Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Offering up aromas of raspberries, plums, sweet spices and petals, the 2022 Volnay 1er Cru Fremiet is medium to full-bodied, pure and lively, with refined, powdery tannins and a fine-boned, elegant profile. (WK)

The 2022 Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds is terrific, unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cherries and plums mingled with notions of rose petals, sweet soil tones and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and elegantly muscular, with a sweet core of fruit and youthfully assertive tannins, it will require but also reward patience. (WK)

Here it is: A quintessential Sassicaia that represents the excellence of the vintage and also respects the unique taste profile of this distinguished Tuscan blend of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. The Tenuta San Guido 2021 Bolgheri Sassicaia offers impeccable balance, excellent freshness and absolutely no signs of over-ripeness. The fruit balance is ideal with a hint of crunch and lasting tension from pulp and skins. The tannins are deftly managed with firm grip and enough velvetiness to add volume and length.

The Caccia al Piano 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Caccia al Piano is meaty and rich with a note of pulverized stone, sweet Spanish cedar, black fruit and a softly floral note woven deep within. The oak element is strong, and there are lingering tones of beechwood, brown sugar and a leafy note of laurel or grilled sage. Those savory versus sweet aromas continue to the palate and are carried over the wine's full-bodied texture. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, and all the fruit comes from the San Biagio vineyard. (ML)

A new wine from the folks at Caccia al Piano, the 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Caccia al Piano is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc with fruit coming from a 12-hectare site located on the upper parts of the appellation at 180 meters above sea level with rocky limestone soils. This special site merits single-vineyard status, and the estate has made positive tweaks in recent years to improve winemaking. It flaunts a classic approach with great fruit versus oak integration and the sharpness that is characteristic of this vintage.

A new wine from the folks at Caccia al Piano, the 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Caccia al Piano is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc with fruit coming from a 12-hectare site located on the upper parts of the appellation at 180 meters above sea level with rocky limestone soils. This special site merits single-vineyard status, and the estate has made positive tweaks in recent years to improve winemaking. It flaunts a classic approach with great fruit versus oak integration and the sharpness that is characteristic of this vintage.

The 2021 Bolgheri Rosso Ruit Hora (a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah and 5% Petit Verdot) has wide-ranging aromas of dark fruit, spice and blackberry preserves. The effect is less focused in the minutiae, but you do get lots of intensity with round and rich flavors. There is a sweet note that gives this wine an accessible quality. You are left with a combination of chalk and fruit on the close. Fruit comes from four vineyard sites, and the total production is 90,000 bottles. (ML)

Soaring from the glass with aromas of buttered orchard fruit, honeycomb, orange oil, peach and nutmeg, the 2020 Montrachet Grand Cru is full-bodied, rich and satiny, with a layered, muscular mid-palate that's girdled by lively acids and a long, resonant finish. This is an expressive, dramatic Montrachet that can comfortably keep company with the superb 2017, 2018 and 2019 vintages.

Tasted from an ex-château bottle at BI Wine & Spirits Calon-Segur dinner in London. The 2000 Calon Segur is one of those wines that reminds you how great the millennial vintage could be. Now at fifteen years old, it has a brilliant, vivacious red berry nose infused with ash and cigar box aromas. The detail here is a beguiling and it just "sings" Saint Estèphe. The palate is medium-bodied with dense, firm tannin that provide a rigid backbone, but it is swathed in copious tobacco-drenched black fruit and a superb line of acidity.

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Pontet-Canet has an extremely pure, vivacious, perfumed bouquet with crushed violets infusing the blueberry and blackberry fruit. But it is all about the detail and precision in this wine. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth: lightly toasted black fruit, dried orange peel, cedar and a pinch of white pepper. This feels very cohesive and poised with just a touch of mint entering right on the finish. What a great wine from Alfred Tesseron and Jean-Michel Comme.