmalade, and honeyed flowers. Based on 100% Roussanne and aged six months in 100% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, concentrated, layered mouthfeel, brilliant mid-palate concentration, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It comes closest in style to Beaucastel's Roussanne Vieilles Vignes and is an absolutely brilliant effort that gains freshness with time in the glass. There are a scant 100 cases of this beauty. If you see a bottle, buy it. - Jeb Dunnuck

91 Points! Meaty black cherries, sappy garrigue, flowers, and black olives all emerge from the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape, which is based on 82% Grenache and 18% Syrah and aged 12 months in a mix of foudre, demi-muids, and used barrels. It's medium-bodied, charming, spicy, and complex, with ripe tannins and the more forward, delicious, easy style of the vintage. This beautifully balanced effort is as charming and satisfying as they come. - Jeb Dunnuck

Ecusseaux is situated on the eastern edge of Auxey-Duresses at the bottom of a hillside in a very gently sloped section bordering the village of Monthelie. The parcel was acquired in the 1950s by Robert Ampeau.

98 Points! The standout wine of the tasting (as expected). Opulent, concentrated with intense cassis notes on both the nose and palate, with a deep-purple hue in the glass (although not quite as deep as the 1995). Mint, cool, menthol on the nose with restrained oak hovering in the background. The palate is ultra-elegant with a freshness from the acidity and perfectly-ripe tannins, combined with subtle oak and intriguing spicy, cedary notes. - Decanter Magazine, 2021

97+ Points! The last time I tasted the 1996 Mouton Rothschild (maybe a couple of years ago?), I recall it was a bit broody and closed. This showing was anything but! Deep garnet in color, it sashays out of the glass with lavishly dressed, gregarious crème de cassis, baked blackberries and plum pudding scents plus touches of menthol, fenugreek, star anise and sandalwood with fleeting glimpses at dried rose petals and oolong tea. The full-bodied palate is richly fruited, opulent and oh-so seductive, with bags of youthful black fruit and lovely finely grained tannins, finishing with fantastic freshness and length. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com 2019

97 Points! Composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 1998 Mouton Rothschild is deep garnet-brick in color with lovely crème de cassis, dried roses, hoisin and baking spice notes with underlying notions of dried cherries and mulberries plus touches of wood smoke, incense and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and packed with rich fruit framed by firm, chewy tannins, it is stacked with complex, evolving flavors and finishes with incredibly long-lasting perfumed notes. According to winemaker Philippe Dhalluin, this needs about three hours of decanting at this stage. I simply love the place this wine is in right now, possessing plenty of mature, tertiary characters yet still sporting bags of fruit. It won’t be fading anytime soon either and should cellar nicely for 20-25+ more years. Drink: 2018-2043. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com 2018

100 Points! Tasted first at the château in July, then again at a Berry Bros supper in late November, and both time it effortlessly showcased why Lafite is one of the most sought-after estates in the world. Takes its time to open, even at 25 years old, but a bit of patience and you are rewarded with rosebud, tuffle, ash, pencil lead and crushed mint, all gently playing around the cassis, bilberry and blackberry fruits. There is huge concentration here, but everything is in balance, and you rejoice in the tertiary notes that give gentleness and juice to the overall feel. Charles Chevallier estate director at the time, Jacques Boissenot consultant. Harvest began September 24, 58hl/h yield. The first Lafite to be put in an anti-fraud engraved bottle. - Jane Anson, 2021

99 Points! This is compelling, with a bright, forward currant fruit that is opening well now to show the nuance of game, earth, and gunflint to the ripe, dark fruit. The texture is tannic and fresh, with tannins starting to loosen but still in evidence. A luminous, radiant wine that will doubtless improve for another half-century. The vintage saw a solid flowering and fruit set and a warm July, but cool, rainy weather in August slowed ripening. The sun returned for most of September, but there was a bit of rain in the last week, although fine weather returned in October. At Lafite, 38% of the grapes went into the grand vin, a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot – more of this last and less Merlot than customary. From 1996 forward, the percentage of Cabernet was higher than it had been hitherto. - Decanter Magazine, 2022

The bold, rich 1990 has a bouquet similar to the 1989, with its sweet, forward, leathery, spicy, toffee, caramel, and berry-scented nose. There is plump, ripe fruit, medium body, fine flesh, and a long finish. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com