96pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2019 Amon Ra Shiraz is 100% Shiraz and 100% from the 2019 vintage, as Ben Glaetzer felt it—unlike many previous vintages—didn't need to be freshened with a small proportion of younger wine. From old vines in the Ebenezer district of the northern Barossa Valley, it offers classic notes of blackberries and spice, framed by hints of cedar and vanilla (it's aged in 100% new oak hogsheads, mostly French). It's full-bodied yet crisp, supple but tight and really long. Offering lovely dark fruit, hints of espresso and black olive, it finishes mouthwatering and firm. Give it some time in the cellar and drink it from 2025 – 2040.

96pts Australian Wine Companion

From 50–130yo vines in Ebenezer. Matured 16 months in new 95% French and 5% American oak barrels; unfiltered. Gloss and polish of superb black fruits, framed in superfine tannins are Ben Glaetzer's hallmarks. He continues to hone his talent at sustaining brightness and freshness, even in northern Barossa shiraz of monumental proportions. This represents one of his finest works yet. Bitter dark chocolate oak holds an enticing finish that ricochets with inky black fruits and licorice.

Winemaker Notes

Midnight black with inky purple tone in appearance. An enticing combination of blue and black fruits with notes of espresso and dried spice. Rich and deep yet bright and fresh. Multilayered flavors of nutmeg, cloves with brooding dark berry fruit and firm tannins of exceptional length.

Winemaker Notes

The soil of Les Argillières consists of limestone mixed with clay marl and contributes to the this wine’s perfume and finesse. Les Argillières shows red berries and floral aromas on the nose with an underpinning of minerals. Medium weight and fine tannins make for a more elegant village-level Chambolle. The wine is a pure expression of its terroir thanks to its élevage in a combination of used oak and clay jars.

Domaine Michel Magnien has evolved into a Burgundy producer of a singular style and philosophy from their cellars located in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. Michel Magnien was born in 1946 and worked alongside his father Bernard from a young age. The Magniens sold their grapes to the local cooperative until 1993 when his son Frédéric joined the family business and persuaded his father to bottle the entire harvest by themselves. Frédéric Magnien began experimenting with organic practices in the late 1990s and the entire production was certified biodynamic by Demeter in 2015. Frédéric has also evolved the style of the wines and today élevage takes place in only used oak and clay jars.

Biodynamic

96pts Wine Spectator - #16 Top 100 of 2019

The core of this red is loaded with pure plum, blueberry and black currant fruit flavors. The polished structure is integrated, with alluring ganache, anise and sweet tobacco notes throughout, all in a polished and balanced frame. A very classy red that isn't shy about its power but pushes its purity to the fore. Best from 2024 through 2039.

95pts James Suckling

The best vintage of this wine since 2009! Effusive, fresh redcurrant and cassis aromas give this St.-Julien terrific drive and energy, the elegant, dry tannins beautifully married to the medium body, right through the long, agile finish. Drink or hold.

95pts Wine Enthusiast - Cellar Selection

The estate, at the southern end of SaintJulien, has produced a wine that is both structured and stylish. This bold, ripe wine shows opulent black fruits and generous tannins. Juicy and structured, it has good aging potential. Drink from 2025.

94pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2016 Branaire-Ducru is a real classic, and in the fullness of time, it will likely rival or even surpass the more charming, demonstrative 2019. Unwinding in the glass with deep aromas of dark berries, cassis, loamy soil, pencil shavings and cigar smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a taut, structured profile and a long, penetrating finish. The only missing ingredient here is time.

94pts Decanter

You can immediately see the quality and the depth of the 2016 vintage in the complexity of the expression and construction. Bottled in early July, extremely rich and full of black brambly hawthorn-edged fruits. The quality of the tannins is extremely impressive, there are lots of them, and they build over the course of the palate, but they are not constraining, and have a fine texture. After five minutes in the glass the blackcurrant fruit starts to come out. The tannins close in again on the finish, suggesting there is a long life ahead. A vintage that is so good for St Julien, not to be missed. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042

92pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2016 Château Branaire-Ducru checks in as a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. This medium to full-bodied, downright pretty Saint-Julien has a complex, layered style in its mulberries, blackberries, saddle leather, and forest floor aromatics, with hints of graphite developing with time in the glass. Possessing terrific tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish, I’d certainly be happy to have bottles of this in the cellar. Give it a few years and it promises to shine for 20-25 years.

Blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc