"The Lola Pinot Noir is a wine from Gap’s View, a 28-year-old vineyard tucked into the windy Petaluma Gap. Those fierce breezes here toughen up the grape skins and give the wine some real backbone, while the alluvial soils keep things lively with a streak of minerality. The 2023 is one of Failla’s more serious Pinots this vintage, leaning into a darker, moodier vibe: juicy plums, black cherries, and ripe blackberries layered with a perfume of crushed violets, clove spice, and a wet-stone earthiness. At 13.8% alcohol and with plenty of bright acidity, it manages to stay fresh and lifted even with all that depth." - Decanter, 95DE

"The 2023 Pinot Noir SWK Vineyard emerges from the highest, steepest and most exposed section of the Kistler family's Bodega Headlands site. It is a quintessential Occidental wine. Clean mineral notes cut through a core of red-toned fruit, chalk, white pepper, slate and dried herbs in a vivid, wonderfully translucent Pinot that hits all the right notes. Time in the glass brings out the wine's captivating inner perfume. The precision here is simply unreal. Majestic." - Vinous, 100VM

"The 2023 Pinot Noir Katherine Lindsay Estate comes from grapes planted in 2000, and the wine was fermented with around 10% whole clusters. It has dramatically unfurling scents of Morello cherry, cranberry and blackberry that give way to nuances of tea leaves, conifer, mushrooms and floral perfume. The palate is bursting with layers of earthy, spicy fruit, and its new oak spice is seamlessly integrated. It’s framed by fine, dusty tannins and mouthwatering acidity, and it has a long, layered finish. 850 cases were made." - Wine Advocate, 96WA

"Kirsch, rose petal, pomegranate, exotic spices and mint are woven together in a fabric of notable class in the 2011 Tignanello. An exotic wine that captures the essence of the year, the 2011 is endowed with magnificent complexity, nuance and class. The silky, polished finish makes the 2011 incredibly appealing today, but the wines from this site have always aged very well. The 2011 is going to need time to shed some of its baby fat, but it will always remain extroverted and racy to the core. I can't wait to see how the 2011 ages." -Vinous, 95VM

Not yet rated

"Dave’s Painted Scars 2022 is fully loaded—bursting with kirsch, violet pastilles, sweet oak spice, and crushed red rock volcanic minerality. Full-bodied and plush, it shows daring tannins and a long, dark-fruited finish. The blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah comes from old vines planted in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, straddling the border between France and Spain. The label, from Dave Phinney’s Department 66 project in Maury, France, features artwork taken from a page in a 19th-century anatomy book. Mexican tattoo artist Dr Lakra (Jeronimo Lopez Ramirez) used microfibre brushes to apply his distinctive tattoo designs to the man’s skin. Phinney, a long-time admirer and collector of Dr Lakra’s work, selected the image for its arresting detail—you could easily get lost in the owl’s eyes or the woman’s steady gaze on the figure’s right forearm. The same is true of the wine itself: it pulls you in with hypnotic intensity and holds you there with depth, texture, and raw beauty. (Drink between 2025-2033)" -Decanter, 94DE

"An amazing 2008 rosé Champagne that has all the structure and aromatic complexity - sushi ginger, oolong tea and caramelized mandarin orange - we associate with this vintage, but also has more charm than most. On the palate, this sparkling has stunning concentration, yet is diamond bright. The interplay of creaminess, fine tannins and mineral acidity builds and builds at the breathtaking finish. The color comes from about 7% pinot noir red wine, partly from the little-known Les Riceys in the far south of Champagne. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 98JS

James Suckling's #1 Wine in Argentina (Sept 17, 2025)

"So linear and driven, with so much tension and intensity. Aromas of sliced apples, lemons and stones. Medium-bodied with flavors of apples, seashells, lemons and crushed stones. It goes on and on. Matured in 30% amphorae and 70% oak. Fantastic. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 97JS

"Boasting great depth and extreme elegance, the drop-dead gorgeous Ciacci Piccolomini Pianrosso delivers crushed raspberry, succulent Morello cherry, star anise and crushed mint flavors while aromas of eucalyptus, wild rose, new leather and forest floor continuously lift out of the glass. It’s a smooth, stunning wine, with taut, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity that lend great aging potential and energy. Absolutely stunning." -Kerin O'Keefe, 100KO

"So perfumed and seductive on the nose, with black cherries, minerals and rose petals that follow through to a medium body with ultra-fine tannins. Its finesse and vision tell you why Brunello is great. Long, vivid and beautifully balanced. Already a joy to taste, but best after 2027" -James Suckling, 99JS

"The compelling Conti Costanti 2021 Brunello captivates with pronounced aromas of fragrant purple flower, eucalyptus, Mediterranean brush and perfumed berry. All about class and extreme finesse, the elegant palate delivers succulent wild raspberry, crushed Marasca cherry, spiced orange zest and star anise set against a backbone of fine-grained tannins. Fresh acidity lends balance and great intensity. Year after year Andrea Costanti turns out what are among the very best wines from Montalcino, and the 2021 is no exception, it’s an absolute stunner with great aging potential." -Kerin O'Keefe, 99KO

"The Sauvignon...is spicy and floral, mixing crushed stones with lime zest and rosemary. It splashes across the palate with a balanced inner sweetness contrasted by lime-tinged acidity and saline minerals. This finishes with a salty flourish and cleans up beautifully through the lengthy finale...and is remarkably pretty and almost too easy to like. (Drink between 2025-2030)" -Vinous, 92VM

"The Sauvignon...is spicy and floral, mixing crushed stones with lime zest and rosemary. It splashes across the palate with a balanced inner sweetness contrasted by lime-tinged acidity and saline minerals. This finishes with a salty flourish and cleans up beautifully through the lengthy finale...and is remarkably pretty and almost too easy to like. (Drink between 2025-2030)" -Vinous, 92VM

"Good Superiore. Polished and contemporary, without quite hitting the sour, red fruited notes of the better traditionalists. Shows dark fruit and reductive hints of violets and camphor, with well-managed grape tannins and oak. Quite drinkable. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 90JS

"The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée is one of the strongest vintages for this wine in recent history. It is magnificent, soaring from the glass with pungent aromas of crème de cassis, ripe raspberry and strawberry, cured meat, tobacco, licorice, iodine and garrigue. Full-bodied, vibrant to the core and offering a multidimensional profile, this wine is really, really good. The Féraud family and the entire team deserve a round of applause for this sublime Cuvée Réservée, which will still be kicking ass 20 years from now. (Drink between 2027-2046)" -Vinous, 96VM

"A small parcel that yields just six barrels. Impressive citrus aromas with a flinty edge, as well as pithy lemons and grapefruit. It delivers a mouthwatering impression of power and clarity. The palate has a very succulent, powerful and refined feel with a stunning, saline mineral cut. Supreme concentration and power. This is great. Organically farmed grapes. Drink or hold through to 2025+." -James Suckling, 97JS

"A ripe and generous Corton-Charlemagne with a caramelized-pear aroma, but the stony character that’s typical for the site is the dominant aspect of the wine. Serious structure here! Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 95JS

"Incorporating some 40% declassified young-vine Clos des Mouches, the 2020 Côte de Beaune Blanc delivers aromas of pear, freshly baked bread, white flowers and almonds. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with lively balancing acids, it's already drinking well." -Wine Advocate

"The 2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru shoots well above the bottle I tasted in March 2022. This has a little more reduction on the nose compared to its peers, with dark cherries, violets and a subtle oyster shell element that manifests with aeration, perhaps even cola too. It gains a little delineation with time in the glass. The palate is very smooth and focused, with an almost satin-like texture and some high-quality oak. But there is some lovely fruit here. It's very pure, with white pepper-tinged black cherries and blueberry towards the finish. Very long on the aftertaste. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting. (Drink between 2027-2048)" -Vinous, 94VM

"A super-elegant Chassagne-Montrachet that offers all you want from this appellation, the balance of ripe-lemon character and flinty minerality spot-on. Super-silky and very graceful on the medium-to full-bodied palate. Then the finish doesn't want to stop. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 96JS

Notes from the Producer:

"Served from the 500 ml bottle, the apricot-golden colored 2003 Vouvray Clos du Bourg Moelleux Première Trie offers a beautifully deep, intense, concentrated and at the same time precise, fresh and refined fruit aroma of fully ripe and cooked peaches along with refreshing lemon and spicy/mineral flavors on the nose. On the sweet and fruity, highly elegant, balanced and finesse-full palate, there is a gorgeous precision, freshness and piquancy that leads to a correspondingly precise, piquant and salty finish that is simply great and almost unrivaled. This 2003 is one of the greatest, because it's the finest and most balanced Moelleux of this tasting, and if I had to draw a comparison it would be to the 1959 and the 1945." -Wine Advocate, 98+WA

"From another early, low-acid vintage, the golden shining, botrytis-free 2003 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux Première Trie shows a beautifully intense, extraordinary clear, refined and elegant bouquet of ripe fruits intertwined with mineral flavors –– fascinating! Sweet, intense and delicate on the palate, this highly elegant and lovely concentrated Chenin is of great purity, balance and finesse. Its length is impressive, its generous flow is extremely sensual and its overall intensity and accessible generosity are absolutely gorgeous. This 2003 is great today, but will probably even more fascinating in 50+ years. The balance and drinkability is superb. Highly recommended." -Wine Advocate, 96+WA