The Wine Independent (96)

This 2019 La Massa is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It starts with smoke, spice and bitter cherry notes on the nose. Oak notes dominate at first but on standing it opens up to fragrant, floral notes like rose and iris. On the palate it is round and smooth but not too heavy. This is a very stylish wine that manages to balance elegance with plenty of depth of flavor, tied together with juicy acidity and fine tannins. I love the purity, brightness of this wine and the deft touch of the winemaker. There is a brilliance to the fruit and a high quality to the tannins which mark it out as something special.

Wine Advocate (97)

This is a truly sumptuous wine that stands as a tall testament to the winemaking talents of Giampaolo Motta, his vision for interpreting this vintage and his specific vineyard site in Panzano in Chianti. This standout wine brings Fattoria la Massa to a new level of accomplishment and opens an exciting new chapter of possibility. The 2013 Giorgio Primo (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot) is dark and impenetrable on first impact. The aromas accelerate slowly and grow evenly in power and intensity after a few quick swirls of the glass. The bouquet peels back with dark fruit aromas, baking spice and Mediterranean herb. The effect is seamless and smooth. A velvety texture is accented by full-bodied richness and just enough freshness to keep the palate energized. And, of course, this is just the beginning of a long cellar life.

Vinous (97)

The 2018 Giorgio Primo represents a new level of finesse at La Massa. Powerful and dense in the glass, with tremendous structure, Giorgio Primo is a terrific example of how compelling international varieties are in Panzano's Conca d'Oro district. Crème de cassis, spice, new leather, chocolate and sweet spice build into the textured, palate-staining finish.

Wine Advocate (97+)

The beautiful Fattoria La Massa 2019 Giorgio Primo is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Vintner Giampaolo Motta's inspiration is the great wines of Bordeaux, and his vision has never changed despite many passing trends. But perhaps his most important choice as a winemaker (born outside of Tuscany) is his firm commitment to Panzano in Chianti as the ideal home for the French grapes he cultivates. An exciting new Merlot is also in the works, so stay tuned. This is an etched and polished wine with dark fruit, spice, graphite and pencil shavings. The tannins are beautifully managed, and the wine is long and complex.

James Suckling (99)

I love the currant and rosemary character of this wine. Some sage, too. Complex aromas that draw you in. Full body, extremely tight and chewy with a long and intense finish. The tannins are fantastic – so polished. Focused and beautiful. Mineral undertone with ash and hot stone highlighting the dark fruits. It goes on for minutes. Needs three or four years to come together. But a serious red all the way.

James Suckling (99)

Incredible aromas of dark berries, lavender, rosemary, licorice and dried flowers. Spice. Full body and fantastic tannin texture with great length. Goes on for minutes. Muscular yet wonderfully formed and refined. A glorious Saffredi. Drink in 2022.

Wine Advocate (97)

Wow, there is a very impressive freshness here that defies the heat of this vintage. The 2017 Saffredi does not seem like a 2017 at all. Now celebrating its 30th birthday, Saffredi is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot. Thanks to the vineyard's proximity to the sea, leaving leaves on the vines and the sharp diurnal shifts of the area, the fruit was able to ripen in a balanced manner despite the hot and dry summer. The team at Fattoria le Pupille knew they would have to be ready to harvest early and lose some their yields, and they did. In the end, production was down 25%, but the result is a fresh, thick and beautiful red made with ripe fruit and dark concentration. This is a great effort from Fattoria le Pupille. This wine will be released in November.

James Suckling (97)

A fantastic nose to this with currant, sage, rosemary and rose-petal character. Sweet tobacco and spicy chocolate, too. Very complex. The palate shows lovely depth of fruit with blackberries, blackcurrants and fine tannins. It’s racy and refined with a direct, focused palate. Just a baby. A blend of cabernet sauvignon 60%, merlot 32% and petite verdot 8%. This needs at least two or three years to soften. Try in 2023.

James Suckling (97)

A fantastic nose to this with currant, sage, rosemary and rose-petal character. Sweet tobacco and spicy chocolate, too. Very complex. The palate shows lovely depth of fruit with blackberries, blackcurrants and fine tannins. It’s racy and refined with a direct, focused palate. Just a baby. A blend of cabernet sauvignon 60%, merlot 32% and petite verdot 8%. This needs at least two or three years to soften. Try in 2023.

James Suckling (99)

So much crushed stone, rosemary, lavender, mint and blackberry. Full-bodied and very structured with layers of powerful and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. Ink, blackcurrants and blueberries. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Needs at least five or six years to open. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (99)

So much crushed stone, rosemary, lavender, mint and blackberry. Full-bodied and very structured with layers of powerful and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. Ink, blackcurrants and blueberries. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Needs at least five or six years to open. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (98)

Impressive aromas of fresh herbs from the Tuscan coast, such as sage, mint, rosemary and thyme. Blackcurrants, too. Full-bodied with fine, chewy tannins that show beautiful length and consistency. Racy and beautiful, with lots of subtle and refined character. Slightly more cabernet sauvignon this year, which adds class to the wine. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 10% petit verdot. Give this about three or four years of bottle age. Try after 2027.

Wine Advocate (96)

Gorgeous and soft, the 2013 Fontalloro is another landmark wine from this classic vintage. There is enormous intensity here and the wine is only at the beginning of its long aging trajectory. I suggest you put off drinking it for five to ten more years. There is evident thickness and generosity here, especially in the way those bold fruit favors are woven between dark spice and leather. There are sour accents on the close that remind you of the wine's youth. The tannins are fine and well integrated.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2016 Fontalloro is the best vintage of this landmark wine that I have tasted thus far. This is a very elegant vintage, with more volume in the mouth and precise notes of tar, licorice, camphor ash, resin and Indian spice. In a race between the highly competitive 2015 and 2016 vintages, I give a slight advantage to this wine. The warmer 2015 vintage shows more richness and exuberant fruit. However, this wine from 2016 offers a more focused and chiseled delivery. I am hopeful that this wine will continue to evolve and sharpen as it ages in the bottle. This is a beautiful wine to put aside in your cellar for ten years or more.

Vinous (95)

Fontalloro is exquisite in 2017. It is also such a contrast to the Rancia, as the two wines could not possibly be more different. Fontalloro is bright and vibrant, with more sweet red Sangiovese character than the darker Rancia. It is also incredibly delicious now, even though it clearly has the energy to age for many years. The 2017 is one of the finest Fontalloros I can remember tasting.

Wine Advocate (95)

To my palate, the 2018 vintage sometimes feels a little too ripe or baked. I was reminded of those characteristics when tasting the Fèlsina 2018 Fontalloro. There is plenty of dark fruit at its core, but this wine also reveals dry tones of jarred oregano, grilled Mediterranean herb, crushed aspirin and graham cracker. The mouthfeel is pleasantly lean and silky, and perhaps the wine delivers more in terms of length than it does weight or texture. A little more bottle age should help flesh out and soften these results.

Wine Advocate (96)

Made with a special selection of Sangiovese, the 2020 Fontalloro is generous and rich, and the wine sports medium-dark color and concentration. The winemaking team has succeeded in bringing out an especially elegant side to this vintage. The wine offers pronounced notes of cherry and wild plum with delicate spice at the back. Like the other wines in this portfolio, there is a pretty mineral note that makes for a consistent through-line in all these new releases.

Vinous (95)

The 2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet of mixed red and black fruit and a faint touch of tomato vine. It becomes more floral with aeration. The palate has fine structure, and there’s some clever stem addition apparent here, lending this Clos Saint-Jacques a subtle leafy character. Focused with fine weight toward the finish, this is very persistent and quite saline on the aftertaste. Reserved, but the pedigree is undeniable. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96)

Medium deep crimson purple. A very floral bouquet, on first impression perhaps this Clos St-Jacques could use more precision. Sensual and succulent, dark raspberry and blackberry, the suggestion of stems (were some added back in?) add a little structure which is probably necessary as the tannins and acidity are not otherwise pronounced. Still a wine which will give great pleasure. Now I can find the precision at the back, allied to the charm. Drink from 2028.

Vinous (92+)

Healthy medium red. Slightly stunted but pure aromas of red berries and black cherry are less exuberant than those of the Champeaux. Also more restrained and tightly wound in the mouth, but with vibrant acidity and a sensation of peppery grip giving the wine terrific inner-mouth energy. Classic 2013 in its tautness and cut. Finishes ripely tannic and long; this should be a beauty with mid-term cellaring.

Wine Advocate (92)

The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes is excellent, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of dark chocolate, cassis, wild berries and plums. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered core of crunchy fruit, fine structuring tannins and a long, sapid finish. While this is very elegant in style this year, it has more than enough substance to evolve in bottle for two decades or more.

Experience the remarkable quality of Frederic Cossard Gevrey-Chambertin Les Genevrieres Qvevris 2020, a prestigious wine from the heart of Burgundy. Frederic Cossard, respected as a maestro in biodynamic farming and natural winemaking, employs ancient Georgian winemaking techniques, with grapes fermented in Qvevris - special clay pots buried underground. The 2020 Les Genevrieres, sourced from handpicked Pinot Noir grapes amid the low-yielding Gevrey-Chambertin vineyards, demonstrates masterful vinification.

Fermented using indigenous yeasts and aged in Qvevris for a distinctive profile, this wine exhibits a magnificent balance of firm minerality and remarkable fruit purity. Rich notes of cherries and redcurrants intertwine with undertones of forest floor and exotic spices, leading to a stupendously long, poised finish. Perfect for sipping or savouring alongside sophisticated fare, Frederic Cossard Gevrey-Chambertin Les Genevrieres Qvevris 2020 is a quintessential indulgence for any discerning oenophile.

Vinous (91)

The 2018 Promis is a very pretty wine. Lifted, floral aromatics, silky tannins and mid-weight structure give it tons of immediacy and overall appeal. Hints of succulent red cherry, cinnamon, mint and leather linger effortlessly.

Relish in a bottle of Geantet Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs 2019, a sophisticated French red wine emanating from the celebrated Geantet Pansiot estate. Painstakingly nurtured in Burgundy's famous Gevrey-Chambertin region, it's notable for its profound depth of flavour and distinguished elegance.

This exceptional wine was vinified using hand-picked grapes from 45-year-old vines, endowed with an intricate balance of terroir characteristics. Ageing in French oak barrels for over a year, Geantet Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs 2019 develops a magnificent bouquet rich in black fruits, bolstered by alluring notes of spices. The palate sings with the harmony of ripe fruit and firm tannins seamlessly integrated with a sumptuous finish.

A product of Vincent and Fabien Geantet's exhaustive expertise, this 2019 vintage honours the family winemaking lineage dating back to 1954. Enjoy this picturesque narrative of a timeless winemaking tradition that creates bottles of unrivalled finesse, like the Geantet Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs 2019.

Clearly a richer, more powerful Gevrey Chambertin expression. Without necessarily the elegance of the Corbeau it is still well built and balanced a fine, muscular Gevrey-Chambertin. A wine of remarkable style and purity with excellent concentration and intensity.