James Suckling (99-100)

This shows the purity of Angelus. I have never tasted a wine from here with such incredible clarity. Full body, full fruit and full beauty. Super silky tannins. A joy to taste. Makes you want to drink it. 62% merlot and 38% cabernet franc.

Wine Spectator (94)

A harmonious red, offering an expression of cherry, blackberry and floral aromas and flavors offset by a vibrant, well-integrated structure. Shows iron, tobacco, smoke and a hint of wild herbs, which weigh in as this evolves on the palate toward a lingering aftertaste. Delivers finesse and energy. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2038. 5,000 cases imported.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-98)

A bright fresh mid purple. The bouquet is superb, in a really lush and almost creamy red berry fruit, not as wild as some until a little savoury touch at the finish. Complex, a fine weave to the texture, with pure red berry fruit coming out at the finish. Despite its location I tend to think of Bonnes Mares as a Morey style Grand Cru, but you can certainly see the touch of Chambolle in this. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted: November 2023.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-95)

Tressage here, no tractor for years so as to avoid compacting the very light soil. One barrel, magnums only. Mid ruby with clearly a riper more perfumed style of fruit. Even a slight plum note to the perfume, then stonier and more saline on the palate. The fruit leaves a sweet impression in the mouth. Super fruit concentration behind. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted: November 2023.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2022 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, one of the last to be picked over three different passes, has a plush and expressive bouquet with dark cherries, raspberry coulis and light violet petal aromas that recede and reveal orange rind and yuzu scents. The palate is medium-bodied with firm grip on the entry. It’s a solid Charmes-Chambertin that is Mazoyères in style because, well, that's where it's from! A serious Charmes-Chambertin that will age well in bottle.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96-98)

5 Star Wine. A glowing mid crimson purple. The bouquet is enchanting with the white pepper and rose petal lift from the whole bunches, a little under half. Perfectly judged ripeness. The wine is beautifully discreet on the palate, but it is all there. Not super concentrated but detailed, precise and entirely in balance. Note: one of the ways in which Cyprien ensures a first class result with his Clos de la Roche is by marking up underperforming vines and deselecting their fruit at the picking stage. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted: November 2023.

Vinous (96-98)

The 2022 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has darker fruit on the nose than the Clos de la Roche: blackberry and bilberry, crushed violet, and plenty of forest floor commingling with light granitic scents. The terroir really shines through here. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins, very harmonious with a cashmere texture. There’s impressive weight on the finish with outstanding tension. I thought the 2021 was a knockout last year… This is, too.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-97)

5 Star Wine. Mid purple in colour. A sublime elegance to the nose, graceful refined yet still full of energy. Floral on top of ripe red berries. Perfectly judged ripeness. There is so much intensity here yet produced with a really fine hand, very persistent indeed, and seemingly effortless. The refined tannins are entirely hidden. Drink from 2032-2040. Tasted: November 2023.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2022 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Ruchots 1er Cru has a classic Morey-Saint-Denis bouquet with mineral-driven black fruit and touches of melted tar and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-balanced and grippy, with perhaps the most saline finish amongst Arlaud's Morey Premier Crus. This will need more time than the Aux Chesaux, but it will be worth the wait.

Burghound (98)

This seems to have changed very little in the past 10 years and it would be fair to describe its evolution as glacial as the ripe but exuberantly fresh nose is even spicier than that of the '05 Chambertin (see herein) with kaleidoscopic breadth and depth. Like its stablemate this is a big and imposingly-scaled effort that possesses outstanding mid-palate concentration as the tannin-buffering sap completely coats the mouth on the explosively long, muscular and powerful finale. Despite the strikingly good size, weight and punch this remains a beautifully well-balanced effort that will need at least another 10 years of cellar time because even though it's not quite as structured and backward as the Cham, it is nowhere close to being ready for prime time. That said, it should be genuinely breathtaking when it finally arrives at its apogee. Tasted twice in the last year with consistent results.

Decanter (99)

This is powerful and blows away much of the competition with its depth and layers. This needs you to pull up a chair, take a beat, and let the flavours unroll. There is so much density to the blueberry, bilberry and smoked raspberry fruits that they start out knitted down, then as the oxygen opens them up the body of the wine widens and becomes fleshier and creamier, adding chocolate and mocha notes. The limestone scrape is there in spades through the finish, and this is a cleverly constructed wine. As ever Ausone is just a masterclass in how to take apart and then put back together a terroir. Great stuff. First year of official conversion to organic farming. 100% new oak, some in 30hl oak casks. Could go up after tasting in bottle, a potential 100 points.

James Suckling (94-95)

This is classically structured with a wonderful finish of extremely polished tannins and an ultra long finish. So much blackcurrant, spice and cedar. Seamless. 70% cabernet sauvignon and 26% merlot, the rest cabernet franc and petit verdot.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

Now at 15 years after the vintage, the 2007 Châteauneuf Du Pape is firmly in its prime drink window and is just about overflowing with character. Sweet black raspberries, red plums, incense, herbes de Provence, leather, and lavender all carry incredible intensity and richness, and this gives way to a full-bodied Beaucastel with the classic 2007 opulence and sexiness. Sweet tannins, full-bodied richness, and a singular character all define this magical Châteauneuf du Pape that will continue evolving for another two decades. Don't let that discourage you, though, it's drinking at point today.

James Suckling (95-96)

Very soft and polished with beautiful tannins that are poised and beautiful. It’s medium-to full-bodied and gorgeously proportioned. Ready for even more polishing.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

While this cuvée is one of the least expensive in the lineup, it’s often one of my favorites. The 2018 Ontogeny is no exception and should be snatched up by readers. A classic 2018 nose of ripe, pure blue fruits, cassis, violets, and smoked earth gives way to a full-bodied, dense, concentrated Cabernet with beautiful tannins and length. It’s going to evolve for 20 years or more.

The assortment case contains

1x75cl Bibi Graetz Balocchi di Colore No. 1 | 96 JS/ 100 DB

1x75cl Bibi Graetz Balocchi di Colore No. 3 | 97 JS/ 97 DB

1x75cl Bibi Graetz Balocchi di Colore No. 8 | 95 JS/ 98 DB

3x75cl Bibi Graetz Colore 2020 | 98 JS

Tim Atkin MW (96)

Cirsion is sourced from some of the oldest vines around Haro and is a partnership of Tempranillo with 12% Graciano. Still youthful, it's a wine that will age for a decade or more, showing flavours of plum, blackberry and orange zest, layered tannins and a chalky, acid-driven finish. A superb new release from Agustín Santolaya and his team.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

The latest release of R.D. – Bollinger’s iconic ‘Recently Disgorged or Récemment Dégorgé’ wine is something completely out of the ordinary. My one-word description for this sensational wine is ‘controlled’. I say this because what I adore about every single vintage of R.D. which I have tasted (and there have been many – see below) is the seeming lack of control in every sip. R.D. should be and usually is an absurdly decadent and unpredictable wine, firing off ostentatious flavour and extraordinary detail in every direction. This is why I love it so much and also why I only open it on very special occasions! What is remarkable about this particular vintage is its restraint and levity coupled with the extraordinary length of finish. After 14 years on lees, this wine is as power-packed and energised as it could possibly be and with the extra edge and vivacity coming from a fulsome percentage of Verzenay Pinot fruit (29%) added to the usual heartbeat coming from the Aÿ Pinot core (26%) this is a dynamic red fruit-dominant cocktail. The overall blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay coming from 14 Crus with 91% Grands Crus in this vintage. The dosage is a keen 3 grams per litre and all disgorgement is done by hand, as usual. But in 2007 the result is atypical, enchanting, surprisingly refreshing and amazingly delicious. I opened this bottle at 11.00 am and did not stopper it for a full 12 hours. I even sneaked half a glass with a chicken curry at supper time and it worked like a dream. This is not a massive firework of a wine that explodes gloriously and then is gone. Instead, it is a blazing torch of flavour with phenomenal persistence and balance and this makes it unmissable in every serious Champagne lover’s cellar.

Bob Campbell MW (97)

I never swallow samples during tasting but got pretty close with this wine. It’s just so damn delicious with layer upon layer of fruit and savoury characters that defy description. A tease of fruit sweetness is balanced by gentle tannins and subtle acidity that drive a very lengthy finish. A seriously good Pinot Noir.

Vinous (100)

From the very beginning, the 2015 Canon has made an eloquent case for itself as one of the wines of the vintage. Multiple tastings from bottle only confirm what several early tastings hinted at: the 2015 Canon is simply extraordinary in every way. Sumptuous and exotic, with no hard edges and exceptional balance, the 2015 grabs hold of all the senses and never lets up. A rush of red fruit intermingled with floral notes, spice and smoke notes effortlessly runs up the wine's vertical structure as the 2015 thrills with every twist and turn. The 2015 Canon is a rare wine that is both hedonistic and intellectual - well, maybe it is a bit more hedonistic-leaning. It doesn't matter. Don't miss it. This 2015 is masterpiece from General Manager Nicolas Auderbert and his team at Canon.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (97)

Nicolas Audebert and his team have done it again. The 2017 Canon is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Rich and vertical in construction, the 2017 possesses off-the-charts richness and intensity in all of its dimensions. In the glass, the 2017 is sumptuous and layered, with superb detail and tons of sheer pedigree. In 20 years, readers will have a fabulous time tasting the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 together and debating their respective merits. Dark plum fruit, striking Franc aromatics and the clean, focused energy of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau make for a ravishing, exquisite wine of the highest level. In a word: breathtaking.

Wine Advocate (98+)

Catena Zapata’s flagship is the Nicolas Catena Zapata, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend. The 2004 Nicolas Catena Zapata is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Malbec. It spent 18 months in 100% new French oak. A saturated black purple in color, it has an aristocratic perfume of pain grille, mineral, espresso, saddle leather, cassis, black currant, and black raspberry. Opulently textured, complex, ripe, and sweet on the palate, it maintains a sense of elegance as well as power. It demands 10-15 years of further cellaring and should still be providing pleasure at age 50. It strikes me as being Argentina’s equivalent of a great vintage of Lafite-Rothschild.

Wine Advocate (98+)

Catena Zapata’s flagship is the Nicolas Catena Zapata, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend. The 2004 Nicolas Catena Zapata is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Malbec. It spent 18 months in 100% new French oak. A saturated black purple in color, it has an aristocratic perfume of pain grille, mineral, espresso, saddle leather, cassis, black currant, and black raspberry. Opulently textured, complex, ripe, and sweet on the palate, it maintains a sense of elegance as well as power. It demands 10-15 years of further cellaring and should still be providing pleasure at age 50. It strikes me as being Argentina’s equivalent of a great vintage of Lafite-Rothschild.

Wine Advocate (98+)

Catena Zapata’s flagship is the Nicolas Catena Zapata, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend. The 2004 Nicolas Catena Zapata is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Malbec. It spent 18 months in 100% new French oak. A saturated black purple in color, it has an aristocratic perfume of pain grille, mineral, espresso, saddle leather, cassis, black currant, and black raspberry. Opulently textured, complex, ripe, and sweet on the palate, it maintains a sense of elegance as well as power. It demands 10-15 years of further cellaring and should still be providing pleasure at age 50. It strikes me as being Argentina’s equivalent of a great vintage of Lafite-Rothschild.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2019 Cheval Blanc is a blend of 58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. 41 out of 53 blocks have had a part to play this year, representing 10 different soil types. The Grand Vin in 2019 represents 82% of production. Deep purple-black in color, it needs a lot of swirling to shake loose fragrant scents of Indian spice, potpourri, star anise, and cardamom, over a core of preserved plums, boysenberries, and charcoal with touches of wood smoke and cracked black pepper. Full-bodied, rich and immediately impactful in the mouth, the layered nuances slowly expand, beautifully framed by ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with cascading savory and earth flavors and lots of lingering mineral notes.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

Clarity and nuance, silky tannins, herb-strewn, full of life and character and nuance, a whole other level of Cabernet Sauvignon, reflecting this unusual site. Blue fruits dominate over the darker cassis, adding freshness and keeping the rich concentration at arms length until the layers build through the palate. Smoked oak on the finish but it is barely discernable against the depth of fruit and minerality. Love this. Harvest April 13 and 16, 3.96ph. Just under 1,900 bottles produced.