99 Erin Larkin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This wine comes with high expectations—as does the vintage. The 2018 vintage across South Australia (and cheekily, we could probably extend the accolade to all of Australia) was excellent. It was warm, but without incident, and responsible for powerfully ripe, serious wines. Many producers made some of their best wines in this vintage. So here, to the 2018 Grange: there is spiced raspberry, lashings of salted licorice, red curry paste, layers of forest berries, rendered lamb fat and crushed pink peppercorns to start. In the mouth, the tannins close around the fruit with the same polish and seamlessness as the 2008, possibly the 2004? Very different vintages, but there is a textural similarity for me. This is polished and glossy and so very pretty. It contains 3% Cabernet Sauvignon this year, and 69% Barossa, 18% McLaren Vale and the balance from Clare Valley. Each of the regions brings with it its own characteristics. Barossa brings the red dirt, blood, deli meat and rust. McLaren Vale brings the plush purple fruits with a side of meat and licorice. Clare brings the polish, the opulence and the velvet texture. With their powers combined, this is an extraordinary Grange. One of the true greats, which will only get better as it ages.

93 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 Rubus Quercus (Juanvi Quercus in the US) is a blend of approximately 70% Garnacha and 30% Miguel del Arco from 40- to 50-year-old vines at 800 to 960 meters in altitude. 2021 was cooler, healthy but low yielding because of a snowstorm in January and frost in April. It fermented with some 10% full clusters and indigenous yeasts with a long maceration of four weeks and matured in second and third used 500-liter oak barrels for six months. It has a bright ruby color and a perfumed and floral nose and is elegant, very tasty, harmonious and nuanced. It's spicy and fresh, with integrated oak, and it's more soil- than fruit-driven. It's ripe with 14.4% alcohol and good freshness. 6,600 bottles were filled in two lots, in May and December 2022.

95 Wine Enthusiast

Subtle baking spice and oak-toast aromas lead to a silky smooth palate alive with nuances of white peaches, vanilla bean, cream and poached pears. The wine is luscious but balanced, quiet on the first sip and then growing in flavor impact with each repeated taste. Best from 2026–2036.

90 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2021 Chardonnay (Napa Valley) is a pretty rich wine that offers quite a bit of textural intensity supported by bright, brisk acids. Lemon oil, mint, white flowers and chalk add vibrancy to a deep core of citrus fruit.

90 Wine Enthusiast

Aromas of dried botanical herbs, eucalyptus and spice lift out of the glass. The taut, linear palate offers blood orange, Morello cherry, licorice and coffee bean alongside close-grained tannins that grip the close.

95 Decanter

Dense raisin, oak and bramble compote nose. The palate has a good sense of purity, with notes of blackberry and black cherry fruit. Smooth and approachable, with a good volume of filigreed tannin in the background and a very long, savoury finish. Well-balanced, not excessive; complete and unforced.

94 Wine Enthusiast

"A superbly dense, concentrated wine so rich in flavor that it almost has a brooding, dark quality. The hint of medicinal character just gives all this intensity a lift, and goes with flavors of roasted nuts and licorice. The aftertaste has just the right acidity."

93 Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

Attractively fruited and immediately appealing on the nose with green rockmelon, apricot, lemon zest and fresh herb aromas, it's juicy and flavoursome in the mouth delivering vibrant fruit flavours with crisp acidity, finishing long and mouth-watering. At its best: now to 2024.

89 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2022 Meursault Les Malpoiriers, matured using 20% clay jars, has a well-defined bouquet with citrus peel, hazelnut and light smoky aromas. The palate is well-balanced with a smooth, slightly honeyed texture, with touches of ginger and almond infusing the clean fruit. With just a hint of viscosity on the finish, this is a commendable Meursault that should give a decade of drinking pleasure.

98+ Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The flagship 2020 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron is pure gold, a full-bodied, rich, powerful 2020 displaying the vintage's purity, focus, and structure front and center. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, its dense purple hue is followed by a mammoth-sized bouquet of cassis, blackberries, smoked earth, graphite, and cedar pencil. With ripe tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and one heck of a finish, it comes closest in my mind to the estate 2010, and I think is clearly in the same realm as the 1989, 1990, 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2019. It offers pleasure today, but it certainly warrants 7-8 years, a decade if possible, of bottle age and will have 40-50 years of overall longevity.

98 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2020 Pichon Baron is every bit as magnificent as it was en primeur. A wine of vertical intensity and explosive power, the 2020 offers up an exotic mix of dark red/black fruit, espresso, licorice, menthol, gravel and dried herbs. This potent, driving Pauillac needs time to come together. It marries the fruit intensity of a warm year with the driving energy of a cool year. The 2020 is a gorgeous Pichon Baron.

98 Wine Enthusiast

"Made with a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine offers dark tannins that give density and massive black fruits. With a magnificent combination of dark fruits and rich structure, it is set for long-term aging. Drink from 2028. -RV"

98 Decanter

The nose exudes the same winning combination of dark berry fruit and freshness as well as power and sensual pleasure that has become a hallmark of Pichon Baron. The palate provides the same winning alliance between dense, fleshy texture and delicate freshness. What stands out in this vintage is its already irresistible charm at this stage, which one hopes will last for a long while, but patience over the next 10 years will undoubtedly be rewarded.

97 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

This young Bordeaux is totally seamless with fine, velvet-like tannins that are integrated and refined. Underlying freshness and verve. It’s full-bodied, linear and long with a compact palate.

97 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The brilliant 2020 Pichon-Longueville Baron offers up inviting aromas of sweet berries and cassis mingled with pipe tobacco, loamy soil, pencil shavings and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, its velvety attack segues into a concentrated mid-palate that's framed by rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, vibrant finish. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, it's a true classic that's a touch less demonstrative out of the gates than the sensual 2019, but which in the fullness of time will prove every bit as good."

97 Wine Spectator

This has a very large-scaled yet properly proportioned core of cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors that are remarkably pure and focused. Buried deep within is a sleek, vibrant iron spine that drives the finish as the fruit keeps pace. Extra savory, tobacco and cedar nuances fill out all the remaining available space. A towering wine, with a buttoned-up feel. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045. 12,404 cases made. (Wine #8 of 2023, Wine Spectator Top 100)

97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, the 2020 Pichon Baron is deep garnet-purple in color. It gallops out of the glass with powerful notes of creme de cassis, blackberry pie, and licorice, followed by suggestions of rose petals, Indian spices, and cedar chest with a touch of mocha. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and fresh with fine-grained tannins supporting the bright black fruits, finishing long and perfumed.

94 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Aromas of red cherries, restrained black pepper, graphite and flowers. Full-bodied with tingling acidity and warming alcohol. Firm, chalky yet ripe tannins that are just a bit tight at the end, otherwise a good, toasty finish. Exuberant fruit yet balanced overall by the structure. Drink or hold."

93-95 Jasper Morris, MW - Inside Burgundy

Just Vieilles Vignes on the label as the vines, despite being all one plot, cross over the border from Faconnières into Chenevery. They were planted in 1936, 1942/43 and 1952. Lovely mid-purple with a beautifully classy nose, this has perfume plus fruit weight plus a suggestion of high-class intensity and complexity. A wonderful, complex and energetic finish! This is probably the best 2017 Morey St Denis 1er Cru I have tasted. Tasted: March 2019

89-90 Jasper Morris, MW - Inside Burgundy

Assembled in tank in late July, having been in older and mostly larger barrels. To bottle in December. Clear pale colour. Lots of energy here, this is very much the Bourgogne Blanc that I know and appreciate from Dominique Lafon. Pure white fruit, fresh apple, medium body but with perfect poise and impressive length

95 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2012 Solaia is the ultimate comfort wine: It serves as a beautiful monument to the potential of Italian wine. Let me give you some context. My lukewarm review of the 2011 vintage caused some heads to turn. Happily, the previous vintage has served as a springboard for this current release. Both 2011 and 2012 come from hot climatic conditions, but these wines are very different in style and content. The 2011 heat softened the lines that make up the varietal identity of this celebrated Tuscan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese. Those lines are presented in sharp focus with the 2012 edition. The nose is redolent of dark berry, crushed mineral, plum, spice and touch of white pepper. The wine is integrated and seamless, but it speaks with a strong and articulate voice.

96 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

Blackberry jam, cassis, grilled herbs and melted road tar meld together in the 2011 Solaia. Another super-exotic, racy 2011 from Antinori, Solaia is supremely beautiful. Mocha, espresso and sage are some of the many notes that add complexity. Hints of white truffle, lavender, smoke and licorice are laced into the exotic, racy finish. In 2011, Solaia has a dollop more of Cabernet Franc in the blend, added to give the wine a touch of freshness. Ripe and flashy to the core, the 2011 needs time to lose some of its youthful exuberance. At times, the 2011 could be easily mistaken for a wine from Napa Valley, such is its intensity.