Wines

Only $29.98 at checkout! 95 Points! The 2019 Syrah Bismark Vineyard has a deep ruby-purple color and rich aromas of cassis, coffee beans, chargrill, white pepper and menthol. The full-bodied palate is powerful and richly fruited, with an abundance of rounded tannins and a long, flavorful finish with lingering floral accents. This deserves another 3-5 years in bottle and will be long lived in the cellar. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

93+ Points! The 2020 Cuvée Las Santas was produced from a number of small plots at higher altitudes and cooler expositions (north), only Garnacha, small plots. It has some Mediterranean, Châteauneuf-like character (cherries in liqueur, Mediterranean herbs) with 14% alcohol, very good acidity and very fine grained tannins. They fermented it with 50% full clusters and matured it in used French oak barrels for nine months. This is the wine they produce in the style they like, a more personal wine from special plots. 1,423 bottles were filled in March 2022.  - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! I love the pale, floral and delicate 2021 Kauten. This wine is the reason they started in the zone of Olite. The wine is elegant and ethereal. They do a soft extraction and only use half of the skins for the fermentation (50% of the clusters were pressed directly and the juice put in the fermentation vessel). They were worried because it's from a 20-year-old vineyard and they didn't want to extract much. They age it in used barrels for five months. The wine has 13.5%, and it's very approachable and expressive, with notes of sous bois, a vibrant palate and great freshness. Amazing wine and superb value. This is expressive, pure, deep and very satisfying. It should also age well. 1,246 bottles were filled in August 2022. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

94 Points! A juicy and transparent grenache noir with aromas of strawberries, cherries, stones, iodine and some spices, too. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins. It’s crunchy and full of vitality and energy on the palate. Vertical and not hiding anything with a precise, vibrant finish with some peppery notes. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! There is a change in the 2022 La Bruja. It is no longer a village wine from Rozas de Puerto Real. In 2022, it is a regional wine, and in 2023, it also will be a regional wine but from Ávila, from the Cebreros appellation, as they are focusing their work there. It's a juicy and aromatic Garnacha, very much in the Comando G style, with good ripeness, 14% alcohol and more in the style of the 2020. It has a medium-bodied palate and a sapid finish with contained ripeness and fine granite granularity. They macerated less to adapt to the vintage, and it partly fermented with less skins. It's a more approachable La Bruja, expressive, open and more fruit-driven, more in a Morgon style. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

100 Points! I’ve never before smelled a wine like this. The captivating aromas are amazing, with lavender, sage, dried potpourri, blackberries, tar, pepper and black licorice. Full-bodied with super tannins that fan out and caress the palate. It’s ethereal and endless. A pure syrah from the owners of Clos Apalta, from unique mountain vineyards. Just over 6,000 bottles made. Try to give this four or five years of bottle age. Best after 2028. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! The 2021 Syrah (California) is outrageous. Rich and explosive, the Syrah packs a serious punch. This wine, from a collection of top notch sites delivers tons of impact. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol, licorice and black pepper are all dialed up in this heady, dense Syrah. The 2021 is a blend of top sites in Santa Barbara and Sonoma, with a good dose of whole clusters in all the lots. What a wine. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

From the winery: We are tremendously fortunate - on many levels - to have known and worked with George Besson Jr. and his exceptional vineyards for twenty years. George's late father, George Sr. purchased the grenache vineyard and farmhouse just after WWII on a gently north-facing rocky slope. These non-irrigated vines, planted on their own roots in 1910, sit a short distance from the start of the Santa Cruz Mountains, but several dozen feet too low to qualify for the appellation. Walking through the vines with George, one senses his deep affection and respect for the land and the vines, and his belief in man's subordinate role to nature in determining the ultimate quality of the grapes grown there. As a consequence of the age of the vines, the lack of irrigation, and the conservative farming practices, the quantity of grapes grown there is quite small - rarely if ever over 2 tons/acre.

98 Points! The 2021 Syrah Donna's is all varietal and comes from the Melville Vineyard. Its vivid ruby/plum hue is followed by classic Syrah notes of ripe blackberries, mulberries, pepper, violets, and gamey meats. These carry to a full-bodied Syrah with ultra-fine tannins, a layered, multi-dimensional texture, and a gorgeous finish. This absolutely captivating Syrah is already impossible to resist yet is going to evolve for 15-20 years with ease. It's up with the finest vintages of this cuvée produced. Hats off to Chad Melville for a brilliant, world class Syrah! - Jeb Dunnuck

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

93 Points! A lovely garnacha with sweet blue fruit, fine spices and some flowers. Taut and juicy with tight but polished tannins. Lots of flavors, but not hefty. On the contrary, this is nimble and elegant. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

90 Points! I loved the 2019 Syrah Estate, which includes 5% of Petite Sirah and was brought up mostly in French oak, with a splash in American oak. Ripe black and blue fruits, vanilla, peppery herbs, and some chocolate notes all give way to a plump, round, fruit-forward effort that has supple tannins and a great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The 2021 Please Fasten Your Seatbelt Syrah is also outstanding, with a darker, peppery, classic California Syrah style. Blackberries, pepper, spring flowers, and chalky mineral notes all give way to a wonderfully pure, medium to full-bodied Syrah with ripe, integrated tannins and outstanding length. All varietal from a mix of vineyards throughout the Central Coast (Caliza, Fulldraw, G2, Larner, Piazza Bella Vista) that was 80% destemmed and aged 18 months in 73% new French oak, it will evolve nicely for 8-10 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! There is a new superb pure Giró from old vines, from the upper two terraces of the Abargues property, first produced in the perfect Mediterranean vintage of 2020. The 2020 Fierroca takes the name from two words, "fierro"( which means iron) and "roca" (which means rock"), the components of the soils here. The grapes have less color but lots of grip, and the wine is floral, elegant, terribly balanced, tasty and ripe without excess, with a velvety texture and long, pure fresh and fine flavors. This is amazing! It matured in two 500-liter French oak barrels for 10 months. 1,300 bottles were filled in August 2021. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

98 Points! The 2005 Syrah The Skull comes from a different section of the Royal Slope. If it is possible, the wine is a bit more structured and powerful. It needs 8-10 years of cellaring and will be at its best from 2017 to 2035.

Charles Smith, the mastermind of K Vintners, bottles his very best wines from the obscure Royal Slope under a separate label. These are stunning Syrahs that must be tasted to be believed. They are technically within the massive Columbia Valley AVA but Smith feels the Royal Slope (or Royal Slut as he refers to it) should be recognized in its own right For a fascinating demonstration of terroir, do a side-by-side tasting of the 2005 K Vintner and Charles Smith Syrahs but bring a lot of ribs and pulled pork barbecue and turn it into a party. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

99 Points! The 2005 Syrah Old Bones is a blend of The Heart and The Skull but aged in 500-liter barrels. It is more complex, opulent, and totally hedonistic. It will be at its best from 2017 to 2035.

Charles Smith, the mastermind of K Vintners, bottles his very best wines from the obscure Royal Slope under a separate label. These are stunning Syrahs that must be tasted to be believed. They are technically within the massive Columbia Valley AVA but Smith feels the Royal Slope (or Royal Slut as he refers to it) should be recognized in its own right For a fascinating demonstration of terroir, do a side-by-side tasting of the 2005 K Vintner and Charles Smith Syrahs but bring a lot of ribs and pulled pork barbecue and turn it into a party. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com