Deep, dense purple/red colour, with concentrated chocolate and plum aromas and flavours, a fair degree of oak but not overdone, and a trace of reduction on the early nose. Dense, powerful, concentrated but all things in...

The 2017 Gran Enemigo Gualtallary Single Vineyard didn't show any heat or excess ripeness from a warm and dry year. On the contrary, it's austere and has citrus acidity, with great freshness and minerality. The palate is...

A beautiful red with rather flamboyant fruit, showing crushed berries, flowers and some chocolate and walnut undertones. It’s full-bodied and layered. Creamy texture. Drink or hold.

The 2017 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Il Bugiardo displays an inviting mix of blackberries, sage, roses, chalk dust and hints of camphor. This is full-bodied with depths of silky textures and a dense core of...

This is a beautiful, fresh 2017 Brunello with fine tannins and a medium body of cherry, bark, cedar and pine-needle flavors. It’s long and polished with ultra-fine tannins and fresh acidity. Nicely done for the vintage...

Cabernet Franc (42%) is in the lead on this wine, with Cabernet Sauvignon (33%), Petit Verdot (17%) and Merlot following. Brooding aromas of black currant, anise, dried and fresh herb, scorched earth and boysenberry lead...

Juicy and spicy with fresh tobacco, redcurrants and crushed stone character. Medium to full body. Medium velvety tannins and a delicious finish. Will age beautifully as well. Better after 2026.

A creamy, velvety-textured red from the Duero, showing cherries and chocolate with some walnut undertones. It’s full-bodied with pretty fruit and complexity. Lightly salty and savory. Drinkable now, but better in a year...

This wine is starting to show some age, but that's only making it more interesting, with soy, dried meat, mulberry and pepper aromas on the nose. Tertiary flavors of dried meat, soy and seaweed show on the briny palate as...

The 2017 Barolo Rapèt is bright, juicy and absolutely delicious. This fruity Serralunga Barolo offers tons of immediacy in the open-knit style that is typical of parts of this Serralunga vineyard. Silky, impeccably...

Cherries, dried flowers and slate on the nose with some fresh mushrooms. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a juicy, chewy finish. Lots of structure and freshness to this. Extremely serious as always. Tight...

The Merlot-dominated 2017 Merlot Rive Droite Paradise Hills Vineyard (there's 4% Cabernet Franc in the blend) is also straight-up brilliant, showing tons of ripe black cherry, chocolate, coffee bean, and truffly herb...

Elegantly textured, with glossy tannins encasing raspberry coulis and ripe cherry notes infused with black tea, orange zest, licorice and sleek mineral details. A serious wine that should age well. Drink now through 2030...

Subtle, almost cooling smoke spreads over the red-fruited aromas of this wine. The same subtle game is played on the slender, smooth but toned body, where tart red cherry and berry bathe in distant woodsmoke...

The 2017 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes has an attractive nose of brambly red fruit mixed with freshly tilled earth and light minty aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, brown spices infusing the red...

A beam of sappy cherry and kirsch marks this lush, smooth red, with a core of fruit accented by loamy earth and spice notes. Shows a light smoky cast and a long finish. Best from 2021 through 2033. 350 cases imported. — BS

Moving to the two Pinot Noirs, the 2017 Pinot Noir Cleary Ranch The Settler from the Cleary Ranch Vineyard was all destemmed and brought up in 38% new French oak. It has a rocking nose of spiced cherries, raspberries...

This is one of those wines where your nose is in the glass for ages, enjoying the complex array of aromas that range from raspberries to dates, perfumed bark to polished wood, pressed flowers to fresh mushrooms...

This has aromas of blackberries, porcini mushrooms, tobacco and charred bark. It’s medium-bodied with fine, supple tannins. Savory, with plenty of earth and mineral character. Fresh finish. Drink or hold.

The 2017 Barolo Cerretta is a dark, mysterious wine. Black cherry, lavender, sage, mint and licorice bring out a darker, more muscular side of Nebbiolo. Firm, driving tannins add to an impression of gravitas and power...

A red with plenty of ripe fruit, such as berries and cherries with some fresh-herb and lemon undertones. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright fruit and fine tannins. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

This 100% Syrah opens with black-skinned berry, cedar and green peppercorn aromas. On the concentrated palate, fine-grained tannins support ripe black currant, tobacco and licorice. Drink through 2026. KERIN O’KEEFE

This is so perfumed – the red fruit and flowers just jump out of the glass. So aromatic. Full-bodied, yet the precise, fine tannins just melt into the glass and spread wide across the palate. A gorgeous wine. Drink or hold.