Reviews
January 2025 90 Points Wine Spectator
A silky white, with almond blossom and creamed macadamia nut notes layered with well-cut acidity, plus flavors of vanilla, baked white peach and verbena. A tang of salinity cleans the finish. Drink now through 2030.
January 2025 97 Points JamesSuckling.com
Blueberries with violets, dark olives and a touch of charcoal. The palate has voluminous, pretty fruit restrained by some tight yet polished tannins. Concludes compact and firm. Best after 2026.
January 2025 97 Points Owen Bargreen
A dazzling new edition of this wine, the 2016 Louis Roederer ‘Cristal’ Champagne is a world-class combination of 58% Pinot Noir and 42% Chardonnay. This edition of ‘Cristal’ was given 7G/L dosage. Chalky minerals mark the nose alongside white grapefruit blossom, marzipan, star jasmine and suggestions of kumquat zest that all meld in the glass. The palate is filled with crushed seashells and wet salty stones that combine with rich melon, lemon rind and tangerine zest flavors that combine with suggestions of pastry crust on the palate. Big, round and generous, this exudes class in terms of length, tension and flavor density. A gorgeous wine in its heady youth, enjoy over the next twenty plus years to come. Drink 2025-2045.
January 2025 94 Points Jeb Dunnuck
Sourced from a small 1.5-hectare, single vineyard site in the Capanna area of Montalcino at 430 meters elevation, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino Campo. Del Drago pours a jeweled ruby red color and takes things up a notch in terms of its structure. On the nose, it reveals layered and spiced notes of cinnamon, menthol, ripe red cherries, orange peel, and toasted cedar. The palate is salty and mouth watering all the way through, with gripping ripe tannins, refreshing acidity, and a sustained finish. It demands a few years in the cellar time before drinking over the following 15 or more years. Drink 2027-2047.
January 2025 95 Points Jeb Dunnuck
The deep ruby red 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva Millecento 1100 is layered with aromas of grenadine, sanguine iron-rich earth, blood orange, and toasted spices. Medium to full-bodied, it offers a weightless feel on the palate, with ripe and supple tannins, even acidity, and notes of polished leather and saline on the finish. It has a seamless, balanced feel and is drinking well now, but it will go the distance over the coming 20 years.