Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Bollinger's 2008 La Grande Année is superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, ripe lemons, honeycomb, warm biscuits, dried white flowers and a delicate top note of walnuts and fino sherry. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a beautifully refined mousse, superb concentration at the tightly wound core, incisive acids and a supremely elegant intermingling of Bollinger's oxidative stylistic signatures with fresh, vibrant fruit. The finish is long, precise and chalky.

The 2000 Colheita Port, bottled in February 2019, comes in with a long cork and 118 grams of sugar. Gentle up front, this adds considerable power on the back end, together with ripe fruit and classically complex flavors. Relatively speaking, the aromatics are just average. Long on the finish, though, this is delicious and gripping. The big finish is by far its best feature, but the structure is well above average too.

Aromas of yellow orchard fruit, waxy lemon rind, iodine and smoky new oak introduce the 2016 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (Domaine des Héritiers Jadot), a full-bodied, satiny and nicely layered wine that's deep, concentrated and persistent. It's a youthfully reserved but decidedly impressive Corton-Charlemagne that will reward bottle age.

The 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou was picked from 23 September until 8 October, a blend of 25% Merlot and 75% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has evolved a very pure bouquet, almost Burgundy-like, with macerated red cherries and red plum, tobacco, leather and bay leaf. This 1996 seems a little more forward than others, perhaps more 1995 in style, but it is bestowed one of the most seductive and sensual aromatics of the vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, moving firmly into secondary stage with hints of leather, game and allspice.

Deep garnet with a brick rim. Very pure aromas of warm cassis kirsch and dried lavender over a touch of truffles and game. The power of the palate is in the taut structure of medium + fine grained tannins and medium to high acidity fleshed-out by generous rich fruit. Very long finish. Beautiful balance

Tasted from magnum and presented by Baron Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, the 1989 Château Mouton-Rothschild might not reach the ethereal heights of the 1982 or 1986, but it is certainly a lovely Claret. It has an attractive, slightly leafy bouquet armed with cedar and pencil lead. There is less fruit concentration than I expected, resolutely classic, slightly austere Bordeaux. The palate follows suit. What it lacks in substance it compensates with in balance and personality.

Having tasted the 1989 Château La Conseillante on more than a dozen occasions, I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it is one of my favourite Pomerols from the vintage. Although on its day, the 1989 Clinet can outplay La Conseillante, the fact of the matter is that the latter is the more consistent Pomerol. Here, it has that beguiling bouquet of melted black fruit, sage, undergrowth and hints of bacon fat, like a wagging finger inviting you inside.

The 1988 Chateau Margaux is a wine that was always overshadowed by the succeeding pair of vintages and like many 1988s, appeared rather conservative and lacked flair. However, I was gobsmacked by the performance of this wine at 28 years of age. Deep and clean in color, the bouquet is quintessentially Chateau Margaux with blackberry, potpourri, cedar and violets. It has wonderful clarity. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh as a daisy on the entry with a killer line of acidity that offsets those vibrant black and red fruits.

"Of all the terrific single-vineyard Côte Rôties I tasted at Guigal this year, I’m most confident that this wine will ultimately reach perfection after bottling. The 2015 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is incredibly rich and concentrated, yet it remains detailed and complex, with plum and cassis flavors accented by hints of pencil shavings, espresso, black olives, roasted meat and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and solidly built, it combines that power with a velvety feel and a nearly endless finish. Wow."

Masseto has pulled off back-to-back home runs. This is the first time that an Italian wine has earned 100 points in successive vintages. The 2016 Masseto is a thunderstorm of emotions, but it manages to keep them under perfect control. Like the 2015 Masseto before it, this vintage is a seamless wine of the highest pedigree. It represents an encore performance, continuing the string of successes that is bringing Italy to the forefront of the wine world.