The richest yet also most balanced and complete of the Taub Family offerings this vintage is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III. Vibrant blackberries and black cherries are beautifully framed by cedar and vanilla shadings, while the medium to full-bodied palate is velvety, with a long, lively finish. –J.C.

...Fruit driven, with scents of black plums, blackberries and cassis, plus minor herbal notes of tobacco and sage. It's medium to full-bodied, nicely supple and approachable already, with layers of dark fruit and spice that slowly unfold on the finish. –J.C.

The 2013 Cornas la Louvee is gorgeous and has considerable elegance and purity in its cassis, liquid blackberry, licorice and crushed rock-laced bouquet. This gives way to a medium to full-bodied, pure, perfectly balanced Cornas that has plenty of tannin, yet also plenty of fruit and mid-palate depth. More mineral driven than the les Ruchets, enjoy this complete, textured and lengthy ... - J.D.

Deep-pitched aromas of black and blue fruits, dark chocolate, licorice and black pepper, backed by a hint of smokiness. Broad, sweet and open-knit, showing very good intensity to the blackberry liqueur and bitter chocolate flavors. This powerful, concentrated, emphatically fruity Cornas finishes smoky and quite long, with strong thrust and spicy persistence.  - J.R.

[92+ pts] Hints of caramel and baking spices accent black cherries on the nose of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli-Borges Vineyard. This is a full-bodied wine, supple across the mid-palate but then firming up and showing more tannin on the long, velvety finish... - J.C.

Well-packed with red and black currant fruit bearing a nice brawny edge, this pulls in notes of warm earth, dark tobacco and roasted cedar. This has juicy energy in reserve, with a nice iron spine and a chewy, old-school edge... - J.M.

Richly fruity, offering dark plum and dark currant flavors that are pure and direct, with peppery accents in the midpalate. The finish lingers with dark chocolate, cream and dried green herbal hints....– K.M

CELLAR SELECTION; This lavish, polished Syrah offers sunburst blackberry and plum flavors that pulsate on the palate. It's a rich, muscular wine but nuanced by hints of dried herb, leather, pepper and olive as well as vibrant acidity... - A.I.

Colombo's top Cornas is the 2015 Cornas Vallon de l'Aigle, which comes from a single parcel of south-facing, old vines and is only bottled in great vintages. Like all the Colombo Cornas, it's made to be approachable young. Brown sugar and cinnamon notes spice up the ripe, plummy fruit, along with hints of roasted meat and gravy. Already velvety in texture, with a long, savory finish, it should drink well for up to two decades. - J.C.

Exotically perfumed black and blue fruit preserve, potpourri and Moroccan spice aromas, along with hints of woodsmoke, vanilla and olive paste. Silky, seamless and broad on the palate, offering deeply concentrated blackberry, boysenberry, violet and fruitcake flavors that become livelier and spicier with aeration. Rich yet surprisingly energetic, finishing bright and alluringly sweet, featuring supple tannins, lingering florality and superb persistence. - J.R.

Powerful smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of dark berries, cherry liqueur and vanilla, along with a suggestion of olive in the background. Smooth, broad and sweet on the palate, offering concentrated blackberry and violet pastille flavors and a jolt of smoky minerality on the back half. Shows quite impressive energy and focus for its heft. Finishes velvety and extremely long, displaying excellent focus, harmonious tannins and lingering spiciness.  - J.R.

Very solid, with a core of dark plum, currant and fig fruit, carried by a graphite spine, this carries through the ganache-edged finish. On the toastier side of the spectrum, but rock-solid and gutsy in feel... — J.M.

From 70-year-old vines, this cedar-tinged wine reflects its maturation in one-third new oak. Brown sugar, cracked pepper and plum notes mingle easily into a pleasant, silky Cornas that should have broad appeal... - J.C.

Dark and rich... notes of tobacco and sage... with silk textures and medium-bodied weight, as tart red berries and minerals saturate the senses. This becomes quite perfumed with roses and violets through the finale, and it leaves a coating of fine tannins and hints of dark chocolate to linger... Nicely done.–  E.G.

SMART BUY: Lightly toasty on the nose... with a pure beam of raspberry coulis fruit flavors layered with a minerally underpinning of smoke and graphite, plus rich notes of fig cake, wild sage, ground coffee and red licorice. A fresh, classy version, with lightly chalky tannins emerging to firm the finish. Nero d’Avola and Frappato...—A.N.

VALUE PICK OF THE WEEK (9/14/22]; Elegantly detailed aromas of violet, mace and crushed raspberry pave a nice entry to this richly textured red, with fleshy plum and raspberry flavors and an underpinning of minerality lightening the midpalate, before toasty mocha notes arrive on the finish around round tannins... —A.R.