A fresh, pure and vibrant style, with abundant flavors of just-ripe plum and smoked cherry, bolstered by snappy, pepper-edged acidity and highlighted by beautiful violet notes. Shows a supple palate, with savory acidity...

Based on 100% Syrah fermented with 100% whole clusters and brought up in neutral oak, the 2022 Syrah Donna's Block is slightly deeper ruby/plum in hue and offers up blackberries, pepper, bouquet garni, orange blossom, and...

Shimmering ruby. Fresh black and blue fruits, candied flowers and baking spices on the expressive nose. Appealingly sweet and seamless in the mouth, offering juicy blueberry, cherry and spicecake flavors that firm up...

Glass-staining ruby. Hugely perfumed, mineral-accented black and blue fruit preserves, floral oil, olive paste, pipe tobacco and exotic spice aromas show superb clarity and pick up a hint of smokiness with air. Juicy and...

I loved the 2018 Côte Rôtie Terrasses, which is slightly more supple and elegant than both the 2017 and 2019. Offering darker red, almost blue fruits as well as peppery game, violets, and crushed stone-like minerality...

The 2020 Côte Rôtie Terrasses is terrific and shows the forward, sexy style of the vintage while still being classic Côte Rôtie! Black raspberries, peppery herbs, spring flowers, and a kiss of game all define the bouquet...

Louis Barruol has turned out a successful 2021 Cote Rotie, evoking hints of espresso, smoked meat, black olives and tart berries. It's medium-bodied and silky-textured, with tea-like notes on the complex, elegant finish.- JC

Made from 55-year-old Shiraz wines, Wheelwright needs a good decant before revealing its charms. Once aerated, it offers plump cherry and raspberry aromas underpinned by savory, peppery spice and a whisper of dried...

An alluring red, with fresh boysenberry and black pepper-dusted plum flavors underscored by smoked bacon, charred cedar and mocha. Pure and polished, this is well-built and seductive. Drink now through 2030. - J.M.

Smoky and meaty character here with plums and dark cherries as well as sweet spices and bark. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine, polished tannins. Spicy and dark-fruited. Broad-shouldered and even on the palate with a...

Sleek, ripe and focused at first, with a racy beam of black currant and blackberry fruit that drives through, carried by a graphite edge and flanked by sweet bay leaf, tapenade and pepper accents. The long finish has a...

Opens with garrigue and cured meat aromas, segueing to sleek huckleberry and cherry flavors that slowly reveal brooding structure at the core. Builds toward broad-shouldered tannins. Drink now through 2032. 210 cases made.

With a touch of Viognier, the 2019 Syrah In The Rocks presents an open-knit, red-fruited nose characterized by bright cherry notes alongside hints of black raspberry and turned earth, followed by a delicate floral aroma...

Generous on the nose, the wine presents juicy aromas of black plum, blackberry and crème de menthe, with a layer of violets and fine granite minerality. The palate is equally luscious and presents a silky texture with...

Earthy and savory, with a core of plum and red currant merging with brown bread, smoked meat, tobacco and salty graphite. Singed cedar rings on the finish, which is creamy in feel, flecked with allspice and a mineral...

The classic 2020 Saint-Joseph Les Grisières presents wafts of graphite, crushed violets, ripe red fruits and cedary undertones. Elegant and refined, this concentrated and neatly structured red has all the ingredients for...

Medium ruby-purple, the 2020 Pinot Noir Campbell Ranch is scented of rhubarb, blueberries and tangerine with touches of lilac and underbrush. The palate is delicate and bright, with bursts of acidity elevating its...

Perfumed cherry and spices are textured in this graceful version. Starts off glossy, but tannins take hold, giving a firm shape and focused finish. Black pepper, mocha and violet chime in, along with a sanguine thread of...

From the Soberanes Vineyard, the 2022 Syrah The Initiation was matured for 15 months in 75% new French oak. It has savory, sanguine aromas of bacon fat, woodsmoke and iron over pure blackcurrant fruit. The full-bodied...

The nose of this wine is captivating, with fresh black cherry accented by soft floral and spicy notes. On the palate, vibrant acidity lifts the core of black fruit, creating a beautifully balanced wine. There's no fuss...

An elegant expression of Cornas, with real complexity. High-toned cherry and olive tapenade are laced with sweet bay leaf, lavender and earth. Well-managed tannins support the supple core of red fruit. Shows a refined...