(93+ points) Seemingly refined by the additional elevage since I reviewed a barrel sample last year, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert remains a big, rich, dark-fruited and almost tarry effort, but this...

(VN 94-96 points) Inky violet. A wild, smoke- and spice-accented bouquet evokes kirsch, cassis, smoked meat, olive and succulent herbs, with mineral and floral notes emerging as the wine opens up. Firm, sharply etched...

Dark and winey, with a grippy, brambly frame and a solid core of raspberry, black currant and boysenberry fruit. The backdrop reveals lots of anise, bay and black tea notes. Still backward, with an ironclad finish, this...

Dark violet color. Ripe dark berries, pungent flowers, licorice and cracked pepper on the expressive nose. Juicy and broad on entry, offering bitter cherry, black raspberry and baking spice flavors and a sweetening...

Shows appealing sanguine, meaty character, with a core of steeped plum and a firming spine of iron. Well-defined, with chalky tannins, dried herbs, lavender and toasted apple wood. Drink now through 2030. – KB

The only cuvée produced in Saint Joseph, the 2021 Saint Joseph has a classy, elegant, medium-bodied style that brings good ripeness as well as classic notes of blackberries, ground pepper, violets, and spice, with just a...

(93-95 points) From an old-vine parcel south of Chavanay proper, the 2020 Saint Joseph les Grisieres (tasted from barrel) seems to have held onto more red-fruit character than the regular bottling. It's brighter and...

One of the highlights in this range, the 2019 Syrah is gorgeous. Bright red/purplish berry fruit and floral notes race out of the glass. The 2019 was done in equal parts of cement and neutral French oak, an approach that...

A decidedly smoky style that’s robust with plenty of impact, and very tannic and focused. The oak is noticeable but not excessive, and there's no excess alcohol, just great drive and freshness. Thyme, rosemary and...

The star of the show as well as one of the wines of this great vintage, the 2019 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes all from broken granite soils of the Bessards lieu-dit and was all destemmed, vinified in concrete tanks, and...

Incredibly dense elderberry fruit with raw-meat, smoked-bacon, balsamic-vinegar, mushroom and tar aromas. But there are plenty of other nuances in this astonishing Hermitage! Gigantic fine tannins support the wide-screen...

(VN 96-98 points) Opaque magenta. Displays an array of fresh red and dark fruit, floral and spice qualities on the intensely perfumed nose, along with building mineral and succulent herb notes. Vibrant and silky in...

The flagship release, the 2016 Syrah Royal City is all from the Stoneridge Vineyard on the Royal Slope (not far from the Frenchman Hills). It was not destemmed and spent 27 months in 60% new French oak. Offering a...

A fragrant nose of blackberries, dark cherries, wild herbs, baking spices, stones and black pepper. Medium body with fine, firm tannins. It has volume and structure, but remains extremely agile. It has bright acidity and...

Deep, dense purple/red colour, with concentrated chocolate and plum aromas and flavours, a fair degree of oak but not overdone, and a trace of reduction on the early nose. Dense, powerful, concentrated but all things in...

Sun-baked garrigue and smoky notes of iron and earth accent intensely ripe black cherry and cassis in this wine. Made from 100% Syrah, it's a hulking powerhouse of black-fruit flavors but finessed by firm acidity and...

(92-94 points) Powerful, mineral-driven dark berry, cherry pit and floral aromas show excellent clarity and take on subtle cola and licorice notes with air. Concentrated but lively as well, offering intense blackberry...

(95-97 points) Still resting in barrels, the 2020 Côte Rôtie is a ripe, sexy beast of a Côte Rôtie, and Jean-Paul commented that he preferred the more classic style of the 2019. Don't let that scare you away, as this is a...

(95+ points) The 2020 Cornas Pur Granit is brilliant stuff. Ripe black cherries, blueberries, scorched earth, smoked game, and iron are just some of its nuances, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, layered...

(95+ points) Similarly deep purple-hued, the 2020 Cornas Terre Brulee has a darker, slightly richer, yet less complex style that also warrants bottle age. Offering more black fruits, scorched earth, burning embers, and...

The bubbles magnify the blueberry and cherry fruit in the NV Out of the Park Sparkling Shiraz. It's a fun, fruit-forward bubbly that's fairly dry, picking up attractive hints of dark chocolate on the finish. I like to...

Deep garnet colored, the 2006 Ancient Way Vineyard Summer's Vineyard reveals a provocative mélange of kirsch, plum pudding and blackberry tart scents with Chinese five spice, aniseed and wood smoke suggestions...

A tasting of the constituent lieux-dits before blending was as instructive as ever. Péléat was smooth, silky and red-fruited with good acidity; Beaumes slightly meatier, a little less concentrated than a typical year, but...

Shiraz sourced from old vineyards in the Barossa (Krondorf, Tanunda, Marananga, Ebenezer and Moppa) and the Eden Valley. Vibrant and pure at heart with deep black plum, black cherry and boysenberry fruits, plentiful...

Shimmering ruby. Incisive, mineral-accented black raspberry, cherry, violet and olive scents show fine definition and an exotic spice flourish. Densely packed but vibrant dark berry preserve and spicecake flavors are...