95 Wine Spectator

There's a fruity side to this red as well as a spicy side, with cherry, strawberry and black pepper flavors throughout. Floral, iron and underbrush accents add depth, yet it's the beam of pure cherry that prevails. Shows prodigious length on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2043. 4,000 cases made, 1,800 cases imported.

91 Joaquín Hidalgo - Vinous Media

The 2023 Malbec Natal is sourced from a biodynamic vineyard in Ugarteche, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. This purplish-red wine exhibits aromas of cherry and plum, accompanied by a hint of violet. With a dry, juicy and fairly lean profile, this crystal-clear and nimble Malbec lingers on the fruit flavors—a primary cheerful red.

91 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

This has quite an aromatic complexity, with spicy, floral and nutty notes. Charming and medium-bodied with a very satisfying balance of juiciness and citrusy freshness that lights up the long finish. A cuvee of 30% gewurztraminer, 23.5% pinot gris, 18.7% riesling, 18% sylvaner, 6% pinot blanc and 3.8% muscat. Drink now.

95 Joaquín Hidalgo - Vinous Media

"The 2012 Viña Tondonia is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano, cultivated on the meander of the Ebro River in Rioja Alta. This garnet wine reveals aromas of ash and plum marmalade, with a faintly herbal core and hints of oaky cedar. Dry and lean, the fairly chalky texture lingers long, concluding with a compact, flavorful and lasting finish. The 2012 is a beautiful old-school Rioja."

95 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2012 Viña Tondonia Reserva comes from a very dry year, with 25% less rain than the average (at the time), resulting in lower yields of very healthy grapes that delivered wines with nice balance between alcohol and polyphenols, making it very apt for the aging in barrel. It had a slightly longer élevage in barrel, six years. The wine is aromatic with a developed profile, spicy and tertiary (forest floor, a touch of brick dust and iodine), complex and nuanced. The palate is full and round, with polished tannins and a long, dry finish. It has a textbook Tondonia nose and profile. 250,000 bottles produced."

97 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

"The 2015 Léoville-Poyferré is spectacular. Inky, dense and explosive, the 2015 possesses off the chart richness, with soft contours, no hard edges and exceptional balance. All the elements are simply fused together. inky blue/purplish fruit, chocolate, new leather, blueberry jam, exotic spice and violet notes are all beautifully delineated throughout. Fresh, vibrant and totally sexy, Léoville-Poyferré is one of the wines of the vintage. Don't miss it! Tasted two times."

97 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2015 Leoville Poyferre is cut from the same cloth as the 2016, yet is more sexy, rounded and opulent. Notes of cassis, licorice, crushed rocks, lead pencil shavings and graphite all emerge from this unctuous, ripe, pedal-to-the-metal beauty that's absolutely loaded with fruit and texture. Reminding me of the 2003, yet only fresher, don't miss this beauty. It should be drinkable in 3-4 years and last for 3-4 decades. The blend of the 2015 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

97 Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

Showing just a hint of lightening in the color, the wine is showy from the get-go with its nuances of black and red currants, spice, flowers, creme de cassis, thyme, smoke, and licorice in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is opulent, long, polished, lush, and elegant. The fruit glides across your palate, serving up waves of sweet, deep, red berries. The finish lingers, builds, and expands. Give this a few more years and you will find even more opulence and sensuality. Drink from 2027-2057

96 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"A rich and intense red with blackberries, tar and spices. Black tea and blueberries. Full-bodied, very layered and multi-dimensional. Very long and flavorful. Such great texture. A dynamic and superb red. Drink in 2023. "

96 Wine Enthusiast

"Following the style that this estate has now adopted, this is an ultrarich, concentrated wine. However its acidity and bright black-currant fruits contrast well with this solid base. Drink this impressive wine from 2026."

96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

The 2015 Leoville Poyferre is medium to deep garnet colored. It needs a fair bit of coaxing to unlock notes of blueberry pie, kirsch, and blackcurrant pastilles, plus touches of garrigue, potpourri, and dusty soil. The medium-bodied palate is very tightly wound and youthful still, delivering a frame of firm, ripe tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and earthy.

96 J. D'Angelo - International Wine Report

The 2015 Château Léoville Poyferré is a drop-dead gorgeous wine in this vintage. It begins with seductive aromatics of ripe blackberries and cassis which are woven together with exotic spices, graphite, and hints of espresso bean all taking shape. On the palate this is full-bodied and opulent with beautifully polished tannins and layers of ripe dark fruits. Structured, balanced and long, this is a total knockout which is outstanding now, but also built for the ages.

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.

99 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is similarly deep purple-hued and has a killer nose of cr me de cassis, spicy wood tobacco leaf, and graphite. It too is rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, with that classic 2019 broad, expansive, sexy mouthfeel to go with plenty of velvety tannins on the finish. It will evolve for at least two decades.

98+ Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Sourced from six different Napa Valley vineyards and a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Accendo is a dark, cassis-laden effort tinged with violets and black tea. Full-bodied, rich, velvety and tannic, it shows lovely harmony and structure, ample but not overdone concentration and tremendous length and elegance.

98 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

Accendo's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is every bit as alluring as it was from barrel. Plush and sensual, with no hard edges, the 2019 possesses magnificent balance from start to finish. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and menthol build as this sumptuous, racy Cabernet shows off its tremendous charm. Best of all, the 2019 offers quite a bit of immediacy. I would choose to drink it ahead of some of the more structured recent vintages. As always, the Accendo Cabernet is a blend of several top sites in Napa Valley.

98 Jonathan Cristaldi - Decanter Magazine

Tasted with Bart Araujo at Wheeler Farms, the 'Rolls Royce of custom crush facilities', as described by Accendo winemaker Nigel Kinsman. Bart and wife Daphne established Wheeler Farms after selling their Araujo Estate (now Eisele Vineyard) to the Artemis Group. Grapes are sourced from Vine Hill Ranch, Sleeping Lady in Rutherford, Eco Tone (a former Abreu property), and a site on Diamond Mountain formerly known as Reverie. Generous blackberry fruit aromas are tinged with wild herbs and heady cedar spices. Broad and expansive on the palate with saturated dark fruit, cassis, graphite and wild herbs. Rustic, elongated tannins glide to a savoury finish.

91 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Miner's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc that spent 21 months in 60% new French oak without being overly impacted by the wood. Scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings, cherries and sage mark the nose of this full-bodied effort, which comes across as tannic and even a bit rugged. It's a wine that appears to need time, yet it doesn't seem that rich or concentrated. Time will tell, but in the meantime, serve it alongside a rare hunk of red meat to help tame the tannins.

98-100 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

Tasted from barrel, the 2021 Masseto pours a youthful magenta hue and brings forward an inviting bouquet with some blue fruit coming through and more chocolate aromas as well with to me it is fresh with blackberry, and purple violet flowers. It boasts outstanding concentration and depth, with a plush, cushiony texture at this stage, incredible finesse and balance, and a wonderful mineral aroma of wet asphalt coming through. A harmonious wine with well-integrated oak, this may be the best vintage of this cuvée that I have tasted to date.

100 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2021 Masseto is a stunner. It also shows how much the estate has evolved in recent years. I was reminded of that recently when I drank the 2001, considered by many observers, including this one, to be one of the greatest wines ever made here. The 2021 represents a move towards a more refined style. There’s less of the bombastic intensity and extraction that were once the norm here. I remember young vintages that were impossible to taste young. The 2021, on the other hand, is an absolute delight. Crushed flowers, spice, blood orange and bright, red-toned fruit all grace the palate. Floral aromatics and saline underpinnings are at times reminiscent of the Cabernet Franc found in the 2019 and 2020, but the 2021 is back to the classic 100% Merlot. Readers will find a Masseto built on linear energy more than volume. The 2021 is quite simply the most exquisite, refined young Masseto I have ever tasted. Aging was 24 months in 100% new French oak.

99 Bruce Sanderson - Wine Spectator

Plum and blackberry flavors are wrapped in an embrace of toasty oak, with vanilla, resin and iron accents. Dense tannins coat the gums, while bright acidity keeps this focused and drives the spice-infused aftertaste. Fluid and long, this silky red ultimately is all about finesse. A superb success in a great vintage. Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2047. 440 cases imported.

99 Wine Enthusiast

Our entire adult lives are spent trying to reclaim the wonder of our childhood—the enchantment of Disney World, the legend of Santa Claus, the belief in miracles that is slowly eroded with age. Masseto is always a wine that brings back that magic, but Gaia allows you to get up out of your seat and watch her sleight of hand from a nose-length. I dare you to figure out how she does it, and I defy you not to gasp with delight at the reveal. Drink now or hold until you next feel your faith faltering. — Danielle Callegari

99 James Button - Decanter Magazine

In 2021, Masseto returns to its original 100% Merlot concept, following two years which saw the inclusion of 15% Cabernet Franc. Following a mild and wet winter, spring was dry and the summer was characterised by higher than average temperatures and periods of drought. Luckily, the vines were quenched by the water reserves built up at the beginning of the year. Masseto 2021 really has everything: it's vertical in shape and saline in character, with succulence of fruit, freshness of profile and finesse of tannins. Mediterranean herbs accompany ripe dark fruit scents and flavours which are yet to reveal all their depth and charm.

99 Falstaff Magazine

Bright, intense ruby with purple shimmer. Very appealing and rich nose of cassis, blackberry, dark tobacco and graphite. Dense, very concentrated tannins, builds up towards good depth, lots of dark berryish fruit, salty and with great length on the finish. Simon Staffler

98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Blueberries and black olives with violets and hints of sage, as well as rosemary flowers. Full and powerful with lots of fruit and vanilla on the palate. A rich and flavorful red, yet held together beautifully. Muscular and powerful. Needs five or six years to come together. Give it time.

98 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of the most elegant wines I have tasted at Shafer. Effusive aromatics and silky tannins are immediately captivating. Crushed red/purplish berry fruit, mint, spice, lavender and licorice are all finely knit. We will see, but the 2019 may very well represent a new direction for Hillside Select, one of Napa Valley's most iconic Cabernets.

93 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2018 Barolo Baudana offers lovely creaminess and depth in the mid-weight style of the year. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, plum, pomegranate and sweet floral notes all meld together in this racy, inviting Barolo. There's lovely depth and texture throughout. The Baudana is the most forward and immediate of the Baudana Barolos.

94 Gary Walsh - The Wine Front

Cherry, red fruits, spicy and floral, a little camphor too. It’s medium to full-bodied, juicy and succulent red fruited with a little tobacco and new leather, supple tannin, a fresh orange tang to acidity, and a firm grainy finish of good length. Classic.