95pt wines

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

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

Copper-orange color with aromas of grapefruit pith, cherry stones, dried roses, white pepper, pastries, walnuts and oyster shells. Refined and elegant with pretty, dried red and citrus fruit, layered with subtle spice and toast.... 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

Readers looking for a smoking value in Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County will love the 2021 Diatom. Offering a light gold hue as well as a juicy array of ripe melon, pineapple, honeyed flowers, and chalky minerality, it hits... 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

Our answer to the constant Chardonnay questions – no, Chardonnay does not have to be buttery, or oaky or heavy. Here in the cool Sta Rita Hills, the Chardonnay has great yellow and tropical fruits but with fabulous acidity... Read More

The 2021 Chardonnay Rita's Crown Vineyard is magnificent. Soaring aromatics and fine, sculpted fruit are among the signatures of this superb, pedigreed Chardonnay. The purity of the flavors is just striking. Deceptively medium... Read More

MJM is our flagship, Syrah-based blend, named in honor of our wives Michelle, Jen and Mitchi. We farm Syrah from several precise blocks in both Ballard Canyon and Sta. Rita Hills, and we select only the finest, most dramatic,... Read More

The 2021 Pinot Noir Ferrington Vineyard shows the darker side of Anderson Valley. Black fruit, leather, gravel, incense, cloves and mocha all saturate the palate. This ample, full-bodied Pinot has a ton to offer. There is a lot... Read More

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

This wine is sourced from two historic Rutherford vineyards and the flavor is Rutherford through and through! Brambly dark cherry, dark chocolate, mocha, fresh tobacco, dried blueberries, and pencil shavings all surrounded by... 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

Overt and Flashy, decadent yet graceful. Expressive aromatics meander through boysenberry filled – maple syrup donut, the entirety of Thanksgiving, cranberry sausage, gingerbread house, and chocolate-covered strawberries.... Read More

#26 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023

Ruby red with garnet reflections. On the nose, the 2019 is beautifully layered: violet flowers, marasca cherries, candies and wet stones all grace this effusive and evocative Barolo. The palate... Read More

Bien Nacido is our coolest-climate Syrah vineyard, planted across two blocks up the hillsides overlooking Santa Maria Valley. The 2018 is a generous wine, showing blue and blackberry fruit, black cherry, and cracked pepper. Partial... 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

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 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

Even better, the 2020 Chardonnay Golden Slope offers utterly classic Chardonnay notes of ripe orchard fruits, classy wood, brioche, and honeysuckle. The balance is spot on, it's medium-bodied, has integrated acidity, and a... Read More

Pale ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County offers detailed aromas of cranberries, blackberries, oolong tea leaves, potpourri, earth, orange peel and fernet. Medium-bodied, it floods the mouth with layer after layer of... 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

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

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

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is floral and perfumed, with delicate hints of mint and sage entwined around redcurrants and cherries. It's medium-bodied but concentrated, with a ripe, velvety texture and a firm, astringent finish.... 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

The 2020 Space Cadet is the star in this range from Paul Lato. Silky and aromatic, the 2020 is hauntingly beautiful from the get-go. Inky red/purplish fruit, sage, cedar, tobacco, incense and dried flowers are some of the many... Read More

From a windy site of the eastern slope of the Sta. Rita Hills, we have produced a Pinot Noir that embodies power, structure and concentration at it’s core. Vibrant magenta in color, with a fruit forward intensity that embodies... Read More

Taking lots of air to show at its best, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a brilliant, classic, age-worthy wine from this great estate. It certainly shows the more structured, vibrant style of the 2018 vintage with lively... Read More

Full-bodied and delicious, this opens with aromas of menthol, ripe wild berries, new leather and blue flowers. Reflecting the nose, the ripe, generous palate features cherry marinated in spirits, crushed raspberry, licorice and... Read More

96pts Tasting Panel

Superstar Winemaker Maayan Koschitzkey and Vintner David Green’s latest masterpiece shows concentration and finesse, priced way below perceived quality. Layers of Devil’s Food cake, truffles, espresso,... 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

The 2019 Small Vines Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is all hand-harvested from their estate-grown and organically farmed vineyards. The husband and wife team of Paul and Kathryn Sloan called their winery Small Vines in reference to the... 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