Rhone Valley

93 Points! Equal parts Roussanne and Marsanne that was vinified in demi-muids, the 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc has a pure, medium-bodied, impeccably made style as well as classic notes of honeyed stone fruits, quince, spice, and toast. I love its terrific purity and great overall balance. - Jeb Dunnuck

92-94 Points! Deep magenta. High-toned cherry and blackberry aromas show very good clarity with black pepper and smoky mineral accents. Shows firm tension and a spicy cut to its gentle sweet red and dark berry, bitter chocolate and succulent herb flavors. Youthfully gripping tannins lend framework to a long, smoky finish that echoes the spice and floral notes. This is textbook Gigondas, raised in a combination of one-third concrete tanks and two-thirds large oak barrels, 20% of those new. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

94 Points! This rich and impeccably balanced Gigondas has everything we look for in the wines of this appellation. What a wide spectrum of aromas with everything from raspberry to candied orange, plus a slew of delicate spicy notes and fresh Mediterranean herbs. I love the interplay of richness, fine tannins and lively acidity on the generous, but not expansive palate. Very long, refined finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - Stuart Pigott, James Suckling

80% Grenache, 20% Syrah from 45+ year-old vines!

• The vines are grown in the commune of Chavanay, called the “Vignes d’à coté” because it’s mainly vines next this appellation.
• The soil is granitic and alluvial. Naturel cover cropping to avoid erosion.
• No insecticides with respect to soil and vine balance, few treatments (depending on weather and the necessary) and small amount of organic fertilizer. Vigor and yield control, leaf-thinning and green harvesting to promote grape ripening.

92 Points! A terrific vintage for this wine, which was bottled just a couple of weeks prior to my late June visit, the 2021 Cotes du Rhone Coudoulet de Beaucastel is a blend of 30% each Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, plus 10% Cinsault. From a vineyard just outside the boundaries of the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it's a remarkably consistent wine and always a solid value. Scents of sunbaked stones, black cherries and licorice appear on the nose, joined by hints of purple raspberries and dark chocolate, while the medium to full-bodied palate is lush and velvety, finishing long and complex. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

96 Points! Brilliant all the way, the 2020 Hermitage Chante-Alouette Blanc is a white readers should snatch up. All Marsanne from a mix of both granitic sites and more loess sites, brought up a mix of demi-muids and tank, it has a gorgeous perfume of honeyed peach, quince, crushed stone, and toast. With bright acidity, medium to full body, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for 15+ years or more. It’s a quintessential Hermitage Blanc. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! Shows impressive concentration, with a layer of melon, quince and heather supported by a foundation of wet stone. Lightly honeyed and well-defined, the palate shows beautiful integration and drive. Reveals echoing notes of dried verbena, white tea tannins and salted, buttery brioche on the lingering finish. Drink now through 2037. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! Moving to the 2020s from bottle, the 2020 Ventoux Quintessence is beauty revealing assorted blackberry and black raspberry-like fruits, some obvious chalky minerality, medium to full body, and a complex bouquet of violets, flowers, and spice. I love its purity, and it's going to age for 10-15 years in cold cellars. - Jeb Dunnuck

Fantastic wine from Lionel Faury reminiscent of Andre Perret's iconic 'Chery' bottling.

Vines planted on steep slopes (with a grade of up to 55%) facing south by south-east. Grapes are hand picked and pressed gently in a pneumatic press. Fermentation in stainless steel cuves. Aged 11 months on lees, 10% new barrels, 30% 2 to 5 year-old barrels, and 60% stainless steel. Le Mornieux is a little river that runs just below their parcel

This is an alternative label for the American market from an old Winex fave, Chateau Simian. The estate has been biodynamic for over a decade and the wines are super-balanced, this one bowled us over for the price. GREAT value...

95+ Points! The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Côte Ronde shows more density and power as well as length, yet doesn’t have the elegance that’s already present in the Juline cuvée. A big blast of blackcurrants, crushed rocks, herbs, and pepper notes give way to a full-bodied, fresh, edgy wine that’s going to need cellaring. As always, this cuvée is equal parts Grenache and Syrah that was destemmed and brought up all in new barrels. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! Modern, lifted and a bit heady, but attractive and evocative. Black cherry inkiness segues into a dense palate where all the fruit is crammed into a structured body with drying tannins. Herbs and stones hemmed in by a firm grip. A good all rounder. - Decanter Magazine

90 Points! An impressive Cotes-du-Rhone with stacks of blackberry and black raspberry fruit wrapped around a core of moderately dry tannins on the bold palate. Long self-confidently dry finish. A cuvee of 50% syrah, 45% grenache and 5% mourvedre. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Based on 80% Roussanne and 20% Clairette, the 2022 Ventoux Quintessence Blanc is raised in a mix of demi-muids and barrels, with a tiny portion being new. It has a beautiful nose of ripe orchard fruits (pear, sliced apples) as well as subtle white flowers and chalky minerality. Medium-bodied and concentrated, with a beautiful spine of acidity, it's a gorgeous white from this team that will shine on the dinner table. - Jeb Dunnuck

96 Points! A deep, quite herbal expression, with liquorice and crushed blueberries to the cassis fruit. Full-bodied, powerfully fruited, dense and deep. Really mouthcoating, intense fruit. The tannins are ripe, fine and plentiful, all saturated in blackberry juice on a long finish. Certainly one of the more successful Châteauneufs this year. Will age well. A Mourvèdre-led expression of Beaucastel - it contains more than usual, at least 35% and probably more. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! Toasty, meaty and inviting, this fresh red shows an understated, savory side, with notes of singed spices, mesquite, wet earth and fresh tobacco leaf flanking a silky range of plum and warm cherry compote flavors. Channels its terroir, with a round feel held in check by refined tannins. The finish is lined with cool minerality and heavy iron. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Terret Blanc, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul de Pinet, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! A deep, quite herbal expression, with liquorice and crushed blueberries to the cassis fruit. Full-bodied, powerfully fruited, dense and deep. Really mouthcoating, intense fruit. The tannins are ripe, fine and plentiful, all saturated in blackberry juice on a long finish. Certainly one of the more successful Châteauneufs this year. Will age well. A Mourvèdre-led expression of Beaucastel - it contains more than usual, at least 35% and probably more. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! Toasty, meaty and inviting, this fresh red shows an understated, savory side, with notes of singed spices, mesquite, wet earth and fresh tobacco leaf flanking a silky range of plum and warm cherry compote flavors. Channels its terroir, with a round feel held in check by refined tannins. The finish is lined with cool minerality and heavy iron. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Terret Blanc, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul de Pinet, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne. Drink now through 2030. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! Supple in feel, with a core of cherry and plum dusted in earth and graphite. Dried anise and herbal notes lift on the palate, which builds in intensity with medium fine–grained tannins. Ends with a sanguine note on the firm finish, which stretches out nicely. Counoise, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and Roussanne. Drink now through 2032. - Wine Spectator

99 Points! Pour yourself a glass of this and spend an hour experiencing how it opens up in stages. At first there’s an incredibly zesty and dangerously vibrant nose, but with great savory complexity. Then notes of dried cherries, candied oranges and touches of bitter chocolate emerge. And when you think it’s all done, a spicy and balsamic character unfurls. Incredible energy and purity on the very focused medium- to full-bodied palate, where the huge tannins feel astonishingly delicate. An almost endless mineral finish. A cuvee based on counoise, grenache, syrah and mourvedre with 10% white grapes, most of which are clairette and all of which are biodynamically grown. 100% whole cluster, macerated for 90 days, then aged for three years in old oak barrels. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Supple in feel, with a core of cherry and plum dusted in earth and graphite. Dried anise and herbal notes lift on the palate, which builds in intensity with medium fine–grained tannins. Ends with a sanguine note on the firm finish, which stretches out nicely. Counoise, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and Roussanne. Drink now through 2032. - Wine Spectator

95 Points! This offers a gorgeous kaleidoscope of fruit -- kumquat, yellow plum, starfruit and quince -- atop a bed of silky-fine mineral notes and subtly bitter tannins. Honeyed, full and rich, with a refined texture and a very long finish edged in piecrust and toast, showing acid verve and impressive structure. Drink now through 2030. 130 cases made, 50 cases imported. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! I loved the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude Blanc, an exotic, floral white based on 30% Clairette, 20% each Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, and the rest Clairette Rose, Picpoul, and Bourboulenc. Ripe melon, honeyed orange, toasted bread, and minty herbs all emerge from this complex, nuanced, medium-bodied beauty, and it has good depth and richness, a great sense of freshness, and outstanding length. - Jeb Dunnuck