Brilliant violet color. Aromas of fresh red/blue fruits, candied flowers and smoky minerals pick up a spicy nuance with air. Taut and focused on the palate, offering appealingly sweet raspberry, boysenberry and spicecake...

Quite an intense, rich, red and dark-cherry and red-plum nose. There are some sappy and spicy elements on offer, too. The palate has such smooth, fleshy and fluid texture with bright red cherries sitting up on the finish...

A touch of licorice enlivens the smoky, oaky nose on this wine, supporting a brooding note of elderberry. The palate comes in with juiciness, portraying plump, aromatic dark fruit reminiscent of fleshy black cherry. Ripe...

To my palate, the 2018 vintage sometimes feels a little too ripe or baked. I was reminded of those characteristics when tasting the Fèlsina 2018 Fontalloro. There is plenty of dark fruit at its core, but this wine also...

The 2018 Pinot Noir The Settler Cleary Ranch, aged in 38% new French oak, has a pale ruby-purple color and classic scents of tea leaves, earth, underbrush and laurel with a red berry core. The light-bodied palate has a...

Floral aromas of rose and iris mingle with red berry and tilled earth on this perfumed red. Elegantly structured, the vibrant palate offers juicy red cherry, crushed raspberry and star anise before a savory, almost salty...

The 2018 Pirate TreasuRed Red Blend is composed of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is a tad closed to begin, soon unfurling to reveal notes of...

This great estate in southern Pauillac, facing the Latour vineyard, is at the top of its game. In this release, the tannins are as impressive and dense as the black fruits. Together they form a harmonious ensemble, richly...

This blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot shows a slightly reductive, meaty funk on the nose, offering charred beef, black pepper and asphalt aromas. That carries into the...

Dark and dense, with plum and blackberry compote notes forming the core while licorice root, juniper and sassafras notes fill in through the finish. There's ample fruit in reserve here and a nice buried minerality. Just...

A rich and darkly alluring mix of plum sauce, grilled sage and hints of sweet smoke makes the 2018 Red Wine Ciel du Cheval a total pleasure on the nose. This is seamlessly silky, with potent red fruits complimented by a...

True to form, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Trois Sources is a softer, more elegant wine than the Les Hauts-Lieux and offers a gorgeous perfume of black cherries, black licorice, tapenade, violets, herbes de Provence...

Blended with 7% Merlot from the famous site, along the benchlands of the Mayacamas, this is a juicy, delicious and sophisticated wine, with impressive, complementary bolts of freshness and intensity that are fully in...

The 2018 Lessona is a wild, distinctive wine that captures all the exotic beauty of Nebbiolo in this appellation. Sweet dark cherry, orange peel, cinnamon, blood orange, sage and rose petal build effortlessly as this...

Dense nose with licorice-tinged, crushed raspberries and blackberries. Full-bodied and full-fruited palate, then there’s a steady, velvety-tannin build through the long finish. Really well structured and polished. Showing...

Forest berry, spice, hay and menthol aromas mingle with whiffs of new leather on this stunning, fragrant Brunello. A top-scorer vintage after vintage, the 2018 combines elegance and a full body, delivering dried cherry...

The 2018 Darmagi is elegant, delicate and refined. It shows the mid-weight structure of the year in Barbaresco, with lovely varietal character and exceptional textural finesse. Bright red/purplish fruit and lifted floral...

This Amarone showcases the wine style's depth and finesse. Aromas of dark plums and blackberries are knit together with fresh and dried floral notes. The palate is well structured. A solid core of dark fruit is balanced...

A pure, balanced and fresh Napa cabernet that is not just showing heady concentration and dark fruit. Here you get some violets, nimble flowers, redcurrants, graphite and fine spices. Some oranges, too. Fragrant and...

This is the most high-toned of Gaja’s three 2018 Brunellos, a portion of the fruit coming from the Torrenieri vineyard in Montalcino’s cooler northeastern corner. Hints of oregano and citrus peel accent the tangy red...

The 2018 Côte Rôtie Les Triotes offers another level of richness, giving up lots of black and red fruits intermixed with plenty of peppery spice, plum sauce, and candied violets. With loads of charm, medium to full body...

(90-92 points) In addition to their brilliant Chateauneuf du Papes, this estate makes two terrific Rasteau. Their 2018 Rasteau offers a medium to full-bodied, fruit-forward, balanced style as well as the more blue fruit...

The 2018 Barolo Gramolere is the most linear and intensely aromatic of the three 2018 Barolos in the range. It offers up an exciting mix of bright red fruit intermingled with scents of leather, iron, dried herbs and white...

Including slightly more Mourvèdre and from a cooler, higher elevation terroir, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts-Lieux has more cassis, game, peppery herbs, and olive notes, as well as the classic violets and black...

(97+ points) Grapes for this wine come from the plateau with yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare. Composed of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with a 3.5 pH and 14.56% alcohol, the deep...

I love the depth and complexity of the nose, which brings you down deeply into the wine, showing blackberry, ink, tar, earth, incense, cloves, and black licorice. Thyme, too. The purity of the fruit, including cassis, is...

The 2018 Tenuta Degli Dei is dense, juicy and wonderfully inviting. Silky tannins wrap around a core of inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, lavender and new leather. In the glass, the 2018 is intensely aromatic and...

Bright and lifted aromas of cranberries, raspberries, lemon peel, cherry blossom and fresh nutmeg. Sliced chilis, too. Unfolds into delicious red and crunchy fruit on the palate, with a full body and bright acidity...