Behold the epitome of grandeur, the Montus Madiran La Tyre 2014 - a consummate embodiment of delectable elegance. This stunning single-varietal Tannat is the jewel in the crown of Domaine Montus, a leading pioneer in Madiran, South West France.

Masterfully cultivated on the steep, south-facing slopes of Pyrenean gravel, this wine exudes a compelling complexity, courtesy of its extended ageing in 100% new oak barriques.

The Montus Madiran La Tyre 2014 showcases an intense bouquet of ripe berries, intricately interwoven with hints of exotic spices, dark chocolate, and a delightfully refined touch of vanilla, culminating in a profoundly lingering finish. The majestic power of this vintage is artfully balanced by its elegant tannins and vibrant acidity, making it an exquisite testament to the producer's dedication to excellence.

As you savour each sip, allow your palate to be enlivened by the passion and finesse that underpins every drop of Montus Madiran La Tyre 2014.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The Blaufränkisch Burgenland 2020 Lutzmannsburg Alte Reben comes from the oldest vines in Lutzmannsburg, which includes not only the three crus that had been singled out in 2019 but also other crus here that are too small to market them separately. This wine delivers all the ripeness, fruit intensity and concentration that Moric has been known for for almost 20 years. The wine is less precise or transparent compared to the crus, but it's dense and complex on the nose (and palate), which is ethereal and spicy and immediately begs for a decanter. Here, the wine is rich, textured and elegant, unfolding its greatness only on the finish that leaves the concentration and power of the first palate for purity, mineral freshness and endless salinity. Tannins, acidity and phenolics as well as body and concentration are in great balance here, yet at this early stage, the wine needs a lot of space and time to breathe and reveal its secrets step by step. This is definitely a wine to cellar for years, just like Clos Nouveau Bourgueil from Gauthier. That means this old-vines Lutzmannsburger may reach an even greater drinking experience in 10 years. I wouldn't miss it. 13.5% stated alcohol. Tasted in Lech in December 2022.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnément comes from Oakville. This is pure Oakville bench Cabernet, with notes of Christmas fruitcake, unsmoked cigar tobacco, cedar wood and crème de cassis. There is a seamless integration of acidity, alcohol, wood and tannin, and the wine is opulent, majestic in the mouth, and very pure and rich. There are only 280 cases of this magnificent, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon which should drink well for 30+ years.

Vinous (95)

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Cœur de Vallée has aged exceptionally well. In 2011, Cœur de Vallée was made entirely from To Kalon fruit and was a blend of nearly equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. That choice paid off big time, as the wine is absolutely exquisite. Bright floral, spice and tobacco accents lend freshness. Readers can look forward to another decade of fine drinking.

The Moron-Garcia Corton Baie Par Baie 2022 is a splendid dedication to the French winemaking tradition, originating from the prized vineyards of Burgundy. Its creator, Moron-Garcia, utilises strict selection, baie par baie (berry by berry), a meticulous approach which contributes to its remarkable quality. The wine is soaked and fermented at controlled temperatures to maximize the expression of its fruit. Then aged in oak adds depth and complexity, highlighting its intricate flavours.

Boasting a brilliant ruby hue, it offers a delightful bouquet of red fruits, intense spices, and subtle hints of oak. On the palate, it exudes a harmonious balance of acidity, tannins, and alcohol, culminating in a spectacular long finish disclosing layers of taste. The Moron-Garcia Corton Baie Par Baie 2022 is a testament to the vibrant expression of the Corton terroir. This outstanding wine embodies the meticulous craftsmanship of Moron-Garcia, making it an exquisite choice for discerning wine enthusiasts.

The West Australian (97)

The 2017 vintage was one of the milder vintages in WA. The latest Moss Wood captures this vintage perfectly and is without doubt one of the more restrained and tightly framed Moss Woods of recent years. Not the opulence of 2014 or the firm power of the 2016. Yet it retains the elegance, perfume and soft approachability that is Moss Wood. And hidden within is a wine that I suspect will still be drinking beautifully in 30 years. Make sure you decant it even now before drinking.

The Western Australian (98)

High expectations accompany iconic labels such as Moss Wood, especially following on from the powerful 2020. This elegantly styled 21 vintage steps up and delivers, even in its youth. This is a wine built for cellaring and, as such, it was day two when the full gamut of flavours and textures opened up, in all their magisterial glory. Think boysenberry, blueberry essence and blackberries with nuances of nori, black olive, cedar and oak toast. There’s boundless flavour intensity and a nervy freshness and silkiness to the mouthfeel. Quite the feat of engineering to craft something so substantial yet with such lightness of touch. Stunning.

Wine Advocate (94+)

This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. The 2015 Moulin Saint-Georges is blended of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 85% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals a gorgeous plum preserves, licorice and blackberry pie-laced nose with touches of cedar chest, cigar box, black olives and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and very firmly textured with grainy tannins, it has a lively backbone supporting the generous black fruit, finishing with lingering savory notes. Give it a good 5 years or more in bottle and drink it over the next 20+ years.

Decanter (94)

So full of deeply-drawn berry fruit, fresh and juicy with touches of liquorice bud and rosemary, thirst quenching and yet thirst inducing in that amazing way that limestone can both refresh and make you thirst for more at the same time. An excellent Moulin St Georges, and such a step up from the more sandy soils that you find at Fonbel and the two Simard estates in this year's range of Vauthier-owned wines that this alone can help you understand how to navigate 2020.

James Suckling (93-94)

The tannins provide a powdery and layered sense to this, spreading across the palate. It's full and layered with firm depth and length. Blueberries and crush stones. Four-square. Some limestone with the clay. 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc.

Vinous (96)

A gorgeous wine, the 2012 Pinot Noir is just starting to show the first signs of softening. Sweet tobacco, mint, crushed flowers, leather, pine and cedar all grace this mid-weight, exquisite Pinot Noir. Beautifully perfumed and light on its feet, the 2012 is all class. It is one of the early highlights in this vertical. Best of all, the 2012 has enough freshness and pedigree to drink well for many years to come. The growing season was marked by cool, late-ripening harvest and a naturally generous crop. In 2012, the weather was cooperative, cool and moderate during harvest, which was quite a contrast to the 2013-2017, all of which were more frenzied, winemaker Jeffrey Patterson adds.

Halliday Wine Companion (94)

Good colour; considerable depth and power to the array of cassis, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit; very good texture and structure; abundant fine tannins and controlled oak. Cork.

Wine Advocate (97+)

I saw this wine blind recently (in a largely international tasting) and could not place the variety or region. I can see why here today: the fruit in the 2017 Quintet is almost unbelievably red fruited. It is buoyant and supple and speaks eloquently of raspberry seed, black cherry, red apple skins, blond tobacco, hints of sweet roasted meats (distant wafts only), enoki mushroom and red miso; the experience is inchoate and thrilling in equal measure. In isolation, perhaps, it may be easy to assume that the wine, given its age versus purity quotient, is simple. But given what we know about the capacity for aging carried by this vineyard/cuvée, I'd say you were grievously mistaken to judge it in that manner. This is a sleeper wine and one that hasn't even started to show us what it is capable of. It's a superstar. 13% alcohol, sealed under natural cork.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

Stands proudly at the head of the Mount Mary portfolio. A blend of 44% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 5% each of malbec and petit verdot, each variety handled according to its structure. Open/static fermenters, wood/stainless steel, 10-14 days on skins, 35% new oak from a range of coopers and forests, 16-20 months in barrel. Mesmerisingly silky, with a kaleidoscope of fruit and secondary flavours.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

'Arguably, one of the greatest red vintages in living memory', says Mount Pleasant. The flagship wine. Destemmed and crushed, short cold soak, open-fermented, matured in large format French oak (30% new) for 18 months. Has the gently throbbing power of a Rolls Royce; superb, deep crimson-purple hue, itself rare in the Hunter Valley. Countless layers of black fruits have absorbed the oak and put the undoubted tannins into limbo land. O'Shea would have died a happy man had this been his last wine. Dissecting it now is an academic exercise at best, so great is its future. This is as close to a 100-year potential as you are ever likely to find.

Vinous (92)

(made from two-thirds grenache and one-third syrah): Opaque ruby. Heady scents of red berry preserves, lavender, anise and sandalwood, lifted by a peppery topnote. Offers intense, palate-staining raspberry and cherry-cola flavors that gain weight with air. Impressively lively and pure on the persistent finish, which features gentle tannins and a late note of bitter chocolate.

Wine Advocate (100)

Over the last couple of years, I had inclined to the view that the 1986 vintage was eclipsing the 1982 Mouton Rothschild, but two perfectly conserved bottles this year put paid to that hypothesis. One of the emblematic wines of the vintage, offering up aromas of sweet crème de cassis, cigar wrapper, espresso roast, spices and vine smoke, it's full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a rich core of fruit; ripe, supple tannins; and a long, expansive finish. Lavish, even flamboyant, and at the same time seriously structured and quintessentially Mouton, it encapsulates the greatness of the vintage. For readers interested in numbers, the 1982 attained 12.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.64 (that information is the result of a great personal misfortune, because I sent a sample from a tragically corked magnum to the local enology lab for analysis out of curiosity).

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

I think the 2005 Château Mouton Rothschild is pure perfection, and is has a ripe, powerful, yet weightless style not far off the 1982. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up in new barrels, it’s just now starting to enter its adolescence phase and has sensational notes of ripe black fruits, smoky, scorched earth, pipe tobacco, and chocolate. Massively rich and opulent on the palate, with building yet sweet tannins and no hard edges, it’s one of those wines that needs to be tasted to be believed. Drink bottles any time over the coming 40+ years.

Wine Spectator (100)

Gorgeous aromas of currant, raspberry and mineral. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins. Long and caressing, building on the palate. Very pretty, very elegant. Subtle and seductive. This could be better than 2005. Wait and see. Score range: 95-100

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Pure perfection, and reminding me slightly of the 1982, the 2009 Château Mouton Rothschild boasts an opaque ruby hue as well as an incredibly perfumed, sexy, seductive style in its ripe currant and cassis fruits as well as new saddle leather, spicy oak, smoke tobacco, and graphite-driven aromas and flavors. Complex, full-bodied, and beautifully concentrated, with sweet tannins, this masterpiece is already impossible to resist yet won't hit full maturity for another decade and will evolve for 50-60 years if well stored.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Pure perfection, and reminding me slightly of the 1982, the 2009 Château Mouton Rothschild boasts an opaque ruby hue as well as an incredibly perfumed, sexy, seductive style in its ripe currant and cassis fruits as well as new saddle leather, spicy oak, smoke tobacco, and graphite-driven aromas and flavors. Complex, full-bodied, and beautifully concentrated, with sweet tannins, this masterpiece is already impossible to resist yet won't hit full maturity for another decade and will evolve for 50-60 years if well stored.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

You can put the 2010 Château Mouton Rothschild up with the crème de la crème of this great vintage, and it shows the more masculine, structured style of the year while bringing that classic Mouton opulence and sexiness. Blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and spring flower notes all shine here, and this beauty is full-bodied, has a flawlessly layered, balanced mouthfeel, and a blockbuster finish. This is classic Mouton magic, and it’s one of the most textured, seamless wines out there. Drink 2025-2050.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

You can put the 2010 Château Mouton Rothschild up with the crème de la crème of this great vintage, and it shows the more masculine, structured style of the year while bringing that classic Mouton opulence and sexiness. Blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and spring flower notes all shine here, and this beauty is full-bodied, has a flawlessly layered, balanced mouthfeel, and a blockbuster finish. This is classic Mouton magic, and it’s one of the most textured, seamless wines out there. Drink 2025-2050.