2010 - Present Wine

Expert Review

Burghound 93 Points | Ultra-spicy red and black berry aromas combine with those of jasmine tea, violet, star anise and discreet oak. The succulent, rich and delicious flavors possess excellent volume and mid-palate density while exhibiting a subtle minerality on the firm, serious and built-to-age finale that also flashes a touch of warmth. This is terrific and in 2019 it is a bit more elegant than usual. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

This juicy and aromatic Pinot Noir is loaded with flavors of red fruit, meaty cherries, tree bark, and sweet baking spice.

Winemaker Description

Wife & Husband Winemaker 

The Rose delle Casasse is likely, the only Barbaresco made from Nebbiolo Rose. Some believe Nebbiolo Rose to be a clone of Nebbiolo though in Ian d'Agata's book, "The Grapes of Italy," he writes that it has been proven that Nebbiolo Rose is genetically different from Nebbiolo, though related. 

Expert Reviews 

Vinous 94 Points | The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rose delle Casasse is a fine follow up to the stellar 2015. A bit more austere than its older sibling, the 2016 presents a distinctly savory profile redolent of crushed flowers, herbs, mint, spice, leather and tobacco, while the fruit is pushed into the background. Naturally, it will be interesting to see if some of that inner sweetness emerges in time. A few months separating two tastings suggest that may very well happen. This is such a gorgeous wine. 

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points | The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rose Delle Casasse is made entirely from the Rose clone of Nebbiolo and is fresh with wild raspberry, pine, and dark earth. Carrying to the palate with medium body and good concentration, it offers fine tannins and a good finish, with peppery spice and red cherry. Perfectly pairing with salumi and hard cheese, it is refreshing and cleanses the palate nicely. 

Winemaker Description

The 2017 is brighter and less brooding than typical Kronos vintages in their youth, with luscious, juicy cassis, luxardo cherry, blueberry and raspberry fruit. Signature blackberry pie flavors, complete with baking spices, proclaim a sense of place. Approachable now, the tannins provide a velvet grip. Grace notes include toasted almonds and hints of peppermint. Firm acidity and mineral verve keep it lively. Violets and dried rose petals are already perfuming the aromas. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2017 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Focused, with slightly high-toned vanilla and red licorice notes running along the edges of a red currant and plum preserve-filled core. A late flurry of sweet spice, black tea and incense on the finish adds a distinctive edge. Relies on freshness and acidity, more than outright grip. Cellar this for a bit. Best from 2023 through 2034. 

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points | Tangy in red fruit, tangerine, grapefruit and a hint of iron, this vineyard-designate imparts bold, concentrated intensity within a restrained and balanced package of brightness and verve. From a relatively warm vintage and warm location, it retains nuance, elegance and length, with structure to age. Enjoy this impressively made wine best from 2027–2037 Cellar Selection.

Wine Advocate 95 Points | Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard needs a little coaxing to reveal enticing notes of freshly crushed black cherries, redcurrant jelly and wild blueberries with a undercurrent of cassis, allspice, sandalwood and rose oil plus a touch of garrigue. The medium-bodied palate has a real skip in its step, with delicately played, bright, energetic black and red berry layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and perfumed. 

James Suckling 96 Points |  Beautiful blueberry and lavender aromas. Violets, too. So perfumed. Medium to full body and very fine, focused tannins. Purity and beauty to the wine. Pretty length. Drinkable now, but much better after 2024. 

Expert Review

Decanter 94 Points | Starts soft and gentle, then the sparkling, bright acidity spreads over the palate. Great purity, balance and roundness; very satisfying. A mix of 60-year-old and seven-year-old vines, vinified in oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2030. 

Expert Review

James Suckling 95 Points | This has a rather reserved nose with dried-herb, rosehip, potpourri and light cedary aromas, ahead of fragrant dried cherries. The palate has quite dense and smoothly rendered, ripe tannins that deliver a long, composed and approachable Barolo. Drink or hold. 

Winemaker Description 

It could be said that Elisabetta Foradori has single-handedly brought the intriguing Teroldego grape back from the brink. She is also one of the key figureheads of Biodynamic production in the Trentino. She is someone deeply attached to her native land and vineyards. 'My memories are here. I’ve known in my mind ever since I was a small girl that the only place I felt well was in nature, maybe because I was born and raised among vineyards.' Today she resides over a beautiful estate of some 26 hectares and produces 160 000 bottles of superb biodynamic wine from various local varieties but her signature wine is Teroldego. 

There are two distinct levels of quality that Elisabetta Foradori has aimed at producing from Teroldego: the first is the ‘Foradori’, marked by the purity, dignity and intensity of the fruit. Soft yet penetrating its sweetness is backed by a supporting acidity that weaves elegantly amongst the fruit. The second, called ‘Granato’ (click through the related products below!) is a wine of greater strength, harmony, depth and nobility. Deep, almost shy on the first nose, it reveals itself as the aromas come into focus: wild berries and candied fruit make way for roasted hazelnuts, baked bread, leather, eucalyptus and pomegranate, then the full robust palate shows plenty of temptingly chewy flesh. Elisabetta shows how this wine can be truly great and exemplifies the true taste of the mountains.

100% Teroldego, from old vines from a 4 hectare vineyard, Campo Rotaliano in Trentino. Aromas of wild berry fruit, leather, forest floor and pomegranate mingle on the nose while the palate is full and robust. A long, evolving finish rounds things off. A fatastic northern Italian red which is in equal parts intriguing and beguiling.

Vinous Media - 94 Points: "Dark as night, the 2021 Teroldego Granato smolders up from the glass with an array of crushed ashen stones and earth tones giving way to black raspberries, mentholated herbs and exotic spice. Silky smooth yet full of zesty tension, this sweeps across the palate with tart wild berry fruits and sour citrus tones propelled by vibrant acidity. The 2021 leaves the senses drenched in primary concentration with a tart blackberry crunch, seeds and all, and edgy tannins that grumble on. This especially intense and tightly knit Granato will pay dividends in the cellar."

Expert Review - Vintage 2014

Wine Advocate 98 Points | The Château Yquem 2014 was picked over 9 weeks this year, with one-quarter of the grapes picked prior to 15 September. It delivers 134 grams per liter residual sugar and 7.3 grams per liter tartaric acid, with a pH 3.60. It has a captivating bouquet (I know...I know...what else were you expecting) But it entrances with its pure, wild honey notes mixed with almond and white chocolate scents, bestowed with beguiling delineation and focus. The palate is very poised with the acidity nigh on perfect. Occasionally an Yquem only reveals its components parts at this early juncture, necessitates conjecture. However the 2014 has a sense of harmony and completeness already, as if the élevage is merely there to usher it on to its finished state. There is undeniably great depth here, perhaps less conspicuous than other vintages because of that silver thread of acidity: notes of lemon sherbet, orange zest, shaved ginger and again, a few "flakes' of white chocolate. It is extremely long with tenderness rather than power on the finish. It's not quite up there in the rarefied heights of say, the 2001 or 2009, but it is what we call in the trade, "the business." 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Wine Advocate 95 Points | The 2020 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is no less impressive. Exhibiting aromas of plums, red berries and cassis mingled with orange rind, cinnamon, vanilla pod and spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and a long, rose-inflected finish.

Barrel Sample: 95-97 Burghound 94 Points | This is aromatically similar to the Clos St. Denis but even more floral. Here too there is a wonderfully attractive mouthfeel on the powerful, muscular and dense broad-shouldered flavors that are also blessed with an abundance of dry extract that buffers the massively persistent finale. This terrific effort is a blend of power and refinement and a wine that should age accordingly. A "wow" wine and on the better wines of the vintage.

Barrel Sample: 94-97Decanter 97 Points | Complex and aromatically nuanced, showing well-developed plummy fruit, with accents of earth, leather, smoke and spice. The initial feel on the palate is tannic and concentrated, but the wine is still approachable and supple, with a lovely, long line to the lingering finish. Superb wine. Dujac owns nearly 2ha here, scattered across six parcels and five of the different lieux-dits, including the original Clos de la Roche, Les Froichots, Les Fremières, Monts Luisants and Les Chabiots, giving a balanced view of this grand cru. 

Expert Reviews

Wine Enthusiast 96 Points Barrel Sample |  This is a seductive, rounded and smooth wine, with fine fruit that cushions the solid tannins. It has spicy tones and ample acidity as well as delicious, concentrated fruitiness. This is going to be a beautiful wine. -

Wine Advocate 98 points | The 2016 La Mission Haut Brion is a blend of 57.5% Merlot and 42.5% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between 19 September and 14 October, one of the longest ever. We had to be patient and wait for each plot, Jean-Philippe Delmas told me. It took longer than usual. As is customary, I allowed my sample, and likewise all the wines poured at this tasting, around 40-45 minutes to open since they always transform in the glass. It has a clean and precise, quite understated bouquet with fine mineralité, cold stone aromas infusing the black fruit. This has incredible precision, perhaps even more pixelated than the gaff over the road Haut-Brion. The palate is medium-bodied with supple and lithe tannin. I appreciate the line of acidity here, the smoothness and harmony that takes your breath away. Every atom is infused with life-affirming freshness. It is a wine bridled with incredible focus and delineation. I thought that the 2015 La Mission Haut-Brion flirted with perfection. The 2016 has that extra edge, a je ne sais quoi that leaves you reaching for the thesaurus looking for superlatives. -Neal Martin.

James Suckling | The texture to this is very beautiful with chewy yet very polished tannins. Full-bodied, tight and mouth-filling. Starts very slow.Vinous 94 points The 2016 La Mission Haut-Brion is a total knockout. Vertical and powerful, but not at all austere, it exudes class. Fine-grained tannins support the fruit, but they are barely felt, as the wine's balance is so extraordinary. Lifted floral notes and a host of red fruits give the 2016 energy and verve. I can't wait to see how it ages. 

Winemaker Description

The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness.

Churchill’s purchased the estate of Quinta da Gricha in 1999, and it quickly formed the spiritual heart of the house, and is where all the wines are made today before being sent downriver for aging in Vila Nova de Gaia. Winemaker Description.

Expert Review

93 Points Wine Enthusiast | The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness. Drink the wine from 2029.

Winemaker Description

The 2017 La Tâche Grand Cru soars from the glass with a captivating and beautifully integrated bouquet of exotic spices, rose petals, raspberries, cherries and blood orange mingled with notions of cinnamon and coniferous forest floor. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a deep and tightly coiled core that marks it out as the most muscular wine in the cellar, displaying considerable concentration and largely concealed structure. While this is a dramatic young La Tâche, there's evidently plenty held in reserve, too, and it simply has appreciably more presence than any of the other wines that preceded it in this tasting. Winemaker Description.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022 

James Suckling 92 Points |  Rich and expressive, with blackcurrants, black cherries, mocha, cedar and hints of spices. The full-bodied palate is deep yet bright and focused with a supple texture and lingering ripe berries and savory nuances. Refined and already attractive, but better from 2027.

Decanter Magazine 92 Points | A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, and 2% Merlot. Half the wine was barrel-fermented in 50% new French oak, while the rest was fermented in stainless steel, then aged for 18 months in 30% new French oak. Fragrant and packed with sweet red berry fruit, strawberry preserves, and cherry compote, it features gentle, soft tannins that make it very approachable from the pull of the cork. The tannins do build, however, becoming more drying and overarching on the finish, with some of the bright fruit character fading slightly. Nevertheless, this is a lovely wine, best enjoyed with well-salted meats.

Winemaker Description

This wine’s aroma has it all: plums, incense, tobacco leaf, violets, and exotic spices. Zero racking and extended lees contact has given the 2011 FUTO a satisfying balance of creamy richness and superb freshness. Generous and inviting flavors of black-skinned fruits, cappuccino, citrus and cloves work in harmony with the sweet tannin and well integrated oak. While texturally approachable now, the inner density and complexity of this wine will continue to unfold with cellar age.

Expert Reviews

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 97 Points: The 2011 Proprietary Red Estate is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot. It offers sweet blackcurrant and blueberry fruit intermixed with hints of toast and white flowers, beautiful body and a savory personality. A top success for the vintage, it should drink well for 10-12 years.

Winemaker Description

Intense garnet red color. Very classic and traditional with a robust structure and intense tannins. Bouquet takes a little time to show itself with slight hints of yeast. It opens slowly in the glass touch of spice and menthol. In the final, the powerful structure and concentration soften the tannins potential. Pairs well with game, red meats, and cheeses.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 95 Points | The Vietti 2020 Barolo Ravera offers dark fruit cherry and blackcurrant enhanced by soft spice. You also get a sun-kissed note of eggplant tomato leaf and ferrous earth. Ravera displays strong lines with good acidity and firm tannic backbone. It closes dry and ages in large oak botte only. This is one of the most eyeballed MGAs sites. Ravera with its open mountain skyline and cool temperatures is seen as one of the best sites in the appellation especially as the climate changes. This vintage produced exactly 10026 bottles.

Vinous 94 Points | Picked on October 9 and 10 the 2020 Barolo Ravera has plenty of Ravera classicism and tension but also feels a bit light in the mid-palate. Ravera is never a huge wine in body but the depth is often there even if expressed in an understated and more linear manner. The 2020 lacks that depth. Red-toned fruit blood orange mint spice and white pepper lend brilliance throughout.

Expert Review - Vintage 2017

Vinous 93 Points | The 2017 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, which is as usual, an exchange with Jean-Michel Chartron, has a crisp and precise bouquet with touches of yellow flower and crushed stone complementing the citrus fruit. The palate is very well balanced with beautifully integrated oak (one-year old rather than new), leading to a precise, almost Meursault-like finish. Superb. 

Winemaker Description 

It has a very detailed, slightly flinty, perhaps reserved bouquet that opens reluctantly in the glass. The palate is taut on the entry, hints of white chocolate infusing the citrus fruit, nicely balanced with a harmonious and elegant finish. 

Winemaker Description

An intense red-purple colour. Potent and elegant on the nose with a great complexity of aromas (jams, minerals, menthol, spices, wild herbs, toffee and cacao).

Great harmony in the mouth with very marked sweet tannins, very complex and full of flavours of black fruits, raisins, liquorice, coffee, ink and aromatic herbs. Persistent lingering finish. Excellent wine for aging.

Expert Reviews

Burghound Allen Meadows 95 Points | A subtle touch of wood serves as a suitably discreet backdrop for the exceptionally floral-infused and perfumed nose that offers up additional notes of spice, red currant and pekoe tea. The round, refined and lilting if impressively intense flavors are blessed with excellent punch and power while exhibiting a lovely salinity on the built-to-age finish. This refined effort is very classy, indeed the word Zen comes up mind.

Neal Martin of Vinous 95 Points | The 2016 La Grande Rue Grand Cru has a very pure, almost pastille-like bouquet with copious red cherry fruit mixed with crushed strawberry and a little cassis. La Grande Rue? [Post script: Bingo!] The palate is very pretty with fine-grain tannin. This is surfeit with freshness and vitality, although it does not quite have the depth and structure of other Grand Crus from the appellation. It does fan out towards the finish. The persistence, and the saline aftertaste are very appealing. Excellent. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

Jasper Morris 94-97 Points | A little more density to the colour. Impressive intensity of floral notes, even some slightly darker fruit notes for a change. Fine density to this, as discreet as you want up front, but nonetheless more detail than the earlier wines, very silky texture across the middle, not an extra burst of intensity but still a thread of velvet which endures for much longer. Red fruits, not quite the blood orange I have noted in some vintages, and certainly the exquisite elegance that Nicole is searching for. Very classy, is it quite intense enough? The little traces of acidity are entirely woven in, a faint sign of whole bunch in the final texture. Fruit comes back behind. You could miss the point of this or adore it. Tasted: October 2017

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 93 Points | (From Les Cruots which is also known as Vignes Blanches). Touches of bitter chocolate and kirsch are present on the spicy aromas of plum, violet and soft wood. The finer if not denser flavors possess a velvety texture while also coating the palate with dry extract on the dusty and chalky finish that is likewise youthfully austere. I very much like the depth and persistence and this beauty should also age gracefully for as long as most anyone would like.

Barrel Sample: 93-96 Decanter 97 Points | A very elegant expression of Echezeaux, with a velvety black plum and rose petal fruit. There is a lovely freshness and so much finesse that the tannin and structure might surprise you at the end. This has the substance to age for decades. Produced from a 0.84ha parcel in Cruots next to Comte Liger-Belair. The vines were planted in 1954 and the destemmed fruit was gently fermented.

Barrel Sample: 97Vinous 92 Points | The 2020 Echézeaux Grand Cru offers mulberry sous-bois and very subtle star anis aromas on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins quite taut and fresh linear at the moment with touches of blood orange and Clementine towards the finish. Give this several years in bottle. (Drink between 2027-2055).

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019

Burghound 92 Points | A much earthier, riper and more deeply pitched nose speaks of black cherry, cassis and humus nuances. There is strikingly good volume and mid-palate concentration to the dense, serious and powerful flavors that conclude in an austere, balanced, very compact and sneaky long finish. This is a big Clos de Vougeot that isn't particularly refined, but it is undeniably impressive.

Decanter 93 Points | In a warm, dry year like 2019, the results are delightful, with bright red fruits and a silky, subtle texture. Lighter than the offerings from Vosne but also very worthy.

Winemaker Description

Black fruits, leathers, licorice, aromas of roasting and oriental spices. Notes of eucalyptus. Very powerful aromatic intensity. A lot of richness and structure on the palate. Very strong expression of the terroir which expresses itself by the elegance and the power of its tannins.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2013 

Wine Spectator 97 Points | This is intense, as dense ganache, espresso, roasted juniper and alder notes form an impressive frame around an equally ornate core of steeped fig, blackberry and black currant fruit flavors, all while maintaining terrific cut and drive despite the heft. A mouthwatering iron accent at the very end seals the deal. Best from 2020 through 2040.

Wine Advocate 97 Points | This was another excellent showing for the 2013 Hermitage Ex Voto and this elegant, medium to full-bodied release offers straight-up textbook notes of crème de cassis, vanilla bean, crushed rocks, graphite and spice. It lacks the mid-palate density of the 2009 and 2010, but is impeccably balanced, elegant, and offers considerable charm. Range:94-97

James Suckling 94 Points | A big, bold dark plum, chocolate and roasted coffee nose with dark stones and a swathe of fragrant baking spices. The palate has a succulent and powerful feel. Dark ripe cherry fruits and toasty oak are well matched. Drink now.

Vinous 94 Points | (aged in new oak for 40 months) Glass-staining ruby. Deep-pitched cassis, cherry liqueur, incense and candied violet scents, along with hints of olive paste and Moroccan spices. Sweet, broad and energetic on the palate, offering alluringly sweet black and blue fruit, floral pastille and spicecake flavors underscored by an intense mineral quality. Unfolds very slowly with air and finishes impressively long, featuring youthful tannins and outstanding energy.  Drinking 2023 - 2033. -- Josh Raynolds.

Winemaker Description

Red fruits, blackberry and floral aromas of vio- let. The wine is silky, velvety and voluptuous, with intense aromatics. An oustanding wine to enjoy with exceptional meals, especially game birds.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2012 

Wine Spectator 96 Points | This has a brooding feel, with layers of warm tobacco leaf, roasted alder and juniper, and sweet tapenade leading the way, backed by a dense core of macerated plum, black currant and raspberry fruit. The long, smoldering finish shows terrific latent grip. Best from 2018 through 2030. From France.-J.M.

Wine Advocate 97 Points | The 2012 Côte Rôtie La Mouline reminds me of the 2011 with its upfront, incredibly perfumed nose of spring flowers, cured meats, roasted herbs, olives and sweet cassis fruit. Full-bodied, beautifully textured, mouth-filling and already impossible to resist, it expands on the palate and I guarantee this beauty will put a smile on your face anytime over the coming two decades. Drinking 2016 - 2036  — Jeb Dunnuck

Decanter 95 Points | Immediately more mature and developed than the 2017 and 2016 which were tasted alongside - more developed than I was expecting at nine years old. The acidity however is well balanced, the tannins a little dry and leathery. Porcini mushroom and a touch of graphite on the finish.  Drinking Window 2021 - 2033 — Tasted by Matt Walls(at England, 29 Nov 2021) Part of Decanter at Home masterclass: Tasting the La Las with Philippe Guigal

James Suckling 95 Points |  Super peppery, very, very concentrated and immaculately fragrant Côte-Rôtie here. There's plenty of oak in the mix, too. It shows entrancing brown-spice aromas across red plums and darker black fruits. The palate's layered, smooth and supple, pitching concentrated flavors against precise, dense and very powerful tannin. Finishes on a smooth edge as its softens slightly, leaving a trail of spiced-custard and dark-plum flavors. Exceptional wine. Drink 2020-2030.

Vinous 94 Points | Lurid ruby. Heady, intensely perfumed aromas of red fruit preserves, incense, smoky minerals and lavender, accompanied by an Asian spice flourish that builds as the wine opens up. Stains the palate with sweet, seamless raspberry liqueur, spicecake and floral pastille flavors that are lifted and given spine by core of juicy acidity. Puts on weight and spreads out slowly on the strikingly long and precise finish, which features resonating mineral and floral notes.  Drinking 2021 - 2030. -- Josh Raynolds

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2011 

Wine Spectator 96 Points | Very dense, dark and brooding in feel, with a thick coating of Turkish coffee and bittersweet ganache over the copious blackberry and fig flavors. The long finish is studded with charcoal and smoldering tobacco hints. Patience is required. Best from 2018 through 2030. From France.

Wine Advocate 98 Points | Starting out the single vineyards and bottled in February (after over four years in new oak barrels), the 2011 Cote Rotie la Mouline is as slutty, sexy and seamless as they come. Full-bodied, thrillingly concentrated and unctuous, it offers classic Mouline notes of cured meats, violets, black raspberries, espresso and hints of vanilla bean. Philippe Guigal commented that the worst thing about 2011 was the it came after 2010, and while the previous two vintages will get all of the attention, this 2011 will deliver almost as much pleasure, and do it right from the start as well. It needs 3-4 years of cellaring and will drink sensationally through 2041.

Vinous 96 Points | (aged in new oak barriques for 42 months): Deep ruby. Sexy mineral- and spice-laced black raspberry, cherry compote and floral pastille aromas are complemented by notes of Asian spices, cola and smoky oak. Spicy and precise on the palate, offering vibrant, spice-accented red and dark berry and cola flavors and an undercurrent of smoky minerality. Fine-grained tannins sneak in very slowly and meld seamlessly with the energetic fruit. Clings with fantastic tenacity and focus, leaving behind vibrant spice, berry liqueur and mineral notes.

Expert Review 

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points | This delicately perfumed wine opens to reveal power combined with elegance. The wine has great ripeness—a soft texture on the surface masking the severe tannins at the center.

Winemaker Description 

A fragrant aroma of well ripened fruit; supple and polished tannins give structure and length on the palate, with a rich sweet flavour and crisp mineral freshness. Herbal and dark fruit notes on the aftertaste. Winemaker Description.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2013 

Wine Spectator 98 Points | A thunderhead of dark ganache and espresso notes slowly rolls through, while fig paste, melted licorice, warm plum and blackberry compote flavors follow. A massive beam of graphite drives the finish to a crescendo, with the fruit echoing. 

Wine Advocate 95+ Points | La Landonne is never destemmed and is always the last of the single-vineyard wines to be picked. Philippe Guigal calls it “the most Pauillac of the Cote Roties,” and the 2013 Cote Rotie La Landonne bears that out. It’s slightly austere and firmly tannic, with attractive floral aromas and layers of dark fruit that will require time to fully emerge.

James Suckling 97 Points | The most brooding nose of the trio of La La's with dark coal smoky aromas and dark stones, graphite and cocoa powder. Fruits are in the very dark plum and blackberry spectrum but flavors are held in a more savory mode with assertive, powerful clean-cut tannins that hold endless length. Truly a masterpiece. Best from 2022 and for two decades or more.  

Winemaker Description

Deep ruby red with dark tints. Small red fruit, blackberry, morello cherry Intensely aromatic, powerful and elegant. Supple attack with a balanced supple structure, concentration and elegant tannins. Fully expressive of the terroir. With all the virility of the Cote Brune, La Turque also has all the subtlety and femininity of the Cote Blonde.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2013 

Wine Spectator 98 Points | A stunning, modern-styled version, with scintillating raspberry puree, plum confiture and blackberry reduction flavors gliding over velvety but copious tannins. Alluring warm ganache and fruitcake accents gild the finish, which sails on and on. Best from 2020 through 2045.

Wine Advocate 98 Points | A stunning, modern-styled version, with scintillating raspberry purée, plum confiture and blackberry reduction flavors gliding over velvety but copious tannins. Alluring warm ganache and fruitcake accents gild the finish, which sails on and on. Best from 2020 through 2045.

Decanter 95 Points | Tasted after the spicy, ethereal La Mouline 2013, this is more earthbound - deeper, darker and fruitier, with more bass notes, as you might expect from a wine sourced from 25 year old vines on schist soils with limestone and clay (versus the gneiss of La Mouline). It too spent 42 months in new oak barrels. This has a pretty, cedar-flecked red berry fruit nose, tightly swaddled in oak. Full-bodied and mouth-coating, it shows great purity and salinity on the palate - it is fresh, piercing and powerful, but balanced and light on its feet, with deep veins of oak spice running through it. Drinkable and fresh.  Drinking Window 2018 - 2035 — Tasted by Matt Walls(at E.Guigal portfolio tasting, London, 12 Jun 2017)

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points | A step up over the La Mouline, the 2013 Côte Rôtie La Turque is concentrated, full-bodied, and structured, with lots of minerality, chocolate, and pepper nuances in its darker berry fruits, cassis and bacon fat aromas and flavors. With a great mid-palate, building tannin, and the more tight, austere style of the vintage, give bottles another 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.  Drinking 2022 - 2042

James Suckling 96 Points | An air of deep-set complexity. Plenty of baking spices and toastiness with blackberry, pepper, wet stones and concrete. Extremely complex and fragrant. The palate delivers a supple, plush and luxuriant texture with masses of sweet spices and succulent blackberry fruit. Dark chocolate finish that's elegant and concentrated. Drink now and for two decades at least.

Vinous 95 Points | (made with 50 percent whole clusters) Inky ruby. Bright, intensely perfumed aromas of red and blue fruits, Indian spices and potpourri are energized by a smoky mineral quality. Juicy, focused and pure, displaying deeply concentrated but lively boysenberry and cherry liqueur flavors, along with hints of candied flowers and five-spice powder. Echoes the floral and spicy notes on the strikingly long, penetrating finish, which features harmonious tannins and a hint of bitter chocolate.  Drinking 2023 - 2032 

Winemaker Description

Red black with deep dark tints. Small black fruits, liquorice and roasted notes and oriental spices. Powerful and intense aromas. Powerful attack with important tannic structure. Rich and concentrated. Fully expressive of the terroir. Great ageing potential, structured and concentrated with a rare intensity of flavour and colour.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2012 

Wine Spectator 92 Points | Intense, with a serious iron spine that drives from start to finish, while the core of dark currant, bitter plum and black cherry fruit is held in reserve. The grippy and mineral-driven finish sports loads of tobacco, warm iron and dark earth notes, while displaying terrific cut and drive. A formidable wine. Best from 2020 through 2040. 1,000 cases made.

Winemaker Description

La Landonne displays red/black color with deep dark tints with aromas of black fruits, licorice and roasted notes and oriental spices. Powerful and intense aromas. Powerful attack with important tannic structure. Rich and concentrated. Fully expressive of the terroir. Great ageing potential, structured and concentrated with a rare intensity of flavor and color.

Côte-Rôtie La Landonne completes this famous trilogy. An immense and pure wine with intense flavours and deep colour, this is the perfect wine for ageing.

The treasures are born in the very heart of the most legendary of the illustrious plots of the Maison Guigal. These precious bottles are as coveted as they are rare and have benefited from extreme care at every stage of the process, from the vine to the cellars. They are the sole incarnation of the inspiration and inheritance of centuries of viticulture in an exceptional terroir.

Expert Reviews- Vintage 2011 

Wine Spectator 98 Points | This delivers wave after wave of sensational raspberry pâte de fruit, plum reduction and boysenberry coulis flavors, backed by mouthwatering anise and blackberry cobbler hints. A massive bolt of iron and charcoal is deeply embedded in the fruit and lurks through the long, authoritative finish, keeping all the elements riveted together. Best from 2018 through 2030. 600 cases made. — JM.

Wine Advocate 99 Points | A step up over the other two single vineyard releases, the 2011 Cote Rotie la Landonne is an incredible wine that knocks it out of the park in the vintage. Its inky purple/ruby color is followed by to-die-for notes of cassis, black olives, truffles, graphite and crushed rock. Full-bodied, massively concentrated, thick and unctuous, it has the vintage’s flamboyant fruit profile, yet backs it up with a stacked mid-palate, serious amounts of tannin and a finish that just won’t quite. It’s relatively approachable now due to its glycerin and fat, yet needs a decade of cellaring and will knock your socks off over the following two decades or more. 

Vinous 95 Points | (raised in new oak for 42 months): Glass-staining ruby. Powerful, expansive aromas of black and blue fruit liqueur, smoky Indian spices, sandalwood and olive, and an exotic floral nuance that gains strength with air. Deeply concentrated but surprisingly lively, offering palate-staining dark fruit and violet pastille flavors and a strong, building spicy quality. Velvety tannins add grip to a strikingly long, sappy and penetrating finish, which clings with noteworthy tenacity. Drinking 2020 - 2030. -- Josh Raynolds

Winemaker Description

Our 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant representation of Napa Valley Cabernet from a cool vintage. It presents an opaque garnet hue in the glass and reveals aromas of sandalwood and roasted meats.

Flavors of vanilla, coffee beans and raspberries are buttressed by dusty tannins, firm acidity and a mouth-coating texture. Given proper cellaring, this wine should provide drinking pleasure through 2029.

Winemaker Description

The 2018 Blank has a beautifully layered dark nose of black cherry, aromatic black tea, blackberry bramble, rose oil, black licorice, and violet candies. The silky entry opens to flavors of black fruit, culinary bay, and bakers’ chocolate seamlessly underpinned by velvety tannins and lovely texture through to the finish. This wine will age effortlessly for at least 20+ years. 

Expert Reviews

Jeb Dunnuck 95 points | I was able to taste two wines from Grace Family both made by the incredibly talented Helen Keplinger who has been at this estate since 2014. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Blank offers a beautifully pure elegant style in its darker currant and blueberry fruits as well as notes of iron minty herbs tobacco and lead pencil. Soft supple medium to full-bodied and as seamless as they come drink this singular beauty any time over the coming 20 years. I love its mid-palate as well as its tannins.

James Suckling 98 points | So much graphite and dark fruit here with some iron and spice. Lead pencil, roses and light mint, too. Full-bodied and wonderfully seamless with dusty tannins and a lightly balsamic finish. Drinkable now, but better after 2025. 

Wine Spectator 93 | A nice burst of mulberry and loganberry fruit leads the way, with licorice, black tea and violet notes playing supporting roles. Sleek and refined through the finish, with sneaky depth. Drink now through 2033