Wines

95 Points! The 2021 Syrah The Initiation is a nearly opaque ruby into purple, with oils of black pepper, black olive, and preserved plum. Full-bodied, it’s lush with freshness and a velvety texture, revealing sweet tannins as well as notes of tea leaf and blackberry. It’s a beautiful and opulent wine to drink 2025-2040. - Jeb Dunnuck

97+ Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 The Initiation Syrah prances out with perfumed notes of roses, Indian spices, and kirsch giving way to a core of plum preserves and juicy blueberries plus wafts of tar and pepper. The full-bodied palate is rich and impactful, with fresh, crunchy black fruits and floral accents supported by firm, rounded tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and fragrant. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, TWI

Learn More

98 Points! Intense aromas of lanolin and citrus are framed in wet-stone notes. The palate has a silky texture, beneath which is blazing acidity and very concentrated lemon. Smooth-honed and powerful semillon. From grapes planted in 1908. Drink over the next decade. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

96+ Points! The Johnno's Block vineyard was planted in 1908, on sandy alluvial soils. The fruit from this vineyard was picked a week later (February 23rd) than the 4 Acres and the 8 Acres fruit. Darker in color and with more depth on the nose, this 2021 Johnno's Shiraz is laden with cocoa, star anise, cooking spices, Dutch licorice and a whiff of pastrami. In the mouth, this is dark and brooding (not a comment on alcohol, this, like the others, is 13%) and ferruginous, with a snarl of tannin and spice woven through the finish. It's a standout wine and one that will get better in time, as it gains acceleration in the dark spice space. Hold. - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com

Learn More

97 Points! A powerful and spicy syrah with aromas of black olives, nutmeg, peppercorns, black cherries and sea urchins. Bitter chocolate, too. Full-bodied, firm and polished, with a velvety texture carrying the black fruit. Intense and so long. Try in 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! A bigger, more powerful, masculine-styled release, the 2020 Syrah Powerline Vineyard (100% Syrah) sports a deeper ruby/plum hue as well as medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe black and blue fruits, ground pepper, violets, and smoked meats. It brings lots of concentration and power but stays elegant and balanced, with beautiful tannins. - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

95+ Points! The 2022 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard has an alluring nose of red, blue and black berries with accents of grilled game meats, forest floor and peppermint patty. The full-bodied palate is savory and deep, with chalky tannins, juicy acidity and a long finish laced with youthful cinnamon tones. It will have more to show after 3-5 years in bottle. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

96-98 Points! The 2022 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard ratchets up the intensity and has a saturated purple hue as well as a killer nose of ripe black and blue fruits, graphite, ground pepper, and crushed stone-like minerality. Rich, concentrated, and powerful, it shines for its purity, has building tannins, and a great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

96 Points! More density and depth, as well as precision, emerge from the 2020 Cornas Empreintes, a smaller production cuvée from 30-year-old vines. Its deep purple hue is followed by a beautiful perfume of black and blue fruits, bloody meat, pepper, and spring flowers. I love its focus and length on the palate, and it's medium to full-bodied, with plenty of tannins, a great mid-palate, and a salty, bloody finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It's a “wow” Cornas for sure. - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

96 Points! The 2021 The Standish Shiraz was made with fruit from the Laycock family vineyard, Greenock, with 30% whole bunches in the ferment. The Standish Shiraz was the first cuvée launched by Dan Standish in 1999, and the wine is routinely typified by its muscular tannin shape and earthy, savory fruit. The most attractive part of this wine is the splay of exotic market spice (namely sumac, black pepper, star anise and fresh cardamom) that sails in on the coattails of the red/purple fruit. It has all the exoticism and romance of a hike through the mountains of Morocco, yet it, perhaps more than any other wine in the collection, speaks of the Barossa in a clear enunciated voice. So, where does it fit in 2021? The 2021 The Standish Shiraz is finer, prettier and lighter than I have ever seen it at this stage of its life. It has all the spice and Barossan identity that is expected; however, it misses the dense baritone of fruit that is present in earlier iterations. Whether you think that is a positive or not is up to you—I am fond of this wine throughout all its incarnations. Vintage variation is responsible for the spark of curiosity and joy that I experience every year during this release, and the real triumph in 2021 is the ability of the vineyard (this vineyard) to shine through the season that shaped it. - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com

Learn More

Learn More

96 Points! Lovely ripened blackberries and raspberries. Al dente. Full-bodied yet so refined and focused with crisp acidity and ultra-fine, creamy tannins. Succulent and crunchy but focused and structured. Bright and purposeful. Drink after 2024 but already hard to hold back. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

Learn More

96+ Points! The 2019 Syrah The Hidden comes from the Northridge Vineyard and is another rich, burly wine that needs bottle age. Both red and black fruits, charcoal, smoky oak, and pepper define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, has building tannins, and a great finish. I wouldn't open a bottle for at least 2-3 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! Ripe black cherry, blackberry and whole and ground peppercorn on the nose. Full-bodied with fine, taught tannins. There is excellent depth and richness here with toasted black fruit and notes of leather and dried rose. Very well balanced with great complexity and intensity. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

Learn More

96 Points! Another full-bodied, rich, concentrated, powerful wine in the lineup, the 2019 Syrah Cattle King is all varietal and comes from the Upland Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA. Not destemmed and aged in 50% new French oak, it offers a brilliant perfume of darker berry and cassis fruits as well as notes of ground pepper, chalky minerality, and graphite, which turns more floral and peppery with time in the glass. It's a classic Washington State Syrah with tons of charm. It's certainly approachable today yet will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for over a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

96 Points! The 2018 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyards was mostly destemmed (90%) and spent 18 months in 50% new French oak. It's another inky hued effort that brings both richness and elegance. Lots of darker, briny fruits, smoked game, and black pepper notes give way to a medium to full-bodied wine that has silky yet present tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. It's going to evolve for 15 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

96 Points! The 2019 Cornas is one hell of a base Cornas that should be snatched up by readers. Full-bodied, concentrated, and flawlessly balanced, with a texture like silk, it offers a kaleidoscope-like array of red and black fruits, tapenade, smoked game, black olive, and Asian spices. It’s a thrilling wine to enjoy over the coming two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! This is really packed, offering dense waves of cassis, plum compote and blackberry reduction flavors that stay well-defined as they rumble through, with ample cast iron, sweet tapenade, lavender and bay leaf accents. There’s loads of grip on the back end, but it’s well-integrated, so just let this unwind in the cellar. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,000 cases made, 100 cases imported. - Wine Spectator

Learn More

100 Points! In comparison to the La Mouline, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Turque shows a darker, more Côte Brune-like character (which is where this is from) in its broody black fruits, scorched earth, smoked meats, graphite, and exotic flowers. As with the other single vineyards in 2018, the purity of fruit is off the charts, it's full-bodied, has incredible tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that won't quit. It shows that classic 2018 ripeness with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It too has some up-front appeal but won't hit maturity for another 7-8 years, if not a decade, and is a 30-year-wine. - Jeb Dunnuck

98-100 Points! Does the scale go higher than 100? Guigal's 2018 Cote Rotie La Turque is a sure candidate for perfection down the road. With more concentration and richness than the aromatic 2017, it seamlessly blends grilled cherries, espresso, black olives and even exotic hints of black truffle into a full-bodied, powerhouse that should drink well for at least two decades. Tasting at Guigal is always one of the highlights of my Northern Rhône trip. Because of the family's breadth of production and hallmark long élevage, it provides a chance to look at several vintages together, along with commentary from the knowledgeable patriarch, Marcel Guigal. This year, I was joined by Marcel, his son Philippe and Jacques Desvernois, hired away from Jaboulet in the summer of 2018, for a five-hour marathon in the chilly cellar beneath the company's headquarters in Ampuis. Despite the cool temperatures, there were smiles all around at the quality of the samples on the table. "Global warming has been fabulous for the Northern Rhône," said Marcel at one point. - Wine Advocate

Learn More

98-100 Points! The 2018 Cote Rotie La Mouline is immensely seductive, offering up enticing notes of floral potpourri and red berries on the nose. Those strawberries and raspberries persist onto the full-bodied palate and through the long, lush finish, buoyed by supple, creamy-textured tannins. This is the most complete, compelling vintage of La Mouline I've tasted. - Wine Advocate

99 Points! Just about pure perfection as well as a desert Island wine, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mouline comes from a tiny parcel in the Côte Blonde lieu-dit and spent four years in new barrels. Incredible notes of black raspberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, smoked game, violets, and pepper all emerge on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied, round, supple, sexy Côte Rôtie offering ultra-fine tannins, an insane level of purity, no hard edges, and a monster of a finish. As with the other 2018s here, it leads with its fruit and has a supple, ethereal style on the palate... - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

98+ Points! Just about pure perfection as well as a desert Island wine, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mouline comes from a tiny parcel in the Côte Blonde lieu-dit and spent four years in new barrels. Incredible notes of black raspberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, smoked game, violets, and pepper all emerge on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied, round, supple, sexy Côte Rôtie offering ultra-fine tannins, an insane level of purity, no hard edges, and a monster of a finish. As with the other 2018s here, it leads with its fruit and has a supple, ethereal style on the palate. - Jeb Dunnuck

98-100 Points!  Subtle hints of fresh pea shoots accent characteristic dark notes of roasted meat, espresso and black olives in the full-bodied 2018 Cote Rotie La Landonne. Rich, concentrated and velvety-textured, with ample length and plenty of ripe tannins on the finish, it should benefit from a decade or more of bottle age—once it gets there. It's a brooding beast of a Cote Rotie that serious collectors will want to have in their cellars. - Wine Advocate

Learn More

99 Points! Lastly, the 2019 Cornas La Sabarotte is a candidate for the wine of the vintage in Cornas, and it’s about as thrilling as they come. Much riper and sexier, it reminds me of a great Hermitage from the Meal lieu-dit and has lots of cassis and blackberry fruits, notes of violets, ground pepper, iron, and some gamey meat, full-bodied richness, velvety tannins, and an awesome finish. It’s a big, rich, sexy wine that will take 4-5 years to shed some baby fat and have two decades of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

 

Learn More

96+ Points! The flagship 2019 Saint Joseph Le Paradis Saint Pierre ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage, yet like most of the top wines, it's going to need bottle age. Deep ruby/purple-hued, it offers a gorgeous nose of black raspberries, cassis, cured meats, crushed stone, pepper, and dried flowers. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, it has the ripe, up-front, spicy fruit that's the hallmark of the vintage as well as the firmer, building tannins that will require at least 4-5 years of bottle age. This is stunning, though, and well worth seeking out. - Jeb Dunnuck

Learn More

96 Points! The blockbuster 2000 Shiraz Reserve was aged in small barriques, foudres, and demi-muids. It boasts an inky black color as well as a fabulous bouquet of acacia flowers intermixed with blackberry and cassis liqueur, creosote, and camphor. Exceptionally long and layered, this opulent, voluptuous, pure Shiraz is a thrill to drink. The tannin, acidity, and alcohol (14.9%) are seamlessly integrated in this modern-day classic. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020. This is one of the great wines of South Australia! - Robert Parker, August 2002 Learn More

96 Points! The hugely extracted, massive 1999 Shiraz Reserve tips the scales at 15.2% alcohol. From Shiraz vines that average 35-40 years of age, it was aged in a combination of small and large oak barrels as well as puncheons. There are 580 cases of this behemoth. An opaque blue/purple color and a knockout nose of blackberry liqueur intermixed with spice box, pepper, asphalt, and licorice soar from the glass. Opulent and viscous, with tremendous palate presence, beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this superb, larger-than-life wine is a tour de force for a lighter weight vintage such as 1999. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020. - Robert Parker, June 2001 Learn More

96 Points! The 2003 Shiraz Roennfeldt Road offers up an ethereal perfume of sandalwood, incense, lavender, Asian spices, and blueberry compote. Rich, dense, and very long in the finish, the wine’s 18.5% alcohol pokes through with a touch of heat. For that reason, it is likely to be controversial. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com December 2009 Learn More