Wine Advocate (98)

The 2019 Iubileus comes from Malbec from a plot planted in 2013 on limestone-rich soils with some 40 centimeters of soil, worked organically since it was planted but not certified. It fermented in used rolling barrels with indigenous yeasts, with a maceration of 30 days and matured in used barriques for 16 months. It has moderate ripeness, 14% alcohol and good freshness and acidity, coming through as balanced, harmonious and juicy, with some earthiness, fine, chalky tannins and a long, persistent finish. 1,380 bottles were filled in November 2020.

James Suckling (99)

This is very perfumed with blackberry and pine-cone aromas, as well as raspberries and black cherries. Full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins that are tight-grained. Creamy and beautiful. Currant and graphite flavors come through. Lightly chewy at the end. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot, 14% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Drink after 2025.

Vinous (96-99)

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is off the charts. What a wine. The 2019 captures all the Togni signatures, but with both more fruit richness and energy than is the norm. A Cabernet of gravitas and consequence, the 2019 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the year. Black cherry, plum, graphite, spice and incense build into the palate-staining finish. The 2019 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, all co-fermented. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. All I can say is: Wow!

The Wine Independent (100)

The 2019 Promontory has a deep garnet-purple color. It is quite closed at the moment, needing a little swirling to reveal notes of crushed rocks, garrigue, iron ore, and lavender, leading to a core of black cherries, redcurrant jelly, and fresh blackcurrants, with a hint of mossy tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is so tightly wound, delivering multi-layered black and red berries with mineral and earthy sparks, supported by fine-grained tannins, finishing long and fragrant.

Vinous (98)

Sourced mainly from the Champoux vineyard (90%) with a smaller part from the Mach One vineyard, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley utilizes clones 4, 8, 191, 337 and 685 with mostly clone 8 selections in the blend. Incredibly aromatic right now, it shows gorgeous black rose petals, crème de violette, sagebrush, black walnut, sandalwood and blueberry compote tones, giving a level of aromatic complexity that is unrivaled in the state. The palate is silky and elegant with a downright soft texture. Deeply concentrated and wonderfully structured, with smooth tannins, this gorgeous wine is already beautifully evolved at the two-year mark and will continue to deliver drinking enjoyment for at least another 15 years.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

This is a winemaker's master class in blending and understanding of a long-standing site. Dried herb, cedar and pencil shavings accent lifted red fruit and brilliant acidity on the palate, with a supple yet still youthfully grippy texture that is framed by structured, graceful tannins.

Vinous (96)

A gorgeous wine, the 2019 Chardonnay Bentrock Vineyard dazzles with its purity and translucence. Crushed rocks, lemon confit, white flowers and mint give the 2019 its brilliant, sculpted personality. Soaring aromatics and bright saline accents build into the regal finish.

Handcrafted with meticulous precision, the Racines Sta. Rita Hills La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 is a testament to fine winemaking. Produced in the renowned Santa Rita Hills appellation, the grapes come from the esteemed La Rinconada Vineyard, known for its cool climate and hillside terrain. Epitomising the signature style of Racines, a collaborative venture of four distinguishable wine experts, this vintage delivers a captivating blend of Old World finesse and New World vibrancy.

The 2019 vintage, grown in well-drained soils and maritime-influenced microclimate, features a complex palette boasting of vibrant fruit notes, subtle minerality, and a profound, lengthy finish. Matured in 30% new French oak, it beautifully intertwines textural richness with a refined structure. Lauded by critics, the Racines Sta. Rita Hills La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 is undoubtedly an elegant choice for discerning palates, offering a memorable, sophisticated wine experience in each bottle.

Experience the splendour of the Racines Sta. Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay 2019, a premium wine that exudes elegance and refinement. Produced in Santa Barbara County’s reputable Sta. Rita Hills AVA, this vintage emerges from the esteemed Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, renowned for its stellar Chardonnay cultivation since 1971.

This extraordinary wine is a testament to Racines' traditional winemaking practices - minimal intervention, careful fermentation, and a gentle barrel ageing, ensuring authenticity of expression. The 2019 vintage delivers a superb balance of acidity and lush fruit-forward character, bearing notes of grapefruit, exotic spices and a whisper of vanilla from French oak ageing.

The commitment of celebrated winemakers Rajat Parr and Justin Willett results in a complex and exceptionally well-structured Chardonnay. Wine enthusiasts will relish the nuances of the Racines Sta. Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 - a quintessential varietal interpretation staying true to its Californian terroir roots.

Esteemed by discerning connoisseurs, the Racines Wenzlau Family Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 is a tour de force of viticulture mastery. This charismatic wine hails from the esteemed Wenzlau Family Vineyard, tucked in the central coast of California, a region world-renowned for its exceptional Chardonnay. The Racines collaborative of four wine-making legends have lent their expertise to this 2019 Chardonnay, ensuring a production process steeped in tradition, yet adventurously innovative.

Exhibiting a pale golden hue, the Racines Wenzlau Family Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 truly exudes eloquence in a glass. Indulge in the inviting bouquet of sweet apple and citrus underscored by an earthy minerality. Its full-bodied, harmonious palate is marked by a voluptuous, creamy texture, punctuated with vibrant acidity and a lingering finish. Matured with the utmost precision, every sip of this meticulous Chardonnay promises an intoxicating blend of richness and refreshing taste, making the Racines Wenzlau Family Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 a standout choice for any discerning palate.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

There is a beautiful meeting of the minds with this site in this winemaker's hands that it's hard not to be drawn to it year after year. The fifth single- vineyard designate from this magical place, it is spiced, bright, complex and nuanced in oak. It's just impressively seamless and full of life.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2019 Chardonnay Woolsey Road Vineyard has singular scents of warm peaches and burnt lemon with touches of meringue, beeswax, saline and flint. The medium-bodied palate is energetic and tense at this youthful stage, its satiny texture opposed by tangy freshness, and it finishes long and flinty. It will be long lived in bottle and will benefit from 3-5 more years under cork. 624 cases were made.

Wine Advocate (98+)

Realm took over the management of Farella vineyard in 2018. Since then, winemaker Benoit Touquette explained their focus has been to open out the canopy, creating better exposure for the fruit, aiming to achieve riper tannins. A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Farella Vineyard has a deep garnet-purple color and a powerful, expressive nose of baked plums, juicy blackberries and blackcurrant pastilles, plus touches of black olives, lavender and cinnamon stick, with a waft of fragrant earth. The full-bodied palate is seriously dense and muscular, featuring a rock-solid foundation of super ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length and energy. A spectacular showing for Farella!

Vinous (97)

From the Realm Estate in Stags Leap, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Moonracer is an elegant, sophisticated Cabernet that shows the nuanced side of Stags Leap in its red-toned fruit profile, floral aromatics and mid-weight structure. I would give the 2019 at least a few years in the bottle. There is a certain approachability to the 2019, but ultimately I think that might be a bit deceptive relative to the wine's ultimate potential.

Wine Advocate (99)

Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard has a deep garnet-purple color, requiring a little coaxing before it spills out of the glass with fantastically showy blackberry preserves, boysenberries and cassis notes, plus hints of black raspberries, clove oil and potpourri, with a touch of tobacco leaf. The decadent, full-bodied palate sports a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins with beautiful freshness. All that generous black fruit melds seamlessly into a very long, mineral-laced finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2019 The Bard checks in as 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, and it’s another dense, rich, powerful wine from this team that readers are going to absolutely love. Coming from throughout the valley (it’s always a great representation of the vintage), it offers up a brilliant nose of crème de cassis, ripe plums, graphite, scorched earth, and chocolate. About as seamless as they come on the palate, it’s full-bodied and has a thrilling texture, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It’s one of those wines where I feel like I’m overusing adjectives, but it’s warranted.

Vinous (96)

The 2019 The Tempest, Realm's Merlot based red, is not surprisingly, quite accessible. Super-ripe blackberry, cherry jam, sweet spice, licorice and new oak all flesh out as this succulent, hugely inviting wine shows off its considerable charm. The 2019 is a looker, that's for sure. The blend is Merlot from Realm Estate, Farella and Orchard, with Cabernet Sauvignon from Houyi.

Burghound (91)

A restrained, cool and pretty blend is composed by notes of both red and dark pinot fruit, spice and a hint of herbal tea. I very much like the texture and volume of the middleweight flavors that are at once seductive but punchy, all wrapped in a balanced, focused and lingering bitter pit fruit-inflected finale. Lovely.

The Resonance Pinot Noir Resonance Vineyard 2019 is an exemplary embodiment of the noble Burgundy grape, crafted with meticulous care in the heart of Oregon's celebrated Willamette Valley. Taking advantage of this region's unique terroir, the vintners at the highly esteemed Resonance estate utilise organic and biodynamic farming practices to ensure the utmost quality and authenticity in each bottle.

A deep ruby in hue, this stylish yet intricate Pinot Noir showcases supple tannins intertwined with a vibrant acidity, underlining an intoxicating bouquet of ripe red cherries, wild berries and delicate violets. The 2019 vintage displays the depth of its old vine pedigree through a meticulous élevage in French oak barrels, adding sophisticated layers of complexity and whisperings of warming spices and sweet toasty undertones. Elegant and poised, the Resonance Pinot Noir Resonance Vineyard 2019 is a voluptuous addition to any fine wine collection.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The 2019 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard trades places with its Horseshoe neighbor in this vintage, beginning with a reticent, dark-fruited nose of fresh herbs, black tea, black pepper and allspice that steadily gains momentum. It is superbly elegant and restrained on the palate, with a pleasing undercurrent of sumptuous dark fruits and finessed but persistent tannins. The length and persistence of the finish are spectacular and, in this vintage, is what narrowly edges out the Horseshoe bottling. I find it endlessly fascinating to compare the two as they are consistently neck-in-neck and impressive shapeshifters in the glass.

Vinous (96)

The 2019 Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard is laced with the essence of crushed rocks, white pepper, orchard fruit, white flowers, chalk and mint. It is a bit less forthcoming than the Alpine Chardonnay. Saline notes build into the palate staining finish. This classically austere young Chardonnay just needs time in bottle. Tasted next to the Alpine, the Horseshoe has more mid-palate weight and feeling of phenolic intensity. The differences between the two are remarkable considering the sites are just 400 yards apart. The Horseshoe is planted on Monterey shale, while the soils at Alpine are Purisima, a formation that is about 8 million years younger. Such is the complexity of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2019 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard is unusually wide open from the first pour, offering an immediately dazzling nose of perfectly ripe red fruits, cherry blossoms, cured meat, river rocks and petrichor. The palate is silky, suave and precise with less weight than usual, seemingly sacrificing none of the power, complexity and refreshing momentum generated with aeration. Echoing the palate, the finish is initially more subtle than explosive, nevertheless ending up at the same amazingly complex, expansive destination. As always, this does nothing but morph and gain dimension with time, as I have no doubt it will do over the next two decades.

Vinous (97)

The 2019 Pinot Noir Porcupine Hill is a beautifully translucent, nuanced Pinot that shows the heights of finesse that are possible in Anderson Valley. A wine of unreal subtlety and nuance, the Porcupine Hill hits so many high notes. Crushed red berry, mint, spice, tobacco, cedar, rose petal and espresso build over time. As always, the Porcupine Hill Pinot is sourced from high-density blocks on the property and is done with minimal whole clusters.

Vinous (92)

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate offers a hugely appealing mix of fruit richness married to the savory, structured style that is the Ridge signature. The 2019 is beautifully exotic, but natural without the volume of the Monte Bello. I imagine it will drink splendidly with minimal cellaring. Succulent red cherry, blood orange, mint, cinnamon and pomegranate.

Vinous (94)

The 2019 Geyserville marks a pretty huge step up in this range. What a wine! Black cherry, plum, chocolate, cloves, menthol and licorice blast across the palate. Deep and saturated, with tremendous concentration, the 2019 Geyserville is a wine to cellar for at least a few years. Today, it is positively stunning.

Vinous (95)

The 2019 Lytton Springs is another embryonic wine in this range. Readers will have to be patient. Time in the glass brings out an exotic mélange of rose petal, blood orange, pomegranate and star anise, all wrapped together by plush, silky tannins. There is a lot of wine here. Healthy dollops of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Mataro round out the blend, but the Zinfandel is pretty expressive in the leading role.