97 North Coast Wine Competition - North Coast Wine Competition

93 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Very generous and complex aromas of preserved lemons, cheese rind, honeysuckle and lanolin. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with an oily mouthfeel, giving flavors of orange blossoms, lime curd, pastry and baking spices. From a hot vintage. This gives immediate drinking pleasure. Delicious. Drink now. Screw cap."

92 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Flattering nose with cherries, strawberries, toasted bread and sweet spices. It’s medium-bodied with sleek tannins and fresh acidity. So much pomegranate character on the silky palate. Crunchy and succulent with sour cherries towards the juicy finish. Unfiltered. Drink now.

98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"A stunning wine for this vintage although it’s still a bit shy on the nose (more spice than fruit showing than now). There’s wet earth, too, but on the palate it’s bursting with ripe yet subtle flavors. Very long and complex finish that goes on and on."

96 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

A final blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2014 Pontet-Canet is brilliant stuff, and I was able to taste this wine from barrel as well as multiple times from bottle, both at the estate and from a bottle purchased in the United States. It offers a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, tobacco leaf, and minerals, as well as an unmistakable Pauillac lead pencil characteristics that I just adore. Possessing full-bodied richness, a rounded, surprisingly opulent, sexy texture, awesome purity, and sweet, succulent tannin, it’s a sensational 2014 that might just surpass what they accomplished in 2015. This is a 2014 you won’t regret buying in bulk as it’s going to keep for 2-3 decades and be drinkable for the vast majority of it. Bravo to Alfred Tesseron and his team!

96 Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

Cellar Selection - This is a finely structured wine with dark tannins and intense black fruits. The estate, with its biodynamically grown fruit, has given an impressively pure wine, packed with tight serious tannins and a fine structure of black-plum skins and intense acidity. It is direct, firm and with a huge potential over many years. Drink from 2027.

96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

The 2014 Pontet-Canet is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it needs coaxing to reveal a profound core of baked plums, creme de cassis, and cigar box with wafts of tapenade, wood smoke, and mossy bark, plus a spicy hint of cumin seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has an impressive foundation of ripe, grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing on a lingering peppery note.

95+ Antonio Galloni - Vinous

"The 2014 Pontet-Canet seems to have put on quite a bit of weight and volume since I first tasted it from barrel. Ripe, juicy tannins wrap around a core of intense dark cherry, plum, spice, lavender and tobacco. Today, it is the wine's sheer intensity and vertical structure that stands out. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle until at least age ten, and even that is almost certainly not going to be enough time for the 2014 to show the full breadth of its potential. The transformation the 2014 has undergone from a delicate, nuanced Pauillac to a wine of depth is quite remarkable. Tasted three times. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, vinified in equal parts cement and oak and aged in a combination of 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% once used barrels. This is a gorgeous wine from the Tesseron family and the team led by Technical Director Jean-Michel Comme."

95 Decanter

"Classic Cabernet nose of cassis. Lovely purity and depth with a silky texture that caresses the palate – more obviously Pontet-Canet than Pauillac. An extremely fine wine almost in a class of its own."

95 Peter Moser - Falstaff

Dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Spicy, a hint of autumn leaves, blackberry, dried rose hip, black cherry, cassis and suede with air, with subtle nougat in the background. Overall a somewhat shy bouquet that calls for decanting. Powerful, tightly meshed, mineral, fine nougat at the core, ripe, supporting tannins that are still somewhat demanding, mineral-salty finish, seems somewhat closed at the moment, but will show its full certain ageing potential after a certain resting phase. Patience is required here. (2025- 2060).

91 International Wine Report

The 2024 Bourgogne Chardonnay opens with inviting notes of ripe yellow apple, juicy pear, and a gentle hint of vanilla. On the palate, it shows a harmonious balance, with a smooth, rounded texture lifted by a refreshing streak of acidity. Approachable and well-composed, this Chardonnay is showing beautifully and ready to enjoy now.

94 Wine Pilot

Perhaps not a label one envisages encountering on CBD boardroom dining tables, but that would be their loss. That said, there would not be a CFO who would not appreciate the benefit to his bottom line that a wine of such brilliant value would provide. Frankland River Shiraz from a single vineyard, with ten months in French oak barriques. Inky purple colour here, this is delightfully fragrant, full of purple fruit notes. We have aromas swirling through mocha, blackberries, graphite, cigar boxes, chocolate and hints of blueberries. Good intensity, balance and concentration of flavours here. Well-structured with a decade ahead of it, this is seriously good value.

93 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2022 Barbaresco is a pretty rich, heady wine. Dark cherry/plum fruit, cloves, licorice and mocha build as the 2022 shows off its considerable depth. This is one of the few 2022s that is quite resonant texturally. The aromatics could be more lifted and the tannins could use a bit more polish, but those qualities were next to impossible to come by in 2022. The inclusion of some juice from Riserva lots is a great help. All things considered, this is a stellar showing.

91 Falstaff Magazine

Very pale yellow-green, silver reflections. Nuances of yellow tropical fruit, some pineapple, lime zest, mineral touch. Lean, taut, white stone fruit, fine acidity, salty aftertaste, subtle fruit sweetness on the finish, versatile companion at the table.

96 Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

This is precise and brilliantly detailed, showing lime sorbet, fresh fig and delicate floral notes on the nose, followed by a superbly concentrated palate offering excellent fruit purity and finesse. It’s wonderfully supported by elegant texture and lively acidity with a sustained, structured finish. At its best: 2028 to 2044.

96 Wine Enthusiast

Fermented in traditional open-top granite tanks and aged for three years in large wood barrels, this wine celebrates Alicante Bouschet. It has power, dense tannins and a powerfully rich texture. These contrast well with the solid black fruits and the impressive poise and elegance.

95 Decanter

From this large region’s most historic estate, 70% of the blend is Alicante Bouschet, showing exotically spicy black fruit aromas leading to structure and depth on the palate, great individuality, and freshness and acidity for the long term. Excellent. Drinking Window: 2018 - 2030

92 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Vivid, round and juicy, with lemons, limes, fresh herbs and some mild spices on the nose, following through to a medium body with fresh acidity. Lively and succulent, with a delicious finish packed with limes. Drink now. Screw cap.

94 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

Another blended wine like the Chardonnay Granitiers, the 2024 Pinot Noir Montanita De Oro is a celebration of the best mountain sites in Monterey, the 51% majority from Pelio, some Michaud, and the rest from Double LL, each at mid-elevation in different AVAs, including the soon-to-be designated Carmel Coast. Harvested, native-fermented (60% whole cluster), and aged separately, Smith blends them together in the spring to age under a year in new, second-fill, and neutral French oak. The texture is creamy smooth, with a medium-bodied wealth of crisp red fruit and dried herb. Drink now through 2034.

93 Wine Enthusiast

A whisper of flint, green apple and sage aromas drive the nose of this Chardonnay. The palate brings in flavors of crisp pear, Meyer lemon, ginger and citrus blossoms before a soft and lifted finish with echoes of salty lemon peel. — Tom R. Capo