Decanter (100)

Proprietor Alejandro Pedro Bulgheroni established this label in 2014. Entirely estate fruit, comprising beautiful rich berry scents, oak, crushed rocks and a saline minerality tinged with dark chocolate. Enveloping, full and broad-shouldered. Saturated dark berry fruit, chocolate layer cake, vanilla and dried herbs de provence round out this Cabernet with its fierce tannins that are nicely integrated.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2017 Ermitage l'Ermite is equally astounding but a completely different expression of Hermitage. Somehow this combines the reservedness of le Pavillon with the generosity of le Méal, resulting in a wine that I can only describe as perfect. The pristine cassis fruit is remarkably pure, joined by complex notes of crushed stone, salted licorice and the slightest hints of fine-grained oak. It's full-bodied, concentrated and velvety in texture, with oodles of chewy but ripe tannins and a finish that goes on for minutes.

Wine Advocate (96)

Medium ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard Old Firs Block has singular scents of conifer, wilted lilac, orange peel and crushed cranberries, with accents of lemon peel and black tea leaves. The palate offers ultra perfumed, delicately styled strawberry and raspberry fruits, a fine, dusty texture, seamless freshness and a long, spicy finish. It’s a delicate expression that will be great for earlier drinking.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2019 Pinot Noir Emmaline Ann Vineyard was made with 50% whole clusters and matured for 22 months in 40% new French oak. It is delicate and broody on the nose at this stage, with a core of raspberry fruit and accents of saline, seaweed, cracked pepper and violet. The light-bodied palate is delicate, grainy and fresh, with layer after layer of detailed fruits and a latent finish that hints at more to come as this matures in bottle.

Wine Advocate (97+)

The 2019 Pinot Noir Rice Spivak Vineyard was made with about 40% whole clusters and matured for 22 months in 40% new French oak. It has a medium ruby color and pure aromas of cranberries, raspberries and rhubarb—those dark red fruit characteristics of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir in the 2019 vintage—plus accents of orange peel, Angostura bitters, moss and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate manages a slender frame and very intense flavors, supported by an abundance of silty tannins and juicy acidity driving the very long, very layered finish.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2021 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, made with 40% whole clusters, has ringing tones of cranberry, rhubarb, tobacco leaves and botanical undertones. The light-bodied palate features concentrated, nuanced red fruit supported by a frame of chalky tannins and vibrant acidity, and it has a long, spicy finish. 950 cases produced.

Decanter (93)

Some weight of fruit here underneath the measured clove oak. Smooth, ripe, with well-balanced acidity, this has a good sense of balance and elegance. Fresh, with plentiful cinnamon spice and forest berry fruit that's just-ripe, neither over nor under. A fairly compact, early-drinking Hermitage, not a powerful one, but one that has some natural class.

Decanter (93)

With its bright apricot characters, this is juicy and full of flavour. It’s punchy, with nice vibrancy and good acidity. A Marsanne-dominated, crystalline style.

It contains two bottles of each:

2x75cl Perihelios - 100 points | Jeb Dunnuck

2x75cl Polysipine - 98+ points - Jeb Dunnuck

2x75cl Sine Fine - 98 points | Jeb Dunnuck

100 points | Jeb Dunnuck (Perihelios)

One of two perfect wines in the lineup of 2018s, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Perihelios comes from Thomas Rivers Brown and is another seamless, elegant, yet powerful wine that’s just a joy to taste. Cassis, blackberries, tobacco, graphite, licorice, and a kiss of iron define this incredible beauty, and it's full-bodied, with a multi-dimensional, layered mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and an incredible finish. Coming mostly from the Upper Range Vineyard and brought up in new barrels, it has ample up-front appeal given its balance, purity, and texture, yet there's no shortage of tannins, and it's going to evolve gracefully for 20-25 years or more.

98+ points | Jeb Dunnuck (Polysipine)

Made by Philippe Melka and a blend of sites, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Polyspline is all Cabernet Sauvignon that saw a small amount of barrel fermentation and aging in 88% new French oak. It's the most structured, backward, and in need of bottle age of the trio and has a dense purple hue to go with powerful notes of blackcurrants, tobacco, licorice, spicy oak, and graphite. Full-bodied on the palate, it's a powerhouse of a wine that has a great mid-palate, building, substantial tannins, and a great, great finish. It needs to be forgotten for at least 4-5 years but will have decades of longevity.

98 points | Jeb Dunnuck (Sine Fine)

Coming from the talented Benoit Touquette, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sine Fine offers more blue fruits as well as lots of floral, violet, iron, spicy wood, and lead pencil-like aromatics. Another exuberant, incredibly sexy wine under the Fairest Creature label, it’s full-bodied and has just about perfect tannins, remarkable purity of fruit, and a gorgeous finish. It's already impossible to resist, yet I've no doubt this will evolve for 20-25 years or more. The purity of fruit as well as the tannins in this wine are exceptional.

Experience the distinctive taste of Fortunate Son The Warrior 2019, exquisite wine crafted in the renowned vineyards of Sonoma County, California. This bold red blend exhibits a smooth, harmonious composition of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre grape varieties, matured splendidly in a balanced climate of cool nights and warm days.

Employing a traditional fermentation process in stainless steel vats with gentle pump-overs, the Warrior 2019 demonstrates the Fortunate Son winery's commitment to preserving the integrity and characteristics of each varietal. Aged in French oak barrels, this grand cuvée unveils intricate layers of blackberry, cassis and anise, underscored by notes of mocha and subtle earthiness.

Fortunate Son The Warrior 2019 encapsulates the unwavering dedication of its producers to quality and complexity. A testament of excellence, it seamlessly melds time-honoured techniques and modern innovation, making this full-bodied wine a precious addition to any well-curated collection.

Wine Advocate (95+)

I loved the 2001 Cote Rotie, but it's not for the instant gratification crowd, and even at age 14, it still has a wall of acidity and tannin. Compared to the '91 by Jean-Paul, it's a serious, medium to full-bodied, concentrated and structured Cote Rotie that has lots of cassis, currants, pepper, smoked meats and game. Possessing high acidity, beautiful concentration and ample underlying structure, give bottles another 2-4 years of cellaring and enjoy through 2031.

Decanter (95)

A tasting of component barrels for this wine made for an instructive view of the vintage. Certain sites show the lightness of the vintage, fresh and peppery. Others, such as Bonnivières and Tartaras, exhibited the rigid, austere tannins that are quite common in 2021. Few barrels had great concentration or generosity of fruit; this is a vintage about structure and minerality rather than concentration or fruit sweetness. I would be inclined to leave this for a substantial amount of time before broaching, around 2031, by which time it should show good complexity and terroir expression, and may well be worthy of a higher score. All whole-bunch fermented, and matured mostly in old demi-muids.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

I was blown away by the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Chaupin, a 100% Grenache release that comes almost exclusively from the Chaupin lieu-dit in the northern part of the appellation. It's never as inky-hued or powerful as the Vieilles Vignes but always screams Grenache with its sexy, ripe, seamless, and remarkably elegant style. The 2020 offers a translucent ruby/purple hue as well as incredible aromatics of blackberries, black raspberries, peppery garrigue, herbes de Provence, and flowers, and it opens up nicely with time in the glass. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. I finished my note with "a Grenache lover's dream." This is up with the finest vintages produced and will evolve for 15+ years.

Indulge your senses with the impeccable 'Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020', heralding from the renowned vineyards of Southern Rhone, France. This red gem is expertly crafted by Le Vieux Donjon, a small-scale producer beholden for their expressive, opulent wines. Balancing tradition with innovation, this unique vintage traverses conventional vinification, expertly fermented in large oak foudres and aged in used barrels for a distinctive complexity.

The result is a robust, full-bodied blend where Grenache predominates, married with Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. Emanating aromatic richness of blackberries, kirsch, and peppery spices with a touch of garrigue, the Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020 expresses an elegant concentration of flavours, veiled in velvety tannins - a testimony to the mastery of winemaking. Limited production retains exclusive magnificence, making this wine, a real connoisseur's treasure.

Experience the quintessence of fine wine with the Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020. A symphony of taste awaits.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Full bottle 1,697 g. From vineyards including the historic plots at Le Léon in Aÿ, complemented by Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oger. Red wines from Mareuil. 72% Pinot Noir and 28% Chardonnay. Dosage 4.5 g/l, eight years sur latte, disgorged March 2019. 5,212 bottles. Long and racy. Bitter orange oils and raspberry-leaf tea, more than a little minty but with the cool-hit lift and bite of wasabi powder, fine-ground chalk and river pebbles, cumin powder, white pepper. Enormously complex but clenched as tight as a fist. White raspberries, grapefruit, redcurrants. Precision, finger-nail-pressed origami folds, so sharp the fruit has paper cuts. Exciting. Exacting. Tense yet creamy. Spice defines the finish and brings it to a close that feels like an unfinished poem. So you take another sip.

Wine Advocate (100)

Although it had only been a year or two since I last tasted it, I couldn't turn down a chance to retry the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret de Sabon. This time, it was singing even more impressively than the last, with hints of asphalt giving way to wonderfully ripe black cherries on the nose. Full-bodied, rich, creamy, lush and intense, it's a powerful wine but one that also manages to be elegant, finishing long and velvety, with mocha and cocoa-powder shadings. It's a terrific marriage of power and elegance.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Possibly the wine of the vintage is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon which is a more elegant, seamless wine compared to the more brooding and backward 2015. Exhibiting a deep purple color and utterly heavenly notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, white flowers, and graphite, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, insane purity of fruit, ultra-fine tannin, and a finish that won’t quit. While a big, powerful wine, it’s the purity of fruit and tannin quality that sets this incredible wine at the top of the pyramid. Drink it anytime over the coming 2-3 decades. Hats off to winemaker Celia Welch!

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Pure perfection from Napa Valley, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is, as always, all Cabernet Sauvignon from an incredible site in Rutherford that spent 21 months in 70% new French oak. Incredible aromatics of crème de cassis, darker currants, smoke, tobacco, and assorted floral notes all define the bulk of the bouquet, and it’s full-bodied, with a multi-dimensional, layered texture, ultra-fine tannins, and perfect balance. This is such a magical site, and this wine consistently checks in with the greatest wines of the world. It already offers pleasure yet should have 30 years of overall longevity. Hats off to winemaker Celia Welch and the team at Scarecrow.

Vinous (98)

We started with the 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which is every bit as racy and seductive as it has always been. It’s a great, great vintage for Comtes.

James Suckling (100)

The perfect blanc de blancs. Full-bodied with a lovely framework of acidity and dry fruit, such as apples, pears and peaches. Opulent. Dense and muscular. Yet, it’s balanced and harmonious. Line of acidity at the end. Totally in tune. Superb. Deep and complete. Has everything. One for the cellar. It is the greatest Comte ever. It has everything. A perfect upgrade from two years ago. Drink or hold.

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Lieux-dits Patou, Mazard and Sauman, 70% destemmed, aged for 15 months in old barriques. A nose that draws you in and pulls you under; it’s very tightly wound for now, but contains fresh, ripe black fruits, Asian spices, soy and some woodland aromas. Full-bodied, but not massive or overly thick, it coats the palate in super-fresh fruit and very fine tannins. There is ample acidity too to help shape the wine. This is very powerful, but what hits you is the extraordinary aromatic and textural refinement of what can be an untameable terroir. Very, very long, saline finish.