"Occupying a stylistic middle ground between the incisiveness of the 2013 and the fleshier textures of the 2012, Taittinger’s 2014 Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne...has turned out beautifully. It offers aromas of orange peel, peach, pear and brioche mingled with hazelnut and burnt buttered toast. On the palate, it is full-bodied, ample and textural, with a layered yet crisp core of fruit, considerable tension and a long, chalky finish. Harmonious and racy-fresh though it is, this is a marginally richer rendition than the 2013 tasted alongside it, yet both promise excellent longevity and will make for fascinating comparative tastings in the years to come." -Wine Advocate, 97WA

"A great wine with vibrant cassis, red cherries, eucalyptus, violets and licorice on the nose. It’s precise and almost reductive, with smooth and elegant tannins on the palate, a silky texture, a full body and a warming yet well-balanced finish. Deep and complex, with a mint and tobacco aftertaste. Drinkable now, but best in two or three years." -James Suckling, 99JS

"The Tenuta di Trinoro 2023 Campo di Tenaglia is a 100% Cabernet Franc sourced from a site with deep soils of sand, stones and fractured limestone at 500 meters in elevation. This is a lovely wine—and the most compelling of the three single-vineyard expressions released this year in my opinion—thanks to a finely etched mineral note that rises above black fruit, spice and the wine’s inky concentration. Full-bodied yet precise, it shows excellent focus and balance, with structure that frames rather than overwhelms the fruit. This small release totals 162 cases." -Wine Advocate, 99WA

"Super-fresh with balsamic herb, blueberry and floral aromatics, Guidalberto 2023 has blossomed into a grand vin all of its own. Invigorating cool forest berry flavours mingle with touches of spice and fine, silky tannins. So poised. Wow!" -Decanter, 96DE

"The 2023 Le Difese includes Sangiovese from Montosoli and Rufina in Chianti Classico in the blend. The nose is fresh and pure, with a juicy, floral perfume of fresh red berries, violets, and wet stone. It’s fresh and inviting on the palate, with the very pretty elegance that the Sangiovese brings with its more defined structure and refreshing feel. This is a fabulous entry wine to drink over the coming 8-10 years." -Jeb Dunnuck, 93JD

"Very few vintages of this legendary Tuscan wine deliver the immediate joy, richness and complexity found in the Tenuta San Guido 2023 Bolgheri Sassicaia...This is a wine that feels uncannily open and generous in its youth, a rare trait for Sassicaia, which is famously inscrutable at this stage. The 2023 vintage was marked by a cold winter and above-average rainfall followed by a severe outbreak of downy mildew that damaged leaves, forcing brutal fruit selection and resulting in a 20% reduction in yields. Only the estates willing to make these sacrifices succeeded, and the best wines rank among the most compelling and elusive of recent years. The blend includes 13% to 14% Cabernet Franc alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Franc playing a decisive phenolic role that reinforces elegance, linearity and brightness. Aromas unfold with wild sage, rosemary and dark fruit before moving into crushed stone minerality, rose petal and a finely spiced spectrum of pink peppercorn, nutmeg, anise, cardamom, bergamot and blood orange, joined by a delicate note of mentuccia romana, sweeter and gentler than classic mint...Like the legendary 1985, 2023 was a difficult and stressful vintage shaped by a cold winter, yet it stands as proof that great pressure can indeed give birth to diamonds." -Wine Advocate, 100WA

"Creamy and layered, with a clean sweep of salinity framing flavors of golden apple, yellow plum, green almond and preserved lemon, plus fragrant hints of broom and wild thyme. Expands nicely on the palate but shows good tension and zesty drive through the racy finish." -Wine Spectator, 94WS

"[From the highest point in Priorat - 2,624 feet] An epiphany here with its wild, tangy nose full of white pepper, mezcal, blood oranges, forest floor and dried herbs. Really broad and precise, with a chunk of fine, mealy tannins that knit seamlessly on the palate. Nice bitterness at the end to seal it up before an extremely long, nervy finish. Pure garnacha peluda from Les Manyes vineyard. It goes on and on. [Just 3,506 bottles made]. Irresistibly attractive now, but can hold." -James Suckling, 99JS

"[From 90-100 year old vines] Slate and blueberries with some dried grapefruit, blood oranges and tiles. Fluid with a medium to full body and immaculate tannins. Crunchy at first, then tight with ductile tannins with extremely vibrant acidity. Really long, with a natural flair. Drink or hold." -James Suckling, 97JS

"This site features barely a foot of dark soil over limestone and rock; entirely destemmed. Dark red-ruby. Fresh, subtle aromas of smoky black cherry, spices and sexy earth tones. A supple, juicy midweight, with nicely focused berry and cherry fruit flavors accented by spices. Ripe tannins spread out to dust the palate on the firm but sweet back end." -Vinous, 90-92VM

"35% whole bunch. Fresh purple. Clean and vibrant up front but a little touch of volatility. Tannins are keeping quieter and the cherry fruit is very attractive. Fine-boned, good length. Tasted Nov 2019." -Jasper Morris, 89-92JM

"30% decorticated, all new wood. A glowing imperial purple. What a wealth of fruit is here, how noble in reason. In another league from the other grands crus chez Thibault. I think the finest Richebourg I have seen from him. There is a coconut effect from the wood. The mid palate is particularly intense. An intense red fruit note, then dark raspberry, and the finish is completely swamped by the fruit." -Jasper Morris, 96-99JM

"Simply put, Christian Moueix's Napa Valley project Ulysses is a wine every collector of Napa Cabernet should have in their cellar. The 2021 release of the Oakville red is a knockout that is never too bombastic, entirely reserved even in its generosity, and one that will last a very long time. A dry winter and spring led to the second consecutive year of a drought that began in January 2020. Temperatures were warm and consistent and slightly above average. The vines produced smaller clusters of small berries with high phenolic compounds and tannin levels. [Just] 1,400 cases produced. Opaque purple-ruby to the rim. A wine showing all the best qualities you'd expect from a prime Oakville site. This is a beautifully balanced red, imbued with a tremendously fresh streak of acidity. The nose leads with prime, ripe, dark black fruits, cassis, violets, creme de menthe, and crushed slate.—medium to full-bodied with impressively fashioned tannins that are robust and build through the extravagantly long finish. Marked by ripe black cherry and spiced plum notes, the length is extended by zesty blood orange acidity. Fragrant with sage and thyme, nuanced by brighter cherry blossom freshness and mineral tension. Impressive depth and density with a core of pure, ripe, and juicy fruit. Exceptional." -Decanter, 99DE

"Vajra always represents solid value in Piemonte, and [the Rosabella Rosato] is certainly no different." -Vinous

"Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated, the saturated blackish red-hued 2021 La Joie is classic on the nose with brilliant aromas of graphite, pine needles, delicate menthol, blackcurrants, and violets, becoming even more floral with time in the glass. It’s resonant and explosive on the palate, with a laser-like focus throughout, full body, refreshing acidity, and ripe, youthful tannins that will need time to soften. This is a great, profound wine that is going to last for ages. It has all the components I look for in great wine and is as good as it gets, in my opinion. It’s going to last for decades. 2500 cases were produced. (Drink between 2025-2055)" -Jeb Dunnuck, 100JD

"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