95pt wines

I loved the 2020 Cornas Renaissance, a ripe, fleshy, supple, and already undeniably delicious Cornas. Darker berries, plums, garrigue, and peppery game notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with... Read More

Perfumed and pure, this has the classic generosity of Condrieu fruit, but it's neat and defined. Spherical on the palate, with well-balanced acidity and no excess oak, well judged. A little peppery, spicy nip on the finish.... Read More

Ripe berries and cherries with some currant jam as well as a bouquet of fresh flowers. Full-bodied with lots unctuous fruit and layers of tannins that are supple and caressing. Flavorful finish. Fresh, too. For people who want... Read More

A wisp of reduction on first nose gives way to some great stone fruit flavours and plenty of flesh through the mid-palate. This will take its time and is full of promise, although the red is the real standout in this vintage.... Read More

Such a flinty nose that delivers a full package of minerality. Quarry, chalk, gun powder and lime. The nose really speaks to you. Creamy and textured on the palate with bright but chiselled acidity and real tension. One of the... Read More

The dried-mango and pineapple character is so delicious in this wine. It’s full-bodied and medium-sweet, with a pretty density and a fruity finish. Wonderful balance to this super Sauternes. This is a little in reserve now,... Read More

A wine I was able to taste on multiple occasions, the 2015 Troplong Mondot is a tour de force that readers need to snatch up. This cuvee comes from the cool, clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau (it’s the highest... Read More

Lots of dark, blackcurrants, cassis, darker chocolate, and hints of violets emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced St. Helena Napa Cabernet Sauvignon offering nicely integrated acidity,... Read More

Pungent nose of violets, amarena cherries, dried figs and lightly charred oak. Some toffee notes emerge with air, together with more pressed flowers. Not so much full-bodied as full-flavored, with silky, fine and polished tannins.... Read More

The 2019 Soul of a Lion is a blockbuster vintage that showcases how Bordeaux varieties are remarkably suited to the terroir of DAOU Mountain. This wine explodes from the glass with a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors, including... Read More

A combination of separate lieux-dits which show a classic, fresh and focused vintage, with each component reflecting its origins with great clarity. It's an aromatic style, with slight tannins and fairly low but balanced acidity.... Read More

Black cherries, asphalt, hedgerow, dark spices and dried Mediterranean herbs. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with dusty, effusive tannins and a vertical finish. Pristine and stripped-down. Drink or hold.

A more brooding and dark profile emerges in the 2021 Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge, revealing notes of black cherry, resinous pine sap, and freshly toasted sage. Full-bodied, with ripe tannins, blackberry, violets, and crushed gravelly... Read More

The 2021 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard is gorgeous, with a floral perfume of fresh roses, raspberry eau de vie, fresh coniferous herbs, and spice. Medium-bodied, this stunning wine has wonderful transparency, with fine sweet tannins,... Read More

Taking on dark mineral tones, the 2021 Chardonnay Platt Chardonnay is outstanding. Notes of crushed stone, white flowers, and wild mint are followed by a medium-bodied white with a fantastic core of concentration, suspended tension,... Read More

Vineyard Owner: Joly Family
Vine Age: 45-50 years
Soil: Shale and sand
Exposure: Southern
Density: 20 hectoliters per hectare
First Year of Production: 1130

Vintage Report

The 2021 vintage is the smallest volume we’ve ever... Read More

Rustic and masculine; classic and modern. A woodsy first impression of rugged cedar, tobacco, incense, cardamom, and white pepper reminiscent of Crozes-Hermitage. As the wine unravels from its infancy; highlights of dried rose... Read More

Presqui’ile Vineyard is planted on a extremely sandy ridge at the southwestern edge of the Santa Maria AVA. The combination of the moderate climate and relatively poor soils creates a Syrah that is lively, spicy and complex.... Read More

Dark and complex with savory notes, violets and wild sage. Blackberries and charred tri-tip. Energetic and packed with dark fruit. Brooding nose leads to a refined and nuanced wine. Dynamic and balanced. Stunning syrah from the... Read More

Our Appellation Series wines exemplify our commitment to exploration and passion for crafting soulful and thoughtprovoking wines that celebrate some of the world's great terroirs.

The Sonoma Coast is the largest appellation... Read More

Fiore di NO is Natalie Oliveros' personal touch for La Fiorita. This is a selection of 2 of our 4 vineyards: Pian Bossolino (360m) and Collesorbo (180m). For millions of years, time has allowed for a strong interaction between... Read More

A single vineyard expression from Pian Bossolino, La Fiorita’s Riserva was picked on 10 October. It comes across as very ripe in its aromas of wild black cherry and exotically spiced plum. Traces of smoke interject. There... Read More

The 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Clos Les Cornirets is terrific, with beautiful darker blackberry and black cherry fruit as well as spicy, peppery, floral nuances. It's medium to full-bodied, has a great mid-palate, ripe yet building... Read More

Thanks to its perfect mastery of the Chardonnay’s vinification, a rare and demanding grape variety, Laurent‑Perrier offers a 100% Chardonnay champagne without added sugar. From a year when maturity allows a sufficient natural... Read More

The Vintage is the choice of an exceptional year from which only a selection of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Grands Crus will enter into a future iteration of Grand Siècle. It is a rare and outstanding wine that expresses... Read More

Ethereal floral and raspberry nose. A vinous palate with a mild mousse, the soft texture all wrapped in spice, nuts, smoke and a superior berry tincture. Very long and easy to enjoy.

This iteration of Grand Siècle is almost entirely composed of two of Champagne's greatest recent vintages, so expectations are high. The wine more than meets them, tempering the generosity of 2012's fruit –... Read More

#10 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2022

Intense, bright and luminous golden hue. Dynamic effervescence with a continuous stream of fine bubbles. Intense, fragrant bouquet of great purity. Concentrated and candied citrus fruit mingle... Read More

Yet another sublime chapter in the long and increasingly fabled history of this renowned vineyard, the 2021 Lucia by Pisoni Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir wastes no time as its deep ruby hue paints the edges of the glass. Loads... Read More

This is silky with real tannic finesse and while it doesn't have the intensity of some vintages it has beautiful balance and purity with sweet plum, violets and blueberry. It’s not as long as some but still displays... Read More

My favorite out of line up, the 2018 Mt. Carmel Pinot has slightly riper blue and red fruits that deliver a more hedonistic experience. While the 2019 Pinot is the most vibrant, this 2018 still has a burst of acidity that rests... Read More

This is a rich and fruity Brunello with lots of ripe-cherry and orange-peel character. It’s full and layered with slightly chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Needs time to calm down. Try after 2022.

Vigna Loreta is a small single vineyard, and the 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Loreto has aromas that are forward with menthol, sweet chewing tobacco, and saddle leather. It is full-bodied, with notes of red plum, vanilla,... Read More

Moving to the current releases, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is clearly on another level. Cassis, violets, spring flowers, and graphite, as well as a beautiful sense of minerality, all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate... Read More

Vigna Mondoca lies at the top of Bussia Soprana, close to the famed crus of Dardi and Pianpolvere. This wine is aged in 30hl oak barrels for approximately 36 months. Very restrained and mineral, the nose is mostly focused on rhubarb,... Read More

The 2019 Odette Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District, offers notes of wild blackberry compote, sweet black raspberries, currants, crème de cassis, and licorice with hints of violets, cloves, anise, and exotic... Read More

From a great site outside of Santa Maria, the 2020 Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard is another ripe, powerful Chardonnay revealing musky notes of melon, honeyed lemon, toasted bread, and hints of almond paste and chalky... Read More

Aromas of red and black cherries, violets, and rose petals leap from the glass. The palate is layered and plush, with a long, lingering finish. The 2021 “Victor Francis” is a gorgeous wine that showcases the beauty... Read More

A traditional beauty that effuses iron, warm earth and savory tobacco leaves, together with plums, spices and orange zest. This is juicy and still tight, with firm but savory tannins. Medium-weight and quite zesty in texture,... Read More

A great 2015 vintage champagne! Super-elegant synthesis of pinot noir and chardonnay character with a dazzling interplay of complex red apple, citrus and delicate floral aromas with racy acidity and chalky minerality, that is... Read More

Powerful and sleek, this shows a glistening beam of yellow apple wrapped in stylish oak, with tremendous underlying concentration. Modern and very well-executed, with a saline streak, this hums with mineral energy and impressive... Read More

The 2020 Chardonnay Rinconada Vineyard has a core of white peach and apricot with touches of raw almonds, acacia, hay and lemon cream. Medium-bodied, it has a rounded, gently grippy texture, dynamic flavors that range from bright... Read More

A vibrant, agile and poised Chardonnay with aromas of pears, apples, sweet spices, jasmine and hints of stones. It’s medium- to full-bodied with precise definition on the palate. Fresh acidity and crunchy fruity at the center... 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

More Cabernet-dominated, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five checks in as 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and a splash of Malbec. It has incredible purity in its cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and camphor... Read More

A blend of 94% Syrah and 6% Petite Sirah, the 2018 Relentless looks to be just about sensational, offering a dense purple color as well as rich, loaded notes of blackberries, currants, smoked meats, peppery spice, and violets.... Read More

Scheduled to be bottled relatively soon, the 2021 Grenache Distenta III (79% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre, and the rest Petite Sirah and a splash of white varieties) offers a full-bodied, concentrated, yet pure and... Read More

Scheduled to be bottled in August, the 2021 Syrah Distenta III looks to be another insanely good Syrah from Krankl. Checking in as 82% Syrah, 11% Grenache, and the rest Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, and a smattering of white... Read More

The 2019 Terminim 'Alder Springs Vineyard' Syrah is made by the iconic Don Patz, who was the founder of Patz & Hall. This wine was made in partnership with the famous Francois Villard who is one of the top producers in... Read More

This is really polished and refined, yet remains polished and beautiful, with cherries and berries, as well as light hazelnut and walnut undertones. Compact and silky. Drink after 2024, but already so attractive.

It reveals fresh and floral aromatics, with bright red fruit, rose petal, dried thyme, and dusty earth. The palate is crisp and refreshing, with ripe raspberry, candied strawberry, and tea leaf. Its structure is medium-bodied... Read More

The 2012 Brut Rosé La Grande Dame is the finest wine I've tasted from Veuve Clicquot in several decades. Offering up aromas of red berries, bee pollen, orange zest and freshly baked bread, it's medium to full-bodied,... Read More

Confident complexity on display here, fresh, powerful spicy notes of tobacco and grilled coffee beans alongside cool blueberry fruits. Winemaker Michel Friou has made a brilliant wine in this vintage that expands outwards through... Read More