100 Point Wines!

Lastly, and pure perfection in white wine, the 2020 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is based on 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon that was aged in 50% new oak. This massively rich, concentrated, powerful... Read More

Spicy and more brooding, with a rocky mountainous feel, the 2021 Pinot Noir Richard Hermann Cuvee is from an undisclosed site and is loaded with black raspberry eau de vie, crushed pine needles, anise, and fresh lavender. This... Read More

The deeper plum-hued 2019 Hexe is a more diverse blend composed of 49% Grenache, 18% Petite Sirah, 16% Mataro, 9% Graciano, and 8% Syrah. The élevage here is similar to the Rocket Block, and it spent 32 months in 55% new... Read More

The wine of the vintage in Saint-Julien, if not all of the Médoc, the 2019 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is based on 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, aged in 100% new French oak, that hit a natural alcohol of 14.2%... Read More

...the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Reserve is another magical wine, and I might have rated this cuvée a perfect score more than any other Southern Rhône. Unquestionably in the same realm as the 2017, 2016, 2010,... Read More

Embodying the essence of great mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, and the majestic terroir of Pritchard Hill, this wine displays epic depth and complexity. Pure, intense aromas of blackberry, cassis, perfumed violets, graphite,... Read More

Needing plenty of air to show at its best, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is a sensational, gorgeous Napa Valley Cabernet that delivers the goods like only this region can. Pure Cabernet magic on the... Read More

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is just about pure perfection and another example of Napa Valley magic. All Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 80% new French oak, it offers an incredible bouquet of pure cassis and blackberry... Read More

The aromas of the 2016 “IX Estate” Syrah exemplify the strikingly coastal feel of the growing season. The bouquet offers gorgeous wild notes of game meats, niçoise olives, and sea breeze alongside delicious... Read More

Fresh, harmonious and long, with cherry, plum, toast, sandalwood and forest aromas and flavors, this red is mellowing, with hints of mushroom and leather seeping in, along with tobacco and mint. Best from 2025 through 2045.... Read More

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is another perfect wine, although readers will need to have patience, as it’s still a baby. Deep purple-hued with a perfumed, vibrant bouquet of blue fruits, graphite, spring flowers,... Read More

Tasted in components, before the final blending and rest before bottling, this wine is shaping up to be monumental, and it's from a domaine that has made far more than a few remarkable wines. There's intense dark fruit,... Read More

A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard is pure perfection and undeniably one of the greatest wines in this terrific vintage. With a Château Latour like... Read More

The 2019 To Kalon Cabernet is truly unlike any other To Kalon TOR has made in 20 years. This years wine includes the largest percentage of Cabernet Franc that they have ever had in a To Kalon and wow what that did! This years... Read More

The most brooding and massive wine in the Verité portfolio, creamy cassis, plum and graphite are followed by a large-scaled, dense and intensely concentrated, savoury wine which lives up to its reputation as Sonoma's... Read More

The 2019 La Mission Haut-Brion has a beautiful, floral bouquet with touches of pressed violet infusing the black fruit, exquisite delineation and focus; the new oak is seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned... Read More

The 2014 Grenache Shakti is blended of 88% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Petite Sirah and 2% Touriga Nacional, coming 51% from the Cumulus (Estate) Vineyard, 18% from The Third Twin (Estate) Vineyard, 9.5% from Bien Nacido... Read More

Moving to the Grand Vin, the 2020 Vieux Château Certan is another legendary wine from this vintage, ranking with the best Bordeaux ever produced. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 65% new... Read More

Just pure gold, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard CCS is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from one of California's greatest terroirs, that was brought up in 100% new French oak. This dense purple-colored... Read More

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Lpv is very deep purple-black in color with an incredibly perfumed nose of potpourri, lavender and red roses with hints of oolong tea, cigar boxes and fragrant earth... Read More

I’ve had so many incredible Syrahs from this estate, it’s hard to tell if the 2013 Syrah Le Supplement will be the best yet, but it’s unquestionably one of the greatest Syrah made in California. Reminding me... Read More

98 Points, The Somm Journal

98 Points, Wine & Spirits

The 2013 Grenache Jusqu' a l'os was produced from 79% Grenache from the 11 Confessions Vineyard along with 18% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah, produced using 89% whole cluster and aged for around 38 months in 51% used oak,... Read More

Following a very long harvest stretching nearly two months, the 2015 Château d'Yquem came in at 13.9% alcohol and 144 grams per liter of residual sugar, sporting a pH of 3.65 and six grams per liter of tartaric acid.... Read More

Continuum shows delicacy on the nose with citrus blossom and rose petal aromas. The wine builds in power and presence on the palate with cassis, dark fruits, bergamot, dried wild herb, and notes of cigar box and leather. 2016... Read More

The 2015 Grenache E comes all from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard and spent a whopping 38 months in 28% new French oak, with the balance in used barrels of varying sizes. An incredible effort that offers complex notes of cured... Read More

Kapcsándy's 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin is rich, unctuous and absolutely impeccable. Dark, sensual and inviting, the 2013 is just as exceptional as it has been in prior tastings. Mocha, espresso, plum, licorice,... Read More

This is so perfumed with cherry, floral, hot stone and chalk aromas that follow through to a medium to full body, with chewy, velvety and slightly dusty tannins. Bark and truffle add to the complexity of the finish. From organically... Read More

Pale to medium gold colored, the 2009 d'Yquem bursts from the glass with gregarious crème caramel, allspice, dried apricots, mandarin peel and pineapple upside down cake scents plus a fragrant undercurrent of fungi,... Read More

Another perfect wine in the lineup is the 2016 St. Eden, which comes from a hillside of red volcanic soils just outside of Oakville. As with the 2015, wine doesn’t get any better, and this inky hued 2016 offers up a smorgasbord... Read More

Each year, this vineyard begins in its own rhythm and ends on a similar note; 2016 is no exception. Early in the ripening, the balance of flavor and quality of tannin were impressive. In September, we received much-needed fog... Read More

I finished my trip through Bordeaux with the 2020 Château Haut-Brion, and it was certainly a fitting cap to the trip. Revealing a deep ruby/plum hue, the 2020 exhibits extraordinary aromatics of ripe black fruits, scorched... Read More

Always a “Wow” wine, the 2016 Quella doesn’t disappoint, showing its classic, savory, mineral style as well as stunning notes of blueberries, plums, spice box, herbs de Provence, and melted licorice. This full-bodied,... Read More

One of the more backward, mineral-laced, age-worthy wines in the vintage, the 2019 Cabernet IX Estate comes from the estate property on Pritchard Hill, which is unquestionably one of the greatest terroirs in the Valley. Incredibly... Read More

Moving to the single vineyard releases, the 2016 Melbury is pure perfection in a glass and is the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted. Awesome notes of cassis, blackcurrants, toasted bread, white flowers, and... Read More

Much more Semillon-based compared to its stablemate, the Haut-Brion Blanc, the 2019 Château La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc is 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. It's a much more subdued, classic Semillon, offering ripe... Read More

The 2015 Pluribus comes from the highest elevation vineyard in the lineup, located halfway up Spring Mountain on a southeast facing parcel of volcanic and Aiken soils. Classic Spring Mountain conifer and bay leaf notes are balanced... Read More

2006 A Shot in the Dark is composed of 96.5% Syrah and 3.5% Viognier from the 11 Confessions Vineyard in the cool Santa Rita Hills. Performing better from bottle than it did from barrel, this prodigious red exhibits incredibly... Read More

So much sweet tobacco, Spanish cedar, dried flowers, dark mushrooms and roses. Really aromatic. This is so polished and very powerful, yet ethereal and refined at the same time. The finish goes on for minutes. Tight and harmonious.... Read More

The 2019 Château Margaux, bottled in July 2021, is absolutely divine on the nose. It unfurls to reveal exquisitely defined black fruit infused with graphite, Japanese nori and just a hint of potpourri and crushed stone.... Read More

A perfect wine any way you look at it, the 2012 Grenache Rattrapante comes all from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills and spent 33 months in 27% new French oak. My notes start - and end - with “Wow.”... Read More

The 2005 Syrah The 17th Nail In My Cranium, a blend of 96.5% Syrah and 3.5% Viognier which is aged 38 months prior to bottling. (I always wonder what Marcel Guigal would think of a wine like this which seems to tip its hat in... Read More

Lastly, the utterly perfect 2012 Syrah Touche reminds me of a great vintage of Guigal’s Cote Rotie La Landonne. A blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Petite Sirah and 2% Viognier, all from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta.... Read More

The 2019 Screaming Eagle is a wine of mind-blowing elegance and finesse that stand apart from the generally more potent style of so many wines in this vintage. Deep, sensual and beautifully layered, the 2019 is simply magnificent... Read More

A dead-ringer (at least aromatically) for Guigal’s single vineyard Cote Rotie La Mouline, the 2002 Just For The Love of It is the greatest California Syrah I have yet tasted. A one-thousand case blend of 96% Syrah, 2% Grenache,... Read More