Weine,

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.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff Rotweinguide 2017/18

95/100 Punkte Falstaff Rotweinguide 2019
Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Schwarze Beerenfrucht, Nuancen von Cassis, feine Edelholzwürze, balsamischer Touch. Saftig, reife Herzkirschen, feine tragende Tannine, dezente Extraktsüße im Abgang, bleibt haften, zugänglich, Nougat im Rückgeschmack, sicheres Potenzial.

3 Gläser Gambero Rosso 2018

95/100 Punkte Vinous September 2017
Bright dark golden-yellow with orange tinges. Enticing aromas of very ripe tangerine jelly, orange oil, white flowers, raisins, figs, marzapan and honey. Rich, dense and suave, with a creamy almost unctuous mouthfeel and flavors that are very similar to the aromas. Closes long and extremely dense, with repeating caramel apple, honey and peach flavors. One of the richest, creamiest Ben Ryés in memory, but a touch more acidity might have provided better lift and in that case I would have scored this even higher. Still, this is an absolute knockout, and you#ll never guess it has 14.5% alcohol.

19/20 Punkte Vinum Mai 2018

91/100 Punkte Vinous, January 2015
(95% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Blanc: Pale gold. Candied lemon, lime pith and white flowers on the fragrant nose, with deeper orange and buttered toast qualities emerging with air. Juicy flavors of pear and Meyer lemon show impressive depth and cut, with a gingery nuance adding energy. Bright, focused and mineral-driven on the clinging finish, which leaves behind notes of honeysuckle and brioche.

91/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Nov. 30, 2012
A lithe Champagne, powered by racy acidity. Offers fine texture and flavors of white peach, candied lemon zest, pastry dough and crystallized honey, with a firm, minerally finish. Drink now through 2020. 3,000 cases made.

92/100 Punkte James Suckling October, 2017
Dried white flowers and white peach fruits with hints of lemon. Smells extremely fresh and lively. The palate has an attractive, fleshy and tangy texture. Flavors follow aromas in the stone fruit zone. Grilled nuts to close. Drink now.

91+/100 Punkte Robert Parker, Feb 2018
Peter Wegelin's single-vineyard 2016 Malanser Blauburgunder Scadena is from very calcareous slate soils from a clos that is located below the Bothmar castle. The wine was aged for 12 months in 80% new barriques and another 12 months in used tonneaux. The bouquet is deep, intensely ripe and fruity as well as toasty but very elegant. The palate is full-bodied, dense and tightly structured, with fine but grippy tannins and good acidity. This clear-cut 2016 needs lots of aeration (or time), but its vitality and tension is promising. Release date: autumn this year. Tasted January 2019.

91+/100 Punkte Robert Parker Sept 2017
Stäger's 2015 Pinot Noir Barrique from Maienfeld has a dark ruby color and offers a pure, deep, fresh, spicy/flinty and elegant bouquet of ripe dark fruits. Full-bodied, vital and fresh on the palate, with a tiny bit of CO2 and a tight, vital structure as well as lingering minerals and fine tannins, this is a stunningly good wine with a long, complex finish. Still terribly young but vibrant and tight, this 2015 has great aging potential of at least 15 years. Ex-cellar price: 30 CHF. Tasted in Zurich, August 2017.

91/100 Punkte Robert Parker, 29th Sep 2017
The 2014 Malanser Blauburgunder Reserva has a dark purple color and opens with a very toasty but also floral, slatey bouquet of perfectly ripe cherry and dark berry aromas. Full-bodied, ripe and sweet on the silky palate, this is an intense and stunningly powerful Pinot Noir for that difficult vintage. Its fruit is quite developed, but the wine is still very firm and provided with lots of mealy tannins that are still a bit dry on the finish. This is an excellent long-distance runner that should be cellared for another 7-8 years.

18/20 Punkte Schweizerische Weinzeitung Dezember 2017

88/100 Punkte Robert Parker September 2017
The 2015 Osterfingen Oberhallau Blauburgunder Zwaa offers a clear, fresh, fruit-intense and spicy bouquet of ripe, thick-skinned cherries along with some toasty notes. The full-bodied wine is silky textured, elegant and reveals rich, intense fruit along with a lot of power. The tannins are fine and ripe, the finish very aromatic and concentrated. An impressive but powerful Pinot Noir from Schaffhausen that is sourced from two different plots, one on heavy clay soils, the other on gravels.

17/20 Punkte Vinum Januar/Februar 2018

88/100 Punkte Robert Parker September 2017
The 2015 Osterfingen Oberhallau Blauburgunder Zwaa offers a clear, fresh, fruit-intense and spicy bouquet of ripe, thick-skinned cherries along with some toasty notes. The full-bodied wine is silky textured, elegant and reveals rich, intense fruit along with a lot of power. The tannins are fine and ripe, the finish very aromatic and concentrated. An impressive but powerful Pinot Noir from Schaffhausen that is sourced from two different plots, one on heavy clay soils, the other on gravels.

17/20 Punkte Vinum Januar/Februar 2018

87-89/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2015/2016

90-92/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2017/18
Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart kräuterwürzig unterlegtes frisches schwarzes Waldbeerkonfit, ein Hauch von Zwetschken. Mittlerer Körper, elegant und ausgewogen, reife Herzkirschfrucht, mineralisch und anregend, ein harmonischer Speisenbegleiter.

90/100 Robert Parker December 2018
The 2016 Burgenland Blaufränkisch is more leathery and wild than the 2017. The nose offers concentrated red and dark fruit that was perhaps struggling for ripeness and hides some earthy, greenish or leafy notes and some nougat aromas. Smooth and round on the palate, this is an elegant and rather charming Blaufränkisch with concentrated and fleshy cherry fruit on the spicy finish. The tannins are a bit more rough here but also spicy. Pair this with dark, roasted meat. Tasted October 2018.

91/100 Punkte Robert Parker December 2018
The 2017 Burgenland Blaufränkisch is pure and fruity on the fresh, precise nose and offers a charm, which is quite rare given this wild and spicy grape variety. Silky and intense on the palate, this is a fleshy, well-concentrated and pretty intense red from the deep and clayey soils of Zagersdorf. The fine, cultivated tannins are intermixed with refreshing, Pinot-like acidity, and the finish is aromatic, taut and dry, like thick cherry skins. Gorgeous. Tasted October 2018.

96/100 Punkte James Suckling May 2018
The intense elderberry and licorice nose pulls you in immediately. This is a highly expressive blaufränkisch with a sleek silhouette that is packed with spices and minerals. A very long and almost breathtaking finish. Bottled after three years in large neutral wood. Drink or hold.

92-94/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2014/15
Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Noch sehr zurückhaltend, schwarze Beerenfrucht, feine tabakige Würze, mineralischer Touch, ein Hauch von Herzkirschen klingt an. Wirkt leichtfüßig, rotbeerige Nuancen, zart nach Sanddorn, gut integrierte Tannine, würziger Nachhall, angenehmes Säurespiel im Finish, gutes Zukunftspotenzial.

92-94/100 Punkte Falstaff Weinguide 2015
Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Attraktives Brombeerkonfit, zarte Kräuterwürze, Nuancen von Kirschen, mineralische Akzente. Saftig, seidiger Körper, rotbeerige Nuancen, präsentes, gut integriertes Tannin, bleibt sehr lange haften, feinwürziger Nachhall, sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial.

95/100 Punkte James Suckling December 2016
The elderberry and sour-cherry aromas of this wine are really intense, but on top of that a mass of herbal notes give it serious complexity, power and concentration. The body is delivered without a hint of heaviness, the freshness without a hint of sharpness, and a very long, silky finish makes this a near-perfect single-vineyard blaufränkisch.

91/100 Punkte Falstaff Rotweinguide 2016
Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Mit einem Hauch von kandierten Veilchen und Lakritze unterlegte dunkle Beerenfrucht, Herzkirschen, feine tabakige Nuancen. Saftig, feine rote Kirschenfrucht, frisch strukturiert, mineralisch, zart nach Cassis im Abgang, vielseitig einsetzbar.

94/100 Punkte Falstaff Rotweinguide 2019
Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Dunkle Mineralität, frische Brombeeren, schwarze Kirschen, animalische Nuancen, Kordit. Straff, dunkles Waldbeerkonfit, präsente, fest geknüpfte Tannine, frischer Säurebogen, mineralisch, engmaschiger, kühl, zitroniger Touch, kontroverser Stil.

91/100 Punkte Robert Parker December 2018
Heinrich's 2015 Blaufränkisch Leithaberg is from the southeast-facing vineyard slopes of Jois, Winden and Breitenbrunn, where the vines root in limestone, limestone-sandstone, slate and mica schist soils. Fermented for three weeks in open wooden fermenters and aged for 20 months in old 500-liter barrels, this is a deep, pure, spicy and noble-flavored red wine with fine terroir and fruit aromas. Full-bodied, very elegant, remarkably salty and long on the fresh and refined palate, this is an excellent Blaufränkisch from the Leithaberg DAC. The wine has tension, grip and mineral freshness that takes it into a long, concentrated, very stimulating and serious finish. Great purity and style here. Tasted August 2018.