(95-97 points) Not yet bottled, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is all very old vine Grenache from the sandy soils of the Cristia lieu-dit. Brought up in demi-muids and a mix of new and used barrels, it gives...

A fine, mature and structured Champagne, this is full of fruit but also with a crispness. Its mineral character has softened but still gives a fine texture. This fine wine, with fruit from the Côte des Blancs, is ready to...

From a north-facing site that has consequently been denied the premier cru appellation, the 2020 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Courtelongs has turned out very well, unfurling to reveal notions of green apple, orange oil, buttery...

(91-93 points) Here too there is a mentholated top note on the more deeply pitched aromas of plum, black raspberry and subtle tea and floral wisps. As is always the case, there is more size, weight and power to the...

(WE94-96 points) Big and powerful this is a wine that is supported by dense tannins. The feeling is dry and firm with a brooding black-currant character.

(90-92 points) The 2019 Volnay Village comes from several parcels, 45% from Les Achats, 45% Les Aussy and 10% Les Petit Garnets, the latter due to be pulled up this year. It has an attractive bouquet with pure red cherry...

(90-92 points) There are two Rasteau from this reference point Châteauneuf du Pape producer. Starting with the 2019 Rasteau, it has plenty of chocolatey black raspberry and cherry fruits as well as loads of minerality...

Love the perfume and finesse here with fresh flowers, blackberries, crushed stones and cement. Cedar. Full and very long with tight and muscular tannins that go on for minutes. Tight and thoughtful. Soulful. Try after 2030.

(93+ points) Seemingly refined by the additional elevage since I reviewed a barrel sample last year, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert remains a big, rich, dark-fruited and almost tarry effort, but this...

Gosset is the oldest house in Champagne, and although it's a name that may be unfamiliar to many consumers, it's a favourite among wine trade insiders. This non-vintage cuvée is redolent with the aromas of mellow red...

(92 - 94 points) Aromas of cassis, plums, orange rind and spicy new oak preface Faiveley's 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes, a medium to full-bodied, deep and lively wine with a concentrated core of fruit...

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. This is a great La Tour Martillac that must be one the finest releases from the estate in recent years. It has quite an elegant understated bouquet with autumn leaves...

The tannins are linear and direct in this otherwise fruity wine. Along with dark tannins, it is also rich with warm red fruits. The acidity still shows strongly and suggests that the wine needs time. Drink from 2020...

A vibrant Champagne, finely balanced and lacy in texture, serving as an elegant canvas for layered flavors of yellow peach, chopped almond, cherry, toast point and preserved lemon. Minerally smoke, chalk and spice notes...

Lush, rich and silky, the wine is deep, dark and intense, with silky tannins, freshness, and layers of opulent, refined, elegant dark red fruits. The combination of velvety tannins, intensity and a plush finish hits the...

(92-95 points) I tasted from two barrels seemingly destined for the 2018 Saint Joseph les Pierres. One was full-bodied, plush and long, with notes of mocha and black cherries, while the other showed explosive red fruit...

Absolute perfection in dry white wine, the 2018 Hermitage Ex Voto Blanc comes from two parcels on Hermitage (Les Murets and L'Ermite) and, I believe, spent 30 months or more in new French oak. This heavenly effort offers...

Glass-staining ruby. An expansive bouquet evokes blue fruit preserves, potpourri and olive paste, and a hint of smoky bacon builds in the glass. A vibrant mineral nuance adds energetic lift to sappy boysenberry...

(VN 96-98 points) Opaque magenta. Displays an array of fresh red and dark fruit, floral and spice qualities on the intensely perfumed nose, along with building mineral and succulent herb notes. Vibrant and silky in...

The wonderful red-cherry fruit with hints of redcurrant and blackcurrant pulls you into this very expressive wine. For all the ripeness, the really striking thing about this is the great vitality, the way it leaps and...

Very ripe, but also very fresh red-cherry nose. Bold and generous, as you expect from Pommard, but with gentle tannins on the medium-to full-bodied palate. Only at the finish do they show a hint of the dryness for which...

Blackcurrant, pine cone, walnut, crushed gravel and dried flowers on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined. Try from 2023.

97+ Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Smith Haut Lafitte charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm redcurrants, baked blackberries and crème de cassis with hints of spice cake, dried roses...

A wine that reveals an ample, outgoing and broad nose that embraces the more opulent side of the 2011 vintage, but also with pronounced whole-cluster fermentation notes of spice, sweet leather and earth. Mouth-filling and...