Specials

93 Points! Currants, brambleberries, dark chocolate, dried violets and tobacco leaves on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Excellent structure, depth and concentration. Try in 2023. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Cherry, cassis and pine notes mark the nose of the 2018 Andosol, a blend of 80% Zinfandel and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Matured largely in tank and foudre, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, framed by silky tannins, then finishes long and bright, with plenty of red fruit and mouthwatering acids. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

93 Points! A firm and polished red with cranberry, blackberry and crushed stone character. It’s clear and bright with a darkness and tension. Shows flowers and spices at the end with some dried potpourri and peppercorn. From vineyards in Howell Mountain. Aged three years in cask. A blend of Zinfandel, 20% cabernet sauvignon, and 5% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A light beautiful color of red marks the visual appeal of the 100% varietal 2022 Grenache, grown at high elevation on the producer’s estate around 2,400-feet. There’s a beautiful perfume to the wine, a combination of wild strawberry and lilac, accented in blood orange. Tobacco, white pepper, and garrigue play along the full-bodied palate that tastes more delicate than it is, the tannins smoothened into rounded submission. This should age well another 5-7 years. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

94 Points! Expressive and expansive nose of fresh plums, cherries, cloves, nutmeg, flowers and sandalwood. It’s so transparent and vibrant, with a medium to full body and fine, tight tannins. Gorgeous fruit. From organically grown grapes. Try from 2024. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The San Polo 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Podernovi shows a very earthy side that evokes savory spice, smoke and gamey aromas. The core of this organic wine is colored by black fruit and baked plum, but the wine is primarily driven by the aromas it has picked up during oak and bottle aging. This adds a medium-heavy constitution and a good amount of warm-vintage fruit weight for a Sangiovese. The wine also has an accessible character that makes it best to drink over the next 10 years. The fruit represents a selection from over two hectares. - Monica Larner robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon AE, with 5% each of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. It bursts with vibrant scents of blueberries, stewed black plums, and blackcurrant pastilles opening out to notes of mint tea and garrigue. The full-bodied palate is plush, juicy, and ready to go, delivering bags of black fruit and savory flavors and a long, lifted finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

93 Points! This has a real minerally character with oyster shells and sliced apples that run long and true in the wine. Medium-bodied with a clean and creamy texture. Flinty, complex finish. Feels like a Chablis on the palate. Drink now.  - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2021 Chardonnay Tina-Louise Shea Vineyard lifts from the glass with a savory blend of freshly sliced green apples, split pine and contrasting hints of mint. Round, pliant textures and succulent ripe orchard fruits wash across the palate as confectionary spice comes forward toward the close. This tapers off potent and long yet remarkably fresh, leaving touches of young kiwi to fade. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

93 Points! Lovely nose of golden apples, baked pears, sweet spices, blanched almonds, warm herbs and some lemons. Medium-bodied with bright acidity. Fresh lemon character at the center and a caressing, silky texture enveloping the palate. Well-balanced, lively and precise. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Slight hints of wax, earth and lemon show on the still-shy nose. The palate is equally reticent, tightly coiled but speaking of concentrated citrus freshness that verges into zestiness. The bone-dry nature makes it hard to sense ripe citrus slumbering at the core but the fruit will reveal itself with bottle age. Concentration, purity and power promise a future firework, discernible now in the tangerine zestiness on the finish. - Wine Enthusiast

93 Points! A gorgeous entry-level offering, the 2016 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) captures all the natural exuberance of the Russian River. Black cherry, cola, spice, lavender, licorice and cloves are all amped up in this boisterous, juicy Pinot. Here, too, the presence of slightly mature notes makes the 2016 so rewarding to drink now.

This might very well be the best set of wines I have ever tasted from Fred Scherrer. The 2016 Pinots and Cabernets in particular are superb. Scherrer releases his wines a bit later than most, so readers will find wines that show a good bit of bottle complexity and are largely ready to drink. As always, the wines are done in a style that prizes structure and energy over lushness or immediacy. Ideally, these are wines that are best enjoyed over many hours. I can't recommend these new releases highly enough. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

92 Points! Cherry, cassis and pine notes mark the nose of the 2018 Andosol, a blend of 80% Zinfandel and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Matured largely in tank and foudre, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, framed by silky tannins, then finishes long and bright, with plenty of red fruit and mouthwatering acids. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

93 Points! A firm and polished red with cranberry, blackberry and crushed stone character. It’s clear and bright with a darkness and tension. Shows flowers and spices at the end with some dried potpourri and peppercorn. From vineyards in Howell Mountain. Aged three years in cask. A blend of Zinfandel, 20% cabernet sauvignon, and 5% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! This deeply flavored 2018 Fat of the Land Seppeltsfield is a single vineyard Shiraz offering rich, dense licorice, tar, aniseed and blackberry aromas with a core of sweet oak. Luscious flavors are followed by warming alcohol - a no-holds-barred, full-throttle style well supported by firm drying tannins through to a lengthy, slightly hot, finish. - Angus Hughson, Vinous Media

#FatOfTheLand

94 Points! This has bold and rich blackberries and dark plums with licorice, coal smoke, cedary oak and tarry notes. The palate is quite round, soft and fleshy with rich blackberries and blueberries. Dark chocolate, too. The cedary and spicy oak is well integrated and wraps deep into a glossy finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! This bold 2018 Fat of the Land is a single vineyard Greenock Barossa Shiraz boasting lashings of sweet blackberry and licorice aromas wrapped in a cloak of new French oak. This is done in quite a sturdy style with firm oak tannins supporting sweet, ripe, voluptuous fruits. A long finish tops off an impressive package for fans of the style - Angus Hughson, Vinous Media

#FatOfTheLand

96 Points! This is from hearty Barossa soil, offering rich blackberries, blueberries and licorice, as well as sarsaparilla and a coal smoke. The palate is saturated with ripe dark plums and blackberries and smooth tannins stack up nicely, delivering such intensity of flesh and flavor into the long, fresh finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Dense and concentrated, this red showcases clove, chai tea and bittersweet chocolate aromatics that mingle with a note of hot cast iron minerality, which adds an appealing high tone. Delivers dense, thick tannins and toasted herb flavors, which leave an appealing impression on the finish. Drink now through 2036. - Wine Spectator

#FatOfTheLand

94 Points! A blockbuster in a showy, rich style, with bolts of iron grounding a lush stream of chocolate, cherry and blackberry. Mesquite and sandalwood smoke notes linger through the smooth finish, which is flecked with spices, herbs and salt. A long bolt of graphite adds to the well-built feel. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. - Wine Spectator

93+ Points! Aged in demi-muids, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet is drawn exclusively from la Crau, a blend of 70% Grenache and 15% each Mourvèdre and Syrah. The nose is toasty and cedary but balanced by scents of red raspberries and strawberries, while the mouth is full-bodied and supple, finishing smooth, sexy and long. It's already approachable, but the wood should integrate nicely over the next several years. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

94 Points! Black cherry, bark and earth on the nose with some dark-mushroom character. It’s full-bodied with very soft tannins and a juicy, savory finish. Wet-earth and forest-floor character comes through nicely at the finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Featuring black cherry, blueberry, mint, iron and Tuscan scrub flavors, this solid red is built for aging, with ripe fruit returning on the long finish. All the components are there -- this just needs time. Sangiovese and Merlot. - Wine Spectator

92 Points! The 2022 Gigondas Le Mas showed beautifully, with darker strawberry-like fruit as well as peppery, spicy, Provençal nuances. These carry to a medium-bodied Gigondas that's balanced, has fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. Drink bottles any time over the coming decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

91+ Points! A blend of 80% Grenache Noir, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah, the 2022 Gigondas Le Mas offers up aromas of dark cherries, dark wild berries, flowers, tapenade and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, enrobing and charming, it's textured and layered, with bright acids and a long, ethereal finish. It's already hard to resist, but it will age gracefully over the next decade. Crafted from vines planted on limestone, clay and marl, it was matured 90% in concrete tanks and the rest in used barrels. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

From the winery: Radian Vineyard is the most southern and westerly vineyard in the Sta Rita Hills AVA, and it is perhaps the coolest vineyard we work with, being battered by cool winds off the Pacific Ocean year round. In 2022 Radian Vineyard fully embodies the characteristics of the vintage demonstrating its extreme climate through its texture - rustic, deep, and brooding (for Pinot at least). However, Radian always shows off its finesse through the nose. Think of red fruits, florals, and cedar.

92 Points! Coming from vines around the estate and some near Beaucastel, and made at Vieille Julienne, the deeper hued 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape offers a beautiful, very classic style in its darker cherry and mulled blueberry-like fruits as well as violet and peppery garrigue aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, it has wonderful purity and a great finish. It's beautifully done and well worth seeking out. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! A cabernet that shows structure, yet at the same time it is savory and pure with currant, chocolate and walnut undertones. Juicy with lots of cassis, too. Full-bodied, chewy and savory. Dry. Delicious. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Puente Alto and Pirque come together in this textbook Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon with a twist: it was aged in casks to add elegance to the region’s familiar complexity. Licorice, cassis, blackberry and thyme flavors appear at first followed by caramel. Very precisely calibrated, the firm tannins and expressive flavor underline the accomplished nature of the wine and lengthy, juicy finish. - Joaquin Hiudalgo, Vinous Media

94 Points! The 2018 Crossfire is a solid step up, offering remarkable purity and precision in its abundant crème de cassis, tobacco, flowers, and graphite-like aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, it needs 3-4 years to hit its sweet spot and should evolve nicely through 2038. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! The 2018 Crossfire Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard features notes of dark chocolate, cedar, cassis, plum and spice cake. It's all Cabernet Sauvignon from this Oakville site, matured in 80% new French oak (20% second-fill). Full-bodied and plush but still reasonably structured, it's drinking well now but should go for another decade or more. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com