99 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Red currant, lead pencil and terra cotta aromas with some bay leaf and sage. Full-bodied with tight, firm tannins that are polished and very fine. Turns to graphite. Extremely long, refined, polished and exquisite. Best after 2028.

99 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Colgin's 2021 IX Estate is a rich, opulent example, with layers of ripe black cherries and dark chocolate punctuated by hints of sage and bay leaf, plus some vaguely floral notes (violets?). Full-bodied, concentrated, velvety and long, it's another terrific wine that showcases the potential of Pritchard Hill, the investment by the owners and the talent of the winemaking team.

98+ Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

I d wager a Napa Valley legend in the making, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon IX Estate comes from the estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill, and if there was ever a classification of terroirs in the valley, this would check in near the top of the list. Deep purple-hued, with awesome aromatics of pure cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and subtle floral hints, this has that rare mix of power and elegance that defines so many great wines. Full-bodied, concentrated, and flawlessly balanced, it has no shortage of structure and is going to need 7-8 years, if not a decade, to hit full maturity, where it will hold for 2-3 decades.

98 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2021 IX Estate is such an elegant wine. Sleek, aromatic and refined, the 2021 is one of the most polished young wines I have tasted from this site. Red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and mint abound. Silky and delineated, the 2021 is exceptionally beautiful and balanced. Clean saline notes and veins of tannin extend the explosive, sublime finish.

98 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

There was a note in the nose of the 2022 Clos Erasmus that explained that it's friends with the Laurel. In 2022, the Syrah behaved quite well, and some of the Syrah from Erasmus went to Laurel because she didn't want too much Syrah in Erasmus, which can represent perhaps 20% of the blend with a majority of Garnacha. There's aromatic complexity and nuance, with tender notes of wild berries and flowers, some pit fruit, a touch of earth and some sweet spices and smoke. The meaty effect of the Syrah is more noticeable after one hour in the glass. It's medium-bodied, and the palate this year surprised me, because the wine is really fine-boned and elegant, without lacking ripeness or clout. This is certainly not shy at 15.5% alcohol. The tannins are super fine and elegant, with an ethereal quality to them. It's still quite young but approachable. 3,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2024.

94-96 Antonio Galloni - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2010 Nuits St. Georges Les Vaucrains is one of the more delicate wines next to some of the other 2010s. It shows gorgeous fleshiness in its layers of dark red fruit, spices and flowers. The Vaucrains is all about textural elegance and volume. The sensual finish makes this very hard to spit. Today the Vaucrains comes across as silkier and more finessed than the St. Georges, suggesting it may come around a bit earlier. That may also just be wishful thinking on my part. We will see. This is another breathtaking wine from the Chevillon brothers.

96 John Gilman - View from the Cellar

The 2010 Chevillon Vaucrains is another brilliant wine in the making. The deep, youthful and very sappy nose soars from the glass in a blaze of black cherries, pomegranate, nutskins, incipient notes of game, a stunningly complex base of soil, woodsmoke, fresh herbs and new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and complex, with a great core of fruit, seamless balance, substantial and very fine-grained tannins and magical length and grip on the still very primary finish. A great, great wine.

94 Allen Meadows - Burghound

"This is fantastically complex with a kaleidoscopically broad-ranging nose of markedly ripe dark berry fruit, earth and sauvage hints. The palate impression is classic Vaucrains with its rich, full-bodied, intense and overtly robust flavors that culminate in a hugely long yet quite finely balanced finish. This is indisputably a big wine but one that stops short of being forbidding as the copious dry extract buffers the explicitly firm supporting tannins. Still, this strikingly good effort is clearly going to require an extended cellar snooze. In a word, marvelous."

93 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Full-bodied with a silky texture and lots of raisin and sultana character. Dense spice and some shellfish mineral, too. The fine-grained tannins drive the palate and provide a long finish. Nicely done, to drink now or hold.

95 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Casa Piena is done in a very different style from the past. The combination of a cooler vintage and picking at lower sugars yields a vibrant, energetic Cabernet Sauvignon. Floral and savory notes give the 2018 a striking aromatic top register to play off the red-toned fruit. This silky, mid-weight Cabernet represents a pretty big stylistic departure. I hope to have a chance to revist the 2018 in a number of years to see how it has aged. Readers will find a Cabernet of grace and finesse.

97 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Exquisite aromas of lavender, cigar ash and Spanish cedar with dried citrus follow through to a medium body and a solid palate with powerful, ultrafine and linear tannins. The muscle and long finish are so beautiful. Give it two or three years but already a solid wine. Drink after 2028.

91 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Strawberries, oranges and nutmeg on the nose, followed by a fresh, fruity and medium-bodied palate. Lots of juicy fruit. Drink now or hold.

94 Tastings.com (Beverage Testing Institute)

Violet color. Aromas and flavors of blueberry and blackberry, leather, mocha, and tobacco, and cedar with a round, lively, bone-dry medium-full body and a warming, interesting, medium-long finish that exhibits touches of red and black berries, chocolate covered acai, cherry cordials, and black tea with well-integrated, coating, firm, woody, drying tannins and moderate oak flavor. Powerful and lush red and black fruits with layers of oak that will integrate and show best with years in cellar.

98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"This is powerful and very rich with blueberries, flowers and hints of spices. Full body with velvety tannins and ripe fruits. Very beautiful and generous but not overdone. Superb. "

97 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"I'm not sure how anyone can resist a wine like the 2009 Amarone della Valpolicellla Monte Lodoletta. It would be impossible to exaggerate the enormity of this wine. Romano Dal Forno has his critics, of course: Some people find his wines exaggerated and too big to drink. They have a point, but you can not doubt the sheer quality of winemaking that goes behind this monumental wine. Dal Forno's Amarone is a message of optimism that speaks to the infinite possibilities that can be achieved with a simple fruit like the grape. The decadent and layered bouquet offers slow pulses of black fruit, tar, teriyaki, mesquite and prune. The wine wraps like a thick blanket over the palate. This beautiful bottle should be aged ten more years."

95 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

"The 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella is one of the most sexy, open-knit young Dal Forno Amarones I can remember tasting. An enticing mélange of mocha, black cherry, bittersweet chocolate and leather captivates the senses. Incredibly open today, the 2009 can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring or aged for twenty years, perhaps beyond. Although the 2009 doesn't quite reach the heights of the truly epic vintages here, it comes very close and will provide considerable pleasure sooner than many of those wines. I don't think I have ever tasted a young Dal Forno Amarone with this much allure."

96 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The advantages of old vines are perhaps most evident in the more difficult vintages (whether hot and dry or cool and rainy). The 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a strong effort, delivering supple, velvety waves of ripe black cherries and black raspberries. Medium to full-bodied, it's rich and concentrated without seeming at all heavy or unbalanced, finishing long and juicy. It's approximately 75% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 5% Syrah and 5% other varieties, keeping in mind that up to 15% of the old Grenache vines are actually Clairette Rose.

95 Decanter

"Pure, medium-bodied, with a lovely fine texture that's beautifully velvety. Certainly no lack of ripeness in fruit or tannin, which are plentiful but fine, ripe and succulent, and the finish is long. Alcohol is slightly raised but it suits the wine. Good balance, freshness and texture, it's restrained but not ungenerous. Partly destemmed, fermented in concrete, matured for 12 months in foudre and demi-muid. (Drink between 2028-2039)"

95 Nicolas Greinacher - Vinous

The 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from vines aged between 80 and 100 years. The 2021 Vieilles Vignes wafts from the glass with expressive aromas of redcurrant, red and black cherry, raspberry, strawberry, tobacco leaves, garrigue and a pinch of white pepper. Full-bodied, concentrated and wrapped in plush tannins. Fresh acidity balances it ahead of a quite complex finish.

93-94 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Dark fruits in 2016. The DNA of long, silky tannins is alive and well here. A suave and polished style with an attractive core of flavorsome, elegant mid-palate fruits. Really impressive. Try from 2022.