“This is really fine on the palate with wonderfully integrated tannins that give tension and focus. It’s medium-bodied with lovely berry, cherry, cedar and spice. Peaches and flower stems, too. Creamy texture. Extremely long and vivid. Structured, but showing beautiful drinkability with wonderful balance and form. One to drink or hold.”

“Smoky oak, quince and citrus make an appealing combination on the nose. Youthful palate despite its years, showing lemon curd, patisserie and rich fruit conserve. Finishes long, with structure that will allow further ageing.”

“The lovely Pazo Barrantes estate has been the home of the Creixell family since the 15th century. (They also own the Castillo Ygay estate in Rioja, with its Marqués de Murrieta wines.) Its 12ha of vineyards were replanted in 1982, and the winery opened in 1991. This wine spends two months on lees; 85% is then aged in stainless steel for seven months and 15% in 225L acacia wood barrels. It spends 16 months in bottle before release. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Opulent and perfumed with golden fruit. The palate is bold and intense with ripe fruit subdued by the oak, giving richness. A complex and individual wine. Pierre Mansour: Delightful blossom fruit and floral notes on the nose. Very elegant, with incredible length and real finesse. Beth Willard: Delicate honey and floral aromas. The palate is perfectly rounded by the oak, which lends a gentle sweetness and spice. Peach and apricot on the finish with a touch of mango.”

“The Scharffenberger non-vintage Brut Rosé currently in the market is crafted from a similar cépages to the Brut Excellence, but with the addition of five percent of still pinot noir bringing the percentages to fifty-five percent chardonnay and forty-five percent pinot noir. Not all of the vins clairs for this bottling go through malo, though the vast majority do so. It was aged on its fine lees for two years, is a lovely pale salmon color and offers up a quite refined bouquet of strawberries, tangerine, white soil tones, a bit of rye bread and a topnote of rose petals. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied and complex, with a good core, frothy mousse, a fine spine of acidity and pretty good length on the well-balanced finish. This wine is very good. 2023-2033.”

“The new release of Scharffenberger “Brut Excellence” is composed from a blend of sixty percent chardonnay and forty percent pinot noir. The vins clairs go through full malolactic and the wine is given fully two years aging sur latte prior to disgorgement. The wine offers up a lovely nose of white peach, apple, fresh-baked brioche, raw almond and a lovely base of soil tones. On 116 the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, good soil inflection, pinpoint bubbles and fine length and grip on the well-balanced finish. Good juice. 2023- 2035.”