The Outsiders: Modern Greats From Across The World

Release date: 2/9/2021

The 25th anniversary vintage, and an excellent showcase of the supple, nuanced fruits of this wine. Plenty of black cherry and bilberry puree, pure but layered. It has the rich depths that alwaysThe 25th anniversary vintage, and an excellent showcase of the supple, nuanced fruits of this wine. Plenty of black cherry and bilberry puree, pure but layered. It has the rich depths that always delivers, where things are almost too much and yet not quite enough, still leaving you wanting more. Fragrant raspberry leaf becomes clearer as it opens in the glass, as does the saline minerality and a smoky finish, with the tannins becoming more delicate by the minute, highlighting freshness and juice. Located in the Aconguacgua foothills, following biodynamic farming. Tasted twice. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)

Extraordinary aromas of white peaches, apricots, vanilla and flowers. Full-bodied and very sweet with so much sweet and dried fruit, such as apricots and tangerines, yet it maintains citrusyExtraordinary aromas of white peaches, apricots, vanilla and flowers. Full-bodied and very sweet with so much sweet and dried fruit, such as apricots and tangerines, yet it maintains citrusy freshness and texture, with a long, very sweet finish. Always energetic and vivid. Great length to this. Goes on for minutes. It’s a sweet wine to drink when young, to marvel over the intensity and verve, yet also one to age for decades. Drink or hold. Rating: 98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Aug 2021)

This wine has yet to be tasted by ourselves or critics, so we have no notes to provide.This wine has yet to be tasted by ourselves or critics, so we have no notes to provide.L&S (Aug 2021)

A sit up and take notice wine. Inky colour, smooth tannins, still young and crouched but already combining subtlety and confidence. On the palate, you get a wall of liquorice, crushed cardamom,A sit up and take notice wine. Inky colour, smooth tannins, still young and crouched but already combining subtlety and confidence. On the palate, you get a wall of liquorice, crushed cardamom, rosemary, cassis, liqueur, all expertly delivered by winemaker Fernando Buscema. Sensational wine. Tasted twice, same impression each time, of a wine full of life and interest. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Sept 2021)

The 2018 Clos Apalta is 64% Carménère, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot from Apalta, Colchagua, aged for 24 months in 85% new barrels. The ripe, complex, clear nose offers prune, blueberries andThe 2018 Clos Apalta is 64% Carménère, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot from Apalta, Colchagua, aged for 24 months in 85% new barrels. The ripe, complex, clear nose offers prune, blueberries and blackberries along with pepper, tobacco, rosemary, cigar box and a whiff of smoke. Creamy and broad in the mouth with good volume, a firm flow and contained structure. The tannins set the tone while the mellow freshness underlines the sugary profile. A genuine Michel Rolland wine made during a year of subtle flavors. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 96 Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous.com (Jun 2022)

The opaque blue/purple-colored 2011 Palmer reveals a stunning bouquet of licorice, truffles, camphor, spring flowers, black raspberries and black currants. One of the superstars of the vintage, thisThe opaque blue/purple-colored 2011 Palmer reveals a stunning bouquet of licorice, truffles, camphor, spring flowers, black raspberries and black currants. One of the superstars of the vintage, this brilliant 2011 possesses superb concentration and purity, medium to full body, and remarkable length of close to a minute. A tour de force in winemaking, the Palmer team merits accolades for achieving this level of quality in a more challenging vintage than either 2009 or 2010. The “wine of the vintage” in Margaux, tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare, a final blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a severe selection (only 55% of the production made it into Palmer) are the reasons for this success. Winemaker Thomas Duroux continues to fine tune this already brilliant estate, producing first-growth quality wines year after year. Rating: 96 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2014)

The 2019 Cote a Cote might be the best yet, offering an incredible perfume of jammy blackberries, spice, and violets. The purity of fruit is stunning. It’s full-bodied, has a seamless, elegantThe 2019 Cote a Cote might be the best yet, offering an incredible perfume of jammy blackberries, spice, and violets. The purity of fruit is stunning. It’s full-bodied, has a seamless, elegant texture, and is just a heavenly wine in the making. The blend is similar to the 2013 and 2014 and is one-third each of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre. Rating: 96-99 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Jan 2020)

Lastly, the 2019 Estate Cuvee is 50% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, which is a classic blend for this cuvée. Not far from the style of the 2018, yet possibly slightly moreLastly, the 2019 Estate Cuvee is 50% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, which is a classic blend for this cuvée. Not far from the style of the 2018, yet possibly slightly more approachable, it has a killer bouquet of jammy black and blue fruit as well as notes of smoked earth, crushed rock, and peppery herbs. Super-rich, full-bodied, and loaded with fruit, it nevertheless has purity, balance, and structure. Rating: 97-99 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Jan 2020)

Blackberry and black chocolate with mint, conifer and clove. Sweet tobacco, violets and flowers, too. Some graphite. Cool and complex. Full-bodied with ultra fine, dusty tannins and a wonderful,Blackberry and black chocolate with mint, conifer and clove. Sweet tobacco, violets and flowers, too. Some graphite. Cool and complex. Full-bodied with ultra fine, dusty tannins and a wonderful, extremely long finish. Savory and refined. A classic-styled 2018. This needs time, but is so approachable and gorgeous. One of the best Insignias ever. Alive and changing all the time. 40% Stags Leap AVA. 87% cabernet sauvignon, 8% petit verdot, 3% malbec and 2% cabernet franc. Leave this for five or six years, but so wonderful now Rating: 99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Sept 2021)

The very deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Maya is shy and restrained to begin. With swirling, it begins to reveal beguiling notes of fragrant earth, lavender, garrigue and Sichuan pepper, giving wayThe very deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Maya is shy and restrained to begin. With swirling, it begins to reveal beguiling notes of fragrant earth, lavender, garrigue and Sichuan pepper, giving way to a core of wild blueberries, boysenberries, black raspberries and black currants plus a hint of iron ore. The palate is full-bodied, revealing itself in slow-releasing layers of black and blue fruits with exhilarating earth and mineral sparks, framed by firm, beautifully ripe tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a persistent ferrous note. As cerebral as it is downright hedonic, this Maya is simply jaw-dropping. Drinking range: 2024 - 2054 Rating: 100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jan 2021)

As is so often the case with Opus, the wine expands slowly but surely, seducing you with the quality of tannins and the depth of the fruits that are wrapped around them. Silky at first, but as theAs is so often the case with Opus, the wine expands slowly but surely, seducing you with the quality of tannins and the depth of the fruits that are wrapped around them. Silky at first, but as the wine expands you feel a grainier, slate texture that holds your interest. Rosebud, black cherry, cassis purée, espresso, juicy and elegant finish, extremely moreish. Similar vintage style to the 2005, a wine that I loved during a vertical of Opus I did in 2019, and the result of a mild and moderate growing season. They have eliminated green harvest as of 2020, and instead anticipate how to balance the crop earlier in the season during shoot thinning. 18 days skin contact in the cellar, another sign that this is a gentle vintage where everything came naturally so no need to macerate too long (over the years maceration has varied between 9 days and 43 days). Tasted twice. Drinking range: 2024 - 2042 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)

The 2019 Optimus showed beautifully, displaying a soft, full-bodied, impressively textured style as well as the classic cassis and darker berry fruits along with the peppery notes this cuvée alwaysThe 2019 Optimus showed beautifully, displaying a soft, full-bodied, impressively textured style as well as the classic cassis and darker berry fruits along with the peppery notes this cuvée always shows. Rating: 94-96 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Jan 2020)

The glamour, spice and power that you find with Epu but here given the full weight and balance of concentrated black cherry and damson fruits, cardamom pod and white pepper spices and confidentThe glamour, spice and power that you find with Epu but here given the full weight and balance of concentrated black cherry and damson fruits, cardamom pod and white pepper spices and confident tannins. A serious Almaviva, one that has personality and focus. It will benefit from a few more years in bottle from now - and then suggest drinking it within the next 5 to 10 years to make the most of the generosity that is just overflowing. 75% new oak. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)

Lovely depth to the fruit, clear chocolate, liquorice, rosemary and black pepper spice, along with blueberry, black cherry, nuances of orange rind. A relatively low level of Cabernet Sauvignon in theLovely depth to the fruit, clear chocolate, liquorice, rosemary and black pepper spice, along with blueberry, black cherry, nuances of orange rind. A relatively low level of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend compared to some years, but it still pulls its weight in terms of the aromatics profile. Gérald Gabillet director and winemaker (previously at Château Angélus in St Emilion). Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)

This wine has yet to be tasted by ourselves or critics, so we have no notes to provide.This wine has yet to be tasted by ourselves or critics, so we have no notes to provide.L&S (Aug 2021)

The 2018 Solaia continues to develop beautifully. Resonant and ample on the palate, with tons of vibrancy, the 2018 offers terrific vibrancy as well as character. Inky dark fruit, chocolate,The 2018 Solaia continues to develop beautifully. Resonant and ample on the palate, with tons of vibrancy, the 2018 offers terrific vibrancy as well as character. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, blackberry jam, licorice and spice build as the Solaia gains momentum over time. The 2018 is dense and beautifully layered, yet retains the mid-weight structure of this super elegant vintage. Drinking range: 2026 - 2043 Rating: 98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jul 2022)

A sculpted but intense Masseto, with a powerful creep through the palate of liqourice, chocolate, espresso, cocoa, turmeric and smoked vanilla bean. Stunningly rich in texture and concentration, butA sculpted but intense Masseto, with a powerful creep through the palate of liqourice, chocolate, espresso, cocoa, turmeric and smoked vanilla bean. Stunningly rich in texture and concentration, but captures the freshness of eucalypytus, raspberry leaf and crushed mint. 100% new oak, confident, with a velvety punch of flavour from beginning to end. An interesting vintage in tems of the wider conversation around grapes and climate also, as a touch of Cabernet Franc is included for the first time for added grip, from a plot within the vineyard that was planted back in 2002. They expect this percentage to rise over the coming years, begging the question of whether bottles of the old style Masseto will become a time capsule of when Merlot was possible in Bolgerhi? All the more reason to savour it now. 12 months in bottle following the barrel ageing. Director Axel Heinz, winemaker Eleonora Marconi. 100% new oak. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 99 Jane Anson, Decanter (Aug 2022)

This is extremely perfumed with flowers, cherries and blackberries, as well as hints of lavender. It’s full-bodied, yet so refined, linear and racy. Pure silk. The texture is every so polished.This is extremely perfumed with flowers, cherries and blackberries, as well as hints of lavender. It’s full-bodied, yet so refined, linear and racy. Pure silk. The texture is every so polished. Succulent and subtle fruit at the end. New wood showing now. A sophisticated Masseto that shows balance and harmony. Builds with tannins at the finish. Needs time to come completely together. Try after 2025. Rating: 98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Aug 2021)