Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (92)

The aromatics are sweet and fragrant, with crushed damson plum, grilled sandalwood, leather, gourmet edged, easy to sink into, and extremely well made. Higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than in previous vintages of Volte, aged in barrels that were first used for Ornellaia. Director Axel Heinz left half way through this vintage, winemaker Olga Fusari skilfully brings it home. 119ha estate.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

The 2009 Pagodes De Cos is a blockbuster that I wish I had more of in the cellar. A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot (there’s a small amount of Petit Verdot) brought up in roughly 50% new French oak, its deep purple/plum color is followed by a smorgasbord of black raspberry and kirsch like fruits, spice box, dried flowers and licorice. With a huge mid-palate, sweet, sweet tannin, beautiful purity of fruit, and a great finish, it’s an incredibly sexy, satisfying second wine that will keep for another 10-15 years.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

The 2009 Pagodes De Cos is a blockbuster that I wish I had more of in the cellar. A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot (there’s a small amount of Petit Verdot) brought up in roughly 50% new French oak, its deep purple/plum color is followed by a smorgasbord of black raspberry and kirsch like fruits, spice box, dried flowers and licorice. With a huge mid-palate, sweet, sweet tannin, beautiful purity of fruit, and a great finish, it’s an incredibly sexy, satisfying second wine that will keep for another 10-15 years.

Experience the deep and intricate allure of the Pagodes de Cos 2010. Crafted in the esteemed vineyards of Saint-Estèphe, this striking Bordeaux blend is the second wine of the prominent Cos d’Estournel estate. The vineyard's ideal maritime climate and gravel-rich soils facilitate the creation of this exquisite wine that bursts with robust flavours.

The Pagodes de Cos 2010 is a harmonious compote of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 40% new French oak barrels, adding to its intense, full-bodied nature. Its captivating bouquet offers layers of dark berries and alluring hints of spice and earth, balanced by a velvety texture and the exquisite nuance of well-integrated tannins.

This vintage represents the passion and expertise of its producer, Cos d’Estournel, regarded as a powerhouse in the French wine industry. With its alluring intensity and age-worthiness, Pagodes de Cos 2010 stands as a testament to the estate's acclaimed reputation.

James Suckling (94)

A red with very deep and intense fruit character, yet rich tannins to back it all up. Full-bodied, layered and powerful. The second wine of Cos d’Estournel is serious again in 2016. Try from 2025.

James Suckling (94-95)

This is so beautiful with very fresh and ripe fruit at the same time. Medium-to full-bodied. Rich and layered. The accessibility and forwardness is so enticing in this second wine. Best Pagodes ever?

Vinous - Neal Martin (95)

The 2010 Pensées de Lafleur is just missing some complexity on the nose compared to its peers, but it seems to awaken in the glass revealing sous-bois, morels and tar-tinged black fruit that are well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip, a fine bead of acidity, very well balanced with a deep and pixelated finish. Outstanding. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.

James Suckling (99)

Terrific aromas of violets, roses and raspberries with hints of strawberries and brown sugar. Full body. Phenomenal layers of focused fruit and polished velvety tannins. This is the Galatrona that everyone has been waiting for. It's the vintage that shows depth and power yet wonderful finesse and focus. Best ever. Drink from 2023 but already electrifying.

James Suckling (99)

Terrific aromas of violets, roses and raspberries with hints of strawberries and brown sugar. Full body. Phenomenal layers of focused fruit and polished velvety tannins. This is the Galatrona that everyone has been waiting for. It's the vintage that shows depth and power yet wonderful finesse and focus. Best ever. Drink from 2023 but already electrifying.

Wine Advocate (98)

This is the flagship wine from Luca Sanjust's Petrolo estate located not too far from Arezzo in the Valdarno area of eastern Tuscany. The 2016 Galatrona is indeed a masterpiece to behold. This wine offers thick layering and deep intensity with aromas that offer an incredible range, starting off with luscious dark chocolate on one side and ending with fragrant white truffle on the far end of its long aromatic trajectory. You get plummy fruit, spice, sweet tobacco and tilled earth packed tight in between. This full-bodied Merlot is softly textured and succulent with long-lasting flavor intensity on the close. Petrolo's Merlot is planted in a ten-hectare parcel distinguished by thick clay soils. I have been watching Galatrona's evolution for years and have tasted the wine on occasion in various vertical tastings. This is my favorite vintage made thus far.

James Suckling (98)

Aromas of blackberries, black olives, green olive, and violets. It’s really aromatic. Full-bodied, yet so precise and polished with creamy, layered tannins that caress your palate. It’s extremely persistent and goes on for minutes. Only 40% new wood. Really balanced. All about purity and complexity From organically grown grapes. Try after 2023.

James Suckling (99)

Blackberries and black cherries with lavender and violets on the nose. Full-bodied with velvety, chewy tannins, yet the fruit is very intense with vibrancy and energy. Muscular, yet agile. Pure and poised. A unique definition of merlot in Tuscany. Drink after 2025.

Vinous (98)

The 2020 Galatrona is stunning. In fact, the 2020 is one of the best vintages of the Galatrona I can remember tasting. I am especially impressed by its vertical intensity and explosive energy. All the elements are so impeccably woven together. Dark-toned fruit, crushed rocks, menthol, licorice and spice build into the intense, palate-staining finish. The 2018 spent 18-20 months in French oak, about 25% new, with some larger barrels thrown into the mix. Magnificent.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 1990 Petrus remains incredibly young, one of the least evolved wines of the vintage (along with Montrose and Beausejour-Duffau). This dense ruby/purple-colored effort is beginning to hint at the massive richness and full-bodied intensity lurking beneath its wall of tannin. The vintage’s sweetness, low acidity, and velvety tannins are present in abundance, and the wine is massive in the mouth as well as incredibly pure and well-delineated. I thought it would be drinkable by now, but it appears another 5-10 years will pass before it begins to reach its plateau of maturity. This wine is capable of lasting at least four more decades. An incredible achievement! Release price: ($5000.00/case)

Wine Advocate (97)

It is hard to call Petrus a “sleeper of the vintage,” but the 2008 will merit more attention than most consumers would think. Low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare resulted in only 25,000 bottles of this beauty. A wine of great intensity (possibly the most concentrated wine of the vintage), this 100% Merlot boasts a dark purple color as well as a sweet perfume of mocha, caramel, black cherries, black currants, earth and forest floor. Deep, unctuously textured, full-bodied and pure, it will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for 25-30+ years.

Wine Advocate (100)

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Petrus gives up glorious scents of preserved plums, redcurrant jelly, dried rose petals, blackberry compote and mulberries with touches of licorice, Chinese five spice and fragrant earth. Full, rich, plushly textured and oh-so-decadent, it reveals layer upon layer of spice box, black fruit and ferrous notions, finishing long and fragrant.

The Wine Independent (100)

Petrus 2015 has a deep garnet color, with a hint of purple. Upon opening (the bottle was opened in front of me) the nose explodes with an atomic mushroom cloud of molten licorice, black cherry preserves, ripe juicy black plums, and candied violets, followed by hints of Sichuan pepper, Indian spices, crushed rocks, and iron ore. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated and fantastically opulent, the palate delivers super-ripe, velvety tannins and amazing tension to the multi-layered black fruits and exotic spices, finishing with incredible length. Polished, pristine, curvaceous and hedonic - out of the gate gorgeous, this baby has a good 50-60 years+ further to go.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep ruby in color, here you find truffle, dark chocolate, coffee bean, cigar box, black cherry and dark plums. Full bodied, elegant, velvety, opulent, sweet and fresh, the presence on the palate is silk and velvet in the texture with purity and sweetness to the fruits. The wine is hedonistic as well as intellectual, and a little bit firm. There is serious aging potential. The wine really sticks with you, for over 60 seconds in the finish. Give this at least 15 or more years in the cellar to develop before popping a cork.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

Deep ruby in color, here you find truffle, dark chocolate, coffee bean, cigar box, black cherry and dark plums. Full bodied, elegant, velvety, opulent, sweet and fresh, the presence on the palate is silk and velvet in the texture with purity and sweetness to the fruits. The wine is hedonistic as well as intellectual, and a little bit firm. There is serious aging potential. The wine really sticks with you, for over 60 seconds in the finish. Give this at least 15 or more years in the cellar to develop before popping a cork.

The Wine Independent (100)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Petrus unfurls very slowly to offer glimpses at licorice, fragrant earth, crushed rocks, and cinnamon toast hints over a core of juicy blackberries, black raspberries, and crushed violets with a subtle waft of dusty earth. Full-bodied, rich, decant and unashamedly flamboyant, the palate has super firm, super velvety tannins and amazing tension, delivering slow releasing exotic spice and black fruit layers, finishing very long, opulent and incredibly impactful. Tuck it away for another 6-8 years, at least, and then count on it transforming magnificently over the following 50-years+.

James Suckling (95-96)

This is the most powerful Phélan Segur I have ever tasted. A solid core of dense fruit and layered tannins that are so refined and polished. Remains fresh, energetic and bright. Yet, there’s plenty of harmony and balance.

James Suckling (96-97)

The complexity and depth is fantastic in this beautifully crafted, refined red. Such poise, finesse and length. Yet dense and very compacted. Love the texture precision. Goes on and on. Best ever?

Decanter (94)

One of the absolute standouts for me this year. A dark and brooding nose with purity and concentration. The palate is finely textured with mineral-laced tannins that give grip in the mouth but letting the nuances of fruit and acidity play out in harmony. I love the intensity, it's rich but perfectly executed - elegant and finessed with balance and charm but above all a sense of energy and freshness that makes it one of the more memorable wines. Despite the challenges of the vintage, the fruit is ripe and dense and this gives no drop in the mid palate, sustaining pace and directness from start to finish. This is the first time to have such high percentages of both Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) and Petit Verdot (4%) in the blend. A gorgeous wine that has such promise. A surefire must buy and what should be great value too. Tasted twice and both times this was delicious with exceptional freshness and longevity.

Unleash your palate to the tantalizing taste of Rocca di Montegrossi Ridolfo 2015. Hailing from the heart of Chianti Classico in Tuscany, this exceptional vintage is conceived by Rocca di Montegrossi, famed for their precision, tradition, and dedication to supreme wine-making. The Ridolfo 2015 is distinguished by the masterful blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino and Pugnitello grapes, meticulously harvested and aged in large oak casks to fuel its complexity and undeniable charm.

Rich aromas of cherry, fresh tannins and subtle herbs amidst an alluring ruby hue offer an immersion into Italian terroir and a sensitive nod towards the historical architecture of this lauded vineyard, headed by Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi. A wine of depth and subtlety, the Rocca di Montegrossi Ridolfo 2015 shines among fine wines, illuminating the tradition and dedication to precise viticulture that is the heart of Rocca di Montegrossi's winemaking philosophy. Relish the elegance of Tuscany embodied in each glass of this refined wine.

Experience the refined delights of the Rocca di Montegrossi Ridolfo 2016, a product of the prestigious Tuscan vineyard, nestled in the Chianti Classico region. This elegant red wine personifies excellence, demonstrating the stellar craft of Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, heir to a centuries-old winemaking legacy. Rocca di Montegrossi's ethos is one of quality and tradition, producing only 70,000 bottles yearly to ensure superior standards.

Hand-picked sangiovese grapes are skilfully blended with small quantities of canaiolo and colorino, matured 18 months in oak, & bottled unfiltered to enhance character & longevity. The Ridolfo 2016 presents a remarkable complexity, with rich black cherry and spicy undertones, a smooth velvety texture, and balanced acidity.

An exemplar of Italian viticulture, the Rocca di Montegrossi Ridolfo 2016 is an investment in fine wine, as pleasurable to the discerning connoisseur as it is to the novice collector.

Wine Advocate (92)

This opulent, sexy 2009 Rouget is composed of primarily Merlot blended with a touch of Cabernet Franc. Sandy, loamy soil notes interwoven with kirsch and Provencal garrigue jump from the glass of this full-bodied, opulent, rich Pomerol. Abundant fruit on the attack, mid-palate and finish characterize this over-achiever. Consume it over the next 15 years.

Decanter (95)

Expressive on the nose, so aromatic. The palate is so delicious - dense and structured, powerful and muscular but so well packaged. Uber glamour here. Real depth of flavour with lingering spice from the liquorice and sweet cedar, some bitter dark chocolate, floral touches and even soft savoury truffle aspects too. I love it, chewy almost balancing intensity with freshness and just such clarity that you know it's been well worked. Buy and hold on to.

James Suckling (99)

Blueberries and black olives with so many flowers, such as violets and honeysuckle. Licorice, too. This is full and very tight with lots of back-end tannins that build through the finish. A tight, muscular and curated young wine that lasts for minutes. Best after 2028.

James Suckling (99)

Blueberries and black olives with so many flowers, such as violets and honeysuckle. Licorice, too. This is full and very tight with lots of back-end tannins that build through the finish. A tight, muscular and curated young wine that lasts for minutes. Best after 2028.