2013

World Wine – "This 'Sophia' has remarkable vitality and life, with vibrant primary fruit, great richness and structure. It will age 15+ years." 20/20 - Raymond Chan

Huon Hooke – "Lifted aroma with pronounced plum and floral characters. A complex array of flavours on the palate including plum, dark berry, chocolate, spice and a hint of violet. Gorgeous wine with plenty of weight, a silken texture and real energy. Will be very long-lived." 98/100 - Bob Campbell MW

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – The Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac Les Obriers offers fabulous Cinsault character and shows how interesting this variety can be when done right. Incredibly floral and perfumed, with sweet blackberry, violets, lilacs and exotic spices, this medium-bodied, elegant and silky effort builds on the palate, shows notable freshness and a pure, hard-to-resist feel. I'd drink it over the coming 4-5 years, but it will evolve for longer.

James Halliday – Light straw-green; wild yeast barrel fermentation in French oak and full mlf has woven a complex tapestry of stone fruit aromas and flavours; despite the mlf, the natural acidity remains to tighten up the finish of the palate thanks to the early picking - the acidity ex the vine must have been formidable, but there is no semblance of green/sauvignon blanc characters.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – This is a category they had not produced since 2005 and only bottled in exceptional vintages (1989, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2005). In their mountain vineyards (500 to 800 meters altitude), the 2009 season saw a cold and long winter with enough snow that provided enough water for a warm summer. It's a blend of the traditional Rioja grapes, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and the whites Viura and Malvasía. As in the past, all red wines contained a more or less small amount of white grapes and despite being considered modern when their first released their wines, today they are as classical as it gets.

Huon Hooke – Lots of dark chocolate aromas, toasty barrels, black fruits and black olive, with some graphite or tar overtones. The palate is rich, profound and dense, very fleshy and supple, the tannins fine-grained and the texture superb. A great shiraz indeed. (1,500 cases made) Tasted 24 MAR 2015. Drink 2015–2037. 96 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review.

Jancis Robinson – "Now this really does have Grüner Veltliner written all over it even though the vines are still pretty young (this is the fourth harvest). It is certainly peppery but it also has the oily (in a good way) depth that I have only ever seen in the Wachau. There's some citrus and green fruit too but also a mineral, dry texture. Well balanced and remarkably full-bodied given the moderate alcohol. Still incredibly fresh but starting to show the complexity of some bottle age. I look forward to tasting it again." - JULIA HARDING MW, jancisrobinson.com

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – The 2013 Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre comes from predominately Keuper marl-limestone soils in Hunawihr (Muhlforst area) and Ribeauvillé (Trottacker) which give this age worthy wine a full and powerful style. Nobly clear and elegant on the deep and concentrated but super subtle nose where ripe bright fruit aromas with a dash of lemon juice are displayed. Round, piquant and very elegant on the palate, this is an intense, complex, lovely mineral and extremely well defined wine with a stimulating vibrancy and a nice tannin grip which, in combination with the minerality, gives not just tension and power but also a very long and salty Gewurztraminer with mandarin flavors and flowers in the very persistent aftertaste. This Cuvée is even more elegant than the Reserve and will go into the market most likely by end of 2019 since 2008 is on the shelves right now and will be followed by 2011 and 2012 first.' 94 points, Stephan Reinhardt, October 2015

Wine Spectator – Lively flavors of red cherry, leaf, black olive and smoke weave through this bright red, whose light, firm tannins provide backbone, while assertive balsamic acidity imparts energy. Drink now through 2023.