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...

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

This is full-bodied yet carries a racy edge, with juicy acidity driving licorice and cherry dusted with spices. Chalky mineral notes bring an earthy depth and firmness to the succulent, salty finish, which shows a waft of...

Elegant, sweet, juicy, and fresh, there is a purity to the sweet kirsch that defines the wine. The finish focuses on its mineral characteristics that accompany the raspberries, kirsch, and cherries. This is a knockout...

Powerful, lush, rich, opulent wine packed from start to finish with waves of back cherries, black raspberries, peppery spice, garrigue, and floral accents. One of the stars of the vintage, give it just a year or two in...

From the more clay soils just south of Beaucastel in the Gardiole lieu-dit, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape à la Gloire de Mon Grand-Pere is 100% Grenache that was 50% destemmed and brought up in foudre with a small amount...

Massive and voluptuous, with an expressive gush of cherry and kirsch flavors making this punchy and opulent, with details of sweet spices and red tea. Behind the ripe opulence, there's real depth and character, while the...

A perfumy, open version, with hints of sanguine animal meatiness underneath the sweet red forest berry and fresh currant flavors, backed by dried lavender high tones. Full but not heavy on the palate, with whiffs of...

Starts off perfumed and stylish but slowly opens up to reveal a wealth of depth and dimension. Seriously structured, with layers of graphite, toasty cedar spice and wild woodsy notes, plus tobacco leaf and red fruit, all...

Pretty notes of thyme and rose petals jump out of the glass in this well-crafted, earthy red. Warm soil and salted, smoked meat accents join a hint of toast to overlay red currant, dark chocolate, violet and spice...

Stating 15.5% alcohol on the label, the modern-styled 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition is a blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre. Pale ruby-colored, swirling the glass unveils aromas of cooked red and black...

Looking better than it did from tank, Cristina's 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is ripe and rounded, with ample amounts of black cherries and plums, an exception to the overall red-fruited nature of the vintage. Full-bodied...

Moving to the single vineyard 2020 Côte Rôtie La Landonne, this beauty is 100% Syrah that spent 16 months in a mix of new and used barrels. It's similarly deep purple/plum-hued yet has a more mineral-laced, focused...

There’s an earthy, loamy character alongside the red currant, mocha-dusted cherry and juniper notes in this spicy, gentle-edged and plush red. Opulent yet shows a nicely lifted feel midpalate spiked with tobacco 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 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...

Pale gold. Intense, sharply delineated aromas of fresh nectarine, pear nectar, orange, honey and pungent flowers, along with a smoky mineral overtone. Deeply pitched citrus and orchard fruit, peach liqueur and honeysuckle...

Just as good as the de l’Orée, but in a very different style, the medium gold-hued 2006 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc has a complex, layered perfume of honeysuckle, orange blossom, celery seed, caramelized stone fruits, and...

A heavenly, stunning white, with all the elements in perfect, delicious alignment. Packs a corpulent well of yellow apple, grilled pineapple, dried lemon peel and chamomile flavors amply supported by well-integrated white...

The 2014 Ermitage Le Pavillon isn’t quite ready for action just yet. Time in the glass unlocks pronounced graphite, cured meat, cigar box and blackcurrant aromatics. Taut and precise, the full-bodied 2014 is enveloped by...

Crushed stone, mint, blackberries and cassis all appear upon the nose of the 2020 Ermitage le Pavillon. The great vintages of these wines soak up the oak, like this one has. Full-bodied, concentrated and massive in scale...

The elegant 2013 Ermitage L'Ermite opens with jammy red and black fruits, tobacco, crushed violets, cured meat and earthy undertones. Medium-bodied and refreshing, the 2013 engages the palate with solid concentration and...

This sports some warm, inviting fruit, with layers of boysenberry, fig and blackberry compote rolling through, inlaid with melted black licorice and warm fruitcake flavors, all backed by a long, refined echo of minerality...

An incredible wine that tops out on my scale, the 2006 Ermitage Les Greffieux is massively concentrated and rich, with incredible aromas and flavors of black fruits, roasted herbs, tar, licorice and beef blood. Without a...

Youthfully reticent, but warm and polished in feel, with a large core of cassis, raspberry and cherry puree notes lying in wait for now. Threads of red licorice, warm stone and singed mesquite and cedar emerge...

Dark and dense, showing real power and concentration. Offers more than just ripe fruit, with violet, blackberry and plum cruising alongside black pepper, salt-cured meat, toasted spices and a ballast of solid iron. Gutsy...