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“Released before the ‘tighter’ 2008, the standout character of the 2009 according to chef de cave Richard Geoffroy is ‘fruit, glorious, fruit’. With its floral nose, taffeta texture and linear finish, this balances power and restraint with precision and charm.

Score: 97 Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, September 2017

This is a DP that shows the ripeness of the 2009 vintage yet remains full of energy. Gorgeous aromas of cream, apple, mango, honeysuckle, and chalk follow through to a full body and super fine, tight texture. Dense and agile. Vinous. It’s like a top grand cru white Burgundy. Think Batard-Montrachet. More depth than the 2006. Drink now.

Score: 97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, July 2017

There's a subtle power to this graceful Champagne, which boasts a firm, crystalline frame of acidity married to the fine, satinlike mousse and notes of white raspberry, brioche and Earl Grey tea. Seamless through to the long finish of smoke and spice accents, this opens beautifully in the glass. Drink now through 2029.

Score: 96 Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator, September 2017

Unbroken sun through August and early September helped to shape an idyllic harvest, on 12th September. Superb maturity of fruit in flawless health has produced a wine with wafting scents of both fresh and confit of spiced lemon and wild cherry. Despite the heat, the wine has freshness, vitality and length. Still a youngster, this will grow greatly by 2019. A more stylish son of the '03, and cousin of the slender and charming '06. Disgorged June 2016. Drinking Window 2019 - 2027

Score: 96 Michael Edwards, Decanter.com, May 2017

Considering the vintages and the estate, Mouton's performances in 1989 and 1990 are puzzling. I have tasted these wines multiple times since my last reviews appeared in print. The 1989 Mouton-Rothschild is the superior wine, but in no sense is this a compelling wine if compared to the Moutons produced in 1995, 1986, and 1982. The 1989 displays a dark ruby color that is already beginning to reveal significant lightening at the edge. The bouquet is surprisingly evolved, offering up scents of cedar, sweet black fruits, lead pencil, and toasty oak. This elegant, medium-bodied restrained wine is beautifully made, stylish, and not dissimilar to the 1985. It is an excellent to outstanding Mouton that should be close to full maturity in 4-5 years; it will drink well for 15-20.

A wine of explosive power and energy, the 2008 Clos des Goisses is magnificent. A host of citrus, white flower, lemon confit and orchard fruit overtones race across the palate in a Goisses of striking precision, delineation and tension. The bright flavor profile is very Chardonnay-dominant at this early stage, while the weight and textural depth of the Pinot is especially evident on the mid-palate and finish. I tasted the 2008 from a bottle in disgorgement trials, so my rating is therefore in parentheses. If the commercial wine is anything like this bottle, readers will be in for a treat, as the 2008 Goisses is shaping up to be a magical Champagne.

Score: 95 - 98

Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media.com Maturity: 2023-205801 July 2017

The 2010 is a brilliant Chateau Margaux, as one might expect in this vintage. The percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend hit 90%, the balance Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and only 38% of the crop made it into the Chateau Margaux. Paul Pontallier, the administrator, told me that this wine has even higher levels of tannin than some other extraordinary vintages such as 2005, 2000, 1996, etc. Deep purple, pure and intense, with floral notes, tremendous opulence and palate presence, this is a wine of considerable nobility. With loads of blueberry, black currant and violet-infused fruit and a heady alcohol level above 13.5% (although that looks modest compared to several other first growths, particularly Chateau Latour and Chateau Haut-Brion), its beautifully sweet texture, ripe tannin, abundant depth and profound finish all make for another near-perfect wine that should age effortlessly for 30-40 years.

Score: 99 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (205), March 2013

2010 Chateau Margaux: Paul Pontallier was rattling off some interesting statistics about Chateau Margaux. The 2000 (a great, great wine) was 13.1% natural alcohol, the 2005 13.1%, the 2009 13.2%, and the 2010, the highest ever measured, 13.5%. That is still nearly one degree less than the Pauillac first-growth of Chateau Latour at 14.4%. This blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc (representing only 38% of the total production) has the classic, quintessential Margaux character of spring flowers, almost cool-climate precision, medium body, and a seamless integration of tannin, wood and alcohol. The blue and black fruit characteristics are present, and the wine restrained. The most measured and polished of all the first growths I tasted, it is also less concentrated than any of the other first growths, but the elegance is classic. The harvest finished on October 15, which was not their latest by any means. This is one of the few first growths of 2010 where the tannins are remarkably delicate and sweet, and the softness of this wine will provide magical drinking at a relatively early age, yet its balance and concentration will carry it for 20 or more years.

Score: 96/98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, May 2011

This is more aromatically restrained still as the earthy and sauvage-tinged nose only grudgingly provides glimpses of the pretty lavender, spice, tea and red cherry aromas. This possesses an interesting palate impression as the mid-palate is round, supple and caressing yet the finish is dusty, firm, serious and borderline rustic. I suspect that this will loosen up quickly such that it will be approachable after only 7 to 8 years yet require 15 to 18 to arrive at its full peak.

Score: 92/94 Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (65), January 2017

Possibly the best second wine ever made at Latour (and I love how the 1982 is drinking at age 30), the 2009 Les Forts de Latour is composed of two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot blended with a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot, and finished at 13.5% alcohol. Juicy notes of creme de cassis, licorice, camphor, smoke and crushed rocks are followed by a rich, unctuously textured, thick, juicy, exceptionally pure, long wine. This beauty will be at its finest in several years and should keep for three decades. Proprietor Francois Pinault and his director, Frederic Engerer, have pulled out all the stops to produce one of the most monumental Latour's ever made. Score: 95

Rating

99

Release Price

$800

Drink Date

2017 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Issue Date

29th Jun 2015

Source

219, The Wine Advocate

Medium garnet in color, the 2010 Shiraz Hill of Grace reveals a slightly reticent yet beguiling nose of kirsch, dried mulberries and plum preserves with nuances of star anise, potpourri, cloves, dusty earth and menthol. Medium to full-bodied with youthfully taut, mouth-filling perfumed berry preserves and exotic spice flavors, the fruit is well framed by rounded, polished tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with incredible length. It could still benefit from 2-4 years in bottle before entering its drinking window but is already stunning.

Rating

97+

Release Price

$280

Drink Date

2016 - 2046

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Dec 2016

Source

228, The Wine Advocate

The 2013 Opus One, a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, is a beauty. Velvety textured, without a had edge to be found, notes of crème de cassis, blueberry, subtle wood and floral notes gently rise from the wine’s dense purple color. Beautifully full-bodied and extraordinarily elegant and pure, this is certainly one of their great achievements over the last 37 years. The wine has an exquisite finish and can be drunk now or cellared for 25-30 years.

The 2012 Cepparello is just as compelling as it has always been. Sweet, ample and generous from the outset, the 2012 shows all of its pedigree, even at this early stage. Radiant fruit and exquisite aromatics make a strong opening statement as the wine fleshes out in the glass. Ample, creamy and super-expressive, the 2012 is shaping up to be a superb Cepparello. The only thing the 2012 needs is time. An up and down year with hot temperatures in July and early August, followed by rain in September forced DeMarchi to be especially selective and bottle only the best lots. Production is down to 30,000 bottles from 36,000 in 2013 and 32,400 in 2011.

Mauro Mascarello's 2011 Barolo Monprivato is soft, open-knit and surprisingly ready to go today. Dried cherry, anise, crushed flowers, mint and sweet tobacco all find support in a pretty fabric framed by silky, inviting tannins. The 2011 is not a huge Monprivato, but it does offer good balance in a restrained, mid-weight style, even by this wine's historical standards. I have seen Monprivato gain considerable depth and intensity in bottle. It will be interesting to see what happens here. In 2011, Mascarello did not bottle their flagship Riserva Ca'd' Morissio. Instead, all the fruit went into the straight Monprivato.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione De Marchi is magnificent. Violets, smoke, plums and cassis jump from the glass in a stunning wine. All I can say is the 2010 is incredible. Just bottled one month ago, the 2010 shows no hard edges, incredibly expressive aromatics and beautifully delineated fruit. The 2010 isn’t a huge wine, but rather one built on exceptional finesse and elegance. It is one of the great wines of what has turned out to be a great Tuscan vintage.

The 2006 Barbaresco Crichët Pajé is one of the most open, accessible vintages of this wine I can remember tasting. But it's still Roagna, which means the wine is powerful and structured, but less so than is typically the case. Iron, smoke, incense, tobacco, autumn leaves and a host of ferrous, savory notes are some of the signatures. As is sometimes the case here, extended time in barrel has dried out the fruit a bit. This is a style that personally gives me less pleasure, although, as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

-- Antonio Galloni

Bright yellow. Peach, lemongrass, mango, papaya and rose water on the pretty nose. Tactile and layered on the palate, with intense white stone fruit and ginger flavors lifted by a strong floral element. Impeccably balanced wine with a suave, extremely long finish. This was especially expressive when I originally tasted it from cask, showcasing the exotic tropical fruit aromas typical of the vineyard and the vintage in general, but it has shut down somewhat in bottle, which is also a characteristic of this wine.

Tasting note: A measured dollop of wood does not impede the appreciation of the floral and earth-inflected white orchard fruit-scented nose. There is better volume and mid-palate density to the attractively punchy and powerful middle weight flavors that display a mild touch of rusticity on the impressively complex and persistent finale. This pretty and softly stony effort should benefit from 4 to 7 years of cellaring.

Domaine Arnaud Ente
2013
Meursault - Clos des Ambres  ♥
Villages White barrel
Score: 89-91
Tasted: Jun 15, 2015
Drink: 2020+
Issue: 59
Outstanding
Note: from vines situated in the very best part of En l'Ormeau that average 50 years of age
Producer note: Arnaud Ente simply said "I really like the 2013s as they remind me quite a bit of the 2007s. We harvested from the 24th of September to the 1st of October and picked the whites early and the reds later. Our parcel of Santenots was hit by hail but most of the other parcels were largely spared. As to the wines, they have that underlying tension that makes them refreshing and inviting and I think that they're going to be very popular among those who love classically style wines, be they red or white." (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, www.kermitlynch.com, Berkeley, CA; Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, UK).
Tasting note: Like the Meursault villages cuvée there is a hint of matchstick to the green apple, lemon rind and white orchard fruit scents. There is seductive mouth feel to the generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors where additional lift is provided by the citrus-inflected acidity that is firm enough to suggest that this should be capable of rewarding 6 to 8 years of upside development potential.
 

Good dark red. Cool, youthfully inexpressive nose dominated by black cherry and smoky minerality; the strictest of these 2014s today (Mallard described it as Cistercian). Densely packed and very rich but classically dry, with savory minerality currently holding the upper hand over the wine's fruit. This extremely backward wine is also showing its new oak element (85%) in the early going, with the firmly tannic finish displaying a note of caramel along with a strong impression of saline dry extract. 

Deep red with ruby highlights. Riper and blacker but a bit monolithic on the nose and palate. Black cherry and licorice scents lead to dark raspberry and crushed stone in the mouth. Not at all herbal but in a very cool style and tightly wound. This powerful, backward, youthfully uncompromising wine is hard to taste today owing to its firm tannic spine and strong medicinal reserve. Will it ultimately surpass the more sensual Grands-Echézeaux?