Wines

94 Points! A textural, balanced and harmonious red with such patina already. The nose shows notes of dark cherries, fresh plums, forest floor and warm spices. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Dense and velvety, with a kick of peppercorns. Juicy, vivid and fresh finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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95 Points! A fragrant nose of spiced cherries, ripe blackberries, dried herbs, baking spices and hints of earth follow through to a medium body with finely grained tannins. It has precision with a slight bitterness on the mid-palate. Layered and funnelled with a mineral edge. Long savory and spicy finish. Best after 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

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96 Points! Produced from a blend of three vineyard sites on the Sonoma Coast, this floral, seductively gamy Syrah highlights a piercing raspberry and cherry intensity etched with hints of rust and smoke. It is a bright-eyed yet complex and satisfying wine with a stirring backbone acidity. Remarkably powerful for just 12% abv. - Decanter Magazine

 

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A new 'sku' for the Beckmen team, designed to provide incomparable value for money, and it does! We believe its a combination of estate fruit and 'neighbors', deep, dark, spicy, touch of pepper, it's as complete a Syarh as you'll find from America under $20...and that was the idea.

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91 Points! Juicy and forward, the 2023 Crozes-Hermitage Les Pierrelles boasts bright red and blue fruits intermixed with peppery herbs, violets, and leather. It doesn't have the complexity of the Louis Belle or Roche Pierre, but I love its texture, balance, and straight-up charm. It was aged 14 months in neutral oak barrels. Drink this medium-bodied, round, textured Crozes over the coming decade.  - Jeb Dunnuck

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97+ Points! The fruit for this 2019 Great Western Thomson Family Shiraz is picked predominantly from the old 1868 plantings in the Concongella vineyard on the Best's property. It is a resoundingly elegant wine, with a core of fruit that crouches, waiting on the mid-palate. It is complex and complete already, offering a window into what will be a very long life, indeed. It is an exercise in balance and length, line and form (mineral austerity comes to mind), with not a hair out of place. You'd be forgiven for saying the structure has an open weave, almost loose-knit quality about it, were it not for the super streamlined finish that shows all the openness and approachability is merely a clever disguise. This wine can be drunk now, and sure, it should be (it's delicious, the feel of it in the mouth is insane). But if you have the patience, wisdom and foresight to cellar it, your children will be amply rewarded. - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com

96 Points! An extremely sophisticated and concentrated shiraz that’s so precise and focused on the beautifully balanced, medium-bodied palate. The interplay of fine tannins and lively acidity is really fascinating. Very clean and long finish. From the Concongella Vineyard. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

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99 Points! Given its consistently outstanding quality, it’s easy to forget that the average age of Porseleinberg's 14 hectares of vineyards is only seven years' old. Showing what Callie Louw calls a "little more crunch" in 2021, this is a Syrah with time on its side. Wild herb aromas of sage, oregano and rosemary introduce you to a palate that's dense yet refined, with lots of whole bunch spice and structure, negligible oak influence, detailed, layered tannins, some underlying grip and layers of dark berry fruit. One of the world's great reds from a very special site. - Tim Atkin, MW

97 Points! The 2021 Porseleinberg is whole bunch fermented and aged for 12 months in foudres. I gave my glass plenty of aeration. Chatting with winemaker Callie Louw, this wine can be closed, this being the first time I had tasted it at the remote Swartland estate. It has a compelling bouquet with fabulous delineation, a mélange of, say, one-third red and two-thirds black fruit, hints of iron filings and reflecting its soils, slate-like scents. Obstinately backward, after 10 minutes, it positively blossoms in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with filigree tannins framing the mineral-rich black fruit. Plenty of extract is interwoven, but perhaps unlike the vintages of old, Louw's winemaking sense means that it's not immediately tangible. A discrete build in the mouth reveals hidden layers as it sashays towards its crunchy finish and then delivers a dash of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Outstanding…but what else do we expect? - Neal Martin, Vinous

97 Points! What an intense nose of charcuterie, grilled herbs, iron, black berry fruit and cracked pepper. Flavor explosion on the palate, too, with a full body, yet so much freshness with an underlying iron and peppercorn character. Firm, yet fine tannins. Even better from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

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95 Points! This is a cooler-climate Syrah done with the light touch of a Pinot Noir master. The nose is extremely peppery, reminiscent of a tour through a Tellicherry peppercorn factory, yet with tart cranberry, rust and soil elements as well. The palate is immensely grippy with more white pepper as well as charcoal and brisk red-fruit flavors. It will also cellar very well. - Wine Enthusiast

94 Points! The 2018 Syrah Schock Family Vineyard is Gavin Chanin's first Syrah, and it is fabulous. Deep and rich, but not at all heavy, the 2018 has so much to offer. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2018 is an embryonic wine at this stage. What comes across is the wine's exceptional balance and harmony. Time will be needed for Syrah aromatics to emerge. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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98 Points! Always one of the top Crozes-Hermitage out there (although the case could be made that it's more Hermitage than Crozes), the 2018 Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonniers has a liqueur of rocks-like character as well as gorgeous blue fruits, violets, earth, and bouquet garni aromas and flavors. I'd unquestionably guess Hermitage in a blind lineup. This full-bodied beauty has a seamless texture, ample tannins, and a great finish. It's pure class and the finest Crozes Hermitage out there in 2018. It's a stunning value that readers should snatch up! - Jeb Dunnuck Learn More

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

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99 Points! Colgin's 2021 IX Estate is a rich, opulent example, with layers of ripe black cherries and dark chocolate punctuated by hints of sage and bay leaf, plus some vaguely floral notes (violets?). Full-bodied, concentrated, velvety and long, it's another terrific wine that showcases the potential of Pritchard Hill, the investment by the owners and the talent of the winemaking team. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

98+ Points! I'd wager a Napa Valley legend in the making, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon IX Estate comes from the estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill, and if there was ever a classification of terroirs in the valley, this would check in near the top of the list. Deep purple-hued, with awesome aromatics of pure cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and subtle floral hints, this has that rare mix of power and elegance that defines so many great wines. Full-bodied, concentrated, and flawlessly balanced, it has no shortage of structure and is going to need 7-8 years, if not a decade, to hit full maturity, where it will hold for 2-3 decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

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95 Points! The 2008 Pinnacle Shiraz comes off Grampian’s Best clone vines planted in 1997. Very deep garnet purple in color, it’s a little mute to begin producing pretty aromas of violets, black pepper, dark chocolate, black cherries and earth. Very crisp in the mouth, it has a medium-high level of very fine, velvety tannins and meaty, savory, spicy flavors coming through in layers. Full-bodied and rich, this wine has a very long finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

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Gorgeous Cornas! Sloping vineyard of 60+ year-old vines facing south, south east at 250 meters above sea level. Aging in oak barrels. Traditional vinification in concrete tank. Cuvaison 28 to 32 days with pigeage, pressurage with a low pressure vertical press. Aging 24 months including 12 months of old barrels then 12 months of concrete ovoids.

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95 Points! Reminding me of a classy Hermitage, the deep purple-hued 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Des Grands Chemins offers up a brilliant perfume of redcurrants, blackberries, saddle leather, lavender, and bouquet garni. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, richly textured, balanced Crozes that has velvety tannins, some classic northern Rhône gamey, peppery nuances, and a great finish. It needs a decant if drinking any time soon, but the tannins are supple and ripe, and this beauty will have a broad drink window. I wouldn't be surprised to see it still going strong at age 20. Bravo. - Jeb Dunnuck

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94+ Points! The 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Le Clos is tighter and more focused, with a more blue-fruited perfume of cassis, graphite, violets, and peppered meat-like aromas and flavors. The polar opposite of the broad, ripe, sexy Domaine des Grands Chemins, this stays focused and inwards on the palate, with ripe, polished tannins, beautiful balance, and outstanding length. Hide this for 4-5 years and it's going to drink brilliantly over the following 10-15. - Jeb Dunnuck

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96 Points! The 2019 Saint Joseph Cuvée Revirand is all Syrah that was not destemmed and saw malolactic fermentation in barrel followed by 18 months in French oak. Just a thrilling Saint Joseph that pretty much stopped me in my tracks, it has ample red and black fruits, notes of leather, woodsmoke, iron, and pepper, full-bodied richness, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it showed more structure and depth with air. It can certainly be drunk today, but it will ideally be given 2-3 years in the cellar, and I’d be shocked if it didn’t evolve gracefully for another decade or more.

I don’t have much experience with this domaine, which was created in 2007, but I certainly came away impressed. These are well worth the extra effort to track down. - Jeb Dunnuck

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92-94 Points! Youthful purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh black and blue fruits, star anise, olive, violet and tobacco. A smoky mineral accent builds steadily in the glass and energizes the spice-laced, dark berry liqueur, smoky bacon and floral pastille flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Clings with strong tenacity on the youthfully tannic finish, leaving behind sappy blue fruit, cracked pepper and mineral notes. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

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Coming from three different parcels near the northern Rhône (as well as some declassified Côte Rôtie), the 2021 Collines Rhodaniennes Les Lezardes shows the fresher, cooler style of the vintage yet still brings lots of character. Red and black fruits, peppery herbs, flowers, and a touch of game all define the nose, and it's medium-bodied, crisp, and balanced on the palate. - Jeb Dunnuck

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95 Points! Rising aerial freshness, this gently hovers out of the glass, with a petrichor note on the nose. Light-bodied, but no lack of impact or intensity. Deeply textural, with a mass of ripe tannin, it finishes dry and saline. Great freshness and energy. Whole-bunch fermented with natural yeasts, followed by 16 months élevage in old barrels. - Decanter Magazine

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94 Points! The 2022 Syrah Valenti Ranch is a super-classic Mendocino Ridge wine. It offers a beguiling mix of dark Syrah fruit along with a host of savory/earthy undertones, all framed by beams of tannin that lend energy. Complex and pedigreed to the core, the 2022 is an absolute delight. In a word: gorgeous. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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