95 Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Drunk in Florence with great friends at the end of our inaugural Connoisseur Week Tuscany, this was just utter heaven. Elderflower aromatics, wet stone, quince, green apple, totally moreish. Marchesi Antinori began bottling this Vermentino in 1996, putting the spotlight on a grape variety that does brilliantly in Bolgheri.

94 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% each Carmenère, Merlot and Petit Verdot, Quintessa's 2022 Red Wine initially offers up mossy, savory and earthy notes, but those are backed by layers of mixed red and black cherries, plus some plummier bass notes. Aged 22 months in 60% New French oak, there are hints of cedar and vanilla as well. In the mouth, the wine is medium- to full-bodied, fairly broad on the palate, showing some effects of the vintage's early September heat wave, stretching the wine's structural tannins into a coarser weave than typical, without upsetting the overall sense of harmony on the lingering finish.

97 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

Exotic red and black fruits, minty herbs, chocolate, and hints of iron define the aromatics of the 2023 Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot raised in new barrels. It's medium to full-bodied, has a deep, concentrated, yet focused mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, nicely integrated oak, and a great finish. This flawlessly balanced effort will drink well over the next 20+ years. Drink 2025-2045.

93 Wine Spectator

"Lovely aromas and flavors of ripe black cherry and currant fruit, graphite, toast and candied Meyer lemon zest are set in this racy Champagne, with a refined, finely detailed mousse. The mouthwatering finish is long and spicy. Drink now through 2022."

91+ John Gilman - View from the Cellar

"While I am not certain that there are still different bottlings of this wine for different markets, it was certainly the policy of the Grandes Marques up until very recently to have slightly different versions of their non-vintage Bruts for various locales. I am guessing that the bottling of Bollinger 'Speciale Cuvée' for the American market still has a touch more dosage than the French bottling (the US almost always used to get sweeter versions of Brut than other markets), as this seemed to have its steely structural elements just a bit more buffered out of the blocks, and though the two wines are quite similar qualitatively, there is little doubt that for immediate drinking, this is the more pleasurable version than its French counterpart. The bouquet is excellent, offering up scents of apple, warm bread, a touch of orange zest, lovely minerality and a gentle topnote of smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and beautifully balanced, with refined mousse, crisp acids and excellent length and grip on the complex and poised finish. To my palate, the dosage here is perfectly measured to seamlessly buffer the lovely acidity here and the wine just dances across the palate. High class non-vintage Brut. 2013-2025+." (08/13)

90 Allen Meadows - Burghound

"An expressive and attractively layered nose offers up notes of brioche, yeast and baked apple scents. Much like the Brut Rosé the effervescence is prominent to the point of being foamy yet it is not aggressive as the bead is quite fine on the moderately complex, round and delicious flavors that deliver fine if not truly exceptional persistence on the intensely yeasty finish." (09/12)

90 Wine & Spirits

"At every turn of flavor, barrel-fermented base wines add opulence to this Champagne with scents of apple wood, ginger and mustard seed balancing the youthful fruit. The flavors buzz with acidity and richness, a contrast of green apple with broader notes of baked apple; the texture is creamy, the finish completely clean. The wine’s structure is substantial enough to serve with sliced, seared beef filet at a holiday party." (12/13)

92 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

A blend of Grenache and Syrah brought up in tank, the 2022 Côtes Du Rhône Villages Sainte Cecile Philippe is a beautiful Southern Rhône with tons to love. Revealing a vivid yet translucent ruby, as well as a sweet nose of red and black fruits, peppery garrigue, leather, and some meaty, olive notes, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, terrific mid-palate depth, and a great finish. Drink this classic, complex, utterly satisfying 2022 over the coming 7-8 years. Give it an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon.