Wine Advocate (98)

I felt more austerity and better balance in the 2017 Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae compared with the wines from warmer years; it feels harmonious and very integrated. There is some citrus freshness in the nose, remarkable for the conditions of the year. The palate shows even more serious than the nose, with chalky minerality and a drying sensation that adds to the grip, giving it a profile that I like very much, making it feel like a superb year for this bottling. This is really very good this year, and the acidity is very integrated. In fact, the wine is very balanced and compact, with all the ingredients greatly integrated. 5,400 bottles were filled in October 2018.

James Suckling (100)

Incredible aromas of blackberries, hot stones, wet earth and flowers. Full-bodied, it floats across the palate with ultra-fine tannins that melt into the wine. Superb, long finish of subtle fruit and terroir-defined subtleties. Try in 2022, but already a dream to taste.

Jeb Dunnuck (96)

The 2017 Barolo Bricco Boschis is highly aromatic with anise, dried leather, and burnt orange. Ripe and structured, it offers ripe cherry, turned forest floor, and a long finish. The warmth of the vintage is felt while remaining fresh. Drink 2024-2042.

Jeb Dunnuck (96)

The 2017 Barolo Bricco Boschis is highly aromatic with anise, dried leather, and burnt orange. Ripe and structured, it offers ripe cherry, turned forest floor, and a long finish. The warmth of the vintage is felt while remaining fresh. Drink 2024-2042.

Jeb Dunnuck (97+)

The Armada Vineyard Syrah always reminds me of the Horsepower releases, as it’s a more masculine, earthy style of Syrah. Deep plum/purple-colored with an incredible bouquet of smoked plum, blackcurrants, tobacco, peppered meat, and violets, the 2017 hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth, building structure and tannins, moderate acidity, and a great finish. It’s another wine from Baron that packs incredible richness and depth yet still just glides across the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It shows the more rounded, approachable style of the vintage and will keep for 20 years or more.

Matthew Jukes (18)

The nose on this wine is a veritable mosaic of the amazing villages which make up blend. The blend is a super-complicated combination of La Morra (twoBrunates – La Morra and Barolo, Zonchetta), a Barolo plot in Cannubi San Lorenzo, Castiglione Falletto (2 parcels of Bricco Rocche, facing La Morra, and Rocche di Castoglione, Bussia in the Bussia Soprana section which is the finest and also Serralunga d’Alba (in Gabutti and Prapò). Federico would love to release these as three individual ‘village’ wines as opposed to a blended village Cru, but this will happen in the future. As far as this wine is concerned, it is a triumph of blending and the harmony here is extraordinary. This is a stunningly balanced wine which is forward, clean and refreshing. The fruit is cherry-soaked, tender, balanced and the tannins are crisp and juicy. This is a stunningly forward and expressive wine and it is a magnificent example of harnessing the most favourable characters of the vintage and gently coaxing these elegant tones from this myriad of vineyard sites. It is an incredibly impressive and also unnervingly sensitive Nebbiolo.

Jancis Robinson (17++)

Monforte d'Alba. Just mid ruby. Rich, full cherry fruit of great depth and focus. A little less sensuous and nervier on the palate than Brunate. Sappy raspberry and cherry fruit over a layer of firm, grainy tannins. The acidity lifts the fruit but right now it is a little austere and needs more time. Long, fragrant raspberry fruit turns up at the end.

Wine Anorak (93)

North part of Chassagne, they have 2 hectares. Rocky soil with lots of limestone. Linear, bright and mineral with a citrus fruit core and a bit of spicy oak. There’s a tiny hint of bitterness under the fruit. Has a bit of pineapple and pear richness, too, and some hazelnut. Lovely focus.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (86-88)

The 2017 Chapelle de Potensac is an attractive second wine from Hubert Delon's Médoc property. Soft, silky and open-knit, the 2017 is quite pretty, but its light to medium-bodied structure suggests it is best enjoyed over the near term. The red berry and floral notes are nicely delineated throughout.

Wine Advocate (100)

As in 2016, my favorite of the white parcel selections this year is the 2017 Ermitage l'Ermite Blanc (231 cases produced), as it perfectly balances richness and power with refinement and structure. Toasted brioche and citrus marmalade, honey and truffle notes deliver sheer full-bodied, mouth-filling decadence, supported by austere notes of crushed granite, zesty grapefruit rind and cooling brine. Huge and intense yet refreshing, it's the essence of granite-grown Marsanne.

Experience the sheer elegance of Charla Haasbroek Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, artfully crafted under the skilful hands of winemaker Charla Haasbroek. This artisanal wine is produced in the renowned Stellenbosch region of South Africa, famous for its optimal grape-growing conditions. Charla's meticulous winemaking approach, aligning traditional methods with innovative techniques, results in Cabernet Sauvignon of distinctive character.

The wine displays rich dark fruit aromatics, underscored by nuanced notes of leather and spice. On the palate, it reveals a robust structure with velvety tannins and a harmonious balance achieved through 18 months of French oak barrel maturation. The Charla Haasbroek Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 could be described as a modern classic: a wine that pays homage to its varietal heritage with a discernible expression of its unique terroir.

Ly celebrated for her dedication to crafting authentic wines that echo their origins, Charla Haasbroek's Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a sublime testament to her passion and expertise.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (92)

The 2017 Le Pape is soft, refined and super expressive. Dried flowers, mint, cedar, tobacco and mocha add pretty aromatic top notes to this precise, understated Pessac-Léognan. Medium in body and wonderfully nuanced, the 2017 is absolutely gorgeous. Bright floral and red fruit notes add brilliance with a bit of time in the glass. This is such a compelling, understated wine, not to mention an overachiever and a terrific value.

James Suckling (100)

This is the greatest Cheval des Andes ever. Discrete aromas of blackberries, flowers, stone and licorice. So perfumed. The integration of fruit, tannins and acidity is fantastic. Full-bodied, tight and solid with beautiful depth and integrity. Extremely long and exciting. Complex and compelling with such refinement and length. A blend of 62% malbec and 38% cabernet sauvignon. Available in September 2020. Better after 2024.

Vinous (95)

The Barolo Cannubi is absolutely gorgeous in 2017. Hot and brutally dry conditions notwithstanding, the Cannubi is creamy and sensual in the glass, with impeccable balance, soft, racy edges and tons of allure. It is easily one of the most sensual, compelling Barolos of the year. Ripe dark red/purplish fruit, spice, mint and cedar meld into the beautifully textured, resonant finish. I am so impressed with the wine's freshness. Perhaps the anti-hail netting helped keep some shade on the fruit. What a wine.

Le Lucciole Riserva is sourced from a miniscule 0.8 hectare parcel of vines in the heart of Chiara’s holdings. 100% Sangiovese, this is a very special Italian “born-and-bred" wine of sensational quality. Perched at the lofty altitude of 350 meters, this vineyard is unique in its East-facing situation and poor soils (for anything except Sangiovese!).

Wine Enthusiast (97)

This delicious, bold red offers inviting aromas of fragrant blue flowers, spiced plum, forest floor and pipe tobacco. Full and enveloping in feel, it delivers a great depth of juicy black cherry, black raspberry, licorice and baking spice flavors framed in velvety tannins. Drink 2025–2032.

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.

Jeb Dunnuck (93-95)

Reminding me of the 2014, the 2017 Château Clinet is a beautiful, dense, concentrated wine that has terrific notes of blueberries, spring flowers, and chocolaty oak. It’s very much in the style of the vintage with its cool, perfumed aromatics and sensational purity of fruit, yet it also has richness and weight. It’s a brilliant Pomerol.

Decanter (98)

Quiet, controlled with a spellbinding timbre. Neverending, and phenomenal in terms of its quality.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

One of the strongest wines in the vintage is the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape from Vincent Avril. This beauty has everything you could ask for. As with the 2018, the blend is heavily shifted toward Mourvèdre, and it offers a mammoth bouquet of black cherries, graphite, cured meats, Asian spices, and assorted garrigue-like nuances. Deep, full-bodied, and concentrated, it stays straight and focused on the palate (whereas the 2016 is more expansive and voluptuous), with a stacked mid-palate, ripe, silky tannins, and fabulous length. You’re going to want bottles of this in the cellar, and comparing the 2007, 2010, 2016, and 2017 over the coming two decades is going to be a treat.

Vinous (94)

Inky ruby. Highly expressive, mineral-accented blackberry, cherry, potpourri and exotic spice aromas take on a licorice nuance as the wine opens up. Intense black and blue fruit, floral pastille, cola and spicecake flavors are firmed by a spine of juicy acidity. Puts on weight on an extremely persistent, sharply delineated finish that repeats the dark berry and floral notes and leaves a hint of succulent herbs and smoky minerals behind.

Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)

Lastly, the 2017 Hermitage got a big “wow” in the notes and boasts a powerful, concentrated style to go with sensational Hermitage notes of crème de cassis, scorched earth, and crushed rocks. It’s a sexy, voluptuous beauty that does everything right.

Emanating from the romantic hills of Piedmont, Italy, Comero Sizzano 2017 presents an exquisite vintage that embodies the expertise of the Comero vineyards. The marriage of Nebbiolo and Vespolina grapes, masterfully matured in stainless steel and large oak barrels for a full-bodied flavour, imbues this vino with an unmissable aroma of red fruits, violets and luxurious spices reserved only for the highest quality wines.

Comero Sizzano 2017’s balanced tannins and luscious acidity truly set it apart; it rests gently on the palate, leaving a decadent aftertaste that lingers. The deep ruby red colouring perfectly complements the harmonious blend of fruit-rich and floral complexities, capturing the radiant Italian sun, fertile soils, and centuries-old passion of the Comero estate.

Brimming with a philosophy of hard work, respect for nature, and commitment to time-honoured traditions, Comero's Sizzano 2017 represents a sublime testament to expert Italian winemaking. Simply put, it is an essential addition to any connoisseur's collection.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2017 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru has a wonderful bouquet that fulfills its potential from barrel, offering immediately seductive brambly red fruit, crushed minerals and pressed rose petals. The 25–30% new oak is so neatly folded into the fruit that it is barely noticeable. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and quite citrus-driven, revealing orange peel and blood orange notes. Linear at first and then gently fans out and gains depth toward the persistent finish. Superb.

Vinous (94)

The 2017 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru has a complex bouquet that is slightly more Musigny in personality than I expected. There is mainly dark fruit here, mixed with potpourri and incense and becoming more flamboyant as it aerates in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, and quite compact in style because, as François Millet noted, these 2017s are beginning to close down. But there is certainly good density here, and an enticing tensile finish.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The 2017 Montrachet Grand Cru is a classic in the making, wafting from the glass with aromas of lemon oil, citrus blossom, green apple, mandarin and beeswax, subtly framed by new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, beautifully complete and multidimensional, with a broad, satiny attack, a deep, layered mid-palate and a pure, penetrating finish. Youthfully reserved today, its almost understated elegance conceals impressive reserved of structure and extract.

Vinous (95)

The 2017 Barolo Mosconi Vigna Ped is deep, resonant and expansive, as wines from this site tend to be. In this tasting, the Mosconi is wonderfully deep. Its stature alone is compelling. And yet there is so much to the Mosconi. Readers will find a Barolo that melds together a rich, racy expression of fruit with plenty of structure that wraps everything together. Rich red fruit, blood orange, tar, spice and cedar build as the 2017 gains volume through to the finish.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

Extremely elegant and focused, this compelling wine defies the heat of the vintage, starting with a heady fragrance of ripe dark-skinned berries, violet, camphor, dark spice and whiffs of crushed herbs. On the linear, elegantly structured palate, tightly woven but extremely polished tannins accompany juicy Marasca cherry, blood orange, licorice and white pepper while fresh acidity keeps it balanced and fresh. Drink 2025–2032