International Super Premiums

Tre Bicchieri, Gambero Rosso. Wine Advocate 95 points. This bottle is a true ambassador for Umbria. You get ample varietal tones in the 2016 Montefalco Sagrantino 25 Anni, with bitter chocolate and baking spice, but Caprai does a terrific job of softening up and fleshing out the Sagrantino grape to display a more contemporary and ultimately more approachable and versatile wine. It boasts a huge, bold and opulent mouthfeel with plenty of structure and determination. This was a release of 15,000 bottles. ML Jul 2021.

James Suckling 98 points. Blackberry, blackcurrant and mint with some sage and crushed-stone undertones. Full-bodied with chewy tannins that are in-check and nicely polished. Smoke, toasted oak and bark at the end, complementing the fresh yet ripe fruit. Drink after 2024. JS Antonio Galloni 98 points. The 2018 Georges de Latour is the best young vintage of the flagship wine I have ever tasted. AG. For more than 100 years, Beaulieu Vineyard has set the benchmark for rich, classic Napa Valley wines. The Napa Valley region enjoyed a stunning, near picture-perfect 2018 growing season. The resulting 2018 Cabernets are of very high quality, for a...

James Suckling 99 points. This is so perfumed and seductive, with blackberries, cherries, dried flowers and perfume. It’s full-bodied and tight with very fine tannins. Really structured and long. Superb tannin texture. So fine, yet so powerful. This is an incredible combination of fruit and structure. Old-vine magic. Drink after 2026. JS.

James Suckling 97 points. 20th year anniversary special bottling. James Suckling Notes 97 Points, "Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured. Try after 2025." 8/21 #TUSCANS

Organic. Ownership: Eric Albada Jelgersma, also owner of Chateau Giscours and Chateau du Tertre in Margaux, France. Wine Advocate 95 points. Tasted as an unfinished sample, the Caiarossa 2018 Caiarossa offers great insight into the forward-looking trajectory and the solid quality record of this gem of an estate on the Tuscan Coast. This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante, with the saturated and dark fruit aromas of the Cabernet grapes in pole position. A deep core of black fruit is backed by exotic spice, tar and sweet licorice at the back. The finest work here is to the...

100 Points, Luca Gardini, Gardini Notes: "Bright and dense ruby red. The nose is clean, with clear aromas of blackberry, and notes of rosemary and eucalyptus. Brackish finish with balsamic touches. The mouthfeel has great tension and depth with fine tannins and a fresh saline finish. Pomegranate and aromatic herbs return, of great drinkability. The culmination of Paolo Panerai's project, from Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera. Blueberry jam and Mediterranean shrubs on the nose, in the mouth there’s savory tannins and a balsamic finish." 96 points Goergina Hindle (Decanter): "Lovely abundance and expression on the nose, you get that perfect...

Wine Advocate 95 points. The 2017s feel relaxed, something unusual in Priorat. The 2017 Clos Martinet has seen a change, as they stopped using the sorting table and stopped using the pied de cuve, because the harvest was very easy. They harvested in August—the earliest ever until 2018—and they didn't have time to do anything; so, they put the grapes in the vats and let them ferment, and that's what they have been doing ever since. They feel that there is less manipulation of the grapes now, and that could have helped to make wines more relaxed. This is truly harmonious and expressive, elegant and powerful, not showing any heat—in fact,...

Wine Advocate 95 points. Made with certified organic fruit, the Col d'Orcia 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento is open-knit and big both in intensity and mouthfeel. This full-bodied Riserva graces us with budding tertiary notes of tobacco and cured leather, but the ripe and fundamentally very rich fruit of this vintage remains firm at its core. You also get cola, licorice and grilled rosemary. This vineyard site sees ancient soils with an important component of well-draining sand, and this helps to concentrate flavors. The wine's fruit weight is large-scale for sure, and it's more than enough to soften the 15% alcohol in...

James Suckling 100 points. ""It's full-bodied with lots of gentle tannins that spread across the palate. The character is full of blackberry, blackcurrant and lead pencil. Some conifer and pine needles. Sage at the end, too. Savory. So long-lasting and layered. Such purity."" Wine Advocate (98-100) Composed of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot, the deep garnet-purple 2018 Proprietary Red has a fantastically fragrant nose of candied violets, red roses, Morello cherries and blackcurrant pastilles with hints of wild blueberries, red currant jelly, iron ore and forest floor, plus a waft of cinnamon stick....

JAMES SUCKLING 99 POINTS - "So much crushed stone, rosemary, lavender, mint and blackberry. Full-bodied and very structured with layers of powerful and polished tannins. It goes on for minutes. Ink, blackcurrants and blueberries. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Needs at least five or six years to open." Wine Advocate: 97 Points. "My article on icon wines from Tuscany focuses primarily on releases from the 2018 vintage. Fattoria le Pupille releases its top wine, the 2019 Saffredi, earlier than the rest. This blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot is explosive. The percentage of Cabernet...

Wine Advocate 96 points. A blend of 49% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Estate Cuvée has a very deep purple-black color and explosive nose of black cherry and boysenberry preserves, crème de cassis, cedar, violet, burnt orange peel, baker’s chocolate, thyme, grilled meats, loamy earth and Indian spices. The silky, full-bodied palate is expansive, spicy and floral laced, with a firm but incredibly pixelated frame and great freshness on the long, dense finish. This merits another 3-5 years in bottle at least. EB Feb 2020. #USA

James Suckling: 99 Points Sophisticated aromas of lead pencil, graphite and blackcurrant. Hints of black olives and herbs, too. Full-bodied, yet tight and deep, with super precision and intensity to the tannins. Incredible balance of structure and finesse to this. Give it time in the cellar. Better after 2027. #100

Wine Advocate 92 A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Sangiovese, the Tenuta Luce 2019 Lucente reveals a very pretty dark ruby color over medium concentration. The wine boasts a very lively bouquet with plump cherry fruit, blackberry, sweet spice and toast. At its core, Lucente is a contemporary and international wine with elegant Italian styling and evergreen appeal in both domestic and foreign markets. This softly layered Italian red would pair with your favorite dishes at your neighborhood Italian restaurant. It ages in new and neutral oak for 12 months. Decanter 92 Beautiful nose filled with blackcurrant and cherries and a rich milk chocolate...

James Suckling: 96 Points The freshness and the floral aromas with citrus fruit and berries are startling for a 2017. The palate is full and extremely refined with elegant tannins and vivid fruit and orange-peel undertones. Racy and bright at the finish. Drink or hold. Decanter: 95 Points March 19th 2020 was the 25th anniversary of Luce, a relatively young project founded by the Mondavi and Frescobaldi families in Montalcino. Despite the obvious cancellation of the event, the 2017 vintage celebrates this birthday properly. Luce is one of the few Super Tuscans of Montalcino. Compared to Brunello it is blended with Merlot adding suppleness and...

Jane Anson 97 points. 80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is savoury, dry in the best possible way, with a ton of red fruits, dried roses and herbs, and waves of fragrance. It’s a successful blend where the Sangiovese is dominant, conferring the wine with its warm personality but the Cabernet Sauvignon adds a touch of austerity to the tannins and a sense of quiet confidence. Turmeric and olive tapenade as it opens, alongside raspberry, red cherry and smoky oak, the whole thing both extremely delicate and intensely fragrant. Can drink now with a short carafe - there are tannins here but they are well defined and finely layered -...

James Suckling 97 points. "Extremely perfumed and crystal clear with violets, plums, raspberries, walnuts and black olives. It's medium to full bodied with very fine tannins that are extremely polished and refined. The length is long and very precise. Chocolates and hazelnuts. This is the 25th anniversary of this fine merlot and Sangiovese. Hard not to enjoy now but better after 2022." Wine Advocate 94-96. Tasted from barrel, the Mazzei 2018 Siepi is a dark and robust Tuscan red with a heavy center of gravity. This medium to full-bodied blend of Sangiovese and Merlot offers plenty of spice, plum, tobacco and blue flower. This wine offers...

James Suckling 98 points. "This is a really racy and fine Siepi with currant, black-cherry and dark-chocolate character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with very long, intense tannins that are linear and fine-textured. Really builds on the palate. Super structure. Finesse with power." Castello di Fonterutoli owned by Mazzei family since 1435, has always been a model farm, still managed today with the same kind of respect. Siepi results of the foresight in the early 1980s to plant Merlot as the ideal grape to complement Sangiovese and to produce a wine which is perfectly balanced between elegance, power and complexity. The 2019 harvest recalls...

James Suckling 96 points "Really beautiful aromas of crushed blackberry, brambleberry, hazelnut, walnut, and light coffee, following through to a full yet so reserved and polished body with fine, creamy-textured tannins. Fresh and exquisite finish." #GEM

The iconic Argentinian. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Malbec. RP96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata was produced with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon from Gualtallary (Adrianna vineyard, with the Cabernet Sauvignon interplanted with some Cabernet Franc) and 35% Malbec from Altamira (Nicasia vineyard). They no longer use grapes from Agrelo, and this is also a lot higher in Malbec than in other recent vintages. So, it has a very different profile, a charge that started in 2017, with more contained ripeness and more freshness, and the wine is intense, keeping some of the Cabernet character (tobacco, blackberries) and the...

James Suckling: 95 Points 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. Decanter: 94 Points A lot going on the nose here; coffee, leather, blackcurrant, black cherries. This is amazing from the start, such incredible texture, grip and depth of flavours which are dark and rich, full of black liquorice, tar, coffee grounds and menthol aspects that just coat the whole mouth. This feels quite serious - it's rich, layered, so deep and heady, structured but so...

Case includes 5 x bottles of 'standard' label and 1 x bottle of the limited edition artist label. WA 97 "This is a beautiful expression of coastal Tuscany and the sunny Mediterranean. The Ornellaia 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia (a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot) pours from the bottle with a specific darkness that has elements of both inky saturation and ruby highlights. The wine is saturated and rich—this is something you notice off the bat—but it also reveals a pleasing lightness or grace that is transmitted to both the bouquet and the palate. Dark fruit, pressed blackberry and...

Luca Gardini 100 points. James Suckling 99 points. Wine Spectator 97 points Wine Advocate 97 points: "Made with organic Merlot grapes, the Petrolo 2019 Galatrona is soft and luscious, spreading evenly over the palate with elegance and sweeping intensity. The bouquet shows dark fruit, black cherry and sweet prune. Those dark fruit tones are woven into pretty layers of spice, leather and perfumed tobacco. I like the tight, compact, yet fundamentally rich quality that is part of the mouthfeel in this important vintage. This wine could be considered a bit lighter and more ethereal compared to recent past releases, but I found that all the wines...

Wine Advocate 98 points. The 2019 Seña was produced with a Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It's 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy...

Tawny styles refer to fortified wines that have been blended using red grape varietals, which in the Barossa, typically include Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre. Often, Tawny styles are carefully blended from a range of vintage years to achieve a consistent style and minimum age. The 21 year old Para Tawny however stands alone as a single vintage wine, whereby the most select parcels of 2000 vintage wine are drawn from barrel and bottled as a special celebratory release. 97 Points, 2022 Halliday Wine Companion – Tyson Stelzer “Grenache/shiraz/mourvèdre; matured 21 years in old oak hogsheads; fortified with brandy spirit. The legendary...

Gold Medal, 95 Points awarded at the 2021 Royal Adelaide Wine Show AWARD 94 Points awarded by Tyson Stelzer, 2022 Halliday Wine Companion AWARD ★★★★★ - Winestate Magazine 2020 Wine Show Results AWARD 94 Points Wine Enthusiast 93 Points awarded by James Suckling, International Wine Critic Para Grand Tawny is the result of careful blending of individual vintage parcels to achieve an average age of 10 years. Patiently matured in oak barrels within the historic cellars of Seppeltsfield, Para Grand Tawny displays hallmark palate richness and finesse. Para is an indigenous Australian reference to 'river', and the name of the local...

94 Points – Tyson Stelzer, Halliday Wine Companion 94 Points – Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast 93 Points – jamessuckling.com 90 Points – Joe Czerwinski, Robert Park Wine Advocate Para Rare Tawny is the result of careful blending of individual vintage parcels to achieve an average age of 15 years. Patiently matured in oak barrels within the historic cellars of Seppeltsfield, Para Rare Tawny displays complex aromatic spices and remarkable palate length. Para is an indigenous Australian reference to 'river', and the name of the local regions major watercourse. #PORT

James Suckling 99 points. "Wow. Fantastic aromas of blackberries, currants, minerals, violets and graphite. Full-bodied with firm, silky tannins that are incredibly polished and intense, yet ever so refined and integrated in the wine. It goes on for minutes. The is one of the best modern-day Orenos so far. Best in 2025 and onwards." 07/21. Wine Advocate The Tenuta Sette Ponti 2019 Oreno celebrates the wine's 20th anniversary (1999-2019) with a special label and a heavy glass bottle. This blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot is beautifully ripe and generous with impeccable fruit throughout. Its primary intensity is delivered...

James Suckling 97 points. 50% merlot, 30% Cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc. This is a tight and powerful Orma with solid tannins that beautifully frame the fruit in the wine. Full-bodied and focused with intense structure and fruit character. Perhaps the best Orma ever. Give this four or five years to open. Try after 2025.

OWC 6. James Suckling 95 points. This is the Californian venture of Gonzague and Claire Lurton (owners of such reknowned Bordeaux estates inter alia as Durfort Vivens, Haut Bages Liberal). Cabernet Sauvignon 85% , Merlot 9 %, Cabernet Franc 6% Winemaker Notes Continuing the string of great vintages, 2014 completes the trifecta of extremely high quality growing seasons. The 2014s exhibit a great purity of place, with generous fruit and elegant textures The 2014 shows the purity and excellence of our Cabernet Sauvignon. Subtle and energetic plum and currant aromas follow through to a georgously harmonized palate of wonderfull fruit and ultra...