Daily Reviews

12 Weine, die man probieren sollte 

"Das Weingut liegt in Saint-Christophe des Bardes. Peter Kwok, ein chinesischer Unternehmer, hat das bezaubernde Château, dessen Reben teils auf Terrassen angelegt sind, bereits 2012 erworben, fünf Jahre bevor er auch das renommierte Château Bellefont-Belcier kaufte. Bisher «nur» als Saint-Émilion Grand Cru eingestuft wurde Château Tour Saint-Christophe 2022 in den Rang eines Grand Cru Classé erhoben. Wohl verdient, denn die Weine bieten ein hervorragendes Preis-Genuss-Verhältnis." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Source: VINUM: SEPTEMBER 2023 REPORTAGE SAINT-ÉMILION |September 2023 | www.vinum.eu)

12 Weine, die man probieren sollte 

"«Das Château ohne Château» liegt etwas unterhalb von Château Trottevieille und verfügt über ein ausgezeichnetes Terroir. Seit dem Jahrgang 2018 geht es hier qualitativ steil bergauf. 2021 wurde Le Prieuré von den Besitzern des Château Calon Ségur übernommen (Spoiler: Château Vray Croix de Gay in Pomerol ebenfalls…) und dass man dort weiss, wie man Wein macht, ist bekannt. Es würde uns nicht erstaunen, wenn man bald mehr über dieses bisher eher unscheinbare Weingut sprechen wird. Noch bezahlbar." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Source: VINUM: SEPTEMBER 2023 REPORTAGE SAINT-ÉMILION |September 2023 | www.vinum.eu)

12 Weine, die man probieren sollte 

"Mit eindrücklichen 61 Hektar ist dieses Weingut das grösste der Appellation Saint-Émilion. Die Reben wurzeln mehrheitlich auf dem Kalksteinplateau, was den Namen dieses Anwesens erklärt (Roche, Roca, Roque bedeutet Fels). Seit 2015 leitet David Suire, ein energiegeladener, sehr talentierter Önologe, das Gut, welches der Familie Beaumartin gehört, und spätestens seit dem 2018er Jahrgang gehen sowohl Weinqualität als auch die Bewertungen der internationalen Weinkritik steil nach oben." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Source: VINUM: SEPTEMBER 2023 REPORTAGE SAINT-ÉMILION |September 2023 | www.vinum.eu)

12 Weine, die man probieren sollte 

"Dieses Weingut ist im Windschatten von Canon und Rauzan-Ségla klangheimlich zur Spitze der Appellation aufgeschlossen. Ebenfalls zu Chanel gehörend und unweit von diesem auf dem Kalksteinplateau von Saint-Émilion gelegen, vom gleichen Team mit der gleichen Sorgfalt und den gleichen technischen Mitteln produziert, sind die letzten Jahrgänge dieses Weins von äusserst vielversprechender Qualität. Berliquet wurde aus seinem Dornröschenschlaf wachgeküsst und bleibt selbst im teuren Jahrgang 2022 mit knapp 60 Franken beziehungsweise Euro in einem erschwinglichen Rahmen."

Alle Jahrgänge

(Review date: 2023-09, Source: VINUM: SEPTEMBER 2023 REPORTAGE SAINT-ÉMILION |September 2023 | www.vinum.eu)

95 Punkte 

"A compelling, pure and complex nose combining jasmine, cedar, peach and nutmeg. Good acidity and cut, with huge impact on the palate – a real explosion of flavour. Very long, ending on lingering wood spice; a Condrieu that demands rich food. A blend of Guigal’s five best parcels of Condrieu (including Coteau de Chéry and Côte Chatillon), aged for 12 months in new oak barriques." 

(Review date: 2023-06, Reviewed by: Matt Walls , Source: Decanter: Regional profile: Condrieu plus 12 wines to seek out |June 2023 | www.decanter.com)

94 Punkte 

"The 2021 Syrah Angeli is absolutely gorgeous. It captures a striking combination of Ballard Canyon intensity and finesse, with sweet tannins and gorgeous mid-palate pliancy. Own-rooted vines, now 20+ years old, yield a Syrah of uncommon finesse. The 2021 is a bit lighter than most years, but that actually works well for a wine that has been a behemoth at times. This is all class." 

(Review date: 2023-07, Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni , Source: Reviews & Tasting Notes |July 2023 | www.vinous.com)

95 Punkte 

"The 2021 Pinot Noir La Côte is the darkest and most brooding of the four Pinots. The stems presence also leave a strong imprint. Black cherry fruit, plum, leather, licorice, menthol, sage and grilled herbs infuse the 2021 with notable gravitas. This powerhouse Pinot needs time, that much is obvious. A cooler year and a marginal site result in an inward Pinot that I think it will always be quite introspective in character." 

(Review date: 2023-07, Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni , Source: Reviews & Tasting Notes |July 2023 | www.vinous.com)

94 Punkte 

"The 2021 Pinot Noir Bloom's Field is laced with dark red fruit, herbs, sweet tobacco, cedar, mint and rose petal. Aromatic and bright, with terrific depth, the 2021 is super-expressive. Bright acids and beams of tannin confer energy. Finer clay soils mixed with silt and sand yield a decidedly mid-weight, airy Pinot with tons of aromatic presence and an expression of intensity that is more implied than stated." 

(Review date: 2023-07, Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni , Source: Reviews & Tasting Notes |July 2023 | www.vinous.com)

94 Punkte 

"The 2021 Pinot Noir Memorious is dark, fleshy and super-expressive, within the context of this generally brighter, leaner vintage. As always, there's quite a bit of stem influence, but those savory notes are beautifully woven into the fruit. Clay rich soils add notable depth, while west-facing exposure conveys energy. That dualism makes for a compelling Pinot endowed with brooding dark fruit and notable textural intensity." 

(Review date: 2023-07, Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni , Source: Reviews & Tasting Notes |July 2023 | www.vinous.com)

92 Punkte 

"The 2021 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is a punchy, savory wine. Sweet dried cherry, mint, dried herbs, anise and orange peel all grace this understated, classy Pinot. Medium in body and quite gracious, the 2021 is stellar." 

(Review date: 2023-07, Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni , Source: Reviews & Tasting Notes |July 2023 | www.vinous.com)

96 Punkte 

"Features rich, focused flavors of peach tart, poached apricot and mandarin orange fruit, plus accents of toasted brioche, pastry cream, pickled ginger and pink grapefruit sorbet. Exudes an overall vibrant impression, with a fine interplay of elegance and complexity, showing deft integration of the vivid acidity and the satiny mousse. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2038. 719 cases imported." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Alison Napjus , Source: Wine Spectator online |September 2023 | www.winespectator.com)

97 Punkte 

"The first impression upon release in September 2023 is of surprisingly open, welcoming fragrance for young Salon; orange cream, floral honey and lemon peel, backed up with delicate browned pastry, milky oyster and nut oil complexity that speaks of the long lees ageing. It is taut rather than austere, with a delicate, even level of flesh on its rigid bones as the classic chalky marine squeeze of Le Mesnil takes hold and propels a long, detailed lemon peel finish. This could prove a classic Salon given considerable patience." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Tom Hewson , Source: Decanter: Part of First taste: Champagne Salon 2013 |September 2023 | www.decanter.com)

94 Punkte 

"A firm, focused Champagne, with a pleasing crunchiness to the fine mousse. Reveals a toasty edge, with notes of smoke, brioche and vanilla showing up front, before transitioning to underscore and enrich flavors of nectarine and plum fruit, salted almond, lemon curd and anise as they expand through the creamy finish. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged February 2022. Drink now through 2033." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Alison Napjus , Source: Wine Spectator online |September 2023 | www.winespectator.com)

96 Punkte 

"This mouthwatering Champagne has an ethereal quality, with a frame of chiseled acidity and focused precision to the pointillisme-like, vibrant mousse. Yet this shows depth and generous expression, with the finely spun notes of patisserie apple and blackberry fruit opening beautifully on the palate and through the minerally finish, with notes of grated ginger, blood orange granita, salted Marcona almond and anise." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Alison Napjus , Source: Wine Spectator online |September 2023 | www.winespectator.com)

98 Punkte 

"A muscular wine, but leading with tremendous freshness, restrained red-toned fruit, and very subtle yet elegant cedar mingling with red-rock minerality. It offers more black fruit on the palate, redolent of muddled blackberries and juicy plums. 'Iron fist in a velvet glove' comes to mind, given the tannin texture, which transitions to an undercurrent of iron-clad and dusty minerals. All of this turns fresh and lively through the finish. Perhaps a bit hot on the alcohol, but this will soften soon enough - this is absolutely one of the more riveting wines out of the entire vintage." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Jonathan Christaldi , Source: Magazine Decanter |September 2023 | Volume 49 No 1: Great wines of the Americas "Napa Cabernet 2020" , www.decanter.com)

97 Punkte 

"A fresh, bright expression of 100% Napa Cabernet with nicely delineated dark fruit, licorice, and tobacco notes. Wonderfully textured with tremendous concentration on the palate, very fine-grained tannins, complex brown spices, and tobacco mingling with fresh floral notes through a lengthy finish. Grapes are sourced from the highest block of the estate, with the oldest vines at 46 years of age. Florence and Daniel Cathiard, owners of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux, bought the property in early 2020; Michel Rolland consults. Picking began on 10th September, but they did not use any of the grapes that were picked after the Glass Fire erupted on 26th September." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Jonathan Christaldi , Source: Magazine Decanter |September 2023 | Volume 49 No 1: Great wines of the Americas "Napa Cabernet 2020" , www.decanter.com)

97 Punkte 

"A heady, perfumed 100% Cabernet with excellent weight and plenty of tannins. Fruit-driven, blackberry and cherry lead the way, followed by cedarwood, sage leaf, and bay laurel. Sumptuous and dense with compact but emphatic tannins and excellent grip. Almost crunchy acidity is framed by graphite minerality, and the wine shows the intensity and power balanced by the freshness typical of Andy Erickson's winemaking. Sourced from three vineyards in Coombsville: Meteor, The Rabbit Hole, and Collinetta. The Favia wines are now featured on La Place de Bordeaux, and that comes with international attention." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Jonathan Christaldi , Source: Magazine Decanter |September 2023 | Volume 49 No 1: Great wines of the Americas "Napa Cabernet 2020" , www.decanter.com)

97 Punkte 

"A beautiful, full-bodied, mineral-driven, energetic wine with curvy edges. The mineral-rich nose is infused with rich blackberry, raspberry, and cassis fruits, intermingling with a plethora of earth and salty mineral notes. Very precise tannins plump up with air, and the finish is marked by fresh, loamy soils and crushed stones. Two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc; harvest finished on 17th September, well before the Glass Fire. In another vintage with far fewer challenges, this would almost undoubtedly be a 100-point wine." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Jonathan Christaldi , Source: Magazine Decanter |September 2023 | Volume 49 No 1: Great wines of the Americas "Napa Cabernet 2020" , www.decanter.com)

94 Punkte 

"This leads with black fruits, toffee, and oak spices. It's full on the palate with ripe, sweet blackberry and black cherry notes, building tannins that are a bit granular: plenty of grip. Built on 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Petit Verdot, aged 21 months in 80% new French oak. It is nicely balanced and one that's not easy to put down." 

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Jonathan Christaldi , Source: Magazine Decanter |September 2023 | Volume 49 No 1: Great wines of the Americas "Napa Cabernet 2020" , www.decanter.com)

94 Punkte 

"Absolutely riveting, with immense purity of dark black fruits, sagebrush, sanalwood and purple florals dusted with cinnamon. Full-bodied with concentrated satiny black fruits, wild herbs, cedar and tobacco. The long finish is punctuated by graphite and cassis."

(Review date: 2023-09, Reviewed by: Jonathan Christaldi , Source: Magazine Decanter |September 2023 | Volume 49 No 1: Great wines of the Americas "Napa Cabernet 2020" , www.decanter.com)

Beyond rare vintages 

Recreating the Perfect Year 

James Suckling: 99 Punkte

  Wine Advocate: 96 Punkte

95 Punkte 

"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."

(Review date: 2023, Reviewed by: James Molesworth , Source: Magazine Issue Web Only - 2023 , www.winespectator.com)