96 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2021 Laurel, the second wine from Clos Erasmus was produced with grapes from younger vines, between five and 40 years old, and is a blend of 80% Garnacha, 11% Syrah and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were cooled down for 24 hours before sorting and destemming and then put in the vat where they warmed up and started fermenting naturally. They did a soft vinification with short pumping overs to avoid extraction, and the fermentation lasted two to three weeks followed by four weeks of maceration. The wine matured in oak vat, barrel and amphorae for 18 months. It's super aromatic, floral and expressive, clean and elegant, delicate and ethereal. It has a velvety palate that is nicely textured, seamless, elegant and balanced and with a focused, clean, long finish. I see the meaty side of Syrah here. It has 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.3. The oak is completely integrated despite the fact that the wine is very young. 28,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2023."

98 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

Rich and explosive in feel, the 2021 Cheval Blanc is outrageously beautiful. For the first time since 2011, the Grand Vin is more than 50% Cabernet Franc. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and mocha are all amplified in this potent, luxurious Cheval Blanc. Polished, seamless tannins wrap it all together. This is one of my favorites of the vintage.

98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

The aromas of currants and flowers with hints of stones and sandalwood are enticing. Medium- to full-bodied, with an impressive structure of polished yet intense and focused tannins that run the length of the wine. Both the acidity and tannins play off each other, giving a punchy character. A classic Cheval. Only 13.3% alcohol. 52% cabernet franc, 43% merlot and 5% cabernet sauvignon. For a decade or so, this wine never had so much cabernet franc. Needs four or five years to soften. Drink after 2029.

98 Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

Poised between its regal bearing, and, sensuous, sexy side, this is a clear contender for wine of the vintage, avoiding all of the pitfalls of the vintage. This sublime gem pops from the glass effortlessly with array of flowers, spices, red, and dark red fruits, tobacco, and mint leaves. The palate offers a majestic display of vibrant, al dente red fruits, and ripe, dark red berries, coupled with firm, cashmere, polished tannins, velvet-textured black cherries, and plums. This is showing even better in the bottle than it did in barrel! The wine blends 52% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, making this the highest percentage of Cabernet in over a decade. The willingness to delay harvesting, finishing October 14, along with low yields, at only 28 hectoliters per hectare are part of the reason the vintage was so successful. Drink from 2029-2060

97 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 Cheval Blanc has turned out beautifully in bottle, and director Pierre-Olivier Clouet even considers it to be superior to the 2020, a preference that I share. Wafting from the glass with aromas of mulberries and cherries mingled with incense, iris and rose petals, framed by a deft touch of new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a velvety attack that segues into a rich, concentrated mid-palate framed by sweet, powdery tannins and concluding with a long, penetrating, rose-inflected finish.

96 Georgina Hindle - Decanter

Incredible aromatic complexity on the nose, just wow, the beautiful bitter dark chocolate, blackcurrant, blackberries, fragrant violets and roses, coffee, toffee, caramel, smoked earth, liquorice and tobacco, I could smell it for hours! It wows on the palate too giving succulence, freshness and juiciness balanced by integrated acidity and a backbone of spice coming from the Cabernet Franc - the highest percentage since 2011 and the first time outweighing Merlot at 52%. Perfume continues on the palate also, the soft fragrance giving the nuance while the satin tannins coat the mouth with bite and chew. Minerality comes across via wet stone and graphite edges with liquorice and clove spice. Constituent tastings of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc show how skillfully this was created. Still quite tense and linear at this point but showcases perfectly both the vineyard and vintage - each detail and decision in the glass with no let up of power or concentration. A fantastic effort from the team and winemaker Pierre-Olivier Clouet.

94 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

Always a pure, classic, impeccably made wine, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is no exception and offers textbook aromatics of cassis and assorted dark fruits as well as subtle chocolate, cedary herbs, and tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied, ripe, wonderfully balanced, and with a great finish, it’s well worth your time and money. It will have 10-15 years of prime drinking.

96-99 Wine Spectator

"This is beguiling, with acacia, jasmine and honeysuckle notes leading the way, followed by refined peach, tangerine and yellow apple fruit flavors. Very long, with a lemon chiffon note lingering delicately."

97-98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"A crazy combination of botrytis, dried fruits and freshness. It's not the sweetness Yquem but it has an extraordinary depth of fruit and freshness. It goes on for minutes. Spicy and intense. A stunning young wine. A brightness and fabulous depth of fruit. "

96-98 Neal Martin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The Château Yquem 2014 was picked over 9 weeks this year, with one-quarter of the grapes picked prior to 15 September. It delivers 134 grams per liter residual sugar and 7.3 grams per liter tartaric acid, with a pH 3.60. It has a captivating bouquet (I know...I know...what else were you expecting) But it entrances with its pure, wild honey notes mixed with almond and white chocolate scents, bestowed with beguiling delineation and focus. The palate is very poised with the acidity nigh on perfect. Occasionally an Yquem only reveals its components parts at this early juncture, necessitates conjecture. However the 2014 has a sense of harmony and completeness already, as if the élevage is merely there to usher it on to its finished state. There is undeniably great depth here, perhaps less conspicuous than other vintages because of that silver thread of acidity: notes of lemon sherbet, orange zest, shaved ginger and again, a few "flakes' of white chocolate. It is extremely long with tenderness rather than power on the finish. It's not quite up there in the rarefied heights of say, the 2001 or 2009, but it is what we call in the trade, "the business."

92 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2023 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is fabulous. Rich and creamy, it offers tons of immediacy. Apricot, chamomile, lemon confit and bright tropical notes all run through this super-expressive Chardonnay. Best of all, this is a superb value.

92 Wine & Spirits

"Oak-aged base wines give this an architectural power, structuring the lees into scents of fresh croissant and hon-shimeji mushrooms. It’s creamy and full, with enough zesty acidity to keep the velvet texture in check. Pour it with pan-roasted fish finished with chanterelles and cream." (Reviewed 12/12)

91 Allen Meadows - Burghound

"A beautifully pure and elegant nose speaks of citrus, green apple, rose petal and a distinct vinous character. There is plenty of effervescence on the moderately refined flavors that display ample yeastiness on the delicious, complex, dry and lingering finish. This doesn't have quite the delicacy of the best of the vintage wines but this is an excellent NV Brut. This could certainly be enjoyed now but for those who enjoy aging their NV selections, this would be a fine choice as it will probably offer from 2 to 5 years of upside development potential." (1/13)

92+ Stephan Reinhardt - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2023 Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spätlese is already highly stimulating in its very first seconds! This is a savory classic that offers saline and stony aromas intertwined with perfectly ripe and fleshy but not all too lush mango and more yellow stone fruit aromas. Crystalline and savory on the palate, this is a linear and elegant, acidity-driven rather than textured dry Riesling with a long, savory and still-reduced finish. This Riesling is popular in Norway, yet it is probably too sharp and too Nordic for many other export markets. It's age-worthy in any case, with this intense and saline, firmly structured and persistent finish. Screw cap." -Stephan Reinhardt

92 Eric Guido - Vinous Media

The 2022 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico entices with a heavily spiced bouquet as cedar box and clove give way to crushed blackberries and nuances of coconut. It is silken and elegant in feel, with depths of ripe red berry fruits offset by a bitter tinge of dark chocolate and citrus. The finish is gently structured and long, with a twang of blood orange that resonates.

91 Wine & Spirits

"Christian Seely recently introduced this wine in New York as a rethinking of the super-premium, multivintage Porto style. Black replaces LB, Noval's former entry in this range, and uses top-quality fruit to create a soft, accommodating texture. The aromas are purple-black while the flavors are pure black cherry. Acidity spices it up and adds to the juiciness of the finish. It's plump in the middle and supple all the way through, ending on fruit-skin tannin and a touch of chocolate from oak. At the level of many of the region's best LBVs, this wine may become a staple for a new generation of Port drinkers."

93 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Soft and supple aromas of black currants, dark chocolate, black olives, potpourri and graphite. The palate is smooth and textural, with firmly framed tannins, bright acidity and a long finish. A lovely blend of 81% cabernet sauvignon with small amounts of the other four Bordeaux varieties. Drink or hold." - Ryan Montgomery

100 Wine Enthusiast

This great estate in southern Pauillac, facing the Latour vineyard, is at the top of its game. In this release, the tannins are as impressive and dense as the black fruits. Together they form a harmonious ensemble, richly structured, concentrated from the many old vines in the blend, and very ageworthy. Drink from 2027. — Roger Voss

97 Wine Spectator

A very polished and pure expression of Pauillac, but don't go to sleep on it. As charming and vibrant as the cassis, cherry preserve and blackberry paste flavors are, they have a latent saturated feel. And then there's a serious network of iron girders supporting it all, along with sweet tobacco, floral and worn cedar accents. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2050. 13,300 cases made.

91 Billy Norris - Vinous Media

The 2022 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) is textbook SLH—everything you want from an easygoing, early-drinking red. Sweet raspberry, lavender and sour cherry open in the glass, giving way to a generous mouthfeel that coats every corner of the palate in juicy red fruit. Considering the growing season, a touch of heat on the finish is eminently forgivable. Drink this charming Pinot over the next few years. The quality-to-price ratio is undeniable.

93 Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

Any vintage Colheita is ready to drink once it is bottled, but this wine is readier than most. It's at a perfect stage of development, on the dry side although with some fine dried apricot and raisin flavors. It is poised and elegant, a beautiful wine to drink now. — Roger Voss

93 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Supervibrant and energetic for an entry-level blaufrankisch, this knocks you back in your chair in the nicest possible way. With a little aeration in the glass, Amarena-cherry, forest-berry, clove and licorice aromas unfurl. Lovely velvety tannins on the refined, medium-bodied palate. Very clean, polished finish. Drink or hold."

91 Eric Guido - Vinous Media

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon wafts up with an inviting mix of crushed blackberries and violet pastille. Soft textured and round, it splashes across the palate with ripe wild berry fruit lifted by a hint of citrus and spice. Gently tannic and long, this leaves a dark floral resonance and a slight licorice tinge to linger on.

98 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, the 2019 Proprietary Red is a monster of a wine that's unquestionably up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Blackberries, truffle, earth, chocolate, iron, and even a hint of black olive defines the nose, and it's full-bodied, deep, rich, and incredibly concentrated on the palate. It has lots of background oak but more than enough fruit, with a dense, layered mid-palate and velvety tannins. It's one of those wines that brings an incredible amount of richness and depth yet somehow stays light on its feet and balanced. It needs to be forgotten for at least 2-4 years and should keep for over two decades.