Wine Spectator (100)

A sleeping giant. Dark ruby in color, showing aromas of blackberry, cèpe and green olive, with a hint of mineral. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a supercaressing mouthfeel. Turns to coffee, dark chocolate and berry. Chewy yet balanced. Very, very long in the mouth. The finish is absolutely breathtaking. Best after 2013. -JS

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Effusive aromatics and bright, red-toned fruit make a strong first impression. A wine of vertical intensity and explosive energy, the 2005 is a towering masterpiece. Today it is just at the beginning of a long drinking window that will last another few decades. Red cherry, plum, leather, spice, gravel, smoke, blood orange and pomegranate infuse the palate staining finish. In 2005, La Mission is a wine that satisfies all the senses, from the intellectual to the hedonistic. Magnificent. Tasted two times.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 La Mission Haut-Brion is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. Effusive aromatics and bright, red-toned fruit make a strong first impression. A wine of vertical intensity and explosive energy, the 2005 is a towering masterpiece. Today it is just at the beginning of a long drinking window that will last another few decades. Red cherry, plum, leather, spice, gravel, smoke, blood orange and pomegranate infuse the palate staining finish. In 2005, La Mission is a wine that satisfies all the senses, from the intellectual to the hedonistic. Magnificent. Tasted two times.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

The tannins remain evident, fully in tact, and overall this 1986 is young, profound, full of spiced herbs and freshly turned-over earth. It needs time in the bottle or carafe, because although there is more evident charm in the 1985 on first opening, this is the vintage of the pair that will be around for the longest. Dense black fruits abound, along with cigar box, black tea and slate. In its youth it was described as tannic, solid, almost austere, and it is astonishing how it has kept that character over the decades. There are still nuaces here that will be revealed over the decades to come, so be sure to give it time to unwind if you are opening any time over the next decade. 45hl/h yield. The famous Ricardo Bofill circular cellar was under construction at this point.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

The tannins remain evident, fully in tact, and overall this 1986 is young, profound, full of spiced herbs and freshly turned-over earth. It needs time in the bottle or carafe, because although there is more evident charm in the 1985 on first opening, this is the vintage of the pair that will be around for the longest. Dense black fruits abound, along with cigar box, black tea and slate. In its youth it was described as tannic, solid, almost austere, and it is astonishing how it has kept that character over the decades. There are still nuaces here that will be revealed over the decades to come, so be sure to give it time to unwind if you are opening any time over the next decade. 45hl/h yield. The famous Ricardo Bofill circular cellar was under construction at this point.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

The tannins remain evident, fully in tact, and overall this 1986 is young, profound, full of spiced herbs and freshly turned-over earth. It needs time in the bottle or carafe, because although there is more evident charm in the 1985 on first opening, this is the vintage of the pair that will be around for the longest. Dense black fruits abound, along with cigar box, black tea and slate. In its youth it was described as tannic, solid, almost austere, and it is astonishing how it has kept that character over the decades. There are still nuaces here that will be revealed over the decades to come, so be sure to give it time to unwind if you are opening any time over the next decade. 45hl/h yield. The famous Ricardo Bofill circular cellar was under construction at this point.

Decanter (100)

This stunning wine is still extremely young, with an amazingly expressive nose with tea leaf hints. The aromatics keep building and building in the glass, and the elegance and persistency shine through. This was a drought year, unusual because it was almost perfect from beginning to end with not a drop of rain from May to October. Temperatures were not hot like 2003, of course, so the ripening was slow and complete, with relatively small yields and relatively high alcohol. This is full of energy and the flavours just keep on going, while those tannis have really started to embrace the fruit and showcase their elegance. It's concentrated and luscious yet focussed and beautifully balanced - the perfect example of how they don't need excess to deliver something truly extraordinary in Bordeaux.

Decanter (100)

This stunning wine is still extremely young, with an amazingly expressive nose with tea leaf hints. The aromatics keep building and building in the glass, and the elegance and persistency shine through. This was a drought year, unusual because it was almost perfect from beginning to end with not a drop of rain from May to October. Temperatures were not hot like 2003, of course, so the ripening was slow and complete, with relatively small yields and relatively high alcohol. This is full of energy and the flavours just keep on going, while those tannis have really started to embrace the fruit and showcase their elegance. It's concentrated and luscious yet focussed and beautifully balanced - the perfect example of how they don't need excess to deliver something truly extraordinary in Bordeaux.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

I’ve had many brilliant bottles of the 2005 Château Larcis Ducasse but it’s never shown as spectacularly as on this occasion. It’s a magical, phenomenal Saint-Emilion that couldn’t get any better. Stunningly pure crème de cassis, white truffle, white flowers, cedar pencil, and smoked earth nuances all emerge from this incredibly powerful, opulent wine that has the hallmark minerality, freshness and focus of this great terroir. Don’t miss this!

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That's about all I can really say. Tasted two times.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That's about all I can really say. Tasted two times.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That's about all I can really say. Tasted two times.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That's about all I can really say. Tasted two times.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That's about all I can really say. Tasted two times.

Wine Advocate (100)

A wine offering notes of grilled steak, steak tartare, beef blood, blueberries and blackberries galore is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder. Everything here emerges from the Jackson-owned Veeder Peak Vineyard. Chris Carpenter agrees that this has to be one of the greatest vintages he’s ever had the pleasure to work with – and he has some serious experience under his belt. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine is utterly profound, and while the scoring system ends at 100, if I had to pick a single wine that may have been my favorite of all the tastings I did in Napa, this could have been my pick. Full-bodied, rich, with incredible integration of its component parts of acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood, the wine is lavishly built, has compelling purity, richness and density, and a finish, again, that rivals that of the Howell Mountain, being close to one minute in length. This wine will be certainly approachable young, but last 30-40+ years.

Wine Advocate (100)

One of two perfect wines ended my mini-tasting of the offerings from Lokoya in 2013. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain from the Keyes Vineyard is an amazing wine. Thick purple in color with a stunning nose of lead pencil shavings, blackcurrants, mulberries and blackberries, the wine has a steely structure, yet enormous concentration, skyscraper-like mouth texture, and builds incrementally to a stunning finish of close to a minute. The purity, the richness, the overall equilibrium are unreal, but then this is Lokoya. Drink it over the next 30+ years.

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.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Intoxicating scents of caramel, violets, smoke, licorice, plum and maraschino cherries take almost no time to find. Pure silk and velvet on the palate, the wine is seriously concentrated with an elegant, refined, fresh, tannic, rich, well defined, profile that has a lot more to say than it lets on for the moment. If I had to sum the wine up in a single word, compelling wold not do it justice. 5-10 years will add a lot to this already sublime wine.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Intoxicating scents of caramel, violets, smoke, licorice, plum and maraschino cherries take almost no time to find. Pure silk and velvet on the palate, the wine is seriously concentrated with an elegant, refined, fresh, tannic, rich, well defined, profile that has a lot more to say than it lets on for the moment. If I had to sum the wine up in a single word, compelling wold not do it justice. 5-10 years will add a lot to this already sublime wine.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Intoxicating scents of caramel, violets, smoke, licorice, plum and maraschino cherries take almost no time to find. Pure silk and velvet on the palate, the wine is seriously concentrated with an elegant, refined, fresh, tannic, rich, well defined, profile that has a lot more to say than it lets on for the moment. If I had to sum the wine up in a single word, compelling wold not do it justice. 5-10 years will add a lot to this already sublime wine.

Wine Advocate (100)

I have been terribly excited about this wine since I first learned that (part of) it was still in cement waiting to be bottled in September 2013. I consider the rare white Castillo Ygay one of the greatest white wines ever produced in Spain, and the 1986 Castillo Ygay Blanco Gran Reserva Especial is a great addition to the portfolio of the winery--an historic wine that is coming back to life. I did a vertical tasting of many of the old, historic vintages of this wine, and they are included in a separate article in this very same issue. This 1986 had seen the light as a limited early release bottled in 1992 and sold around 1995, and some bottles might still be found in the market. But most of it remained unbottled and was kept at the winery, where it stayed in oak for 21 years, followed by some six years in cement vats until it was bottled. It has 13.5% alcohol, an extremely low pH of 2.98 and 6.75 grams of acidity (tartaric). It has a very subtle nose and it's a bit shy, a little closed at first. It was only bottled one and a half years ago, and it's not crazy to say that the wine is showing extremely young. The wine shows more open the day after, when it has developed some nuances of mushrooms and verbena tea. This is mostly Viura with perhaps a pinch of Malvasía Riojana (aka Alarije). The palate is both powerful and elegant, with superb acidity and great length, with volume and sharpness, with a mineral, umami-driven finish. It fills your mouth, tickles your taste buds and makes you salivate. There is nothing negative about the wine; there is no excess oak, nothing blurry, nothing to improve... perhaps the bottle used! I think this is a perfect wine. It seems to be getting younger and younger with time in the glass; it seems to be getting more focused and sharper, and I have no doubt the wine will evolve and last for a very, very, very long time in bottle. I kept the opened bottle for almost one week and the wine didn't move one inch--no oxidation or any signs of fatigue. Having tasted many other vintages, including the also perfect 1919 (which is still going strong at age 97), I have no doubt we're talking about a white for the next 50 years. Looking at the older vintages, I might even be underestimating its life span. The potential next release could be the 1998 in no less than ten years' time.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

A wine that's been closed every time I've been lucky enough to taste it previously, the 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild appears to have finally come around, and it’s pure Bordeaux gold today. Still deeply hued and vibrant, with no bricking, it has a powerful, full-bodied style carrying lots of pure black currants, scorched earth, graphite, tobacco leaf, and roasted coffee-like aromatics. Full-bodied and still incredibly concentrated on the palate, it has a massive mid-palate, polished yet still present tannins, and an incredible finish. A legendary bottle of wine, it lived up to every expectation on this occasion. It probably has another 50 years of life, but it's in a great spot today.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

A wine that's been closed every time I've been lucky enough to taste it previously, the 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild appears to have finally come around, and it’s pure Bordeaux gold today. Still deeply hued and vibrant, with no bricking, it has a powerful, full-bodied style carrying lots of pure black currants, scorched earth, graphite, tobacco leaf, and roasted coffee-like aromatics. Full-bodied and still incredibly concentrated on the palate, it has a massive mid-palate, polished yet still present tannins, and an incredible finish. A legendary bottle of wine, it lived up to every expectation on this occasion. It probably has another 50 years of life, but it's in a great spot today.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

This is pure pleasure, with tiny pulses of electricity, brushed leather, sulphur, loam, truffle, blackberry, black cherry, with touches of silky tannins, smoked caramel and black chocolate. A wine that makes you smile, so much depth and power, barely out of its primary phase, but we are starting now to get the whole picture of what it will become. There is a lush edge to the tannins now that was not the case even two years ago. Such a different expression from the 2009 and 2010 Mouton, with this a little more old school in its charms, and for me you can now project yourself foraward, more like the 1986, a little dry and strict at first, but finessed and gorgeous, delivering grip, punch and magic. Eric Tourbier and Philippe Dhalluin on the technical team. 63% first wine, extremely low for the time (lowest since 1975, whereas today they are regularly below 50%). If you are going to open this anytime soon, think of it as a bottle to enjoy very slowly over four or five hours seeing the nuances develop. 100% new oak.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

This is pure pleasure, with tiny pulses of electricity, brushed leather, sulphur, loam, truffle, blackberry, black cherry, with touches of silky tannins, smoked caramel and black chocolate. A wine that makes you smile, so much depth and power, barely out of its primary phase, but we are starting now to get the whole picture of what it will become. There is a lush edge to the tannins now that was not the case even two years ago. Such a different expression from the 2009 and 2010 Mouton, with this a little more old school in its charms, and for me you can now project yourself foraward, more like the 1986, a little dry and strict at first, but finessed and gorgeous, delivering grip, punch and magic. Eric Tourbier and Philippe Dhalluin on the technical team. 63% first wine, extremely low for the time (lowest since 1975, whereas today they are regularly below 50%). If you are going to open this anytime soon, think of it as a bottle to enjoy very slowly over four or five hours seeing the nuances develop. 100% new oak.

Decanter (100)

I love the 2012, but honestly the 2013 just has the edge, because it is just as concentrated and full of fruit but acidity and floral nuance balances out the richness. Dark deep rosemary spice and black olive paste deepens the flavours through the mid-palate and you just have to hang on as this goes spiralling through, drawing the flavours out to a lengthy finish. 2% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 18 days skin contact.

Decanter (100)

I love the 2012, but honestly the 2013 just has the edge, because it is just as concentrated and full of fruit but acidity and floral nuance balances out the richness. Dark deep rosemary spice and black olive paste deepens the flavours through the mid-palate and you just have to hang on as this goes spiralling through, drawing the flavours out to a lengthy finish. 2% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 18 days skin contact.

Decanter (100)

I love the 2012, but honestly the 2013 just has the edge, because it is just as concentrated and full of fruit but acidity and floral nuance balances out the richness. Dark deep rosemary spice and black olive paste deepens the flavours through the mid-palate and you just have to hang on as this goes spiralling through, drawing the flavours out to a lengthy finish. 2% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 18 days skin contact.

Wine Spectator (100)

Opulent and flamboyant are the two words that come to mind with this wine. Aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate and toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with big, chewy tannins (yet they are refined and silky) and a long, long finish. This is a full-throttle Palmer. Superripe and delicious. Score range: 95-100

Wine Spectator (100)

Opulent and flamboyant are the two words that come to mind with this wine. Aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate and toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with big, chewy tannins (yet they are refined and silky) and a long, long finish. This is a full-throttle Palmer. Superripe and delicious. Score range: 95-100