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Expert Review - Vintage 2019

Decanter 96 Points | This wine is among the best village-level Monthelies that I can remember. Coche produces it from his 0.3ha of south-facing vines in the village and some purchased fruit (which accounts for 15% of the total). The super-ripe cherry fruit is adorned with rose petal and licorice notes, and firm tannins and crisp acidity back up the pretty aromas. Perfect for drinking now for the fruit, or for mid-term ageing. Drinking Window 2025 - 2040.

John Gilman 92+ Points | The 2019 Monthélie “Côte de Beaune” from Domaine Coche-Dury is another beautifully sappy bottle in the making, with a more black fruity personality than the Auxey-Duresses. The nose jumps from the glass in an expressive blend of plums, black cherries, espresso, pigeon, bonfire, a lovely base of dark soil tones and a deft touch of new oak. On the e palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and already nicely plush on the attack, with a sappy core of fruit, fine soil signature, ripe, fine-grained tannins and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. Fine, fine juice.

Vinous 91 Points | The 2019 Monthélie Village is a little more backward on the nose compared to the Auxey-Duresses, well defined but just a bit timid at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, nicely structured with dark berry fruit towards the finish. (NM)

Winemaker Description 

Has a peachy nose and a mellow palate, round and gentle with hints of orange peel, nuts and varnish. It could be around 20 years of age, so it's not a super old wine. It's approachable, super clean and defined and a textbook example of the category. This has 19% alcohol.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | The 2020 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts opens in the glass with notes of plums and wild berries mingled with aromas of orange oil, exotic spices, smoked duck and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, layered and muscular, it's finer-boned and less overtly powerful than its 2019 and 2018 predecessors, even if it's still a serious, structured, concentrated wine.

Barrel Sample: 93-95 Burghound 93 Points | This is the first wine to show any appreciable reduction though the whole cluster vinification does peek through the funk. Once again, the bigger-bodied and much more muscular flavors possess a highly attractive texture thanks to the generous dry extract that partially buffers the prominent tannic spine supporting the robust, powerful and gorgeously complex and persistent finish. This is a classic Malconsorts which is very much built to reward longer-term cellaring.

Barrel Sample: 93-95 Decanter 96 Points | A dense, almost creamy, concentrated cassis fruit, adorned with notes of smoke, spice and salt. Focused, with plenty of tannin and extract, this is a wonderful wine. 2020 saw tiny yields from Dujac's 1.55ha in Malconsorts - no more than 10-15 hl/ha. The fruit was partially destemmed and fermented slowly prior to ageing. The wine gets the same 16 months in 70% new casks that the grand crus receive. 

Expert Reviews

Burghound 93 Points | A slightly riper nose features notes of poached plum, black raspberry, violet, lavender and a hint of Asian-style tea. The palate soaking broad-shouldered flavors possess outstanding density, which is a good thing considering that the supporting tannins are very dense on the massively persistent finish. This austere and compact effort is going to need a very long snooze in a cool cellar before it even begins to reach its apogee. *Don't Miss!*

Decanter 97 Points | Bruno Clair has a large plot in Bonnes-Mares (1.63ha), with most of it on the Morey-St-Denis side of the vineyard, and largely on the white marl soils called terres blanches. These give a very expressive wine, with a lovely, high-toned raspberry and rose petal nose shot through with notes of mineral and smoke. The wine is done with 30% whole clusters in the ferment and is aged over two winters in cask (30% new) to deliver a wine of purity and elegance. (Charles Curtis)

Vinous 95 points | The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is surprisingly backward on the nose with tightly-wound blackberry, redcurrant and cranberry fruit with sea spray and light pine cone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy redcurrant and strawberry fruit. This is a solid Bonnes-Mares, correct, not flashy but serious and as such, it deserves several years in bottle. It has the substance and complexity to reward those with patience. (NM)

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

Burghound 94 points | There is just enough wood and menthol elements present to be worth noting surrounding the citrusy apple, pear and exotic tea-scented nose. The bigger, richer and more sophisticated medium weight plus flavors possess evident power as well as a lovely sappiness that coats the palate on the delicious, highly complex and strikingly long finale. Like the Bâtard, this beauty is built for the long haul though it could actually be approachable after only 7 to 8 years. In brief, this is extremely promising. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 93 Points | A brooding and densely fruited nose grudgingly reveals its array of dark berries, poached plum, warm earth and a soupçon of wood. The supple but mouth coating and velvet-textured larger scaled flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract while delivering excellent persistence on the youthfully austere, powerful and balanced finale. This excellent effort is very firm and should age accordingly; indeed two decades is not out of the question.

Decanter 94 Points | Flamboyantly fruity and very approachable, the wine has an expressive cherry and rose petal fruit, with a hint of exotic spice. The texture is powerful, yet fresh enough to retain a compelling vivacity. Grivot owns a large parcel of 1.86ha in Quatorze Journaux along the bottom of the Route Nationale. The quality of the wine belies the received wisdom about this location. The grapes are destemmed and gently fermented, with the must lightly pumped over after a few initial punch-downs before ageing. (CC) 

Vinous 92 Points | The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru came across a little backward and surly on the nose compared the the Vosne-Romanées despite coaxing. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine definition, taut and fresh with a well-defined finish. Here, I actually find more in the mouth than on the nose, at least at the moment. Hopefully the aromatics will kick on during élevage. (NM)  

Expert Review

Vinous 97 Points: The 2019 Barolo Lazzarito continues a trend seen in recent years in which the focus has been more about finesse than raw power. Intense red fruit, iron, dried herbs, chalk, dried rose petal and white pepper all run through this deep, virile Barolo. The power and intensity of Serralunga really come alive on the heady, explosive finish. Bright saline notes linger on the deep, resonant finish. A Barolo of raw, unbridled power, the Lazzarito demands patience.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 94 Points  | The 2020 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru wafts from the glass with aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with peonies, orange rind and exotic spices. Full-bodied, rich and muscular, it's deep and powerful, with imposing reserves of concentration, while remaining vibrant, even fine-boned despite its substance and plenitude.

Burghound 95 Points | Markedly floral-suffused aromas are comprised by notes of more distinctly spiced and earthier plum and black cherry where a hint of the sauvage lurks in the background. The equally sleek though notably more voluminous and powerful if less mineral-driven flavors coat the palate with dry extract while offering excellent depth and persistence on the beautifully balanced finale. This is one of the best Mugnier Bonnes Mares in recent memory. 

Expert Reviews 

Burghound 91 Points Discreet but not invisible wood influence can be found on the ripe aromas of various dark berries prominent earth and violet scents. Somewhat surprisingly in the context of the reported yields the mid-palate is not especially dense though I very much like the beguiling texture that is at once caressing yet powerful before culminating in a precise serious and equally austere if notably longer finale. This is an opulent and refined Clos des Epeneaux. (Drink starting 2030)Vinous

92 Points Vinous | The 2020 Pommard Clos des Epeneaux 1er Cru was a blend of two instead of four cuvées this year due to the depleted production. It has a precocious bouquet with black cherries raspberry menthol and blood orange scents that gather momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins taut and fresh lightly spiced with hints of allspice and tangy quince. It displays fine composure towards the finish with impressive length. This is a superb Clos des Epeneaux though will it surpass the 2019? I?m not sure. (Drink between 2026-2050)

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LChâteau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (commonly referred to as Pichon Lalande or Pichon Comtesse) is a winery in the Pauillac appellationof the Bordeaux region of France. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

Winemaker Description

For its 170th anniversary, Maison Besserat de Bellefon gave its cellar master, Cédric Thibault, the freedom to imagine an exceptional cuvée expressing the best of his style. Perfect for special occasions, this extraordinary champagne will pair perfectly with lobster or haddock.

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points | This limited-edition wine is a blend of grand cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Aged for 10 years in bottle, it is a steely, structured wine that brings sophistication to the white fruits and lively acidity. Drink now.  

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Expert Review

Burghound  | The dark color a bit now with a ruby ​​heart. A nose of caramel and smoke that has a slightly weird lactic aroma that has never led to completely dispel the rich, but good, very mature flavors and a little round, supple, very detailed finish. There is a certain rusticity in the finish. Still, I loved it but it is more for those who appreciate very mature Burgundy.

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Winemaker Description

Second Classified Growth in 1855, located in the prestigious appellation of Saint-Julien.

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Winemaker Description

Wife & Husband Winemaker 

The wine shows aromas and flavors of red berries, herbs, and purple flowers. The palate is rich with ripe fruit and medium weight with bright acidity and fine tannins. Aging in 40-70% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla, toast, and baking spices.

Red Burgundy might be the world’s most flexible food wine. The wine’s high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and minimal tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami. 

Expert Review

Burghound 93 Points | Here the less expressive nose flirts with reduction though a wisp of red berry fruit is discernible so I would suggest decanting this if you're game to try a bottle young. Otherwise the succulent and nicely rich flavors are blessed with abundant amounts of dry extract that coats the palate and buffers the moderately firm tannic spine on the youthfully austere and sneaky long finish.

Expert Review 

Vinous 99 Points | The 2020 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru was picked on 26 and 28 August at 28.7hL/ha. As usual, I leave it for 5-10 minutes to open in the glass, predisposed not to show everything upon first pour. It reveals lovely dark berry fruit, sous-bois, clove and haunting sea spray notes (picture yourself walking along the pebble beach at Whistable and the tang of shucked oyster shell in the salty air). The palate is medium-bodied with very fine and pliant tannins. Harmonious to a tee with a perfect silver bead of acidity, long and languorous, this fans out with ineffable ease on the finish. Stunning. 500 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in bottle tasting in London.

There are no superlatives sufficient for the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole 2015. The sole property of the DRC estate, the Romanée-Conti vineyard — a mere 1.8 hectares in the heart of Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits — produces what many consider the greatest wine on earth. The 2015 vintage, harvested from vines averaging 56 years of age, has earned perfect 100-point scores from both Decanter and Wine Advocate, cementing its place among the most extraordinary bottles ever produced. Only 403 cases were made.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Founded in the 18th century and owned jointly by the Leroy and de Villaine families, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is the most celebrated wine estate in the world. Farming entirely by biodynamic principles, with yields among the lowest in Burgundy, DRC produces wines of transcendent complexity from the greatest Grand Cru vineyards of the Côte de Nuits — Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Grands-Échézeaux, and Échézeaux. The Romanée-Conti vineyard itself is a monopole — owned exclusively by DRC — and its wine is produced in quantities so small that it remains one of the most sought-after and collected bottles in existence.

Critical Acclaim — 2015 Vintage

100 Points — Decanter: "Aromatic fireworks of ripe red and black fruits, toast, spice and a note of decadent perfume lead into a complex palate showing pristine flavours of ripe raspberry, dark cherry, spice, cream and minerals. Lavishly upholstered by sweet, dense filigree tannins and buoyed by fine acidity — the opulent texture and presence of this wine is beyond remarkable. Arguably the ultimate terroir wine, this 2015 is also the epitome of truly great Pinot Noir. Drinking Window 2025–2060."

100 Points — Wine Advocate: "Opening to reveal a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, notes of raspberry and red plum mingling with rose petal, peony, blood orange and spice. Silky, medium to full-bodied and stunningly complete, its supremely elegant tannins entirely cloaked in pristinely delicate red fruit. Despite its incredible concentration and persistence, this Romanée-Conti is utterly weightless, and its effortless harmony and unremitting finish preclude any argument about its benchmark quality."

99 Points — Burghound (Allen Meadows): "Sometimes, try as I might, words fail to communicate adequately those few transcendent experiences where a wine is just so amazing that it's impossible to capture it. The breathtakingly beautiful nose reveals an exotically broad range of highly perfumed floral, spice, tea and incense-like nuances. The opulently textured, concentrated and equally mineral-driven flavors accentuate the perfumed character of the nose — the finish lasted for seemingly several days."

98 Points — Vinous: "Enters the mouth like liquid velvet, expanding to show an incredible 3-D texture and great depth to its soil-inflected flavors of flowers, spices, mocha, underbrush and savory minerality. This utterly seamless, spherical wine saturates the entire palate like a thunderstorm breaking out across a wide front. Should easily evolve positively for three decades or more."

Tasting Profile

Profound and ethereal. The nose is a kaleidoscope of ripe raspberry, dark cherry, rose petal, peony, blood orange, spice, toast, and incense. On the palate it is simultaneously opulent and weightless — liquid velvet with a 3-D texture, pristine red fruit, savory minerality, and filigree tannins of extraordinary finesse. The finish is seemingly endless. A wine that defies description.

Details

2015 | Pinot Noir | Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole, Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France | AOC Romanée-Conti | 750ml | 403 cases produced

Provenance & Cellaring

Harvested 10 September 2015. Bottled 22 March 2017. Drinking window 2025–2060. Store at 55°F in a dark, vibration-free environment. Decant 2–3 hours minimum if opening now. A wine for the ages — patience will be extraordinarily rewarded.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2018

Vinous 96 Points | The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is impressive. Elegant and poised, the 2018 is a wine of reserve at this stage. Dark red/purplish berry fruit, mint, sage, spice, mocha and dried flowers open first, followed by a kick of vibrant acids that lends notable energy throughout. All this young Cabernet needs is time in the bottle to fully come together. I won't be surprised if it turns out to be a touch more compelling than the 2019 tasted alongside it. Truth be told, both vintages are captivating, but for very different reasons. Superb.

The Wine Advocate 95 Points | Currently being offered to mailing list members as part of a three-vintage pack (2008, 2013, 2018 for $700), the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a killer wine that should continue to drink well for another 15 years or so. It offers up evolved notes of cigar box but remains fresh, with intense redcurrant and cassis still in evidence on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky, aristocratic in bearing and long on the finish.

Decanter 93 Points | Considerably more depth than the Napa Valley release, although a bit shy on the nose at first. After oxygen exposure, aromas of grilled plums, lilies and roasted peppers frame a black-fruited core. The texture is fantastic, showing off a sweet, rich but classic frame that is both coating and refreshing. Finished with a beautifully earthy, iron-like quality.

Winemaker Description 

Fresh and lively, the wine opens exclusively with raspberry, mint and plum sauce. The baking spices soon follow, leaning clove initially but with plenty of cedar and vanilla. Still subtle, the ripe fruit elements, mostly cassis and fig at this stage, lurk beneath the surface along with beautiful hints of graphite and toasted sage, awaiting additional time in glass. Still very tightly wound, it’s the texture and mouthfeel that drive the palate initially.

The tannins in particular are somewhat coarse but not so angular to overshadow the abundant dark fruit. The dynamic tension on the mid-palate serves to focus and magnify the layers of black cherry, cocoa powder, and black pepper, before turning slightly earthy and dusty.

The structure is pronounced, but still harmonious and well defined. It’s in the transition to the finish that the acidity materializes in almost candy-like fashion, a beautiful contrast to the supple tannins. Here the wine’s density shines elegantly, well balanced between smoky, espresso bean and delicate, dried blackberry. It’s the latter that defines the finish at this moment, persistent in length and depth. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 96 Points | Here the equally expressive nose is quite similar to the regular cuvée except it's a bit spicier. The succulent, round and caressing but powerful and slightly bigger flavors coat the palate with dry extract before culminating in a more robust and somewhat more structured finish that delivers equally superb length. Patience strongly advised.

Vinous 94 Points | The 2020 La Grande Rue is similar to the bottle tasted at the Grands Jours; ample red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, fine minerality, quite "air" considering the growing season. The palate is medium bodied with supple tannins, fine depth, quite strict on the finish where one find a pinch of sour cherry and brown spices. Just needs a little more sustain on the aftertaste.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 93 Points | Notes of red berries and plums mingle with hints of rose petals, peonies, grilled meats and forest floor in an inviting bouquet, introducing Rousseau's 2019 Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Clos des Ruchottes, a medium to full-bodied, bright and lively wine that's ethereal and perfumed, with a pretty core of fruit and a long, saline finish. Barrel Sample: 93-95

Burghound 95 Points | An elegant combination is comprised by notes of various red berries, especially essence of cherry, along with anise, the sauvage and a pretty dollop of spice elements, all of which is trimmed in enough wood to notice. The energetic and beautifully well-detailed and tautly muscular yet elegant flavors brim with an abundance of dry extract and minerality while concluding in a decidedly sleek and stunningly long finish that evidences a hint of youthful austerity. This markedly firm effort is gorgeous and possesses the wherewithal to age and improve for two to three decades.

Vinous 96 Points | The 2019 Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes Grand Cru has a thrilling bouquet struck through with mineral-rich red berry fruit that teasingly takes time to unfurl in the glass; you can sense the limestone, and hints of graphite emerge later. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, quite piquant in style, leading to an edgy, slightly chalky finish that bristles with energy. This has great potential as a poised Ruchottes. Barrel Sample: 96-98 

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Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (commonly referred to as Pichon Lalande or Pichon Comtesse) is a winery in the Pauillac appellationof the Bordeaux region of France. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

Expert Reviews

92 Points Connoisseurs Guide | The most complex of the Stag's Leap lot, this fascinating effort is simply brimming with ripe cherries and very rich oak and shows intriguing touches of leather, coffee, cocoa and caramel throughout its length. It is fairly full and broad on the palate with fine balance and a mannerly, well-polished feel, and, if a slight touch of last-minute tannin jumps up at its finish, there is no doubt that a few years in bottle with smooth things out completely. 

91 Points Int'l Wine Cellar | Bright, full ruby-red. Aromas of dark raspberry, dark chocolate and cola. Bigger and broader than the Fay but with less obvious early sweetness. Very ripe, spicy flavors of dark chocolate, espresso and coffee offer noteworthy depth. Spreads out horizontally to coat the palate on the back end, finishing with dusty, fine, building tannins 

90 Points Wine Enthusiast | There’s a fruity, blackberry and cherry core, with a coffee and dill herbaceousness and plenty of oak. It’s soft, but should develop well, and could eventually surprise. Try holding until 2010. 

Winemaker Description

Eye: Deep dark ruby colour with mauve tints. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2007

Wine Spectator 95 Points | This has gorgeous espresso and roasted mesquite aromatics, followed by dense but velvety-textured plum sauce, blackberry paste and cassis flavors. Best from 2012 through 2025.

Stephen Tanzer 96 Points | Opaque ruby. Boysenberry, blueberry and smoky Indian spices on the expansive, heady nose, with a sexy floral quality that gains strength with air. Deep, sappy and palate-staining dark fruit compote flavors show unlikely energy and become spicier and smokier with air. A strikingly expressive, potent and compellingly fragrant wine that finishes with superb clarity and floral-driven persistence. 

Winemaker Description

Our 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in color and entices you with a nose of raspberry, cassis and loose pipe tobacco. This full-bodied wine has an assertively silky structure and is notably spicy on the palate. Flavors of sage and blackberry mark the wine’s entry. The strong acidity in the mid-palate is followed by a lingering finish. Given proper cellaring, this wine will provide drinking pleasure through 2038.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 98 Points | Aromas of blackcurrants, black cherries, hints of graphite, wet earth, and lavender. Sandalwood. Full-bodied with an impressive and refined structure that runs deep and vertical in the wine. Chewy. Hints of chocolate and hazelnut at the end. Needs five or six years to soften

Wine Spectator 95 Points | This throws off dense kirsch and linzer torte aromas and flavors, along with a mix of smoldering tobacco, leather, warm paving stone and licorice root hints that provide a brooding edge on the back end. Surprisingly backward for the vintage and impressively done. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Winemaker Description

This wine is generous and complex with aromas of cherry cola, cassis and chocolate. Some savory notes and hints of citrus zest and mint. This wine is intensely aromatic and develops in the glass as layers are revealed. This full-bodied wine is powerful yet exhibits grace and finesse. A rich and dense mid-palate evolves into a muscular and graceful finish.

Expert Review - Vintage 2021 

Tasting Panel 100 Points | Awe-inspiring, with dramatically structured tannins, this wine possesses an opulence matched by its seductive texture of soft suede as well as its grip. Blueberry and pomegranate are intense and showy on the finish.

Vinous 95+ Points | The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Tomahawk Vineyard emerges from the youngest block on the vineyard, planted nearly twenty years ago. Readers will find a pure, voluptuous wine that is immediately engaging. Succulent dark cherry, plum, espresso, licorice, incense and new leather fill out the layers effortlessly. I imagine the Tomahawk will require only modest cellaring.

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points | The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Tomahawk Vineyard is slightly brighter and more perfumed than the Ganymede, offering a brilliant array of crème de cassis and black raspberries as well as spicy oak, graphite, and spring flower notes. It has classic Stags Leap vibrancy and complexity, is medium to full-bodied, and has plenty of polished tannins as well as a great finish. It deserves 4-6 years in the cellar, and I suspect this will be very long-lived. It's a gorgeous wine that shows the style of the vintage to a T.

Decanter Magazine 94 Points | From a small group of vines at the southern edge of the Stags Leap District estate property called Tomahawk Vineyard. A very pretty and elegant wine with fantastic blackberry fruit nuanced by white pepper, sage, and iron-volcanic minerality. Medium to full-bodied with juicy mixed berry fruits, very fine tannins that have a granularity, which builds with intensity before getting wiped clean away by rather scintillating acidity that has a crisp, citrusy quality. Long, lean, and focused, with hints of bay laurel on the finish. A really lovely effort.

James Suckling 94 Points | Notes of ripe blackcurrants, blackberries, pinewood, grilled herbs and spices. Full-bodied, dense and structured with very fine, velvety tannins.

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Juicy, solid and focused in feel, with a core of black currant and blackberry preserves backed by licorice and singed apple wood notes, plus a hint of sweet tobacco through the finish. Drink now through 2040. 1,289 cases made.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 93 Points |  Here too the restrained if wonderfully broad nose is gloriously spicy if perhaps not quite as floral on the mostly dark berry fruit scents. There is the same lovely purity and excellent energy of the Clos St. Jacques but with more size, weight and power and particularly so on the hugely long and more complex finish. However, this is also more structured and overall, it's likely that this will require fully 20 years to reach its full maturity. *Burghound Don't Miss!*

Decanter 97 Points | The colour is deep in 2020, with ripe plum and cherry fruit scented with spice and minerals rolling from the glass on the initial attack. The texture on the palate is concentrated but never heavy, with tannic reserves that suggest that this will age for decades. Superb. One of the great treasures of the house, Clair has nearly one hectare here, planted in 1912. The fruit is is chilled after picking and the fermentation starts slowly, with about 30% whole clusters. (Charles Curtis)

Vinous 96 Points | The 2020 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru has a fabulous, pixelated bouquet with ebullient, brambly red fruit interlaced with minerals. Real pedigree here. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy, saline entry. Great depth, cohesive with just the right amount of salinity. This lingers long in the mouth. Irresistible, surfeit with class. (NM)

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019 

Antonio Galloni - Vinous Media - 97 Points "The 2019 Barolo Pira is powerful and deep but also very closed. There's so much energy here but readers will have to be patient as this classically austere young Barolo clearly needs time. Hints of pine menthol licorice and dried herbs appear with some reluctance. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. Superb."

Bruce Sanderson - Wine Spectator - 96 Points "A distinctive white pepper aroma leads off followed by flavors of strawberry sour cherry mint menthol and iron. Despite the lightness and ethereal quality the texture reveals viscosity and intensity. Balanced and complex ending with terrific length. Best from 2027 through 2045."

Winemaker Description 

Castello dei Rampolla d'Alceo is a premium, proprietary blend of Cabernet and Petit Verdot grapes exclusively from the renowned Panzano in Chianti region of Tuscany. This organic and biodynamic red is sure to tantalize your taste buds with its complex bouquet and flavor profile.

Expert Reviews - VIntage 2009

Vinous 96 Points | The 2009 d'Alceo comes across as much more classic in style and structure than the 2008. According to Luca di Napoli, the trick to 2009 was harvesting on the early side. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, plums, mint and licorice all take shape in the glass Over the last few months, the 2009 d'Alceo has softened a bit, releasing expressive, floral aromatics, brighter shades of fruit and striking inner perfume, but it remains quite vibrant in the context of a vintage in which so many wines are quite a bit riper in style. The 2009 is a wonderfully deep, resonant d'Alceo that should offer a wide drinking window starting in a few years. It certainly looks like Rampolla nailed the vintage.  Drinking 2019 - 2039.

Antonio Galloni, 96+ | My absolute favorite wine of 2022 was a bottle of the Castello dei Rampolla 2006 d'Alceo that I had the good fortune to drink at dinner during a work event in Tuscany last year. I remember the wine vividly, and if I were to review it again, it would certainly merit a perfect score. With that profound inspiration in mind, I feel especially optimistic toward this outstanding group of new releases from Maurizia di Napoli and her talented team. This historic estate has farmed according to organic and biodynamic methods since 1994, making it one of the first in Italy to do so. In truth, I have found some inconsistencies along the way over the many years I have reviewed and adored these wines. Such is the magic of artisanal winemaking. But thanks to that memory of that 2006 d'Alceo, I remain in awe of Castello dei Rampolla today. 

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Expert Reviews 

Wine Spectator 92 Points | The 1966 is just about at its peak. Medium red color with an amber hue. Shows plum, iodine, tobacco and mint aromas. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and plenty of sweet plum, it goes on and on at the finish.--Latour vertical. Drink now.

Wine Advocate 96 Points | The 1966 Latour remains an exemplar of the vintage, certainly one of the best, if not the best Left Bank wine of the vintage. Here, served blind, its quality was a beacon, quintessentially Pauillac with that trademark graphite seam through the intense black fruit, cold stone and a touch of tobacco. It remains undimmed by its age (though this was served from a magnum of impeccable provenance). The palate is medium-bodied and that graphite theme continues unabated, flanked by beautiful, precise and pure vestiges of black fruit. 'Pure class' are the final two words of my tasting note and at 50 years old, they sum up this immensely impressive Château Latour. (NM)   (10/2016)