93 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

This has a spiced sweet-berry character with hints of cassis, chocolate, vanilla and bark. Full-bodied with firm tannins, yet it is textured and velvety with creamy sweetness and a deep dark-fruited finish. Unfiltered. Drink or hold.

95 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 A Merced is surprisingly a little higher in alcohol than the 2020 I tasted next to it, despite the much cooler year. It fermented with 50% foot-trodden whole clusters in 1,000-liter oak casks with indigenous yeasts and a long maceration. It matured in used 225-liter French oak barrels for one year. It's a little earthy but also floral and elegant, combining that wild side that seems to be inherent to this place, as I've noticed it in the last few vintages. It's quite expressive and showy, very complete and balanced. 10,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2022.

94-95 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

A juicy and solid young St Emilion with crushed stone, hints of large grains of sea salt and a black berry character throughout. Full and chewy, but polished. New Grand Cru. Made from biodynamically grown grapes.

93-95 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A wine that gets my nod as this dynamic estate's finest to date is the 2022 Mangot, a medium to full-bodied, ample and layered wine evocative of cherries, dark berries, licorice and rose petals. Deep, concentrated and fleshy, with a vibrant core of fruit and a long, mouthwatering finish, this seamless, complete Saint-Émilion is sure to be one of the best purchases of the en primeur campaign.

91-93 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2022 Mangot is another impressive wine from this château. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, sage, mint and blood orange. Mangot is no longer the brooding powerhouse it once was, but it is still a pretty heady Saint-Émilion. In 2022, it’s the balance of fruit intensity and energy that impresses most. Tasted three times.

92 Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Generous scents of ripe cherries emerge on the nose of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, joined by hints of cedar, vanilla, dried herbs and some darker berries. Full-bodied and velvety in texture, it's a fine representation of Napa Valley Cabernet; it's just lacking the extra depth and complexity to elevate it to the absolute top rank.

96 Kerin O'Keefe - kerinokeefe.com

The 2018 Biondi Santi Brunello shows the winery’s hallmark finesse that French investment group EPI, owners of the historic estate since 2017, have scrupulously preserved thanks to the passion and determination of a great on-site team. It also shows the finesse of the vintage, starting with its heady aromas of wild rose, dark spice, forest berry and eucalyptus. It’s refined and linear, delivering juicy red cherry, star anise and hints of dried herb that dance across the palate before closing on a note of bitter orange. Bright acidity and taut, refined tannins provide balance and polished support. Showing youthful tension, this will age well for years. Drink 2028–2038. Abv: 13.5%

96 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino will be released on March 1, 2024. The color is medium red/garnet, and the nose opens to fresh aromas of orange citrus peel, dusty earth, cranberry, spices, and juniper. Medium-bodied and more linear, it lifts through the palate with fine tannins and a refreshing, mouthwatering finish. It has a great saline feel and is a savory and fresh wine. This is a Brunello I’d love to drink over the next 10 years for its accessibility and refined texture, although I imagine it will also have some real potential for cellaring. Drink 2024-2040.

95 Eric Guido - Vinous Media

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino is gorgeous, floral and finessed, wafting up with a classic Sangiovese profile blending dried rose and black cherries, complicated by dusty earth, worn leather and hints of cedar spice. This shows a beautiful ripeness of fruit, pure and lifted yet potent, with masses of red, wild berries and inner florals that cascade across a core of zesty acidity. This finishes long and staining with regal tannins and a tart cranberry tinge that lingers on and on. Simply magnificent, the 2018 takes the perfumed character of the vintage and marries perfectly to a core of vividly intense fruit. This is entirely atypical of the vintage and the result of extreme selection that reduced production quantities by 20%

95 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

So floral on the nose with lavender and lilac coming through clearly. Cherries and peaches with an orange undertone. Medium-bodied with firm and silky tannins that are lightly chewy. Salty undertone to the fruit and hints of cedar and black truffle. Acid-driven. Excellent energy. March 2024 release. Drink after 2025, but already delicious.

95 Michaela Morris - Decanter Magazine

The 2018 was just the second harvest under new ownership for Biondi Santi. CEO Giampiero Bertolini says that picking started late by the estate’s standards. They waited until 25 September, by which time the strong north wind had an opportunity to dry out the vineyards. The results in the bottle are impressive: cool fragrances of juniper, coriander, pepper and liquorice root leave room for a more subtle violet expression. The palate is decidedly red fruited with pomegranate and sour cherry nuanced by herb flowers, with an underlying stony-mineral crunch. Not lacking in concentration – yet by no means robust – this is graciously weighted. Nor does it have the scratchy bite of a young Biondi Santi Brunello. Instead, tannins are fine-boned and suede-like. Racy acidity is in the driver’s seat bringing focus, linearity and a vibrancy that pops on the finish.

90 Wine Spectator

"Clean and precise aromas of strawberry and blackberry follow through to a full body. Builds on the palate, with cool berry fruit character and chewy tannins. Best after 2011. 750 cases made." -90 Points - Wine Spectator

WINE:
"The vineyards are located in the communities of Neive and Treiso. This gem is vinified in stainless steel and raised in new French oak for 24 months. In the third year the wine is blended and bottled. There is one year of refinement in the bottle before it is ready for export."

"This full-bodied red is visually dark and concentrated. In the mouth, it is round with excellent persistence. Principal notes of spice with blueberry and blackberry jam and an undertone of rose. A structured wine with tame velvety tannins and a long and pleasurable finish. This elegant Barbaresco is a great accompaniment to many cheeses, pastas and meats and even tartufo-accented specialties typical of this Piemonte area." -Importer

REGION:
"DOCG regulations stipulate that Barbaresco wines must be aged for a minimum of 2 years (at least 1 year in oak) prior to release and aged for at least 4 years to be considered a riserva. The wines must have a minimum 12.5% alcohol level though most wines are closer to 13.5%."

"The typical style of a Barbaresco has bouquets of roses or violets with flavor notes of cherry, truffles, fennel and licorice. As the wine ages, it can develop smoky notes and more earthy and animal flavors like leather and tar." -Jancis Robinson - The Oxford Companion to Wine - on the Barbaresco DOCG

90 Jasper Morris, MW - Inside Burgundy

Pale yellow, firm bouquet as a little bit of sulphur at this stage. Clean, brisk, medium powerful. Fills out really well on the palate, with a grapey generosity. More spritz in a second sample, a tiny bit more alcohol, but excellent length. The third is crunchy and spicy. Excellent. Seven plots in all across the village Drink from 2027-2032.

88 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2022 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) is soft, pliant and easygoing, all of which makes it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Lemon confit, spice, white pepper and apricot all grace this supple, inviting Chardonnay.

94 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2019 Claret North Coast Red Wine is a killer value, with great lift and freshness throughout. Made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and the rest Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, the majority of the fruit was sourced from Jericho Canyon. Pouring a youthful purple/red, it is lifted with aromas of graphite, fresh black cherry, cedar, and pine needles. Full-bodied but lifted, it offers ripe tannins, fresh acidity, and notes of fresh red and black fruit, pressed flowers, and turned soil earthiness on the finish. It's drinking well now but is certainly worth cellaring over the next 10 or more years. It’s a great value.