Jeb Dunnuck (97)

Darker currants, leafy herbs, graphite, tobacco, and subtle orange zest-like nuances all emerge from the 2022 Château Branaire-Ducru, a ripe, concentrated, flawlessly balanced Saint-Julien. With medium to full-bodied richness, a concentrated, layered mouthfeel, and plenty of tannins, it's another no-brainer of a 2022 that readers will love to have in their cellar. The 2022 is 60.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31.5% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in oak.

James Suckling (95-96)

This has so much lead pencil, stone and blackcurrant character, as well as blackberry. It’s medium-bodied with a solid core of fruit and a polished finish. Very classy and structured.

James Suckling (96)

This is a beautiful Brancaia feathering a fine line of decadent dark fruit and complex herbal and spicy notes. Blackberries, dark cherries, Thai basil, peppermint tea, bark, cassis and pure blackcurrants all come to mind. A full body, characterized by layered but racy rich fruit, yet there’s an unmistakable current of acidity that doesn’t let go. Very classy and elegant with remarkable finesse and freshness. Drink from 2025.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (96)

Lush and intense, grip and expansion through the palate, this is expertly put together, great quality, gentle white pepper spice, fragrant smoked cumin, crushed raspberry and red cherry, peony and roses smoked earth and black tea. Owner Henri Lurton, technical director Christophe Capdeville.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

Full sweet spot Brane Cantenac, not tasting quite as luscious as during the recent vertical at the estate, with the austerity more evident in the tannins, but come on, this is still hard to argue with, full of character and sap and vivid life, cocoa bean, brambled autumnal fruit, cola, crushed rocks and crayons. 70% new oak barrels. Eric Boissenot consultant, Henri Lurton owner, Christophe Capdeville technical director.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

Full sweet spot Brane Cantenac, not tasting quite as luscious as during the recent vertical at the estate, with the austerity more evident in the tannins, but come on, this is still hard to argue with, full of character and sap and vivid life, cocoa bean, brambled autumnal fruit, cola, crushed rocks and crayons. 70% new oak barrels. Eric Boissenot consultant, Henri Lurton owner, Christophe Capdeville technical director.

Wine Enthusiast (95)

While the wood flavors are palpable in this wine, so are the firm tannins and dense black fruit. These elements suggest a wine that will have power and great concentration while also generous blackberry fruits. Drink from 2024.

Wine Enthusiast (95)

While the wood flavors are palpable in this wine, so are the firm tannins and dense black fruit. These elements suggest a wine that will have power and great concentration while also generous blackberry fruits. Drink from 2024.

Wine Advocate (97)

Derived exclusively from the château's holdings on the deep gravel soils of the plateau of Brane, the 2019 Brane-Cantenac has turned out brilliantly and merits a special effort to seek out. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild berries, pencil shavings, violets, sweet loamy soil and cardamon, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a beautifully seamless, perfumed profile. Retaining all the estate's signature elegance but with an extra dimension of depth and intensity, it's the finest Brane-Cantenac of the modern era and one of the great successes of the 2019 vintage.

James Suckling (96-97)

Extremely floral and beautiful with blackberry and blackcurrant aromas that follow through to a full body with a solid core of fruit and loads of dark fruit, sweet tobacco, bark and earth. Chewy, fine tannins. Perhaps the best of the trilogy years.

James Suckling (94-95)

A medium-bodied, very polished Brane-Cantenac with firm yet fine and textured tannins. Deep and compact core of black fruit, herbs and spices. Pretty licorice and clove notes. Structured and long. 74% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, 1% petit verdot and 1% carmenere.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

An undeniable star in Margaux, the 2022 Château Brane-Cantenac checks in as a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 1% each Cabernet Franc, Carménère, and Petit Verdot. This deep purple-hued beauty offers up a sensational perfume of darker currants and cassis that gives way to more floral, spicy oak and graphite nuances with air. With flawless overall balance, ripe, velvety tannins, terrific purity, and a great finish, this riveting Brane-Cantenac already offers pleasure, yet I wouldn't be surprised to see this firm up with 4-5 years of bottle age, only to reemerge later and drink beautifully for 30+ years. It's one of the truly greats in the appellation, and readers will love to have this beauty in the cellar.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (96+)

The 2023 Brane-Cantenac is deep, bold and explosive, yet also closed in on itself. That won't be a problem in another few years' time, but today, the Grand Vin is embryonic. Time in the glass brings out dark red fruit, cedar, tobacco, dried herbs, mint and spice. Brane-Cantenac remains a wine of timeless classicism, a wine that embodies all the beauty and charm that only Bordeaux is capable of. Floral notes lift the dense, sustained finish. Superb.

Vinous (95)

The 2019 Barolo Cannubi is one of the best wines I have tasted from Brezza in a very long time. Sweet, perfumed and silky, the 2019 bristles with Cannubi character. Crushed red berry fruit, cedar, mint, rose petal and orange zest are some of the notes that grace this exquisite but potent Barolo. Give the tannins a few years to soften.

Vinous (91)

The 2016 Barolo Castellero is a powerful, pleasantly rustic wine that is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. Burly tannins convey an impression of rusticity, but beyond that, there is good depth and plenty of fruit as well. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2016 for at least a few years. Scorched earth, tobacco, menthol, macerated dark cherry, licorice, game and incense add to the wine's dark, wild and virile feel.

Steeped in tradition from the sun-kissed hills of Piemonte, Italy, the Bricco Ernesto Vino Bianco 2021 is every connoisseur’s delight. This elegant white wine is born from a meticulous harvesting process carried out entirely by hand. Producer Bricco Ernesto injects passion and dedication into every bottle, delivering fine quality and consistency year after year.

Gracefully maturing in stainless steel tanks, the Bricco Ernesto Vino Bianco 2021 offers a hint of zest that captivates from the first sip. Made primarily from Moscato grapes, it yields an aromatic, fragrant nose, whilst the careful inclusion of 10% Cortese and Favorita grapes balances this with herbal notes and a refreshing minerality.

A perfect partner for refined pallets and gastronomy, Bricco Ernesto Vino Bianco 2021 complements remarkably well with seafood dishes, cheeses and white meats. Raise your glasses to a sublime, Italian expression of terroir, transcending the ordinary to deliver a truly unforgettable white wine experience.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

One of Australia's icons. The decision not to use any new French oak, and to limit the alcohol to 13.5%, has resulted in a wine with a unique sense of place. It is also superbly balanced, dark fruits married to superfine tannins - another feature of a classic Hunter shiraz.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

Pale straw-green - an extraordinary colour of an extraordinary wine. A fragrant bouquet floats out of the glass and introduces a palate that has the best of all worlds: lemon, lemon curd, beeswax and fruit spice with no hint of the searing acidity Hunter Valley semillon can throw at the unwary. Here it is perfectly (and naturally) balanced. A worthy companion to the sublime Graveyard Shiraz '18.

Vinous (90)

The 2019 Barbera d'Alba Ciabot del Fi emerges from a vineyard in Serralunga. Deep and fleshy in the glass, the 2019 is packed with dark fruit, leather, spice, dried herbs, menthol and licorice. The 2019 was aged in cask, which helps round some of the edges while preserving plenty of intensity.

Vinous (88)

The 2019 Barbera d'Alba Sorì del Drago is a powerful, brooding wine laced with dark black fruit, licorice, gravel, smoke and dried herbs. This heady, explosive Barbera packs a serious punch. Vineyard sites are Brea, Gianetto and Garblèt Sue'.

Vinous (89)

The 2020 Barbera d'Alba Sorì del Drago, from sites in Castiglione and Serralunga and done entirely in steel, packs as huge punch. Juicy dark cherry, plum, cinnamon, spice and pomegranate are all dialed up in this sumptuous, generous Barbera. Terrific.

James Suckling (94)

Walnuts, berries, tar and hints of smoke on the nose. It’s full-bodied with chewy tannins and a dusty finish. Chewy at the end. Drink after 2023.

Vinous (89)

The 2017 Barolo is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. In 2017, Brovia's straight Barolo is quite floral and lifted in feel. Crushed flowers, mint, spice, blood orange and sweet berry fruit are laced throughout. As a reminder, the Brovia Barolo is a blend of all four sites the family bottles as vineyard designates, with an emphasis on the Brea cru. This mid-weight Barolo is all charm.