Wine

"The extraordinary Harlan Estate, which I awarded 100 points seven years ago, offers no justifiable reason to doubt its perfect score. It is still ...

"Blockbuster. Ruby-garnet color with a brick-red hue. Aromas of ripe berry, almost prune, with coffee and mahogany, turning to berry and plum. Full...

"This vintage, I preferred this wine to the flagship Old Bastard—it's more versatile, and at half the price of the Old Bastard, it feels like a ste...

"The 1985 from cask could have been a lighter version of the 1982 and 1953 vintages. Forward, with a fabulously scented bouquet of pain grille and ...

"Floral aromatics give way to bright spiced red fruits, menthol and licorice as the 2005 Barbaresco opens in the glass. This is a firm, classically...

"Deep red-ruby color. Pungent aromas of meat, dust, cedar, clove and cinnamon over a deep core of cherry and red berries, with suggestions of mint ...

"A big step up over the 2003, the 2005 Harlan Estate is still youthful and vibrant with incredible purity and elegance, as well as a huge, opulent,...

"Complex aromas of dried blueberry, mineral, sage and espresso. Finishes with taut tannins and lovely floral and spicy nuances that give this a sen...

"This is really incredible with orange peel, dried pineapple and flan. Exotic. Full body, round and savory. Crazy character at the finish of cooked...

"The white pepper and apricot-scented 1999 #8 Welschriesling Zwischen Den Seen Trockenbeerenauslese is a rich, concentrated behemoth. Pepper-laced ...

"Another brilliant 2005 (93% Grenache and 7% Syrah), it has put on weight and seems to be developing more complexity. California’s cooler year seem...

"Wow! Talk about a wine with a lot going on. Initially, you discover the multiple layers of fruit. But it is the refined character, the soft, polis...

Wirra Wirra’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, The Angelus, is named after the Jesuit church bell rung to mark the start and end of harvest. Sourced fr...

"The 2005 Grenache Atlantis Fe203-2a has been absolutely thrilling both times I have tasted it within the last year. A huge, vertical wine, Atlanti...

"The 2006 Raven Series Syrah, a blend of 93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, and 2% Viognier that spends just under two years in French oak. Offering a dense p...

"What an amazing nose of caramel and molasses this great Austrian TBA has. Terrific concentration of toasted nuts, caramel and black tea character,...

Jarvis’s estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon is the winery’s flagship, released only after five years of cave aging. The grapes come from vineyards sit...

"The 2017 Côte de Brouilly exhibits aromas of cassis, plums and loamy soil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, succulent palate that's nicely con...

"A wine that started out mind blowing, and just went up from there, was the 2006 Sine Qua Non Grenache In the Crosshairs! A blend of 84% Grenache, ...

"A brilliant Syrah, the 2006 Sine Qua Non Syrah Raven Series benefits greatly from a decant and boast awesome aromatics of smoked meats, bacon fat,...

"A prodigious effort (the finest since the 1988), the 1999 Selleck Pinot Noir exhibits a dense plum/purple color as well as a sensational, big, swe...

"Blending concentration, rich textures, intensity, freshness and layers of sweet, perfectly ripe, citrus fruits, lemon peel, apples and pears, the ...

"This is really incredible with orange peel, dried pineapple and flan. Exotic. Full body, round and savory. Crazy character at the finish of cooked...

"A Shot in the Dark is composed of 96.5% Syrah and 3.5% Viognier from the 11 Confessions Vineyard in the cool Santa Rita Hills. Performing better f...

"The 2001 Ventriloquist is a blend of 82% Grenache and 18% Syrah. Sixty percent of the fruit came from the Alban Vineyard, 32% from the Stolpman Vi...

Champagne Jacques Selosse, established in the 1950s, is renowned for its unconventional winemaking, including the Sherry-style solera system and a ...

Winemaker's notes: "The color is a dark garnet with an intensely deep red core. Aromas of vanilla toffee and roasted coffee beans are followed by w...

"Troplong Mondot’s 2003 is a brilliant success in this vintage, largely because of the limestone soils and incredibly low yields. There are nearly ...

"Expansive black-fruit aromas, plus some mulberry and bitter chocolate, make this mature Californian red hard to resist. The balance of mouth-filli...

"Sweet aromas of ripe cherries, black currants, plums, smoky barbecue, licorice and forest floor jump from the glass of this broad, savory, full-bo...

Vineyard notes: "Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair is a very recent wine estate since created at the beginning of the year 2000 by Count Louis-Michel L...

"Brambly, complex and elegant, the 2003 David Arthur Elevation 1147 has aged beautifully, and is just now at the early stages of maturity. Its stil...

"A beautiful bottle at full maturity, the wine is soft, medium bodied, elegant and fresh. The ripe, red fruit notes are front and center. The livel...

The 2003 La Clarté de Haut-Brion Blanc, a white Bordeaux from Pessac-Léognan, is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon that showcases the warmth ...

"The 2010 Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard is a slightly tighter style of Pinot Noir, and lighter than the 2009. There is more acidity showing through...

Domaine d’Auvenay, part of the Leroy portfolio, is named after Lalou Bize-Leroy’s estate near Saint-Romain. It is her family’s original domaine, pr...

"This gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard above Lake Hennessey exhibits scents of creme de cassis, spring flowers, ink, graphite, plums and...

"An alluring nose of Kenya AA coffee and bittersweet cocoa, with polished, racy notes of black currant, fig and loam on the palate. The long, fine-...

"Boy, this is beautiful to smell! Fresh-picked strawberries and cherries, with just the right amount of cloves. Hints of prunes. Full-bodied, with ...

"Brambly, complex and elegant, the 2003 David Arthur Elevation 1147 has aged beautifully, and is just now at the early stages of maturity. It’s sti...

"Shows seductive aromas of rich currant, with mocha and espresso bean oak. Deep, complex, intense and concentrated. The long, full, persistent fini...

"Very sleek and refined, but with loads in reserve, this shows layers of mocha, espresso, bittersweet coffee, mineral and currant paste all framed ...

"Utterly perfect, the 2008 Chardonnay Marcassin Estate is a dead-ringer for the 2007, but slightly richer and longer, as hard as that may be to bel...

"This is a stunning Clos de Vougeot, a distinct level up from the great 2000. The nose blossoms in the glass with raspberry leaf, wild strawberry a...

"Pure perfection, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is a sensational effort from this estate that should be snatched up by drinkers and colle...

"The firm, broodingly backward, structured, powerful 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Sixtine is atypical for this vintage. Its saturated purple co...

Winemaker's notes: "The wine is bright golden in colour, sweet spicy on the nose, nuances of iodine minerality, with dried apricot and chamomile hi...

"1995 was an outstanding vintage for Chardonnay in Champagne, so it's no surprise that this was the star of the show. It has a delicate, sophistica...