Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Showing muscle and brawn, the Giacomo Conterno 2020 Barolo Cerretta stands apart thanks to its richer texture. There is more stuffing and volume in this expression from Serralunga d'Alba with layers of dark fruit, rusty nail and bitter orange marmalade (with highlights of sweetness and sourness). In the case of the Cerretta, you get an extra layer of intensity that is delivered alongside beautiful velvety tannins. That feeling reminds me of the soft skin on animal antlers. The 2020 vintage will be remembered for elegance, and 2019 is noted for its heftier structure.

The Il Marroneto 2020 Brunello di Montalcino is a wine of special depth and elegance. Alessandro Mori tells me that fermentation in 2020 proceeded nicely with what he describes as a "primordial stew" of grape must, resulting in high pressure "geysers" or "liquid bombs" that rip right through the cap because of pressure build-up. Someone is having tons of fun in the winery. High temperatures (between 36 to 38 degrees Celsius) serve to fix the wine's ruby color and the elegance of its perfumes, which are more floral than fruity.

The Il Marroneto 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie (tasted once in the winery and again in my office) is another classical expression of Sangiovese from vintner Alessandro Mori and his son Iacopo. This vintage is best described as more charming compared to the stacked 2019 vintage or the powerful 2016 edition. This is a very pretty wine, elegant and finessed, with pretty floral highlights of rose and violet that lean into a subtle menthol note. There is caramelized sugar and candied orange.

Tasted at the chateau. This 1988 has an attractive nose, certainly not as austere as other Saint Julien wines from the vintage, with aromas of leather, dried blood, sloe and fig. It does not quite have the delineation of a truly great ’88. The palate is medium-bodied, well balanced with good acidity, very supple on the entry with wild strawberry and raspberry fruit inflected with a little tobacco leading to a very natural and elegant second half. A very graceful, classic Gruaud Larose that is drinking damn perfectly now. Very fine. (NM)

The de Fargues ’95 has a ripe, generous, quintessential de Fargues nose with tangy marmalade, Seville orange and quince jus, though it does not quite have the razor-sharp delineation of a top-flight wine from the estate. The palate is medium-bodied with a citrus lemon, orange peel and fresh apricot. Like the nose, it would benefit from more tension and animation towards the finish, yet it is certainly generous and should drink well over the next two decades (NM)

After a scorching summer, the 1990 de Fargues harvest began early (on September 18) and the fruit was picked over 4 tries until October 10 – the earliest harvest on record. It is the most powerful of the trilogy. Delivering 130 grams-per-liter residual sugar at 13.6% alcohol, it has a prodigious bouquet of over-ripe oranges, toffee apple, chlorophyll and even a faint hint of chocolate.

A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (very similar to the 2019), the 2022 Vieux Château Certan is a magical wine of exemplary harmony and balance. Offering up complex aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, licorice, iris, violets and loamy soil, it's full-bodied, supple and seamless, its sweet structuring tannins entirely concealed by a multidimensional core of pure, vibrant fruit. This sensual, perfumed Pomerol is likely to rank alongside the 2019 and 2016 in the pantheon of recent Vieux Château Certan vintages. (WK)

The 2001 Clos de Tart is aging beautifully and is maturing into one of Sylvain Pitiot’s finest wines. Replicating its performance in 2010, it has a very expressive bouquet of vivacious red berry fruit: wild strawberry and raspberry, laced with minerals and dried rose petals. The palate is very well-balanced and full of succulent brambly red fruit. Perhaps it is moving into its secondary phase less slowly than I anticipated, with nuanced undergrowth notes developing toward the finish, which remains very fruit-driven and tense.

Here is another life-affirming bottle of 1993 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques from Rousseau. This example showed a little more maturity in colour, but the nose is entrancing and develops beautiful raspberry preserve, pomegranate, cool stone and bay leaf scents that are quite intoxicating. The palate is fresh, crisp and brilliantly focused. It is still a feminine Clos Saint Jacques, the tannin so fine and now abraded by time. Yes, it has a nonchalant, easygoing personality that almost distracts you from its innate complexity. This remains a wonderful wine. (NM)

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate offers up intense notes of warm cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry preserves and wild blueberries with hints of smoked meats, cast iron pan, Indian spices and mossy tree bark in the undercurrent. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and tightly wound, featuring muscular black fruits and a very firm, grainy texture, finishing long and mineral laced. (LPB)