Decanter (100)

A meaty, savoury, spiced nose, something so welcoming about it, warm and friendly with a touch of perfume, dark chocolate, cinnamon and pink peppercorn to the blackcurrant, damsons and plums. Rich, ample and generous, yet delivered with such supple and velvety-soft tannins. This has an elegance to it, a cool sophistication in terms of the profile - neat and tidy, quite linear right now, brimming with energy, not yet fully expansive or loose, but quietly controlled and calm. It's confident though with invigorating acidity and I love the focus, detail and the purity of fruit. Sweet red fruits - strawberries, raspberries and red cherries with a slight balsamic, pomegranate edge that is so delicious. Juicy, crunchy, succulent and ripe but with an effortless edge to it. Supremely drinkable and likeable - what a gorgeous wine! A quality vintage and excellent winemaking skill on show. Ageing 18 months in French oak.

Decanter (100)

A meaty, savoury, spiced nose, something so welcoming about it, warm and friendly with a touch of perfume, dark chocolate, cinnamon and pink peppercorn to the blackcurrant, damsons and plums. Rich, ample and generous, yet delivered with such supple and velvety-soft tannins. This has an elegance to it, a cool sophistication in terms of the profile - neat and tidy, quite linear right now, brimming with energy, not yet fully expansive or loose, but quietly controlled and calm. It's confident though with invigorating acidity and I love the focus, detail and the purity of fruit. Sweet red fruits - strawberries, raspberries and red cherries with a slight balsamic, pomegranate edge that is so delicious. Juicy, crunchy, succulent and ripe but with an effortless edge to it. Supremely drinkable and likeable - what a gorgeous wine! A quality vintage and excellent winemaking skill on show. Ageing 18 months in French oak.

Vinous (100)

The 2010 Barolo Le Vigne is brilliant. Focused and explosive in its aromatic intensity, the 2010 is fresh and wonderfully nuanced in the glass. It is also aging at a slower rate than the Cannubi Boschis. At nearly ten years of age, the 2010 is fresh, vibrant and so full of energy. It is also every bit as memorable as it was on release.

Wine Advocate (100)

I absolutely adore this wine on every emotional and intellectual level. I can still taste it today, weeks after my first sampling. The Luciano Sandrone 2016 Barolo Le Vigne is a stirring and profound expression that pulls on your heartstrings. I found it to be unforgettable, quite literally, inspiring one of those celebrated "wow" moments that we wine lovers so desperately seek in bottle after bottle. Le Vigne is a clever blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba (offering the power), Villero in Castiglione Falletto (shaping the precision), Vignane in Barolo (adding to the purity of the aromas) and Merli in Novello (that helps to flesh out the fruit). This intersection of various vineyards spanning the appellation creates a pyramid of perfection and beauty. The wine shows large construction, but that fruit weight is balanced against the vivid cherry, spice, aniseed and campfire ash that gently lift from the bouquet.

Wine Advocate (100)

I absolutely adore this wine on every emotional and intellectual level. I can still taste it today, weeks after my first sampling. The Luciano Sandrone 2016 Barolo Le Vigne is a stirring and profound expression that pulls on your heartstrings. I found it to be unforgettable, quite literally, inspiring one of those celebrated "wow" moments that we wine lovers so desperately seek in bottle after bottle. Le Vigne is a clever blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba (offering the power), Villero in Castiglione Falletto (shaping the precision), Vignane in Barolo (adding to the purity of the aromas) and Merli in Novello (that helps to flesh out the fruit). This intersection of various vineyards spanning the appellation creates a pyramid of perfection and beauty. The wine shows large construction, but that fruit weight is balanced against the vivid cherry, spice, aniseed and campfire ash that gently lift from the bouquet.

Wine Advocate (100)

I absolutely adore this wine on every emotional and intellectual level. I can still taste it today, weeks after my first sampling. The Luciano Sandrone 2016 Barolo Le Vigne is a stirring and profound expression that pulls on your heartstrings. I found it to be unforgettable, quite literally, inspiring one of those celebrated "wow" moments that we wine lovers so desperately seek in bottle after bottle. Le Vigne is a clever blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba (offering the power), Villero in Castiglione Falletto (shaping the precision), Vignane in Barolo (adding to the purity of the aromas) and Merli in Novello (that helps to flesh out the fruit). This intersection of various vineyards spanning the appellation creates a pyramid of perfection and beauty. The wine shows large construction, but that fruit weight is balanced against the vivid cherry, spice, aniseed and campfire ash that gently lift from the bouquet.

Wine Advocate (100)

Here it is: the newest creation to emerge from the talented hands of Luciano Sandrone and his family. To be released in 2019, the 2013 Barolo Vite Talin is a wine born from a single vine. They noticed one plant that behaved differently than the others. It produced dark and concentrated fruit. Unlike common Nebbiolo, its leaves showed shallow sinuses between the lobes. Its vigor was different, producing fewer very loose clusters with small berry and seed size. The Sandrone family first noticed this vine in 1987 and named it Talin (a dialect version of the Italian name Natale) after the farmer who originally had the vine. For years, they vinified fruit from this vine separately in order to study its progress. They had a hunch that this mysterious vine was indeed genetically Nebbiolo, and they eventually received confirmation of this from the University of Turin. With this, they earn the right to call this wine Barolo. The massal selection is from Le Coste, and Barolo now results in less than one hectare of vines (6,000 square meters) and less than 2,000 bottles produced per year. This first vintage celebrates the 40th anniversary of the estate (1978-2018). The wine opens to an intense, dark color with extra pulp, power and structure in the mouth. The tannins are soft and rich. The wine is fermented in oak with maceration times that range from 20 to 25 days. It is then aged in tonneaux for two years before going into oval-shaped bottles for another two years before its commercial release. In total, it completes six years of aging at the winery. This is a game changer for the Sandrone family and for Barolo. What I find fascinating is that Barolo Talin takes us away from the discussion of vineyards and crus. It reminds us that the Nebbiolo grape is ultimately what is behind every great Barolo that we love. This wine takes us to the heart of Nebbiolo.

Kerin O'Keefe (100)

The compelling 2019 Barolo Bric del Fiasc from Paolo Scavino is drop-dead gorgeous. Opening with heady scents of Alpine herb, iris, dark spice and perfumed berry, it showcases the magnificent site, the fantastic vintage and the generational experience of the Scavino family. Stunningly delicious and radiant, it delivers ripe red cherry, raspberry compote, blood orange and licorice set against firm, fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity. Notes of tobacco and almond linger on the finish. Drink 2029–2059.

James Suckling (100)

Wow! There’s so much going on here. The nose presents an intense mix of dried cherry and red-berry fruit and rose petals, together with mild spice, Mediterranean herbs, tobacco dried apricot and dried and fresh nuts. Much more if you dig in. Full-bodied, super-relaxed palate that is the perfect display case for all the complex fruit character. The tannins are dense but seamless, never displaying any angular edge. Super-long and super concentrated, this is hard to fault. Yet, despite all the seeming extravagance, it remains a composed red with a long life ahead of it. Drink at your leisure.

Wine Advocate (100)

A new addition to the Penfolds lineup, the 2016 Bin 111A Shiraz is a blend of Clare (51%) and Barossa (49%) fruit from vineyards that have previously contributed to Grange. Aged in 100% new French oak, it's a rich, luxuriously textured wine that's packed with ripe fruit and finely textured tannins. Hints of grilled meat and exotic dried spices accent red raspberries and redcurrants in this full-bodied but exceptionally silky and elegant red that meets the high expectations for such a pricey bottling.

Wine Advocate (100)

A new addition to the Penfolds lineup, the 2016 Bin 111A Shiraz is a blend of Clare (51%) and Barossa (49%) fruit from vineyards that have previously contributed to Grange. Aged in 100% new French oak, it's a rich, luxuriously textured wine that's packed with ripe fruit and finely textured tannins. Hints of grilled meat and exotic dried spices accent red raspberries and redcurrants in this full-bodied but exceptionally silky and elegant red that meets the high expectations for such a pricey bottling.

Wine Advocate (100)

Very deep garnet-purple in color the 2008 Grange reveals a truly decadent nose with tons of spices, fruit cake and black & blue fruit compote notes along with nuances of chocolate and potpourri. The full and rich, multi-layered palate has a little oak still showing, it is going through a little bit of a structural stand-out stage, but it doesn't detract on the long and complex finish. It still needs a good few years to develop, though this very opulent, expressive Grange shows the very best of this vintage and the vineyards it hails from.

Falstaff (100)

Deep dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, subtle lightening of the edges. Intense bouquet, intense sweet spices, sandalwood, nougat, incredibly multifaceted aroma. Full-bodied, almost port wine-like nuances, structured with finesse, perfectly integrated tannins, great length, already seems irresistible, ripe cherries in the aftertaste, if only one could stop there.

Wine Advocate (100)

This vintage is a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, coming from the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Magill Estate. Very deep inky purple-black colored, the 2013 Grange has a profoundly scented nose of crème de cassis, preserved black plums, blueberry pie and licorice over nuances of baker’s chocolate, smoky bacon and fragrant earth, plus exotic spice wafts of cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek and star anise. Unfurling and slowly building in the medium to full-bodied mouth with wonderful grace and depth, it reveals an incredible array of ripe black fruit, spice, meat and earth-inspired flavors, with a rock-solid frame to support this beauty (it should easily cellar for 40+ years!), while previously latent flavors emerge fully on the epically long finish, culminating in that ultimate Grange experience. Oh, yes.

James Suckling (100)

Much anticipated vintage for Grange and it is a powerhouse of concentration and complexity. Aromas of orange and lemon peel to start, then graphite, blackberries, plum paste, black cherries, boundless sweet oak spice, fresh cedar, tar, mahogany, roasted coffee and chocolate - the list goes on. Such complexity. Classic Grange, offering such deep, dark intensity. The palate has immense richness and depth with a super succulent and very long, fleshy, deeply weighted array of dense, velvet-wrapped tannins that run so long. The fruit flavors sit in the blackberry, blood-plum and blueberry zone with succulent, long and assertive structure, carrying through in an utterly seamless mode. The finish is tightly wrenched, in spectacularly powerful style, locking this wine in for a very long haul. Best from 2030.

James Suckling (100)

Much anticipated vintage for Grange and it is a powerhouse of concentration and complexity. Aromas of orange and lemon peel to start, then graphite, blackberries, plum paste, black cherries, boundless sweet oak spice, fresh cedar, tar, mahogany, roasted coffee and chocolate - the list goes on. Such complexity. Classic Grange, offering such deep, dark intensity. The palate has immense richness and depth with a super succulent and very long, fleshy, deeply weighted array of dense, velvet-wrapped tannins that run so long. The fruit flavors sit in the blackberry, blood-plum and blueberry zone with succulent, long and assertive structure, carrying through in an utterly seamless mode. The finish is tightly wrenched, in spectacularly powerful style, locking this wine in for a very long haul. Best from 2030.

James Suckling (100)

A robust Grange from a lauded vintage, this wields sheer power with such compelling prowess. Uncompromising Grange. There are rich blackberries and plums on offer, together with brazen oak and abundant notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, charcoal, cola and hard brown spices. So fleshy and intense. Dark-chocolate and cocoa-powder aromas and flavors here, too. The tannins are polished and long, extruding deep into the finish and holding endlessly. Dark chocolate, black cherry, dark plum and more. Impressive. Brazen. One of the great Granges that will drink magnificently for decades to come.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2004 Pingus is a glass-coating opaque purple/black color with a bouquet of Asian spices, incense, lavender, truffle, black cherry, and blackberry that soars from the glass. Dense, rich, and seamless, this is a complete, harmonious offering with no rough edges. It will continue to blossom for another 5-7 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2014 to 2044.

Wine Advocate (100)

I don't think I've ever tasted a wine more recently bottled than the 2014 Pingus, which was bottled in the morning and I tasted it that very same evening! Peter Sisseck compares this to the 1995, the first vintage ever produced, when he learned that when you have such perfect grapes, you should do very little to the wine. He's been trying to replicate that first vintage, but there's nothing you can do to force it, as it has to be the natural conditions of the vintage that bring those grapes. What he also learned with the 1995 was that with wines like that, you need a long and slow aging in oak; so for the 2014, he decided to do a little longer élevage—three winters in barrel—but in 100% used barrels, something he started in 2012. If it would have been new oak, as in the past, it would have been impossible to have such extended aging without marking the wine too much and possibly forever. The wine was quite tannic to start with, but it was racked every six months, and in that way they have managed to tame those tannins without getting the wine tired, as the aging itself was quite reductive. The nose is quite harmonious and open, but maybe not very expressive, a normal thing considering the extremely short bottle age it had (hours!), but it should gain precision in bottle. In instances like this, you have to guide yourself by the palate. And it's precisely on the palate where you find that texture that is almost unique to Ribera del Duero when it's as perfect as this. It's very different from other zones, a velvety mouthfeel and a surrounding sensation of comfort, incredibly long. The tannins are ultra fine and with that subtle chalkiness of the limestone soils, which also added to the tastiness and the supple aftertaste. In short, I cannot think of a way of improving this Pingus other, than getting a magnum instead of a regular bottle! Congratulations, Peter Sisseck! 4,800 bottles were filled on January 16th of 2017, a slightly shorter production than the average, because part of the vines were hit by hail and didn't make it into the final blend. Now stay tuned for 2015 and 2016.

Wine Advocate (100)

I was really looking forward to the bottled version of the 2018 Pingus after a great showing of the cask sample last year. Part of the wine matured in 20,000-liter oak casks, so it's not all barrique. This is the first time they used the vats, and based on the results, Sisseck thinks in the future Pingus will be around 50% in oak vats. The Pingus vines were planted in 1929 in two different sectors of the village of La Horra, Barroso and San Cristobal and contain some 2% other varieties. The vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and are manicured like few vineyards in Spain. The wine is subtle and harmonious, elegant and insinuating, with all the components in very good balance. This is precise and pure; Sisseck is thorough and meticulous, and the wine shows that precision. This follows the line of the 2016, showing very well even if it was bottled only one month before I tasted it. 9,300 bottles were filled in August 2020.

Wine Advocate (100)

I was really looking forward to the bottled version of the 2018 Pingus after a great showing of the cask sample last year. Part of the wine matured in 20,000-liter oak casks, so it's not all barrique. This is the first time they used the vats, and based on the results, Sisseck thinks in the future Pingus will be around 50% in oak vats. The Pingus vines were planted in 1929 in two different sectors of the village of La Horra, Barroso and San Cristobal and contain some 2% other varieties. The vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic and are manicured like few vineyards in Spain. The wine is subtle and harmonious, elegant and insinuating, with all the components in very good balance. This is precise and pure; Sisseck is thorough and meticulous, and the wine shows that precision. This follows the line of the 2016, showing very well even if it was bottled only one month before I tasted it. 9,300 bottles were filled in August 2020.

Kerin O'Keefe (100)

The drop-dead gorgeous Barbaresco 2019 Asili Riserva from the Produttori del Barbaresco stuns with its extreme finesse and heady scents of wild rose, red berry, camphor, leather and brown spice. Full-bodied and vibrant, the elegant, linear palate delivers red cherry, blood orange, star anise and ground clove alongside youthfully tight but extremely refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it impeccably balanced and energized, lending great tension. It’s a superb expression of this celebrated site and the fantastic vintage. An absolute stunner.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

This compelling, fragrant red offers stunning aromas of woodland berry, new leather, pipe tobacco, pressed rose and the barest whiff of tar. The palate shows finesse and complexity, delivering juicy cranberry, red cherry, licorice and baking spice framed in tightly wound, elegant tannins. It's still youthfully austere, with vibrant acidity that promises decades of aging potential.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

This compelling, fragrant red offers stunning aromas of woodland berry, new leather, pipe tobacco, pressed rose and the barest whiff of tar. The palate shows finesse and complexity, delivering juicy cranberry, red cherry, licorice and baking spice framed in tightly wound, elegant tannins. It's still youthfully austere, with vibrant acidity that promises decades of aging potential.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

This beauty delivers enticing scents of woodland berry, rose petal, new leather and truffle that grow in intensity with time in the glass. The elegant palate features layers of raspberry compote, ripe Morello cherry, blood orange, licorice and baking spice. Taut, refined tannins and fresh acidity provide seamless support.

James Suckling (100)

Wow. This is archetypal Barolo with a solid cylinder of polished tannins running through the center of the wine from start to finish. Full-bodied and wonderfully constructed with the tannins and beautiful fruit in all the right places. Dark fruit, dried earth and mushrooms with mild, hazelnut notes. Fantastic is the word to describe it. Endless finish. Drink after 2024 and onwards.

Wine Advocate (100)

Simultaneously incredibly rich and incredibly fragrant, the 2010 RunRig seems capable of aging at least another 15 years. Scents of violets and red berries combine with darker fruit, ample dried spice and hints of savory meatiness. It's a complete wine and one of the ultimate expressions of Barossa Valley Shiraz.

James Suckling (100)

Incredibly floral and beautiful with dark berry, spice, cedar and mint. Chinese plums. Asian spices. Bark. Tea. Full body, dense and so soft and complex. The finish goes on for minutes. Endless and fine. January 2017 release. This reminds me of the gorgeous 1991 or 1964. Drink forever. A wine that you want to spend time with.

Tim Atkin MW (100)

Vega Sicilia Único Reserva 2010 (14%) Perfection is as rare in wine as it is in most things in life, but this is a stunning Único, reflecting the quality of one of the greatest vintages of the last century. Blended with 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, as it was in 2009, it's still a very youthful wine right now, with closeknit tannins, thrilling acidity, layers of spices, fresh earth, tobacco, red and black fruits, some oak sweetness and a wonderfully refreshing, leafy undertone. Simply stunning.

Tim Atkin MW (100)

Vega's Reserva Especial is surely the only world-class unfortified red that's a blend of vintages - 2008, 2010 and 2011 in this instance. Made from Tinto Fino and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s the result of long and harmonious slumber in large wooden foudres after previous ageing in smaller barrels. Structured, complex and elegant, with hints of tobacco leaf and balsam, a sprinkling of sweet baking spices, focused acidity and palate-caressing tannins. Perfection.