Weine,

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker, Feb 2020
From Beride, the bright straw-yellow colored 2017 Chardonnay Velabona displays an intense yet bright and elegant bouquet with floral and herbal aromas and notes of crushed stones, white champignons and stewed apples. On the palate, this is an elegant, refined and chalky-mineral Chardonnay with great purity but remarkable concentration and juiciness on the salty, well-structured finish. Champagne sends windy greetings again here. Tasted at Brancaia in Zurich in October 2019.

90/100 Punkte Falstaff Juli 2018
Leicht reduktives Bouquet, das zunächst mit Noten von Teer und Laub aufwartet. Mit der Zeit öffnet sich der Wein und glänzt mit feiner Zitrusaromatik, vor allem Noten von Mandarine, dazu heimisches Kernobst und ein Hauch Tabak. Am Gaumen weich, salzig und äusserst mineralisch. Bleibt recht lange.

18/20 Punkte La Revue du Vin de France 2016

92/100 Punkte Vinous, Apr 2016
Vivid ruby. Highly perfumed, smoke- and mineral-tinged dark berry aromas are complemented by a suave floral element and a suggestion of peppery spices. Fleshy, sweet and broad, offering intense black raspberry and boysenberry flavors and lavender pastille and spicecake flourishes. Develops more weight with air and finishes smooth, broad and very long, with fine-grained tannins lending shape.

18.5/20 Punkte La Revue du Vin de France 2017

92-94/100 Punkte Vinous Feb 2016
Brilliant ruby-red. Smoke-accented aromas of red and dark berry preserves, star anise and candied flowers convey a subtle hint of garriguein the background. Sweet, seamless and broad on the palate, offering concentrated black raspberry and rose pastille flavors that turn spicier with air. Rich but vibrant as well, with no excess fat. Supple tannins build steadily on a very long, incisive finish that leaves behind notes of dark berries and candied flowers.

93/100 Punkte Vinous Apr 2016
Deep ruby. Potent aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice pastille, woodsmoke, game and garrigue, plus a peppery nuance that adds spiciness and lift. Round and fleshy on the palate, offering intense blackberry and bitter cherry flavors that become livelier and sweeter with air. The very long, energetic, sharply focused finish features fine-grained tannins and subtle, lingering notes of dark berries and smoked meat.

93-95/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2016
The 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape is a classic blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault, mostly from rolled stone terroirs, that was partially destemmed and will see 15 months all in foudre. It boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as full-bodied richness, sweet tannin and textbook Southern Rhône notes of cured meats, toasted spice, garrigue and ample red and black fruits. It will have two decades or more of prime drinking.

18/20 Punkte La Revue du Vin de France 2018

95/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Nov 30, 2017
Rich and dark in profile, with delicious, velvety layers of warm fig, black currant and blackberry confiture moving through slowly, flecked with hints of ganache, roasted apple wood and tar. The finish has cut to match the heft. A real brick house that will age well. Best from 2020 through 2040. 6,500 cases made.

93-95/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2016
The 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape is a classic blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault, mostly from rolled stone terroirs, that was partially destemmed and will see 15 months all in foudre. It boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as full-bodied richness, sweet tannin and textbook Southern Rhône notes of cured meats, toasted spice, garrigue and ample red and black fruits. It will have two decades or more of prime drinking.

18/20 Punkte La Revue du Vin de France 2018

95/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Nov 30, 2017
Rich and dark in profile, with delicious, velvety layers of warm fig, black currant and blackberry confiture moving through slowly, flecked with hints of ganache, roasted apple wood and tar. The finish has cut to match the heft. A real brick house that will age well. Best from 2020 through 2040. 6,500 cases made.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff Juli 2019
Altersadäquat verschlossen. Gitterschokolade und Heidelbeere. Am Gaumen wird ein grosser Extrakt ins Feinste aufgelöst, das Tannin hat bei aller Feinheit Frische und Spannkraft. Entfaltet intensive Präsenz und lässt genug Platz für saftige Zwischentöne. Intensiver mineralischer Untergrund. Ein Châteaneuf ohne Effekthascherei. Gemacht für ein langes Leben.

90-93/100 Punkte October 2016
Leading off the Châteauneuf du Papes and made from younger vines, with the goal to drink well in its youth, the Grenache-dominated 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape La Belle Voyageuse (there's 4% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, with a tiny splash of Counoise and Vaccarèse) sports a vibrant ruby/purple color as well as lively notes of raspberries, bouquet garni, spice box, dried soil and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, supple and elegant on the palate, it's a much more upfront, mid-weight effort compared to the more concentrated, structured Reine des Bois cuvée. It should drink nicely on release and over the following decade.

93/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Nov 30, 2018
Intense, featuring lively licorice and plum reduction notes leading the way, followed by fruitcake, raspberry pâte de fruit and sweet tobacco flavors. Shows excellent drive and focus through the finish, with a nice graphite edge. Best from 2020 through 2030.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff, März 2018
Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart animalisch-würzig unterlegtes dunkles Waldbeerkonfit, zarte Edelholznuancen, deutlicher Kräutertouch. Stoffig, schwarze Kirschen, etwas Lakritze, integrierte Tannine, frische Struktur, dezente Extraktsüße im Abgang, gute Länge, feine Kirschenfrucht im Nachhall.

96/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 31, 2018
Now that it has been in bottle a while, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee is looking even better than I projected based on last year's prebottling sample. It's all violets, cherries, subtle allspice and clove and traditional garrigue notes of lavender and thyme. Full-bodied and rich, it's crazy complex, adding hints of tar and black olives on the long, silky finish. It should evolve beautifully over the next two decades.

93-95/100 Punkte Vinous December 2016
Vivid ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes ripe raspberry, cherry and garrigue, while a suave floral element expands with air. Fleshy, seamless and broad on the palate, offering intense black raspberry and fruitcake flavors that are braced and lifted by a spine of juicy acidity. The floral note builds as the wine opens up and carries through the sweet, strikingly long finish, which leaves behind red fruit liqueur and licorice notes.

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.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker October 2018
Potent and intense, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Dame Voyageuse is a rich, dramatic bottling, the best I've tasted under this label. It's approachable now, but smart money is on it aging well for at least a decade. It's full-bodied and supple, with concentrated blueberry, mulberry and plum fruit, hints of licorice, cola and braised meat and just a dusting of baking spices (10% of the blend aged in oak). Tasted three times, with consistent notes.

95+/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2019
Every year that I've tried the 2016 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée, I've liked it better than the year before, so I've gone ahead and peremptorily added the + sign to this year's rating. Black cherries and licorice pick up a hint of chocolate in this full-bodied, rich, velvety wine that should evolve nicely for at least 12-15 years.

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.

94+/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2019
The 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois was bottled just two weeks before I visited the domaine in June, but despite that, it seemed open, lush and delicious on both occasions I tasted it (once blind a week later). Hints of oak and licorice accent black cherries in this big, plush, velvety-textured wine, which is 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% each Syrah and Vaccarèse. It's silky enough to enjoy young but has the requisite stuffing to age well for more than a decade.

94/100 Punkte Vinous Dec 2019
Shimmering magenta. Expansive, spice-accented raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by suave incense and potpourri qualities. Seamless, energetic and sweet, offering an array of mineral-laced red and blue fruit preserve and floral pastille flavors and a touch of five-spice powder. Finishes juicy and impressively long, displaying fine-grained tannins and lingering florality.

92/100 Punkte Vinous Dec 2019
Brilliant ruby-red. Mineral- and spice-accented raspberry and cherry cola aromas are complemented by garrigue and pungent floral nuances. Silky in texture and well- concentrated, offering appealingly sweet red berry and cherry liqueur flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Finishes on a powerful floral note, showing sharp delineation and supple tannins that come on slowly.

95/100 Punkte Robert Parker, August 2019
One of the few estates where the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape actually eclipses the 2016, this is a top-flight effort. Black cherries and red raspberries combine with dried spices in a complex swirl of fruity and savory elements, garnished with sprigs of garrigue. Full-bodied, round and rich, this velvety wine should drink well through at least 2035.

94/100 Punkte Vinous December 2019
Limpid ruby-red. A highly perfumed, expansive bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, garrigue and exotic spices, and a smoky mineral note emerges as the wine opens up. Sweet and broad on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, cherry compote, spicecake and candied lavender flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Conveys both power and finesse and betrays no rough edges. Fine-grained tannins come in late on a very long, spicy finish that leaves suave floral and red fruit preserve notes behind.

95/100 Punkte Robert Parker, August 2019
One of the few estates where the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape actually eclipses the 2016, this is a top-flight effort. Black cherries and red raspberries combine with dried spices in a complex swirl of fruity and savory elements, garnished with sprigs of garrigue. Full-bodied, round and rich, this velvety wine should drink well through at least 2035.

94/100 Punkte Vinous December 2019
Limpid ruby-red. A highly perfumed, expansive bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, garrigue and exotic spices, and a smoky mineral note emerges as the wine opens up. Sweet and broad on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, cherry compote, spicecake and candied lavender flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Conveys both power and finesse and betrays no rough edges. Fine-grained tannins come in late on a very long, spicy finish that leaves suave floral and red fruit preserve notes behind.

95/100 Punkte Robert Parker, August 2019
One of the few estates where the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape actually eclipses the 2016, this is a top-flight effort. Black cherries and red raspberries combine with dried spices in a complex swirl of fruity and savory elements, garnished with sprigs of garrigue. Full-bodied, round and rich, this velvety wine should drink well through at least 2035.

94/100 Punkte Vinous December 2019
Limpid ruby-red. A highly perfumed, expansive bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, garrigue and exotic spices, and a smoky mineral note emerges as the wine opens up. Sweet and broad on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, cherry compote, spicecake and candied lavender flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Conveys both power and finesse and betrays no rough edges. Fine-grained tannins come in late on a very long, spicy finish that leaves suave floral and red fruit preserve notes behind.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Okt 2016
A new special cuvée introduced in 2014, the 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée A Tempo Blanc is an even split of Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, all from the Mont Pertuis lieu-dit, that was aged in a mix of very old barrels and stainless steel. There#s a scant 100 cases produced and it has terrific, saliva-inducing minerality as well as ample citrus blossom, white peach, mint and a sea breeze-like saltiness. Tight, focused, medium to full-bodied and with impressive density, it needs 6-12 months of bottle age, and I suspect will keep for over a decade.

94-95/100 Punkte Vinous Apr 2016
Brilliant straw. A powerful, expansive bouquet evokes mineral-accented Meyer lemon, pear, iodine and jasmine. Sappy citrus and orchard fruit flavors stain the palate and display a suave blend of richness and vivacity, with no undue weight. Juicy, taut and strikingly concentrated, displaying the tension of a Grand Cru Chablis. Finishes minerally, floral and extremely long, conveying a repeating floral quality. This should turn out to be a stunning wine, by any measure, and as white Châteauneuf goes, it'll be monumental.

18/20 Punkte Schweizerische Weinzeitung September 2019

97/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 31, 2018
One of the best white Châteauneufs I've tasted#outdoing its fine performance last year prior to bottling#the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee A Tempo is equal parts Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, vinified and aged in a combination of barrique, concrete egg and stainless steel. Full-bodied, rich and lush, it shows honeyed bergamot and pineapple fruit balanced by clean citrus and anise notes. Bravo!

96/100 Punkte Vinous October 2018
Transparent yellow-gold. An impressively complex, mineral-accented bouquet displays aromas of ripe citrus and orchard fruits, nori, buttered toast and jasmine, and a hint of anise sneaks in as the wine opens up. At once deep and lithe on the palate, offering vibrant Meyer lemon, pear, gingerbread and fennel flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Displays superb tension and thrust on a mineral- and floral-driven finish that refuses to let up. I'd have absolutely no problem lining up this remarkable wine alongside a group of high-end Grand Cru white Burgundies from that region's biggest names.

93/100 Punkte Vinous Apr 2016
Deep ruby. Potent aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice pastille, woodsmoke, game and garrigue, plus a peppery nuance that adds spiciness and lift. Round and fleshy on the palate, offering intense blackberry and bitter cherry flavors that become livelier and sweeter with air. The very long, energetic, sharply focused finish features fine-grained tannins and subtle, lingering notes of dark berries and smoked meat.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker, Oct 2017
According to Laurence Féraud, the 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee was bottled in November 2016. It's already drinking well, with charming aromas of potpourri leading the way. It's medium to full-bodied, rounded out by just enough cherry fruit, then drawing to a spicy, leather-and-silk finish. Féraud calls it her little Burgundy.

92/100 Punkte Vinous April 2016
Light, hazy yellow. Explosive, mineral-driven aromas of fresh pear, peach pit and white flowers carry a gingery background note. Stony, focused and pure on the palate, offering intense orchard fruit and citrus fruit flavors that become weightier with air. Clings with strong tenacity on the finish, which shows excellent clarity and a resonating floral note.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff, März 2018
Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart animalisch-würzig unterlegtes dunkles Waldbeerkonfit, zarte Edelholznuancen, deutlicher Kräutertouch. Stoffig, schwarze Kirschen, etwas Lakritze, integrierte Tannine, frische Struktur, dezente Extraktsüße im Abgang, gute Länge, feine Kirschenfrucht im Nachhall.

96/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 31, 2018
Now that it has been in bottle a while, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee is looking even better than I projected based on last year's prebottling sample. It's all violets, cherries, subtle allspice and clove and traditional garrigue notes of lavender and thyme. Full-bodied and rich, it's crazy complex, adding hints of tar and black olives on the long, silky finish. It should evolve beautifully over the next two decades.

93-95/100 Punkte Vinous December 2016
Vivid ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes ripe raspberry, cherry and garrigue, while a suave floral element expands with air. Fleshy, seamless and broad on the palate, offering intense black raspberry and fruitcake flavors that are braced and lifted by a spine of juicy acidity. The floral note builds as the wine opens up and carries through the sweet, strikingly long finish, which leaves behind red fruit liqueur and licorice notes.

95+/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2019
Every year that I've tried the 2016 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Réservée, I've liked it better than the year before, so I've gone ahead and peremptorily added the + sign to this year's rating. Black cherries and licorice pick up a hint of chocolate in this full-bodied, rich, velvety wine that should evolve nicely for at least 12-15 years.

90+/100 Punkte Robert Parker Dec 30, 2016
The 2014 Chianti Classico is a beautiful wine with sharp focus and brightness. The wine is loaded with energy and verve. Despite the negative comments you hear about this vintage, this wine demonstrates that hard work and careful fruit selection can make the difference. This base Chianti Classico is composed of 100% Sangiovese. Brancaia is best known for its excellent results with international grape varieties, but they have no problem making first-rate Sangiovese as well.

90/100 Punkte James Suckling Aug 2016
A bright and lively Chianti Classico with lemon rind and cherry aromas and flavors. Light body. Drink now.