James Suckling (97)

Intense and exotic on the nose with blackberry, blueberry, violet and walnut aromas that follow through to a full body with layers of ripe tannins and a beautiful finish of polished and well poised fruit. It goes on and on. I am impressed by the freshness here, as well as the intensity for the vintage. Drink in 2023 and onwards, but a joy to taste now.

Wine Advocate (99)

This wine has earned its spot in a world of pantheons that is grande vini Italiani. The Castello di Ama 2018 L'Apparita is one of the world's greatest Merlots, and this slightly cooler growing season delivers on all the promise and pedigree that we should expect of this collectors' favorite. L'Apparita opens to an inky dark and blackish appearance, and the bouquet slowly reveals black fruit, ripe cherry, dark spice, smoke and barbecue rub. The wine's texture and finish, which is so velvety and rich, so supple and soft, is what will ultimately win you over. Indeed, this wine excels especially in terms of the elegance and fullness of the mouthfeel.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (98+)

The 2019 L'Apparita is incredibly powerful in this vintage. Huge searing tannins wrap around a core of dark-fleshed fruit. Incense, tobacco, chocolate, mocha, lavender and spice open, but only reluctantly. Whereas most 2019s in the Ama range are quite inviting at this stage, L'Apparita is a wine for the cellar. In other words, the 2019 is a tight, backward Apparita that demands patience.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2021 L'Apparita is sublime. A wine of compelling inner perfume and exotic richness, the 2021 is shaping up to be one of the great L'Apparitas. Inky dark fruit, espresso, licorice, lavender and crushed rocks abound in a towering, statuesque wine that will absolutely thrill those lucky enough to own it. It perfectly embodies all the greatest qualities of this historic vintage.

Decanter (97)

Dried fennel, potpourri, and dried cranberry on the nose. Beneath that, densely packed red and black cherry. A sense of latent power that needs more time to release. Lithe, refreshing tannin, with an apricot blossom finish.

Embark on an olfactory journey with the Castello di Perno Barolo 2017, an exceptional vintage of passionate craftsmanship from the verdant hills of the Langhe region in Northern Italy. This elite vintage offers a distinctive blend, drawing character from its Nebbiolo grapes hand-harvested from 40 years old vines in calcareous marl soil. Traditional winemaking techniques are utilised by this acclaimed producer, with 30 days of fermentation in stainless steel tanks, followed by 24 months in Slavonian oak barrels. This process results in a decorated Barolo, recognisable by its ethereal bouquet, profound structure and elegant tannins.

The Castello di Perno Barolo 2017 has a kaleidoscope of intricate aromas, presenting generous layers of dried fruits, nuanced rose petal notes, with touches of spice and truffle. This wine is an exemplary illustration of Barolo's prestige, offering superior longevity and a finish as dramatic as its Italian heritage.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Monforte d'Alba. Mid ruby. This shows plenty of concentration, in fact more than many other Barolos of this vintage. Complex earthy nose with cherry and raspberry fruit and subtle spice. Succulent fruit on the palate that is still a little compact and a layer of polished tannins. Lively, fresh and long. Gritty tannins that cling to the palate on the finish. Could be GV.

Experience the brilliance of the Castello di Perno Langhe Nascetta Bianco 2020, a diverse and delicious white wine rendered from the Nascetta grape varietal. Hailing from the prestigious Langhe region of Piedmont, Italy, it's the proud produce of the esteemed Castello di Perno vineyards. This exceptional wine stands out for its rich palette of citrus and aromatic herbs, underpinned by a subtle undertone of almond.

Launched upon meticulous, traditional winemaking techniques, this 2020 vintage showcases the impeccable dedication of its producer to quality. The winemaking process entails a gentle crushing of whole clusters followed by alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats, imparting it a distinctive freshness and complexity.

With the Castello di Perno Langhe Nascetta Bianco 2020, enjoy the allure of a wine that resonates with the vibrancy of the Italian terroir, and imbibe the legacy of a producer devoted to excellence.

Crafted with precision and elegance, the Castello di Perno Nizza 2018, from the renowned producer located in the rolling hills of Piedmont, Italy, is a stand out example of top-notch Barbera. Matured in medium-toasted French oak for 12 months, this varietal emanates a stunning complexity of ripe, blackberry fruit, enriched with subtle spicy notes from its oak ageing.

Guided by sustainable farming practices, the handpicked fruit was harvested from the producer’s very best terraced vineyards, each positioned with optimal exposure. Conveying all the hallmarks of a superb Nizza, the Castello di Perno Nizza 2018 reserves a well-structured palate with vivacious acidity and finely-integrated tannins.

Described in Decanter as 'a masterful expression of Barbera', this deeply concentrated yet brightly fresh wine promises more than a casual drink - it is a sophisticated and deeply satisfying vinous experience.

Decanter (97)

One of the nicest observations you might wish to hear as a wine producer in the Chianti Classico DOCG region of Tuscany is that the contents in the bottle are described as “very Radda’, This signifies a Chianti Classico with obvious refinement, which in this case derives in no small part from the high altitude of the prized Radda zone. This area’s cool conditions are easy to sense in this wine’s smooth, palpable crunchiness, a Chianti Classico hallmark. Picking at optimum ripeness is vital for Sangiovese to show its brisk silkiness and finesse. The grapes ferment in a newly constructed, low-energy winery built into the rock. Small amounts of Colorino and Canaiolo grapes add colour and spice to the Sangiovese. The compact clay and limestone (’alberese”) soils here give mouth-watering wines with vibrant sour cherry fruit, really crisp and with well-shaped tannins. Very Radda. Drink now to 2030. Alc 14%

Wine Advocate (93)

The Castello di Solomeo 2018 Brunello Cucinelli (with 7,000 bottles made) is drinking very nicely right now, with a hint of tertiary definition and dusty mineral that make for nice accents over a mid-weight mouthfeel. This wine feels fresh and elegant and a little "old school," with vague hints that remind me of the austerity of a Brunello or an aged super Tuscan. The classical profile that you get in the 2018 sets this wine apart.

Decanter (97)

Coffee, tobacco and oak on the nose. The palate is juicy and balanced with pronounced blackcurrant and smoke spice. There's a good expression of black fruit on the finish.

James Suckling (97)

Wonderful aromas of flowers, plums, terracotta and white pepper. Intense, yet ever so subtle. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and intense finish. Shows excellent length. Drink after 2021.

James Suckling (99)

The complexity and beauty to this is really something with cherry, walnut, tobacco and cigar-box character. Sweet cherries. It’s full-bodied and deep with super intensity and power. Layered and beautiful. Really refined tannins. Some whole-berry fermentation gives this added character. Goes on for minutes. Try after 2025.

James Suckling (96)

This is really fine on the palate with wonderfully integrated tannins that give tension and focus. It’s medium-bodied with lovely berry, cherry, cedar and spice. Peaches and flower stems, too. Creamy texture. Extremely long and vivid. Structured, but showing beautiful drinkability with wonderful balance and form. One to drink or hold.

James Suckling (97)

Another structured, layered red with blackberry, plum, walnut and cigar-box aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied with depth and intensity. Tight and structured. A wine with a long future. Fine-grained and refined. Try after 2025.

Wine Advocate (96)

Following the subtle, elegant and floral profile of the vintage, the 2014 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias is always sourced from a south-facing vineyard in the Villegas zone of the village of Valtuille de Abajo, where the soils have a sandy texture and provide for fine, elegant wines. They used 100% full clusters for the fermentation in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and then matured the wine in used 228-liter oak barrels. The oak does not have an aromatic role in any of the reds. This combines the floral with some characteristics, earthy and developing notes of cypress, smoked meat and a Rhôneish twist. It has some earthy tannins too, coupled with moderate alcohol and great freshness. This is one of the first vineyards to be harvested, as it ripens early, and has contained alcohol. This is a very regular wine, vintage after vintage. This has to be the finest vintage for this bottle. 3,500 bottles were filled in November 2016.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2019 Valtuille Cepas Centenarias comes from a single plot of ancient vines that could qualify as Vino de Paraje and in the future as Vino de Viña, but they are never going to do it because it's their traditional name and label and one of the most consistent wines from the winery. It is made with field blend with lots of different grapes on clay and sand soils. It fermented with full clusters and indigenous yeasts with a long 60-day maceration and matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels (but, in the future, they might move to oval oak foudres) for one year. It has the violets and the perfume from the 2018 vintage but with more dimension, more layers and depth. A stellar performance in 2019 (again!). 3,500 bottles produced, what the plot delivered. It was bottled in June 2021.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The 2018 Valtuille El Rapolao, like the rest of the single-vineyard wines, has not been bottled separately since 2015. This comes from the coolest paraje of Valtuille, as it gets the sun for one full hour after the rest of vineyards of the village. This was harvested early and matured exclusively in 500-liter oak barrels; it has lower alcohol and is more elegant than the 2014 and 2015. This was a little closed at first and needed some time in the glass to open up. It's a more floral and refined version of Villegas, with more layers, more depth and complexity. There's no rusticity here, which was in the character of the 2014 and 2015. Impressive! 1,700 bottles were filled in May 2020.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2019 Valtuille El Rapolao, now a Vino de Paraje, fermented with 100% full clusters with a long maceration and matured in well-seasoned, neutral 500-liter oak barrels (which might be eight years old now), the modus operandi for all of the single-vineyard reds. It's perfumed and heady, as it comes from a plot that also has some fruit trees, in a v-shape, planted along with some 8% Malvasía grapes that have been added since 2018 and have given it finesse. It's more exuberant on the nose, something that seems to define this wine that is quite unique and different from its siblings. It's medium-bodied with around 13% alcohol; winemaker César Márquez feels that when these wines are riper than 13.5% they are too rustic. 1,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2020.

James Suckling (98)

This is a phenomenal malbec with intense blue fruits such as blueberries and blackberries. Black truffle, too. Full-bodied, bright and juicy with fantastic power and richness. Yet the acidity just keeps going. Volcanic salt and white peppers. A thoroughly breathtaking wine. Try after 2020.

Decanter (97)

In one of the coldest vintages of the last 30 years in Mendoza, the Adrianna Vineyard plot (just 1.4 hectares) produced crisp, red fruit in 2016. With 100% whole-bunch fermentation, this feels lush, juicy and full. A mass of ripe fruits that fill the mouth with freshness and tension, marked by a penetrating and firm acidity.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)

Let the aromatics slowly unfurl out of the glass, really give it time. Crushed raspberries and tobacco, fresh flowers, salty crackers, oyster shell. The weight, the texture, the acidity are all in balance, playing off each other, and this is just a wonderful wine that stops you in your tracks. Located at 1,450m, from a 1.4ha limestone plot, particularly rich in microorganisms (as we learnt through their brilliant recent terroir studies). It’s a place where phenolic ripeness happens slowly, and the complexity builds as a result. A spring frost reduced yields by about 20%, fermented with 50% whole cluster between concrete vats and oak casks. 4800 bottles produced.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

One of the most exciting wines of the September Releases, and one that captures the progress and interest around terroir in the Argentinian wine scene right now. This is set at 1,500m elevation, on limestone dominant soils, and it immediately sets itself apart by its soaring aromatics that give nuance and depth, with seductively curling peony and raspberry leaf. Powerful and full of character, somehow translates the idea of minerality that is so argued over in wine - here you feel it in the slightly chalky tannins, the pulses of electricity, and dried herb and fennel studding to the fresh raspberry and red cherry fruits. So good. Ungrafted vines, Fernando Buscema winemaker.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

Violets and herb-strewn rose petals curl out of the glass, along with cola, mint, flint, slate, hawthorn, blueberry and black cherry fruit. One of the things that I love about this wine is how it rewrites the perception of Argentinian Malbec that is is known for its velvety sweet and smooth flavours, whereas this puts the texture and the grip back to its heart, along with a vivid brightness of fruit. There is chocolate here, but it is cocoa bean, focused and gripping and full of joy. Alejandro Vigil winemaker. Tasted twice.

Wine Advocate (96)

There are three separate bottling from the Adrianna vineyard, one of them the 2013 Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae, sourced from the part of the vineyard with slightly deeper soils (we're talking only about 70 centimeters here!) that has limestone underneath, is flatter and provides very aromatic, slightly lighter wines, more feminine if you like. It's very floral, gentle, with fine tannins with a good structure based on a combination with superb acidity. This is also lighter colored, the more Pinot of the three. Some 3,000 bottles were filled in December 2015.

James Suckling (98)

A dense and layered red with fantastic, soft and silky tannins that entice every inch of your palate. Full-bodied yet agile and energetic. Great depth and richness. So much violet and blackberry character. Hints of asphalt. Drink in 2022, but already a classic.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)

Let the aromatics slowly unfurl out of the glass, really give it time. Crushed raspberries and tobacco, fresh flowers, salty crackers, oyster shell. The weight, the texture, the acidity are all in balance, playing off each other, and this is just a wonderful wine that stops you in your tracks. Located at 1,450m, from a 1.4ha limestone plot, particularly rich in microorganisms (as we learnt through their brilliant recent terroir studies). It's a place where phenolic ripeness happens slowly and the complexity builds as a result. A spring frost reduced yields by about 20%, fermented with 50% whole cluster between concrete vats and oak casks. 4800 bottles produced.

James Suckling (99)

Blackberries with some black tea and perfumes. Full-bodied with fine, dusty tannins and seamless texture. So long and consistent. 60% whole cluster fermentation with 14 months in oak casks. Glorious, tactile wine. Drinkable now, but better in three or four years.