Wine Advocate (97)

The 2016 Bolgheri Superiore Argentiera is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, and the Cabernet Sauvignon logically feels and tastes most prominent. This is a dark and penetrating Tuscan red that is beautifully elevated, thanks to the extremely elegant and buoyant quality of the aromas. They lift gracefully from the glass with light-footed, almost fleeting character. However, don't underestimate the power and the concentration of the wine, because this vintage delivers both with abundance. I've had my eye on this estate since the vineyards were first planted some 20 years ago, and there is no doubt that this vintage brings Tenuta Argentiera into a new era as a Bolgheri protagonist. Some 80,000 bottles were made.

Wine Advocate (97)

What a beauty and what an incredible leap forward to excellence. The Tenuta Argentiera 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Argentiera shows depth and wide shoulders with soft plushness and impeccable fruit. The full-bodied wine is dialed up on all levels from perfumes, intensity, mouthfeel, texture and freshness. This bottle should hold past the 20-year mark.

Decanter (92)

The Clos de la Barre is one of the highlights of the Jadot portfolio this year, wafting from the glass with a bouquet of raspberry, red cherry, candied peel and raw cocoa, elegantly framed by new oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full and supple, cool but open-knit. It's a giving and texturally refined Volnay.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-94)

Medium to deep purple, beautifully ripe, so much going on, plump lush raspberry but never losing its thread, more character in this warmer vintage rather than drying it. This is a very good Clos de la Barre, as good as I can remember. Tasted: November 2021

James Suckling (97)

So much blue fruit such as blueberries and blackberries; the purity of the fruit is incredible. Essence of cabernet sauvignon. Full-bodied yet with focused and fine tannins. Forceful but focused and polished. Needs two or three years to come around. And then enjoy for years afterwards.

Wine Advocate (97)

From a warm and sunny vintage that produced darkly concentrated fruit, the Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a teaser and a super pleaser. This is one flashy wine. This carefully calculated blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot pours from the bottle with a beautifully saturated and rich color. I double-decanted my sample before writing this review, and the wine's aromas showed immediate harmony and intensity. The wine seduces and flirts with all your senses. This vintage caps many years of study regarding blending: The Merlot is slightly decreased here, and the Cabernet Franc is slowly taking on a more important supporting role. The Petit Verdot that was used as a peppery accent two years ago has now been removed altogether. The results are pliant, seamless and fluid, and that's the big takeaway here. The wine is bountiful, round, supple and full-bodied. Unless you are decidedly not a fan of this style, there's nothing not to love. I had anticipated more tightness in terms of possible hot-vintage tannins, but I am very pleased by the general integration of the mouthfeel. The Guado al Tasso vineyards are located not too far from the sea, at a low elevation of about 60 meters above sea level. The soils are alluvial with a unique mix of limestone clay and sand, with pockets of rocks and are generally known as the Bolgheri Agglomerate. Some 120,000 bottles of this vintage hit the market in February 2020.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The ample richness of the 2019 Guado al Tasso is balanced with great energy that drives through the core of this wine. Polished, with aromas of black plum, graphite, cedar, and leather, it is ripe and full-bodied, with good tannins and a linear drive but a long finish. This remarkable wine will benefit from cellaring. Drink 2025-2045.

Wine Advocate (96)

The Marchesi Antinori 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso sees Cabernet Franc at over 30% of the blend in this vintage, with the rest going to Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% to 20% to Merlot. Matarocchio was not produced this year, and this wine benefits from the extra Cabernet Franc as a result. The 2019 and 2021 vintages of Guado al Tasso are quite concentrated and rich, whereas 2020 is leaner in texture, along the lines of the edition we saw made in 2010. There was rain in September. Managing Director Renzo Cotarella says he would not describe 2020 as a hot vintage because the rain did pose challenges at the end of the growing season. In Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast, budbreak is earlier than in other appellations, and the growing season is longer as a result. This is a benefit to the international varieties used here. The wine shows nice richness and intensity. The Cabernet Franc definitely comes through and adds the characteristic vertical lift and linearity that the grape is known for. You get black fruit, spice, white pepper and no signs of bitter stems or bramble. Sweet, almost milky tannins are interlocked with fresh acidity to give this wine good cellaring potential. The new oak was dialed back a bit in this vintage.

James Suckling (95)

This a firm and pretty red with a solid tannin backbone to the medium body. Ripe fruit with some walnut, tobacco, and floral undertones. It’s long and flavorful. Balanced and firm. Classic style. Drink in 2025.

Vinous (92)

The 2017 Volnay En Carelle Sous La Chapelle 1er Cru has a slightly disjointed bouquet that requires only a couple of minutes to gain focus and delineation, though the aromatics lack the vibrancy and purity of the succeeding vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with pretty red cherry and red plum fruit, coming across a little conservative toward the finish, but boy, does this meliorate with aeration! After a couple of hours it suddenly goes up through the gears, developing more precision and harmony than it had immediately after opening. My score reflects this Volnay in full flight.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Cask sample. Polished and velvety without the energy of the Auxey Premier Cru. Sort of splits the difference between its two stablemates but I’m not sure wholly satisfactorily for the price.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2021 Volnay Les Frémiets 1er Cru has exquisite definition on the nose: a mélange of red and black fruit, allspice and light iris flower scents. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, more red fruit developing laced with clove and a touch of cooked meats, quite complex towards the finish that lingers in the mouth. Classy and certainly with the substance to age.

Decanter (95)

Fabio Motta is one of the best performers in Bolgheri among the small producers of the next generation. Almost ready with his new winery, it represents a kind of garagiste in the appellation. He ferments all the wines with natural yeast and manages careful extraction and maceration. His original blend for Le Gonnare sees an addition of Syrah to complete the 85% of Merlot and is aged in 1/3 new French oak barriques. Intense and perfumed it shows kiwi peel and cedar wood aromas, loaded with restrained cassis and bitter orange flavour. The attack is dense and ripe with elegant texture and chewy tension on the finish.

Wine Advocate (97)

This is another beautiful creation from the Gaja family. The 2016 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda (Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc) is infinitely smooth and finely textured down to the very last pixel in what is a high-resolution panoramic photograph. The core of the wine is packed tight with an explosion of flavor and concentration with so much dark fruit, spice, tobacco and sweet tobacco that unfurls from deep inside. This wine will have a long and, I am quite sure, very happy aging future ahead. It shows utmost precision and balance, with long persistence and a beautifully polished texture. Some 22,000 bottles were made.

Wine Advocate (97)

This is a gorgeous vintage that continues to flesh out beautifully. I added an extra point to my score since the last time I tasted the 2019 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda in order to underline the great potential of this vintage. This wine could legally be a Bolgheri Superiore, but Angelo Gaja prefers not to use qualifying wine terms such as Superiore, Classico or Riserva in his various wine projects spanning from Piedmont to Tuscany to Etna. Semantics aside, this is a gorgeous wine—one of the best made at Ca' Marcanda for sure—with impressive intensity and balance. Dark fruit and blackberry are contrasted against spice, tobacco, grilled rosemary and Mediterranean bramble. The 2019 vintage saw favorable weather conditions and "just the right amount of rain," Gaja says.

From the renowned French vineyard, the exquisite Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Les Ronceret 2020 is a testament to the exceptional terroir of Volnay in Burgundy. Hailing from the 2020 vintage, the fragrant, vivid red fruits of this Pinot Noir are beautifully complimented by its mineral nuances and velvety tannins. Predominantly grown in calcareous-clay soils, the grapes are hand-picked, de-stemmed, then gently pressed, allowing extraction of sublime flavours and holding back excessive tannins.

This wine has spent 18 months maturing in oak barrels, crafted by the talented Glantenay family, who have been making wine in Volnay for several generations. With its deep ruby hue and the balance of fruit, spice, and earthy notes, Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Les Ronceret 2020 is a captivating expression of its unique origin. Expertly crafted and reflecting the passion and dedication of its makers, this is a wine for true connoisseurs.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2015 Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco is big, bold and absolutely stunning. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese is dark and luscious, with overlapping melodies of tobacco, spice, dark fruit and grilled herb. There is so much depth and power. This vintage is a gem for your cellar, and the wine should award a long aging trajectory for those who have the patience to wait. Some 50,000 bottles were made.

Decanter (97)

Grattamacco is one of the highest estates in Bolgheri, located just beneath the village of Castagneto Carducci. It has a distinctive contribution of 15% Sangiovese to the blend, along with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This indigenous grape gives the wine a particular freshness and drinkability, rejuvenating the tension of the classic Bordeaux varieties. In 2016, Grattamacco has exceeded itself, with aromas of elegant, youthful red currant fruits integrated with citrus notes and cedar wood. On the palate the wine is perfectly balanced, and more immediately drinkable than some of the other top samples. It has delicious tension and ripeness, with a mediterranean character and a hint of kiwi on the finish.

Vinous (96)

The 2018 Grattamacco is the most elegant, refined and satisfying wine I have ever tasted from Grattamacco. There is a level of finesse here that is simply unreal. Bright and translucent, with tons of detail, the 2018 oozes with pedigree. Lavender, spice, mint, tobacco and dried flowers add an attractive upper register.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

Reserved layers and depth slowly begin to emerge from the 2019 Grattamacco, so it is going to need time in cellar to open and show itself. As it opens in the glass, it reveals attractive dark mineral earth, kirsch, black pepper spice, and balsamic. It is concentrated and compact at this stage, with savory richness, and it displays full and balanced structure, ripe and present tannins, and notes of cassis, cedar, and pine resin. It reveals rich complexity without ever feeling murky, and its energetic tension takes this wine to the next level. Drink 2025-2050.

Wine Advocate (92)

The 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets is showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, rose petals, cassis and violets. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with an ample chassis of powdery tannins, fine concentration and succulent acids. From a parcel of 58-year-old vines, this is a quintessentially elegant Volnay that should also drink well young.

Experience the exquisite taste of Hospices de Beaune Volnay 1er Cru Cuvee Blondeau 2014, an exemplary fine wine exemplary of the magnificent Burgundy region. Produced in the esteemed Hospices de Beaune, rooted in a tradition of charitable work and excellence in winemaking since 1443, this wine carries the allure of history merged with elite craftsmanship.

This magnificent Volnay 1er Cru, made from 100% Pinot Noir grape emanates an array of vibrant red fruits underpinned by fine-grained tannins complementing its complexity. Each grape was meticulously harvested by hand in the vintage year of 2014, ensuring optimum quality.

The Cuvee Blondeau is matured in French oak barrels, infusing it with silky texture and delicate spicy notes. A true testament to French viticulture, this fine wine is perfect for the discerning palate seeking robust flavours elegantly balanced with a buoyant finish. Truly, the Hospices de Beaune Volnay 1er Cru Cuvee Blondeau 2014 represents the epitome of luxury imbibing.

Vinous (91-93)

(the Bouleys own a parcel of 50-to-55-year-old vines in the windy northern part of the cru that mostly avoided the frost in 2016; almost entirely destemmed): Full, deep red. Aromas of dark cherry and black raspberry are complemented by a musky oak element. Concentrated, rich and sweet, displaying an old-vines density to its flavors of cherry and saline minerality. This nuanced wine seems a bit less austere than usual but is nonetheless a more powerful style than the Carelles. Finishes with ripe tannins, subtle persistence and noteworthy grip.

Vinous (93)

The 2018 Volnay Les Caillerets 1er Cru has a gorgeous fragrant floral bouquet with bunches of roses complementing the vibrant red fruit. Wonderful intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with gently grippy tannins, quite spicy towards the finish with a slightly confit towards the end. This is destined to age very well. Superb.

Wine Advocate (92-94)

The 2015 Volnay 1er Cru les Fremiets has an elegant bouquet with scents of briary, woodland and red berry fruit. There is lovely purity of fruit here, great transparency. The palate is well balanced with fine structure, quite firm tannin, superb focus with red merging with black fruit towards the slightly saline finish. This is a great wine from Jean-Pierre Chalot.

Vinous (97)

Fine, silky tannins provide the backdrop for the 2010 Paleo Rosso, a wine that captivates for its exquisite, graceful personality. Sweet, perfumed aromatics jump from the glass, followed by dark notes of red and black stone fruit, melted road tar, spices and espresso, all woven together in a fabric of pure class. The 2010 boasts stunning depth and volume, but is never heavy. All the elements are simply in the right place, but readers will need to give the tannins a few years to soften a bit further.

Wine Advocate (97+)

The Three Graces of Le Macchiole are Messorio, Scrio and Paleo (Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc, respectively). Of these three top-tier releases, my favorite is the 2017 Paleo. This is an upright and direct expression of the grape that carefully sheds some dusty or mineral aromas before opening the way for determined black fruit, charred meat, spice and cured tobacco or cigar. There is quite a bit of oak, but it works beautifully against the natural intensity and rich concentration of the hot vintage. More unexpected are those pretty tones of lilac, blue flower and aniseed that add to the detailed rendering and complexity of the bouquet. This wine won my heart.