93 Wine Enthusiast

"Instead of white Burgundy, serve this Sancerre. A nose of golden fruit greets you on the nose, along with restrained sweet baking spice, golden apple, ripe Bosc pear and hints of caramelized quince and brioche. The creamy palate delivers acidity that enlivens the entire length of the taste. Drink now–2028. -RS"

94 Wine Enthusiast

"From one of the properties owned by the Bonnie family of Malartic-Lagravière, this wine has rich spice and a polished sheen of ripe tannins and black fruits. It is worth aging further and drink from 2025. — Roger Voss" (Cellar Selection) 

89-90 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The very pale and delicate 2023 Rosado was still in tank, waiting to be bottled. 2023 was also a very ripe year, resulting in a challenging vintage. It's a combination of Garnacha and Viura. It has 13.4% alcohol and is still a bit reductive. They managed to keep the freshness, with moderate alcohol and a dry, chalky mouthfeel, clean, tasty, serious and long. This is a very gastronomical rosé. There will be some 300,000 bottles of this released.

94 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

"Subtle and complex aromas with sliced spiced pear, ginger and honeysuckle. Full-bodied with layers of fruit and a creamy and enticing texture. Salted caramel and hints of nuts. Cooked apples and tarte tatin at the end. Dosage 5g/L. Disgorged in August 2021. Drink or hold."

99 Audrey Frick - jebdunnuck.com

The 2019 Barolo Sperss is rich with dark mineral earth, black cherry, and Earl Grey tea. Long and mouthwatering, it has a powerful structure while retaining finesse. It is fantastically balanced, with gripping tannins, fresh acidity, and notes of forested earth and ripe red berries. A wine for the long haul, this is another great and noble wine to drink over the coming three decades.

98 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

A wine of stature and breeding, the 2019 Barolo Sperss is pure Serralunga power. Dark toned fruit, lavender, licorice, gravel and crushed rocks soar from the glass. There is plenty of the brooding intensity and tannic heft that are such signatures, but the 2019 is also wonderfully refined.

93 Wine Enthusiast

The superlative wood and dried fruit flavors have coalesced to yield an intense wine. Its sweet sultana flavors and generous richness go with the spice and pepper edge from the wood aging. It is a great wine that is ready to drink. ROGER VOSS

94-96 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

A solid step up over the Les Tourelles, the 2022 Les Griffons De Pichon Baron is also Merlot-dominated and checks in as 50% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot that will spend 18 months in 40% new French oak. Gorgeously pure cassis, smoked earth, graphite, tobacco, and crushed stone define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied, with a layer, concentrated mid-palate, fine tannins, and a great finish. The purity and precision here are truly something.

93-95 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2022 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron represents 22% of the production and is matured in 40% new oak. It has a very focused bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit, crushed violet and a light marine influence. The palate is medium-bodied with sculpted tannins, very tensile, intense yet weightless toward the long graphite-infused finish. This is just superb.

92-93 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Refined and pretty aromas and flavors of currants and blackberries on both the nose and palate. Medium body. Fine tannins and a fresh finish. 50% merlot, 46% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot.

90-92 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2022 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is the more serious of the estate's two second wines, with Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Merlot dominating the blend. Revealing aromas of dark berries, cherries, spices and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with powdery tannins and a more structured profile than Les Tourelles

92 Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

For me this is the one to pick in 2022 from the 2nd wines of Pichon Baron, deep ruby red in colour, a core of intense tannins, crunchy cassis and bilberry fruit, strictly Pauillac with a powerful intense character that is easy to love. Excellent quality, brooding with a ton of spice. 40% new oak. First full year with Pierre Montegnut as technical director, plus first year with new tanks, and sorting facilities, including the abiliity for cold maceration for every plot.

97-98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Blackberry, iron, hazelnut, crushed stone, hints of salt and spice. Medium to full body. Fresh and vivid. Very sophisticated and classy. The tannins are silky and so fine, but then it opens up at the end of the palate.

93-95+ Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2022 Château Bellefont-Belcier is a lively, medium to full-bodied Saint-Emilion that shines for its vibrancy and purity while still bringing beautiful depth of fruit. A blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a terrific sense of minerality in its red and blue fruits as well as notes of graphite, woodsmoke, and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this ripe, concentrated, yet incredible elegant 2022 stays nicely focused, has fine grained tannins, and outstanding length. Tasted multiple times with consistent notes.

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

This estate's renaissance continues, and the 2022 Bellefont Belcier is both the finest and most elegant wine that the team has produced today. Mingling aromas of plums and sweet berries with notions of rose petals and bay leaf, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of vibrant fruit, beautifully refined tannins and a suave, seamless profile. Readers will remember that this derives from a beautifully situated hillside vineyard, sandwiched between Larcis Ducasse and Tertre Roteboeuf on either side, with holdings belonging to Pavie and Troplong Mondot on the plateau above. The 2022 is a blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

91-93 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2022 Bellefont-Belcier is quite dark and somber. In recent years, Bellefont is not as brooding as it once was, which is a positive, but the dark, introspective nature remains. Plum, chocolate, licorice, espresso and incense are some of the many notes that open with a bit of coaxing. There’s certainly plenty of depth, yet the 2022 is on the understated side at this stage. Tasted two times.

93 Wine Spectator

A savory streak leads the way, with a core of açaí, black currant and blueberry reduction notes following closely, while cool cast iron and graphite details lengthen the finish and offer a sense of place. This could use a touch of cellaring to round fully into form. Best from 2025 through 2035. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 3,500 cases made.

97 Neal Martin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Now with a couple years in bottle, I am erring to the Taylor’s over the Fonseca (although these can always change!) The Taylor’s show more delineation and refinement with pure black currant, cassis, pencil box, hints of marzipan and a hint of dark chocolate. The palate is full-bodied and sumptuous with super-fine tannins, very pure blackberry and boysenberry notes interlaced with cedar, dried fig and a touch of black pepper on the beautifully refined finish. Excellent.

97 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

This is solid as a rock with firm and chewy tannins. Has grip. Full-bodied and off dry with gorgeous fruit. Dried fruit such as raisin and prune too. Long and very intense. Gorgeous. Great bottle.

91 Wine Enthusiast

This is a nice bit of off-dry fun. Star fruit and kiwi aromas are joined by traces of white clover and a sweet scent that reminded me of frosted animal crackers. Flavors of lime zest, guava, marzipan and amaretto cookies slip and slide all over the palate. A nice amount of acidity makes a perfect foil for the pronounced residual sugar.

94 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The Casanova della Spinetta 2008 Sassontino is a late-release wine that hits the market with 10 additional years of cellar age. A little seal on the front label confirms this special release. This wine is made with fruit sourced from Giorgio Rivetti's oldest vines, and the integrity of that fruit is carefully preserved. The wine shows a dark garnet color and rich concentration. To the nose, it reveals dried cherry and plum, with tertiary aromas of tarry smoke and dusty licorice root. The oak tones have ceded to dry spice and campfire ash. This cool 2008 vintage shows very elegant and fine results, making this a reasonably priced offer for those who adore aged Sangiovese.

97-100 Robert Parker - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2007 Insignia (a 13,500-case blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) offers a seamless introduction to this flagship cuvee. Its inky/purple color is followed by aromas of creme de cassis, incense, crushed rocks, lead pencil shavings, cedar, and spice box. It possesses a massive, opulent mouthfeel, serious tannins, and no hard edges. This stunning effort should hit its peak in 5-8 years, and last 40 years. I would not be surprised to see it become the greatest Insignia to date and close in on a perfect score."

92-94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

The 2022 Pichon Comtesse Reserve is made from 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant scents of juicy black plums, blackberry pie, and boysenberry preserves, plus hints of black cherries, cedar chest, and lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate coats the mouth with perfumed black fruit preserves, supported by plush tannins and just enough freshness, finishing on an earthy note. pH 3.8.

92-94 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The second wine of Comtesse de Lalande, the 2022 Pichon Comtesse Réserve is based on 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. Ripe black and blue fruits as well as some chocolaty, tobacco nuances define the aromatics, and it's a rich, full-bodied, velvety textured second wine that's going to drink brilliantly right out of the gate. This is well worth seeking out. Tasted twice.

91-93 William Kelley - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Like a number of second wines from the best classified growths, the 2022 Resèrve de la Comtesse shares much of the personality of the grand vin this year, delivering aromas of blackberries, violets and exotic spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy palate with a rich core of fruit framed by powdery tannins.

94 Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The wine released in 2024 is the 2019 Pintia, from a very dry year when they did a softer vinification and used some 15% stainless steel for the élevage to keep the fruit and freshness. It fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It's a powerful year; the wine has 15% alcohol and is round and full-bodied. It's a heady and ripe Pintia. They had to be careful with the harvest date, and they harvested early and quite quickly. Even though the wine is ripe and heady, with notes of grenadine and small ripe berries, it's also exotic and spicy, quite showy, lush and full-bodied, with 2019 tannins. It's a more powerful wine that is going to require patience. They produced 224,724 bottles, 6,587 magnums and some smaller and larger sizes. It was bottled in May 2021.

93 Vinous Media - Vinous

‘The 2022 Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux is a supple, tender style. It's delicate on the palate while succulent and medium-sweet, which is quite a feat. You'll struggle to find many producers in the world who can achieve this balance. It has a fine, delicate fragrance of apple, pear and even a hint of celery. The finish is gentle, with a fine texture lightly coating the palate. A little shorter than I'd like ideally, but still super stuff. 2023-2043’

95 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Very pure and attractive fruit character here with blackberries and blueberries with crushed violets, dark chocolate and savory herbs undertones. Some citrus peel and wet stones, too. Full-bodied with super fine tannins and crunchy acidity that gives tension and energy to the fruit. So polished and silky. Very long. A blend of petit verdot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

94+ Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

An organic blend of 40% Petit Verdot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, the Brancaia 2020 Ilatraia (in the bottle with the black label) shows an inky dark appearance with lots of black and purple fruit intensity. This beautiful estate is nestled within the thick forests of Radda in Chianti, one of the wildest corners of the appellation. This vintage is slightly more accessible in terms of mouthfeel, but it still delivers ample spice, grilled herb and black pepper. Some 40,000 bottles are being released now.

94 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2020 Ilatraia is a potent red that is going to need at least a few years in bottle to soften. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of black fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, incense and lavender. A wine of substance and power, Ilatraia is not as forthcoming as most wines from the Tuscan coast. I suspect the high percentage of Petit Verdot in the blend has a lot to do with that. This is a superb showing, especially for a vintage that yielded generally lighter wines on the coast.