Bright salmon-skin color. Fresh pit fruits, red berries and a hint of orange pith on the incisive nose. Tight and sharply focused on the palate, offering vibrant strawberry, white peach and tangerine flavors that put on...

Having tasted this a year ago, I'm happy to find the 2019 Le Grand Clos in my glass again. It continues to be a suave, elegant wine with a distinctly salty edge. It is full and curvy, having been aged for ten months in...

Inky violet color. Heady, smoke- and spice-tinged cherry, blueberry, peony and incense aromas show excellent clarity; mineral and cured meat notes build with aeration. Juicy and energetic, especially in the context of the...

The 2020 Distique 13 is the best wine I have tasted from Mangot in some time, perhaps ever. Vibrant and explosive, the 2020 offers up blueberry jam, graphite, crushed rocks, lavender, licorice and exotic spice. Distique...

Deep magenta. A complex, intensely perfumed bouquet evokes black raspberry, kirsch and lavender, along with vibrant mineral and exotic spice flourishes. Incisive red and dark berry, bitter cherry and succulent herb...

Louis Moreau farms 52 acres in the villages of Beines and Chablis, most of his parcels on sandy clay. He ferments this wine in stainless steel without added yeasts, then ages it on the fine lees. In 2018, he achieved a...

Burning embers, graphite, violets, and mostly blue fruits dominate the 2020 Saint Joseph Les Royes, an Hermitage-like Saint Joseph that has medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and...

This is the top white wine from Château Chantegrive in the Graves, and has been listed for the first time by The Wine Society. Half Semillon, and the other half Sauvignon Blanc with a dash of Sauvignon Gris, this is...

The NV Champagne Brut Rose is an attractive pale salmon hue, with a fresh perfume of wild strawberry, ripe peach, white and red flowers, a hint of tropical fruit, and grapefruit. The palate is rounded, with fruit up front...

I was blown away by the quality of the 2020 L'Hetre, and this estate, as well as the entire Castillon region, is one to watch going forward. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, brought up in 30% new French oak, it...

Aromas of currants and fresh herbs. Medium to full body, a soft and juicy texture and a long finish. Juicy yet tight. Excellent second wine. Better in 2020.

This wine is a little austere, while showing good aging potential. It has spice, acidity and the weight of fruit as it develops. With its juicy berry flavors still submerged by the firm tannins, it will take its time...

The 2019 de Pressac is just as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. A complex, mesmerizing wine, Pressac offers up an exotic mélange of black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice and menthol. All...

(90-92 points) There are two Rasteau from this reference point Châteauneuf du Pape producer. Starting with the 2019 Rasteau, it has plenty of chocolatey black raspberry and cherry fruits as well as loads of minerality...

The 2019 Faurie de Souchard is fabulous, just as it was from barrel. There is a feeling of exuberance in the 2019 that is absolutely irresistible. Succulent dark cherry, mocha, cedar, tobacco, licorice, dried herbs and...

Bright flowers and attractive red berries on offer here with a really succulent, velvety palate that offers rich red-plum flavors. Long and juicy resolve. A blend of 74 per cent merlot, 19 per cent cabernet franc and...

The 2019 Siran has a classically-styled, reassuringly precise and focused bouquet with plenty of mineralité and tension. The oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine precision...

Saturated ruby. Assertively perfumed, mineral-tinged red berry, cherry, lavender and incense scents show outstanding clarity and spicy lift. Concentrated yet lively black raspberry, cherry-cola, succulent herb and floral...

Blueberries and cocoa powder, as well as lavender and blackberries on the nose. Full-bodied with tight, focused tannins that are lean and racy, in a clear way. Just a hint of tar and ash at the end. Chewy and fine. Best...

The 2020 Grand Corbin Despagne is fabulous. Rich, dark and ample, the 2020 possesses off the charts richness and tons of intensity. Blackberry jam, crème de cassis, cloves, lavender and chocolate all build in this...

The 2010 du Tertre soars out of the glass with blackberry, sous-bois and light mint aromas. Good definition here and nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple but quite firm tannins, a welcome sprinkling of...

The 2021 Pouilly-Fuissé comes from seven parcels, though in this year, it was supplemented by some purchased fruit. It is matured in 50% used barrels and 50% in vat. The nose is well-defined with yellow plum and light...

As always, it is the Cabernet Sauvignon that sings. It brings an impressive structure to the wine, rich tannins and powerful black fruits. The wine is set for aging. It shows all the power and the open quality of the...

The 2020 Château Larrivet Haut-Brion is a gorgeous, incredibly satisfying Pessac, and it's certainly up with the finest vintages I've tasted from this estate. It has lots of red, blue, and black fruits as well as ample...

Blackcurrant, pine cone, walnut, crushed gravel and dried flowers on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined. Try from 2023.

(93+ points) Seemingly refined by the additional elevage since I reviewed a barrel sample last year, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert remains a big, rich, dark-fruited and almost tarry effort, but this...

Creamy blackberry and loganberry fruits with touches of brioche, and flaky pastry. Young, needs time, still in the plump early fruit phase, more exuberant than a young Saint Pierre in most vintages, but this will close...