Wines

From the winery: Our 2021 Pickberry Merlot comes from the firm, clay-based soils, about 600' up the northern slopes of Sonoma Mountain. Mother Nature pushed ripeness faster on us than in previous years, trading out lighter herbaceous notes of previous vintages for a focused fruit profile. The wines massive structure coupled with Pickberry's signature blue fruit and intense menthol notes is just right on.

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91 Points! A full-bodied, juicy and chewy merlot. Tasty layers of chocolate, cherries, hazelnuts and olives wrapped up in ripe, broad tannins. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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100 Points! Wow. Fabulous aromas of currants, rosemary, mint and orange peel. Perfect nose. Full body with perfectly integrated tannins. It's long and incredible with tangerine, toasted-oak, berry, terracotta and chocolate flavors. It lasts for minutes on the palate. This needs at least five years to soften but so spellbinding now. - JamesSuckling.com

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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

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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

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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

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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

 

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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

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PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

95-96 Points! Blackberry, hazelnut and chocolate, yet it remains reserved and focused. Full body with a solid core of fruit and fine tannins. Very classy. One of the best I have had. - James Suckling

93-95 Points! Quite floral in mature with a nice freshness to the red, pit fruits, the wine is supple, creamy, sweet and fresh. There is a lush quality to the silky fruits, as well as a a touch of spice, elegant-textures and a plummy, fruity-packed finish. The wine is produced from 100% Merlot. 14.6% ABV, 3.7 pH. This is the best wine produced here in ages! Drink from 2026-2045. - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94 Points! From a 4.5-hectare vineyard on the plateau of Pomerol adjacent to Le Pin and one of La Fleur-Pétrus's parcels, Jean-Philippe Janoueix's 2022 La Croix St Georges is the first produced with the input of consultant Thomas Duclos. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, minty berries, licorice and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a seamless, complete profile and compelling purity of fruit. This has always been an immensely promising terroir, but now it really is an estate to watch. - William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

91-93 Points! Black raspberries, crushed stone, white flowers, and spice (I'd almost guess this was from limestone soils), the 2022 Château La Croix Saint Georges is medium-bodied, with a silky, elegant mouthfeel and a great finish. I love its purity and precision. - Jeb Dunnuck

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94 Points! A beautiful Merlot, the 2019 from PlumpJack offers everything you could want from this variety with its plump, fleshy, medium to full-bodied profile as well as terrific aromatics of black cherries, darker berries, leafy herbs, spring flowers, and a touch of chocolate. It’s ready to go yet should continue delivering the goods over the coming decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

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94 Points! Arietta's 2018 Merlot Hudson Vineyard shows the cool, savory style of Carneros. Dried herbs, licorice, menthol, gravel and spice lend striking aromatic complexity throughout. This is an especially savory, nuanced style. The 2018 is a fabulous wine that will challenge readers' conceptions of what Napa Valley Merlot is all about. The Arietta wine emerges from the oldest vines Merlot vines at Hudson, planted in 1986. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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This racy and fruity, pure Pinot Meunier Champagne showcases this noble grape in all its glory! A generous addition of reserve wine gives the wine wonderful depth and character. Aged for three years, with just 3 grams/L dosage.

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WOW! Dense plum/purple-colored with sweet aromas of blueberries, blackberries, cassis, licorice, hot rocks and subtle oak, it is a splendidly opulent, pure wine with a skyscraper-like texture as well as stunningly deep fruit that expands gracefully across the palate. The finish lasts nearly a full minute. Because of its overwhelming richness and sweet tannins, this brilliant wine is approachable now, but I suspect further nuances and complexity will emerge after 4-5 years in the bottle and will still be going strong at age 30. Learn More

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93 Points! Very attractive and fragrant, fresh red and dark berries with a wild-raspberry edge. The palate has a deep and smooth frame of tannins and carries plenty of bright blue-fruit flavor in fresh mode. Second wine of Chateau Sanctus. Try from 2022. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

92 Points! The 2016 La Bienfaisance de Château Sanctus is a gorgeous wine from Saint-Émilion's Saint Christophe de Bardes sector. Pliant and racy in the glass, the 2016 offers striking purity as well as nuance. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange and floral overtones confer energy to this vibrant yet understated, persistent Saint-Émilion. I really like the sense of drive and energy here. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

91 Points! Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 La Bienfaisance sports notions of baked black plums, mulberries and boysenberries with nuances of fruitcake, Chinese five spice and damp earth plus a waft of sautéed herbs. The full-bodied palate is bursting with black berry preserves and herbal sparks, framed by firm, rounded tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and spicy. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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