97 Yohan Castaing - Robert Parker's the Wine Advocate

From grapes picked in the Le Leon area, a single-plot vineyard covering 2.5 hectares, the 2014 Le Léon extra brut from Philipponnat has a gorgeous, fresh bouquet with aromas of white pepper, spring flowers, red berries, pear, white fruits and menthol intertwined with vanilla and spice notes. Medium to full-bodied, incisive and pure, it’s crystalline with a delicate, beautifully fine-boned and intensely mineral palate that concludes with a penetrating, mouthwatering, very long finish. This 100% Pinot Noir could see its 20th anniversary in fine form.

93 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2008 Monteverro is a superb wine from the Tuscan coast. Dark wild cherries, sweet herbs, mocha, espresso and spices are some of the notes that flow from this beautifully balanced, large-scaled red. This shows marvelous depth and nuance, not to mention exceptional harmony. Monteverro is Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in French oak. This is an impressive debut. Ideally the wine needs another year or two for the French oak to settle down.

88 Wine Enthusiast

This is a medium-bodied, food friendly Chard that opens with notes of ripe fruit: banana, lemon and orange, backed by flinty, toasty oak characters. The mouthfeel is creamy but the citrus fruit is a touch sour, sitting a little heavily. It lifts and brightens on the finish, however, and wants for the right food pairing.

91-93 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2021 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru has quite a stern nose, plenty of mineralité and terroir expression here, a mixture of red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly candied red fruit on the entry, brown spices, hints of liquorice towards the finish with fine persistence. Promising, though it needs to gain a little more weight.

98+ Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

"Showing awesome aromatics, as well as an incredible depth on the palate, the 2015 El Alma de Jonata (74% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot) reveals an inky purple color as well as killer notes of blackcurrant, spring flowers, dark chocolate, bay leaf and licorice. Possessing full-bodied richness, gorgeous purity of fruit, lots of chalky tannin, and a great finish, this is easily a candidate for the finest Cabernet Franc made in America. It needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for two decades."

88 Wine Spectator

Dark, dense and ripe, delivering a focused beam of blueberry and dried cherry fruit, accented by black licorice and smoky pepper hints. Drink now through 2021. 950 cases made.

93 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2017 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages is beautiful, with gorgeous kirsch, cassis, ground pepper, and new leather aromas and flavors. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure, elegant red that has fine tannins and a great finish.

96 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2020 was a challenging year that gave them a lot of work in the vineyard, but it it paid off. The 2020 Laurel feels very elegant, balanced and fresh, a little lighter perhaps, with perfectly ripe tannins, a little in line with 2016 or 2013. It might be a little unusual for the house style or perhaps a slight change, as they are gradually going for softer vinifications; you don't really need to extract in Priorat, because the wines are powerful enough on their own. It's still extremely young and has a lactic touch (that blows off with a bit of time in the glass); it was only bottled at the end of May 2022, three months before I tasted it. Even if it's the second wine here, it's a wine that needs a little bit of time and improves in the bottle. Having said that, the 2020s feel more open, expressive and approachable than the 2019s, which are more tannic and powerful while the 2020s feel a little more Burgundian if you like. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Laurel so far. After some time in the glass, the aromatics of the Syrah (which was perhaps a little more this year, some 12% versus 8% in 2019) made an appearance—violets, smoked bacon. Daphne Glorian told me that everything was easy, that the wine was expressive and open from day one and that the fermentations were smooth. There are some 19,000 bottles of this.

94 Wine Enthusiast

"Floral aromas of rose and iris mingle with red berry and tilled earth on this perfumed red. Elegantly structured, the vibrant palate offers juicy red cherry, crushed raspberry and star anise before a savory, almost salty finish. Taut, refined tannins and bright acidity keep it balanced. Drink through 2030. -KO"

93 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2018 Barolo Cascina Nuova is fine-tuned with plenty of wild berry, cassis, grilled herb and crushed stone. The aromas are quite classic for Nebbiolo, but what stands out here is the directness and freshness with which they are delivered. The tannins are tucked carefully inside the smooth, silky character of this elegant wine. 20,000 bottles were produced."

92 Wine Spectator

"Starts out savory, offering juniper, eucalyptus and mint notes swirling around a core of cherry and plum fruit. Sleek, vibrant and firm, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit and herbs. Best from 2025 through 2040. 1,670 cases made, 500 cases imported. -BS"

98 Decanter

"Owned by Groupe Taillan, with Eric Boissenot as consultant winemaker, the estate is currently converting to organic. This is 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31.5% Merlot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc, vinified in wooden vats and cement tanks, then 18-24 months in French oak barriques. Georgie Hindle: Great clarity. Nice crunchy red fruits with mint notes and milk chocolate creaminess. So balanced and well delivered. A touch of wood spice gives the finish a piquance. Vincenzo Arnese: Fresh, pure nose – a complex mix of red fruits and plum, with integrated oak and lively structure. Elegant and linear, this shows potential but also evolution. Andy Howard MW: An intriguing wine, still quite reticent on the nose. Needs time. Dark berry fruit, plenty of spice and minty notes. Will blossom with a few more years in the bottle. Drinking Window 2023 - 2048"

94 Wine Advocate - Wine Advocate

A barrel sample made up of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31.5% Merlot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Gruaud Larose offers a lifted nose of violets and kirsch over a core of cassis, baked plums and black raspberries with hints of cigar box, menthol and dark chocolate. Medium-bodied, elegant and very finely structured with ripe tannins and lovely freshness, it has loads of vibrant red and black fruits with a mineral-laced finish.

95 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder comes from the Amentet Vineyard and is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. Its deep purple/blue color is followed by a powerful, structured wine that gives up beautiful black and blue fruits, notes of graphite, crushed rock, lavender, and tobacco, a medium to full-bodied, concentrated mouthfeel, and a great finish. This beautiful mountain Cabernet needs 4-5 years of bottle age but should keep for 20-25+ years.

97-99+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Haut-Brion is a blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc aging in 62.9% new oak. The nose is typically closed and broody, requiring a lot of shaking to wake up enticing notes of iron ore, red roses, lavender, mint tea, and forest floor, leading to a tantalizing core of plum preserves and blueberry pie. The medium to full-bodied palate is very tightly knit with vibrant black and blue fruit layers and red berry sparks, framed by very fine-grained tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing long and minerally. A classic, breath-taking expression of Haut-Brion, I expect this to remain shy and restrained for the first 10 years so in bottle, and then watch it soar.

98-99 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Currants and cedar with sandalwood and peaches. Fascinating aromas. Violets. Full-bodied with a crunchy and electric palate of primary fruit, with hints of tangerines and citrus. Great finish with structure and polish. 53.6% merlot, 35.4% cabernet sauvignon and 11% cabernet franc. Interesting to have such high merlot in the blend.

97-99 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2022 Haut-Brion comes across as a bit restrained, given the natural opulence of the year and the other wines in the Clarence Dillon portfolio. Deep and wonderfully layered, the 2022 possesses remarkable depth but also a bit less of the explosive energy that is such a Haut-Brion signature. I suspect that will come in time, as the 2022 starts to show quite a bit better with a little aeration. Violet, gravel, incense, leather, tobacco and scorched earth linger. Superb.

96-98 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2022 Haut-Brion, matured in 70% new oak, represents the 99th vintage under three generations of the Delmas family (see my recently published book for a remarkable photo of the first). It has slightly darker fruit than the La Mission at the moment. Incense and potpourri infuse the black plum and bilberry. There's a touch of brine in the background. It manifests more and more complexity as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and is blessed with unerring symmetry. It has a bewitching granular texture, complex and more focused than recent vintages, and comes across as almost pixelated on the finish. Quintessential Haut-Brion. Magnificent, but not necessarily the best wine that Delmas oversaw in this vintage.

96-98 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

Slightly better than its sibling La Mission Haut-Brion, the 2022 Château Haut-Brion has a full-bodied, concentrated, structured style that's going to demand bottle age. Cassis, graphite, scorched earth, and tobacco are just some of its nuances aromatically, and it shows the ripe, powerful style of the vintage. There are lots of tannins here, especially on the finish, and it's going to need 7-8 years in the cellar.

95-97 Yohan Castaing - Robert Parker's the Wine Advocate

The 2022 Haut-Brion shows considerable promise, revealing aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with notions of pencil lead, licorice, tobacco leaf, spices and incense. Full-bodied, broad and seamless, it's rich and muscular, with a deep, layered core of fruit framed by an ample endowment of tannin. This blend of 53.6% Merlot, 35.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc, the result is a lip-smacking exemplification of controlled power. Analytically, the 2022 possesses a similar level of tannins to the 2010, and a similar pH to the 2009, yet it is more suave and polished than the 2010 at the same stage, and seemingly more dynamic than the 2009.

98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

This is a very linear red and layered at the same time, showing blackberry, blueberry, black-truffle, bark and stone character. Chalk and minerality, too. It’s full-bodied and well framed with gorgeous intensity and freshness. Muscular with wonderful structure and brightness. Salty and savory notes on the finish. Try after 2024.

97 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2018 Troplong Mondot will take readers who haven't tasted these wines in a few years aback. Stunning in its aromatic presence, the 2018 is silky, medium-in body and super-refined. Once again, I am blown away by the wine's total sense of precision. The Cabernets are only 15% of the blend, and yet the 2018 is so strongly marked by floral and savory accents. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, mint, rose petal and lavender all build in the glass. The 2018 is regal, refined and absolutely exquisite.

97 Jane Anson - Decanter

One of the stories of the 2018 vintage in Bordeaux was Troplong Mondot bringing in its first grapes on 7 September. Proof, many suggested, of director Aymeric de Gironde going too far in his quest to rewrite Troplong's powerful style. It certainly made me excited to try this wine, and I hope the sceptics were too, because this is a brilliant Troplong. Oh, and although around 80% of the grapes did come in during those first 10 days, the final harvest date was 10 October.There's clear depth just in the colour alone, and impressive complexity on the nose. There's still a whole lot of Troplong strength and concentration here, you can't get away from that with these clay and flint over limestone soils, but now it is softer, with more minerality. The relatively high alcohols are apparent in the texture but not as heat. I love the persistency here, as it drags things out in the most delicious of ways, with a slate and white pepper finish. Of the new vineyards bought (4ha from Clos Labarde and 6ha from Bellisle Mondotte), everything is in the second wine this year. The château will probably ask for some sections to be included in the grand vin in the next classification in 2022. 3.56pH. Thomas Duclos consults.

96 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2018 Château Troplong Mondot showed beautifully. Based on 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it reveals a dense purple color as well as ripe beautiful aromatics of black cherries, red plums, graphite, espresso, Asian spices, and gravelly earth. Beautiful on the palate as well, it's medium to full-bodied and has a rounded, expansive texture, plenty of mid-palate depth, building tannins, and present yet integrated oak. This classic, impressive Troplong Mondot will need 5-7 years of bottle age but will evolve for 30 years or more.

96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2018 Troplong Mondot is blended of 85% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc, with 15% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, with considerable coaxing and swirling it slowly emerges from the glass like a waking giant, building to a towering bouquet of preserved plums, blueberry pie and Morello cherries with gentler wafts of violets, star anise, fruitcake and cast-iron pan. The concentrated, full-bodied palate possesses impressive purity and brightness of fruit commingled with richer, riper elements and supported by firm, velvety tannins, finishing with lovely freshness and on a lingering ferrous note. It's a wine that's not just delicious, it's seriously interesting too.

91 Wine Spectator

"Juicy and open in feel, with friendly plum sauce and blackberry preserves carried by black licorice and singed apple wood. Fruit-driven, but with good underlying juicy energy. Drink now through 2033. 784 cases made. -JM"

100 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

"One of the wines of the vintage is the 2018 Château Pavie, and Gérard Perse continues to produce one of the greatest wines in the world, in just about every vintage. Based on 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 shows the slightly more restrained style of the estate today yet still brings classic Pavie richness, depth, and grandeur. Revealing a deep purple color as well as a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, damp earth, tobacco, chalk, and lead pencil shavings, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, incredible purity, a dense, concentrated mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like sense of minerality on the blockbuster finish. There's a backward, inward style here that actually reminds me of the 2000. This is another magical, probably immortal wine from this terroir that marries power with elegance perfectly. Don't miss it!"

99 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Impressive aromas of pure, crushed blackberries and brambleberries with red and black licorice and black olives, as well as incense, following through to a full body with round, creamy tannins and lots of fruit. Yet, it’s tight and reserved at the finish. Needs three or four years to open and start showing its true character. Powerful and linear. Cellar-bound. Try after 2026."

99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2018 Pavie is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has a 3.58 pH and 14.48% alcohol. Very deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with a fabulously expressive nose of crème de cassis, baked plums and blueberry preserves, leading to an impressive array of nuances, featuring notions of dark chocolate, camphor, licorice, rose petals and fertile loam, plus hints of crushed rocks and iron ore. The rich, full-bodied palate offers layer upon layer of opulent black and blue fruits with loads of exotic spice sparks and pretty floral and mineral accents, supported by firm, super plush tannins and remarkable tension, finishing with epic length and depth. This could only be Pavie. It makes for a seductively stylish glass now, but patience will be rewarded if it is afforded 5-7 years in bottle, at least, then drink it over the next 30+ years.

98 Wine Spectator

"This is packed with raspberry, plum and boysenberry compote flavors that sail through thanks to the unencumbered feel provided by the polished structure. Fine chalky threads curl throughout as this opens in the glass, with flamboyant flashes of apple wood, anise and violet emerging through the finish. Youthfully dense, but everything is in proportion. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2040. — JM"

91 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Heitz's regular 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon features a slightly minty-eucalyptus edge, cherries and a hint of leather. Medium-bodied and concentrated, this is silky and fine, finishing a bit tart. Personally, I'd prefer to see more mid-palate richness, but that's not the style being pursued here.