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, www.janeanson.com (Sept 2021)

The 2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata was produced with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon from Gualtallary (Adrianna vineyard, with the Cabernet Sauvignon interplanted with some Cabernet Franc) and 35% Malbec fromThe 2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata was produced with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon from Gualtallary (Adrianna vineyard, with the Cabernet Sauvignon interplanted with some Cabernet Franc) and 35% Malbec from Altamira (Nicasia vineyard). They no longer use grapes from Agrelo, and this is also a lot higher in Malbec than in other recent vintages. So, it has a very different profile, a change that started in 2017, with more contained ripeness and more freshness, and the wine is intense, keeping some of the Cabernet character (tobacco, blackberries) and the floral notes from Malbec. It comes through as balanced and harmonious, with very fine tannins and a long finish and perfect ripeness. This aims to revive the style of Bordeaux before phylloxera, from massal selection of ungrafted vines... 62,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019. Drinking range: 2021 - 2028Luis Gutierrez, www.robertparker.com (Mar 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)

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)

Very aromatic and lively on the nose with currants, fresh herbs, white pepper and cherry blossoms. Full-bodied with a vertical, multilayered structure and ultra fine tannins. Velvety texture.Very aromatic and lively on the nose with currants, fresh herbs, white pepper and cherry blossoms. Full-bodied with a vertical, multilayered structure and ultra fine tannins. Velvety texture. Extremely long and focused. Complex and succulent. This is the smallest production of Solaia ever. Great length. This is a beautifully complex red that’s open now, but needs another three to four years to show even more of its excellence. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2021)

Tasted before bottling, the 2019 Massetino is shaping up beautifully. This is the third vintage made of the Merlot-based wine enhanced with a small part of Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Franc is whatTasted before bottling, the 2019 Massetino is shaping up beautifully. This is the third vintage made of the Merlot-based wine enhanced with a small part of Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Franc is what distinguishes this euphemistically diminutive expression of Masseto, and it is its distinctive vinous signature. The 2019 vintage is soft and pliant but also incredibly rich and layered. It offers generous black fruit with ripe cherry and blackberry. Spice, tobacco and campfire ash fill in the rear and build the aromatic profile of this wine that is already stacked tall and proud. We still need to see how the 2019 plays out in the bottle, and I am especially interested to gauge how the thick and rich fruit concentration works against the less pronounced acidity of the vintage. Drinking range: 2024 - 2042 Rating: 94-96 Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (www.robertparker.com) (May 2021)

Concentrated but tender, opulent and silky, with depth and freshness to the blueberry and raspberry fruits, all laid over with espresso and saffron notes. I love the elegance of this wine, and itConcentrated but tender, opulent and silky, with depth and freshness to the blueberry and raspberry fruits, all laid over with espresso and saffron notes. I love the elegance of this wine, and it really leapt out of the glass once we tasted it again over lunch. Sculpted and attractive, this vintage showcases Masseto as a great European wine, with all the nuance and beauty that entails. Not as concentrated as some years but fragrant, enticing and incredibly moreish, showing the benefit of old vines. 100% new oak. Drinking range: 2024 - 2044 Rating: 99 Jane Anson, Decanter (Dec 2021)

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)

The 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard sources this year include: 30% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District),18% YountvilleThe 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard sources this year include: 30% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District),18% Yountville (Oak Knoll District), 13% Banca Dorada (Rutherford), 18% Suscol (South Napa Valley), 14% Home Ranch (St. Helena), 12% Las Rocas (Stags Leap District), 7% Barboza (Stags Leap District). It was aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes storming out of the glass with powerful notes of blackcurrant cordial, stewed black plums and boysenberries, plus hints of cedar chest, graphite, menthol and wet slate with a fragrant waft of clove oil. The medium to full-bodied palate already demonstrates remarkable balance at this youthful stage, featuring a firm backbone of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the tightly wound, crunchy black fruits, finishing long and spicy. 17,000 cases were made. Drinking range: 2024 - 2044 Rating: 97+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jul 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 2019 Bordeaux Blend Almaviva is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot from Puente Alto that spent 18 months in three-fourths newThe 2019 Bordeaux Blend Almaviva is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carménère, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot from Puente Alto that spent 18 months in three-fourths new barrels. Purple in color. The remarkably detailed nose begins and ends with notes of blackberry, black currant and blueberry, while in between, balsamic aromas ranging from camphor to ash appear along with a whiff of violets. All of the above comes packaged in a cigar box. Sugary initially, the flow is creamy and expansive, with polished tannins, while it grows more compact later on, stretching out the flavors. A red that showcases the best of Maipo. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 96 Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous.com (Jun 2022)

Lovely depth to the fruit, clear chocolate, liquorice, rosemary and black pepper spice, along with blueberry, black cherry, nuances of luscious nectarine. Lower levels of Cabernet Sauvignon than theyLovely depth to the fruit, clear chocolate, liquorice, rosemary and black pepper spice, along with blueberry, black cherry, nuances of luscious nectarine. Lower levels of Cabernet Sauvignon than they have historically used in the blend, it still pulls its weight. They are still vinifiying at Terrazas de los Andes, but currently working on a cellar plan that will be completed for 2023. Last vintage with Lorenzo Pasquini before he headed back to Bordeaux (he is now with Yquem), with the 2019 onwards with Gérald Gabillet winemaker (previously at Château Angélus in St Emilion). Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Sept 2021)

I also rated a barrel sample of what may be South Africa’s most famous wine: Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine 2018. It could be the greatest Vin de Constance I have ever tasted inI also rated a barrel sample of what may be South Africa’s most famous wine: Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine 2018. It could be the greatest Vin de Constance I have ever tasted in my career, with its unique balance of sweetness and savoriness & an almost salty undertone.
(BARREL SAMPLE) Very perfumed aromas of lemon zest, ginger and lychee. Some apricots as well. Full-bodied with brightness, freshness and phenolic tension. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet. Salty and umami notes with some salted caramel. Unique wine worldwide. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 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)