The 2018 Blancs de Blancs is a Champagne of total pleasure. Citrus peel, orchard fruit and floral notes are very nicely delineated. The 2018 is an airy, breezy Champange, very much in the style of a vintage in which so...

This focused, light-to-medium bodied red offers a medley of steeped black cherry, tangy blackberry and apricot notes flanked with tea, cedar and anise elements. A vivid hint of rosewater defines the long finish. Drink now...

A smidge of fresh, chilled cream appears tantalizingly on the shy nose of this wine. The smooth but fresh palate displays lemon freshness, yeasty creaminess and a rounded mouthfeel. Yeastiness dominates the dry, fresh...

The nose has primarily umami notes of leather, graphite and dark chocolate, but macerated black cherries and blackberries create a plush, succulent undertone. That undertone grows on the palate before the dark chocolate...

This is richly textured, velvety with dark black cherry and damson fruit character, reflecting the higher alcohol typical of the vintage. Violet floral notes add balance, and this has lenght and sllky tannins, with...

Romano Marengo's Ca’ Rome’ 2018 Barbaresco Chiaramanti reveals a textured and soft approach with some ripe fruit and blackberry backed by spice and tarry smoke. The thick fiber of this mid-weight wine cedes to integrated...

The 2018 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills Cuvee is bright, airy and wonderfully perfumed. Ethereal and gracious, the 2018 lifts out of the glass with striking aromatic presence to match its chiseled, mid-weight personality...

Fresh berry and citrus notes on the nose, together with leafy aromas. Medium-bodied with a linear start to the palate, followed by a medium build of grainy tannin. A lighter structure this year, but there’s some good...

Plum, licorice, peppercorn and a hint of salt show in the bouquet of this balanced wine. It's full bodied, with well-integrated tannins. The vibrant palate delivers bright black-fruit flavors and peppery spice. It...

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...

The 2018 Barolo Vite Talin was tasted alongside the 2019 at the estate and takes a slight edge over the 2019 at this stage. It’s a gorgeous and elegant vintage of this wine, crafted around a clone of Nebbiolo that Luciano...

Gentle red-fruit notes have the slightest sheen of vanilla on this wine's nose. The palate offers the full-fruited intensity of ripe cherry, propelled by vivid freshness. A touch of heat and mocha play on the finish. —...

A straightforward chardonnay with sliced cooked apples, honey and straw. Medium-bodied with pleasant fruit and a fresh finish. Drink now.

A reductive style with grapefruit, limes, yellow plums and broom flowers. Vinous. Fine mousse with zesty acidity, very light body and a leaner finish. A bit more complexity expected. Drink now.

The Domaine de Baron'arques demonstrates that Limoux, the region that gave birth to sparkling wine makes a fine Merlot-based wine as well. A velvety wine of plush red and blue, berry fruit aromas accented by clove and...

The nose on this wine is closed, disclosing just a slight lemon note. The palate offers poised freshness on a supple, balanced body. There is a lovely stoniness to the lemon flavors, a chalky texture and concentration...

Fragrant, fluid and seductive for the silky texture, with cherry, floral, sandalwood and oak spice aromas and flavors. Well-structured yet deftly balanced, this feels effortless and graceful overall. Reveals licorice and...

The headline wine from Rocca di Frassinello is this hearty blend of Sangioveto (Sangiovese), Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It represents a selection of the best fruit from across the estate. The 2018 Maremma Toscana...

This is a red that is perfect for the by-the-glass market: the 2018 Quite is light and perfumed and has the Atlantic freshness of the 2018 vintage. It starts off a little reductive, and decanting it in advance could be a...

A perfumed and much more floral-suffused nose speaks of white peach, lemon rind and grilled nuts. The succulent, intense and stony middle weight flavors possess a taut muscularity before terminating in a bitter lemon...

Brisk with the scent of wild Mediterranean herbs, this gamay looks toward the south in its warm and juicy red fruit. The flavors are bold and lasting, bound by mineral tension and smoky tannins.

(91+ points) A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot and aged in 50% new oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Fonbadet rolls effortless out of the glass with evocative scents of stewed black plums...

Complex aromas of chalk, dried apple and pear with some cream. It’s full-bodied and open now. Chalky at the finish. Lightly layered palate. Drink or hold.

The serious 2018 Mengoba Mencía Alicante Bouschet shows the potential of 2018 to produce very fresh reds that are both approachable and deep, complex but easy to understand. I think he has come to a blend that shows the...

While the 2018 vintage got plenty of buzz, following the less heralded 2017, I remain less enthusiastic when compared to the stellar 2016. The 2018 has a more roasted fruit profile, albeit with impressive (and seductive)...

The 2018 Grand Mayne has a deep garnet-purple color. It delivers notes of cedar chest and new leather, over a core of ripe, juicy plums, blackberry preserves, and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm...

The 2018 Prieure-Lichine has a deep garnet purple color. It opens with notes of stewed plums and crème de cassis, laced with cedar and Indian spices, leading to notes of sassafras and chargrill. Medium to full-bodied, the...

The Bonnies' work in the vineyard and the vines' maturity is paying off in more complexity, precision and silkier tannins, with elevated, layered aromas and flavours. The bouquet is herbs and lavender, the juicy, open and...

The 2018 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet purple color. It is very closed, slightly reduced, requiring a lot of swirling to reveal notes of black raspberries, warm plums, and kirsch, plus hints of pencil lead, wild sage...