Decanter (100)

To attempt to describe the aroma, star anise and sandalwood would be suitable descriptors - but this is so pure and harmonious that this really smells of nothing other than itself. Perfectly weighted, perfectly balanced, with the most incredibly elegant tannins. This wine gave me goosebumps to taste, it’s hauntingly beautiful, the soul of Côte-Rôtie in a glass. It has everything you could hope for in a Côte-Rôtie, it’s pure perfection. It's rare for young wines to deliver such emotion.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2018 Aalto reflects the cooler conditions of the year, with a more austere profile, subtle aromas and a harmonious palate. This is a classic example of modern, ripe and well-oaked Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, which this year feels creamy, juicy and balanced. This follows the path of 2017 with integrated oak (they used only around 20% new oak) and a lively palate in a more drinkable and approachable style. They added some new vineyards from the zone of Boada where the soils are red and the wines bring freshness and lots of fruit. The wine had a shorter maceration with the skins and a softer vinification. This is finer and more balanced, with finesse but still very much recognizable as Aalto. 300,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020. They have a new white first produced in 2019 and a non-vintage red blend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the winery. They are also going to release small lots of library releases. The 2018s reflect the cooler year and show more integrated oak, following the path of the 2017.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2018 Aalto reflects the cooler conditions of the year, with a more austere profile, subtle aromas and a harmonious palate. This is a classic example of modern, ripe and well-oaked Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, which this year feels creamy, juicy and balanced. This follows the path of 2017 with integrated oak (they used only around 20% new oak) and a lively palate in a more drinkable and approachable style. They added some new vineyards from the zone of Boada where the soils are red and the wines bring freshness and lots of fruit. The wine had a shorter maceration with the skins and a softer vinification. This is finer and more balanced, with finesse but still very much recognizable as Aalto. 300,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020. They have a new white first produced in 2019 and a non-vintage red blend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the winery. They are also going to release small lots of library releases. The 2018s reflect the cooler year and show more integrated oak, following the path of the 2017.

Vinous (94)

Dark ruby. Strongly perfumed scents of exotic cherry-cola, blackberry, vanilla and Asian spices. Weighty but focused dark fruit flavors offer striking clarity and palate-staining concentration, with soft tannins building on the close. The cola quality lingers on the long, sweet finish. This wonderfully balances richness and vivacity.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2018 PS follows the style of previous bottlings of this wine, selecting plots from La Horra, La Aguilera, Baños and Moradillo, looking for a similar profile of soils and the style of the wine. This is an exuberant, ripe and generously oaked Tempranillo that was matured in new oak barrels for 19 months. It's from a generous crop that was harvested between the 24th of September and the 19th of October, a slow and late harvest of fully ripe grapes that developed plenty of aromas and flavors. It was also a cooler year. This is a long-distance runner. Today, the 2018 Aalto is more approachable and shows better balance. 40,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020. They have a new white first produced in 2019 and a non-vintage red blend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the winery. They are also going to release small lots of library releases. The 2018s reflect the cooler year and show more integrated oak, following the path of the 2017.

Immerse yourself in the distinguished taste of Aalto Ribera del Duero PS 2019. Born from the fertile soils of Spain's premium wine region, Ribera del Duero, this wine encapsulates the centuries-old grape cultivating traditions and modern winemaking techniques of reputed producer Mariano Garcia. The blend utilises Tempranillo grapes harvested from vines aged over 60 years and is aged 22 months in new French oak barrels to create its robust profile.

On the palate, Aalto Ribera del Duero PS 2019 impresses with a rich tapestry of flavours ranging from black fruits to nuances of cocoa and spices. Its structured tannins and excellent acidity culminate in a long and thrilling finish, making it a splendid complement to an array of dishes.

Commended by esteemed wine critics, this vibrant yet complex wine delivers a seamless fusion of power and elegance. Experience the ultimate indulgence with Aalto Ribera del Duero PS 2019, a testament to the winemaking prowess of Ribera del Duero.

Vinous (94)

Inky ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of dark berry liqueur, incense and peony are energized by a smoky mineral flourish. Sweet and seamless in texture, offering densely packed blackberry and cherry compote flavors and suggestions of candied violet, spicecake and chewing tobacco. The floral and mineral notes resonate emphatically on an impressively long, penetrating finish that features mounting tannins and a sweet hint of cola.

Decanter (96)

Vines with an average age of 60 years from lieux-dits Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards and Chaillot provide the fruit for this Cornas. It spends 20 months in barriques, around 20% new. There are multiple layers to the aromatic palate: rosemary, thyme, herbal bitters, blackberry, blackcurrant and loganberry. A medium-bodied, concentrated but unforced wine with no excessive extraction, a subtly spiced finish and sinewy, brushed tannins. Detailed, focussed, structured and textural, this is captivating and true to its terroir.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2017 Cairanne L'Estevenas has indeed turned out to be super. A 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah, it shows more of the Syrah side at the moment, with floral notes, peppery spice, black olives and licorice all making appearances on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied, with a supple, creamy feel and a rich, chewy finish. Impressive! Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.

Dating back to 2015, the Alleno & Chapoutier Saint Joseph Croix Chabot 2015 is a luxuriously complex synergy of French artistry. Renowned Michelin starred chef Yannick Alléno and Rhône winemaker Michel Chapoutier immaculately craft this exquisite spirit. Sourced from a parcel on Saint Joseph's hill known as 'Croix Chabot,' the vineyard embraces an ideal geographic spot. This fertile land nurtures granitic soils that imbue the wine with a distinct minerality.

The features of Syrah grapes beautifully shine through their vinification in concrete tanks followed by an ageing process in oak barrels for a span of 12 to 18 months. This meticulous process ensures a harmonious blend of the wine's fruity and spicy characters.

The elegant full-bodied Alleno & Chapoutier Saint Joseph Croix Chabot 2015 unfurls flavours of dark fruit and undertones of liquorice and violet. With a delightful lingering finish, it offers a rich and inviting experience for the true wine connoisseur.

Crafted in the Southern Rhône Valley, the Anglore Lirac 2019 is a remarkable expression of Eric Pfifferling's expert winemaking prowess. Cultivated under the Mediterranean sun, in the mineral-rich terroir of Lirac, this unique blend benefits greatly from the old Carignan and Grenache vines it’s sourced from. Produced organically with no added sulphites, through the process of spontaneous fermentation, the Anglore Lirac 2019 delivers a harmonious balance of fruit and terroir, capturing the rich essence of its environment.

The wine reveals a stunningly rustic palette, boasting of stewed cherries, laced with hints of baking spice and a mesmerising earthiness. Turning towards a velvety textured, medium-bodied composition, it delivers a complex and lingering finish. The character and finesse of the Anglore Lirac 2019 cement it as a leading example of natural wines from the Rhône region, not just a joy to savor but a true testament to Pfifferling's dedication to quality and authenticity.

Decanter (97)

The bouquet is full of fragrant black fruits, cinnamon, cumin and Frankincense, the palate beautifully fleshy and textured, carrying cigar box, vanilla, blueberry and silky tannins through to a lingering, richly-fruited, finish. Such refined elegance! Outstanding.

Vinous (96-97)

Spice- and mineral- accented dark berry, smoky bacon and floral pastille scents show excellent delineation and pick up deeper licorice and olive paste notes with air. Sappy and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that show outstanding depth and are lifted by a potent mineral flourish. Powerful yet lively in character, delivering solid finishing thrust and closing with noteworthy tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins that build steadily.

Vinous (94)

Dark magenta. Intense dark fruit and floral scents, along with hints of olive paste, smoked meat and exotic spices. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering bitter cherry and cassis flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Rich and broad but energetic as well, showing bright clarity and a lingering floral nuance on the long, youthfully tannic finish.

Wine Advocate (95)

The perfumed and elegant 2019 Interpretación is powerful and ripe at 15% alcohol, reflecting the warm and dry vintage. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured for 15 months in barrels, half of them 500-liter ones and 30% of them new. It's a serious and structured red with a classical profile and terrific balance, very fine tannins and a silky mouthfeel through very fine chalky tannins. It's tasty, balanced and long, with stuffing and balance between the components to develop nicely in bottle. This shows the warm year and the hand of a very god winemaker; it is creamy and has good integrated of the oak. 34,563 bottles, 495 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in June 2021.

Wine Advocate (96)

What I think might end up being the best Beaucastel since the 1990 or 2001, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape offers a full-bodied, decadent style to go with awesome black and blue fruits, garrigue, licorice, crushed flowers and violets. The purity here is truly something, and it has fabulous mid-palate concentration, building tannin and massive texture. Given all of the fruit and texture here, it will no doubt drink well in its youth, but it should still be alive and kicking after two decades as well.

Wine Spectator (97)

A stunner from the get-go, with waves of thoroughly seductive boysenberry, plum, blueberry and raspberry reduction forming the core, while roasted apple wood, rooibos tea, bergamot, and anise notes flash throughout. This has plenty of bass, with a Turkish coffee accent and a hint of alder driving underneath. Everything moves in lockstep through the seriously long finish. Best from 2020 through 2045. 12,500 cases made.

James Suckling (99)

This is a stunning Beaucastel. A classic! Has a superb array of fruit, ranging from red, through to blue, darker purple and black. Nuances of dark, stony minerals, spices, wild flowers and herbs. So fleshy. This has impeccable balance, super-silky tannins and an extraordinarily long finish. This has decades ahead of it. Drink or hold.

Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)

Moving to the two Châteauneuf-du-Pape releases and 35% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 12% Counoise, the rest other permitted varieties (Marc calls this a Mourvèdre vintage), the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape sports an inky purple color as well as a textbook Mourvèdre nose of black, black fruits, smoked meats, crushed rocks, charcoal, and pepper. It's deep and full-bodied, with beautiful purity and building structure. Production is down 40%, but this brilliant wine is certainly in the same league as the 2016.

Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)

Moving to the two Châteauneuf-du-Pape releases and 35% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 12% Counoise, the rest other permitted varieties (Marc calls this a Mourvèdre vintage), the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape sports an inky purple color as well as a textbook Mourvèdre nose of black, black fruits, smoked meats, crushed rocks, charcoal, and pepper. It's deep and full-bodied, with beautiful purity and building structure. Production is down 40%, but this brilliant wine is certainly in the same league as the 2016.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

Another in a string of top vintages, Beaucastel's 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape was produced from Grenache yields of only eight hectoliters per hectare (normal is about 28 hectoliters per hectare, according to Marc Perrin). The final blend I was shown is almost candied in its fruity intensity of raspberries and cherries, yet it has a potent underpinning of more savory elements, like tapenade, grilled meat and dried spices. Full-bodied, with fine, silky tannins, this shows tremendous length, reverberating with hints of crushed stone on the finish.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Cask sample, tasted at the domaine. What a stunning nose! Piercingly fresh and expressive notes of violet, garrigue and black-olive tapenade. Defined tannins support the fresh zesty mid palate and is all beautifully encased in a toasty cape of dark fruit.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Cask sample, tasted at the domaine. What a stunning nose! Piercingly fresh and expressive notes of violet, garrigue and black-olive tapenade. Defined tannins support the fresh zesty mid palate and is all beautifully encased in a toasty cape of dark fruit.

James Suckling (97)

Very dense black-fruit aromas, but also licorice, an entire microcosm of spice and a whiff of smoked bacon. Very dense and meaty with an incredible tannin structure that enables this to be simultaneously very big and elegant. Super-long finish with enormous mineral freshness. Drink or hold.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Cask sample. Very inviting nose, liquorice, dark crushed cassis, leather, strawberry jam – earthy dark spice. A supple and ripe palate with good freshness and acidity throughout. Tight and fine, firm tannins, dark fruits, liquorice, thyme and a ripe savoury-tinged finish. Wonderful.

Jeb Dunnuck (93-95)

The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is all Roussanne and comes from a three-hectare parcel of vines planted in 1901. It offers a heavenly bouquet of white currants, white flowers, honeysuckle, and toasted bread that opens up beautifully with time in the glass. Rich, full-bodied, powerful and concentrated, it stays perfectly balanced on the palate and has that rare sense of richness paired with freshness that’s the hallmark of truly great wines.

Jeb Dunnuck (95)

While the old-vine Roussanne cuvée from this estate gets all the attention from collectors, don’t make the mistake of discounting their classic Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc. The 2019 reveals a lighter gold hue as well as a beautiful and classic bouquet of honeyed citrus, quince, white flowers, bee’s wax, and a touch of flinty minerality. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has flawless balance, nicely integrated acidity, and a great, minerally finish. You can enjoy bottles today with a decant or cellar for two to three decades, if you’re so inclined.

James Suckling (94-95)

Wonderful nose of orange blossom, melon and ripe stone fruit, then very creamy and silky on the concentrated and refined palate. Very delicious for a dry white of this stature, tasted from the barrel! 100% roussanne from 50 to 60-year-old vines. From organically grown grapes.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Also bottled two weeks ago, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is utterly killer and is as good as it gets. Huge notes of orange blossom, peach, tangerine, honeysuckle, and caramelized citrus flow from this insanely good, unctuous, heavenly textured white that possesses full-bodied richness and power, yet stays light, graceful and perfectly balanced on the palate. Drink bottles anytime over the coming 4-6 years, or cellar for a decade or more. Robert Parker once famously called this the Montrachet of the Rhône, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. Don’t miss this wine!