16 Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages

A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Vinified in truncated tanks. Aged in concrete tanks for eight months and truncated tanks for 12 months. Tank sample. Tasted blind. Very attractive nose with crushed, soft red fruits, spice and garrigue. The palate is juicy, with leather, black tea and very noticeable alcohol. There is a streak of toasty oak on the finish. Rounded, heady and dense and, when the oak integrates, it will be very pretty. (AC)

16 Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages

Tasted blind. Very inviting nose with almond kernel, apricot, peach and mealy notes. A core of zippy freshness, bergamot and apricot and a moderate finish – plenty to enjoy here! (AC)

96+ Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2013 Ornellaia continues to put on weight with time in bottle. I have tasted the 2013 three times over the last few months and watched it blossom over that time. Fresh, vibrant and tightly wound, the 2013 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. There is striking purity to the aromas and flavors, along with plenty of tension and enough energy to reward cellaring.

96 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This wine will be released in May 2016. The 2013 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is an integrated and seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Alex Heinz tells me that 2013 was a difficult vintage especially towards the early part of the growing season. It balanced out during the summer and allowed for steady ripening of fruit before the harvest. But 2013 was not as hot as 2011 and 2012 overall, and this edition of Ornellaia is beautifully tonic and shapely as a result. The bouquet is very developed in terms of aromas this year with beautiful notes of dark fruit, tobacco and spice. Those perfumes are just gorgeous. The mouthfeel is similarly intense with tannins that are still young, but are already silky and linear in nature. This vintage promises a long aging future.

93 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The white 2023 Rocim & Barbeito A Meias is a collaboration between Barbeito and Heredade do Rocim from Alentejo where they are famous for their use of amphorae. So, they produced a varietal Verdelho that fermented and matured in clay amphorae that they sent from Alentejo to Madeira. It has a moderate 11% alcohol and is mineral, wide and faintly salty, serious, clean and nuanced, characterful, vibrant and fresh, long and tasty. This is quite impressive. Only 322 numbered bottles produced.

91 Wine Enthusiast

This deep and earthy blend hits on the nose with aromas of spiced cherry compote, dark cocoa powder, coffee and flowers, while the palate brings massive tannin structure and flavors of black plum, coffee, mint and cinnamon. Great value is an understatement here for a wine with this aging potential. Best from 2030 on.

93 Billy Norris - Vinous Media

Another wine in this range of compelling identity, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon marries old-school varietal signatures with midweight texture and fruit-forward approachability. Rich blackberry, dark chocolate, grilled herbs and sweet pipe tobacco flesh out in the glass. Generous but not heavy, the 2023 will delight lovers of New World-inflected but classically built wines. Fabulous.

92 Matthew Luczy - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A lovely mix of old-school charm and contemporary polish, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon combines a lush core of dark fruits with lifted, herbal and tobacco nuances. The palate is rich and velvety yet light on its feet as it moves into a deep, resonant finish propelled by chalky tannins and a measured, vibrant spine of acidity.

91 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2024 Barbera d'Alba is another stellar entry-level wine from Burlotto. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, sage and mocha caress the palate. Fabio Alessandria did not bottle Aves, his top Barbera; instead, all of the fruit was used for this bottling. As a result, the 2024 is especially strong. Stylistically, there is a touch of new oak from the Aves lots that went into the blend.

95 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

A graceful wine with cinnamon, earth, strawberries, sweet violets and leesy complexity. There is a lot of fruit depth, with a full body, lifted acidity and dense, ripe, velvety tannins. The finish is polished yet tight. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.

94 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2021 Barolo Castiglione is a superb entry-level Barolo from Vietti. Rich, deep and layered in the glass, the 2021 offers tons of near- and medium-term appeal. The blend of sites is compelling. Dark red-toned fruit, spice, menthol, and licorice are all beautifully amplified. In 2021, the Castiglione approaches the level of the crus, and that is saying something.

95 Aaron Brasher - The Real Review

Young, vibrant and youthful colour in the glass. Black fruit aromas, mulberry and blackberry along with bramble, dried herbs, menthol, cedar and pencil shavings. Dark, rich and full-flavoured, there plenty of blackcurrant, mulberry, dark cherry and spice, there’s a also a lick of soy and meaty umaminess. The wine has a lively line of acidity and granular, layered acidity. Very smart gear, plenty going on.

95 Wine Pilot

Not your shy and retiring kind, 1000 Crowns comes out plush, rich and complex. A fair whack of vanillin oak introduces the black-hearted wine with lifted florals – violet, briar – and tilled earth, undergrowth aromas. The wine can take it. At 14.5% alcohol, it’s on the ripe and generous side. Handsome fine tannins sweep long across the palate emphasising cassis and black fruits with savoury input and some expensive oak-led cigar box characters. Time and patience will reward the drinker.

94 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Showing apricots, peaches and sage, this is layered and savory. On the palate, it’s vibrant and refined with silky texture, crisp acidity and a long finish. From organically and biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink now."

93 Decanter

"Broad and energetic, there's so much going on… Ripe, round and full, with lush, broad and surprisingly developed fruit flavours. Great length."

98 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Recently released (September 2025), Spottswoode's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps slightly bigger than usual for this property but still retains a sense of freshness. Loaded with cassis and blackberries, it's full-bodied, plush and voluptuous, yet also long and mouthwatering on the finish. Wonderfully forward but balanced, the juicy fruit is successfully framed by silky, soft tannins. It's a vintage to enjoy while waiting for the 2021 and 2023 to mature.

94 Eric Guido - Vinous Media

"The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature blends dried sage and rosemary with crushed black cherries and cedar shavings to form its brooding bouquet. Its silken textures soothe as juicy red and blue fruits swirl over a crisp mineral core. The 2023 finishes classically dry and structured, with a subtle citrus tinge as nuances of licorice linger long. There's a level of refinement here that I find quite satisfying, as the Signature has beautiful integration of oak and fruit."

94 Eric Guido - Vinous Media

"The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature blends dried sage and rosemary with crushed black cherries and cedar shavings to form its brooding bouquet. Its silken textures soothe as juicy red and blue fruits swirl over a crisp mineral core. The 2023 finishes classically dry and structured, with a subtle citrus tinge as nuances of licorice linger long. There's a level of refinement here that I find quite satisfying, as the Signature has beautiful integration of oak and fruit."