Wine Advocate (96)

The 2020 The Standish Shiraz was made with fruit from the Laycock family vineyard, in Greenock. The first vintage was 1999. This vintage saw 30% whole bunches in the ferment. It offers notes of red dirt, a bit of blood, salted heirloom tomato and satsuma plum. This is concentrated, compacted, plush, dense and muscular, with notes of ras el’hanout, allspice, torched cinnamon and salted Dutch licorice. This wine is like playing "Magic Eye." There’s a lot going on, but if you relax, a pattern emerges and the detail becomes obvious for all to see. Within the fine but plushly tannic frame, there is saltbush and bay leaf, exotic spice and cascading layers of berry fruits. The dirt in which the roots are entangled similarly shows its colors—and these are red, ochre, earth and dust. At first glance, the foolish and the rash will overlook this for being singularly muscular and full-bodied, but like all the best IYKYK (if you know, you know—wink wink) scenarios, there is far more than meets the palate here. Another blockbuster Standish.

James Suckling (94)

Aromas of blackberry and dark chocolate with toasted spices, cherry, raspberry coulis and vanilla. Like a liquid black forest cake. Rippling with intensity and concentration, the palate has very soft and satiny tannins that sit smoothly into the finish. Sultry. Drink over the next five years.

Wine Advocate (99)

The 2020 The Relic Shiraz-Viognier is made with fruit from the Hongell family vineyard in Krondorf, with 15% to 20% whole bunches in the ferment and 1% Viognier skins co-fermented. This is the best I’ve seen it. There’s something about the combination of the hot year and the diminished yields—it has recoiled and recompressed the Viognier on top of and into the Shiraz and brought them into balance/harmony. Beneath its floral and stone fruit guiles is a pool of savory, muscular, red-dirt Shiraz. There is bacon fat and pure berry fruit and spice for days… I’ve recently looked at a previous vintage of this wine alongside an older but immaculate Chateau d’Ampuis, and while their origins were clear in the glass, the Relic proved an Australian perspective more than relevant. The balance between the varieties—and the classic push/pull of sweet and savory—is more harmonious this year than in any I can remember, and the only thing I am more excited about when I consider this wine is what I will say next year, through the lens of an excellent, cool and elegant year. What a fine pair they will make.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2018 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard was aged for 10 months in French oak, 46% new. It has a very classy nose of ripe peaches, fresh yellow apples and allspice followed by fresh ginger, cashew and acacia honey plus a waft of sea spray. Full-bodied, rich, satiny and with fantastic intensity and tension, it finishes very long and chalky. YUM! 600 cases were made.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

Now including 20% of the 777 clone, alongside its habitual 115 base, Vrede comes from red clay soils with a high iron component. Seductively perfumed, this stunning red has fine tannins, fleshy, opulent flavours of strawberry and redcurrant, finely judged 35% new wood and undertones of rose petal and forest floor. One of the greatest ever Cape Pinot Noirs.

Wine Spectator (98)

Gorgeous aromas of honey, passion fruit, mango and candied lemon rind. Full-bodied and ultraconcentrated, yet balanced and refined. It lasts for minutes on the palate. This has just about everything in the right place. Stunning. Best after 2009. 6,665 cases made. -JS

Wine Spectator (98)

Gorgeous aromas of honey, passion fruit, mango and candied lemon rind. Full-bodied and ultraconcentrated, yet balanced and refined. It lasts for minutes on the palate. This has just about everything in the right place. Stunning. Best after 2009. 6,665 cases made. -JS

Scoring 98 points from the Wine Advocate's Lisa Perrotti-Brown, 97 points from Decanter's Jane Anson and 18.5/20 from Jancis Robinson MW, this 2009 "remains the benchmark Suduiraut of recent years".

 

Still taking a while to open up fully, indicting a very long life ahead, it has a "divine bouquet... building layer upon layer" (NM) that "seductively unfurls" (WA) with gorgeous notes of honey, dried pineapple, chamomile tea, yellow flowers and nectarine. The rich, viscous and satiny texture of the palate is "effortlessly" countered by a "beautiful razor-sharp line of acidity" (NM) that gives this Sauternes bags of freshness. With "epic length and depth" (WA) on the finish, this is a wine that will span generations with Neal Martin giving it a drinking window up to 2070.

Whisky Advocate (93)

Deep layers of vanilla and mizunara oak with sugar sprinkled pastries, incense sticks, oiled wood, tatami, dried apricot, golden sultana, and faint smoky spiciness. Nectarous mouthfeel with honey, barley sugar, dried citrus, orange peel, and delicate spices, it continues to sweeten beautifully showing vanilla, sugared almonds, banana custard, with hints of ginger and gentle oak. Slightly gummy finish as the vanilla quenches little eruptions of wood spices.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

Very few recent South African releases have been as eagerly awaited as this 2018 red from the old Cordoba property on the flank of the Helderberg. And it doesn't disappoint in the slightest. Cabernet Franc-centred, with 24% Merlot and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, the new crescendo is a beautifully refined, detailed red from 21-year-old vines. Violet and cut grass aromas lead into a palate that is fresh, bright and comparatively low in alcohol with filigree tannins, subtle wood, fine tension and the focus and balance to age. What a début!

Tim Atkin MW (98)

Overall Red Wine of the Year - Chile 2022 Special Report. Well, well, well. Who would have anticipated this? My best Chilean red wine of the year is a Malbec - and not just any Malbec. Roca Madre is an incredible, world-class red from the volcanic soils of the Río Hurtado vineyard, located at 1,600 metres in the remote Limarí Andes. Racy, tangy, grippy and intensely perfumed, it's an incredible expression of the variety, with violet, plum and black cherry concentration, fine-grained tannins and a pithy, energetic, mineral-etched core.

Vinous (98)

We started with a sensational 2002 Taittinger Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. My word, this is exquisite, representing everything I adore in champagne. Limpid gold in hue, it has a compelling bouquet of walnut, smoke, dried honey and shucked oyster shells that I found utterly entrancing. The palate does not disappoint, displaying an irresistible rounded texture and perfectly pitched acidity that cuts through the flavors of lemon curd, orange pith and crushed stone. It was as if this champagne tries to give you everything you desire, and does it with such aplomb that you cannot help but be smitten. I have no doubt that it will cruise at a high altitude for many years.

James Suckling (100)

The perfect blanc de blancs. Full-bodied with a lovely framework of acidity and dry fruit, such as apples, pears and peaches. Opulent. Dense and muscular. Yet, it’s balanced and harmonious. Line of acidity at the end. Totally in tune. Superb. Deep and complete. Has everything. One for the cellar. It is the greatest Comte ever. It has everything. A perfect upgrade from two years ago. Drink or hold.

Matthew Jukes (19.5++)

By contrast to the Bollinger, Comte is not a one-off, nor anything out of the ordinary. It is a label that all committed Champagne lovers adore. Predictable perhaps. But, of course, one thing does vary, and that is the vintage. The ‘worst’ Comte I ever tasted was rather lovely. The ‘best’, and there have been many (1959, 1966, 1996, 2002, 2006) are all sublime and you can now add 2011 to this list. Taittinger always seems to shun the spotlight, unlike Dom Perignon and other more attention-seeking brands and this modesty rather suits this House. I did something that I never do after first tasting my sample bottle. I was so shocked with the sheer class that I sealed the bottle with a simple Champagne stopper and then tasted it again and again over two days. The stress-testing sorts the wheat from the chaff. It is unlikely that anyone who bought a bottle would do this. Still, I like to see how a potentially great wine evolves, opens up, sometimes falls over, and sometimes blossoms over a few days because it gives me an indication of its potential and its true baseline of quality. The fruit is so tense, grand and layered it is remarkable. The flavour, the fizz, the length, the momentum and the overall halo of greatness did not change one iota over nearly 60 hours of being open with no preservation whatsoever. This is a genius, B de B and while it tastes scintillating now, I am confident that it will amaze Comte fans for decades to come.

James Suckling (99)

The light rust and amber color is enticing. Aromas of dried rose petals, cinnamon and nutmeg. Hints of dried meat, smoke and sage. Full body and compact, creamy texture. So fine and delicious. Great, subtle and complex flavors. More like a lightly aged, premier cru Volnay, but with the magic of Champagne. Drink now.

Decanter (96)

The nose is shy and subtle, though notions of red apple, peppery rye crumb, stone and lemon emerge with more air. Tightly coiled, the palate suggests spicy riches with its insinuations of white pepper and tangerine peel. A lovely interplay of Pinot richness and Chardonnay slinkiness, showing depth, svelteness and elegance. It justs needs air to breathe. Gorgeous.

Decanter (96)

The nose is shy and subtle, though notions of red apple, peppery rye crumb, stone and lemon emerge with more air. Tightly coiled, the palate suggests spicy riches with its insinuations of white pepper and tangerine peel. A lovely interplay of Pinot richness and Chardonnay slinkiness, showing depth, svelteness and elegance. It justs needs air to breathe. Gorgeous.

Burghound (91-93)

(Sweet Spot) (from Bas de Teurons). An elegant, pure and airy nose also freely reveals its aromas the essence of red currant, cherry and pretty floral nuances. The refined, energetic and well-detailed medium weight flavors possess a lacy mouthfeel while exuding a subtle bead of minerality on the youthfully austere and beautifully long finale. This is lovely and very Teurons in style.

Vinous (93)

The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux 1er Cru seems to be fulfilling the promise it showed from barrel. Elegant and very pure on the nose, it unfurls with those same brambly red berry fruit scents, tinged with potpourri and wilted rose petal. The palate conveys that sense of transparency, filigreed tannins framing pretty red fruit, and shows decent grip on the finish. I can see this maturing with style.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-97)

5 Star Wine. Two thirds of the vines were planted in from 1929, and the rest are not much younger. Very millerand grapes which were destemmed. Seven barrels made, which is unheard of even in the memory of the Maume family, whence these vines originated. Bright vigorous purple fruit, very sensual, picked at ideal ripeness, the fruit flowing across the palate, backed by useful tannins to finish. Drink from 2029-2038. Tasted Nov 2024.

Burghound (93-95)

(Don't Miss) (from Mazis-Bas). An elegant, airy and beautifully layered nose is spicier still with plenty of floral influence suffusing the mix of red and dark currant, anise and forest floor. The super-sleek and equally, if markedly denser, medium-bodied flavors exhibit excellent power on the sappy, balanced and wonderfully persistent finale that is unmistakably built to repay extended keeping. One to strongly consider.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (95-97)

45% whole bunch. Lifted ruby purple. A touch of coconut from the wood. This has much more finesse than the Charmes. Really graceful on the palate yet still with tensile strength. An excellent fruit acid balance too, altogether a classy Mazoyères. Very persistent. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Nov 2024.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (90-91)

Destemmed, 20% new wood, now racked to tank. A lovely fresh crimson colour. Mixed red berries, including strawberry, this is unforced and very pleasing. Tannins, lighter acidity, but the fruit wins through. Drink from 2028-2033. Tasted Nov 2024.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91-93)

The 2023 Volnay Les Fremiets 1er Cru is completely destemmed this year. It has a fresh and more marine-influenced bouquet to the point where you might misconstrue there being some stems in the mix. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and much more elegant than the 2022. It has fine tannins and nice poise with a harmonious finish. There's not enormous length, but this is really quite a lovely Volnay.

Wine Advocate (98)

Among the most saturated blue/purple/black-colored examples of the vintage, Taylor's 2000 tastes like a young vintage of Chateau Latour on steroids. Aromas of graphite, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis and smoke jump from the glass. Spectacularly concentrated and enormously endowed, with sweetness allied to ripe tannin, decent acidity, and layer upon layer of fruit and extract, this is the leading candidate for the port of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040.

Jancis Robinson (17.5)

Blackish crimson with medium rim. Heady and ripe on the nose. Subtle and savoury. Satin-smooth palate entry and a very dry end but really exciting and herbal in the middle. Very much in the Taylor's idiom. Neat and ambitious.

Wine Orbit (96)

Revealing elegance and sophistication, the engaging bouquet shows Black Doris plum, dark cherry, warm spice and toasted nut characters with nuances of truffle and floral. The palate displays outstanding concentration and focus, while offering rich texture and expansive mouthfeel, superbly framed by loads of fine, polished tannins. Multi-layered and magnificently flowing to an impressively long silky finish. The wine is gloriously composed and expressed, promising to evolve gracefully. The wine exhibits classic Te Mata elegance, freshness and refinement within a perfectly formed structure.

Bob Campbell MW (98)

Bright, youthful blended red of cabernet sauvignon (52%), merlot (33%) and cabernet franc (15%). This is classic Coleraine with cassis, cedar, floral, blueberry, a suggestion of wood-smoke, anise and spicy oak flavours. Terrific depth and an exquisite balance between fruit sweetness and acid/tannin structure. It will be a long-distance runner.

Wine Orbit (100)

Destined for a long life, this majestic offering shows cassis, dark plum, hint of tobacco, cedar and floral aromas on the nose. The palate is packed with rich fruit intensity combined with layers of silky texture and complex flavours, wonderfully supported by perfectly pitched chalky tannins, making it sturdy and structured with a seemingly endless finish. Flawless and spellbinding. A blend of 59 cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot & 4% cabernet franc. At its best: 2029 to 2049.