A gem within the fine wine collection is the Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013. Hailing from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a prime Champagne region, this well-crafted wine bears the signature of Champagne Le Mesnil, a revered cooperative with unmatched commitment to quality. The vintage 2013 is 100% Chardonnay, meticulously hand-picked and vinified to produce a Blanc de Blancs of unparalleled strength and finesse.

Matured on lees for a noteworthy period, the wine showcases the unique terroir of Côte des Blancs, offering a mesmerising dance of creamy mousse, lush ripe fruit with hints of toasted almonds and brioche. The taste evolves on the palate, culminating in a long and magnificent finish.

If seeking a companion for a delicate entrée or a delightful standalone drink, the Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013 exemplifies the best of Champagne. It's a sublime testimony to the producer's mastery over the grape and terrain.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Very vibrant, a bit of a brisk wake-up call. A cold shower of a wine! But very good zestiness. Very, very clean. Lovely aperitif, lots of character. Not that long though.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

The 2016 Le Petit Haut Lafitte is a fabulous second wine from Smith Haut Lafitte. Inky blue/purplish berry fruit, lavender, menthol, licorice and cloves give the Petit Haut Lafitte its striking aromatic complexity. Deep, resonant and exquisitely layered, the 2016 is a real joy to taste. I would cellar it for another year or two. The 2016 has enough depth and pedigree to develop beautifully for the next 10-15 years.

The Wine Independent (94)

The 2019 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge is made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to bring out notes of blackcurrant pastilles, stewed black and red cherries, and baking spices, leading to an earthy undercurrent of mossy tree bark and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a very serious backbone of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the taut black fruits, finishing on a mineral-tinged note. This wine should age well!

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

The 2020 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is a gorgeous second wine. Dark cherry, grilled herbs, menthol, licorice, plum, spice and tobacco infuse the 2020 with striking aromatic nuance. Cabernet Sauvignon drives the blend, and that is very much in evidence in the wine's flavor profile and overall structure. There's terrific depth and density here, not to mention tons of character.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)

The 2020 Le Petit Smith Haut Lafitte is a gorgeous second wine. Dark cherry, grilled herbs, menthol, licorice, plum, spice and tobacco infuse the 2020 with striking aromatic nuance. Cabernet Sauvignon drives the blend, and that is very much in evidence in the wine's flavor profile and overall structure. There's terrific depth and density here, not to mention tons of character.

James Suckling (92-93)

A dense, layered white with cooked-apple, honey and lemon aromas and flavors. Layered and flavorful with a zingy, mineral finish. 80% sauvignon with 20% semillon.

Wine Enthusiast (97)

Aromas of crushed mint, pressed rose and perfumed berry mingle with warm spice in this dazzling red. Thanks to some of the highest vineyard altitudes in the denomination, it boasts vibrancy and finesse in its flavors of ripe black cherry, juicy blood orange, licorice and crushed mint. Taut, elegant tannins and fresh acidity keep it balanced and focused.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

Fornace is located in Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the southeast at lower elevations than the rest of the single vineyards of the Le Ragnaie estate. The 2016 Fornace Brunello is perfumed with perfectly ripe cherry, dried roses, sweet herbs, and licorice. The aromatics move seamlessly to the palate and unfold with kirsch, blood orange, and stony earth. Upfront, there is juicy ripe cherry fruit, blood orange, and salty earth. Ordinarily I would gravitate toward the more tension-driven wines, but this was what I felt to be the most pleasurable and joyful wine on this tasting, so much so that I would keep going back to wanting more. There is a seamless integration through the whole experience, and I do feel there will be longevity despite its immediate gratification. Enjoy over the next 15-20 years. 2021-2041.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The Le Ragnaie 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento (with 3,020 bottles made) sees its fruit sourced from one of the highest places in the appellation, or the "pass of the extinguished lantern," as the wine's name translates into English. It is part of a broader trend that Montalcino vintners seem to be looking for cooler, high-altitude growing sites for Sangiovese. This wine demonstrates without a doubt that elevation is key in obtaining elegance in the warm years. This Brunello is particularly bright, punchy and energetic. It is one of the stars of this report.

James Suckling (95)

Currants, sweet tobacco, walnut husk and flowers on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied, it grows on the palate, with firm yet polished tannins and a flavorful finish. Very solid and well-crafted second wine from Ornellaia. Drink after 2023.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

This boldly tannic wine has a firm structure that gives it excellent aging potential. That's because the great blackberry fruits are just as prominent, offering a ripe, juicy character that is already succulent and delicious. Drink this wine from 2024.

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The flagship 2019 Château Léoville Barton is brilliant, showing both the style of the estate as well as the vintage beautifully. It's never the biggest or richest wine, yet it has a classic, vibrant, structured style that ages beautifully. Pure cassis, black currants, scorched earth, new leather, and graphite are just some of its nuances, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a lively spine of acidity, beautiful overall balance, and a great finish. This textbook Léoville Barton demands a decade of bottle age and will keep for 30-40 years.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The 2021 Léoville Barton has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of cassis and plums mingled with subtle hints of pencil shavings, menthol and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, it's layered and refined, built around lively acids and a chassis of sweet, powdery tannin that will reward some bottle age with greater plenitude. It's a real success.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The 2021 Léoville Barton has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with notes of cassis and plums mingled with subtle hints of pencil shavings, menthol and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, it's layered and refined, built around lively acids and a chassis of sweet, powdery tannin that will reward some bottle age with greater plenitude. It's a real success.

Falstaff (100)

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on rim. Fine oak, a hint of nougat, dark berries underneath, some cardamom, dark cherries, a hint of candied oranges. Powerful, taut, tightly meshed, fresh acidity, spicy, supporting tannins, a hint of chocolate on the finish, convincing balance, mineral and very long lasting, cherries on the finish, a vin de garde, can also be tasted young with a few hours in the carafe, enormous future potential.

Falstaff (100)

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on rim. Fine oak, a hint of nougat, dark berries underneath, some cardamom, dark cherries, a hint of candied oranges. Powerful, taut, tightly meshed, fresh acidity, spicy, supporting tannins, a hint of chocolate on the finish, convincing balance, mineral and very long lasting, cherries on the finish, a vin de garde, can also be tasted young with a few hours in the carafe, enormous future potential.

Wine Advocate (93+)

Made of 45% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet colored 2010 Les Carmes Haut-Brion gives up notes of baked blackberries, blackcurrants, black raspberries and cedar chest with hints of baking spices, black olives, pencil lead and Marmite toast. Full-bodied, the generously fruited palate has a solid backbone of grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting all that tightly-packed brawn, finishing with great length and purity. Still incredibly youthful, I suspect this wine has a lot more to give in the years to come!

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

The 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a total stunner. For the first time I can remember, Les Carmes Haut-Brion marries all of its elements so well that nothing stands out. In the past, the high percentage of Franc and/or the whole clusters were evident. The 2020 is the first modern vintage in which all the elements are so well balanced. Dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, mint, lavender, dried herbs and incense all build in a ravishing Pessac-Léognan that will take your breath away.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)

The 2019 Les Cruzelles is a very serious wine. Black cherry, gravel, graphite, cloves, leather and smoke confer a real feeling of gravitas. Inky and explosive, with tremendous resonance, the Cruzelles is a winner and without question one of the stars in this range from the Durantou family.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (92)

The 2012 Les Griffons de Pichon Baron is dark, voluptuous and immediate. A burst of sweet red plums, smoke, graphite, licorice and tobacco hits the palate. The tannins are sweet but also energetic. Extroverted in style, the 2012 also has enough depth and overall density to drink well for another decade or so. Rose petal, iron and white pepper add the final shades of nuance. Here in its first vintage, Les Griffons is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot.

James Suckling (93-94)

A punchy red with blackberry and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, yet extremely refined and polished with a long finish. 50% merlot, 42% cabernet sauvignon and 8% petit verdot.

Vinous (94)

The 2020 Viognier The Age of Grace has a subtle, well-defined bouquet of detailed lemon sherbet, lemon thyme and crushed pebble scents, poised and, yes, graceful. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, and linear and quite steely toward the almost Chenin-like finish. This is not a flamboyant, Rhône-like Viognier – it’s is far more tensile and racy. It should age extremely well in bottle.

Vinous (95)

The 2017 Syrah continues to serve as one of the Cape's finest expressions of the variety. Gorgeous scents of raspberry, strawberry, Earl Grey tea and pomegranate seeds feature on the detailed nose; then the palate is lithe and silky, with perhaps more garrigue notes coming through with bottle age. Divine.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is beautifully complete, with a layered, multi-dimensional, elegant profile that's more structured than the Diamond Mountain, yet more seamless and approachable than the Howell Mountain. Crème de cassis, Asian spice, smoked earth, incense and sandalwood note all flow to full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that has no hard edges, ultra-fine tannin, incredible purity of fruit, and a great finish. As with all these 2014s, it's not about huge richness and opulence and more about purity, nuance and balance. It's a damn near perfect wine that will only get better with 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for three to four decades.

Wine Advocate (100)

Very deep inky purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is a little youthfully reticent at this stage, offering glimpses at freshly crushed black currants, black berries and plums with touches of dried Provence herbs, menthol, cigar boxes and Indian spices. Full-bodied with very firm, very ripe tannins and an incredible core of black fruit, earth and spice layers, it has wonderful freshness and depth, finishing long and multilayered. 618 cases produced.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Unfortunately, there won’t be a 2017 due to the fires, but the perfect 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder should certain tide you over. This literally off-the-charts effort is a good as Cabernet Sauvignon gets, offering complex blueberry and blackberry fruits, violets, bay leaf, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It’s a big, structured mountain Cabernet, yet it has a seamless texture, incredible elegance paired with full-bodied power, building tannins, and a great, great finish. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and it will keep for 3+ decades. Good luck keeping your hands off it, though. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2051

Wine Advocate (96)

Following the appreciation of the 2007 vintage from María José López de Heredia, the red 2007 Viña Tondonia Reserva is showing great, revealing unusual finesse and elegance. The nose is a little reticent but nuanced and complex, a little shy rather than explosive. The palate is medium-bodied, and the tannins are very refined. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Viña Tondonia Reserva of recent years. 200,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2015.

Tim Atkin MW (97)

Tondonia's reds have been on an upward curve recently and are now at the same level as the bodega's world-class whites. This is a fine, elegant, savoury, low-alcohol blend of Tempranillo with 20% Garnacha and 5% each of Mazuelo and Graciano, combining summer berry fruit, racy acidity, granular tannins and an earthy, balsamic undertone. Good now, but this will develop further in bottle.

Tim Atkin MW (94)

Serious and concentrated, at least by the standards of some López de Heredia reds, this reflects the heat of the 2009 vintage. Tempranillo-based with 30% Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo, it’s spicy, savoury and high toned with grippy tannins, layers of tobacco and red fruits and classic, supporting acidity. 2021-30