90-93 Point Wines:

The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch (90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot) exhibits a saturated purple color in addition to a gorgeous bouquet of espresso beans intermixed with licorice, incense, blueberries... Read More

The first release from the 20-acre Thorevilos Vineyard (co-owned by David Abreu and Ric Forman) is the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Thorevilos, a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. It is a dense,... Read More

On solid footing, this is firm, tight, intense and focused, with a vibrant mix of zesty, earth-laced dark berry, cedar, crushed rock and subtle tobacco leaf notes. Best from 2020 through 2032.-JL

Coming largely from the more fertile soils at the bottom of the slope, Voge's 2017 Cornas les Chailles is a silky, approachable version of Cornas, with just a bit more depth and structure than the Saint-Joseph. Enchanting... Read More

The 2009 Roussanne comes across as quite rich and textured, with plenty of overt fruit, but less aromatic complexity and overall minerality. The vintage was the third in a series of drought years and the low - perhaps excessively... Read More

Slightly beefier is the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard. The fruit from this site was one of the component parts of the old BV Private Reserve Georges de Latour Cabernet and is considered to be one of... Read More

A graceful, stylish, elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, Altamura's 1994 offers a medium ruby color. Cedar, spice, vanillin, and red currant fruit in the nose and flavors are complemented by medium body, and a supple-textured finish.... Read More

An improvement over the debut 2002, this blend of 97% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc is a limited production (400 cases) wine expensively packaged in a heavy bottle with a designer label. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple color along... Read More

An improvement over the debut 2002, this blend of 97% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc is a limited production (400 cases) wine expensively packaged in a heavy bottle with a designer label. It exhibits a deep ruby/purple color along... Read More

Sweet, super-ripe red berries, mint and flowers all meld together in the 2008 Amuse Bouche. This is an especially high-toned, silky wine. There is considerable richness in the glass, but at the same time the alcohol is also a... Read More

In the new classification of St.-Emilion, justice was certainly served with the elevation of Angelus to premier grand cru classe status. No Bordeaux estate has been making as concentrated and consistently high quality wines as... Read More

In the new classification of St.-Emilion, justice was certainly served with the elevation of Angelus to premier grand cru classe status. No Bordeaux estate has been making as concentrated and consistently high quality wines as... Read More

In the new classification of St.-Emilion, justice was certainly served with the elevation of Angelus to premier grand cru classe status. No Bordeaux estate has been making as concentrated and consistently high quality wines as... Read More

The Château Angelus 2014, a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot was picked between 2 and 22 October over a 3-week period. It has a surprisingly bashful nose at first, not one that comes racing out of the blocks to greet... Read More

This wine is also inky black-colored but its tightly wound blackberry, cassis, and mint scents are quite different from the Clos Vougeot's. Super-ripe cherries, black raspberries, and cassis are drenched in copious quantities... Read More

Antinori's 2007 Tignanello is wonderfully ripe and seductive in its dark cherries, flowers, spices, tobacco, sage, cedar, mint and minerals. This is as opulent a Tignanello as I have ever tasted but there is just enough acidity... Read More

The 2008 Tignanello is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. The 2008 isn't a huge or obvious Tignanello, rather it is a wine that impresses for its sublime elegance and precision. Understated layers of fruit caress... Read More

Humming with energy and life from the very moment you put your nose in the glass, Marchesi Antinori's 2010 Tignanello shows magnificent aromatic layering and an enormous capacity to peel back and reveal itself in beautiful... Read More

Absolutely superb, this 2003 is drinking beautifully. This blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot from the famous hillside Eisele Vineyard in northeast Napa Valley tips the scales at 14.5% natural... Read More

Since last year's report I have had the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard on three separate occasions, including recently at the winery. It has definitely improved over last year's report, but it has not lived up... Read More

There is no doubting the phenomenal quality of the 2000 Solengo, a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah with a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot included in the blend. Its opaque ruby/purple color is followed by... Read More

The 2003 Solengo, a blend of equal parts Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah, opens with a huge, brooding nose followed by masses of super-ripe dark fruit, cassis, licorice, earth and black pepper nuances that coat the palate with notable... Read More