96 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2012 Comtes de Champagne is gorgeous. Warm and resonant in the glass, the 2012 Comtes shows all the allure that makes this vintage so appealing. The combination of bright citrus, mineral and floral notes typical of Comtes, enhanced by the soft contours of the vintage, makes for an inviting, open-knit Champagne that is quite showy right out of the gate. Light tropical accents on the finish add an exotic flair. Usually I recommend cellaring just-released Comtes, but that won’t be necessary here.

96 Wine Spectator

A gorgeous blond bombshell of a Champagne, fragrant with roasted hazelnut, vanilla and smoke notes that waft through layers of poached pear and quince, pastry cream, pain d'épices and candied ginger. This is sculpted by a vibrant acidity that's seamlessly knit to the plush, silky mousse and chalky underpinning. Drink now through 2033. 1,500 cases imported.

96 Wine Enthusiast

Mature and beautifully textured, this magnificent Champagne is just right. The wine's minerality is tempered with acidity and touches of white fruits. This great wine is toasty and balanced, ready to drink. #20 on the Top 100 Cellar Selections 2023

95+ William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is showing beautifully out of the gates, offering up demonstrative aromas of sweet golden orchard fruit, buttery croissants, peach and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and enveloping, it's a rich, textural, vinous Comtes somewhat reminiscent of the brilliant 2002. If it gains in tension and cut (as the 2002 did and as I suspect the 2012 will) with more time on cork, it will make this initial rating seem conservative.

95 Decanter

From the very first whiff, this expresses energy, depth and complexity. Aeration reinforces this impression, while also revealing scents of orchard fruit, like apricot, but also exotic fruit, as well as hazelnut and delicate autolytic notes - pastry in particular. On the palate, it is rich and full-bodied, with satisfying sapidity on the long finish. Five to eight years of further cellaring would be ideal, and even more for aficionados of Champagne with marked bottle maturity.

93 Robert Parker - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The non-vintage Dry Amontillado Los Arcos Solera Reserva reveals a medium amber hue along with a nutty, honeyed, dry personality with great acid." (08/12)

90 Wine Spectator

#82 - Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2012
"A more flattering style, with an off-dry edge to the walnut paste, hazelnut, date and clove-studded orange notes, which show nice focus and zip on the finish. Drink now. 2,000 cases imported. -JM" (Reviewed 02/12)

92 Eric Guido - Vinous Media

The 2020 Etna Rosso is remarkably pretty, leading off with dusty roses and dried strawberries complicated by suggestions of violet and lavender. This flows effortlessly across the palate with floral-laced red fruits enhanced by sour citrus and spice. The 2020 lingers incredibly long yet maintains a lovely inner freshness. The 2020 is exceptionally pure and impossible to resist.

99 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"So much violets, licorice, pencil, flowers and currants define this on the nose before it moves to fresh mushrooms. It’s full-bodied yet compacted with tension and a compressed center palate. Incredible, fine-grained tannins and energy. The length is truly great. Should be even more beautiful in 2024. Give it time."

97+ William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2014 Latour is one of the very finest wines of a vintage that favored the northern Médoc. Mingling aromas of wild berries and cassis with hints of cigar wrapper, loamy soil, black truffles and classy new oak, it’s full-bodied, rich and concentrated, its broad attack segueing into a deep, tightly wound mid-palate that’s framed by powdery, chalky tannins and bright acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. This classically balanced, youthfully structured young wine looks set to enjoy prodigious longevity. It’s reminiscent of a modern-day version of a cooler vintage such as 1996, though of course these days maturity is more complete and selection even more rigorous than was the case two decades ago."

97 Wine Enthusiast

"The tannins in this fine vintage of Latour are still enormous, dominating the black currant fruit. It has spice, tannins, impressive fruit and a pure, cool character. To be released in the mid-2020s, the wine is likely to age for many years. Enjoy from 2027. -RV"

97 Wine Spectator

"This shows terrific cut and drive from the start, with mouthwatering acidity and a chiseled graphite note leading the way, backed by a core of pure cassis and blackberry preserves. Licorice snap and sweet tobacco details flitter through the finish, where the graphite edge reemerges and sails on and on. Best from 2022 through 2040. 7,632 cases made. — JM"

96+ Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2014 Château Latour is still a baby and relatively closed and backward, offering darker, meaty black fruits, tobacco, truffly earth, and graphite on the nose. It's much more dense and structured than I would have imagined from tasting on release and offers full-bodied richness, a beautiful mid-palate, fabulous overall balance, and no shortage of tannins on the finish. This vintage was terrific for the Médoc, particularly the northern Médoc, and this beauty warrants another 7-8 years of bottle age, after which I suspect it will have well over 3 decades of overall longevity. The blend is 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that hit 12.8% alcohol.

96 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

"The 2014 Latour is deep and beautifully layered in the glass, with deceptive power and plenty of structure lurking in the background. Powerful and vivid, yet also super-refined, it possesses remarkable nuance and polish for a young Latour. It will be interesting to see if it develops more explosiveness or remains on the more understated side of things. There is plenty of time. If the current schedule of releases from bottle is any indication, the 2014 will likely not be released before its 15th birthday."

96 Neal Martin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2014 Latour, which was bottled in July 2016, but of course will not be released for several years depending upon subsequent vintages, has a very pure, tightly-wound bouquet with blackberry fruit infused with black olive and graphite, just as it was out of barrel during en primeur. After several minutes, it is joined by subtle hints of pressed violets. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This is very classic in style, exhibiting superb freshness and harmony, the texture perhaps a little silkier than I recollect from barrel. It fans out with a very attractive marine influence that it shares with its neighbor Léoville Las-Cases, whilst the persistence is very impressive and reinforces its First Growth pedigree. This should be a quintessential Latour once released: aristocratic and noble."

91 Wine Enthusiast

Almost sweet and certainly ripe tasting, this warm, broad and excellent-value wine offers ample honeydew melon, baked apple, vanilla and butter flavors that weave elegantly through mild acidity and a medium body.

95 Mark Squires - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2011 Tinto (Vale d. Maria), i.e, the flagship estate wine from the Quinta, is an old vines (65 years) field blend. Approximately three-fourths of the juice was fermented in tank, the rest in lagares. Then transferred to barrel, two thirds of the juice was aged in new French oak for 21 months, the other third in a mixture of second and third pass oak. It is listed at 15% alcohol. Tightly wound, a bit brooding and powerful this year, this is a big boy in terms of structure, showing astringency on the finish, yet it seems also to show fine balance overall, managing to project some elegance, notwithstanding its underlying power. The graceful mid-palate is beautifully constructed, not jammy or thick, but still concentrated. It has a persistent finish. Beneath the oaky overlay, there is fine fruit as well as that impressive structure. This promises to be exceptional if you have a little patience. The next day it seemed far better controlled in tannins and drank far better, the oak still a bit too obvious, but nicely toned down. It also, happily, showed a certain steely nuance, providing some evidence that it might be something other than one-dimensional. This unevolved and rather disjointed Vale d. Maria needs some time to show its stuff, absorb the oak and come around in general. It won’t be the wine to buy if you lack a cellar. It is likely on the short list for top vintages from this bottling, though, and it is worth leaning up at the moment. It will probably be around peak in 2018-2020 or so, but it will certainly be approachable sooner. As time goes on, I suspect this won’t be the best of the van Zeller 2011s – but it is pretty close and well priced compared to some. There were just 21,400 bottles produced, plus some large format bottles. Drink 2016-2031. Many of the big reds were just bottled at the end of June or July, 2013, then seen in early Fall in the USA, so take it as a given that they are unevolved and need some time to show their stuff. Most of them should be in retail circulation in the USA in early 2014, shortly after this article appears. They tend to be in small supply. The theme here is many labels and brands, but not much quantity for each one. So, act quickly when they get here if you’re interested. If they have a flaw, it is primarily that they are as a group on the pricey side. You and your wallet will have to deal with that part. This issue features three small-production specialty wines illustrating different parts of the Quinta’s terroir. Since two of the three are relatively new, I asked van Zeller what he was attempting to demonstrate. I got a very long answer – but an interesting and worthwhile one. So, I’ll let him tell it, with some necessary condensation for space. “We have very many factors that influence each part and each parcel of vineyards in the Douro: altitude, sun exposure, steepness of the soil, rockiness of the soil, density of vines, etc., all multiplied (especially in the vineyards planted before 1975) by an extraordinary different number of grape varieties. ? Vinha da Francisca and Vinha do Rio (are) specific parcels that show a very special character. In reality CV was the first wine we produced under this theory. It is the only vineyard we have facing north (at the time I had not ? fully developed (the idea) to call it Quinta Vale D. Maria Vinha do something - CV is a great name anyway). ? In the case of Vinha da Francisca and Vinha do Rio I wanted to show two different and somehow extreme parts of our terroirs (CV being already established on its own): (a) - the younger vines of the quinta , showing from now on, not only the development of the age of these vines, vintage after vintage, but being also the symbol of the future; (b) - the oldest vines of the quinta , showing the maturity and "wisdom" (have I any?) of the family and Vale D. Maria?the full tradition of the field blends in the Douro.” While Francisca has never been part of the regular Vale d. Maria blend, note that the Rio parcel has been traditionally. When I asked how the separate blending would affect the flagship Estate wine, Vale d. Maria Tinto, van Zeller said: “A part of Vinha do Rio will always be part of Quinta Vale D. Maria Douro Red?Rio has a potential to produce some 2.000 to 3.000 bottles but we have only been bottling as Rio between 900 and 1.900 bottles.”

92 Wine Enthusiast

"Dark and dense, it contains a powerful tannic structure as well as underlying ripe blackberry fruits. It's rich and complex, with a mineral edge and impressive ripe fruits. With its tannins, it does need to age before drinking, so wait until 2016. — Roger Voss

91 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

A fresh and wild pinot with aromas of cherry stones, orange peel, soil, hibiscus and thyme. It’s medium-bodied with powdery tannins, crisp acidity and a mineral, earthy finish. Drink now. Screw cap.

92 Wine Enthusiast

Dark violet in color, this wine has a nose of cassis, purple plum and cigar box. Silky tannins play backup to blackberry, black currant, milk chocolate, licorice and lavender flavors. Cooling spice and floral notes linger on the palate. Jorge Ordóñez Selections.

92 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Pretty complex nose with roasted spices and a hint of hot stone, graphite and blackberries. Juicy and full-bodied on the palate with a fine wrap of dusty tannins. Drink or hold.

92 Vinous Media - Vinous

The 2012 Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard possesses serious depth and power. At the same time, the 2012 is quite closed in on itself, which is not surprising, as Hirsch often gives wines of notable structure. It's hard not to imagine that the 2012 will be even better in another few years. If there is one site where the fruit might benefit from a little longer time in barrel, Hirsch is it. There is a good chance the Hirsch will blossom with more time in bottle. Time will tell.

93 Josh Raynolds - Vinous Media

Dark, brilliant ruby. Pungent black raspberry and cherry aromas are complemented by floral, olive and baking spice nuances. Smooth and expansive on the palate, offering spice-tinged red and blue fruit preserve, licorice and allspice flavors that show fine delineation and mineral lift. Juicy and subtly chewy in texture, finishing with resonating blue fruit and spice character; tannins slowly emerge.

92 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

From the southern part of the appellation and brought up all in used oak, the 2019 Saint Joseph is another ripe, sunny, textured beauty. Red and black fruits, ground pepper, and spice as well as medium-bodied richness and sweet tannins all make for a terrific Saint-Joseph. It will keep for a decade as well.

91 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Aromas of sliced plums, sage and bay leaf. Medium-bodied with silky tannins. Juicy and succulent red fruit with lovely freshness and subtle ground spice. Drink now.

92 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

An aromatic nose with fresh flowers, herbs, almonds, pears and a touch of nougat. Medium body with bright acidity. Good minerality combined with a zestiness to the mid-palate giving it vibrancy and character. Plenty of lemon notes towards the salivating finish. Drink or hold.