Weine,

97/100 Punkte Falstaff April 2019
Sattes, tiefdunkles Rubin mit Violett. Sehr konzentrierte Nase, satt nach Waldheidelbeeren und dunklen Zwetschken, dazu etwas Pfeffer, Gewürznelkenund Tabak. Am Gaumen stoffig und fest, viel dichtmaschiges Tannin das sich in Schichten öffnet, sehr langer Nachhall.

95+/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2019
Donnafugata's showcase wine is the always delightful Mille e Una Notte, with 40,000 bottles released in this vintage. The 2015 Sicilia Mille e Una Notte is a beautifully saturated and dark wine, with an elegant full-bodied style and plenty of black fruit and plum that shines bright. The quality of those primary aromas is radiant and fresh. The wine shows its complexity in a second wave of spice, leather and black olive. The blend is mostly Nero d'Avola with Petit Verdot, Syrah and other grapes, and the wine rests in oak barrel for 14 months. This vintage is particularly rich, soft and exuberant.

94/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

93/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, November 30, 2017
This generous red delivers rich flavors of blackberry, currant, toast and mineral, which are harmonious over the well-integrated tannins, showing firm acidity for balance and a long finish of spice and smoke. Not showy, but deep and alluring. Drink now through 2030.

94/100 Punkte Guia Penin 2020

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker, August 2018
The 2016 Malleolus is a generous old-vine Tempranillo fermented with yeasts they have selected and aged in French oak barrels for 18 months, showcasing the ripe and deftly oaked style of the house. There is more freshness and better balance here compared with 2015; it's juicy, a little chewy and with fine-grained, abundant tannins. There is contained ripeness and moderate acidity. As with many of the wines here, I felt it could do with a little more acidity.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff April 2019
Sattes, tiefdunkles Rubin mit Violett. Sehr konzentrierte Nase, satt nach Waldheidelbeeren und dunklen Zwetschken, dazu etwas Pfeffer, Gewürznelkenund Tabak. Am Gaumen stoffig und fest, viel dichtmaschiges Tannin das sich in Schichten öffnet, sehr langer Nachhall.

95+/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2019
Donnafugata's showcase wine is the always delightful Mille e Una Notte, with 40,000 bottles released in this vintage. The 2015 Sicilia Mille e Una Notte is a beautifully saturated and dark wine, with an elegant full-bodied style and plenty of black fruit and plum that shines bright. The quality of those primary aromas is radiant and fresh. The wine shows its complexity in a second wave of spice, leather and black olive. The blend is mostly Nero d'Avola with Petit Verdot, Syrah and other grapes, and the wine rests in oak barrel for 14 months. This vintage is particularly rich, soft and exuberant.

3 Gläser Gambero Rosso 2019

95/100 Punkte Robert Parker December 2018
The 2014 Mille e Una Notte is mostly Nero d'Avola with some other red grapes in a supporting role. This was a terrific vintage in Sicily that did not see the below average temperatures and heavy rainfall that plagued the rest of mainland Italy. Instead, the growing season was characterized by balanced temperatures and steady sunshine. The fruit has matured beautifully here, showing blackberry, ripe cherry and plum. Tangy leather and spice add complexity to the wine. This is a full-bodied red with beautiful textual richness.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker December 2018
The 2014 Tancredi is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Nero d'Avola. The wine is creamy and dense with excellent concentration and a smooth style that leaves an especially warm feeling in the mouth. Tancredi is one of those go-to wines when you want something good, but you don't want to think too hard. It offers happy, quality drinking. This is my favorite vintage of Tancredi to date.

93/100 Punkte Falstaff Mai 2018
Altersgerecht verschlossene Frucht, Kirsche, passend (dezent) holzbeeinflusst, weicher Auftakt, mollige Gaumenmitte mit viskos eingebetetem, kräftigem Tannin, Kalk-mineralisch, kompletter und ganz und gar ungekünstelter Wein mit ausgezeichneter Entwicklungsperspektive.

92/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

94/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

93/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, November 30, 2017
This generous red delivers rich flavors of blackberry, currant, toast and mineral, which are harmonious over the well-integrated tannins, showing firm acidity for balance and a long finish of spice and smoke. Not showy, but deep and alluring. Drink now through 2030.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker Dec 2019
The 2017 Malleolus is also pure Tempranillo, in this case from small parcels (in Spanish "majuelo" and in Latin "malleolus") of vines aged between 25 and 75 years of age. Yields were reduced by 50% in 2017, so it's a very unusual vintage. It matured in French oak barrels for 18 months. As I found with the rest of 2017s, this is very expressive, aromatic and fresh, floral, aromatic, happy and expressive, without excess ripening and with fruit in the foreground and the oak neatly folded into the fruit. It's juicy, medium to full-bodied, perhaps not as concentrated as others, but balanced, with fine-grained tannins; it's very pleasant and representative of the grape and zone. Very good for the conditions of the year.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker April 2018
Certainly riper and with a little less acidity, the 2015 Doix Costers de Vinyes Velles is a similar blend of 55% extremely old Cariñena and 45% very old Garnacha matured in new French oak barrels for 16 months. The fruit is black, and the palate reveals abundant, fine-grained tannins and integrated acidity. A powerful vintage for Doix.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2019
Donnafugata's Tancredi is one of Sicily's most popular red wines, and it's easy to see why. The 2016 Tancredi is rich and soft at the same time, with a very pleasing texture that caresses the palate with dark fruit, spice and plum. The wine is mostly a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola, although some Tannat and other grapes are thrown in. It ages in oak for 14 months. This is a complete effort that boasts thick layering and volume.

95/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

95/100 Punkte Guia Penin 2020

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Dec 2019
The single-vineyard Tempranillo 2015 Malleolus de Sancho Martín fermented with their own strain of yeasts and matured in French oak barrels where it underwent malolactic and 18 months élevage. This is always more expressive than the Valderramiro; it's oaky but there is a different style of oaking, or the wine takes the oak differently. It's more aromatic and nuanced, with hints of graphite and tar and flowers, with more complexity and a gentler mouthfeel. There are plenty of grainy tannins, concentration and power, and it should develop nicely in bottle. It follows the style of the ripe and powerful 2015, a year that delivered tannic wines.

94/100 Punkte Guia Penin 2020

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker, August 2018
The 2016 Malleolus is a generous old-vine Tempranillo fermented with yeasts they have selected and aged in French oak barrels for 18 months, showcasing the ripe and deftly oaked style of the house. There is more freshness and better balance here compared with 2015; it's juicy, a little chewy and with fine-grained, abundant tannins. There is contained ripeness and moderate acidity. As with many of the wines here, I felt it could do with a little more acidity.

96/100 Punkte Robert Parker September 2019
This blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon has one of the most impressive track records of a modern Tuscan blend that I can think of. The 2016 Il Blu is a beautifully balanced and precise blend that pits the freshness and authenticity of Sangiovese against the softness and fruitiness of the Merlot. Although the Sangiovese plays a supporting role in the blend, its influence and signature go far to creating the overall identity of this special wine. It's a very nice effort to celebrate with a grilled T-bone.

95/100 Punkte Vinous August 2019
Brancaia's Il Blu is gorgeous in 2016. Fresh, perfumed and beautifully lifted, the 2016 strikes a captivating balance between power and finesse. Red cherry, flowers, mint, cinnamon and blood orange all give the 2016 brightness and vitality, and yet there is plenty of the richness readers have come to expect from this wine as well. The 2016 is one of the more polished, nuanced vintages of Brancaia I can remember tasting.

96/100 Punkte James Suckling
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.

91/100 Punkte Guia Penin 2020

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

95/100 Punkte Falstaff April 2018
Sattes Rubin mit violetten Schimmer. Eröffnet mit betont würzigen Noten, nach schwarzem Pfeffer und Lorbeerblättern, wild und ungestüm, nach Holunderbeeren und Cassis, Tabak. Am Gaumen erstaunlich vielschichtig, zeigt pralle, dichte Frucht, knackig und intensiv, entfaltet sich mit dichtem, feinmaschigem Tannin, im Finale viele Holunderbeeren.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker, Oct 2017
The 2014 Il Caberlot is a beautifully executed wine with an inky dark or otherwise impenetrable appearance. The bouquet shows decisive Cabernet-adjacent aromas of super dense blackberry with black olive and charred rosemary twig. The wine delivers immediate power and intensity with excellent focus and sharpness. Perhaps the mouthfeel is a touch thinner and shorter in this vintage (as is to be expected), but given its overall opulence, this is a welcome characteristic. This wine is usually only available in magnums.

96/100 Punkte Vinous Jan 2018
Podere Il Carnasciale's 2014 Il Caberlot is all class. Sophisticated and medium in body in this vintage, it possesses striking aromatic depth and nuance to match its decidedly midweight personality. Layers of bright, red-toned fruit, blood orange and cinnamon add to the wine's decidedly exotic personality. In some vintages, Caberlot is more overt and exuberant, but the 2014 is a cool, reserved wine that needs time in bottle for its inner sweetness to fully emerge. Even at this early stage, though, it is striking.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff Feb 2020
Funkelndes Rubinviolett mit schwarzem Kern. Duftet nach frisch zerstossenem Pfeffer und Kardamom, etwas Efeu und im Hintergrund viel Gewürznelken, dunkle Beeren. Wild und herzhaft am Gaumen, zeigt sich überaus lebendig, kraftvolles, dichtes Tannin, gut einbettet in den Rest, sehr eigenständiger Wein mit wilder Würze.

96/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2019
The 2016 Il Caberlot is a dark, spicy and intense wine that pricks the tongue with its freshness and its thickly concentrated fruit. The bouquet peels back with thick layers of blackberry, spice, leather and campfire ash. Those aromatic elements are all extreme, but they ultimately fit together with extreme precision. The wine offers just a hint of the pyridine, or green aromas you might expect of Cabernet Sauvignon, with plenty of the darkness and dimension you get with well-managed fruit harvested at optimal ripeness. The wine is fermented in steel and then aged in barrique (of which 80% are new) for 22 months.

95-96/100 Punkte James Suckling, September 2017
Lots of ripe fruit and freshness with firm and silky tannins and a clean and intense finish. Full and balanced.

96/100 Punkte Falstaff, August 2018
Funkelndes Rubin mit Granatschimmer. Feine und duftige Nase mit Noten nach reifen, dunklen Kirschen und Zwetschken, im Hintergrund nach Gewürznelken und Zimt. Feinmaschiges, geschliffenes Tannin am Gaumen, breitet sich sehr klar und geradlinig aus, saftig, langer Nachhall, nach Preiselbeeren.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker, June 2018
This is the second year Aleste is produced instead of Cannubi Boschis, however the grapes are exactly the same. The 2014 Barolo Aleste is named after Luciano Sandrone's grandchildren Alessia and Stefano. The 2014 is still wound up and will require extra time to find its footing. The Sandrone family lost 25% of their fruit production in this challenging harvest. The wine offers fragrant notes of wild cherry and cassis with smoke, crushed stone and candied orange peel. The tannins are firm and textured. It is the palate (more than the nose) that requires more time to soften.

94/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, Mar 31, 2019
The cherry and strawberry aromas are tinged by hay and tobacco notes. On the palate, the core of fruit is joined by a chorus of herb, tobacco and underbrush flavors. Aggressively tannic now, but well-proportioned and long. Best from 2024 through 2043.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker December 2018
This wine is drinking beautifully right now. The 2012 Mille e Una Notte is a lot of fun to drink. You are treated to balanced aromas of black fruit and plum that are contrasted against spice, licorice and smoke. Nero d'Avola tends to show aromas of black olive, caper and aniseed in its natural state. You get some of those aromas here, but the black fruit is ultimately what shows strongest. This full-bodied red is endowed with rich texture and solid structure. It should continue to evolve over the next 10 years.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

95/100 Wine Spectator, September 2018
This plush red delivers a mouthful of sweet fruit and toasty oak, with currant, boysenberry, licorice, leather and cocoa flavors, backed by muscular, well-integrated tannins, kept fresh and balanced by balsamic acidity. Powerful, in the modern style. Drink now through 2030.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff Dezember 2016
Glänzendes, sattes Rubin mit feinem ­Granatschimmer. Einprägsame und dichte Nase, zeigt Noten nach Zwetschken, Granatapfel, Himbeere, dazu etwas Leder und ­Trüffel. Rund und geschmeidig in Ansatz und Verlauf, zeigt sich sehr ausgewogen, ­zunächst feine Frucht, öffnet sich dann mit festem Tannin, im Finale salzig, sehr langer Nachhall.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker, May 2016
The 2012 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is a solid and tighter wine compared to the 2012 Le Vigne. Having said that, it veers close to being too austere and hard-bodied, especially at this young stage of its life. Of Sandrone's two new Barolo releases, this wine definitely needs more time to evolve and soften with extra years of bottle aging. The tannins are more evident and the wine's firm backbone acts to support dark fruit flavors with distant accents of spice, licorice and tobacco. The 2012 Luciano Sandrone wines are very good, but remain far from the amazing heights achieved by this historic winery in the best years. Like many of the wines from this vintage (across the various townships that make up the appellation), they are slightly less expressive and they speak at a lower volume.

94/100 Punkte Vinous, Mar 2016
The 2012 Barolo Cannubi Boschis opens with beguiling aromatics redolent of crushed rose petal, spices, mint and new leather. Wonderfully layered and nuanced, especially for the year, the 2012 offers good freshness to match its inviting, supple fruit. I would prefer to drink it sooner rather than later, while its alluring, open-knit personality is on full display. In 2012, the fruit tends towards the redder end of spectrum, unusual for Cannubi Boschis, which usually tends towards darker shades of expression. The 2012 is perfumed, lithe and super-classy from start to finish.

92/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, November 30, 2017
Firm and balanced, this red has a sleek texture, with restrained but harmonious flavors of black cherry, licorice, mineral and smoke. Well-integrated tannins impart backbone, while balsamic acidity keeps this fresh. Drink now through 2025.

92/100 Punkte James Suckling, July 2017
Lots of blackberries and blueberries and mineral undertones. Some touches of grape skin. Medium to full body, chewy tannins and flavorful finish. Needs a year or two to soften. Drink in 2019.

93-95/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2013
Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarter Wasserrand. Mit feinen Orangenzesten und Gewürzen unterlegte schwarze Beeren, attraktives, facettenreiches Bukett. Saftig, elegant, reife Kirschen und Brombeeren, gut integriertes Tannin, bleibt sehr gut haften, feine Kräuterwürze im Nachhall, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial.

93-95/100 Punkte Falstaff, Weinguide 2014
Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Einladendes dunkles Waldbeerkonfit, ein Hauch von Orangenzesten, Nuancen von Heidelbeeren, attraktives Bukett. Komplex, gewürzige Nuancen, reife Zwetschken, präsente Tannine, schokoladig und lange anhaltend, sicheres Reifepotenzial.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2019/20

99/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

97+/100 Punkte Robert Parker April 2018
Poboleda is in the northeast of the appellation, in the Siurana Valley at the foot of the Montsant Mountains, which provides a cooler microclimate with more rain, a longer cycle and later ripening than the southern part of Priorat. 2014 was a mild year complicated by rains in September, which required sorting grapes. This resulted in a 2014 1902 Centenary Carignan with half a point less alcohol than the cool 2013. This 2014 feels exactly like something in between the 2013 and 2015 vintages#with the freshness and tension of 2013 and the power and ripeness closer to 2015. It has a good compromise between power and elegance; it's concentrated but with tension and freshness, lots of tannins but not astringent. A very concentrated but harmonious Cariñena, one of the best in Priorat. Only 864 bottles were filled unfined and unfiltered in April 2016 after 16 months in new French oak barrels.

92/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, November 15, 2017
This bright and zesty Champagne is lightly juicy and appealing, offering flavors of Honeycrisp apple, ripe white cherry, biscuit and pickled ginger. Balanced and lacy in texture, with a lingering, spiced finish. Drink now through 2022.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker June 2018
Luciano Sandrone and his daughter Barbara tell me that the 2014 harvest needs explaining. Many are quick to dismiss it given the difficulties of the growing season that saw abundant rain, hail and bombe d'acqua, or "water bombs," which are a dangerous phenomenon with intense rainfall in a very small radius. But hard work does pay off. The Sandrone family employed 38 people for farming, when the average harvest requires only 22 pairs of vineyard hands. Great care was required to keep the leaves and the clusters healthy. The 2014 Barolo le Vigne is bright and fruit-forward. It is perhaps more accessible in the near term compared to past editions. It delivers dark fruit nuances over a mid-weight and compact mouthfeel.

96/100 Punkte Vinous, February 2018
The 2014 Barolo Le Vigne once again shows the wisdom of blending fruit from different sites. If there is a vintage where blending has the potential to be the difference-maker, 2014 is it. So it is hardly surprising to find the 2014 Le Vigne in such great shape. The red cherry jam, mint, cedar and floral notes are all finely sketched. Medium in body and classy, the 2014 is beautifully textured and inviting from start to finish. All the elements are simply in the right place. Vineyard sources are Merli, Vignane, Villero and Baudana.

95/100 Punkte James Suckling, September 2018
Beautiful aromas of licorice, tar and black cherries following through to a full body. A powerful palate with dense fruit. Chewy and intense. Needs two or three years to soften. A triumph for the vintage. Drink in 2020.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2019

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker April 2018
Certainly riper and with a little less acidity, the 2015 Doix Costers de Vinyes Velles is a similar blend of 55% extremely old Cariñena and 45% very old Garnacha matured in new French oak barrels for 16 months. The fruit is black, and the palate reveals abundant, fine-grained tannins and integrated acidity. A powerful vintage for Doix.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff Dezember 2016
Funkelndes, intensives Rubin mit Granatrand. Klare und intensive Nase, nach reifen Kirschen, feine Brombeere, etwas Orangenkompott. Samtig und rund in Ansatz und Verlauf, baut sich in vielen Schichten auf, viel feinmaschiges Tannin, sehr geschliffen, langer Nachhall, ein Hochgenuss!

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker, May 2016
The Luciano Sandrone 2012 Barolo le Vigne shows the trademark ripeness that I so often identify in this historic product. The bouquet is round and plush with thick layers of dark cherry marmalade, blackberry preserves and dark currant. Beyond those apparent fruit aromas, Le Vigne offers dark spice and licorice with a beautiful menthol signature on the finish. The wine's natural structure is padded by soft tannins and lush fruit consistency. In all, this important wine is less vibrant and distinctive compared to other excellent vintages such as 2008 and 2010. The 2012 Luciano Sandrone wines are very good, but remain far from the amazing heights achieved by this historic winery in the best years. Like many of the wines from this vintage (across the various townships that make up the appellation), they are slightly less expressive and they speak at a lower volume.

94+/100 Punkte Vinous, Mar 2016
Sandrone's 2012 Barolo Le Vigne is fresh, delineated and totally inviting. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, mint, orange peel, chalk and white pepper make a strong first impression. Precise and finely sculpted throughout, Le Vigne has a bit more energy and aromatic presence than the Cannubi Boschis, and a touch better balance.

95/100 Wine Spectator Feb 2017
A hint of oak lends this a spicy component, along with cherry, licorice and tar flavors. Racy and bright, with fine intensity and a long, tightly wound finish that seems to go on forever. This shows beautiful purity and class. Best from 2020 through 2036. 380 cases imported.

96/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2019/20
Mittleres Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Frische Orangenzesten, feine gelbe Tropenfrucht, zart Kräuterwürze, facettenreiches Bukett. Saftig, samtig-seidig, feine Fruchtsüße, finessenreiche Säurestruktur, feine Würze, gelber Apfel im Abgang, bleibt lange haften, großes Zukunftspotenzial, ein toller Speisenbegleiter.

98/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2019/20
Helles Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Attraktive Steinobstnuancen, feine Tropenfrucht, zart nach Mandarinenzesten, rauchig-mineralisch, einladendes Bukett. Saftig, stoffig, elegant, feine Fruchtsüße, integrierter Säurebogen, zarter Blütenhonig im Nachhall, sehr gut anhaftend, sicheres Reifepotenzial für viele Jahre.

95/100 Punkte Robert Parker, March 2020
Picked between October 5 and 31, the 2018 Ried Singerriedel Riesling Smaragd is clear, deep, pure, precise and flinty on the concentrated and piquant apricot nose with aromas of broken gneiss. Lush and round on the palate, this is a very elegant and balanced Singerriedel with immensely fine and juicy fruit, very fine tannins and great finesse. The acidity is ripe and refined and perfectly integrated and delivers persistent and stimulating salinity. A gorgeous Riesling and perhaps the finest 2018 I tasted in Austria last year. Tasted at the domain in September 2019.

18.5/20 Punkte Vinum November 2019

98/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2017/18
Leuchtendes Gelbgrün. Rauchig-kräuterwürzig unterlegte feine gelbe Tropenfrucht, mineralischer Touch, zarter Blütenhonig, facettenreiches Bukett. Komplex, weiße Fruchtsüße, sehr gute Tiefe und Frische, ein vollkommen harmonischer Wein mit überzeugender Länge, dem nur mehr eines fehlt, die perfekte Trinkreife. Ein Meilenstein in der österreichischen Sauvignon-Blanc-Entwicklung.

96-98/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2017
The golden-yellow colored, still cloudy sample of the 2015 Zieregg Sauvignon Blanc is the "picture book Tement wine" for Armin Tement. It contains all of the single plots (and more of course) and opens with a deep, intense and perfectly ripe but also flinty bouquet that indicates great depth and chalky minerality along with purity, complexity and herbal flavors. Full-bodied, silky and generous, this is a mind-blowing Austrian wine that is rich but finessed, highly complex and elegant, powerful and persistent but also fresh, vital and enormously mineral, with endless salinity. This 2015 is beautifully balanced but, nevertheless, full of tension and length. What a great and complex, pure and finessed Grand Cru from Sauvignon Blanc. And what a finish! This is a legend in the making. Tasted as a sample in May 2017.

93/100 Punkte Falstaff Mai 2018
Altersgerecht verschlossene Frucht, Kirsche, passend (dezent) holzbeeinflusst, weicher Auftakt, mollige Gaumenmitte mit viskos eingebetetem, kräftigem Tannin, Kalk-mineralisch, kompletter und ganz und gar ungekünstelter Wein mit ausgezeichneter Entwicklungsperspektive.

92/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

97/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2018/19

97/100 Punkte James Suckling, October 2018
A cornucopia of exotic-fruit aromas from papaya to durian, then stunning richness and concentration on the palate. This remarkable grüner veltliner is seriously powerful yet fresh and lively with a very bright and delicate finish. Drink or hold.

98/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2018/19

99/100 Punkte James Suckling, October 2018
Totally pristine and refined with a weightless quality, in spite of the full, exotic-fruit aromas and enormous concentration on the palate, where the high acidity is already beautifully integrated and the wet-stone finish is extremely long and exciting. Drink or hold.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

93/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Apr 30, 2019
Smooth, with black cherry, plum, leather and tobacco flavors intertwining, this red is complex and powerful. The beefy structure reveals itself as this plays out on the long finish. Best from 2022 through 2035.

94/100 Punkte James Suckling, September 2018
Very perfumed and beautiful with red fruit, such as plums and cherries, and just the right amount of flowers and some spices. Medium body, fine and silky tannins and a fresh finish. Shows focus and lovely length. Drink now or hold.

98/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2019/20
Helles Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Feine Nuancen von Blütenhonig, gelbe Tropenfrucht, kandierte Mandarinenzesten, facettenreich und einladend. Komplex, feine Fruchtsüße, eingebundener Säurebogen, cremig, saftig und anhaftend, feine Ananasfrucht im Abgang, vielversprechendes Potenzial.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker, March 2020
The 2018 Ried Kellerberg Riesling Smaragd opens with an intensely fruity but coolish, piquant and spicy bouquet of crushed stones, potted ginger and other veggies. Very clear and precise. Lush and intense on the palate, with a remarkably vivacious acidity, this is a dense and concentrated, quite rich and fleshy but refined and very elegant as well as refreshing Kellerberg with good phenolic grip on the finish. Tasted at the domain in September 2019.

93/100 Punkte Guia Penin 2020

96/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2015/16
Helles Gelbgrün. Feine weiße Frucht, zart nach Cassis, Stachelbeerkonfit und einem Hauch von Bienenwachs, zarte Kräuterwürze unterlegt. Straff, feinwürzig, gute Komplexität, sehr präzise, weiße Frucht, vielschichtige Aromatik, anregende Frische, angenehme zitronige Nuancen, mineralischer Nachhall, große Länge, sicheres Zukunftspotenzial.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Apr 2016
Bottled July 2015, the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc Zieregg is deep, very intense and ripe on the smoky and chalky flavored nose; it displays pure and precise fruit aromas of lemon chutney, white peaches and passion fruit. Powerful, intense and highly concentrated on the palate, this piquant and salty wine is still in a capsule but shows a great purity, elegance and complexity. The finish is very long and reveals a compact minerality, as well as an excellent tannin structure; it indicates a great aging potential. I tasted the wine twice in the past six months and would call it the quintessence of the Zieregg cru as Sauvignon Blanc.

98/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 31, 2018
As I reported last year, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo is impressive. While it's less flamboyantly aromatic than the Cuvée Réservée, it's more powerful and concentrated. Full-bodied and rich, it's loaded with potent raspberry fruit and silky tannins and boasts a finish that won't stop. Hints of roasted meat, lavender and thyme add complexity to the waves of fruit, which wash gently across the palate, exhibiting a lovely soft touch.

99/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2019
As impressive as the Cuvée Réservée is, the 2016 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée da Capo brings an extra level of intensity. Turn that volume up to 11 or even 12. Waves of black cherries, plums and chocolate wash across the full-bodied, velvety palate, lingering nearly forever on the finish. As big and bold as it is, it remains breathtakingly elegant and fine. It should evolve gracefully through at least 2040.

95/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2014/15

18/20 Punkte Vinum April 2015
Die Muschelkalkböden zusammen mit der warmen, exponierten Südwestlage der Ried Zieregg sind ein besonderes Terroir für Sauvignon Blanc. Mit gestaffelter Lese, dem Ausbau im grossen Holzfass und dem 18-monatigen Verbleib auf der Feinhefe schafft Tement die perfekte Harmonie zwischen Frische und Kraft: Klare Aromatik mit Noten von Yuzu, Mandelbebäck und einem Hauch von nassem Stein. Im Ansatz federleicht, schwebt beinahe über die Zunge, dennoch saftige, zupackende Säure, wunderbar lang mit kreidiger Struktur, im Finish Holunderblüten.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2017/18
Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Mineralisch, feines schwarzes Beerenkonfit, ein Hauch von Herzkirschen, Nuancen von Mandarinenzesten, einladendes Bukett. Saftig, frische Kirschen, lebendig strukturiert, feine Tannine, finessenreich und anhaltend, virbrierende Frische, bleibt gut haften, toller Speisenbegleiter, gutes Entwicklungspotenzial.

93/100 Punkte Falstaff Rotweinguide 2019
Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, breitere Randaufhellung. Kräuterwürze, Kordit, frische Herzkirschen, zart nach Orangenzesten, ein Hauch von Nougat, einladendes, zart rauchiges Bukett. Stoffig, feine rote Kirschfrucht, reife Tannine, frisch strukturiert, mineralisch und gut anhaftend, dezenter Nougatnachhall.

94/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2016

94/100 Robert Parker Jun 2015
Pure Cariñena from a low-yielding vineyard planted in 1911, the 2012 Tros del Clos was full-cluster fermented in open barrels with indigenous yeasts for 30 days with manual punch-down. The wine was matured in used French oak barrels for one year and bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is a serious and powerful Cariñena, showing a restrained character with those telltale earthy notes of iron, blood and tree bark, black fruit and some graphite. The palate is extremely balanced, has earthy tannins and mineral notes with good acidity and freshness. It is serious and has the elegant rusticity of Cariñena that should develop further in bottle. 1,458 bottles produced.

97/100 Punkte Robert Parker, Mar 2016
Only made in the best years, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS is a phenomenal achievement. The wine was produced in 2006, 2007, 2010 and will also be released in 2012 and 2015. Fruit is sourced from across a five-hectare vineyard in the northern part of the appellation, but only 1,500 bottles are made using the very best fruit. This is an incredible wine that shows a promising evolution in the glass. The bouquet is fluid and graceful with a very precise and focused delivery. Dark fruit is contrasted against pressed rose, smoked spice and crushed graphite. The finish is silky and very long. Attractive tones of savory smoked meat appear at the very end.

97/100 Punkte James Suckling Oct 1, 2015
Incredibly perfumed and vibrant with dried berries, flowers and dried strawberries. Full body, a velvety texture and an intense and rich palate. So much richness and length. Better in 2018 but wonderful to taste now.

98/100 Punkte Falstaff, März 2018
Kraftvolles, leuchtendes Rubin mit Granatrand. Kompakte, dunkle Beerenfrucht in der Nase, nach Brombeere und Himbeere, im Hintergrund feine Ledernote. Am Gaumen sehr präsent, zeigt viel reife Frucht, viel Kirsche, etwas Himbeere, öffnet sich mit dichtem, feinmaschigem Tannin in vielen Schickten, im Finale fest und sehr lange anhaltend.

96/100 Punkte Robert Parker Februar 2018
The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva PS is absolutely impressive, but with only 4,500 bottles made, it may not prove easy to locate. This precious expression of Sangiovese exhibits a gorgeous level of intensity and power, coupled by elegance and poise. The long presentation of aromas starts with black fruit and cherry confit and continues to crushed stone, toasted spice, cola and medicinal herb. The wine's texture sticks firmly to the palate. This Brunello ages in French oak for two years.

95/100 Punkte Wine Spectator June 2018
A modern style, exuding coffee, vanilla, cherry and tobacco flavors. Vibrant, offering grip and picking up mineral accents as this winds down on the finish. An elegant, minerally red under the oak. Best from 2021 through 2035.

94/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

93/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, November 30, 2017
This generous red delivers rich flavors of blackberry, currant, toast and mineral, which are harmonious over the well-integrated tannins, showing firm acidity for balance and a long finish of spice and smoke. Not showy, but deep and alluring. Drink now through 2030.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2016
Carmelo Bonetta is a Sicilian renegade. His radiant personality doesn't just fill a room: It fills a stadium. It is always a pleasure to recognize that exuberance and good cheer in the wines of Baglio del Cristo di Campobello. The 2013 Sicilia Nero d'Avola Lu Patri is a dark and rich red wine with pretty concentration and loads of dark blackberry, cherry and plum. Those generous fruit tones are matched by oaky flavors of vanilla and exotic spice. There's a bit of red earth and dark mineral in there as well. The wine is soft and velvety in texture.

95/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2016

96/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

95/100 Punkte Robert Parker, June 2017
The 2014 La Dama, as with the El Terroir bottling, is produced with Garnacha grapes from vines planted starting in 1903. They told me they consider 2014 a beautiful vintage, healthy and balanced (although the organic and biodynamic vineyards then to be healthy and balanced every vintage!), and a pleasure to vinify. 2014 is a very complete vintage, with ripeness and freshness, elegance and power. This La Dama is a great example of it. They select the wines from stonier vineyards, where the soils are shallower and the mother rock is very close to the surface. These plots tend to produce more austere, mineral and elegant wines, where the chalkiness of the tannins talks about the limestone soils. This has to be among the finest Garnacha produced in Spain. This shows more elegant than any previous years, possibly the best vintage to date. Bravo.

95/100 Punkte Falstaff August 2019
In der Nase kompakte Aromatik. Dunkle Beeren, Kirsche und würzige Anklänge. Am Gaumen elegante, saftige Säure, fein gewobenes Tannin und klare Frucht. Wirkt kräftig, aber niemals überladen. Ein vibrierender, purer Garnacha.

97/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2020

97/100 Punkte Robert Parker April 2020
The more delicate, ethereal and fine 2016 La Dama is also pure Garnacha from old head-pruned and dry-farmed vines from different plots in the village of San Martín de Unx on limestone-rich soils. The vines are worked organically and biodynamically, and the fermentation and work in the vineyard is with the natural yeasts and with as little intervention as possible, as they want to express the place and the conditions of the year. 2016 was a cooler year with good rain, perfect and slow ripening of the grapes that kept good acidity. The wines are fresh, floral and expressive, especially this one#it exploded with aromas of violets as I pulled the cork and decanted the wine. This has to be the most delicate, ethereal and mineral vintage of La Dama so far. It's subtle and harmonious, like a watercolor (Elisa was talking about Monet); it was expressive when opened and then closed down and was slow to open up in the glass. It's nuanced and complex, w

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2019
Donnafugata's Tancredi is one of Sicily's most popular red wines, and it's easy to see why. The 2016 Tancredi is rich and soft at the same time, with a very pleasing texture that caresses the palate with dark fruit, spice and plum. The wine is mostly a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola, although some Tannat and other grapes are thrown in. It ages in oak for 14 months. This is a complete effort that boasts thick layering and volume.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2015
The other single-vineyard Tempranillo is the 2011 Malleolus de Sancho Martín, always the more backward of the two. It is sourced from a small (0.84-hectare) single plot of vines planted in 1964 on chalk soils that provide more austere wines. It went through malo in French barriques, better suited for wines from chalky soils. Like the rest of the top of the range, it matured in French oak barrels for some 18 months before bottling. Although it feels a little reticent, it slowly develops notes of minerals, red and black fruit, spices and nicely integrated oak. The palate also shows good integration, balance and elegance, with chalky tannins that are very fine and a finish where the oak-related flavors are intermixed with subtle minerality, giving it a little salty sensation. It will be much better with some time in bottle. Only 2,500 bottles produced.

92/100 Punkte Falstaff November 2018
Leuchtendes Rubin mit leichtem Granatschimmer. Ansprechende Nase mit Noten nach Himbeere und Cassis, unterlegt von Leder und Lakritze. Zeigt am Gaumen feines, griffiges Tannin, gut herausgearbeitete Frucht, frisch und saftig, strömt ruhig dahin.

96/100 Punkte Robert Parker September 2019
This blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon has one of the most impressive track records of a modern Tuscan blend that I can think of. The 2016 Il Blu is a beautifully balanced and precise blend that pits the freshness and authenticity of Sangiovese against the softness and fruitiness of the Merlot. Although the Sangiovese plays a supporting role in the blend, its influence and signature go far to creating the overall identity of this special wine. It's a very nice effort to celebrate with a grilled T-bone.

95/100 Punkte Vinous August 2019
Brancaia's Il Blu is gorgeous in 2016. Fresh, perfumed and beautifully lifted, the 2016 strikes a captivating balance between power and finesse. Red cherry, flowers, mint, cinnamon and blood orange all give the 2016 brightness and vitality, and yet there is plenty of the richness readers have come to expect from this wine as well. The 2016 is one of the more polished, nuanced vintages of Brancaia I can remember tasting.

96/100 Punkte James Suckling
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.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker Dec 30, 2016
The 2012 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Mocenni 89 (100% Sangiovese) is a nicely compact and well-constructed wine with thick textural richness and lots of fruity fiber at its core. This is a delicious wine - and a slightly offbeat expression within this Tuscan appellation - that delivers generous tones of smoky, dark fruit and crushed mineral. This wine should flesh out and evolve over the next ten years. Only 5,000 bottles were produced.

92/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, Oct 31, 2016
Tough, rustic, chewy tannins overshadow black cherry and blackberry fruit notes in this muscular red, which is concentrated but not out of bounds. Earth, tea and spice notes emerge in the aftertaste. Best from 2019 through 2030.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2020

92/100 Punkte James Suckling, July 2019
Impressive, ripe dark fruit and stones. A very deep, rich and juicy feel here with dark plums and ripe, succulent berries. The palate has a very succulent and focused feel with a fresh, fleshy finish. Bold style. Drink or hold.

92/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Apr 30, 2018
Rich, with cherry, vanilla and spice flavors, this red shows the modern side of Chianti Classico. Smooth, yet with dense tannins and lively acidity for support. Still fresh and youthful, this ends with spice and tobacco notes. Drink now through 2028.

95/100 Punkte James Suckling October 2017
This is extremely tangy and vibrant with dried cherry and berry character and hints of almond and toasted oak. Full body, firm and chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Drink in 2020 but so good now.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff April 2019
Sattes, tiefdunkles Rubin mit Violett. Sehr konzentrierte Nase, satt nach Waldheidelbeeren und dunklen Zwetschken, dazu etwas Pfeffer, Gewürznelkenund Tabak. Am Gaumen stoffig und fest, viel dichtmaschiges Tannin das sich in Schichten öffnet, sehr langer Nachhall.

95+/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2019
Donnafugata's showcase wine is the always delightful Mille e Una Notte, with 40,000 bottles released in this vintage. The 2015 Sicilia Mille e Una Notte is a beautifully saturated and dark wine, with an elegant full-bodied style and plenty of black fruit and plum that shines bright. The quality of those primary aromas is radiant and fresh. The wine shows its complexity in a second wave of spice, leather and black olive. The blend is mostly Nero d'Avola with Petit Verdot, Syrah and other grapes, and the wine rests in oak barrel for 14 months. This vintage is particularly rich, soft and exuberant.

92/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, November 30, 2017
Firm and balanced, this red has a sleek texture, with restrained but harmonious flavors of black cherry, licorice, mineral and smoke. Well-integrated tannins impart backbone, while balsamic acidity keeps this fresh. Drink now through 2025.

92/100 Punkte James Suckling, July 2017
Lots of blackberries and blueberries and mineral undertones. Some touches of grape skin. Medium to full body, chewy tannins and flavorful finish. Needs a year or two to soften. Drink in 2019.

94-96/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2016/17
Helles Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Frische weiße Steinobstanklänge, zart nach Ringlotten, feiner Blütenhonig, ein Hauch von frischen Ananas. Komplex, saftige Textur, angenehme Extraktsüße, finessenreiche Säurestruktur, zitronige Nuancen im Abgang, sehr gutes Entwicklungspotenzial.

92-93/100 Punkte Vinous Feb 2017
The most multidimensional of its vintage#s Knoll Rieslings, this combines the focus, brightness, extract-richness and animation of the corresponding Pfaffenberg Selektion with extra measures of textural silkiness and depth of fruit. Succulent white peach is complemented by juiciness of fresh lime and piquancy of hazelnut and peach kernel, along with a fascinating range of marine mineral nuances. The finish is forceful and saliva-inducing, full of intrigue, yet never abandons vintage-typical fruitiness or forgets Riesling#s obligation to refresh.

95/100 Punkte Falstaff, Februar 2017
Dichtes, undurchdringliches Rubin-Violett. Eröffnet mit betont würzigen Noten, nach Stangensellerie, etwas Lorbeer und Efeu, dahinter satte dunkle Frucht. Würzig und vielschichtig am Gaumen, zeigt Noten nach Maulbeere, dann Kardamom und Lorbeer, etwas weißer Pfeffer, viel saftige Frucht, breitet sich lange aus, kerniges Tannin.

95+/100 Punkte Vinous Oct 2016
The 2013 Il Caberlot (Magnum) is a super-classy vintage of this Tuscan thoroughbred. Bold, pungent and intensely aromatic, the 2013 exudes richness and intensity, but in a gracious, mid-weight style. Black cherry, plum, sage, menthol, licorice and smoke meld into the unctuous, super-refined finish. This is one of the most impressive young Caberlots I have tasted.

95/100 Punkte Falstaff April 2018
Sattes Rubin mit violetten Schimmer. Eröffnet mit betont würzigen Noten, nach schwarzem Pfeffer und Lorbeerblättern, wild und ungestüm, nach Holunderbeeren und Cassis, Tabak. Am Gaumen erstaunlich vielschichtig, zeigt pralle, dichte Frucht, knackig und intensiv, entfaltet sich mit dichtem, feinmaschigem Tannin, im Finale viele Holunderbeeren.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker, Oct 2017
The 2014 Il Caberlot is a beautifully executed wine with an inky dark or otherwise impenetrable appearance. The bouquet shows decisive Cabernet-adjacent aromas of super dense blackberry with black olive and charred rosemary twig. The wine delivers immediate power and intensity with excellent focus and sharpness. Perhaps the mouthfeel is a touch thinner and shorter in this vintage (as is to be expected), but given its overall opulence, this is a welcome characteristic. This wine is usually only available in magnums.

96/100 Punkte Vinous Jan 2018
Podere Il Carnasciale's 2014 Il Caberlot is all class. Sophisticated and medium in body in this vintage, it possesses striking aromatic depth and nuance to match its decidedly midweight personality. Layers of bright, red-toned fruit, blood orange and cinnamon add to the wine's decidedly exotic personality. In some vintages, Caberlot is more overt and exuberant, but the 2014 is a cool, reserved wine that needs time in bottle for its inner sweetness to fully emerge. Even at this early stage, though, it is striking.

95+/100 Punkte Robert Parker, May 2019
Made with the elusive Caberlot grape, the 2015 Il Caberlot (with only 3 ,100 Magnums produced) is a beautifully ripe, dense and rich expression from one of the most beautiful spots in Tuscany. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel and undergo malolactic fermentation in barrique, before a 22-month aging period in small French oak (of which 75% is new). The wine is impeccably balanced and concentrated with dark, plummy fruit, spice, tar and savory tobacco. Caberlot is a distant relative of Cabernet, and you can tell as much as you contemplate the bouquet and full-bodied appearance of the mouthfeel of this warm vintage Tuscan red.

96/100 Punkte Vinous Feb 2019
The 2015 Il Caberlot opens with a blast of blackberry jam, chocolate, licorice and spice. Exotic and deep, with tremendous character, the 2015 delivers serious flavor intensity while remaining light on its feet for such a powerful wine. The combination of textural resonance and finesse is striking in the 2015.

96/100 Punkte James Suckling September 2018
Shows a really distinctive herbal edge of blackberry leaves, charcoal and black peppers. Iodine and crushed-stone undertones in addition to vivid blackcurrants. Full-bodied, very linear and well defined with a firm tannin backbone, driven acidity and a mineral, chewy finish. Delicious now but better in 2022.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff Feb 2020
Funkelndes Rubinviolett mit schwarzem Kern. Duftet nach frisch zerstossenem Pfeffer und Kardamom, etwas Efeu und im Hintergrund viel Gewürznelken, dunkle Beeren. Wild und herzhaft am Gaumen, zeigt sich überaus lebendig, kraftvolles, dichtes Tannin, gut einbettet in den Rest, sehr eigenständiger Wein mit wilder Würze.

96/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2019
The 2016 Il Caberlot is a dark, spicy and intense wine that pricks the tongue with its freshness and its thickly concentrated fruit. The bouquet peels back with thick layers of blackberry, spice, leather and campfire ash. Those aromatic elements are all extreme, but they ultimately fit together with extreme precision. The wine offers just a hint of the pyridine, or green aromas you might expect of Cabernet Sauvignon, with plenty of the darkness and dimension you get with well-managed fruit harvested at optimal ripeness. The wine is fermented in steel and then aged in barrique (of which 80% are new) for 22 months.

95-96/100 Punkte James Suckling, September 2017
Lots of ripe fruit and freshness with firm and silky tannins and a clean and intense finish. Full and balanced.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2018/19
Mittleres Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Feine Kräuterwürze, kühle Ausstrahlung, ganz zarte Stachelbeer-Grapefruit-Nuancen, rauchige Noten, mineralisch unterlegt. Kompakt, weiße Apfelfrucht, straff, finessenreiche Säurestruktur, zitroniger Touch, sehr elegant, konzentriert, dabei leichtfüßig wirkend, großes Zukunftspotenzial.

96+/100 Punkte Robert Parker October 2018
The intensely yellow colored 2016 Ried Zieregg Sauvignon Blanc is incredibly deep, intense and spicy on the ripe, concentrated and fresh nose that intertwines vegetal and chalky notes with spicy and coolish fruit flavors (gooseberries, black cassis). On the palate, the wine is silky textured, dense and concentrated yet tight, refined and elegant, showing gorgeous bitters (grapefruit) in the long, promising finish, though it's still a bit closed. Armin Tement believes it is the finest Zieregg the domain has ever produced, and I agree with that. If it is also the greatest, I can't yet tell, but I'll let you know as soon as I know it. Tasted June 2018.

97/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 31, 2017
Formerly known as Barolo Cannubi Boschis (the last vintage by that name was 2012), the 2013 Barolo Aleste has been renamed to honor the youngest generation of the Sandrone family, Alessia and Stefano. The wine name Aleste takes the first three letters from each grandchild's name. The move represents the culmination of more than 50 harvests completed by this legendary winemaker and his desire to pass on the torch. His grandchildren are at different points in their respective viticulture and enology university studies. Now under a different name, the wine obviously shows the same delicate floral nuances that you get with this wine (fruit from Cannubi is always harvested first). This is a complete and exciting wine with delicate notes of wild berry and smoke backed by licorice and blue flower.

97+/100 Vinous Feb 2017
The 2013 Barolo Aleste is a wine of striking purity and nuance. It is also one of the most finessed, vivid young Barolos I have ever tasted from Sandrone. The translucence of Nebbiolo comes through loud and clear. Freshly cut flowers, mint and finely cut fruit are some of the signatures. This wine has developed beautifully in recent vintages as the oak influence is less than it was just a few years ago. Beams of tannin and bright, salivating acidity add finesse to this translucent, exceptional Barolo. Aleste is the new name Sandrone is using for the Barolo formerly known as Cannubi Boschis.

97/100 Punkte James Suckling
Aromas of oyster shell, blackberry and black truffle follow through to a full body, with chewy tannins and lots of dark fruits. Flavorful finish. Needs three our four years to open but already excellent. Drink in 2021.

96/100 Punkte Falstaff, August 2018
Funkelndes Rubin mit Granatschimmer. Feine und duftige Nase mit Noten nach reifen, dunklen Kirschen und Zwetschken, im Hintergrund nach Gewürznelken und Zimt. Feinmaschiges, geschliffenes Tannin am Gaumen, breitet sich sehr klar und geradlinig aus, saftig, langer Nachhall, nach Preiselbeeren.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker, June 2018
This is the second year Aleste is produced instead of Cannubi Boschis, however the grapes are exactly the same. The 2014 Barolo Aleste is named after Luciano Sandrone's grandchildren Alessia and Stefano. The 2014 is still wound up and will require extra time to find its footing. The Sandrone family lost 25% of their fruit production in this challenging harvest. The wine offers fragrant notes of wild cherry and cassis with smoke, crushed stone and candied orange peel. The tannins are firm and textured. It is the palate (more than the nose) that requires more time to soften.

94/100 Punkte Wine Spectator, Mar 31, 2019
The cherry and strawberry aromas are tinged by hay and tobacco notes. On the palate, the core of fruit is joined by a chorus of herb, tobacco and underbrush flavors. Aggressively tannic now, but well-proportioned and long. Best from 2024 through 2043.

93-95/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2016/17
Helles Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Feine gelbe Tropenfrucht, zarte Ananas, zarte Steinobstanklänge, ein Hauch von Mandarinenzesten. Komplex, saftig, angenehme Extraktsüße, elegant, straff und anhaltend, salzig-mineralisch im Abgang, gutes Zukunftspotenzial.

94-96/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2014/15
Helles Gelbgrün. Mit saftigen Steinobstanklängen unterlegte dunkle Mineralik, ein Hauch von frischen Wiesenkräutern und Marillen, zarte Anklänge von Orangenzesten. Saftig, extraktsüß, feine Fruchtsüße, komplex und finessenreich strukturiert, eleganter Speisenbegleiter, sicheres Reifepotenzial, gelbe Frucht im Nachhall.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Apr 2015
Beautifully concenrated with apricot perfume, the 2013 Riesling Smaragd Loibner Loibenberg is a rich, full-bodied and enervating fresh and salty Smaragd of remarkable elegance and purity. Very well-balanced and long on the palate, this tension-filled Riesling elixir has a persistent salinity and steely acidity that gives it excellent aging potential.

95/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2016/17
Helles Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Zart rauchig, mineralisch unterlegte gelbe Steinobstanklänge, noch etwas verschlossen. Komplex, saftig, gelbe Tropenfrucht, lebendiger Säurebogen, gelber Pfirsich im Abgang, straff und anhaltend, Anklänge von Orangen im Nachhall.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker Jun 2016
Warm and intense on the nose, ripe and concentrated white fruit aromas open the 2015 Riesling Smaragd Loibner Loibenberg, which is pure and citric on the nose and very inviting. Pure, fresh and piquant on the palate, this is rather coolish and stunningly lean and pure Loibenberg compared to the corresponding Grüner Veltliner. Lucas believes that Riesling has eventually stopped the ripening process during the vegetation period. This 2015 has grip and tension and a rather coolish character.

95/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2019/20

95+/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2019
Bottled in February 2019, the 2017 Ried Grassnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc is from Tement's coolest vineyard, where Manfred Tement started the Sauvignon Blanc revolution in South Styria (when the grape was called Muscat-Sylvaner and had a very bad image). The nose is impressive in its deep, pure, fresh and complex, tightly knit generosity that reveals a coolish lime and lemon bouquet interwoven with flinty notes of crushed limestone rocks and even charming floral notes, white cassis, melissa, stinging nettle and green tea aromas. Full-bodied, round and highly finessed, with a coolish, seamless silky texture and a firm, persistently salty and crunchy-crystalline structure, this is a great and expressive Grassnitzberg that has never been better, more complex and spellbinding. The 2017 already shows its class, but you would waste the very best if you drank it too soon. This is a great, endlessly salty and tensioned Sauvignon Blanc with challenging but

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018

95/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 31, 2018
The 2015 Ilatraia is a drop-dead gorgeous blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Petit Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc with all fruit coming from Brancaia's Maremma vineyards along the Tuscan coast. This warm vintage has shaped an exuberant and intense red wine that hits the palate with lavish richness. The complex bouquet is composed of dark fruit elements that are contrasted seamlessly against spice, sweet tobacco and campfire ash. Yet the mouthfeel is never too heavy or overextracted. There's a lot to enjoy here.

96/100 Punkte James Suckling October 2017
Aromas of black licorice and blackberry. Blueberry, too. This is so complex. Full body, extremely silky and polished with lovely tannins. Deep and long. It seems powerful and rich yet ends so balanced and refined. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and cabernet franc.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2016/17
Mittleres Gelbgrün, Silberreflexe. Rauchig-kräuterwürzig unterlegte weiße Tropenfrucht, zart rotbeerige Nuancen, frische Mandarinenzesten. Saftig, gelbe Frucht, angenehme Extraktsüße, druckvolle Textur, feiner Säurebogen, bleibt gut haften, mineralischer Nachhall, würziger Rückgeschmack.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 31, 2017
The 2015 Grassnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc#marketed as premier cru (1STK)#has an intense citrus color and opens with a dense, aromatic bouquet that intermixes ripe and concentrated lemon (zest) aromas with flavors of crushed stones. Very complex and promising! Full-bodied, rich and round on the palate, this is a dense, well structured and expressive Sauvignon Blanc with reduced fruit aromatics but a beautiful sur-lie texture from the long lees aging. The wine is highly elegant and finessed and has a hidden complexity that is expressed through a persistent mineral taste and structure that comes with grip#like a river transporting rolling stones over your palate. This is a great and elegant wine that can compete with the finest Sancerres. It comes from shell limestone soils and a warm, protected terroir whose hillside faces south/southeast.

97/100 Punkte Falstaff Dezember 2016
Glänzendes, sattes Rubin mit feinem ­Granatschimmer. Einprägsame und dichte Nase, zeigt Noten nach Zwetschken, Granatapfel, Himbeere, dazu etwas Leder und ­Trüffel. Rund und geschmeidig in Ansatz und Verlauf, zeigt sich sehr ausgewogen, ­zunächst feine Frucht, öffnet sich dann mit festem Tannin, im Finale salzig, sehr langer Nachhall.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker, May 2016
The 2012 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is a solid and tighter wine compared to the 2012 Le Vigne. Having said that, it veers close to being too austere and hard-bodied, especially at this young stage of its life. Of Sandrone's two new Barolo releases, this wine definitely needs more time to evolve and soften with extra years of bottle aging. The tannins are more evident and the wine's firm backbone acts to support dark fruit flavors with distant accents of spice, licorice and tobacco. The 2012 Luciano Sandrone wines are very good, but remain far from the amazing heights achieved by this historic winery in the best years. Like many of the wines from this vintage (across the various townships that make up the appellation), they are slightly less expressive and they speak at a lower volume.

94/100 Punkte Vinous, Mar 2016
The 2012 Barolo Cannubi Boschis opens with beguiling aromatics redolent of crushed rose petal, spices, mint and new leather. Wonderfully layered and nuanced, especially for the year, the 2012 offers good freshness to match its inviting, supple fruit. I would prefer to drink it sooner rather than later, while its alluring, open-knit personality is on full display. In 2012, the fruit tends towards the redder end of spectrum, unusual for Cannubi Boschis, which usually tends towards darker shades of expression. The 2012 is perfumed, lithe and super-classy from start to finish.

93/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Apr 30, 2019
Smooth, with black cherry, plum, leather and tobacco flavors intertwining, this red is complex and powerful. The beefy structure reveals itself as this plays out on the long finish. Best from 2022 through 2035.

94/100 Punkte James Suckling, September 2018
Very perfumed and beautiful with red fruit, such as plums and cherries, and just the right amount of flowers and some spices. Medium body, fine and silky tannins and a fresh finish. Shows focus and lovely length. Drink now or hold.

92/100 Punkte Guia Penin 2020

92/100 Punkte James Suckling, August 2018
Plenty of blueberry and plum-cake character. Ripe and generous with full, but quite supple tannins for a young Ribera del Duero red. Keeps pumping out the ripe flavors on the fresh and intense finish. Drink or hold.

93/100 Punkte Guía Peñín 2018