James Suckling (94-95)

This has a big structure of polished tannins that are energetic and punchy. Medium to full body with beautiful blackcurrants, as well as dark tobacco and wet earth. Chewy at the end, but a pointed and focused finish. More structured than 2022. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. From organically grown grapes.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

I wasn't able to taste the 2019 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion from barrel, but it certainly brings the goods from bottle. Deep ruby/purple-hued, with a smorgasbord-like array of red, blue, and black fruits as well as violets, candied flowers, tobacco, and sappy herbs, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, concentrated mouthfeel, flawless balance, and that rare mix of power and elegance that truly great Pessac can deliver. Showing the more elegant style of the vintage, it checks in behind the magical, perfect 2018 but is very much in the style of the 2016. Readers will love having this beauty in the cellar, and it will evolve for 40-50 years if stored correctly. Hats off to winemaker Guillaume Pouthier for another thrilling wine.

James Suckling (98-99)

This is a fantastic wine and very, very exciting, with purity and brightness to the floral, spicy and blackberry notes. It

Vinous (96)

The 2022 Chardonnay Reserve comprises fruit from the Greyton homestead, which is oxidatively handled and fermented for 11 months in 500-liter barrels (25% new). After swirling to address the reduction, it reveals concentrated scents of dried honey, melted candle wax, orange blossom and a touch of grilled walnut. The palate is well-balanced with mineral-infused, slightly tropical fruit: quince and hints of guava that merge into a more mineral-driven taut finish. Quite a multi-faceted Chardonnay, this will age with style and panache. If that Corton-Charlemagne is a bit over-priced…and it probably is…then you know where to come.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2020 Paixar is the one wine from the portfolio that is completely different from the others and comes from high-altitude vineyards in the zone of Dragonte on slate soils. In 2020 and 2021 they used the whole field blend—reds and around 5% white grapes, which might have given it an extra spark of acidity. It matured in 5,000-liter oak vat and 500-liter oak barrels. It has a perfumed nose, elegant and floral, with good ripeness but without excess. It's finely textured with a chalky thread and great balance. It finishes long and dry. This is truly superb and should evolve nicely in bottle. It's now Vino de Paraje 'A Serra' in Dragonte, a parish of Corullón. 8,000 bottles were filled in November 2021.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

One of the finest vintages I've ever tasted from this address, the 2018 Château Lynch-Bages has everything you look for in a great wine: incredible aromatics, richness without weight, perfect balance, and a purity of fruit that's just about off the charts. Dense purple, it reveals a glorious perfume of blackcurrants and blackberry fruits, a deep, unctuous mouthfeel, building tannins, and a complex array of cedar pencil, tobacco, wood smoke, and chocolate. A true blockbuster in every sense, with masses of fruit and tannins as well as moderate acidity, it will probably merit a triple-digit score in a decade and is a 50+-year wine from this team.

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.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (96)

A don't miss wine, this has wonderfully powerful fruits delivered with class and character. The abundant tannins have slate-edged grip and the black cassis and bilberry fruits sit alongside waves of oyster shell, liqourice, sage and black pepper. Delivers depth and personality and an effortless Margaux finesse. Harvest September 23 to October 2. Marjolaine de Coninck technical director, owner Nathalie Perrodo.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

I'm not alone in considering this one of the all-time great Moutons - it was awarded World's Greatest Wine is a competition last year that saw numerous rounds of blind tasting. It's worth your while to find out why - this is a powerhouse of beautiful fruits - layer upon concentrated layer of blackberry, cassis, liquorice, baked earth, cigar box, black truffle and the signature smoked and grilled spices of Mouton. The tannins are velvety but determined, holding on to their fruit with no intention of letting go for another few decades. 100% new oak. There is the tiniest touch of Petit Verdot in the blend but under 1% so it’s not in the official figures. 62% of production went into the grand vin. 3.78pH. 88IPT. The artist for this vintage is Xu Bing.

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.

James Suckling (95-96)

Second wine of Pavie with wonderful blackberry, black olive and dark chocolate. Full and chewy with a powerful finish. Lots of structure and intensity.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep ruby in color, here you find truffle, dark chocolate, coffee bean, cigar box, black cherry and dark plums. Full bodied, elegant, velvety, opulent, sweet and fresh, the presence on the palate is silk and velvet in the texture with purity and sweetness to the fruits. The wine is hedonistic as well as intellectual, and a little bit firm. There is serious aging potential. The wine really sticks with you, for over 60 seconds in the finish. Give this at least 15 or more years in the cellar to develop before popping a cork.

James Suckling (96)

A very fresh, piercing nose of sliced lemon with plenty of sweet perfume, too. The palate is similarly intense and vibrant with white stone-fruit and lemon flavors, delivered in an impressively intense and balanced mode. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

The Wine Independent (98-100)

A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little coaxing, aromas of blackcurrant jelly, juicy plums, and wild blueberries waltz out of the glass, followed by nuances of red roses, damp soil, tar, and licorice. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound, with impressive tension created by mineral-laced, crunchy black fruit layers, framed by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and savory. pH 3.8.

Greg Sherwood MW (94)

We all know when Produttori del Barbaresco decide not to bottle all their great nine grower crus, the resulting wines are all blended into the Barbaresco DOCG normale cuvee. 2018 is just such a vintage and sure enough, eager collectors have been waiting for this super charged Nebbiolo release. On initial examination, the wine shows the most pretty, lifted, inviting aromatics of dried rose petals, crushed coriander, tart red cherries, salty blueberries and a seductive red liquorice complexity. On the palate, there is an attractive translucent purity and silky filigree tannins that combine with a suave, lithe, harmonious concentration of red cherry candied fruits, touches of tar, saline cassis, sloe berries and a finish that typifies true, pure classical Nebbiolo fruit. While the seductive allure of the perfumed aromatics currently outpace the slightly backwardness of the palate fruit density and structure, all the signs in the glass point to another extremely fine and supremely attractive Barbaresco release. Drink from 2022 to 2034+.

Tim Atkin MW (95)

Donovan Rall is a consummate blender of grapes, crafting seamless assemblages like this one of Chenin Blanc with 34% Verdelho and 1% Viognier. Dominated by fruit from the granite soils of the Paardeberg, it has aromas of oatmeal, wet stone and white flowers, peach, pear and lemongrass fruit and the tangy acidity of the vintage.

Vinous - Neal Martin (97)

The 2019 Rauzan-Ségla is a wine that I did not taste en primeur. Picked from September 12 to October 9 and matured in 60% new oak, it has a gorgeous, seductive bouquet of pure blackberry, bilberry, crushed iris petals and just a hint of licorice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and good cohesion and depth. The oak is seamlessly integrated on the finish, which lingers like a temptress. Two samples tasted, the second demonstrating a little more salinity on the aftertaste. This will be irresistible.

Vinous - Neal Martin (93)

The 2018 Sergant, which impressed from barrel, has a captivating bouquet of precise black cherry, wild strawberry and rose petal aromas that waft from the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine-grained tannins, a silky-smooth texture and beautifully integrated oak toward the finish. This is a top-quality Lalande de Pomerol, a bit of a hidden gem. Go seek!

James Suckling (98-99)

Probably one of the most structured and stony SHLs I have ever had. Full yet very tight and compact palate with tannins that are like a tightly wound ball of silk. It goes on for a very long time. The cab berries were very small and they delivered a fantastic backbone of tannins, but at the same time intensity of vivid and reserved fruit. This is really long and classic in structure. The elevage in barrel will polish the fantastic, pure tannins. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)

Distinctive as ever, right at the top of what Pessac Léognan Blanc can deliver. Structured, fleshy white peach and pear, waves of salted cracker and sage, creamy texture, great length, just a brilliant wine. A buy.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, with 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot in the blend, is deep garnet in color. It strides confidently from the glass with classic notes of cassis and blackberry preserves followed by wafts of cedar chest, pencil lead, wild sage, crushed rocks, and lilacs, plus a hint of black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate is super-intense, with loads of earth-tinged black fruit layers and a firm structure, finishing long and refreshing.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2022 Lamella Shiraz has a little secret held within, and it's one not noted on the label. Within this cuvée, is just two barrels of fruit from the Stonegarden Vineyard, the original Lamella Vineyard, before the current Huttonvale Farm. Stonegarden was planted in the Eden Valley in the middle 1800s and is a historic site. The wine rises with Chinotto and blood orange, black tea and pressed flowers. It is, in its quiet way, kaleidoscopic and mottled ... it does not stay still, it gently moves across the palate like sunlight over the course of a day. The long finish speaks of raspberry pip and sandalwood, pomegranate, Boscobel rose and even the softest suggestion of scraped vanilla pod. If you have the benefit of time, I would recommend tasting this on both day one and day two. As I see it, day two has all of the complexity of day one, with the added seamlessness and silk that only time can bring. This is the most alluring Lamella I can recall ever tasting on release, despite many previous releases' flirtation with perfection. 100% whole bunch.

Wine Advocate (97+)

This 2021 Chardonnay Tiers Vineyard is a sensational wine. Let me tell you about the vineyard, and then we'll come back to the glass. The Tiers vineyard was planted in the Picadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills by the Croser family in 1979. The vineyard lays at an elevation of around 450 meters (1,477 feet) above sea level at its highest point, and the wine was made by Brian Croser, an important name in Australian wine. The 2021 vintage was a goodie in South Australia. The start to the season (spring and around) was the recipient of a good level of rainfall and no ill-timed events, meaning fruit set and yields were decent, and the growing season itself was without heat events or challenges, meaning the picking windows were chosen based on the fruit, with no forced hands. So, to the wine. This is powerful, concentrated and shapely, with a core of pure citrus acidity (it's zesty and pithy). The fruit speaks of yellow peach and preserved lemon and a hint of white tea. The wine undulates across the tongue and shows line and poise that elevate it to the very top of the Chardonnay tree in Australia. One of the greats. I daresay it'll be even better in 2025.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (86-88)

La Roche is the last vineyard to be picked on 19th September, the effect of the adjacent forest. Glowing fresh purple. A very clean and juicy fresh red fruit, some redcurrant, plus raspberry, and with good length. Refreshing. Will not take long to come round. Drink from 2024-2026. Tasted: November 2023.

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.

Crafting the superior and distinctive Travaglini Gattinara 1968 is an exercise in excellence. Hailing from Piemonte's pristine vineyards in Italy, this red stands as a testament to the Travaglini family's ingenuity and unyielding passion for winemaking. The family categorically cultivates Nebbiolo grapes, known for conferring force, longevity and a unique personality to the wine.

This wine embodies the remarkable 1968 vintage with its unforgettable complexity and elegance. The grapes underwent a careful manual harvest and vinification, subsequently aged in Slavonian oak barrels, unlocking their maximum potential. The Travaglini Gattinara 1968 is a sight to behold with its ruby red colour and garnet reflections. A full, ethereal bouquet lends generous fragrances of violets and roses, complemented by notes of tobacco, cinnamon, and black pepper.

An ample purchase of Travaglini Gattinara 1968 lets you experience the wine's dry, full-bodied, austere yet velvety, harmonious and distinctive flavour profile, sure to linger on your palate and provide a timeless experience.

James Suckling (94)

White peach, apple, pear, crushed stone, smoked almond, asphalt and dried spice on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and a spicy, creamy palate. Long and concentrated. Drink now.