The very high quality of ageing vessel gives an elegant interpretation of Caol Ila's classic peat. Medicinal and iodine are the predominant scents that fit well into the whole aromatic structure that supports and accompanies it. Tones of medicinal herbs, vanilla, leather in the background and licorice complete it and make it complex enough to let us fly with imagination. Just 161 bottles filled from a single cask at 45% ABV.

A single cask Islay malt matured in undersized ex-Bourbon barrels previously used to mature Bourbon whiskey at the Koval Distillery, showcasing Caol Ila’s classic oily maritime qualities with aromas of sweet, earthy peat, sea breeze and iodine alongside pungent, warming spices evoking cinnamon, cumin, smoked pepper and cardamom. A finish laced with eucalyptus and dried mint makes for a restrained, finessed Islay with a long, dynamic finish. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 58.1% without colouring or filtration.

The second bottling from the Stewart Whisky Company in their Stiùbhart Single Cask selection, released in March 2021 at 13 years of age in a limited run of just 132 bottles.

James Suckling (92-93)

Love the stone, tar and black currant in this. Full and tight with firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. Spicy, too. Can’t wait to see how this evolves. Serious.

James Suckling (94-95)

The most tannic and textured Carruades ever. Full-bodied, big and powerful. Very, very long. New style?

Wine Advocate (94)

The Casanova di Neri 2016 Brunello di Montalcino (or the so-called "white label" Brunello) takes a minute or two to open, and like all these new releases from the Neri family, you're best off opening your bottle five hours before serving them. This classic expression displays raspberry, tar, hazelnut, dried fig, asphalt and some crushed chalk. The wine is streamlined and compact in terms of mouthfeel, giving us an accessible Brunello from a benchmark Montalcino estate.

James Suckling (100)

Wow. Incredible purity and transparency with cherries, bark, mushroom, flower and slate/stone on the nose. Full-bodied yet agile and fresh with a fine tannin structure that runs the length of the wine and goes on forever. The polish, elegance and grace is breathtaking. Power with agility. A revelation for the 2016 vintage in Brunello. Drink in 2024 and onwards but wonderful to taste now.

James Suckling (99)

Aromas of blackberries, cherries, violets and bark with mahogany. It’s full-bodied and chewy with intense tannins that are layered and focused. The fruit is pure and purposeful, yet not over done. Wonderful strength and purity to this. Class is the word. Try it after 2024.

Indulge in the captivating allure of Castaldi Fara 2016, a magnificent red blend from the Lombardy region of Italy. As one of the stellar creations of Cantina Castaldi, the dedication to traditional winemaking can be clearly tasted in each sip. Hand-harvested and impeccably aged for 36 months in large French oak barrels, Castaldi Fara 2016 boasts an incredibly refined and elegant, yet compellingly structured character.

The mesmerising blend primarily encompasses Nebbiolo, Croatina, and Vespolina grapes. This synergistic fusion yields a deep ruby red wine with an exquisite bouquet of ripe red fruits, an undercurrent of violets, and a hint of warm spice. A balanced acidity meets velvety tannins on the palate, ensuring a lasting finish.

Castaldi Fara 2016, with its hypnotic charm, is a testament to Cantina Castaldi's ongoing commitment to create wines that brilliantly reflect the richness of the terroir. It is, in every sense, the epitome of Italian wine finesse. Indulge in a bottle and experience the luxury.

Vinous (98)

Castellare's I Sodi di San Niccolò is the single most overlooked high-end wine in Tuscany today. The 2016 picks up where the 2015 left off. A rush of inky dark fruit, lavender, spice, licorice, gravel, blueberry and menthol builds as the 2016 shows off its exceptional balance and pedigree. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2016 needs a few years in bottle to fully come together. Even so, the 2016 has been nothing less than spectacular on the two occasions I have tasted it so far. In a word: monumental.

Wine Spectator (97)

This elegant red features cherry and black currant flavors interwoven with its silky texture. Tobacco and spice accents add complexity as this unfurls to a lingering aftertaste of fruit, mineral and savory elements. Firmly built and still young. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2035. 925 cases made, 150 cases imported.

Vinous (98)

The 2016 Sammarco is a dense, flamboyant wine. Inky red fruit, spice, cedar, tobacco, menthol and licorice are some of the notes that build in a statuesque Sammarco that dazzles from start to finish. A wine of stunning textural richness and intensity, Sammarco is translucent, sculpted and full of character. All the elements are so well balanced. Rose petal, cedar, tobacco and mint linger on the eternal finish. The 2016 is a magical wine that can be, surprisingly, enjoyed now or cellared for a number of years. Time in the glass just brings out its energy and vertical drive. Sammarco is quite possibly the single greatest value in high-end Italian wine. Don't miss it.

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo is immediately more inky and balsamic in terms of aromas. As soon as you lift the wine to your nose, you get pretty tones of blackberry, cassis, rosemary essence, licorice and a touch of medicinal herb. I love when Sangiovese produces those elegant aromas, and for that reason, this wine stands tall among the three single-vineyard expressions from Marco Pallanti and Castello di Ama. It shows fiber, richness and lasting structure with a very well-managed quality of tannins.

Wine Spectator (95)

A complex bouquet of smoky cherry, plum, iron, leather and spice is enticing, while the supple texture is laden with fading fruit, spice, sanguine and tobacco flavors. Lively and long, it firms up on the finish, where the fruit and savory elements converge. Drink now through 2033.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigneto Bellavista sees fruit sourced from one of Castello di Ama's most beautiful vineyards with a wide exposures and plenty of sunshine. This wine shows profound complexity and a far-reaching bouquet that evolves slowly in the glass. Of these three single-vineyard Gran Selezione wines (Bellavista, La Casuccia and San Lorenzo), the Vigneto Bellavista is the most complete, but it is also the most linear and streamlined in terms of mouthfeel. I would bet on putting this wine aside in your cellar for a longer aging time.

Vinous (100)

The 2016 L'Apparita, 100% Merlot, is a breathtaking, riveting wine that captures all the potential of the vintage. In this vintage, L'Apparita is especially silky and refined. Layered, perfumed and wonderfully nuanced, L'Apparita is simply epic. Lavender, mint, sage, spice, new leather and cloves develop with time, but more than anything else, L'Apparita is wonderfully complete and magnificently beautiful.

James Suckling (99)

The complexity and beauty to this is really something with cherry, walnut, tobacco and cigar-box character. Sweet cherries. It’s full-bodied and deep with super intensity and power. Layered and beautiful. Really refined tannins. Some whole-berry fermentation gives this added character. Goes on for minutes. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (97)

Another structured, layered red with blackberry, plum, walnut and cigar-box aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied with depth and intensity. Tight and structured. A wine with a long future. Fine-grained and refined. Try after 2025.

Wine Advocate (100)

Like the other Malbecs from Adrianna Vineyard, the 2016 Adrianna Vineyard River Stones was bottled a little earlier, and the time in oak was shortened. It was a most unusual year that was cold and rainy and allowed for no irrigation. This has good ripeness and sharp acidity, making it powerful but extremely fresh, with a backbone of acidity that lifts the wine up and makes it extremely long and persistent. In fact, the wine blows me away with an unusual combination of power and elegance; it shows detailed and nuanced, with subtle aromas of violets, spices, tobacco and wet chalk. It has a velvety texture with ultra refined, fine-grained tannins. It is precise in the acidity and on the palate, with the textbook chalky tannins and a sapid, almost salty finish. This is serious, austere, mineral, long, compact, harmonious and concentrated, yet it feels light and has that somewhat contradictory powerful elegance. This has to be the best wine ever produced at Catena. I'd love to have a time machine and taste this wine in 20 years' time... There are some 3,800 bottles of this.

Decanter (97)

The 2016 vintage is a classic example, a superb blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 31% Malbec and 8% Cabernet Franc that’s still in its infancy. Subdued aromas of cassis, black cherries and nuanced herbaceous and tobacco notes. A lovely fluid entrance builds on concentration and complexity. Malbec’s seductive juiciness joins a vertical Cabernet structure, tannins and integrated oak, with a long, lingering finish. A wine to wait for.

James Suckling (98)

A dense and bright chardonnay that shows incredible depth and freshness with dried pineapple, licorice, aniseed and lemongrass. Full-bodied, layered and very, very long. Linear and exciting. Goes on for minutes. Release in October 2018. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (98)

My favorite of the Adrianna whites, the 2016 White Stones Chardonnay was cropped from a low-yielding, cool and wet year, very unusual weather in Mendoza. It's sharp, austere, mineral and long. No matter how impressed I was with the 2015 or the two vintages of the White Bones I tasted next to it, this stole the show. It has a combination of mineral notes that transmit a serious sensation with hints of flowers, spices and herbs that show in a very subtle way. The palate is liquid chalk, with sharp and pungent flavors, nicely textured. It's precise, linear, long and sharp, with great length and persistence. It will be fascinating to see how this wine evolves in bottle, because I think we can have a big surprise in ten years from now. 6,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2017.

Wine Advocate (98)

All of these wines from Cavallotto deliver a very floral and perfumed subtext that gives lift and delicate buoyancy to the overall bouquet. This is the Castiglione Falletto magic that shows so well in this classic vintage. The 2016 Barolo Bricco Boschis offers dried cherry, sandalwood, bramble and forest floor. The wine reveals a slightly wild and untamed character that adds to its interest and personality. Overall, this is an elegant wine with a streamlined and elegant finish. The aromas are focused and bright. I can't wait to taste the Riserva expression from this site when it is released in three years' time.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

A combination of an extraordinary vintage and a fantastic producer are behind this stunning wine. It opens with aromas recalling woodland berry, pipe tobacco, forest floor, balsamic notes of camphor and new leather. Still youthfully austere, the firmly structured palate delivers ripe Morello cherry, licorice, ground clove and iron notes set against tightly knit, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it well balanced

Wine Enthusiast (99)

A combination of an extraordinary vintage and a fantastic producer are behind this stunning wine. It opens with aromas recalling woodland berry, pipe tobacco, forest floor, balsamic notes of camphor and new leather. Still youthfully austere, the firmly structured palate delivers ripe Morello cherry, licorice, ground clove and iron notes set against tightly knit, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it well balanced

Wine Enthusiast (99)

Enticing aromas recalling new leather, pressed rose, eucalyptus and sandalwood come to the forefront on this gorgeous, compelling wine. Full-bodied, structured and loaded with finesse, the precise palate is young but already delicious, delivering juicy Marasca cherry, raspberry, licorice, truffle and white pepper alongside a backbone of taut, refined tannins. Bright acidity keeps it energized and will fuel decades of evolution. Drink 2026–2056

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

A wine that's held back three months in barrel and then held a year in bottle (as is the GOK), the 2016 Syrah Armada Vineyard saw 70-80% stems and 15% new oak (both demi-muids and foudre). Slightly deeper ruby in color, it has a mix of both red and blue fruits, salt, violets, damp earth, and smoked earth. Deep, tight, backward, but just loaded with potential, it needs 3-5 years of bottle age and will be very long lived.

Vinous (94)

Bright medium red. Knockout nose combines red cherry, pomegranate, mocha, white pepper and a sexy high-toned floral element. At once salty and juicy on the palate, savory but not particularly meaty, with a dominant flavor of crushed red cherry complicated by notes of garrigue and truffle. Finishes very long and subtly palate-staining, with terrific floral complexity. This wine struck me as a little darker in character than the No Girls Grenache made by Elizabeth Bourcier at Cayuse. And it's still tightly wound. (13.6% alcohol; vinified with 75% whole clusters; from a crop level of just 1.5 tons per acre)

Vinous (92)

The 2016 Barbaresco Serracapelli is soft, super-expressive and so inviting. Wild cherry, tobacco, cedar, mint and dried flowers show off the darker side of Nebbiolo. There is a bit of nerve to this classically built Barbaresco, so some aeration is a good idea.

Wine Advocate (95+)

Ceretto offers a tour de force in the 2016 vintage with four excellent single-vineyard expressions from Bricco Rocche, Bussia, Brunate and Prapò. If you can't choose between those wines, you always have this excellent fallback. The classic 2016 Barolo offers dark intensity with great aromatic detailing. Fruit and some floral notes are followed by ferrous notes and a good amount of powdered licorice. The aromas are delicate and fragile; however, the wine deftly hides its power within the soft folds of its slender, mid-weight mouthfeel. This is a perfect go-to Barolo when you can't choose from all the excellent options in this benchmark 2016 vintage. This wine, like the others, hit the market in May 2020.