Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (88-90)

Subdued but sweet nose hints at violet and new oak (40% of the wine is aging in new barrels until the September racking). Sweet flavors of red berry liqueur and new oak. Full for this, and sweet and long on the ripe back end.

Vinous (92)

The Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras shows the more sensual, caressing side of the vintage in its layered contours and soft, tender personality. Today, the is voluptuous and expressive, with no hard edges and fabulous overall balance. The Cras isn't super complex, but it is incredibly delicious, even at this early stage.

Vinous (92)

The Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras shows the more sensual, caressing side of the vintage in its layered contours and soft, tender personality. Today, the is voluptuous and expressive, with no hard edges and fabulous overall balance. The Cras isn't super complex, but it is incredibly delicious, even at this early stage.

Vinous (88)

Good deep red. Raspberry and underbrush on the nose. Fat, lush, sweet and opulent; chunkier than the Chambolle villages but not roasted. In fact, this big boy has the extract for aging.

Vinous (92+)

Roumier's 2011 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos de La Bussière is terrific. Dark plum and cherry notes meld into cloves, menthol and spices in a layered wine dripping with class. Veins of underlying minerality give the 2011 much of its energy and tension. Although Christophe Roumier's wines have become objects of desire for Burgundy lovers all over the world, the Clos de La Bussière remains the most under-appreciated of his wines, mostly because it is often much less charming young than the Chambolles. Readers who can cellar the 2011 are in for a real treat.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (94-97)

Good deep, bright red. Pungent aromas of small wild berries, mint, rose petal and orange peel, plus a whiff of jammy blackberry. Marvelously silky and sweet, offering an uncanny combination of sheer concentration and inner-mouth perfume and vinosity. This struck me as almost more powerful than its 2010 sibling, with more of an impression of weight. Finishes with palate-staining persistence, a hint of violet and great snap.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (90-92)

Good red-ruby. Complex, wild aromas of blackberry, violet, minerals, smoke and underbrush. Very dense and sappy, with impressively intense flavors of blackberry and crushed stone. The strongest but also the most austere of these young 2003s, with the explosive finish featuring a whiplash of black fruits and crushed stone.

James Suckling (98)

Glorious aromas of roses, whole white truffles, earth and raspberry. Dusty. Subtle rosemary and lemon grass too. Full-bodied, tight and structured. Yet it opens and caresses every inch of your palate. So gorgeous now to drink. No Monfortino in this year; so absolutely amazing because it all went in here. Wow. Drink or hold.

Vinous (95+)

A dark, virile wine, the 2011 Barolo Cerretta shows just how far Conterno has come with this site. The flavors are dark, bold and incisive throughout, with plenty of dark red cherry, plum, leather, smoke, tar, licorice and scorched earth overtones. Powerful and intense, with a real sense of vertical structure, Cerretta is going to need time to settle down. There is none of the early appeal of the vintage here, so readers will have to be patient. This is going to be a fascinating wine to follow as it ages over the coming decades.

Wine Advocate (95)

A profound offering fashioned from 93- to 140-year-old vines, the 2003 Old Vine Collection Shiraz boasts extraordinary elegance and precision along with a deep, black raspberry and cassis-scented nose, beautiful sweetness, a peppery, spicy purity on the attack, full body, superb ripeness, decent acidity, and a long, heady, supple finish. It should drink well for a minimum of 10-15 years.

Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (86-89)

(80% merlot; 14.7% alcohol) Medium ruby-red. Nose dominated by cassis and black cherry. Sweet, dense and vinous, with fresh flavors of black cherry, dark chocolate and mint. Finishes with building tannins that are supported by the wine's density of material.

Wine Advocate (90)

This experimental, concentrated, 100% Merlot from a vineyard planted with 10,000 vines per hectare, is treated like a pampered child in its viticulture, fermentation and upbringing in barrel. Made by the Despagne family, this luxury cuvee has been a brilliant success in just about every vintage they have released to date. The 2011 is a big, robust effort whose exuberant tannins, which are not fully integrated, suggest caution may be needed. Loaded with sweet, rich, chocolaty berry fruit intermixed with graphite and vanilla notes, it still reveals some new oak, so some additional time in the bottle is warranted. It is hard to believe that a wine that carries a Bordeaux appellation exhibits the courage and visionary zeal needed to produce something like this. This offering should drink well for a decade, but the tannins need to be better integrated for it to fully merit an outstanding score.

Wine Advocate (89-91)

No tasting note given.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Dark ruby. Fragrant and full bodied and flattering. Solid with some lead pencil character. A big beefy mouthful but definitively left bank. This may well be good value and provide lots of solid preasure but it will never be subtle...

Jancis Robinson (18+)

Pale crimson (much bluer than the Villero). Dense and meaty on the nose. Masses of tannin and extract with autumn leaves. Not nearly as open as the Villero.

Indulge in the exquisite Grand Tinel Chateauneuf Du Pape Alexis Establet 2003, a true embodiment of Provençal luxury. This remarkable wine hails from the esteemed Grand Tinel winery, lauded for its generations-old tradition of crafting fine wines in the sun-kissed valleys of the Rhône region in France. The savoir-faire of the Jeune family, who have been vignerons since 1846, comes forth in this elegant red blend, sculpted predominantly from old-vine Grenache.

Meticulously produced with grapes handpicked at optimum maturity, the wine undergoes a lengthy fermentation in a mix of stainless steel and wood, before maturing in oak barrels. The result is a robust wine, with a deep garnet hue, harmonious aromas of ripe berries, spices and subtle hints of vanilla. The Grand Tinel Chateauneuf Du Pape Alexis Establet 2003 provides a gratifying, full-bodied palate with a seamless balance of tannin and alcohol, culminating in a captivativing finish.

Wine Spectator (94)

Blockbuster. Black color, with intense aromas of dried herbs, berries and blackberries. Full-bodied, rich and powerful, with big, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Superb. Almost classic. Greatest wine ever from this estate. Score range: 92-94

Wine Advocate (95)

The 2000 Château Grand Puy Lacoste is an exceptional wine from Xavier Borie. It has a brilliant nose of blackberry, crushed stone, graphite and cedar. Putting it to one side for ten to 15 minutes reveals subtle mint-like aromas that whisk you straight to Pauillac. The palate is smooth and silky, cloaking the tannic frame of this GPL so that you barely notice it. But that will stand it in good stead for the long-term, the cornerstone of all great wines from this estate. Then there is that hint of spice on the aftertaste—the show ain't over yet. Served alongside a magnum of Pichon Baron 2000, I would say that at the moment, it does not quite possess the same level of precision. However, it remains a magnificent Pauillac to cherish long-term. Tasted January 2016.

The Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz 2011 is an exquisite embodiment of Australian viticulture, handcrafted in the renowned Barossa Valley, South Australia. Produced by Greenock Creek, a family-owned winery noted for its artisanal approach, this Shiraz promises an unparalleled tasting experience. The 2011 vintage is a triumphant demonstration of meticulous grape selection and traditional winemaking techniques.

Aged for 30 months in French and American oak hogsheads, it presents an intoxicating symphony of dark berries and spice, underpinned by firm tannin structure and impressive longevity. Layered and full-bodied, the Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz 2011 delves into harmonious depths of plum, blackberry and mocha, seamlessly merging with notes of black pepper and anise. Its luxurious finish reiterates the hand of an accomplished winemaker in every drop.

Amplify your cellar collection with the Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz 2011 — a sigh of the Barossa Valley's terroir, adorned in a bottle.

Wine Spectator (95-100)

This wine is black. Super aromas of licorice and tar, then violets. Full-bodied, with sleek and racy tannins. Very long finish. Best Gruaud ever? Score range: 95-100

Wine Spectator (95-100)

This wine is black. Super aromas of licorice and tar, then violets. Full-bodied, with sleek and racy tannins. Very long finish. Best Gruaud ever? Score range: 95-100

Wine Spectator (95-100)

This wine is black. Super aromas of licorice and tar, then violets. Full-bodied, with sleek and racy tannins. Very long finish. Best Gruaud ever? Score range: 95-100

Wine Spectator (95-100)

Pure cassis and raspberry sauce with vanilla. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and a finish that lasts a very long time. Awesome wine. This is very close in quality to the 2000. Score range: 95-100

Wine Spectator (94)

Very focused, with a lovely beam of lightly steeped red currant, bitter cherry and plum fruit flavors that glides atop singed cedar, black tea and dried star anise notes. The long finish is very fine-grained. A gorgeous wine. Best from 2016 through 2027.

Wine Advocate (99)

A step up over the other two single vineyard releases, the 2011 Cote Rotie la Landonne is an incredible wine that knocks it out of the park in the vintage. Its inky purple/ruby color is followed by to-die-for notes of cassis, black olives, truffles, graphite and crushed rock. Full-bodied, massively concentrated, thick and unctuous, it has the vintage’s flamboyant fruit profile, yet backs it up with a stacked mid-palate, serious amounts of tannin and a finish that just won’t quite. It’s relatively approachable now due to its glycerin and fat, yet needs a decade of cellaring and will knock your socks off over the following two decades or more.

Wine Advocate (100)

A desert island wine (as is just about any top vintage of the cuvee) and a gorgeous showing, the 2003 Cote Rotie la Mouline is drinking beautifully, yet is still young, loaded with fruit, and possesses over-the-top richness. Giving up notions of plum, liquid flowers, potpourri and smoked meats, this puppy is full-bodied, massive and layered on the palate, with a stacked mid-palate, thrilling amounts of texture, and a blockbuster-styled finish. There’s nothing classic about it, but it’s still as good as it gets.

Wine Advocate (100)

I’ve always loved the 2003s from the Guigal family and the 2003 Cote Rotie la Turque has yet to ever disappoint. An incredible perfume of smoked herbs, charred meats, violets, licorice and blackcurrants gives way to a huge, unctuous, powerful Cote Rotie that has masses of ripe, sweet tannin, full-bodied richness and a finish that just won’t quit. Enjoy this heavenly elixir over the coming 2-3 decades.