Wine Advocate (94)

A wine of grand cru depth and dimension even in this challenging vintage, the 2013 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens delivers a reserved bouquet of sweet red fruits, spices, candied peel and subtle espresso roast. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and layered, with excellent concentration, satiny tannins and a long, chewy finish that's lent delineation by the wine's tangy acids. The only missing ingredient is time.

Wine Advocate (94)

A wine of grand cru depth and dimension even in this challenging vintage, the 2013 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens delivers a reserved bouquet of sweet red fruits, spices, candied peel and subtle espresso roast. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and layered, with excellent concentration, satiny tannins and a long, chewy finish that's lent delineation by the wine's tangy acids. The only missing ingredient is time.

Wine Advocate (95)

More brooding than the Grands Epenots, the 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens unfurls in the glass with a deep-pitched bouquet of cassis, black cherries, rich soil tones, peonies and dark chocolate, deftly framed by a discreet touch of oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a textural attack, muscular but velvety structuring tannins and a long, resonant and intensely sapid finish. This is a brilliant wine from Gaunoux, and one of the wines of the vintage along the Côte de Beaune this year.

Wine Advocate (95)

More brooding than the Grands Epenots, the 2017 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens unfurls in the glass with a deep-pitched bouquet of cassis, black cherries, rich soil tones, peonies and dark chocolate, deftly framed by a discreet touch of oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a textural attack, muscular but velvety structuring tannins and a long, resonant and intensely sapid finish. This is a brilliant wine from Gaunoux, and one of the wines of the vintage along the Côte de Beaune this year.

Burghound (95)

(Outstanding) A cooler and more elegant nose is dazzlingly pure with its elegant aromas of anise, essence of violet and rose petal, black cherry and an interesting hint of Asian-style tea. There is excellent power and underlying tension to the large-scaled flavors that possess a positively gorgeous mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the stony, detailed and compact finale. This is picture perfect Rugiens.

Burghound (95)

(Outstanding) A cooler and more elegant nose is dazzlingly pure with its elegant aromas of anise, essence of violet and rose petal, black cherry and an interesting hint of Asian-style tea. There is excellent power and underlying tension to the large-scaled flavors that possess a positively gorgeous mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the stony, detailed and compact finale. This is picture perfect Rugiens.

The Michel Magnien Chamboll-Musigny Argillieres 2016 is a masterwork cultivated in Burgundy's prestigious Côte d'Or. It speaks of the expertise of its producer, Michel Magnien, a fourth-generation wine-grower dedicated to bio-dynamic viticulture. Crafted from Pinot Noir, this wine reveals the profound relationship between grape and terroir, reflecting its clay-limestone (Argillieres) soil origins. Artisanally matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, the wine’s evolution nurtures an expressive bouquet, highlighting ripe cherries, spice, and subtle earthiness.

On the palate, it offers a remarkably balanced, refined structure, affluent in fruit intensity, harmonised with supple tannins and elegant acidity. The Michel Magnien Chambolle-Musigny Argillieres 2016 presents an ethereal journey through the Burgundian countryside, encapsulating the essence of its revered vineyard pedigree. This exceptional wine showcases the potential of meticulously crafted, earth-conscious wines - a grand testament to Michel Magnien's holistic approach to winemaking.

Vinous (88)

The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny Village, matured in 30% new oak, is vibrant and fresh on the nose: black cherries, strawberry pastille and just a touch of violet petal. The palate is a little oaky on the entry. Good depth, quite dense for a Chambolle, touches of blood orange and pain d'épices towards the finish. Give it a couple of years in bottle.

Immerse in the aromatic symphony of the Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015. Produced in the acclaimed vineyards of Chambolle Musigny in the Burgundy region of France, this exceptional wine mirrors the in-depth knowledge and passion of its creators, Mischief and Mayhem. This superior vintage, gloriously resonates the quintessential characteristics of this revered terroir.

Perfected over time, the Pinot Noir grapes were hand-harvested at optimal ripeness and underwent careful cold maceration to enhance flavour depth. The wine was matured in French oak barrels for 18 months, contributing to an elegant, balanced structure with fine-grained tannins.

Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015 offers an enticing bouquet of red cherries interspersed with violet undertones. The palate is intriguing, with a pleasant acidity prolonging a nuanced finish of earthy mineral notes. Celebrate this tour de force of winemaking innovation - Mischief Mayhem Chambolle Musigny Cras 2015, the epitome of Burgundian finesse and terroir expression.

Wine Advocate (100)

Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and sporting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr Crane Vineyard offers up a profound and singular nose of loam, rocks and iron ore over a core of black cherries, baked black berries and preserved plums with hints of licorice, dark chocolate, cedar, sautéed herbs and beef broth. Full-bodied, rich and demonstrating great depth with a wonderfully compelling personality, it delivers a multitude of savory meat and toast layers, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins. It finishes with incredible persistence, allowing those provocative mineral nuances to shine through.

Wine Advocate (99)

Deep garnet-purple, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr Crane Vineyard leaps from the glass with opulent crème de cassis, raspberry tart and black forest cake notions plus underlying cigar box, mocha, licorice and forest floor suggestions. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and decadently generous in the mouth, it has a firm, velvety foundation and wonderful precision, featuring an invigorating lift on the very long, multilayered and provocatively earthy finish. 815 cases were made.

James Suckling (98)

This has really transformed into a complex, bottle-matured riesling with lemon-rind, lemon-butter and toasty aromas. The palate is very smoothly arranged and the wine has taken on a glossy textural quality over the five years in bottle. The length and intensity here is so impressive. This is breathtakingly pure, yet complex and drinkable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (97)

2002 vines. Wigan is king of Eden Valley riesling and yet again one of the top releases of the year. Still a magnificent straw-green at just 5yo, it's at that magic moment where primary and secondary characters unite in equal measure. All the fresh lime and Granny Smith apple of youth, backed by rising buttery, spicy, roast almond maturity. Brilliant acid line charges an astonishing finish that lasts for 30 seconds. Yes, I timed it! For all it represents, this might just be the bargain of the year.

James Suckling (97)

So vibrant for it’s age, this has great concentration of candied-lime and grapefruit-zest character. Terrific structure and energy on the driving palate, but all of this is wrapped in rich citrus fruit to create stunningly complete harmony. Very long and compact finish that suggests this has at least a further decade of aging potential. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

James Suckling (96)

Attractive bath powder and lemon blossom as well as white peach, grapefruit and some flint. The palate has a super fleshy feel with a blaze of acidity and long, fresh lemon, grapefruit and white-peach flavors. Good acidity and concentration. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

James Suckling (96)

A very fresh, piercing nose of sliced lemon with plenty of sweet perfume, too. The palate is similarly intense and vibrant with white stone-fruit and lemon flavors, delivered in an impressively intense and balanced mode. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Vinous (92-95)

A wine of total sensuality, the 2016 Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru possesses stunning aromatic lift and inner sweetness, not to mention phenomenal overall balance. Sweet red cherry, kirsch, rose petal, mint and spice literally soar out of the glass, while firm tannins extend the structured finish in this tightly wound Burgundy. The 2016 is aging in 350L barrels. The larger format seems to confer an extra element of finesse that makes the Charmes totally seductive. - Antonio Galloni

Vinous (93)

The 2016 Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cru has an outstanding bouquet - exquisitely defined red berry fruit with subtle earthy tones. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, plenty of tightly coiled red fruit with a citrus-fresh finish that revivified the senses and leaves you urging for the next sip. Superb and classy. Tasted blind at the 2016 Burgfest tasting.

Wine Advocate (98)

If you were to assess a wine based solely on its length of flavor, then this 2016 Autumnus Shiraz would do nothing but stun you. The rivulets of velvety, plush fruit rolls across the palate and undulate through the long, lingering finish. What a wine! Wow. As to the flavors, there's Christmas cake spice, black cherries, aniseed and licorice, dark chocolate, raspberries, mulberries, a few damsons, blood plums, beetroot, pastrami and pink peppercorns. A symphonic display. But, for me, more than the flavor and more than the length (both formidable elements in their own rights), the texture is the real highlight. The tannins are so smooth, so shapely and so streamlined that it barely beggars belief. This is what I will remember about this wine in the future: the tannins. Awesome.

Vinous (89)

Medium red with a hint of brown. Evolved, balsamic aromas of currant, black tea and coffee grounds. Still some fruit left, as well as a brown sugar sweetness, with strong juicy acidity and firm tannins keeping the wine alive.

Wine Advocate (100)

My favorite in the blind-tasted lineup extending from 2010 through 2020 was the opulent yet concentrated and impeccably structured 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. It boasts classic scents of cherries and cassis on the nose, with touches of vanilla and wood spice adding nuance on the medium to full-bodied palate. Imbued with tremendous intensity, the supple tannins and ripe acids necessary for aging and a long, complex finish, this wine truly has it all.

Wine Advocate (98+)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon has a drop-dead gorgeous nose of Sichuan pepper, hoisin, peppered salami and fertile loam over a core of blackberry preserves and redcurrant jelly with touches of kirsch and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated yet still maintaining that wonderful purity and elegance that is the signature of this estate, it has layer upon layer of earthy nuances and a very long finish.

Wine Advocate (100)

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple colored with a mind-blowingly gorgeous nose that defies words: warm cassis, red roses, sandalwood, Indian spices, crushed rocks, menthol and iron ore with wafts of lilacs and truffles. Medium to full-bodied with a rock-solid frame of super-ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, it finishes incredibly long and remains incredibly provocative.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has shut down slightly since I tasted it last year, yet it’s still a magical, perfect wine. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot, it offers incredible notes of pure crème de cassis, blueberries, camphor, crushed rocks, and lead pencil shavings. This rich, full-bodied beauty always reminds me of a great vintage of Château Margaux with its beautiful complexity, power, and elegance. As I wrote last year, do your best to give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and it should evolve for three decades or more.

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, with 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot in the blend, is deep garnet in color. It strides confidently from the glass with classic notes of cassis and blackberry preserves followed by wafts of cedar chest, pencil lead, wild sage, crushed rocks, and lilacs, plus a hint of black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate is super-intense, with loads of earth-tinged black fruit layers and a firm structure, finishing long and refreshing.

Decanter (99)

2020 Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon - St. Helena NV /// Lovely fragrant blackberry and black cherry fruit, cassis, and rich tobacco spices with lovely fresh earth notes and a sweet kiss of new wood cedar. Incredibly concentrated dark berry fruit with fabulously angular tannins with smooth long beams with crisp edges. Purple florals, dried sagebrush, and chocolate shavings with lids of graphite and deep iron-like mineral character. And a finish of dark saturated fruit that goes and goes for days. There are purple floras too. Polished and bright, with vivacious acidity and freshness evident from the sip to the finish. Wow, this wine. 98-100. // 13.7 ... has the potential to be a 100-point wine.