Red

93-94 points Wine Advocate
Tasted just before bottling, so a sample of the final blend, the 2023 PSI is juicy, ripe and approachable. It is a little showier and headier, despite having similar alcohol to the bottled 2022 (perhaps a tad higher, but not quite reaching 14%), and it feels a little riper, with peachy notes and some decayed flowers. It has abundant tannins and feels like it's in need of some more time in bottle. This is usually the case for PSI: the tannins need time. They are resolved quite quickly, but it does need a bit of time. It should be bottled in May 2025.

Winery Notes:
Ruby red with garnet hues. An intense impact with powerful notes of cherry, plum and violet opens a bouquet that then fades into neat aromas of tobacco, chocolate, cinnamon and spicy hints of black pepper. Great complexity in the overall bouquet, neat expressions of the authentic Sangiovese and Chianti Classico aromas. Full-bodied, very powerful in its fruity notes, with elegant tannins perfectly supported by a good acidity. The finish is characterized by pleasant sensations of sweet tobacco. The aftertaste is particularly long and shows powerful notes of plums and lighter aromas of clove.

Organic

96 points James Suckling
This wine redefines Cornas elegance. So much floral and fresh berry charm on the nose, yet so much mineral intensity and energy on the very focused, medium-bodied palate. The crystalline finish just doesn't want to stop.

92 points Vinous
The 2023 Cornas Granit 30 is exquisite, unwinding with alluring rose water, blood orange, black cherry, licorice and stemmy subtleties. Round and refreshing, the 2023 is shaping up to be an accessible Cornas that’s packed with remarkable energy and freshness all the way through to the juicy finish.

95 Points Vinous Media
The 2014 Viña Bosconia is 80% Tempranillo with 10% Garnacha, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo from the El Bosque vineyard in Haro, Rioja. Garnet in hue, it opens with cassis, cola and oak-driven aromas. The palate is youthful and smooth, with well-integrated tannins, black fruit and anisette at the finish. Still growing, it’ll develop greater complexity with more time in bottle.

94+ Points Wine Advocate
I loved the nose of the 2014 Viña Bosconia Reserva, a red that sells at an incredible price for the quality, the problem is (like all their wines) finding it... They had to accelerate the harvest to avoid botrytis caused by the abundant rain during the harvest. This is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacho and the remaining 5% Graciano and Mazuelo, fermented in old oak vats with their yeasts and matured in neutral American oak barrels for no less than five years. It's elegant and nuanced, developed but young for its age, with a seamless palate and very fine tannins, with energy and light. It has 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.3 and 6.7 grams of acidity, notable parameters of freshness. It was bottled in March 2022.

94 Points Tim Atkins
Bosconia is a very traditional Rioja Reserva blend, produced from a combination of Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha and 5% each of Graciano and Mazuelo. Sourced from the 59-year-old El Bosque vineyard in Haro, it's earthy, savoury and challengingly focused, with classic notes of rosehip, petrichor, beetroot and dried herbs, very tangy acidity and a firm, Barolo-like finish. Gloriously unique.

Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah

97 points Vinous
The 2023 La Vitoriana Lomas de Valtuille is a Mencia from the eponymous paraje in Valtuille, sourced from a centenary vineyard. It fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged for up to 11 months in barrel. This is expressive on the nose, with flowers, mint, white pepper and dried blossoms providing aromatic lift. The tannins are fine, the palate is flavorful and the whole-cluster fermentation gives it a compact, tight finish.

95 points Wine Advocate
The 2023 La Vizcaina La Vitoriana is the only red from the Vizcaina range that is not from their own vines, as they buy the grapes, 1.1 hectares in the lower part of the lieu-dit that has sandy soils (the other parts have clay). It's quite linear and with good acidity but ripened thoroughly. There are no white grapes here, only a small percentage of Bastardo, and the vines are 100+ years of age. This is a small lieu-dit in a cooler place in the village, a place that is harvested later. Some 5,000 bottles produced.

Spending 18-24 glorious months aging in used bourbon barrels from legendary Pappy Van Winkle, old vine fruit shines through with aromas and flavors of blueberry liqueur, blackberry, black cherry and peppery spice. Then there is a graceful segue into wood smoke, brown sugar, vanilla, and sweet spice that frame all of that ripe and savory fruit very nicely. Super full bodied and full flavored, but smooth and silky on the palate, this is probably about as close as most of us will get to Pappy van Winkle. -PJ Wine

97 points Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pico Ferreira comes from a lieu-dit in the village of Corullon, a northwest-facing, shady slope planted with centenary vines on slate soils. It fermented with 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts in 1,000-liter vats with 21 days of maceration and matured in a 1,200-liter oak vat and 600-liter barrels for one year. This is a little more discrete and remained closed after being in the glass for a while, whereas the other wines opened up. It comes in at 12.98% alcohol, with a pH of 3.57 and 5.36 grams of acidity, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins. 1,980 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2025.

Cesar Marquez Perez, Raul Perez's nephew, is one of the most precise winemakers in Bierzo with the family Castro Ventosa range and his personal project, which he started in 2015. In the 2023 vintage, he is releasing a new wine from the Villegas area, a lieu-dit in Valtuille on sandy soils. The single-vineyard wines are aging in increasingly larger oak containers, combining 1,200-liter vats with 500- and 600-liter barrels. He owns 7.2 hectares and works a further seven with local growers across Bierzo, from altitudes ranging between 450 to 850 meters above sea level. His production is slowly growing, and he now crafts 60,000 bottles per year.

As he told me while tasting the wines from the family winery, Castro Ventosa, which he also vinifies, "2023 was a cooler vintage with rain at the beginning of the harvest. The wines have a floral, serious and elegant profile with a contained alcohol content of 12.5% to 13%." These are some of the finest and more elegant wines he has produced so far.

94 points Vinous
The 2017 Taurasi Radici is a force to be reckoned with, as it bursts from the glass with masses of raspberries, currants and plums, complemented by an array of autumnal spices and crushed violets. Its textural depth and density is something to behold, silky, almost creamy, yet contrasted perfectly by a core of mineral-laced black fruits and brisk acids, as an air of inner rose and cloves forms toward the close. The 2017 is persistent and structured yet also unbelievably fresh, as fine tannins frame its smoky mineral tones, along with lasting hints of blackberry and olive. This is a gorgeous rendition of Radici that should provide readers with a slightly earlier drinking window than normally expected. That said, we are talking in terms of Taurasi here, and this wine has a very bright future ahead of it.

96+ points Wine Advocate
Cesar's 2023 El Rapolao was sourced from a centenary plot in the coldest part of the village, where the soils are rich in iron and organic matter. It fermented with 30% full clusters in small 1,000-liter vats, with a short maceration of 17 days and an elevage in used 500-liter oak barrels. It comes in at 12.75% alcohol, a pH of 3.58 and 5.38 grams of acidity, with lower alcohol and more freshness and acidity than the previous vintage. This is a place with more rusticity, always a little earthier, with slightly dusty tannins. 1,911 bottles were filled in May 2025.

Cesar Marquez Perez, Raul Perez's nephew, is one of the most precise winemakers in Bierzo with the family Castro Ventosa range and his personal project, which he started in 2015. In the 2023 vintage, he is releasing a new wine from the Villegas area, a lieu-dit in Valtuille on sandy soils. The single-vineyard wines are aging in increasingly larger oak containers, combining 1,200-liter vats with 500- and 600-liter barrels. He owns 7.2 hectares and works a further seven with local growers across Bierzo, from altitudes ranging between 450 to 850 meters above sea level. His production is slowly growing, and he now crafts 60,000 bottles per year.

As he told me while tasting the wines from the family winery, Castro Ventosa, which he also vinifies, "2023 was a cooler vintage with rain at the beginning of the harvest. The wines have a floral, serious and elegant profile with a contained alcohol content of 12.5% to 13%." These are some of the finest and more elegant wines he has produced so far.

Connetable Talbot 2022 is a Saint-Julien Second Wine from Château Talbot, a Bordeaux winery. It's a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot.

93 points James Suckling
A touch of black bean puree to the ripe dark cherries and grilled herbs. Medium-bodied on the palate with juicy fruit, round tannins and a pretty flavorful, lengthy finish. Drink from 2026.

92 points Wine Spectator
Warmed cassis and plum compote notes give this a forward and generous feel, while singed apple wood, dried anise and violet, plus a perfumed hint on the finish, display a textbook St.-Julien profile. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2036.

Organic / Natural Wine

65% Listan Prieto, with the rest of the wine being a blend Listan Blanco, Vijariego Negro, Verdello, Gual and Albillo Criollo from different vineyards, all vinified separately. The Listan Prieto is fermented whole cluster in open oak barrels, Verdello and Negramoll are direct pressed and fermented in oak barrel, and the Gual and Vijariego Negro are destemmed, fermented on the skins, also in oak. Aged for 8 months in used oak barrels. Unfined, unfiltered. Very light color, floral, with light tannins and texture. 350 bottles made.

94 points James Suckling
Pretty Brunello with licorice, smoky woodland and ripe black cherries. Medium-bodied, soft and velvety at the start, then thick with an austere finish. Refreshing acidity. Good definition and savoriness here, yet it’s mostly fruity. Needs time to develop greater complexity. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

93 points Decanter
Davide Bozzon has been the resident winemaker at Castelgiocondo since this 2020 vintage. Given the hot conditions, he kept macerations to under 28 days to rein in the power and keep the wine from becoming too heavy. After one year in neutral barriques, it refines for a further two in large Slavonian oak casks. Grenadine and macerated red plum are topped with chocolate, rosemary and oregano. Smooth and polished on entry, luxurious fruit is laced with espresso and leather. Despite its girth, a concentration of frisky acidity persists through the core. That charming touch of Tuscan rusticity is felt in its dry, dusty tannins on the back end.

93 points Wine Spectator
Fresh and expressive, this red displays cherry, raspberry, earth, leather and menthol flavors. There are gripping tannins, yet it's the vivid acidity that makes a stronger impact as it propels the long finish. Best from 2028 through 2045.

Organic

94 points Wine Advocate
The textbook red 2020 Mauro comes from a cooler year with freshness and balance. It's powerful and ripe with 14.5% alcohol and a medium to full-bodied palate that reveals a juicy and creamy wine with very good balance and drinkability. It was produced with Tinto Fino/Tempranillo and 15% between Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and it fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in barrels and foudres of different ages for 15 months.

Organic / Natural

The 2023 Fleurie Chapelle de Bois offers a refined bouquet of spice, cranberries, cherries and delicate dried rose and peony petals. On the palate, the medium-to-full-bodied wine maintains a focused and condensed profile, with supple fruit supported by a ripe acidity. A subtle-grained texture imparts the needed dimension, leading to a distinctive finish tinged with a hint of sea salt.

Needing little introduction, the Domaine de la Grand'Cour covers 11.5 hectares, with the majority located in Fleurie (9.7 hectares) and the rest in Brouilly (1.8 hectares). In recent years, Jean-Louis has taken a step back from the day-to-day operations, entrusting his children, Ophélie and Lucas, with leadership. However, upon my arrival at the domaine, I found Jean-Louis driving the tractor in the Chapelle de Bois parcel across the street, so I think it's safe to say that it's only a partial retirement. The domaine farms some of the most revered vineyards in the appellation, all meticulously tended under the Ecocert organic certification since 2009, though their commitment predates formal recognition. In the cellar, the grapes undergo a low-temperature semi-carbonic maceration and ambient yeast fermentation, followed by eight months of aging in a combination of demi-muids, barrels, foudres and tanks, with no added SO2 until bottling. The resulting wines epitomize exceptional purity and are easy to appreciate in their youth, while possessing the structural integrity to evolve gracefully over the years. In 2023, similar to 2022, the family decided to pick their fruit earlier than usual and shorten the vinification length to preserve freshness and elegance. The resulting wines boast more approachable profiles, especially when compared to the 2020 vintage, with lessened concentrations and finer tannins - The Wine Advocate

Organic / Biodynamic

In 2022, Le Puy??????s Amoreau family acquired the vineyards and cellar of their friend and neighbor Regis Moro, a fellow low-tech low-interventionist whose vibrant, rugged, makeup-less wines never fully connected with the Parker-influenced times during which he operated, but which have stood the test of time with aplomb. Vieux Chateau Champs de Mars ??????Johanna??????--Regis' top wine, from Merlot between 70 and 120 years of age planted in the sandy clay-limestone of the Castillon-Cotes de Bordeaux appellation.

Sometimes a winegrower is too far ahead of their time to be properly appreciated during their career. Regis Moro, along with his wife Therese and son Sebastien, founded Vieux Chateau Champs de Mars in the early 1980s, in the rolling hills of the Castillon-Cotes de Bordeaux appellation, mere kilometers from the Amoreau family??????s legendary Chateau Le Puy.

Locale is not all Moro shared with Le Puy, however: Regis took a similarly rigorous approach in his vineyards, working organically from the outset and gradually incorporating biodynamic treatments; he also adopted low-intervention cellar work, favoring spontaneous fermentations, eschewing temperature control and new oak, and bottling very gently and naturally.

Moro??????s focus on farming and fermentation over flashiness, however, put him out of step with his era, a time during which the rise of powerful critics steered Bordeaux well off-course from traditional practices and into the realm of big extraction, big oak, and big impact. While gaining recognition in certain circles?even garnering ??????Winemaker of the Year?????? in the influential French publication Le Point in the early 2000s?Regis?????? project never quite took off in the way he hoped (or, we think, deserved), and in 2022 he sold his vineyards and winery to the Amoreau family, longtime friends and supporters.

Along with the acreage and the cellar, the Amoreaus were thrilled to obtain a treasure trove of older vintages which had lain undisturbed since they were bottled. The sandy clay-limestone terroir of Champs de Mars is beautifully suited to Merlot, which comprises 80% of the wine??????s blend, complemented by 20% Cabernet Franc. Named after his granddaughter, ??????Johanna?????? was Regis Moro??????s top wine, containing his oldest vines (70 years on average, with a parcel planted in 1904) and employing a more serious elevage than the basic cement-aged Champs de Mars bottling. The 2000 Johanna was hand-harvested, destemmed completely, given a 48-hour pre-fermentation maceration, and vinified in 50-hectoliter tronconic oak casks for 60 days with manual punch-downs; it then spent 18 months in well-used 225-liter barrels clarifying naturally, and was bottled without fining or filtration.

Organic

Capitan Fanegas is the personal project of Mario Ruiz-Clavijo from the historic Bodegas Marques de Arviza in Rioja. The philosophy behind the Capitan Fanegas wines is to make single vineyard expressions of Rioja that reflect and express the sites they come from. The wines are vinos de author; unique representations that are true to the Rioja style.

For 6 months the wine is aged over fine lees. After it was racked to remove the sediments and lees. Then the wine was aged for an extra 12 months without any racking and no sulphur added until bottling giving a total aging in concrete of 18 months. The philosophy is to age the wine with a a hands off approach to avoid oxidation, because Graciano is an easy oxidative variety. Aging in concrete tank gives the wine and extra refinement. Porosity provides a very interesting evolution to the wine like the micro oxygenation in the barrel, but without added flavor or added aromatic impact. With this process, the evolution and maturity of the fruit of the wine is enhanced and helps to maintain the purity of the Graciano character.

It??????s aromas of red and black fruits, floral and some spicy notes, are typical of the Graciano variety. Also, some hints of leather, tabaco, iron, licorice and other tertiary notes given naturally by the variety. The palate is fleshy, powerful, tasty, and spicy with a long and very elegant finish. The tannins on this wine are big but elegant. Due the hands off process we use during aging, we highly recommend decanting the wine prior tasting.