Vinous

Cellar Favorite: 2016 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JULY 6, 2026 At ten years of age, the 2016 Flaccianello della Pieve is every bit as captivating as it has always been. A rich, seamless wine, Flaccianello captures all the natural intensity that is so typical of the Panzano’s Conca d’Oro, one of the most unique districts in Chianti Classico. Dark-hued Sangiovese fruit, lavender, mocha, baking spice and tobacco race across the palate with stunning persistence.

Remembering Franco Bernabei BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JULY 6, 2026 The wine world lost a true giant when Franco Bernabei passed away at 73 years of age on July 2. Bernabei was one of the handful of consultants in the late 1970s and early 1980s who brought contemporary best practices in winemaking to Tuscany and helped catapult Italian wines onto the global stage. He was an avid proponent of the virtues of Sangiovese at a time when few believed in its potential.

The sophomore Ten-Years-On blind tasting of South African wines examined the supposedly weaker vintage of 2016. However, many wines surpassed expectations, especially those of one particular colour.

Beyond Category: Twelve Vintages of Hors Catégorie BY ERIC GUIDO | JUNE 30, 2026 There are very few wines that flirt with perfection, but vintage after vintage, Hors Catégorie consistently stands among them. In his 2017 article, Washington: Various Shades of Hot, Stephen Tanzer predicted that the Hors Catégorie Syrah would become one of the New World's greatest and longest-lived wines.

Cellar Favorite: 1982 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JUNE 29, 2026 What a treat it is to taste Giuseppe Rinaldi’s 1982 Barolo from a perfect bottle. It’s a wine that opens a door into another era in Barolo, akin to watching a classic film in black and white or listening to a musical recording before the advent of highly technical studios, much less purely digital music.

Santa Cruz Mountains 2023 and 2024: A Rising Tide BY BILLY NORRIS | JUNE 25, 2026 The Santa Cruz Mountains has been the underdog region in California wine for decades. Quality has been exceptionally high in pockets for just as long, with the tone set by marquee estates like Ridge, Mount Eden and Rhys. But it has been an uphill battle for the many intrepid smaller producers fighting to carve out their share of the limelight in a region that seems almost designed to resist easy agriculture.

Explore the wines of Ruinart on Vinous. Discover tasting notes, reviews, and detailed information about their wine offerings.

Rosé, Reframed BY BILLY NORRIS | JUNE 23, 2026 In a global wine market plagued by macroeconomic uncertainty, declining sales, tariffs, reports of less alcohol consumption among younger drinkers and a general sense of unease, the once white-hot Rosé category has been in limbo since its 2019 peak. But the numbers tell a more nuanced story than simple decline. While it’s undeniable that Rosé has lost ground, it has lost less ground than still wine as a whole. Rosé is showing surprising resilience.

Cellar Favorite: 2006 Cayuse Vineyards Bionic Frog BY BILLY NORRIS | JUNE 22, 2026 In 1998, Christophe Baron (nicknamed the Bionic Frog) planted the Coccinelle Vineyard to 100% Syrah in what is now the cobblestone-laden Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. Two years later, Baron crafted the inaugural vintage of his “eponymous” cuvée from that vineyard under the Cayuse label, the 2000.

Salon Cuvée S 1996-2013 at Vinous Icons BY ANTONIO GALLONI | JUNE 18, 2026 Champagne and a private lunch on a Friday afternoon at Le Bernardin. What could be better? Not much in my book. I am not alone, as the Friday Champagne lunch has quickly become one of the most popular events at Vinous Icons: New York. A vertical of Salon’s Cuvée S back to 1996 kicked off the second edition of Icons.