A seductive mix of powerful, opulent blackberry and raspberry fruits cut through with vibrant juice, flint, crushed rocks, chocolate and liquorice. The texture is lucious on the opening, but as you sit with it, the...

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 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...

Glass-staining ruby. Hugely perfumed, mineral-accented black and blue fruit preserves, floral oil, olive paste, pipe tobacco and exotic spice aromas show superb clarity and pick up a hint of smokiness with air. Juicy and...

Mineral and tangy nose with a minty edge to the red berries and oranges. Lightly mossy and decadent, with an impressive mineral quality on the linear, medium-bodied palate. Really refined and composed with a long, juicy...

A blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine has aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate and violet candy. Flavors of blackberry, Mission fig, mint tea, anise and lavender are intertwined with velvety tannins...

95+ The 2018 Pichon Baron has a deep garnet-purple color. It starts off with savory notes of black olives, sauteed herbs, chargrill, and beef dripping, over a core of crème de cassis and stewed plums. Medium to...

The 2018 La Rose Perrière has come together beautifully since I last tasted it. Rich, deep and sumptuous, the 2018 possesses terrific depth and density from start to finish. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, licorice, spice...

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.

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...

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 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...

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cyril Henschke is an impressive release, retaining composure and power while starting to display a little development. Cassis and blackberry aromas are lifted by leafy, dried herb tones, while...

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. —...

Intensely aromatic, offering graphite-tinged currant, cherry, strawberry and earth flavors. Its texture is silky and the finish well-defined, even racy and long, echoing the fruit and mineral components. Best from 2022...

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...

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...

The 2018 Marienburg Felsterrasse did not ferment to legally dry but still reached 13% alcohol. The bouquet is deep, intense and flinty yet refined and elegant, with ripe fruit aromas intermixed with delicate slate notes...

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...

94+ Here's another very interesting wine from Volpaia that has since been moved up to Grand Selezione status. The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala (with 9,000 bottles made) is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Mammolo...

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...

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...

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...

Exhibits a strong Sangiovese character, with cherry, earth, iron and leather aromas and flavors. Solidly built and nicely balanced, leaving an aftertaste of savory cherry, iron and tobacco accents. Sangiovese. Drink now...

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...

(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...

(94-96+ points) The 2018 Château La Fleur De Boüard Le Plus is cut from the same cloth yet has another level of density and richness on the palate. Blackcurrants, cassis, smoked tobacco, graphite, and charcoal notes all...