David Harvey | Almost opaque ruby red. Stunning varietal and regional nose. Essence of grilled bacon fat and crushed black pepper. Benchmark nose any wine lover will spot—and adore—a mile off. Total typicity and no deviation thus far... And so goes the palate. Lovely stuff, and again a successful example of “just-ripe” harvesting ensuring good acidity and bold tannins, which help protect the wine in the absence of SO2 additions. Just cries out for BBQ meat, some outrageously old hard cheese. Drink now and over the next 8/12 years— do taste every so often to keep an eye on it. | 16.5

Andrew Jefford | Dense black-red. Classically smoky Northern Rhône Syrah scents; entirely of its place. A little bit green and herbaceous, as you’d expect from flat Crozes in 2011. Ditto on the palate — that greenness and herbaceousness does detract from the pleasure, but this is still a deeply flavored Crozes of exuberance and immediacy, and great for short-term drinking. | 15.5

Isabelle Lageron | Smoky, gamey, violet, complex nose. Inviting. Pronounced violet on the palate. Silky smooth tannins, almost creamy, they are so integrated. Red cherry. Dark chocolate notes. Bright acid. Long, juicy, extremely fresh and textbook northern Rhône Syrah. Profoundly perfumed. Long and very complex. Beautiful now. Will further develop over the next few years. Absolutely delicious. | 18

Francis Percival | Black fruit, with just the tiniest hint of savory green flavors. But these add to an overall umami depth—roasted rather than boiled cabbage. Overtly sexy, with velvet tannins. | 16

David Williams | Some bacon fat, a shake of the pepper pot, really succulent, lively, bright, and light Syrah toward a vin de soif rather than vin de garde style. Full of vim and vigor, and with a satisfying crunchiness of black and red fruit, and the most seamlessly silky quality to the tannins. Refreshing but long, there’s so much life here. | 17.5

Doug Wregg | Youthful purple red color. Delightful, pretty nose of violets, flowering blackcurrant, and seasoned wood. Lifted sweet red and blackberry fruit, a fragrant dusting of white pepper and crushed wild thyme, silky entry and succulent fruit purée palate. Gentle tannins shape the wine which has structure and a certain ageworthiness. | 19