Bill Belanger

9.5

Even more of a knockout!! FULL mouthfeel, with overwhelming sour cherry and dark plum. — 5 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.4

If you have any 2012 Altamonts this is a great time to drink them. Brilliant, sunshiny fruit and wonderfully melted tannins. It has clarity, depth and finesse right now with just enough acidity to keep the mid palate lifted. A real knockout vintage that may not get much better with time. Very harmonious. — 6 years ago

Gil Krakowsky

9.3

Just a stunner. Nose is a knockout while still remaining elegant. White flowers, salted water, kaffir lime, white peach, underipe kiwi, maybe even some yellow plum. Great body and pithy pomelo on the palate, along with some kind of herbal simple syrup I’ve tasted before. Not getting as much overt flintiness as previous vintages. Finish brings more creamy orange (creamsicle???) and maybe orange green star notes. Fantastic — 7 years ago

David L

9.6

Knockout champagne! — 8 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.6

Deep, bright medium red. Knockout nose combines dark raspberry, clove, licorice, white pepper, minerals and earth. Conveys incredible inner-mouth lift considering its thickness of texture and spicy intensity. Really spreads out to saturate the palate. Saline, superconcentrated, pungently mineral wine with a firm tannic spine, integrated acidity and extraordinary rising length and solidity. This is almost painful today... (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, Mar 2017) — 8 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

What a knockout nose. Huge berry fruit. High toned and very precise. Palate it silky with layered and juicy fruit with a bright fresh character. Super crunchy Alpine goodness. Amazing freshness and an appealing opulence as well due to the warmth of 2015. So balanced. — 9 years ago

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9.4

The 2016 Poggio Valente is a total knockout. Ample and resonant, with tremendous richness, the 2016 is fabulous from the very first taste. A whole rush of Sangiovese aromas and flavors build as this potent, full-bodied, pure Sangiovese shows off its considerable power. Hints of tobacco, cedar and mint add the closing shades of dimension. The 2016 was aged in 500-600L. French and Slovakian oak, with a touch of Hungarian and Austrian wood for greater complexity. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2020)
— 6 years ago

Will Stanley

9.0

Knockout old school Syrah from the northern Rhône. Funky as hell even after two hours in the decanter but after that began to open up very nicely indeed. Was at its best on the second night. — 6 years ago

Raj Harb

9.8

Knockout. Incredible balance and depth. Fully integrated and mature. Smoke, mushroom, earth, tar, roasted meat. Very long. Much better than 99 — 7 years ago

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9.3

Pale straw yellow. Very refined aromas of white flowers, beeswax and white stone fruit. Fresh and lively with vibrant orchard fruit, mint and green apple flavors. Long and bright on the clean crystalline finish. A knockout Pinot Bianco that is truly mesmerizing on the nose. (Ian D'Agata, Vinous, May 2018) — 7 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.6

True knockout! Powerful, dense, opulent, exotic-- I can think of many superlatives to describe the 2005. Simply a bombastic and unapologetic wine with loads of fruit and great tension, this flooded my palate with power and complexity. This has at least another 10 years of superb drinking in store, it almost pains me that we opened it so young but it was an absolute delight to drink with braised duck and lamb meatballs. A top-notch vintage from a true master of the Southern Rhone. Well worth seeking out, you can confidently hold this vintage for several more years. — 8 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.2

Lighter color than Narbantons. Big exuberant nose, ripe with dark cherries, some spice, some mineral, some earth, terrific balance and has that intense Lavieres structure. A bit more closed than the previous wines. Very very pure. Juicy and complex. This needs to be layed down. Fresh and balanced. So pure and fresh. The fruit is the star now but in 4-5 years this will be a knockout. — 9 years ago

Vinous Favorites

Delicious wines for less than $25 chosen by Vinous critics

9.1

This dense, vibrant wine from old vines is a knockout in the superb 2014 vintage. Orange blossom and crushed stone scents lead to a concentrated, youthfully firm palate boasting terrific lift to its citrus and saline chalky flavors. The long, mineral finish ensures good aging potential. (ST) — 9 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

Vibrant red. Minerals and violet complement lively red cherry and raspberry aromas on the incisive nose. Then enticingly fresh and well-balanced, with captivating violet inner-mouth perfume to the steely red and black fruit flavors that linger impressively. The delicately peppery finish features polished if youthful tannins and noteworthy purity of fruit. Knockout 2015 Brunello, one of the top half dozen of the year. (Ian D'Agata, Vinous, April 2020)
— 6 years ago

Jason Koh

9.5

gorgeously perfumed, vosne spice, absolutely sexy knockout nose; color is lighter than CLB’s vosne, but impossibly deeper flavors. Never shut down after opening, slight reduction quickly blew off and kept getting more and more complex. Delicious!! — 6 years ago

JJ Lumia

9.3

A semi vertical comparison. The 2012 is really, really good. The 2015 is a knockout. Full-bodied and supple. Robust flavor showing blackberry, currant, rose petal, and iron shavings. A long, lingering finish. I got this in the $20s and it’s a steal. Would be a good introduction to bordeaux beginners. — 7 years ago

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9.4

Bright red with a pale rim. Knockout aromas and flavors of spicy red cherry, licorice, cedar and aromatic herbs. Clean, ripe and round, with saline nuances lingering nicely on the smooth but very lively finish. A classic Brunello from Voliero. (Ian D'Agata, Vinous, April 2018) — 8 years ago

Gregory Knaps

9.3

2015. Knockout. — 8 years ago

Sasha Agapov

9.6

Massive with a knockout acidic punch. Yes, please. Thanks @Paul Wasserman for the treat. — 8 years ago

Stacy Markow

9.1

Aromatically this had a subtle smoke, sweet red fruit, and even a toasted marshmallow thing going on (I stand behind it). On the palate it's light and bright and just right. With some age on this it'd be a knockout — 9 years ago