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...

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...

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

From an underrated vintage in the Rhône, the 2006 Hermitage La Chapelle is a beautiful, supple, layered wine that checks in behind the all-time greats yet unquestionably matches or surpasses most of the later 1990 and...

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...

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...

A lovely licorice snap note leads off, followed quickly by crushed raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry fruit flavors. Rich yet restrained, with light shiso leaf, iron and incense details weaving throughout. The...

This is well-packed and intense, with a wide range of blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry and raspberry pâte de fruit notes laced with anise, black tea and singed mesquite details. Despite the density, this is...

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...

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...

Moving to the 2020s, this is an incredible vintage for Rostaing. The 2020 Vin De Pays Des Collines Rhodaniennes Les Lezardes comes from the same three parcels every year, and the 2020 has a great nose of juicy raspberry...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Showing more minerality than the le Meal, yet more plushness and sexiness than the l’Ermite, the 2006 Ermitage le Pavillon is a tour de force that gives up sensational notes of crushed rocks, blackberries, currants...

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...

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...

The 2015 Chateauneuf Du Pape is a blend of 30% each of Grenache and Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the rest a mix of permitted varieties. It's unquestionably one of the successes of the vintage. Black cherries...

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...

(18/20) Roussanne 80%, Grenache Blanc 15%, various varieties 5%. Drink 2008-09 and then maybe 2014-19. Lively and open and rather hauntingly herby. Edge of near-decay but lovely too. Just fully evolved and this would...

You can sense this is a cooler vintage immediately on the nose - there's more spice, more detail and precision. A little liquorice, leather and violets. Medium-bodied, not as dense as more recent vintages but very well...

Immediately more red-fruited than other recent vintages, it's warm, with lush stewed fruit scents, stewed plums in particular, and raspberry. Full-bodied, but without the mass of tannin of the 2016. It's warmer on the...