Red Wine

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 95 Points | Cedar and sandalwood aromas give way to flavors of tea, tobacco, dried cherry, forest floor and orange peel in this expressive red. Round on the palate, supported by muscular tannins and juicy acidity. Big but graceful, mature yet lively, in the traditional style. Drink now through 2030.

Wine Advocate 94 Points | The top of the range is only produced three or four times per decade, and the current vintage is the 2005 Gran Reserva 890, which refers to the year, 1890, when the winery was created. It all starts by selecting grapes from their oldest vineyards (over 40 years old), harvested into 350-kilogram cases that are transported in refrigerated trucks to the winery, an improvement implemented in 2005. 2005 was an excellent vintage, and this 890 might challenge the exceptional 904 released some four years ago. Here the Tempranillo is complemented by 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in 199 oak barrels for six years with ten rackings. It's a very balanced and polished classical Rioja with moderate alcohol (13.5%) and good acidity (6.1 grams of tartaric); it also has a silky texture, resolved tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel. It has complexity but is a little closed, and it feels a little evolved, at times even a little tired. The fruit feels quite ripe, with some liquor notes. The palate is polished, with fully resolved tannins and fine acidity. It was bottled unfiltered in March 2012. 57,036 bottles and 1,312 magnums were produced. 2001, 2004 and 2005 are the only 890s in the decade. The next one will be the 2010.

James Suckling 98 points | The aromas to this are stunning with dried strawberry, stone and fresh mushroom. Full body and very tight with incredible depth and structure. It goes on for minutes. One of the greatest ever? The new 1964? Available January 2018.Vinous 97 points Shimmering garnet. Aromas of dried cherry, potpourri, vanilla, cigar box and exotic spices; a smoky mineral quality builds in the glass. Sweet, concentrated and seamless on the palate, offering cherry compote, red currant and rose pastille flavors that put on weight and pick up a spicy nuance on the back half. Conveys a suave blend of power and delicacy and closes sweet and gently tannic, with superb persistence and an echo of candied flowers and red fruits. This bottling and the 2001 are the only Selección Especial versions of the 890 Gran Reserva that have been produced by La Rioja Alta. Drinking window: 2021 - 2036

Winemaker Description

2018 is a spectacular vintage that started off beautifully with abundant spring rains. The generous summer sun and cooler marine influences from San Pablo Bay created the ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon. Lot C-91 continues to embody the legacy of Heitz Cellar and the vision for this wine that began in 1969. The fruit comes only from their prized single vineyards and is blended after each parcel has had the opportunity to show its true potential, allowing their winemaker, Brittany Sherwood to select only the most expressive barrels to make the final Cuvee. Always made in the classical style that Joe Heitz pioneered in the early 1960s.

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Expressive, with a bold menthol note followed quickly by boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors wrapped in black licorice. The long finish has a tug of earth amid a generally velvety feel, while the menthol note curls around the fruit. Distinctive. (2018).

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Expressive, with a bold menthol note followed quickly by boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors wrapped in black licorice. The long finish has a tug of earth amid a generally velvety feel, while the menthol note curls around the fruit. Distinctive. (2018).

Robert Parker 92 Points | There's a gentle herbaceousness to the cherry fruit in Heitz's 2018 Lot C-91, making it a bit more like redcurrant than true cherry. A blend of fruit from Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Howell Mountain, it's medium-bodied but more expansive and generous than the regular bottling, with a nice touch of velvet layered in on the mid-palate and a long, fruit-driven finish.

Expert Review

John Gilman 96 Points | This is my first taste of Domaine des Closiers top bottling, les Trezellières, which is made from a parcel of old vines and given fully two years aging in barrel, with somewhere between ten and twenty percent of the casks new. The 2019 les Trezellières is beautifully deep and refined aromatically, delivering scents of black cherries, cassis, Cuban cigar wrapper, a very complex base of soil, a touch of Cheval Blanc-like menthol, a gentle dollop of tree bark, cedar and a topnote of cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, elegant and rock solid at the core, with great focus and complex, superb soil undertow, fine-grained tannins and a very long, pure and classy finish.

The small percentage of new oak gives this wine more refinement than the les Coudraies bottling, but because it is no more than twenty percent new oak, the wood influence is far more subtle out of the blocks than in Clos Rougeard’s Le Bourg bottling, which is the closest comparison I can think of for this brilliant young Saumur Champigny. Give this beautiful wine plenty of time in the cellar to properly resolve its tannins and completely blossom! (2019). 

Winemaker Description

The weather in 1953 was very favourable to vine growth and the crop was both plentiful and of excellent quality.

The growing season began with a warm, wet April, followed by a very warm, but dry month of May.  June and July were cool and rainy, whereas August and September were dry and slightly warmer than average.

Flowering went very well in May because it did not rain very much. Even though June and July were cool, which slowed down the growth cycle somewhat, the harvest was able to begin on the 21st of September. The grapes were excellent because August and September we very dry and hot.  Yields were high, but 1953 Cheval Blanc shows that quantity and quality are not incompatible.
Degree of alcohol: 12°.

This is a great vintage for Cheval Blanc. The wine is very well-balanced and still elicits enormous praise.

Expert Reviews

Monica Larner writes:  The 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with small percentages of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It opens to an impenetrable, full-bodied approach with dark fruit, pencil shaving, toasted oak, Spanish cedar, campfire ash and iron ore. For sure, this is an especially concentrated and oak-driven vintage of this iconic wine. It absolutely requires more aging time. It feels quite tight and firm in its youth. The concentration is abundant.  Drinking 2026 - 2045  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 95

Audrey Frick writes:  The 2020 Ornellaia is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, raised in 70% new French oak for 18 months, with another 12 months in bottle prior to release. Flush with herbs and menthol, blackberry, and cedar, it is full bodied and fills the sides of the mouth with rounded fruit of luxurious plum, black cherry, and toast, with supple and velvety tannins. Drink 2026-2046.  - Jeb Dunnuck 96

Jancis Robinson writes: Deep, lustrous crimson. Very sumptuous nose followed up by a hedonistic palate that finishes especially fresh. Ripe but not too-ripe fruit – a drier (much less sweet) vintage than usual which should age well. Unusually, there is some vestige of tannin on the finish. It's certainly possible to drink now if it's aerated before serving but ideally, I'd keep this awhile. Savoury persistence.  Drinking 2024 - 2028  - Jancis Robinson 18

Bruce Sanderson writes:  Inviting aromas of blackberry, black currant, anise, cedar, vanilla and tobacco draw you in to this red, which is sleek and open on the palate. This is so well-balanced, it's approachable now, yet there's a bit of reserve too. The fruit flavors are prominent on the finish, along with mineral and spice notes, while the lasting impression is a salty, flinty element. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2045.   - Wine Spectator 96

Antonio Galloni writes:  The 2020 Ornellaia is a gorgeous, elegant wine. Seamless and wonderfully deep on the palate, the 2020 is super-refined from the outset. Even with all of its depth, the 2020 retains terrific freshness and cut to play off its soft, succulent fruit. Overall, the 2020 looks to be a relatively accessible Ornellaia that will drink well with minimal cellaring. I especially admire the precision and understated finesse here.  Drinking 2027 - 2045  - Vinous 96

James Button writes:  Estate director Axel Heinz called 2020 ‘a classic Ornellaia,’ and picked the theme of ‘La Proporzione‘ (proportion) to describe its character. Indeed, the blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot marks a return to a more typical blend following the pendulum swings of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2019, and 51% Merlot in 2018. Fine-grained and beautifully textured, its finely integrated tannins support a concentration of black fruits lightened by red berries. Aromas of black cherry, liquorice, dark chocolate, cedar and damp earth make for a fragrant wine, accompanied by menthol and balsamic streaks which run through the wine and impart plenty of freshness. It finishes with a stony and salty element along with some chocolatey and woody hints. Tight and moreish, its ripeness of fruit combined with freshness and structure adeptly tells the story of this earlier-ripening vintage. It lacks complexity in the mouth – this will come with time – but the array of aromas gives a hint of what is to come.  Drinking 2023 -2050  - Decanter 96

Georgina Hindle writes:  Black bramble fruit on the nose, heady, expressive, forward and open. Aromatic and inviting - on the riper, jammy side. Lithe and supple, this has an energy and weight giving plush tannins but with an austere, mineral grip. A curious combination but one that serves to give a round, interesting mouthful with both balsamic black and sweet blue fruits with touches of wet stone, cola and liquorice. Dark and brooding, a little sombre right now, clearly powerful with concentration and you can tell it's been well worked - feels controlled but still quite tense and constricted. The overall texture is sublime and I do love the dark sticky liquorice and bitter orange zest but this isn't quite giving the wow factor. Nice layering, linear and pure, tannins a touch dry on the finish. Refined and austere. Has a touch of ripe jamminess that detracts a little from the charming elegance you know this wine can have. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.  Drinking 2026 -2046

James Suckling writes:  Alluring aromas of lead pencil and currants with crushed stone and iodine. Full-bodied with hemmed in tannins that are tight and focused. Very fresh and energetic with wonderful length and intensity for this vintage. Needs four or five years to come together. Better in 2028 and onwards.  - James Suckling 98

Expert Reviews

91 Points James Suckling | Peppery and savory elements here with a black-fruit core and moody, graphite-like minerals. The palate has a very plush, supple and dense core of bright, raspberry and strawberry flavors.

91 Points Wine Spectator | Dark cherry and raspberry fruit melds nicely with anise and black tea notes, showing a tangy mineral edge through the silky, seductive finish. Drink now through 2023. 800 cases imported.

Winemaker Description

Juicy blue and black fruit is mixed with glorious floral and red-berry aromas, as well as a subtle hint of garrigue and black olives. The palate is soft and silky; generous yet with a lasting impression of precision and elegance.

Sourced from fruit grown just south of the Côte-Rôtie appellation, just like its white counterpart, it rivals the quality of the famous name at a fraction of the price.

Winemaker Description 

Mevushal. Dacci Chianti DOCG is a classic expression of Sangiovese, the primary grape of the Chianti region in Tuscany, Italy. This dry, red wine boasts a smooth texture and balanced acidity, showcasing the unique terroir of the region. 

With its subtle tannins and bright acidity, Dacci Chianti DOCG is a versatile wine that pairs beautifully with traditional Italian cuisine, hearty stews, and grilled meats, making it a must-try for fans of classic Italian wines.

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 95 Points | Deep garnet with a hint of purple to the color, the 2014 Pontet-Canet gives a very serious, classic Pauillac nose of blackcurrant preserves, baked blackberries and warm black plums with suggestions of menthol, pencil lead, woodsmoke, cassia and cast-iron pan plus a hint of baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with black and blue fruit preserves with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and bold freshness, giving lift to the long, exotic spice-laced finish. It is approachable now, but really should start to make jaws drop in another 4-5 years.Wine Enthusiast 96 points This is a finely structured wine with dark tannins and intense black fruits. The estate, with its biodynamically grown fruit, has given an impressively pure wine, packed with tight serious tannins and a fine structure of black-plum skins and intense acidity. It is direct, firm and with a huge potential over many years. Drink from 2027.  Cellar Selection

Decanter 96 Points | Classic Cabernet nose of cassis. Lovely purity and depth with a silky texture that caresses the palate - more obviously Pontet-Canet than Pauillac. An extremely fine wine almost in a class of its own.Jeb Dunnuck 96 points A final blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2014 Pontet-Canet is brilliant stuff, and I was able to taste this wine from barrel as well as multiple times from bottle, both at the estate and from a bottle purchased in the United States. It offers a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, tobacco leaf, and minerals, as well as an unmistakable Pauillac lead pencil characteristics that I just adore. Possessing full-bodied richness, a rounded, surprisingly opulent, sexy texture, awesome purity, and sweet, succulent tannin, it’s a sensational 2014 that might just surpass what they accomplished in 2015. This is a 2014 you won’t regret buying in bulk as it’s going to keep for 2-3 decades and be drinkable for the vast majority of it. Bravo to Alfred Tesseron and his team!James Suckling 98 points A stunning wine for this vintage although it’s still a bit shy on the nose (more spice than fruit showing than now). There’s wet earth, too, but on the palate it’s bursting with ripe yet subtle flavors. Very long and complex finish that goes on and on. 

Winemaker Descripton

A wine of good density ruby red, with brown, mahogany, biscuit hints. The rim is fairly thick and the legs are fine, clear, abundant and regular. At once expressive, forthright and complex. There are notes of all families of fragrance: fruit, flowers, and spices. The attack is forthright, round and suave, soothing even. The intense aromas initially recall the complexity of the nose. There is leather and lightly charred wood, and roasted notes. The beauty of the wine is revealed by its elegance rather than its full-flavor. The wine has an attractive aromatic range with a finish of remarkable elegance.

Expert Reviews 

Jeb Dunnuck writes: In a vintage that can lack a little pizzazz, the 2014 Pape Clement stands out for its exuberant, sexy, full-bodied style. Checking in as a blend of 58% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Petit Verdot, aged in 60% new French oak, its deep purple color is followed by a layered, ripe, sexy wine that has loads of currants, blackberries, smoke tobacco, and forest floor aromas and flavors, with just a touch of chocolaty oak. Silky and incredibly pure on the palate, with impeccable balance and sweet, yet present tannin, it’s already impossible to resist, yet is going to deliver the goods for another 20-25 years. It’s a beauty! - Jeb Dunnuck 95

James Suckling writes: Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas as well as mushroom undertones. Violets, too. Sweet tobacco. Full-bodied and layered with polished tannins. Very long and beautiful. Give it two or three years to show what it has but already a beauty. - James Suckling 96

Neal Martin writes: The 2014 Pape Clement has quite a potent bouquet with lavish red cherry, kirsch, iodine and pastille-like scents, the oak probably needing another couple of years to fully integrate. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine line of acidity, quite refined and focused with appreciable tension towards the finish that comes laden with succulent, tobacco-infused blackberry fruit. This is a sumptuous and yet refined Pape-Clement that demonstrated the most matière or substance out of all the Pessac-Léognan 2014s that I tasted, except for the Haut-Brion. It is certainly a wine destined for a long future. - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 94

Antonio Galloni writes: The 2014 Pape Clément is strikingly beautiful. Dark, sumptuous and creamy, it exudes class. Black cherry, mocha, spice, espresso, menthol and new leather are all pushed forward in a spherical, rich wine that captivates all the senses. As always, this is an overt style, but the purity of the fruit comes through nicely now that the oak has started to integrate. There is plenty of the Magrez trademark richness, but done in a slightly more restrained style than in the past. This is a gorgeous wine by any measure. Tasted three times. - Vinous 94+

Richard Hemming MW writes: Creamy lemon, fresh and rounded on the palate – pure pleasure with loads of generosity but a good sense of savoury Bordeaux style. Effortless, fragrant, concentrated. Absolutely lovely! - Jancis Robinson 17.5

Jame Anson writes: Restrained compared to some vintages and all the more successful for it. Fine but firm tannins; grip and lovely hold to the dark, brambly, bilberry and cassis fruit. Great potential. - Decanter 94

Winemaker Description 

The Saint Georges Old Vines Zinfandel was first planted on gravelly loam soils by an Italian bootlegger in 1922 in the lee of the Santa Cruz Mountains, on the wrong side of the law and the road, and 50’ too low to qualify for what became the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation in 1981.

Yet the mountain and marine influence of Monterey Bay 12 miles west is undeniable- the acidity is mouthwatering, enhanced by a stone fruit spectrum of flavors and alpine herbs overlaid on the brambly sapidity of zinfandel.

Expert Review

Jancis Robinson 18 Points | Deep blackish ruby. Quite a complex, high-toned nose. Sweet and polished with treacle notes. Masses of fruit almost covers the tannins. Luscious. 2016 was excellent for both quality and quantity with great diurnal temperature variation, so they decided to make two extra tanks for a super-blend. (But not Asili because they don’t have too much of that cru.) 16,000 bottles were offered direct to importers. The blend spent three years in wood and three years in bottle so it was released only in 2023. The idea is to make Don Fiorino only when the vintage is perfect and they can also make all the single-vineyard wines. To be shipped to the UK in spring 2024.  Named after the priest who restarted the co-op after its beginnings in the village co-op. Catholic co-ops were common then as priests could read and write! Don Fiorino had a brilliant mind and had the foresight to convince the local farmers to make only Barbaresco even though in the 1950s and 1960s it was not easy to sell.  Drinking 2023 to 2040.  - Jancis Robinson

Wine Advocate | Monica Lerner writes 96 Points |  With exactly 16,090 bottles made, the Produttori del Barbaresco 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is another stellar experience in this series of nine single-vineyard Riserva wines from Barbaresco's most successful wine cooperative. The Ovello is quite sharp and defined in terms of its aromas of wild cherry, dried violet and powdered licorice. Those mineral tones are very clear in this classic vintage. However, the Ovello finishes on a slightly softer note (compared to the Pajè) with a finer and more approachable tannin. The blended fruit for this cru is supplied by the Audasso, Cavallo, Cravanzola, Gonella, Grasso, Maffei, Odore, Sarotto, Unio, Vacca and Varaldo families.  Drinking 2024 to 2048. 

Vinous | Antonio Galloni writes 97 Points |  The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is the most severe and angular of these wines. It will appeal most to die-hard classicists. Chalk, white pepper, mint and sweet red cherry fruit all grace this chiseled, beautifully translucent Barbaresco. As always, the Ovello needs a number of years in bottle to reveal its charms, which in 2016 are many. It is a positively stellar wine in every way.  Drinking 2026 to 2041.

Wine Spectator | Bruce Sanderson writes 96 Points |  Rich, broad and spicy, exhibiting plum, cherry, tar, licorice and eucalyptus aromas and flavors. Offers muscle and grace, with intensity and persistence on the long finish. To be released April 2023. Best from 2024 through 2040. 

Winemaker Description 

Eduardo Soler started Ver Sacrum in 2012 after spending some time in the Gredos, in Madrid, and falling in love with the mountain Garnacha. An avid mountaineer who has had a career managing and running ski resorts in Argentina, he decided to start making wines, all from Rhone varietals. His idea is to make fresh ones, with lower alcohol and lighter skin contact, not exactly what Argentina has been known for. 

His wines ferment from native yeasts and there are no corrections, no filtration, or pump overs. The winery currently sources from two different vineyards in Barrancas (Maipu) and Los Chacayes (Uco Valley) where they have  planted Grenache, Monastrell, Carignan, Roussane, Marsanne, Mencia, Syrah, Teroldego, and Nebbiolo.  

100% hand harvested Grenache Noir from a single vineyard in the Los Chacayes IG within the Uco Valley.  Grapes are 25% whole cluster and undergo semi carbonic maceration for 14 days and fermentation in concrete eggs. Aged 50% in concrete eggs

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019 

Neal Martin writes: The 2019 has a beguiling bouquet with red berry fruit, truffle and light Provençal herb scents that are beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. This is exquisite in terms of balance, silky smooth, building gradually with a harmonious and quite effortless finish. Divine - this is a stellar showing. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. - Vinous 97

Georgina Hindle writes: A rich, full and heady nose. On the palate there's ripe blackcurrant, red cherries, raspberries and strawberries but also some mint, black pepper and truffle. Excellent precision and density with a seductive dark chocolate edge. Feels well handled with a sense of classicism. A powerful, muscular and confident wine, but with suppleness - this has density but also grace with a cooling finish comprising liquorice, mint and soft salinity. A great wine. Drinking - Decanter 97

James Suckling writes: A perfumed nose of mulberries, plums, chocolate orange and cloves. Hints of toffee, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins. Caressing, velvety and rich core of dark fruit. So supple and polished. 88.5% merlot, 7% cabernet sauvignon and 4.5% cabernet franc. Drink after 2024. - James Suckling 95

William Kelley writes: The 2019 Gazin is a fleshy, dramatic wine that wafts from the glass with aromas of ripe berry fruit mingled with subtle hints of truffle and violets, its new oak already entirely integrated. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it's broad and textural, with lively acids, powdery tannins and fine length on the finish. - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 94

Jeb Dunnuck writes: While the 2019 Château Gazin isn't going to match the 2018, it's an elegant, solid Pomerol delivering spicy red and black cherry fruits, notes of cedary herbs and flowers, medium-bodied richness, silky yet building tannins, and a great finish. This elegant, nicely structured, balanced beauty will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20 years. - Jeb Dunnuck 94

Winemaker Description

Mevushal. Israel. A delicate dry red wine with aromas of ripe red fruit and Mediterranean spices, it is smooth with a long finish.

Expert Reviews 

Wine Enthusiast 96 Points | Definite richness alongside classic elegance. It’s a stylish wine, the fruit integrated into a beautiful structure. It’s not all refinement, because there is also a weight to the black plum skin and dark berry character. A wine that will age over many decades.

Robert Parker 94 Points | This is a stunning Chateau Margaux, made in a sexy, up-front, elegant style, with deep creme de cassis fruit intermixed with spring flowers, a solid inner core of richness and depth, but again, very sweet tannins as well as striking minerality and elegance. One of the most seductive Chateau Margauxs given its recent bottling, this blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot should drink beautifully for the next 25-30 years. Remarkably, a mere 36% of the entire production was selected for the 2008 Chateau Margaux.

Wine Spectator 91 Points | Shows a lightly sinewy, with coiled notes of damson plum, red currant preserves, rooibos tea, singed balsa wood and iron, lacking the vintage's typical crisp edge. The fine-grained finish is approachable already, but this will age gracefully and should develop a more perfumed than rich profile.

Winemaker Description

Our 2021 MC² transports us to an Italian kitchen, homemade spaghetti sauce (the recipe passed from ancestor to ancestor) simmering on the stovetop.  The nose and palate harken the mind to dried herbs and a fresh garden, but not in the way one would usually imagine.

The expected berry notes differ from the usual and instead give the impression of heirloom tomatoes like Black Cherry (the tomato kind), Mr. Stripey and the Chocolate Stripe as well as the beloved hybrid Sungold, with just a flirt of actual black cherries as well.  Sips conjure oregano, black pepper, thyme, and black currant, rubbing elbows with those luscious tomatoes and cherries.  Tannins satisfy our desire for grip while leaving us wanting more.

Overall, another feather in the cap of our much-loved MC² collection.

Vintage Notes: Winter of 2021 gave us some surprisingly warm days and just enough snow to be protective when the temperatures dipped low. Early spring was lovely - sunny and mostly dry with undisturbed flowering and fruit set. Beginning in June, the summer rains arrived and persisted through August. Once into September and more so in October, we were blessed with warm and dry weather, allowing us to round out our harvest season in good conditions. 

The abundant moisture during the summer months resulted in a smaller crop but yielded very fruit-driven and expressive reds and sparkling and bright and refreshing whites and rosés. 

Expert Review 

James Suckling 90 points | Aromas of redcurrants, pitted cherries and grated nutmeg. Medium-bodied with silky tannins and a juicy texture. Fresh and bright with berry characters. A blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Drink now. 

Winemaker Description

A Bordeaux-obsessed blend featuring layer upon layer of ripe fruit - think boysenberry, cranberry and pomegranate - followed by a hint of toasty oak. Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvée is a medium-bodied, red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot packed with juicy red fruit, black currants and and a dark chocolate finish. We’re getting silky tannins. Hints of oak and cedar. And an elegant structure with a finish that’s a real crowd-pleaser.

Enjoy it on its own or paired up with something as perfectly unassuming as the wine (Gundlach Bundschu especially loves it with backyard burgers).

Expert Reviews

Tasting Panel 92 Points | This blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, and small portions of Cab Franc and Malbec offers standout scents of dark chocolate and blackberry cobbler. It's rich and round, with supple tannins and a dusty mouthfeel. Coffee and wildflowers combine to create an expansive array of aromas and flavors as plum and oak enter midway, tan- gling with good acidity to affirm the wine's fine food-pairing abilities. (2021). 

Wine Enthusiast 90 Points | Velvety in texture and full in body, this moderately tannic wine is packed with milk chocolate, black cherries and vanilla flavors. It is quietly powerful, and its rich chocolaty character lingers on the finish. (2021). 

Expert Ratings - Vintage 2016

Wine Spectator 93 points This has a wide range of red currant, blackberry, black cherry and açaí berry fruit flavors forming the core, with a very sleek iron note lurking underneath it all. The finish uses a fine singed wood stitching to pull the fruit and minerality together. Lovely.Wine Enthusiast 94 points This is a dense, smoky wine with powerful tannins. It follows the line of richness set since the 2014 vintage and balances rich black fruits and con-centrated tannins cut with final acidity. Drink from 2025

Wine Advocate 94 points The 2016 Gruaud Larose is blended of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with notes of red and black cherries, warm plums and freshly crushed blackcurrants plus hints of violets, oolong tea, aniseed and tilled soil with a waft of garrigue. Medium-bodied, the palate struts tons of elegantly fragrant red and black fruit flavors with a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Decanter 95 points This is well built and powerful, not exactly subtle, but then none of these wines are. Instead you get complex, layered and concentrated inky fruits, with some aniseed too. The balance and elegance of St-Julien comes in through the tailored and fine tannins on the finish, but while these tannins may be fine, there are lots of them. 80% new oak. Drinking Window 2024.James Suckling 94 points So much sweet-tobacco and currant character with some earth on the nose. Full body, firm and chewy tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Closed and complex still, but a typically beautiful Bordeaux. Try after 2022.

Vinous 93 points The 2016 Gruaud-Larose has quite a fruit-driven, generous bouquet of layers of black and red fruit laced with graphite and tertiary aromas. Is there just a slight touch of brettanomyces here? The medium-bodied palate is earthy and a little ferrous, with rounded tannin, and quite approachable compared to its peers. Slightly smudged toward the finish, but it shows great persistence. Very fine, very Gruaud. 

Winemaker Description

Bright garnet with high-toned red and blue fruit aromas, tinged with wet stone and violets. On the palate, lush, but with bright acidity to balance the red cherry and pomegranate fruit. White pepper, slate and herbal aromas overlay the core of fruit on a juicy, fresh finish.

Pair with roast game or poultry, or ratatouille. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Jeb Dunnuck writes:  One of the wines of the vintage is Jean-Luc Thunevin's 2020 Château Valandraud, which comes from the cooler, eastern side of Saint-Emilion. Exhibiting a dense purple hue as well as an incredible perfume of crème de cassis, ripe black cherries, violets, new leather, and an almost Hermitage-like burning embers character, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe, seamless tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and a finish that won't quit. A blend of 85% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it's clearly in the same league as the 2019, if not slightly more concentrated. Give bottles 5-7 years in the cellar, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 20-25 years or so.  Drinking 2028 to 2053.  - Jeb Dunnuck 99

William Kelley writes:  If the 2019 vintage at this address was something of a guilty pleasure, the 2020 Valandraud is simply guilty as charged. Exhibiting aromas of jammy black fruits mingled with toasted coconut, spices and caricatural slatherings of new oak, it's full-bodied, rich and chewy, with generously extracted tannins that clamp down on the finish. All that oak and extract impedes access to the wine's generous fruit, rendering it less demonstrative and gourmand than its 2019 counterpart, and that's a pity, as recent vintages of Valandraud have been among the more successful of the few remaining hold-out "garagiste" wines of the Right Bank.  Drinking 2025 to 2043.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 92

Jane Anson writes:  Juicy, perfectly judged, delicious brambled fruits, this is exuberant without being overdone, just oozing with pleasure, inviting you to come on board. Expect waves of liqourice, powerful damson brambled jam, lime blossom, orange peel marmalade and saffron. This needs a good five more years in bottle before approaching, but you want this in your cellar. Founders Arnaud-Thunevin now in a 50% ownership with the Lefevre family from Sansonnet, 100% new oak, 49hl/ha yield.  Drinking 2027 to 2048.  - Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux

James Suckling writes:  Very opulent and expressive aromas of black fruit and pine needles. So floral. Full-bodied with plush, velvety tannins and lots of fruit and texture. It goes on for minutes. Rich at the finish, but remains fresh and vivid. Superb. One of the great Valandrauds. Drink after 2027.  - James Suckling 99

Antonio Galloni writes:  The 2020 Valandraud is a stunner. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2020 possesses dazzling intensity from start to finish. Silky tannins wrap around a core of plush dark red/black fruit, licorice, spice, mocha and new leather. Even with all of its intensity, the 2020 is bright and wonderfully focused. Sweet floral and blood orange accents liven up the explosive finish. Magnificent.  Drinking 2028 to 2060.  - Vinous 98

Georgina Hindle writes:  Juicy and alive, a brightness to this even though the fruits are dark in profile - blackcurrant, black cherry, herbal-tinged blueberries - heady and seductive. Layers of acidity, mint, freshness and toast combine to give quite a full and complex palate with everything at the fore yet staying the right side of being too much. Strong and characterful but totally charming. I love the St-Emilion glamour and muscle, softly flexing with a salty minerality and unmistakable signature.  Drinking 2027 to 2046.  - Decanter 93

Jane Anson writes:  This is excellent, broad-shouldered with ample depth to the brambled fruits, liquorice, cigar box spice, with a gorgeously saline finish. Chalky, grippy tannins keep tugging you back into the body of the wine. The tannic grip is helped by a linen rather than silk texture that stops things being overly smooth and instead adds depth and interest to the powerfully knitted body, as do white flowers on the aromatics as it opens. Good stuff. 100% new oak for 24 months. A yield of 49hl/ha. Thunevin has sold a 50% stake in Valandraud to the Lefevre family at Sansonnet (also the new owners of Villemaurine, so a busy year for them).  Drinking 2029 to 2046.  - Decanter 96

Julia Harding MW writes:  Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Dark and oaky – lots of 70% dark chocolate. Pretty oaky, covering all else. The tannins are big and dense but there’s enough fresh fruit to fill it out for the long term.  Drinking 2030 to 2045.  - Jancis Robinson 17++

James Molesworth writes:  Tilts to the showy side, with a flourish of black currant and fig preserves, warmed black tea, melted black licorice and a hint of alder smoke as well, all framed by a warm loam- and espresso crema-accented finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2027 through 2040.  - Wine Spectator 93

Winemaker Notes

Winemaker Description

The aromas of sweet French oak and espresso get more complex with every swirl of the glass, unveiling black plum, ripe raspberry, and violet aromas. The wine is full-bodied, dense, deep and chewy with flavors of black raspberry, plums, roasted herbs, and mint.

Expert Review

Oscar Garcia 67Wine.com | A full-bodied and expressive Malbec with substance and chewy tannins. Perfect pairing for any beef dishes, poultry or Pork.

Winemaker Description

A full bodied, full flavored Primitivo guaranteed to please! Perfumed aromas and flavors of rich blackberry, juicy black cherry, spice and dark chocolate fill the nose and fill the mouth with  rich texture and soft tannins on the surprisingly complex finish.
Bart Hopkins

Made from old-vines planted on sandy soils in the coastal region of Apulia, this full-bodied, blackberry-perfumed, exotic Primitivo displays unexpected complexity for the price, and will please consumers in search for a juicy, hedonistic everyday house red.

Cantine Due Palme, is a cooperative founded in 1989 in Cellino San Marco, in the province of Brindisi in the high part of Salento. It is a project of Angelo Maci, third generation of winemakers/ grape growers, who with steadiness and dedication has made Cantine Due Palme one of the most active cooperatives in the South of Italy.

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 99 Points |  Stunning and pure from the get-go, with intense cassis and blackberry fruit. Ultimately takes a slightly austere approach, with a wrought-iron structure driving along while pastis, black tea, licorice snap and asphalt notes course underneath. Long and loaded with grip, this remains remarkably fine-grained. A very chiseled Cabernet that is wonderfully precise and incredibly long. Best from 2020 through 2040. 12,000 cases made.

Wine Advocate 96 Points | The 2010 is a quintessentially elegant, classic wine of Bordeaux - firm, rigid, perhaps slightly lighter than most of the other St.-Juliens, but stylish, potentially complex, and reminiscent of the style of the 1986, but more concentrated and powerful. It is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc with a normal pH of 3.56. It was raised in 75% new oak and the alcohol came to 13.7%. This wine displays loads of black currants, cedar wood and vanillin, but needs a good 7-8 years of cellaring, if not much longer. It should last for 30+ years.

Winemaker Description

Our Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is medium ruby in color and displays expressive fruit aromas of forward Bing cherry, cranberry, espresso, toasty oak, and damp forest floor earthiness. The palate is bright and full of cherry fruit with sandalwood and cedar overtones. The finish on this Pinot is soft with earthiness typically found in Carneros Pinots, mocha, and lingering flavors of oriental spice. This wine is quite enjoyable in its youth and will develop more Pinot aromas and complexity over time.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 92 Points | Plenty of dried pinot with some hints of dried flowers and spices. Medium- to full-bodied. Hints of bitterness. (2022).

Wine Spectator 92 | A high-pitched savory note streaks through a core of gently mulled black cherry fruit, while light bramble and rosehip accents underscore the sanguine-tinged finish. (2022). 

Winemaker Description

This Cabernet is rich and earthy with flavors of plum and chocolate, a graceful tannic structure, and a robust finish. Best paired with bold, flavorful foods that match its depth of flavor and aroma. Enjoy with wild mushroom ragout or flourless chocolate cake.

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 89 Points | This is an extremely fun, engaging, drink-me-now Cabernet Sauvignon with modest (13.7%) alcohol and a gentle sandy tannic texture. Notes of black cherry, blackberry, black currant, violet, fresh fennel, damp forest floor and hints of cacao and vanilla lead to a clean, medium-length finish. (2021).

Winemaker Description 

The aromas of ripe plums and blackberries rise from the glass, modulated by spicy elements and a distinct mineral note.

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

Winemaker Description 

This Tuscan “Super Value” is a blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and comes from a single-vineyard site in the Alta Maremma called Rompicollo. The vineyard benefits from southern exposure, ample sunlight, and a soil rich in tufo, a particular type of volcanic rock.

A deep, bright ruby red in color, on the nose it offers an elegant, varied bouquet of ripe berry fruits (such as blackberries and raspberries), dried aromatic herbs and delicate sweet spices. On the palate it is full-bodied, mellow and mouth-filling, with velvety tannins. Though richly flavored, it displays an attractive suppleness in the mouth.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2022 

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points | The 2022 Pinot Noir Les Dijonnais comes from the oldest vines on the property, planted in 1995 with all Dijon clones. Bottled in late January of this year, the wine sports a vibrant ruby hue and shows off notes of wild raspberries, mixed berries, a hint of fresh violets, clove spice, forest herbs, and brambly earth. It’s chiseled in its structure, with coiled tannins and a good deal of youthful tension, and also offers mineral persistence, with wonderful salinity and dark undertones of earth. It demands another few years in cool cellars to soften and expand as it evolves and will drink well over the long haul. Drink 2026-2040. 590 cases were produced.

Winemaker Description 

Planted in 1995, the Dijon block is now in its prime, delivering the complexity and elegance one expects from carefully tended twenty-six-year-old vines. The 2021 “DJ,” as it is known in-house, shows characteristic black raspberry and rose hip notes. Consistent with previous vintages, it displays Asian five spice, briar and even hints of blood orange coupled with a refreshing acidity and persistent finish. It is a superior vintage, one of the best of the decade. While the 2021 Les Dijonnais Pinot Noir is delicious right now, it will reward patience after a few years in a cool cellar.  Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description 

Ruby-red color with violet hues. Intense, fresh and fruity aromas of blackberry and plum, melded with smooth toasted notes and sweet vanilla. A medium-bodied wine with smooth tannins and a pleasing finish.

'Gato Negro Merlot is a smooth red wine, fresh and intense flavors and aromas with notes of plum and vanilla. Wonderful and full of flavor, delicious mouthfeel, medium body, smooth tannins and a pleasant finish.

Winemaker Description

100% Teroldego. Referred to simply as "Foradori" by the Foradori when speaking of their various wines, this is the estate's core red: first bottled by Elisabetta's parents back in 1960 and their largest production today. It comes from 9 hectares of estate vines, planted from 1956 to 2005 on the flat, sunny, well-drained Camp Rotaliano plateau right around the winery.

The soils are a range of alluvial sand and gravel and feature Dolomitic limestone. Older vines are trained traditionally in pergola; younger vines are trained on wires in guyot. The farming is certified-biodynamic. There are 15 separate parcels, all hand-harvested and vinified separately. The bunches are partly destemmed and partly left intact, depending on the vintage; the uncrushed berries and the whole clusters are layered in cement tanks, where they ferment spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and no sulfur. The wine is aged for around a year in well-worn, 20-40-hectoliter botti and bottled without fining or filtration and with a small dose of sulfur.

Our Professional Review

Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com writes | Savory, earthy and slightly wild in style, Elisabetta Foradori sculpts one of Italy’s finest natural wines. Luscious dark fruits and violets on the nose pick up some spice and wild herbs on the palate. Medium bodied with good depth of flavor and detailed complexity that winds through the finish with purity and a touch of exotic funk. Works great with vegetarian dishes and is a great match to wild game.

Winemaker Description

In 1987, we made our first vintage of a wine styled after the famous First Growth producers of Bordeaux, created with the same uncompromising care as the Grands Vins of those venerable chateaux. Full-bodied with ripe black fruit and complex baking spice, this wine is amazingly ready to drink right out of the gate, and you can try a bottle or two now—but make sure to save a few to enjoy this wine as it continues to evolve after some time in the cellar.

The 2020 Isosceles is bright in the glass with a dark purple/black core and a lighter ruby purple rim. Attractively aromatic and complex with ripe black and red cherry, black currant, new book leather, cedar, tobacco, vanilla bean, licorice, and oak. Full-bodied on the palate with ripe complex cherry, cassis, and a subtle red berry fruit on entry, with vanilla and licorice baking spice leading into the midpalate, which shows complex savory notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, and leather. The very long, complex, and continually changing finish is a progression of sustained ripe cherry fruit accented by baking spice and oak notes, with smooth chewy tannins and balanced acidity, adding depth and freshness. 

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | Roasted black plum aromas meet with tobacco leaf on the nose of this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. The palate shows a lot of primary fruit flavors, from black plum to blackberry, with Christmas spices proving quite prominent. (2020). 

Expert Review - Vintage 2021

Tasting Panel 92 Points | A trio of appellations - the Willamette Valley, the Rogue Valley, and the Umpqua Valley, which contributed 63%, 23%, and 14% of the blend, respectively - define the unique flavor profile of this wine aged ten months in (20% new) French oak. Its scents of sweet tobacco, tilled soil, and ripe cherry are fetching. Bright cranberry is washed with cinnamon and layered with mocha, espresso, and pink peppercorn.

Winemaker Description 

Bright aromas of ripe strawberry and raspberry open up on the nose along with a hint of cedar. Vibrant flavors of red cherry and cranberry follow, accompanied by accents of black tea and thy me, with a dash of pink peppercorn. Fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity provide structure and balance through the lingering finish.

Winemaker Description

This Cabernet Sauvignon has a classic, deep red color, rich with cherry and blackberry flavors with a hint of oak and a long, silky finish for a perfectly balanced wine.