Joe D'Angelo

9.4

The 'Cuvée 1911' is an absolutely thrilling bottle of Champagne from winemaker Jean-François Clouet. Composed of 100% Pinot Noir, which sourced from Clouet’s ten best lieux-dits in the Grand Cru villages of Bouzy and Ambonnay. This Cuvée is a blend of vintages, primarialy consisting of 2008, with ’07, ’09, ’10 finishing the blend. It spent more than 6 years aging on its lees before its disgorgement in November, 2017. The wine itself is simply remarkable, as it is beautifully intense on the nose, with aromatics of Pazazz apple, toast, florals and minerals all instantly drawing you in. Even more captivating is its combination of weight, tension and gorgeous textural compisition. Wonderful flavors of orchard fruits and citrus continue to impress as they come together with a beautiful salinity character which persists through the pretty finish. An absolutely striking Champagne, which will continue to evolve gracefully for many years. — 5 years ago

with Dr.

Joe D'Angelo

9.9

The 2016 Sot-Monopole is utterly fascinating. This is the first vintage which famed Bordeaux consultant Eric Boissenot has worked along side Cristiano Veglio, and the result is simply magnificent. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Sot-Monopole Grand Cru which is situated on the Carpegna hillside in Serralunga. This was vinified in French oak barrels for over 40-days prior to spending 18-months in new French oak barriques and an additional year in bottle prior to release. The wine itself instantly impresses as it opens to seductive aromas of ripe blackberries, black cherries, violets, tobacco, graphite and spices all come together beautifully and burst from the glass. On the palate this possesses a gorgeous full body with outstanding overall structure and balance. It goes on to impress as it displays a remarkable combination of both power and finesse, as layers of wonderful ripe dark fruits gracefully build and expand on to the long polished finish. It is certinaly special to taste such a fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon, but the fact that this comes from within the commune of Barolo makes it even more interesting. There were only 75 cases of this exceptional wine produced in 2016. — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.3

The 2018 'Scharzhof' Riesling is a sensational release from Egon Müller. This elegant Riesling opens to gorgeous aromatics of lime, elderflowers and crushed slate that all come together in the glass. The palate is simply electric, as this slightly off-dry Riesling simply dazzles with its wonderful minerality and bright mouth watering acidity. Showing incredible purity and precision this Riesling thoroughly impresses from start to finish. This is absolutely stunning today and should also go on to drink beautifully over the course of the next decade. — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.5

Viña Almaviva has earned the status as one of Chile’s most prestigious wines, and the 2014 certainly possesses the qualities to live up to that esteemed reputation. This utterly captivating blend includes 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carmenère, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, which spent 18 months in new French oak. Displaying an impressive dark, inky color, this sensational red blend opens to profound aromatics of ripe blackberries and dark currants woven together with spices and cigar box, underlined by savory herbs, roasted coffee and dark chocolate nuances, which all beautifully take shape together. Full-bodied and remarkably structured this continues to impress with its remarkable depth and concentration, as layers of ripe dark fruits are framed by exotic spices. This continues to impress, as it shows excellent poise through the long multidemsional finish. While its pedigree is already quite apparent, this will demand at least a few years of bottle age before it will hit its stride. Nevertheless a sensational, age-worthy wine, which will thrive in the cellar for many years to come — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.5

The 2014 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet is an absolutely sensational showing in this vintage. As this stunning chardonnay slowly begins to unwind it releases striking aromatics of fresh orchard fruits, lemon oil, citrus blossoms, crushed stones with underlying hints of oyster shell and flint that all develop beautifully in the glass. On the palate this possesses a simply gorgeous texture, with wonderful overall balance and precision. This continues to display remarkable combination of acidity and minerality all the way through the pretty finish. While this is clearly on the youthful side, it is still extremely impressive, especially if allowed some time to unwind. The 2014 should go on to age brilliantly for quite some time, and should certainly become even more compelling as it develops over time. — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.2

The Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino is a superb showing in 2011, offering seductive aromas of blackberries, ripe plum, dried tobacco, leather, sweet spices, floral and hints of white truffle which build in the glass. This stunning Rosso continues to dazzle with its wonderful balance and finesse as it makes a seamless transition onto the long, silky finish. There should be no issues cellaring this for a decade, however this already has so much to offer and is extremely open and accessible. The grapes selection for the Rosso are the exact same as for the Brunello, the only difference in the two are the vinification and aging process. This is a world-class Rosso and should not be missed. — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.9

The 2012 Grand Vin from Kapcsàndy is an absolutely fascinating wine, which is composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot. This fabulous wine instantly impresses as it bursts open to a seductive nose, with captivating aromas of sweet ripe black currants, blueberries, violets, graphite and hints of sweet spices all taking shape. This goes on to impress with its full-bodied richness and gorgeous plush, utterly seamless texture that gracefully envelops the palate. It displays wonderful overall balance, concentration and depth with enough structure to support the layers of ripe dark fruits that expand all the way through the beautiful long finish. The 2012 Grand Vin has it all and is clearly one of the finest wines from this vintage. While this is certainly nothing short of marvelous today, it also possesses the characteristics that will allow this to age marvelously for decades. — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.4

The 1994 La Mission Haut-Brion is absolutely fabulous and looks to be one of the top wines from this vintage. It begins with stunning aromas of dried cherries and currants along with leather, tobacco, dried spices and hints of cured meat that all take shape in the glass. On the palate this is absolutely seamless, with beautifully resolved tannins and notable depth and this glides effortlessly into the elegant finish. This is still showing remarkable well after 25 years, and should offer a drinking window that could span another decade. — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.3

The 2006 Dream Vintage is a beautiful wine from Clouet. It displays a beautiful golden color and offers wonderful aromatics of apples and poached pear along with buttered brioche, white florals, salty minerals and a touch of hazelnut praline. On the palate this is broad shouldered, with plenty of depth, yet it remains precise and beautifully balanced with a lovely combination of acidity and minerality that persists through the finish. While this fantastic Champagne is drinking remarkably well today, it could also last another decade. — 5 years ago

Joe D'Angelo

9.2

The 2016 Crozes-Hermitage is bright and vivid, with aromas of dark wild berries, fresh flowers, dark olives, white pepper and a gorgeous saline character that all takes shape as this unwinds in the glass. On the palate this is medium-bodied with a wonderful velvety texture backed by a racy core that shows a wonderful combination of acidity and minerality that leads up the the mouthwatering finish. This continues to become more compelling as it sits in the glass, and its freshness makes it appealing today, however it should go on to evolve beautifully over the course of the next decade. — 5 years ago