94 Points! I loved the 2023 Cabernet Franc Estate, which is based on 90% Cabernet Franc, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, all raised 18 months in 50% new French oak. Ripe red and black berry fruits, cedary herbs, spice, and floral nuances all emerge from this beauty, and it's medium to full-bodied, pure, balanced, and elegant, with finely polished tannins and outstanding length. This terrific wine will evolve nicely over the coming 10-15 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The Roundstone 2023 Swartland Red Blend reflects a forward-looking approach to climate resilience and site authenticity. The blend (52% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 23% Cinsault) leans on varieties well proven in the Swartland’s warm, dry conditions. The vineyards are farmed with a strong regenerative focus: tight spacing with no tractor work, permanent mulch under vine with hay bales, self-seeding cover crops and no-till soil management. The 20-hectare block includes 16 hectares of vines interwoven with four hectares of preserved fynbos corridors to support biodiversity and prevent erosion. Despite a challenging, cloudy vintage, the wine shows generous ripeness with plummy fruit and blackberry at the core. The palate is velvety yet composed, with a structural firmness on the finish that reflects the grip of the ancient Swartland soils. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! A terrific Condrieu, the 2023 Condrieu Deponcins has tons of sautéed peach, honeyed orange, and perfumed floral and spice nuances on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied, ripe, round, and beautifully textured on the palate, with a good sense of freshness as well as a kiss of minerality on the finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

Villard makes four different Condrieu wines and three are single vineyards. Villard owns three hectares in the Poncins vineyard in Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône and makes two wines from this parcel. DePoncins comes from 25 year old vines. Aged for 11 months, without racking, in 30% new barrels and 70% in barrels that are three to five years old. Great intensity and minerality.

94 Points! The 2023 Côtes Du Rhône La Reserve Blanc is all Clairette Rose, which is a later ripening variety compared to Clairette and a variety that brings a touch more richness and texture. Beautiful notes of honeyed melon, minty, sappy herbs, and spice all define the aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied white that has a layered, balanced profile, beautiful freshness, and one heck of a finish. This is one Côtes Du Rhône Blanc that would have no problem standing in a lineup of top Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc! Drink bottles over the coming 2-4 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Always one of the most singular wines in a vintage, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude comes from the la Solitude lieu-dit on 50% galets roulés and 50% sandy safre soils. Based on 25% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 20% each Mourvèdre and Counoise, 7% Cinsault, 2% Clairette Rose, and 4% other permitted varieties, it was vinified with whole clusters in truncated tanks and aged 15 months entirely in neutral barrels. It offers meaty black cherries, black olives, roasted garrigue, and Provençal spice, reminding me of a street market in the south of France with its meaty, complex, incredibly Provençal style. Medium to full-bodied, it has building tannins and outstanding length. With 233 cases produced, give it a year or two and drink over the following 10-12 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! A supple and perfumy version, with an expressive mix of red plum, rooibos tea and sandalwood smoke. Salty, sanguine tones move in, and everything is grounded by wet paving stone and graphite. The tannins are glossy, with just a hint of graininess on the bitter-edged finish. Finessed and delicious. Counoise, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and Roussanne. - Wine Spectator