The Wine Cellar Insider (99)

With all the richness, density and concentration required, you also find endless waves of perfectly ripe, black, blue and dark red fruits, crushed rocks, stone, licorice, smoke, flowers and espresso. Here you find, intensity, purity, minerality, silk and velvety tannins and a seamless, 60 second finish that just won't quit. The wine blends is 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc. Only 1,150 cases were produced.

Wine Spectator (96)

Remarkably pure, sleek and refined, with a faint chalk thread perfectly embedded in the core of red currant, cherry and damson plum fruit. Very sleek, with refined tannins and impressive length, this is balanced to a T. A wine of distinction that seems destined to improve as the remaining limestone portions of the vineyard are replanted. This is also the first vintage that includes the portions from the former Magdelaine estate. Tasted non-blind. Score range: 93-96 -JM

James Suckling (100)

Blue fruits, minerals, lavender and licorice aromas are wonderful. Full body and ultra-refined tannins with an integration and refinement that make the wines seamless and beautiful. The powerful tannins hide from you at first, but what structure in the end. It goes on for minutes. Try in 2024.

James Suckling (99)

Very intense blackberries, black olives, blueberries and dried flowers. Stony minerality. Even some pine. Full-bodied with superb depth of fruit and ultra fine tannins that are intense and polished. The finish is so long and delivers so much flavor, from wet earth to blackberry again. Seamless palate. Try after 2026.

Vinous - Neal Martin (97)

The 2019 Bélair-Monange shows wonderful delineation and focus on the nose, which presents a cornucopia of red fruit, crushed stone, wilted rose petal and light black truffle aromas. It seems to gain complexity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, fine delineation and a velvety texture. This builds toward a lavish finish, with dark chocolate and cocoa notes lingering on the aftertaste. It will need several years in bottle but should repay those with the wherewithal to cellar.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

The finest wine I've tasted from this estate, the 2020 Château Bellefont-Belcier is an incredibly gorgeous blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep ruby/purple-hued, it offers a great nose of cassis, ripe black cherries, camphor, dried flowers, cedar, and forest floor. Bringing gorgeous richness, it nevertheless stays flawlessly balanced, with ultra-fine tannins and a great finish. The purity of fruit here is just about off the charts. While it already offers pleasure, it's going to benefit from short-term cellaring and have 20-25 years of prime drinking. This estate uses a five-day cold soak and fermentation, all in concrete, spanning 25 days. Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel (four months on lees), and the wine spends 18 months in 30% new French oak, with the balance in once- and twice-used barrels. Yields in 2020 were also reasonable at 34 hectoliters per hectare.

Wine Advocate (95+)

An extraordinary effort in this vintage, this 2008 was made from lower yields than the 2010 (the 2008's equaled 20 hectoliters per hectare) and is a blend of 90% Merlot and equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14% natural alcohol. Michel Rolland has been the consultant for all the Perse estates since their acquisition, and the 2008's fruit was harvested very late, October 20. The result is a backward, dense purple-colored wine revealing a crushed rock-like liqueur along with highly extracted, massive flavors of black currants, sweet cherries, licorice and toast. This full-bodied effort requires 5-6 years of bottle age and should last for 25-30 years.

Vinous (98)

Bellevue Mondotte is magnificent in 2016. Stunningly rich and concentrated, with tremendous structure, the 2016 has so much to offer. Crème de cassis, raspberry jam, lavender, graphite, game, menthol and a whole rush of inky blue/purplish fruit emerge from this explosive, captivating Saint-Émilion. In 2016 Bellevue Mondotte balances sumptuousness with saline-infused energy and persistence. It is without question one of the truly great wines of the vintage.

Vinous (98)

Bellevue Mondotte is magnificent in 2016. Stunningly rich and concentrated, with tremendous structure, the 2016 has so much to offer. Crème de cassis, raspberry jam, lavender, graphite, game, menthol and a whole rush of inky blue/purplish fruit emerge from this explosive, captivating Saint-Émilion. In 2016 Bellevue Mondotte balances sumptuousness with saline-infused energy and persistence. It is without question one of the truly great wines of the vintage.

Jeb Dunnuck (93-96)

A rough blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Franc made by the team at Canon (Thomas Duclos also consults here), the 2018 Château Berliquet sports a deeper purple color as well as a complex, layered style in its black raspberry, white flowers, dried earth, spice, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, has a rounded, expansive texture, beautiful tannins, and brilliant freshness and purity as well as a serious kick of minerality on the finish. Coming from a smaller 10-hectare terroir located on the clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau, it will spend 16 months in 45% new French oak. Tasted twice.

Jeb Dunnuck (93-96)

A rough blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Franc made by the team at Canon (Thomas Duclos also consults here), the 2018 Château Berliquet sports a deeper purple color as well as a complex, layered style in its black raspberry, white flowers, dried earth, spice, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, has a rounded, expansive texture, beautiful tannins, and brilliant freshness and purity as well as a serious kick of minerality on the finish. Coming from a smaller 10-hectare terroir located on the clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau, it will spend 16 months in 45% new French oak. Tasted twice.

Jeb Dunnuck (93-96)

A rough blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Franc made by the team at Canon (Thomas Duclos also consults here), the 2018 Château Berliquet sports a deeper purple color as well as a complex, layered style in its black raspberry, white flowers, dried earth, spice, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, has a rounded, expansive texture, beautiful tannins, and brilliant freshness and purity as well as a serious kick of minerality on the finish. Coming from a smaller 10-hectare terroir located on the clay and limestone soils on the upper plateau, it will spend 16 months in 45% new French oak. Tasted twice.

The assortment case contains

1x75cl Bibi Graetz Balocchi di Colore No. 1 | 96 JS/ 100 DB

1x75cl Bibi Graetz Balocchi di Colore No. 3 | 97 JS/ 97 DB

1x75cl Bibi Graetz Balocchi di Colore No. 8 | 95 JS/ 98 DB

3x75cl Bibi Graetz Colore 2020 | 98 JS

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2015 Colore is a breakthrough wine for Bibi Graetz and his unique approach to winemaking and fruit sourcing. Remember, this renegade Tuscan vintner dedicates much of his intellectual effort to discovering the ancient vines and vineyards he wants to farm. He is like a high level garagiste who does not pretend to limit his fruit selection to vines under his direct ownership. This affords a level of versatility and range that is not common to the many family-owned estates of Italian viticulture that focus their efforts on their own land. Colore is a blend of equal parts Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino from three sites (Lamole, Vincigliata and Siena). The 2013 and 2014 vintages were skipped, and Bibi Graetz has moved forward directly to 2015. I tasted this wine from four bottles: one opened the previous day at lunch, one opened the night before, one opened that morning and one opened just before I poured the sample into may glass. This approach awarded an interesting panoramic view of the wine's evolution, but in truth, it did not change as much as you might think. I mean this in a positive way, because the wine in no way tasted flat or oxidative. Of course, the recently opened bottles showed some nervous and rigid qualities, whereas the bottles that had been open longer were softer, more expressive and more fleshed out. Colore offers dark and determined quality of fruit with layered tones of ripe cherry, dried blackberry, spice and grilled herb. Elegant mineral tones also appear. This is a unique wine with a personality that marries a wild side to a sophisticated one. This is a singular Tuscan red.

James Suckling (98)

The aromas are always so complex with cherries, blackberries, rosemary, sage and spice. Full-bodied, very tight and polished with a dense and powerful palate, which opens and grows, yet remains agile and beautiful. A solid red. Wonderful segue from the 2015. 80 per cent sangiovese with colorino and canaiolo. Try after 2022.

James Suckling (99)

What intense aromas of cherries and raspberries! Then it turns to flowers and orange peel. Roses, too. This is really full and powerful with layers of ripe tannins. It’s super fine-tannined, but shows wonderful length and intensity. A great expression of Lamole in Chianti Classico with ancient vines. Some older than 100 years. Best ever? Superb. Try after 2024 and onwards.

James Suckling (99)

This is so perfumed and seductive, with blackberries, cherries, dried flowers and perfume. It’s full-bodied and tight with very fine tannins. Really structured and long. Superb tannin texture. So fine, yet so powerful. This is an incredible combination of fruit and structure. Old-vine magic. Drink after 2026.

Decanter (98)

Bright and lively on the palate, such beautifully expressed raspberry and red cherry fruit flavours alongside high-shining acidity that is so clean and precise. A supremely joyful expression with hints of caramelised strawberries and fresh mint. So sharp but so well defined with a clarity to the palate that is gorgeous. Really delivers a sophisticated, charming, characterful wine that is balanced, easy to enjoy with plenty of life. A more structured and perhaps harder to understand wine than Testamatta this year, but both have their own lovely personalities. This is so complete and abundant, muscular but controlled and full of complexity and detail - there's weight and density without heaviness. A sensational wine. Ageing 12 months in 500l French oak barrels.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

Just love this wine, the lyricism and the generosity of it, and its always vivid depiction of fruits and stones. So juicy, so drawn out, works with the vintage, leans into its low yields, with greengages, raspberry, plum, gentle spices, lemongrass, minerality studded with mandarin peel and sage. Translucent and yet full of flavour, once again it begs you to draw up a chair, gather friends, and enjoy. What a brilliant wine and a brilliant winemaker in Bibi Graetz. From a 58ha estate, Colore comes from the oldest vineyards of Sangiovese that range up to 135 years old.

James Suckling (99)

A stunning wine. This is the best Testamatta ever made. Fascinating aromas of red fruits, tea, bark and wet soil as well as fresh leather. Full body, silky tannins and a juicy finish. I love the tension and texture of this great red. So gorgeous to taste now but better in 2021.

James Suckling (98)

A very beautiful and thoughtful Testamatta with aromas of earth, terra cotta, black tea, and lavender. Full-bodied, very layered and extremely polished with superb, soft tannins. Racy and very long. Muscular and formed but very, very balanced. Gorgeous richness and depth. Shows balance and wonder. Try in 2020.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

I loved this when first tasting it in bottle, and it is totally living up to my expectations. The clarity of flavour and the sense of energy ensures it just springs out of the glass, ready to please and without the slightest hint of a dip through the mid palate. Sangiovese signature comes across in raspberry, red cherry, rose petals, tobacco, freshly cured leather, great persistency through the palate, showing balance and finesse. The tannins are fine and silky but not afraid to ask for engagement and time from those of us lucky enough to be tasting it. Fermented with natural yeasts, aged in oak casks and neutral barrels for 20 months.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

I loved this when first tasting it in bottle, and it is totally living up to my expectations. The clarity of flavour and the sense of energy ensures it just springs out of the glass, ready to please and without the slightest hint of a dip through the mid palate. Sangiovese signature comes across in raspberry, red cherry, rose petals, tobacco, freshly cured leather, great persistency through the palate, showing balance and finesse. The tannins are fine and silky but not afraid to ask for engagement and time from those of us lucky enough to be tasting it. Fermented with natural yeasts, aged in oak casks and neutral barrels for 20 months.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

I loved this when first tasting it in bottle, and it is totally living up to my expectations. The clarity of flavour and the sense of energy ensures it just springs out of the glass, ready to please and without the slightest hint of a dip through the mid palate. Sangiovese signature comes across in raspberry, red cherry, rose petals, tobacco, freshly cured leather, great persistency through the palate, showing balance and finesse. The tannins are fine and silky but not afraid to ask for engagement and time from those of us lucky enough to be tasting it. Fermented with natural yeasts, aged in oak casks and neutral barrels for 20 months.

James Suckling (97)

Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (97)

Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured. Try after 2025.

Decanter (97)

Wild roses and wild strawberries, the nose has a lovely fragrance and expression. Lifted and bright, this has such a beautiful delicacy to it, a creamy, chalkiness comes from the fine tannins with bright, succulent strawberry and raspberry leaf elements. You feel the savoury side too, the sweet vanilla spice and dried herb aspect which counter the fruit and the high acidity. I adore the finesse here, the sharp fruit giving the energy and the chalky texture giving the layers. Feels well controlled, powerful yet delivered with poise. It doesn't have so much overt weight, it's definitely more ethereal in terms of density, but the nuance of flavour is thrillingly captivating and this has a long lifted finish. A contemplative wine that keeps you wanting more and more. Made in new winery facilities in Fiesole. Grapes were picked from the best six vineyards; Vincigliata, Olmo, Londa, Lamole, Montefili and Siena with each divided into parcels and harvested up to eight times to get the perfect ripening points. Natural and indigenous fermentation in open top barriques (225l) for smaller parcels and 50hl cask or stainless steel tanks for larger plots. After 7-10 days of maceration, the parcels are moved into old barriques and 50hl casks for 20 months.

Indulge in the luxury of a well-crafted French wine with Boris Champy Pommard En Boeuf 2020. This outstanding Burgundy Pinot Noir, produced by renowned winemaker Boris Champy, utilises grapes meticulously harvested from the Pommard Premier Cru 'En Boeuf'. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of traditional viticulture, Champy has seamlessly blended innovation with age-old practices, achieving minimal intervention in the vineyard to express the terroir's richness.

Matured in oak barrels for 18 months, this vintage delivers a vibrant, dense bouquet of black cherries and blueberries, followed by delicate earthy undertones. On the palate, this Boris Champy Pommard En Boeuf 2020 showcases rounded tannins and a well-balanced acidity, leading to a long, pleasingly dry finish. A suave expression of Pommard's En Boeuf climat, this wine confirms Champy's place as a master of elegant, terroir-driven wines.

Falstaff (97)

Bright, intense ruby red. Attractive and complex nose, full of dark currant, elderberry, plus some sandalwood and clove. Taut and dense tannin on the palate, well integrated, powerful and fleshy with very long finish with firm drive.

The Wine Independent (96)

This 2019 Caiarossa Caiarossa is a fascinating blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, and Alicante. It has a deep purple, ruby color and a hedonistic, dense, fragrant nose of irises and violets, smoke and Mediterranean macchia. There is a lovely nervosity and tension in this vibrant and juicy wine. Though it feels a little less silky than the Aria di Caiarossa, it does have a wonderful texture, and it has a lovely freshness and vivacity.