97 Neal Martin - Vinous Media

The 2020 Cos d'Estournel, which was bottled in July, has lost some of the exoticism that it showed out of barrel. Within five minutes of aeration it develops a complex bouquet: black fruit laced with graphite and subtle cedar aromas, a charcoal back-note and later pressed iris flowers. I foresee this gaining more nuance with bottle age. The palate is taut, lean and precise. Lightly spiced on the entry, with finely-chiseled tannins, again, not quite as precocious as it showed in barrel, allowing the terroir to come through more. There is something almost understated about this vintage vis-à-vis others, razor-sharp precision with just the right amount of salinity on the finish. This is a classy offering that will mature beautifully in bottle. A keeper.

96 Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

A gorgeous rendition of the variety, showing cassis, violet and cedary oak characters with a subtle tobacco nuance. The concentrated palate displays excellent fruit purity and power, superbly complemented by richly textured mouthfeel backed by sturdy tannins, leading to a lengthy structured finish. At its best: now to 2038.

90 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

This has aromas of sliced apples, fresh pears, lemons and melon. Creamy and fresh with a light to medium body and clean, refreshing finish. Drink now.

93 Wine Spectator

Plush and round, offering sumptuous cherry and pear flavors laced with crème brûlée and roasted nuts, this builds richness to the rich finish. Drink now. 16,000 cases made.

90 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

This is perfumed with notes of citrus fruit, ripe guava, white flowers and herbs. Medium-bodied with clean acidity and sleek texture. Crunchy and fresh. Sustainable. Drink now.

86-87 Anne Krebiehl MW - Vinous Media

The 2022 Riesling Classic is incredibly full-fruited and immediate on the nose: pear, mandarin and ripe Cox Orange Pippin apple alongside tropical pineapple overtones. There still is a touch of yeast here, but this is vivid, juicy, easy, light and full of fruit. (Dry)

96+ Eric Guido - Vinous Media

Dark and rich in the glass, the 2019 Hexe displays wild strawberry, red plum, anise and peppery floral aromas. This is wickedly fresh yet powerful, with depths of ripe cherry-berry fruits, autumnal spice and lively acidity that holds the entire experience together. The 2019 finishes long and spicy, echoing with blue and purple inner florals. A balsamic twang lingers.

94 Wine Enthusiast

Woodland berry, pressed rose and spice aromas mingle with earthy notes of forest floor and leather. Medium-bodied, smoothly structured yet racy, the savory palate features Marasca cherry, truffle, vanilla and star anise framed in taut, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it balanced while it closes on a hint of salted game. Drink 2026–2046.

97 Decanter

A late release, on sale this Christmas, from the mostly recently declared year for Vintage Port. Deep opaque inky black hue; tight knit and unyielding with underlying minty ripeness on the nose; well-defined minty fruit with great purity and intensity on the palate, dark chocolate depth at the core, firm but ripe linear tannins with, long lovely freshness (the hallmark of this vintage) present on the finish.

96 Mark Squires - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2019 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for 18 months in old wood vats. It was bottled May 4, 2021, and has 100 grams of residual sugar. It was in bottle only a bit more than two months when tasted, but it seems quite brilliant, even so. Very concentrated, it adds controlled power and coats the palate. Tasted with some other 2019s, this certainly stood out for both concentration and power. It touches all the bases in terms of expressive fruit and structure, finishing dry and seriously. It seemed balanced enough to drink young, but that would be a mistake. For one thing, it steadily tightened as it aired out. It also increasingly showed gorgeous eucalyptus-laced aromatics. Two days later, it was notably more astringent. Four days later, it was very firm on the finish and better overall. In fact, that was a far better showing than on day one. This is plainly built for the long haul. I would expect nothing less from a fine Noval Vintage Port. It became more focused and precise as well...This is a powerful beauty, well justifying Noval's tendency to declare most every year. (MS)

18 Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages

Lustrous and just mid ruby with orange tinges. This is Vignolo but amplified, boasting the same concentration and minerally depth, but more refined and more restraint at the same time. Stunning, fine tannins, rich yet in perfect harmony with the supple, long and still-embryonic fruit. A stellar wine

97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 La Conseillante sashays out of the glass with the most gorgeous notes of lilacs, Black Forest cake, kirsch and black raspberries plus nuances of cinnamon stick, dark chocolate and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm, finely grained texture with bags of perfumed black fruits and wonderful freshness, finishing very long and very fragrant

97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

The 2017 La Conseillante is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps with notions of black and red cherry preserves, fresh black plums, and mulberries, plus hints of aniseed, Jasmine tea, and fragrant earth. Medium-bodied, elegant, and lively in the mouth, it has intense red berry and floral layers, finishing with a minerally lift.

96 Antonio Galloni - Vinous

The 2017 La Conseillante is a regal wine. Lithe and statuesque in the glass, La Conseillante soars with real vertical intensity. Sweet floral aromatics and silky tannins give the 2017 much of its understated, classy personality. Inky dark blue/purplish fruit, spice, licorice and lavender develop with a bit of time, but it is the wine's balance and extreme sense of harmony that stand out most. Technical Director Marielle Cazaux gave the fruit about 2 days on the skins, with no SO2 at crush. Cazaux added that the malos were quite fast. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Frost reduced production by around 15%, while drought further reduced yields in the Franc by a further 10%. This is a fabulous showing.

96 Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

Sophisticated, sexy and fresh, the wine is lenient and silky. There is a strong violet sensation along with black cherry, boysenberry, truffle and dark chocolate. The wine is classic in style but in a virtuous way. There is depth and volume. On the palate, you'll experience sweet, bright, fresh, dusty, chocolate-covered plums. The harvest took place September 5 to September 9. The wine was made from blending 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc

96 Jane Anson - Decanter

This stands out from the line up - the complexity on the nose is hugely enticing, with chocolate, liquorice bud, slate and sweet crushed blackberry puree with tons of juice and edges of violet. This is a great wine and one of the few that really does rise above the vintage and would go toe-to-toe with its sibling years on either side. It lifts the foot off the pedal more quickly than the 2016 or 2018 for sure, but it's a very accomplished and enjoyable wine. 70% new oak.

99 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

Even better, the 2019 Ermitage Le Méal is blockbuster stuff and is up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Coming from the warmest terroir on Hermitage, this beauty boasts a deep purple/plum color to go with incredible aromatics of blue fruits, lavender, chocolate, burning embers, and violets. These all carry to a full-bodied, opulent Hermitage with a round, expansive mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, no hard edges, and one heck of a great finish. It needs plenty of air to show at its best today, and even then, its tannins clamp down on the finish, and that’s despite being covered by a wealth of baby fat. Give this utterly brilliant Hermitage 4-5 years of bottle age and it should pretty much blow you away over the following 20-25 years or so.

97 Decanter

This is very much keeping its aromas to itself for now. On the palate it is smooth, silky, full-bodied and dense. This has great driving power, very intense with slightly warming alcohol on the finish. Fine tannins, the oak is well integrated, not drying or dominating with a long finish. It's ripe, but finishes dry and savoury. A south-facing parcel of Le Méal, all destemmed, fermented in concrete then will be aged for around 18 months, 30-50% new oak.

96 Josh Raynolds - Vinous Media

Saturated purple. Deeply pitched blackberry, cherry, olive paste, vanilla, bacon fat and pungent floral qualities on the intensely perfumed, mineral-accented nose. Sappy and densely packed yet vibrant as well, offering bitter cherry, dark berry liqueur, smoked meat, mocha and candied violet flavors and a hint of salty olive paste. Shows superb detail and mineral thrust on the youthfully tannic finish, which hangs on with strong, floral-driven persistence.x000D There's a lot going on here but, by all means, give it some time. 50% new oak.