2018

A fine and pretty Barolo with plenty of strawberry and mushroom character. White truffle too. It’s medium-to full-bodied and creamy with medium round tannins. Delicious now and will improve nicely.

The 2018 Chardonnay VGW is generous and exotic. The nose is bursting with ripe peach honeycomb pie crust jasmine and gingery touches. The medium-bodied palate offers alluring perfumed fruit in a silky frame with focused acidity... Read More

The 2018 Riesling Grand Cru Brand Kirchberg is deep intense and pure on the rich but elegant nose. Lush and refined on the palate this is a round and lush but also salty piquant and finely tannic Riesling with a long and intense... Read More

On another level, the 2018 Cornas Reynard is a tour de force and up there with the finest Cornas to ever pass my lips. Deep purple-hued, with a gorgeous perfume of crème de cassis, blackberries, powdered granite, violets,... Read More

Soaring from the glass with scents of raspberries plums and cherries mingled with inviting nuances of peonies and dark chocolate Lachaux's 2018 Chambolle-Musigny Village is medium to full-bodied velvety and enveloping with... Read More

Deep garnet-purple colored the 2018 Beausejour Heritiers Duffau-Lagarrosse comes prancing out of the glass with the most gorgeous perfume of plum preserves kirsch redcurrant jelly and red roses followed by suggestions of molten... Read More

The 2018 Extra-Brut Blanc de Noirs Mailly-Champagne Grand Cru is powerful deep and expressive its mid-weight structure notwithstanding. Kirsch mint cedar and tobacco lend notable aromatic presence. The lighter style of the year... Read More

There was great precision and purity in the 2018 Sin Azufre the no-sulfur-added cuvée. This is the wine they do with intuition rather than science. They pick the grapes a little earlier to have better natural acidity. They do... Read More

This celebrated Tuscan red is a blend of mostly Sangioveto (also known as Sangiovese) with a smaller part of Malvasia Nera. The Castellare di Castellina 2018 I Sodi di S. Niccolò shows the elegance and grace of these native grapes... Read More

Here's another very interesting wine from Volpaia that has since been moved up to Grand Selezione status. The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva Coltassala (with 9000 bottles made) is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Mammolo. Initially the... Read More

Deep and generous blackberry fruits and rich chocolate there is good balance here with depth and interest and a ton of flavour. Really good stuff with juice and a drive forward through the palate. 1% Petit Verdot makes up the... Read More

The 2018 Clerc Milon is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 27% Merlot 9% Cabernet Franc 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color it has a very pure beautifully delineated nose of crushed blackcurrants... Read More

The 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot to be aged 18 months in 100% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.7 14.5% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 95. Very deep purple-black in... Read More

The 2018 Hosanna is composed of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored the nose needs a bit of swirling and coaxing before it soars from the glass with compelling blue and black fruit scents of blueberry... Read More

The 2018 Langoa Barton has a deep garnet-purple color and notions of ripe blackcurrants fresh blackberries and kirsch with touches of bouquet garni cedar chest and pencil lead plus a hint of crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate... Read More

The 2018 Le Pin is made of 100% Merlot picked the last week of September with yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare. The wine has a pH of 3.7 an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 70 and 14.5% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color it... Read More

Deep garnet-purple in color the 2018 Léoville Barton needs a little swirling to coax out delicate notions of fresh blackberries mulberries and cassis plus touches of pencil shavings clove oil charcoal and black truffles. The... Read More

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc aged in 80% new oak barriques the 2018 Léoville Poyferré comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant scents of Morello cherries plum preserves... Read More

The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is composed of 37% Cabernet Franc 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot. It was made using 52% whole cluster and has 13.75% alcohol. It was aged in 75% new oak barriques 16% foudres and 9% amphorae.... Read More

Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon 19% Merlot 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot the 2018 Lynch-Bages was aged in 75% new barriques. Deep garnet-purple in color it soars out of the glass with a magnificently expressive nose... Read More

This is a big-hearted wine ripe with both black-plum flavors and generous tannins. At this stage the structure is prominent but with the weight of the fruits the wine will balance out full ripe and ready to drink from 2026. Roger... Read More