Vinous (94)

The 2018 Barolo is a wine of extreme elegance and nuance. Dried red cherry, tobacco, dried flowers, mint and sweet spice are all nicely lifted in this sublime, delicate Barolo. All the elements fall into place so effortlessly. The 2018 naturally does not have the body of more important years, but it offers tons of persistence and fine balance. It has closed down quite a bit since I first tasted it a few months ago, which is probably a good sign. An opened bottle just got better and better over time.

Vinous (96-98)

Saturated ruby. Remarkably deep nose combines cherry, raspberry, licorice, smoked meat and mineral notes, all lifted by an intense floral quality. A stunning example of freshness and precision married to power, with deep cassis, bitter cherry and candied licorice flavors enlivened by zesty minerality and framed by firm but harmonious tannins. This is not about extraction, notes Perrin. The endless finish echoes the mineral and floral tones, showing a persistent lavender note. This was not yet bottled when I tasted it.

Wine Advocate (100)

The star of the show was the 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin, which in this vintage is a classic blend of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah, and the rest Counoise and Grenache. Inky colored and insanely perfumed, with to-die-for notes of lavender, Provencal herbs, roasted meats, black cherries, truffle, crème de cassis and licorice, it flows onto the palate with massive concentration, a stunning mid-palate and a thick, rich texture that never gets heavy or cumbersome. This is blockbuster stuff that just could not get any better. Drink it anytime over the coming 3-4 decades.

Wine Advocate (97+)

I was shocked at the quality of the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin and I can’t think of another wine that comes close to this level of depth, concentration and richness in the vintage. Its inky color is followed by sensational notes of roasted herbs, licorice, caramelized meats and layers of black and blue fruits. Rich, full-bodied, thick and unctuous, hats off to the Perrin family for this incredible effort! Give bottles 4-6 years of cellaring and drink over the following two decades.

The Wine Cellar Insider (100)

The wine of the vintage. Compelling in every sense of the word, the wine is incredibly dark in color. The aromatics kick off with an amazing display of spices, herbs, wet earth, leaf, pepper, grilled meat, black raspberry, kirsch and plum notes. The weight, density and intensity on the palate coats your taste receptors, yet retains its lush, silky texture. The seamless finish leaves the 60 second mark in its wake. This should age for decades.

Wine Advocate (100)

Marvelously complex, deeply fruited and massively concentrated yet wonderfully drinkable, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin challenges the number of superlatives that can be thrown at it. Scents of violets, tree bark, truffle, purple raspberries and blackberries all appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, dense and velvety, and the finish shows enormous richness and length. Breathtaking stuff.

James Suckling (99)

Enveloping nose of super-ripe orange, pomegranate and cigar leaf that’s still very youthful and needs time to reveal its myriad nuances. Also notes of licorice, dried herbs and rose petals. Enormous concentration, silkiness and finesse on the expansive palate. Extravagant in the best sense of that word! The finish gets finer, the closer it gets to infinity. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.

The 'Bellavista Vittorio Moretti 2013' is an exquisite blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Nero sourced from Italy’s Lombardy region. The balanced texture and sparkling character are inherently linked to its prestigious heritage in Franciacorta. This 2013 vintage reflects the passion and precision of the Moretti family and their winemaker, Stefano Capelli. This wine encapsulates the intricate harmony of life and land, cool climate vineyards, and well-calibrated oak ageing, bestowed by the Bellavista Estate. Every sip exudes crisp apple, pear, and citrus flavours, intertwined with alluring brioche and almond undertones.

The 'Bellavista Vittorio Moretti 2013' is created using traditional Champagne-making method, allowing for the perfectly balanced effervescence. The wine matures for six years on its lees to develop depth and complexity. This is a perfect embodiment of Bellavista’s unwavering commitment to producing world-class sparkling wine, making 'Bellavista Vittorio Moretti 2013' a must-have for any discerning fine wine connoisseur.

Vinous (91-93)

The 2017 Chambertin Grand Cru has a tight-lipped bouquet that demands coaxing from the glass; the 80% whole bunches imparts captivating undergrowth/damp moss aromas that filter through the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied and quite dense, with grippy tannin and a light espresso note. I find the Mazis-Chambertin has a little more grace on the finish by direct comparison. A bit of a curmudgeon, this will benefit from four or five years in bottle.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

The 2015 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a fragrant, perfumed bouquet with hints of blueberry, vanilla, violet and crushed strawberry, the mineralité tucked in just underneath, all with superb harmony and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannin, crisp acidity, impressive depth with a caressing, gentle finish that belies its power. This is an outstanding 2015 that seems so effortless and yet delivers the horsepower you expect from this propitious vineyard. A quite brilliant wine.

Discover the unparalleled elegance of Bereche Cran Ludes 2015, a pristine collector's item meticulously aged in the heart of France's Champagne region. Fondly crafted by the expert hands at Maison Bereche et Fils, a family-owned winery with a rich heritage spanning five generations, its distinctive character embodies the spirit of precision and passion.

A blend of 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, the Bereche Cran Ludes 2015 boasts an enticing balance of vitality and grace. This stunning vintage has been raised in old oak barrels, exalting a superb depth of flavour, delicately augmented by the terroir's chalky soils.

An expression of refined complexity, Bereche Cran Ludes 2015 dances on the palate with cascading layers of crisp fruits, intermingled with subtle pastry notes. Inviting effervescence underscores a persistent finish, elevating the tasting experience to a sublime climax. Relish the prestige of this exemplary champagne, a testament to superb French viticulture.

Vinous - Neal Martin (85)

The 2008 Berliquet feels a little gawky on the nose, missing the cohesion of some of its peers, scents of iris and crushed rose petals infusing the mixture of red and black fruit. There is a sense of “airiness” about these aromatics, almost ephemeral in nature. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a little dryness on the back palate, masculine and rather broody with a slightly clipped finish. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 10-Year On tasting.

Vinous (90+)

Bright, full ruby. Captivating aromas of cassis, game, mocha and brown spices. Sweet, concentrated and chewy, with powerful cassis and kirsch fruit flavors. Already displays wonderful inner-mouth aromatic character. Finishes with rather strong, slightly tough tannins that will require patience. This is quite impressive, but the 2000 version appears to have sweeter tannins.

Vinous (92-95)

Deep, saturated ruby. Flamboyantly perfumed aromas leap from the glass: dark fruits, venison, smoke, minerals, earth and spicy oak. Velvety and palate-caressing but manages to maintain great flavor definition; an uncanny amalgam of power and cut. Intensely fruity and fresh, with better acidity and length than the Charmes. Finishes with completely ripe tannins and great persistence.

Vinous (92-96)

Deep, bright ruby. Knockout nose combines black fruits, minerals and sauvage animal nuances. Dense, thick and lush, with very suave black fruit and bitter chocolate flavors. Really sappy and chewy thanks to firm framing acidity. The tannins are fine but substantial and the finishing flavors mount slowly and inexorably. Not an easy style, but a wine with great reserves of flavor.

Vinous (93-95)

Good medium ruby. Distinctly wilder aromas of small black fruits, roasted meat, coffee, leather and smoke; conveys a strong impression of soil. Like liquid silk in the mouth, with pure, precise flavors of blackberry, blueberry and game. Wonderfully layered and concentrated, and currently hiding its tightly coiled spring. Finishes with great length and hints of violet and caramel. A connoisseur's wine.

Wine Advocate (91)

Disgorged in May 2017, the intensely yellow colored NV Cuvée des Moines Brut (green label) offers a rich and aromatic but fine and elegant nose with subtle mineral or chalky notes as well as citrus and tropical fruit (pineapples). Round, intense and slightly nutty, this is a full-bodied, charming, intense and elegant cuvée assembling Pinot Meunier with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This wine combines richness and hedonism with purity and precision. It has a long, sharp, well-defined finish. Excellent in quality and style. Tasted in October 2018 from lot L7S989003.

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)

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.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

Created in 1988 as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, one of the House’s founders, this is the latest release and it has already benefitted from a remarkable ten years on its lees, because my sample was disgorged in October 2020. Made from 76% Grands Crus and 24% Premiers Crus, 55% Pinot Noir comes from Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzy, Verzenay, Mareuil-sur-Äy and Äy and 45% Chardonnay comes from Chouilly, Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger. 9% red wine was added from Valofroy, a parcel of particularly old vines (60+ years old in 2008) situated high up on the hill above the winery in Mareuil. And 17% of the wine was vinified at low temperature in oak barrels which are, on average, 15 years old. The dosage is 7g/L. For the very first time, Elisabeth is available in magnums. I enjoyed an energetic tasting with Mathieu Roland-Billecart and he explained that this 2008 vintage seems like it has stolen the finest parts of each of the 1996 (tension), 2002 (layers of flavour) and the 2007 (refinement) and rolled them all into one wine! In a way, this is a fabulous analogy, but there is more to this vintage than meets the eye. The freshness and acidity here are both spectacular. These notes underpin the refined flavour with jolts of electricity which gather to form bolts of lightning. This is a young wine and yet the tenderness of the fruit is perfectly counterpointed by the shocking youthfulness on the finish. I cannot believe that 13 years have passed in the blink of an eye and so this means that 2008 Elisabeth might well be one of the slowest to age and longest-lived wines under this label to date. Having said this, the fruit is already magnificent. Mathieu asked me if I was familiar with the great French dessert clafoutis! At once a cherry clafoutis aroma arose from the glass, with faint notes of ginger blossom, saffron and white pepper. This is a crystalline and yet kaleidoscopic wine with fractals of flavour which splinter and shiver on the palate. It is high-tensile at the same time as being fragile and demure. It is everything Elisabeth would have wanted in her namesake wine.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

Aromas of rose petal, dark spice, woodland berries and camphor form the nose on this fragrant, elegant wine. Loaded with finesse, the linear, savory palate features red cherry, orange zest, star anise and black tea alongside tightly wound, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it impeccably balanced. It's still youthfully austere, with fantastic aging potential.

Jeb Dunnuck (96)

The 2017 Brunello Di Montalcino is surprising in its freshness, considering the warmth of the vintage, and speaks to the cooler, northern-facing exposition of the estate. It is refined with ripe red cherry, raspberry, anise, and incense and is fresh with cherry fruit, warming spices, macchia, and herbes de Provence. It is ripe though it maintains a medium frame, with well-managed tannins and balanced acidity. It is a lovely and charming wine and is rather approachable now.