92 points

2020 Donnafugata Isolano Dolce&Gabbana

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, June 2023

“This is a new product from Donnafugata. The 2020 Etna Bianco Isolano is mostly Carricante blended with smaller percentages of complementary indigenous grapes. The wine shows a luminous golden color with greenish highlights. The bouquet is redolent of grapefruit, crushed stone, green apple, honeydew melon and crushed flint. There is light creaminess to this wine and sweet softness on the finish. The wine is held back a few years before its release and is part of the Dolce & Gabbana partnership”

98 points

2016 Pym-Rae Red Blend

Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter, September 2023

“Beautiful opaque ruby colour, leading with a subtlety that reveals lovely cedar and tobacco spices and Bay Laurel. Full-bodied, exhibiting a delicate balance between the structure's intensity and the fruit profile's lightness. A substantial backbone of acid tension, a hallmark of the 2016 vintage, lends buoyancy to the density of fruit, which lands on the mid-palate and stays there, building in stature and gaining intensity. A blanket of long, velvety tannins wraps itself around the palate, and the finish is long and exacting with spearmint and a wealth of warm earthen hummus notes.”

98 points

2019 Pym-Rae Red Blend

Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter, September 2023

“The Pym-Rae wines I tasted with Alfred Tesseron and Estate Manager Jérôme Ledit (2016-2019) all possess some measure of intensity, elegance, excellent balance, and freshness. Encompassing all those qualities is this 2019 vintage, seamless and simply mind-boggling. Pure blackberry fruit, creme de cassis, and graphite are nuanced by garrigue and cocoa nibs laced with orange essence. Medium to full-bodied with youthful blue fruit, spiced plum, and violets that meld together, creating a profoundly symphonic and lyrical fruit melody that is impossible to resist. The vines are surrounded by a pristine wilderness and many native California shrubs; those qualities emerge in the wine as sagebrush, fragrant Bay Laurel, and layers of ironstone mineral and earth. A kind of soy-soaked cedarwood rounds out this meticulous wine.”

98 points

2013 Rare Millésimé Brut

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, November 2023

“Originally a part of the legendary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house, Rare is moving their Champagne Millésime to a new brand and wants it to stand alone. (Think Delamotte and Salon.) The 13th vintage for this cuvée, the 2013 Champagne Millésime is a blend of 70% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with the majority of the blend coming from the Montagne de Reims Grand Cru and Premier Cru. A bright yellow hue, its aromatics are exquisite and well-balanced, with fresh notes of key lime, candied apple, fresh croissant dough, fresh pineapple, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a rounded and supple texture and a pillowy mousse. It’s long on the palate and has a silky personality as well as a long, pristine finish. It has a fantastic balance of decadence and freshness, and I could drink this all day. It’s going to have a long drinking window. Drink 2024-2044 and beyond. Disgorged December 2022.”

98 points

2019 Pym-Rae Red Blend

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, May 2023

“The 2019 Château Pym-Rae is a textbook Mount Veeder Cabernet with its exotic red, blue, and black fruits as well as complex notes of mountain scrub brush, lavender, tobacco, and lead pencil. Hitting the palate with full-bodied richness, it has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine yet substantial tannins, and a great finish. It's one of those iron fist in a velvet glove type wines that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and shine over the following two decades.”

96 points

2014 Rare Millésimé Rosé

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, November 2023

“The 14th vintage of Rare, the 2014 Champagne Millésime Rosé has 9 grams per liter dosage, and most of the Pinot Noir in it comes from Verzy, with the red wine coming from Les Ricey. Pouring a brilliant orange/pink hue, the wine is juicy and fresh with aromas of wild strawberry tart, graham, blood orange, and a hint of cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, its mousse is inviting and adds just a hint of spice character, with notes of grapefruit pith on the finish. A bit more reserved on opening, it will benefit with more time to open and show its best, but it has a very attractive structure. Drink 2025-2040.”

95 points

2022 M. Chapoutier La Bernardine Blanc

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, October 2023

“Mostly Clairette (there's 20% Grenache Blanc), the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Bernardine Blanc has a gorgeous array of ripe pears, honeyed tangerines, white flowers, and a wonderful sense of stony minerality. This all carries to a medium to full-bodied, richly textured, and flawlessly balanced white with integrated acidity and outstanding length.”

91 points

2022 Mathilde Chapoutier Selection Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire AURISSO

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, October 2023

“Coming from the limestone and clay soils of the Sainte Victoire appellation, the 2022 Côtes De Provence Sainte Victoire Aurisso (50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault and Rolle) has pretty strawberry and white flowers notes to go with a medium-bodied, fresh, focused, beautifully balanced style. As with the other releases from Mathilde, this is named after a dominant wind in Provence.”

90 points

2022 Mathilde Chapoutier Selection Côtes de Provence ORSURO

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, October 2023

“Named after the southerly wind in Provence, the 2022 Côtes De Provence Orsuro is a classic Provençal rosé with its savory strawberry, orange blossom, and salty, mineral-like aromas and flavors. It's vibrant, medium-bodied, and elegant on the palate.”

89 points

2022 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Rouge

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, October 2023

“Black raspberries, juicy cherries, peppery garrigue, and violet notes all emerge from Chapoutier's 2022 Côtes Du Rhône Belleruche, a medium-bodied, fleshy, balanced, straight-up delicious Côtes Du Rhône to drink over the coming 4-6 years or so.”

89 points

2022 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Blanc

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, October 2023

“The 2022 Côtes Du Rhône Belleruche Blanc brings more richness and depth, with beautiful orchard fruits, some tangerine, flower oil, and honeysuckle notes, medium body, and a rounded, layered mouthfeel. It will be incredibly versatile on the dinner table. The blend is 60% Roussanne, 20% Viognier, and the rest Grenache Blanc and Clairette.”

89 points

2022 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Rosé

Jeb Dunnuck, Jeb Dunnuck, October 2023

“The 2022 Côtes Du Rhône Belleruche Rosé has a lighter pink hue as lively strawberry and white flower aromatics in a medium-bodied, light, refreshing, and delicious style.”

91 points

2020 Donnafugata Isolano Dolce&Gabbana

Danielle Callegari, Wine Enthusiast, August 2023

“A blend of light, bright citrus and sun-warmed stones contrasts the indulgent, floral aromas of almond flowers and marzipan on the nose with the same play among lemon and almond and volcanic soil on the palate.”

96 points

2020 Isole e Olena 'Cepparello' Toscana IGT

Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator, October 2023

“Expressive and sumptuous from the get-go, this red features cherry, strawberry, rose, orange peel, mineral and Tuscan herb aromas and flavors. Sangiovese. Best from 2025 through 2045. 4,800 cases made, 800 cases imported.”

93+ points

Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Blanc de Noirs

Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, November 2023

“The first launch for this wine, the NV Champagne Essentiel Blanc De Noirs Extra Brut is 80% Pinot Noir with the rest Meunier and comes from sustainable grapes. It doesn’t include any reserve wine, so it’s entirely from the 2019 vintage, and moving forward, Boutillat will begin to introduce a new solera to go into this cuvée, coming from 10 different villages across the region. A bright straw hue, the wine opens to a delicate smoky lift with fresh notes of orange citrus, blackberry, and flowers. The palate is pure and fantastic, with distilled black fruit, a fresh, chalky texture, and an elegant, fluffy mouse as well as a well-rounded purity of fruit through the mid-palate. A great first vintage for this wine, it has a lot of charm now and will age gracefully over the coming 10-12 years. It’s a wonderful gateway into Blanc de Noir, a category that should be more prized”

92 points

Piper-Heidsieck Rosé Sauvage

Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, November 2023

“With the 2018 vintage as its base, the NV Champagne Sauvage Rosé is salmon-colored with a copper tinge. Historically, this cuvée poured a very deep color, but they have dialed back on the color and the power, working toward a more refined and elegant style. This edition is a silky expression with attractive ripe, fresh red berries, roses, and croissants. Rounded, with a refined mousse that enhances the creamy texture, it offers notes of fresh apricot and juicy tangerine fruit on the finish. It’s approachable now but should age gracefully over the coming 10-15 years. Drink 2024-2040”

94 points

2018 M. Chapoutier Chante-Alouette Blanc

Anna-Christina Cabrales, Wine Enthusiast, December 2023

“An array of complex layers lure you into the glass: an orchard of apple and pear, fresh lemon zest, quince, squeeze of fresh pineapple, yellow lily and marzipan, underpinned with raw almond. The palate is complex with an intense layer of stone topped with jackfruit, lemongrass and honeysuckle. Cellar well through 2030+ or enjoy now with rich spicy dishes. — Anna-Christina Cabrales”

92 points

Charles Heidsieck Rosé Réserve

Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator, November 2023

“This fresh rosé Champagne is framed by pink grapefruit peel acidity, showing good concentration without excessive weight. Offers a finely knit range of cantaloupe, peach skin, brioche and fleur de sel flavors. Long, creamy finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged 2022. Drink now through 2026. 675 cases imported.”

92 points

Piper Sonoma Brut

Jim Gordon, Wine Enthusiast, December 2023

“Like its rosé sibling, this new release is an overperformer. An elegant feel and subtle citrus, toast and mineral flavors add up to a bottle of bubbles with finesse. Tiny, slow bubbles and a light but tangy texture carry the delicate flavors beautifully on the palate and through the lingering finish.”

93 points

Piper Sonoma Brut Rosé

Jim Gordon, Wine Enthusiast, December 2023

“EDITOR'S CHOICE
Lively, lasting pinpoint bubbles and a light salmon color are followed by a complex mix of tangy fruits, toast and minerals in this concentrated and complete wine. Suave but crisp in mouthfeel, imbued with subtle peach and apricot flavors, this wine is something to be savored.”