Wines

95 Points! Dark and enveloping, the 2021 Pinot Noir Cuvee Alyce is the richest offering in this lineup. Pouring a deep red/purple, it’s saturated with aromas of boysenberry liqueur, lavender, cedar, and licorice. Ample and full-bodied, it remains light on its feet, with mouthwatering lift, well-integrated, ripe tannins, and smoky incense on the back palate. Give it another year or two to shed its considerable baby fat and drink 2025-2035. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! The 2021 Pinot Noir Cuvée Alyce is another gorgeous wine in this range. It offers a compelling balance of fruit intensity and energy. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, rose petal and cinnamon all soar out of the glass. High-toned aromatics and bright acids lend vibrancy throughout. The 2021 is a bit shy today, but it has so much to offer. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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95 Points! From vines that were planted in 1910. This is aromatically similar to the regular cuvée but there is notably more concentration, power and dry extract to the broad-shouldered flavors that pushes the very firm tannic spine to the background on the hugely long, palate coating and driving finish. This opulently full-on effort is a manifestly old school Clos de Vougeot that is not only very much built-to-age but is going to require lots of it. In a word, excellent. - Allen Meadows, Burghound

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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

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95 Points! Rich and detailed, with a deep but graceful structure, offering rose petal, raspberry, orange peel and dusky spice flavors that build tension and polish toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2032. - Wine Spectator

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95 Points! The 2021 Pinot Noir Campbell Ranch opens with deep tones of pomegranate and rhubarb before releasing notes of fir leaves, garrigue and earth. The light-bodied palate is velvety and seamlessly fresh, with a weightless yet powerfully perfumed core of fruit and a long, floral finish. It really opens up with time in the glass, so give it 2 to 3+ years in bottle or a couple hours in the decanter. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Forest botanicals like pungent new pine tips open on the nose of this pretty Pinot. Whiffs of savoury spice and black tea balance black cherry and earthy floral aromas. Lovely, concentrated black raspberry and cherry fruit on the palate are brightened by juicy acidity and flavoured with Asian spice and more black tea. There's weight and structure here—a limestone-grown, high-elevation wine—but its depth and length are textured with velvet. - Decanter Magazine

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95 Points! The 2021 Pinot Noir Lancelot Pisoni Vineyard comes from 39-year-old vines and was matured for 17 months in 50% new French oak. It has an intoxicating, layered perfume of raspberry, pomegranate and cranberry, with accents of amaro, bergamot and dark spices. The medium-bodied palate features highly concentrated, nuanced fruit, a frame of powdery tannins, mouthwatering acidity and a long, fragrant finish. 275 cases were made. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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This spectacular vineyard (also known as Zio Tony Ranch) sits along Laguna Ridge at the edge of the Green Valley AVA. Meticulously farmed and planted at a very high-density of 2420 vines per acre, the vineyard is planted to Dijon Pinot Noir clones 777 & 828. Once a spectacular apple orchard we pay homage to the Martinelli Family and the history of the site by naming the wine ‘La Pommeraie’ – French for apple orchard.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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95 Points! This wine from an exceptional site displays lush flavors across the black fruit spectrum. The tannins have a lightly grainy texture, with aging in 10% new French oak lending a wash of toast and coffee grounds. This muscular wine has the stuffing to age and the power to stand up to heavier stews and meaty entrées. - Wine Enthusiast

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95 Points! The 2016 Noces de Craies Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Extra Brut is made from 100% Pinot Noir from Grand Cru Ay and was disgorged on 16 March 2021. It offers a compelling perfume of orange blossoms, almond croissant, and spiced apple slices with touches of jasmine tea, fresh ginger, and chalk dust. The palate is open-knit, expressive, and expansive with layers of candied nuts, brioche, and baked apple inspired flavors, framed by very fine, frisky bubbles, finishing with a cerebral chalkiness. Very classy, it has the structure and intensity to age gracefully over the next 12-15 years+. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

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93-95 Points Neal Martin! "This is top drawer..."

 

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94 Points! The 2019 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters comes from Pommard and Dijon vines at the northern end of the Anderson Valley, planted in dusty Goldridge soil. Matured for 14 months in 28% new French oak, it has a medium ruby-purple color and delicate, fragrant scents of raspberry, strawberry, saline, cola and bergamot. The medium-bodied palate is silky and juicy, with mineral-driven fruits and a long, ethereal finish. 268 cases were made. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Translucent ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard, from the warmer, sandy Los Alamos region, was mostly destemmed (15% stems) and spent 18 months in 15% new barrels. A wonderful perfume of mulled cherries, baking spices, dried herbs, flowers, and forest floor gives way to a medium-bodied, ethereally styled, balanced, graceful Pinot Noir with light tannins and a great finish. It’s all about finesse and elegance, and it’s a beautiful, seamless Pinot Noir. - Jeb Dunnuck

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93-95 Points! Matured with 20% whole bunch and the same level of new oak, the 2018 Pommard Les Rugiens 1er Cru has an elegant, refined bouquet that gradually unfurls to reveal blackberry, briar and light wild strawberry scents, the stems lending a little pepperiness. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and very well-judged acidity. Delivers impressive tension and structure toward the linear, very persistent finish. This is an outstanding Les Rugiens, one of the best you will find this vintage. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media Learn More