95 Decanter

"The lovely Pazo Barrantes estate has been the home of the Creixell family since the 15th century. (They also own the Castillo Ygay estate in Rioja, with its Marqués de Murrieta wines.) Its 12ha of vineyards were replanted in 1982, and the winery opened in 1991. This wine spends two months on lees; 85% is then aged in stainless steel for seven months and 15% in 225L acacia wood barrels. It spends 16 months in bottle before release. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Opulent and perfumed with golden fruit. The palate is bold and intense with ripe fruit subdued by the oak, giving richness. A complex and individual wine. Pierre Mansour: Delightful blossom fruit and floral notes on the nose. Very elegant, with incredible length and real finesse. Beth Willard: Delicate honey and floral aromas. The palate is perfectly rounded by the oak, which lends a gentle sweetness and spice. Peach and apricot on the finish with a touch of mango."

94+ Luis Gutierrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2021 Gran Vino Albariño is the third vintage of this new cuvée from their 12 hectares in eight different plots (Cacheiro, Huerta, Besada, Eira, Ferradiña, Ferradura, Tomadiña and Souto) in the Valle del Salnés plus a further hectare rented from the archbishop. The destemmed grapes were pressed and the must let to settle and then fermented in stainless steel for around 30 days. The wine was kept with the lees in stainless steel for six months and then a further six months without the lees. Fifteen percent of the volume matured in acacia wood barrels. It was kept in bottle for around 20 months before being sold. It has 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.25 and seven grams of acidity (tartaric). It's pale and elegant, insinuating, perfumed, floral and subtle. It's lighter but very vibrant, and it's fresh and with volume and very tasty flavors. This could be the finest vintage to date—elegant, clean, classical and Atlantic. 105,274 numbered bottles and 1,827 magnums produced. It was bottled in July 2022. The wine is released almost two years after the harvest."

93 Wine Spectator

"Gorgeous, with a lush display of mulberry and blackberry fruit cruising through, underscored by hints of apple wood, warm earth and anise. Shows a swirl of black tea on the fruit-filled finish. For fans of the hedonistic style. Drink now through 2026. 185 cases made. -JM"

97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

The single-varietal 2014 La Violeta Malbec is made by the owner of La Violette in Pomerol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the glass with mature notes of fruitcake, plum pudding, cigar box, and iron ore, leading to wafts of dried roses and sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is jam packed with impressive black fruit preserves and spice layers, framed by firm, velvety tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and opulent. Delicious right now, it should cellar a further 20 years+.

95 Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Sweet liqourice, chalk, blackberry pie, damson, espresso, touch of reduction keeps things subdued for a moment, followed by an explosion of flavours, this is great quality, and distinctive with orange peel lift and acidity on the finish. Winemaker Marcelo Pelleriti makes the wines across Henri Parent's estates in Pomerol and Argentina. 100% hand destemmed, old vines from a high altitude site at 1,200m in the Uco Valley. Held back at the estate until ready to drink making this its first release, second year of sale through the Place de Bordeaux. Heavy bottle.

94 Wine Enthusiast

Spiced pear mixed with candied lemon rind, wildflowers and fresh honey all swirl in concert in the glass. Each sniff brings out a new element from the wine: fruit, mineral and flower. The palate is full in body with a texture that will make you keep coming back and rue the moment the glass is finished, capped with apricot and a salty minerality.

93-95 Allen Meadows - Burghound

Exuberantly fresh black fruit aromas are liberally laced with notes of earth, clove, anise and wood. The succulent yet muscular and powerful big-bodied flavors possess excellent mid-palate density while exhibiting seriously good length on the mouth coating and strikingly long finish. Note that this is very much built-to-age and a wine that may well require 20 years to reach its apogee. Excellent.

96 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The Le Ragnaie 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento (with 3,700 bottles made) is very pretty in this vintage with tart cherry and lifted aromas of cola, garden herb, blue flower and blood orange. This is usually my favorite of the three single-vineyard wines produced by this estate. I applaud the relatively contained 13.5% alcohol content that lets you enjoy more of the wine in one sitting. The tannins melt softly over the palate.

96 Stephan Reinhardt - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The white to golden-yellow colored 2018 Vouvray Cuvée Constance is deep, very clear, fresh and refined on the slightly smoky nose that is reminiscent of baby pineapples, stone fruits, lemon and quince aromas intertwined with a very delicate flintiness. Playful and finessed in all its richness, this is a full-bodied, highly elegant yet intense, saline and very sustainable Vouvray Chenin with an almost endless finish. The acidity is very finely grained but vital and savory, carrying this brilliant beauty to a very long, intense yet always delicate and stimulating finish. 11.5% stated alcohol. 500-milliliter bottle. Natural cork. Tasted in April 2023.

99 Kerin O'Keefe - kerinokeefe.com

Intensely perfumed, this is one of the best Barolos from the vintage, starting right out with its enticing scents wild rose, Alpine herb, wet stone, woodland berry and camphor. On the vibrant, delicious palate, taut, fine-grained tannins accompany succulent pomegranate, wild raspberry, star anise and cinnamon. It’s elegant, precise and impeccably balanced, with bright acidity. It’s already gorgeous but will age beautifully too. Drink 2024–2038. Abv: 14.5%

95 Wine Spectator

A supple red hallmarked by elegance and finesse, featuring rose, strawberry, cherry and accents of eucalyptus and mint, which ply the refined texture and structure. Balanced and persists on the fruit-filled aftertaste, where a mineral element emerges. Shows excellent length. Best from 2024 through 2042. 2,158 cases made.

95 Monica Larner - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The Giuseppe Mascarello 2018 Barolo Monprivato reveals an open and accessible personality. This wine is an immediate charmer. I tasted these wines with the Mascarello family seated across the table from me, and during our chat, they explained that this was a gratifying vintage in terms of farming and winemaking. The growing season was not too hot, and high alcohol levels were not an issue, they say. In the case of this wine, we are greeted to mild tannins and a pretty bouquet with delicate floral notes, smoke and tar.

96 Mark Squires - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2019 Vintage Port is a field blend from old vines (80 to 100 years old) aged for 21 months in large Portuguese oak vats. It comes in with 88 grams per liter of residual sugar and 19.3% alcohol. This was seen about three months after bottling. In its own notes, the winery says it emphasized balance and elegance, and that is certainly a fitting summary of this wine. Let's not forget, though, the appealing aromatics laced with some eucalyptus and the grip on the finish. Plus, the texture is sensual and caressing on the palate. Then, the fruit adds waves of flavor. This finishes with some power and pop, making it a good candidate for the cellar. The tannins are not too hard, though, and they are nicely controlled. Its freshness will also serve it in good stead as it ages. If there's a quibble, it most certainly is not the most concentrated Niepoort ever. Everything else is super, however. This should have good aging potential and the ability to improve more. It's worth noting that on the first day tasted, this was good but not great. A couple of days later, it was far more impressive, still tight, precise and focused."

97 Jeb Dunnuck - jebdunnuck.com

The 2021 Pinot Noir Golden Hour is more upfront and expressive, with a sweet core of strawberries, black raspberries, spice, and dried flowers. Incredibly complex, medium to full-bodied, round, supple, and undeniably sexy, this is ultra-classic California Pinot Noir done brilliantly. I love it today yet see no reason it shouldn t evolve for 7-8 years, if not longer.

97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Independent

Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2021 Golden Hour Pinot Noir is quite closed, needing patient swirling to evoke a fabulously floral perfume of roses, aniseed, and dark chocolate over a core of black cherries, black raspberries, and fresh blackberries with wafts of wild sage and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate has a gorgeous satiny texture and seamless freshness supporting the vibrant red and black fruit layers, finishing on a persistent ferrous note. "This is about expressing the full extent of ripeness that Pinot can give," says owner Jayson Woodbridge. "On the Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir gets to a different place that it just can't get to elsewhere."