What's New on Cru
At Cru World Wine, we're committed to bringing our customers the best possible selection of fine wines, and that's why we're constantly updating our "What's New on Cru" page with the latest releases and exciting new finds. Whether you're a seasoned wine collector or just starting out on your wine journey, we're sure you'll find something to love on our page.
One of the things that sets us apart from other wine retailers is our commitment to offering our customers unbeatable value. That's why we often offer special limited-time discounts on some of our most popular wines, and you can find these amazing deals on our "What's New on Cru" page. Don't miss out on the opportunity to get your hands on some stunning wines at incredible prices.
Our "What's New on Cru" page is also the perfect place to discover new and exciting wines from around the world. From classic Bordeaux and Burgundy to up-and-coming regions like South Africa and Australia, our selection is sure to delight even the most discerning wine lover. And if you're looking for something a little different, be sure to check out our collection of natural wines - these are wines made with minimal intervention, allowing the true expression of the grapes to shine through.
So whether you're looking for the latest vintage from your favorite winery or want to explore new and exciting wine regions, be sure to visit our "What's New on Cru" page. With our constantly evolving selection and unbeatable value, it's the perfect place to discover the world of fine wine.
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What's New on Cru
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Vinous - Neal Martin (95)
The 2016 Lafon-Rochet has a very engaging bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with pencil shavings and loamy scents. In fact, the more you nose this wine, the more its complexity becomes apparent. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine line of acidity, ripe and generous yet maintaining outstanding tension and revealing a judicious touch of peppercorns on the finish, which fans out gloriously. This is a fabulous Lafon-Rochet and certainly the best bottle of 2016 that I have encountered. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.Inc. VAT£306.64 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)
The 2020 Larrivet Haut-Brion is a powerful, dark wine marked by strong Cabernets that lend tons of aromatic presence and sheer density. This virile, explosive Pessac-Léognan packs quite the punch. Blackberry, gravel, licorice and grilled herbs are some of the notes that build in this deep, expansive wine. Superb.Inc. VAT£264.64 -
James Suckling (99-100)
Shows the exotic nature of Le Pin with blackberries, milk chocolate and hints of spices, as well as coffee beans from the ripe seeds in the grapes. It's medium-bodied with focused and creamy tannins. Also plenty of nectarine and clementine character. This is so classic Le Pin at the finish. It lasts for minutes in your mouth. Silky and flavorful. 100% merlot magic.Inc. VAT£2,505.85 -
Jeb Dunnuck (94)
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is perfumed with high-toned aromatics of fresh rosehip, fresh red cherry, and anise. The palate is crisp and energetic with cherry pit, dried red plum, and fresh tomato leaf, with fine-grained tannins with linear acidity. A vibrant wine to enjoy 2023-2033.Inc. VAT£436.84 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2020 vintage is rolling out now (as of January 2024). The season was warm, dry and early and marred by low yields across the state due to weather during flowering in the spring of 2019. Obviously, we all recall the events of March 2020: in Perth, the first COVID-19 lockdowns occurred in late March. Yet the wines from that season have proven to be superb—a testament to the grit and necessity of getting wines made no matter the conditions. The 2020 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon is sweetly fruited, with a cavalcade of dark berry fruits and very fine, graphite tannins. I see this wine yearly in a blind tasting of same-vintage Cabernet Sauvignons from around the globe, and it routinely performs extraordinarily well; yet I feel its reputation has yet to catch up with the quality. For the first time, the wine has cracked $100 AUD retail, which pulls it more into line with the rest of the pricing in the region. It has excellent structure, sweet fruit, medium body and succulent acidity. Sealed under screw cap.Inc. VAT£318.04 -
Wine Advocate (91)
The 2021 Art Series Shiraz is fine and fresh. It has raspberry and strawberry, mulberry and blood plum, with very fine powdery tannins. It is not a hefty wine by any means (augmented perhaps by the conditions of the season). Perhaps it doesn't have the fruit weight for long-term aging, yet this makes for lovely "now" drinking. Sealed under screw cap.Inc. VAT£398.47 -
Wine Advocate (99-100)
The remarkable 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. It's also one of the most singular, characterful wines being produced in the region today. Unfurling in the glass with complex aromas of blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, orange zest, pencil lead, rose petals and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into a layered, seamless and multidimensional mid-palate framed by rich, powdery tannins. Pure, perfumed and penetrating, this blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot is a brilliant success that caps a decade of relentless work by Guillaume Pouthier and his team that have seen Les Carmes Haut-Brion emerge as one of Bordeaux's leading estates. It checks in at a mere 13.5% alcohol, with a very healthy pH of 3.64.Inc. VAT£949.49 -
James Suckling (98-99)
This is a fantastic wine and very, very exciting, with purity and brightness to the floral, spicy and blackberry notes. ItInc. VAT£570.29 -
Jeb Dunnuck (100)
The 2019 Château Lynch-Bages is stunningly good, and it's going to be interesting to compare this to the 2018 over the coming decades. Based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 75% new French oak, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of pure crème de cassis, freshly sharpened cedar pencil, spring flowers, smoke, and graphite, with an almost liqueur of rocks-like minerality. A massive, incredibly concentrated Lynch-Bages, Jean-Charles has hit a home run in the vintage, and this sensational wine has building, perfect tannins, insane purity, and a finish that won't quit. It has the purity, finesse, balance, and depth to offer pleasure not only today but to evolve for 40 to 50 years. Smart money will hide these for a good 7-8 years, but wow, what a wine. Bravo.Inc. VAT£646.84 -
The Wine Cellar Insider (100)
Deep, shiny, dark ruby in color, this rocks as soon as the wine is out of the gate, or should I say out of the bottle and into your glass. Cherry blossoms and lilacs make it seem as though you are in a flower shop. On the palate, the wine is rich, full bodied and concentrated, yet the wine is light on its feet. There is a purity in the fruit that is off the hook. There is a sensuous, textural quality that makes it so you cannot help but take another sip, to make sure the experience is real, and because it is so good! The wine is a testament to Paul Pontallier, as this is in some ways, a culmination of his life's work.Inc. VAT£6,679.24 -
James Suckling (96)
Super-elegant but really tight aglianico here with lightly peppery black fruit, colored with inky and spicy notes. With aeration, you move into the herbal zone, with fresh bay-leaf, chai and light rosemary. The palate is medium-to full-bodied and you feel all the aromas pent-up, ready to burst out. The tension here is palpable and this will need several more years before the firm tannins soften, allowing the wine to open up and flood your palate. Still be patient. Try from 2024.Inc. VAT£338.44 -
James Suckling (96)
This is super silky and elegant aglianico with a deep and dense core of ripe red and black fruit. Full-bodied with beautifully embedded, fine-grained tannins and a long, controlled finish. Just a little pull on the mouth right at the end, so probably best to give it another year or two, if you can resist. Best from 2024.Inc. VAT£498.04 -
The Wine Independent (100)
A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Montrose is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes tearing out of the glass with rambunctious scents of creme de cassis, juicy blackberries, and blueberry pie, leading to hints of menthol, dark chocolate, licorice, and tree bark with a touch of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of bright black fruits with loads of spicy sparks and a firm, wonderfully velvety texture, finishing long and energetic.Inc. VAT£1,123.24 -
The Wine Independent (100)
The 2019 Montrose is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling to unlock a vibrant core of ripe, juicy blackcurrants, freshly picked blueberries, and redcurrants with touches of garrigue, iris, tilled earth, and Sichuan pepper, plus a waft of wood smoke. Medium to full-boded, the palate is taut and muscular, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long and achingly perfumed. This is a real head-turner!Inc. VAT£877.24 -
James Suckling (99-100)
Wow. This is the essence of Montrose, with blackberry, blackcurrant, crushed stone and earth. I have not tasted a Montrose like this in 42 years of my career. It has a much more vertical nature to it, with layered tannins that go very deep and long, The muscular structure and intensity is something else. This is a new era for Montrose. It is now made from only 45 hectares of vineyards right in front of the chateau, instead of about 60 before. 75% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 4% cabernet franc.Inc. VAT£980.09 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. The 2015 Moulin Saint-Georges is blended of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 85% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals a gorgeous plum preserves, licorice and blackberry pie-laced nose with touches of cedar chest, cigar box, black olives and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and very firmly textured with grainy tannins, it has a lively backbone supporting the generous black fruit, finishing with lingering savory notes. Give it a good 5 years or more in bottle and drink it over the next 20+ years.Inc. VAT£288.64 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)
A memorable vintage for both good and bad reasons, with yields that dropped down to 11h/h after mildew, but with a concentration and precision that is remarkable. This truly is a briliant wine. There are hints of dried fruit character, wrapped in the complexity of a wine stacked with cigar box, ripe berry fruit, dark chocolate, marmalade zest, turmeric and black pepper spice, layer upon layer, all served up with fresh acidites that make it moreish at the same time. Unusual, and beautiful. Harvest September 13 to October 15, 60% new oak.Inc. VAT£2,076.04 -
The vast majority of buyers and collectors will no doubt be aware of the unbelievable quality of 2009 as a vintage across the entirety of Bordeaux. Touted at the time as the "vintage of the century", the title would have most likely been without question were it not for 2016. We sincerely hope you have plenty of both in your cellars! Only time will tell which has the upper hand...
A wine of complete pedigree, which has never moved from the cellars of Pichon Lalande itself. This is an incredibly rare opportunity to secure a case of something which shall be discussed by critics and experts for decades to come with perfect provenance.
"Dense and voluptuous in the glass, with serious richness, 2009 is also almost shockingly tannic. It won’t be ready to drink anytime soon, and yet, there is so much to look forward to" - Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
"Combining the best of a vintage such as 1996, in terms of structure, freshness, and precision, with the best of 1982, in terms of opulence, power, unctuosity, and thickness" - Robert M. Parker Jr.
Inc. VAT£1,159.24 -
James Suckling (99)
The aromas to this are really amazing, with a potpourri of spices and dried flowers, as well as redcurrants, sweet plums and even some peaches. Full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins that spread across the palate in an encompassing yet always elegant and pure way. It’s succulent and unadulterated. Like crushed, perfectly ripened grapes. The length is rather endless. The tannins build. Fabulous young red. 35% in amphora and the rest in 50% new oak and 15% one-year oak. 65% cabernet sauvignon and 30% merlot, the rest cabernet franc and petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try after 2028, but an absolute joy to taste now.Inc. VAT£460.84 -
Vinous (95)
The 2016 Carema Riserva is another knock-out effort from the Produttori di Carema, the local cooperative that has really been on fire these last few vintages. Open-knit and inviting, but with all the complexity that is so typical of the appellation, the 2016 is superb. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet tobacco, cedar and licorice are all woven together in a super-expressive Carema that offers tons of complexity in a relatively accessible style for a young wine from the appellation. The Riserva is a selection of the best casks in the cellar, with the wine aged for an added year in cask, so three years’ in neutral oak in total. That extra year in oak vis-à-vis the Classico does take with it some of the fruit while emphasizing more savory and mineral qualities. Power and finesse come together so well in this textbook Carema.Inc. VAT£205.24 -
Decanter (93)
As high temperatures in mid-August shut down the ripening of Sangiovese, Marco Ricasoli reports picking approximately a week later than usual. He also introduced a sorting table to remove dried or green berries as well any pieces of stems. His resulting annata is pristine and sophisticated. Deep violet in colour and equally youthful on the nose, it exudes wild berries, black plum, and hints of wood spice. Tangy dark red cherry fills the mouth, buoyed by rambunctious acidity and framed by suede-textured tannins. Winter mint and liquorice root linger on the finish. With admirable complexity, this outperforms its category.Inc. VAT£133.24 -
James Suckling (98)
An extremely rich and ripe wine with currant, cherry and balsamic aromas. Hints of leather. Follows through on the finish. Full body, round and velvety tannins that are reserved and beautiful. Sweet and sour. Savory, too. Drink or hold. This has a long life ahead of it.Inc. VAT£1,897.24 -
Halliday Wine Companion (97)
The qualitative apogee when it comes to grenache, rivalled by few and equalled only by Yangarra. Even better than the superb 2021. Sourced from the highest, coolest site in the Vale, the venerable Smart vineyard. Ironstone imparts a ferrous bite to pithy sour cherry, cranberry, campfire, pomegranate, tamarind and sandalwood notes with a grind of white pepper across a lattice of pin bone tannins, curtailing sweetness while promoting stunning length. This is excellent. Superb! Transparent and brimming with a sense of pinoté, like a mini Rayas. A great wine of the present as much as the future. Among Australia's very greatest reds. I don't score above 97, but this could be worth a point higher.Inc. VAT£231.64 -
James Suckling (100)
The nose is so pure and subtle with a sophistication and ethereal notion to it. It just makes you sit back and ponder the world. Like sitting in a pasture of mountains. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that are endless and glorious in every sense. It’s like being connected to a unique piece of the earth when you taste this. Just-ripe berries with dried flowers, shell fish shell, and subtle mushroom and bark. Lasts so long on the palate. Endless. Drinkable because it is perfectly balanced, but it will be better in three to six years and beyond.Inc. VAT£1,388.44 -
Wine Advocate (96-98)
Even more impressive, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape l'Avenue—tasted as a barrel sample—boasts stunning floral aromas, plus notes of cherries, strawberries and dried spices. Full-bodied and concentrated, yet silky and almost weightless in feel, it even adds a hint of dark chocolate on the lingering finish. Wow.Inc. VAT£430.49
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Vinous - Neal Martin (95)
The 2016 Lafon-Rochet has a very engaging bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with pencil shavings and loamy scents. In fact, the more you nose this wine, the more its complexity becomes apparent. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine line of acidity, ripe and generous yet maintaining outstanding tension and revealing a judicious touch of peppercorns on the finish, which fans out gloriously. This is a fabulous Lafon-Rochet and certainly the best bottle of 2016 that I have encountered. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.In Bond£239.50 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)
The 2020 Larrivet Haut-Brion is a powerful, dark wine marked by strong Cabernets that lend tons of aromatic presence and sheer density. This virile, explosive Pessac-Léognan packs quite the punch. Blackberry, gravel, licorice and grilled herbs are some of the notes that build in this deep, expansive wine. Superb.In Bond£204.50 -
James Suckling (99-100)
Shows the exotic nature of Le Pin with blackberries, milk chocolate and hints of spices, as well as coffee beans from the ripe seeds in the grapes. It's medium-bodied with focused and creamy tannins. Also plenty of nectarine and clementine character. This is so classic Le Pin at the finish. It lasts for minutes in your mouth. Silky and flavorful. 100% merlot magic.In Bond£2,085.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (94)
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is perfumed with high-toned aromatics of fresh rosehip, fresh red cherry, and anise. The palate is crisp and energetic with cherry pit, dried red plum, and fresh tomato leaf, with fine-grained tannins with linear acidity. A vibrant wine to enjoy 2023-2033.In Bond£348.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2020 vintage is rolling out now (as of January 2024). The season was warm, dry and early and marred by low yields across the state due to weather during flowering in the spring of 2019. Obviously, we all recall the events of March 2020: in Perth, the first COVID-19 lockdowns occurred in late March. Yet the wines from that season have proven to be superb—a testament to the grit and necessity of getting wines made no matter the conditions. The 2020 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon is sweetly fruited, with a cavalcade of dark berry fruits and very fine, graphite tannins. I see this wine yearly in a blind tasting of same-vintage Cabernet Sauvignons from around the globe, and it routinely performs extraordinarily well; yet I feel its reputation has yet to catch up with the quality. For the first time, the wine has cracked $100 AUD retail, which pulls it more into line with the rest of the pricing in the region. It has excellent structure, sweet fruit, medium body and succulent acidity. Sealed under screw cap.In Bond£249.00 -
Wine Advocate (91)
The 2021 Art Series Shiraz is fine and fresh. It has raspberry and strawberry, mulberry and blood plum, with very fine powdery tannins. It is not a hefty wine by any means (augmented perhaps by the conditions of the season). Perhaps it doesn't have the fruit weight for long-term aging, yet this makes for lovely "now" drinking. Sealed under screw cap.In Bond£300.00 -
Wine Advocate (99-100)
The remarkable 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. It's also one of the most singular, characterful wines being produced in the region today. Unfurling in the glass with complex aromas of blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, orange zest, pencil lead, rose petals and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into a layered, seamless and multidimensional mid-palate framed by rich, powdery tannins. Pure, perfumed and penetrating, this blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot is a brilliant success that caps a decade of relentless work by Guillaume Pouthier and his team that have seen Les Carmes Haut-Brion emerge as one of Bordeaux's leading estates. It checks in at a mere 13.5% alcohol, with a very healthy pH of 3.64.In Bond£772.00 -
James Suckling (98-99)
This is a fantastic wine and very, very exciting, with purity and brightness to the floral, spicy and blackberry notes. ItIn Bond£456.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (100)
The 2019 Château Lynch-Bages is stunningly good, and it's going to be interesting to compare this to the 2018 over the coming decades. Based on 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 75% new French oak, its dense purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of pure crème de cassis, freshly sharpened cedar pencil, spring flowers, smoke, and graphite, with an almost liqueur of rocks-like minerality. A massive, incredibly concentrated Lynch-Bages, Jean-Charles has hit a home run in the vintage, and this sensational wine has building, perfect tannins, insane purity, and a finish that won't quit. It has the purity, finesse, balance, and depth to offer pleasure not only today but to evolve for 40 to 50 years. Smart money will hide these for a good 7-8 years, but wow, what a wine. Bravo.In Bond£523.00 -
The Wine Cellar Insider (100)
Deep, shiny, dark ruby in color, this rocks as soon as the wine is out of the gate, or should I say out of the bottle and into your glass. Cherry blossoms and lilacs make it seem as though you are in a flower shop. On the palate, the wine is rich, full bodied and concentrated, yet the wine is light on its feet. There is a purity in the fruit that is off the hook. There is a sensuous, textural quality that makes it so you cannot help but take another sip, to make sure the experience is real, and because it is so good! The wine is a testament to Paul Pontallier, as this is in some ways, a culmination of his life's work.In Bond£5,550.00 -
James Suckling (96)
Super-elegant but really tight aglianico here with lightly peppery black fruit, colored with inky and spicy notes. With aeration, you move into the herbal zone, with fresh bay-leaf, chai and light rosemary. The palate is medium-to full-bodied and you feel all the aromas pent-up, ready to burst out. The tension here is palpable and this will need several more years before the firm tannins soften, allowing the wine to open up and flood your palate. Still be patient. Try from 2024.In Bond£266.00 -
James Suckling (96)
This is super silky and elegant aglianico with a deep and dense core of ripe red and black fruit. Full-bodied with beautifully embedded, fine-grained tannins and a long, controlled finish. Just a little pull on the mouth right at the end, so probably best to give it another year or two, if you can resist. Best from 2024.In Bond£399.00 -
The Wine Independent (100)
A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Montrose is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes tearing out of the glass with rambunctious scents of creme de cassis, juicy blackberries, and blueberry pie, leading to hints of menthol, dark chocolate, licorice, and tree bark with a touch of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of bright black fruits with loads of spicy sparks and a firm, wonderfully velvety texture, finishing long and energetic.In Bond£920.00 -
The Wine Independent (100)
The 2019 Montrose is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a lot of swirling to unlock a vibrant core of ripe, juicy blackcurrants, freshly picked blueberries, and redcurrants with touches of garrigue, iris, tilled earth, and Sichuan pepper, plus a waft of wood smoke. Medium to full-boded, the palate is taut and muscular, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long and achingly perfumed. This is a real head-turner!In Bond£715.00 -
James Suckling (99-100)
Wow. This is the essence of Montrose, with blackberry, blackcurrant, crushed stone and earth. I have not tasted a Montrose like this in 42 years of my career. It has a much more vertical nature to it, with layered tannins that go very deep and long, The muscular structure and intensity is something else. This is a new era for Montrose. It is now made from only 45 hectares of vineyards right in front of the chateau, instead of about 60 before. 75% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 4% cabernet franc.In Bond£797.50 -
Wine Advocate (94+)
This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. The 2015 Moulin Saint-Georges is blended of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 85% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals a gorgeous plum preserves, licorice and blackberry pie-laced nose with touches of cedar chest, cigar box, black olives and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and very firmly textured with grainy tannins, it has a lively backbone supporting the generous black fruit, finishing with lingering savory notes. Give it a good 5 years or more in bottle and drink it over the next 20+ years.In Bond£224.50 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)
A memorable vintage for both good and bad reasons, with yields that dropped down to 11h/h after mildew, but with a concentration and precision that is remarkable. This truly is a briliant wine. There are hints of dried fruit character, wrapped in the complexity of a wine stacked with cigar box, ripe berry fruit, dark chocolate, marmalade zest, turmeric and black pepper spice, layer upon layer, all served up with fresh acidites that make it moreish at the same time. Unusual, and beautiful. Harvest September 13 to October 15, 60% new oak.In Bond£1,714.00 -
The vast majority of buyers and collectors will no doubt be aware of the unbelievable quality of 2009 as a vintage across the entirety of Bordeaux. Touted at the time as the "vintage of the century", the title would have most likely been without question were it not for 2016. We sincerely hope you have plenty of both in your cellars! Only time will tell which has the upper hand...
A wine of complete pedigree, which has never moved from the cellars of Pichon Lalande itself. This is an incredibly rare opportunity to secure a case of something which shall be discussed by critics and experts for decades to come with perfect provenance.
"Dense and voluptuous in the glass, with serious richness, 2009 is also almost shockingly tannic. It won’t be ready to drink anytime soon, and yet, there is so much to look forward to" - Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
"Combining the best of a vintage such as 1996, in terms of structure, freshness, and precision, with the best of 1982, in terms of opulence, power, unctuosity, and thickness" - Robert M. Parker Jr.
In Bond£950.00 -
James Suckling (99)
The aromas to this are really amazing, with a potpourri of spices and dried flowers, as well as redcurrants, sweet plums and even some peaches. Full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins that spread across the palate in an encompassing yet always elegant and pure way. It’s succulent and unadulterated. Like crushed, perfectly ripened grapes. The length is rather endless. The tannins build. Fabulous young red. 35% in amphora and the rest in 50% new oak and 15% one-year oak. 65% cabernet sauvignon and 30% merlot, the rest cabernet franc and petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try after 2028, but an absolute joy to taste now.In Bond£368.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2016 Carema Riserva is another knock-out effort from the Produttori di Carema, the local cooperative that has really been on fire these last few vintages. Open-knit and inviting, but with all the complexity that is so typical of the appellation, the 2016 is superb. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet tobacco, cedar and licorice are all woven together in a super-expressive Carema that offers tons of complexity in a relatively accessible style for a young wine from the appellation. The Riserva is a selection of the best casks in the cellar, with the wine aged for an added year in cask, so three years’ in neutral oak in total. That extra year in oak vis-à-vis the Classico does take with it some of the fruit while emphasizing more savory and mineral qualities. Power and finesse come together so well in this textbook Carema.In Bond£155.00 -
Decanter (93)
As high temperatures in mid-August shut down the ripening of Sangiovese, Marco Ricasoli reports picking approximately a week later than usual. He also introduced a sorting table to remove dried or green berries as well any pieces of stems. His resulting annata is pristine and sophisticated. Deep violet in colour and equally youthful on the nose, it exudes wild berries, black plum, and hints of wood spice. Tangy dark red cherry fills the mouth, buoyed by rambunctious acidity and framed by suede-textured tannins. Winter mint and liquorice root linger on the finish. With admirable complexity, this outperforms its category.In Bond£95.00 -
James Suckling (98)
An extremely rich and ripe wine with currant, cherry and balsamic aromas. Hints of leather. Follows through on the finish. Full body, round and velvety tannins that are reserved and beautiful. Sweet and sour. Savory, too. Drink or hold. This has a long life ahead of it.In Bond£1,565.00 -
Halliday Wine Companion (97)
The qualitative apogee when it comes to grenache, rivalled by few and equalled only by Yangarra. Even better than the superb 2021. Sourced from the highest, coolest site in the Vale, the venerable Smart vineyard. Ironstone imparts a ferrous bite to pithy sour cherry, cranberry, campfire, pomegranate, tamarind and sandalwood notes with a grind of white pepper across a lattice of pin bone tannins, curtailing sweetness while promoting stunning length. This is excellent. Superb! Transparent and brimming with a sense of pinoté, like a mini Rayas. A great wine of the present as much as the future. Among Australia's very greatest reds. I don't score above 97, but this could be worth a point higher.In Bond£177.00 -
James Suckling (100)
The nose is so pure and subtle with a sophistication and ethereal notion to it. It just makes you sit back and ponder the world. Like sitting in a pasture of mountains. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that are endless and glorious in every sense. It’s like being connected to a unique piece of the earth when you taste this. Just-ripe berries with dried flowers, shell fish shell, and subtle mushroom and bark. Lasts so long on the palate. Endless. Drinkable because it is perfectly balanced, but it will be better in three to six years and beyond.In Bond£1,141.00 -
Wine Advocate (96-98)
Even more impressive, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape l'Avenue—tasted as a barrel sample—boasts stunning floral aromas, plus notes of cherries, strawberries and dried spices. Full-bodied and concentrated, yet silky and almost weightless in feel, it even adds a hint of dark chocolate on the lingering finish. Wow.In Bond£339.50
