The Outsiders: Modern Greats From Across The World

Release date: 2/9/2021

The 2019 Seña 25 Años is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carménère and 4% Petit Verdot from Aconcagua Costa. The wine was aged for 22 months, 10% in foudres and the rest in FrenchThe 2019 Seña 25 Años is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carménère and 4% Petit Verdot from Aconcagua Costa. The wine was aged for 22 months, 10% in foudres and the rest in French barrels. A vivid purple in hue, the complex, subtle nose opens up gradually, delivering layer after layer of blackcurrants. Touches of sweet and sour cherry, a twist of raspberry, sweet spices and notes from the aging process, such as nutmeg and cedar, fill the palate. Relaxed in the mouth, the 2019 Seña begins with a juicy, well-integrated freshness that feels light as silk, accompanied by extremely finely grained yet young tannins that sculpt the flow, promising excellent aging potential. The finish lingers long, repeating aromas of blackcurrant and sour cherry. Drinking range: 2023 - 2036 Rating: 96 Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous.com (May 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)

Glass-staining ruby. A deeply perfumed bouquet features black raspberry, cherry liqueur, boysenberry, exotic spice and floral scents that show outstanding definition and smoky mineral lift. Sweet andGlass-staining ruby. A deeply perfumed bouquet features black raspberry, cherry liqueur, boysenberry, exotic spice and floral scents that show outstanding definition and smoky mineral lift. Sweet and penetrating in the mouth, offering wonderfully concentrated black and blue fruit preserve, violet pastille, spicecake and savory herb flavors that possess unlikely vivacity for their depth. The strikingly long, floral- and spice-driven finish is shaped by steadily building tannins that play nicely with the wine's intense fruit. Drinking range: 2028 - 2041 Rating: 98 Josh Raynolds, www.vinousmedia.com (Jul 2021)

Cracked almond and bitter chocolate and a ton of blackberry and raspberry puree. It’s gourmet with butterscotch and coffee beans, a wine that you want to share. Lifts off through the palate, hasCracked almond and bitter chocolate and a ton of blackberry and raspberry puree. It’s gourmet with butterscotch and coffee beans, a wine that you want to share. Lifts off through the palate, has complexity and delicacy and waves of flavours that invade the mouth. Set in the Tuscany hills, 300m above sea level. A brilliant wine from the Antinori family. Stefano Carpaneto director. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Sept 2021)

Second year on the Place for the second wine of Masseto, from young vines. This is generous and easy to love, powerful brambled fruits and juicy red cherry, rosemary and Tuscan underbrush spice. AllSecond year on the Place for the second wine of Masseto, from young vines. This is generous and easy to love, powerful brambled fruits and juicy red cherry, rosemary and Tuscan underbrush spice. All plots are vinified separately, wild yeast fermention, malo in barrel, with 50% new oak. Tiny quantities of this wine are made. Drinking range: 2021 - 2032 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Sept 2021)

The 2018 Masseto is the vintage surprise few of us could have expected. The season saw rains just before harvest, and vintners were forced into dramatic last-minute decisions and risks. The expertThe 2018 Masseto is the vintage surprise few of us could have expected. The season saw rains just before harvest, and vintners were forced into dramatic last-minute decisions and risks. The expert team at Masseto navigated those challenges with deft precision in this first vintage executed in the new winery that is now fully dedicated and engineered to fulfill the expectations of this iconic Merlot from coastal Tuscany. The new gravity-flow building has angular concrete fermentors and an old-fashioned basket press. Dark fruit and ripe blackberry bleed slowly into spice, leather, chocolate and sweet tobacco. The wine shows generous extraction and concentration; however, it remains light and lifted throughout. Welcome Masseto into your new home. Drinking range: 2024 - 2050 Rating: 97 Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (www.robertparker.com) (May 2021)

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 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)

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)

The 2018 Opus One is absolutely exquisite. Bright red berry fruit, crushed flowers, mint and spice are all finely cut. The 2018 impresses with its energy and focus. It's a gorgeous wine, and is alsoThe 2018 Opus One is absolutely exquisite. Bright red berry fruit, crushed flowers, mint and spice are all finely cut. The 2018 impresses with its energy and focus. It's a gorgeous wine, and is also showing especially well today, with all of the potential I first saw in barrel very much on display. Bright acids linger on the persistent finish. The 2018 is supremely elegant. Drinking range: 2028 - 2048 Rating: 96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2022)

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 aromas of iodine and blackcurrants with roses and lavender make the wine extremely perfumed. It’s full-bodied with a tight, fine-tannined palate that shows linear flow through the center palate.The aromas of iodine and blackcurrants with roses and lavender make the wine extremely perfumed. It’s full-bodied with a tight, fine-tannined palate that shows linear flow through the center palate. It’s vertical and integrated, adding depth and serious quality to the wine. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Jun 2021)

The 2018 Cheval Des Andes is a blend of 70% Malbec – half from Las Compuertas and half from Paraje Altamira – and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from Las Compuertas. It was aged in barrels and foudres, 50%The 2018 Cheval Des Andes is a blend of 70% Malbec – half from Las Compuertas and half from Paraje Altamira – and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from Las Compuertas. It was aged in barrels and foudres, 50% in new oak. Purplish red in the glass. It shows an expressively complex nose of plum, cherry and hints of spice, pepper, ink, blackberry, and blackcurrant. The oak provides a profound and subtle backdrop of sweet spice. In the mouth, it’s viscous and broad with a little juice, velvety in texture and with very fine tannins. The finish is long-lasting with a satisfying feel. A relaxed, delicate, extremely well-balanced wine with a more generous core than the 2017 vintage. Drinking range: 2021 - 2038 Rating: 96 Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous.com (Nov 2021)

The 2018 Vin de Constance was picked over 60 days, the second most prolonged picking since the maiden 1986 vintage. It was lightly pressed into 500-liter barrels for alcoholic fermentation, which canThe 2018 Vin de Constance was picked over 60 days, the second most prolonged picking since the maiden 1986 vintage. It was lightly pressed into 500-liter barrels for alcoholic fermentation, which can take up to six months, then matured on the gross lees in 60% new oak and acacia barrels. This vintage contains 172g/L residual sugar and 6.2g/L total acidity. It presents a vibrant, effervescent bouquet of freshly sliced grapefruit, fresh fig and citrus fruit, all penetrating, vivacious and tensile. The palate is beautifully balanced with a fine bead of acidity, impressive weight and notes of grapefruit and orange zest plus hints of stem ginger. The spiciness is accentuated toward the finish. Another outstanding Vin de Constance courtesy of winemaker Matt Day. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Nov 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)