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2016 Barolo: Right Place, Right Time (Feb 2020)

The 2016 Barolo Prapò is the most closed and inward of the wines in this range, as it so often is. Iron, savory herbs, menthol, licorice, lavender, macerated dark cherry, dried flowers and sinewy Serralunga tannins give the 2016 its distinctive personality. Aeration brings out that beguiling mix of floral, savory and earhty overtones that…

The 2022 Champagne New Releases (May 2022)

The 2011 Comtes de Champagne remains a challenging wine. Short, compact and lacking in complexity, the 2011 just doesn’t have that much to offer. On a more positive note, there’s good freshness and fewer of the vegetal notes I saw a few years ago. This is the best showing yet for the 2011.

Champagne: 2021 New Releases (Nov 2021)

So far I have tasted two bottles of the 2011 Comtes de Champagne. The first was strongly vegetal, with angular contours and virtually no fruit; the second was unyielding and compact, with no mid-palate and no finish to speak of. To say the 2011 is far off the mark would be a massive understatement. Perhaps,…

Bordeaux 2018: Not Back in Black (Mar 2021)

Just as it was from barrel, the 2018 Duhart-Milon is a real powerhouse. Black cherry, gravel, spice, espresso and savory herbs infuse the 2018 with notable depth and power. A brooding, virile wine, the Duhart-Milon packs a serious punch. I would give it a few years to soften. The 2018 has really come together since…

The Future’s Not What It Was: Bordeaux 2018 (Nov 2019)

The 2018 Duhart-Milon was helped by light rain on August 28 and September 5 that nudged ripening back on track after a period of drought. It has a very well-defined bouquet of blackberry, bilberry, oyster shells and tobacco, focused and intense. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, but there is real backbone and a…

Central Tuscany: Maremma, Montepulciano and Beyond (Mar 2019)

The 2015 Matarocchio, 100% Cabernet Franc, offers a breathtaking expression of the textural creaminess and radiance that makes the best wines from Bolgheri so alluring. Spice, truffle, espresso, mocha and raspberry jam give the 2015 a decidedly exotic feel. The explosive energy and aromatic intensity of Franc are on full display. The 2015 is a…