Latest Wine Reviews

May 2025

As the weather transforms in May, so do the wine offerings, morphing from winter warmers into bright, refreshing whites, rosés, and sparklers. But we haven’t overlooked the reds, with a bevy of great options from beyond Bordeaux and Napa Valley to suit every palate.

Of course, we know that higher yields and lower acidity (if still in balance) can equate to spectacular, long-lived wines given the right vintage conditions for the grape variety and site. This said, there were also some disappointing performances this month, which are generally down to over-ambitious yields and/or the winemaking challenges that ensued from the hotter harvest conditions.

The top 2022 reds are now fully mature yet still drinking beautifully and potentially have a good 10-20 years of cellaring potential left.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Born and raised in rural Maine, Lisa has spent over 25-years working in the wine industry, living in London, Tokyo, Singapore, and now Napa, California. In 2008, she became a Master of Wine and began working for Robert M. Parker, Jr. at The Wine Advocate. In 2013, she became Editor in Chief for Robert Parker Wine Advocate and RobertParker.com and was the publication’s critic for the wines of Bordeaux, Napa Valley, and Sonoma County. Her first book, Taste Like a Wine Critic: A Guide to Understanding Wine Quality, was published in 2015. In 2021, Lisa left Robert Parker Wine Advocate to become co-founder of The Wine Independent. As well as being the Editor in Chief of The Wine Independent, she covers the regions of California and Bordeaux.

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