  Courtesy of Lucien Le Moine The couple behind Lucien Le Moine: Rotem Brakin and Mounir Saouma Wine Spectator website members: Senior editor Bruce Sanderson visited Beaune's Lucien Le Moine and Morey-St.-Denis' Domaine Arlaud earlier this year, tasting over 25 wines, including numerous potentially classic-rated Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. "The wines I tasted in the range are fine examples of ripe fruit balanced by a vibrant character that allows both the fruit and the individual climats to shine," writes Sanderson of his visit to Arlaud. Read the latest from both domaines and see the scores and tasting notes from Lucien Le Moine!
 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 94 points • $35 • 2,500 cases made This brawny red shows a savory character, with loamy earth, black tea and tobacco notes framing a rich core of currant and blackberry flavors. The muscular tannins are balanced by juicy acidity. Dense, balanced and expressive. Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2032. From Spain.—Thomas Matthews
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Ask Wine Spectator Q: How do wine critics review wines that aren't ready to drink? For instance, a traditional Barolo is very closed on release or from barrel. Doesn't that make rewarding it a score speculative? Is this practiced extrapolation?—Charlie, Reading, Mass. A: "Practiced extrapolation" is an excellent way to conceive of our editors' approach to tasting young wines, especially barrel samples. Almost any wine drinker will sense that a Barolo from barrel does not reveal its full character. But an experienced critic, who has tasted many Barolos from barrel and then the same wines again from bottle at different stages in its development, can begin to understand the arc of its evolution. So if the components are awkward or unbalanced when the wine is young, the critic can extrapolate that even with age the wine will not achieve the harmony and grace of a great Barolo. Or if the wine is delicious right out of the barrel, extrapolation can warn that it might not have the structure to age and develop over the long term.
Because most wines are made to be enjoyable in their youth, critics are not called upon to exercise extrapolation all that often. But when tasting a young wine of a type that has traditionally been intended to reach its peak after some time in the bottle, extrapolation is necessary, and practice helps improve its accuracy. Still, practiced extrapolation is art as well as science; that's why our scores for barrel samples are expressed as ranges. And of course, wine drinkers enjoy wines at different stages of their development—some prefer youthful fruit, others the harmony of age. So every serious wine drinker has to learn to extrapolate based on their own practice, and their own preferences.—MaryAnn Worobiec Have a question about collecting? E-mail us. Browse our archive of previous questions & answers.
 Castello dei Rampolla sits on a prime hilltop in Chianti Classico's Conca d'Oro valley. Castello dei Rampolla is one of Tuscany's most intriguingly unconventional estates, shaped by winemaking legend Alceo di Napoli Rampolla. The historic family estate has joined Tuscany's elite on his watch. In his two-part Chianti Classico series, contributing editor Robert Camuto explores the story of that winery and another achiever, Rocca delle Macìe, which belonged to film producer–turned-vintner Italo Zingarelli. Learn more about how their eccentric ways produce terrific wines!
 Courtesy of Monte Rosso Vineyard / Courtesy of The Wine MVP Watch Monte Rosso's Brenae Royal now, and coming up: "NFL Wine Guy" Will Blackmon Check out our Instagram Live series, "Straight Talk with Wine Spectator," for virtual chats with super chefs, winemakers, somms and more, airing every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. ET! Throughout August, we're highlighting Black voices in the wine business, from wineries, distributors, restaurants and other aspects of the industry. If you didn't catch it live, watch our chat with Monte Rosso vineyard manager Brenae Royal, and don't forget to catch senior editor James Molesworth's chat with Super Bowl champ–turned–wine concierge Will Blackmon, tomorrow, Aug. 13. Check out past conversations, see the full lineup and tune in!
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