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 (100)

To attempt to describe the aroma, star anise and sandalwood would be suitable descriptors - but this is so pure and harmonious that this really smells of nothing other than itself. Perfectly weighted, perfectly balanced, with the most incredibly elegant tannins. This wine gave me goosebumps to taste, it’s hauntingly beautiful, the soul of Côte-Rôtie in a glass. It has everything you could hope for in a Côte-Rôtie, it’s pure perfection. It's rare for young wines to deliver such emotion.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-97)

From the Puligny side of the appellation. Clear beautiful yellow colour. The nose is discreet but very classy, then this huge wealth of fruit expands across the palate. We can wait for the nose. This is beautifully poised, a little wood, a slight youthful bitterness, but both add to the grip. Long and fine. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted: October 2022

Vinous (87)

The 2019 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a lot of new oak on the nose that, like the Blanchot, renders it rather predictable. The palate is balanced but fat in the mouth, with low acidity and a rather crowd-pleasing but simple finish. So-so.

Vinous (93-95)

The 2021 Chambertin Grand Cru offers a touch more complexity and nuance than the Clos-de-Bèze with red berry fruit, orange rind, crushed stone and wilted rose petals. It's a little more delineated and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, again, quite creamy in texture with a bit of new oak on the finish (though there is a prudent use of new wood - one new barrel out of three). Quite seductive, this should age well in bottle, though afford it four to five years at least.

Vinous - Neal Martin (92-94)

Due to the small market, the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru is a blend of Poissenot, Les Cazetiers, Combe Aux Moins and Lavaux Saint-Jacques. This still amounted to just three casks! It has a well-defined, fragrant and floral bouquet that blossoms in the glass with hints of orange rind in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with a fine-boned structure. It's well-balanced and focused with a very harmonious and poised finish. Blending these vineyards together was the logical decision, but it has resulted in quite a wonderful wine.

Vinous (95-97)

The 2019 Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru is a clear step up from the Echézeaux, offering a gorgeous marine-influenced bouquet, touches of oyster shell infusing the mixture of red and black fruit, and wonderful mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied, burly and intense with an almost "heaving" structure that grips the palate, all with utmost finesse. Fist, velvet glove, etc.... it’s all here.

Immerse yourself in the distinguished taste of Aalto Ribera del Duero PS 2019. Born from the fertile soils of Spain's premium wine region, Ribera del Duero, this wine encapsulates the centuries-old grape cultivating traditions and modern winemaking techniques of reputed producer Mariano Garcia. The blend utilises Tempranillo grapes harvested from vines aged over 60 years and is aged 22 months in new French oak barrels to create its robust profile.

On the palate, Aalto Ribera del Duero PS 2019 impresses with a rich tapestry of flavours ranging from black fruits to nuances of cocoa and spices. Its structured tannins and excellent acidity culminate in a long and thrilling finish, making it a splendid complement to an array of dishes.

Commended by esteemed wine critics, this vibrant yet complex wine delivers a seamless fusion of power and elegance. Experience the ultimate indulgence with Aalto Ribera del Duero PS 2019, a testament to the winemaking prowess of Ribera del Duero.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93)

Slightly the deepest in colour and the richest nose of the four premier crus. Some lemon notes and light plum, then white fruit. This has the most assured texture of the four. Good grip, as Clive Coates would have said, stretching out very nicely in a fine long finish.

Vinous (87)

The 2021 Chablis Vaucoupin 1er Cru has a primal, grapefruit and lemon thyme scented nose that feels a bit strict. The palate is well balanced with a sapid entry, though it needs more grip and substance on the finish. Fine, but early-drinking. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94)

Fullish yellow. The complex nose shows the power of the vintage, a few drier tannins behind, fair acidity. I think the Clos character is there, but it is reticent today. The palate does deliver detail and layers of fruit though. The finish does also suggest the necessary class. Really good length here.

Decanter (95)

Moutonne is one of Chablis' finest expressions and the 2019 will be another in a long list of memorable vintages. Although not the final bottling, it is clear that there is great power here, combined with finesse and a lightness on its feet. Savoury, umami, notes on the finish. Wood is a little evident now but will integrate beautifully once in bottle for 6-12 months. A lovely example, both powerful and restrained.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

Iris, rose and baking spice aromas take center stage on this beautiful red. It's young and tight but already delicious, featuring ripe red cherry, star anise and ground clove set against a backbone of bright acidity and noble tannins. It will age well for years. Drink 2029–2039.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Pure perfection in Cabernet, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Alejandro Bulgheroni is all varietal and comes two-thirds from Oakville with the balance from sites in St. Helena and Rutherford. Aged 20 months in 70% new French oak and put together by Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, it has an incredibly pure, full-bodied, massive yet weightless style that I suspect couldn’t be achieved anywhere outside of Napa Valley. Cassis, blackberries, leafy herbs, lead pencil shavings, and tobacco leaf are just some of the nuances here, and it’s full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate while maintaining an ethereal, seamless, utterly perfect balance between its fruit, alcohol, tannins, and acidity. As good as it gets, it needs just 2-4 years in the cellar and will evolve gracefully for at least 20-25 years.

Jeb Dunnuck (97+)

Also a classic expression of its terroir, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Lithology Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard boasts a ripe, opulent, powerful style as well as notes of darker currants, tobacco, lead pencil, chocolate, and gravelly earth. I always find a Graves-like richness as well as a sense of earth from this site, and this beauty has it all in spades. Full-bodied, ripe, and polished on the palate, it stays relatively compact and will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age.

Jeb Dunnuck (97+)

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Lithology Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is more closed aromatically, yet still offers impressive red, blue, and black fruits as well as savory herbs and dried flower nuances. It too is full-bodied, with a focused, tight, straight style on the palate that warrants 4-5 years of cellaring.

Decanter (100)

Proprietor Alejandro Pedro Bulgheroni established this label in 2014. Entirely estate fruit, comprising beautiful rich berry scents, oak, crushed rocks and a saline minerality tinged with dark chocolate. Enveloping, full and broad-shouldered. Saturated dark berry fruit, chocolate layer cake, vanilla and dried herbs de provence round out this Cabernet with its fierce tannins that are nicely integrated.

Decanter (98)

Delicate yet formidable, this wine’s dense, multiple layers of complex texture and flavour speak eloquently. There’s fresh raspberry and graphite, rhubarb and red earth, dark plum and ironstone, and a suggestion of sage and nutmeg among blackberry bite, caressed by fine tannins. Sourced from only 200 vines planted in the 1950s, this 0.27ha micro-terroir boasts red-brown earth over limestone with traces of iron, providing fruit of rare depth and concentration. More sensuous and ethereal that its raw-boned sibling Alkina Polygon 5, but their common characteristic is extraordinary length of the purest flavours.

Decanter (98)

Delicate yet formidable, this wine’s dense, multiple layers of complex texture and flavour speak eloquently. There’s fresh raspberry and graphite, rhubarb and red earth, dark plum and ironstone, and a suggestion of sage and nutmeg among blackberry bite, caressed by fine tannins. Sourced from only 200 vines planted in the 1950s, this 0.27ha micro-terroir boasts red-brown earth over limestone with traces of iron, providing fruit of rare depth and concentration. More sensuous and ethereal that its raw-boned sibling Alkina Polygon 5, but their common characteristic is extraordinary length of the purest flavours.

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Concentration is easy to achieve in Argentina,” says Alberto Antonini, “but texture is much harder.” All I can say is that he has succeeded here on this best-ever release from Altos Las Hormigas, which brings Burgundian levels of grace and complexity to Malbec. Scented, hauntingly graceful and complex with remarkable focus and depth, a hint of oak, sweet red fruits and a lingering finish. Exceptional winemaking.

Wine Advocate (97-100)

I also tasted the very young barrel sample of the 2021 Quiñón de Valmira, a year with stress and small berries with a very mild summer that resulted in a wine with great concentration and finesse, with a pH of 3.46 and six grams of acidity (higher than the average). The wine is still a baby (six months old!), but it feels quite balanced and is not oaky at all; it is harmonious, clean and quite expressive, even if it has lots of concentration and a big structure. This is a great vintage of Valmira in the making, super balanced, perhaps the finest ever? They expect to fill some 4,300 bottles around April 2023.

Wine Advocate (97)

The single-vineyard red 2019 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes (lieu-dits) in Gratallops. This year, it's 87% Garnacha, 12% Cariñena and 1% white grapes (Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo. It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 14 months. It's classy, elegant and fresh with very clean aromas and flavors, not lacking concentration or power. There is superb definition and purity here; it has to be the finest and most elegant Dofí to date. It has finer tannins and more elegance than La Baixada this year. The 2018 was fragrant and this has more clout but superb balance. These two vintages have been great for Dofí. I still remember the 2005, hard as nails then and what the wine is now—spherical and velvety. Dofí on a roll... It was bottled in May 2021, and 21,146 bottles were produced.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The more backward of the 2021s was the 2021 Finca Dofí, which was very primary and smelled almost like the fermentation vessels, and it took time in the glass to open up. The blend is higher in Garnacha, and they couldn't use the Picapoll as it didn't work well that cool year, so it's 90% Garnacha, 9% Cariñena and 1% white grapes. It achieved 14.5% alcohol but kept better freshness than in 2020, a constant in the 2021 wines. Very promising. They expect 24,000 bottles. It should be bottled around April 2023.

Wine Advocate (94-96)

The blend of the 2021 Gratallops was higher in Cariñena than in the 2020 (25%), which resulted in a wine with a lower pH (3.37), the tendency that makes the 2021s more vibrant. They used some 40% full clusters for the fermentation (rather than adding the stems like in the past). The wine has acid berry freshness; and right now it's a bit difficult with the tannins and the acidity, but one more year of élevage should make it more polished. It should be long-lived and fresh. The expect some 17,300 bottles to be filled around April 2023.

Wine Advocate (99-100)

The 2021 L'Ermita is a legend in the making, with 13.9% alcohol, the lowest ever, mind-boggling finesse and detail, purity, symmetry, elegance and great freshness that makes it vibrant with a low pH of 3.31 and 6.18 grams of acidity. These parameters should make it long-lived, and the wine is always going to be vibrant and develop citrus nose of grapefruit and orange peel. It's a powerful wine with plenty of energy, abundant tannins, even more fine and elegant than those from the 2020 I tasted next to it, and with great balance. It has a high percentage of Cariñena, much higher than the 2020, and comes down to 75% Garnacha, 24% Cariñena and 1% whites. Prices will be increased around 16%. They expect to produce some 2,800 bottles of this 2021 in April 2023.

Dive into an unparalleled vino adventure with Alvina Pernot Bourgogne Cote d'Or Chardonnay 2021, an exemplary embodiment of French winemaking finesse. Expertly nurtured in the prestige fruit gardens of Bourgogne Cote d'Or, this varietal hails from the esteemed vineyards of Alvina Pernot, an acclaimed producer renowned for tradition and innovation.

This Chardonnay resounds with a subtle blend of sophistication and charm. Carefully fermented in barrels to capture its unique oaky flavours, the wine presents a lively, balanced palate, finishing with a display of lingering citrus notes that spell sheer elegance. One look at the golden-hued pour spells a tantalising foreshadow of the wine's flavour profile.

Alvina Pernot Bourgogne Cote d'Or Chardonnay 2021 is an eloquent statement of the exceptional quality and rich heritage of Alvina Pernot's viticultural artistry, promising an indulgence that befits the discerning connoisseur.

James Suckling (98)

Redcurrants, sweet tobacco and flowers with some sandalwood. Very perfumed and floral. So pure. Full-bodied, yet so refined and layered, with a soft, compact palate and a crushed-velvet mouth-feel. Poised fruit at the end, together with fresh, rare wood and a light chocolate undertone to the aftertaste. This is open, yet there’s so much in reserve. 60% merlot and 40% cabernet franc. Leave it in the cellar for at least eight years. Try after 2029.

Crafted in the Southern Rhône Valley, the Anglore Lirac 2019 is a remarkable expression of Eric Pfifferling's expert winemaking prowess. Cultivated under the Mediterranean sun, in the mineral-rich terroir of Lirac, this unique blend benefits greatly from the old Carignan and Grenache vines it’s sourced from. Produced organically with no added sulphites, through the process of spontaneous fermentation, the Anglore Lirac 2019 delivers a harmonious balance of fruit and terroir, capturing the rich essence of its environment.

The wine reveals a stunningly rustic palette, boasting of stewed cherries, laced with hints of baking spice and a mesmerising earthiness. Turning towards a velvety textured, medium-bodied composition, it delivers a complex and lingering finish. The character and finesse of the Anglore Lirac 2019 cement it as a leading example of natural wines from the Rhône region, not just a joy to savor but a true testament to Pfifferling's dedication to quality and authenticity.