Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting renowned international wine critic James Suckling at the winery for a tour and tasting. He tasted the 2019 and 2020 wines along with the 2008 Destinae, 2010 Mystae and 2013 Mystae. He rated both the 2019 and 2020 Magna Praemia 99 points and all the other wines between 95 and 98 points. Seldom does an international critic award such consistently high marks for more than a decade of vintages.

Suckling described the Destinae 2008 (95/100) to be, “medium-bodied with fine, velvety, integrated tannins that coat your mouth. Subtle milk chocolate, cedar, hazelnut and hints of redcurrants.” Drinkability was determined as “now” so if you happen to have one of these stunning wines stashed in your cellar, perhaps now would be the time to pop the cork.

Mystae 2010 (97/100)  and 2013 (98/100) had similar notes: “Subtle plum and redcurrant, hazelnut and chocolate,” full bodied with tannins that are, “persistent and polished,” and, “run the length of the wine.”

The 2019 vintage as a whole was described as, “firm and full-bodied,” with perhaps the most notable description for the Magna Praemia (99/100) being, “powerful and structured, like a Frank Stella sculpture.” Absolutely drinkable now but will benefit from several more years in the cellar.

Our current release 2020 vintage also received significant feedback. Destinae (95/100) and Magna Praemia (99/100), both abundant with “blue fruit – blackcurrants, blueberries and lavender. Full bodied, tight and linear with layers of large and powerful tannins.” In comparison, the Mystae (97/100) was detailed as “full and layered with redcurrant, bark, mahogany and tile. A large wine with a salty undertone to the spice and a red volcanic-soil undertone to the fruit.”