fr

A smooth, beautifully rich wine with great swathes of ripe fruit. The wine is concentrated and dense, showing the best of the year with its fine, ripe fruits. Age for 3C4 years.

fr

There's a great structure here, and the wine is rich with prominent, firm tannins. It has the long-term potential to be an impressively structured wine, with the fruit balancing it out.

it

There's a strong fruit component to this Brunello that adds to the general softness and plushness of its cheerful personality. Blueberry, raspberry and fresh cherry are backed by subtle touches of smoke and moist pipe tobacco. Espresso and chocolate appear on the close and the acidity is not too sharp.

es

Hatched from the modern model, this dark, oaky Tempranillo is saturated in color, with flush, potent aromas of boysenberry, wood spice and lead pencil. It's lively and bringing the volume, while flavors of charred, savory blackberry and barbecue end in a crusty tasting finish with some heat. Drink now through 2018.

fr

While it is certainly dry, this Champagne also has a rich, toasty character, with crisp acidity. It is tight and minerally, reveling in ripe fruit flavors. The wine balances some toasty age with delicious, citrus fruit.

US

Good price for a Pinot Noir this elegant and delicious. It's dry and firm, with zesty acidity and some furry tannins. Flavors of raspberries, cola and buttered cinnamon toast lead to a long, spicy finish. Decant it an hour or two before drinking.

za

Fleshy fruit tones of cherry, plum, blackberry and raspberry all abound on the nose of this G-S-M blend, alongside secondary hints of black pepper and cured meat. There's a nice evolution to the medium-weight palate, which starts off with fruity dominance but then transitions to spice, followed by sweet smoke and finally ends of a decadent mocha flavor. It's firmly textured with gripping tannins and a long finish.

ar

Earthy, complex aromas of tobacco, cedar, herbs, raspberry and currant are intriguing and high in quality. In the mouth, this blend of 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon is a bit tannic, with ribald flavors of nutmeg, plum, blackberry and tobacco. For $15, it's dynamite in terms of intensity and really good in terms of flavors.

US

This is a dry, finely acidic Syrah, whose sour cherry and tart persimmon flavors have just a touch of smoky new oak. It's not offering everything it has, but hangs back a little, teasing with nuance and subtlety. A very good Syrah that's drinking well now and should age well over the next 5C7 years.

fr

A wine with great density. Along with firm tannins, this has a dark and chunky character. Under the tannins, great swathes of fruit surge through the tannins, bringing out black-currant-juice flavors.

it

Bonacchi makes several expressions of Brunello. Molino del Piano is a ripe and plush wine with some savory aromas of cured meat and leather backed by Indian spice and black currant. Despite the ripeness, firm structure gives the wine austerity.

US

A huge wine that's beautiful to drink now. Offers blasts of orange and apricot jam, ripe tropical fruit, vanilla, buttered toast, honey and spice flavors, yet never loses control. The blend is a creative one of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, and while it could be clumsy in lesser hands, winemaker Kirk Venge displays his deft touch.

fr

A smooth mint- and eucalyptus-flavored wine, with burnt-tannin flavors and a hugely dry core. The wine is very firm, the juicy acidity and fruit underneath just a whisper for the future. Give the wine at least 6C7 years.

fr

A classically structured, stalky Bordeaux, with added superripe fruit. The result is a wine with firm, young tannins that merge with the juicy sweet black currant and intense fruitiness to finish. For medium-term aging.

fr

A wine that's straight down the line, firmly structured and with solid fruit for the future. There is weight and richness, a sense of power waiting to show in the future. With its density, anticipate aging this wine for at least 6C7 years.

fr

A solid, fruity wine supported by ripe tannins. The wine has a good sense of its rich self, a fine presence of ripe plum fruit flavors and a warm texture. There is a fine juicy aftertaste.

it

This dark and brawny wine opens with savory notes of black pepper and cured meat backed by prune and dried currants. The wine has aged well and shows bright acidity on the long finish.

US

Great structure on this Cab, with firm tannins and a fine hit of acidity. It's ripe and appealing with black cherries, cherry liqueur, vanilla and oak. Already throwing significant sediment, it should continue to evolve in interesting ways for a few more years.

it

Brunello Il Marroneto offers a touch of ripeness in the form of cherry fruit, vanilla cream, cinnamon and caramel. Sharp acidity in the backdrop definitely puts all that soft roundness into perspective. The wine is etched, austere and firmly structured.

es

This blend of 66% Touriga Nacional and one-third Syrah is unique for es but qualifies as international in style. Cola, blueberry and floral aromas dominate, giving way to an easy feeling palate with cola, molasses, brown sugar and blackberry flavors. It's flavorful and rich but not overly complex or layered; drink this magnum now through 2017.