Rhone Valley

94 Points! The 2018 Hermitage Chante-Alouette Blanc just about always delivers incredible quality, and it sells for a fraction of the single vineyard releases. Classic Hermitage notes of buttered citrus, honeysuckle, acacia flowers, and spice all flow from this richer, beautifully textured, balanced Hermitage that has enough density and depth to keep for 10-15 years or more. It's well worth seeking out and I'd be happy with a case in the cellar. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Lovely, with a mix of fresh and dried peach, yellow apple and quince flavors, along with honeysuckle, salted butter and heather notes. The long finish has a nice tease of quinine for contrast amid the fruit. - Wine Spectator

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91-93 Points! Surprisingly, the 2018 Costières de Nîmes Nostre Païs had not been bottled at the time of this tasting. Nevertheless, it continues to show beautifully, with a perfumed, medium to full-bodied, finesse-driven, elegant style that I would happily drink today. Giving up lots of both red and black fruits, garrigue, candied violets, and ground pepper, it has both richness and elegance and certainly competes with any number of base Châteauneuf du Papes that sell for quite a bit more. - Jeb Dunnuck

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A complex, concentrated single-vineyard selection of very old vine Syrah from the most prized plot in the village of Saint-Jean de Muzols, one of the original founding villages of the Saint-Joseph appellation. Bright red and juicy black fruit, lots of peppery spice, incense and licorice and soy … and a finish that goes on for what seems forever. A great wine for the cellar, if you can resist it today.

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93 Points! Boasting even more striking aromas of blueberries, violets and peppery spice than the La Rochette bottling, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage La Cuvee Nicolas is almost Côte-Rôtie-like. Medium to full-bodied without seeming at all heavy, ripe without being overdone, silky and fine from start to finish, it's a real beauty and a testament to the potential of the commune of Gervans—a small granitic outpost within the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

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95 Points! The tannic, full-bodied 2018 Hermitage Les Dionnieres boasts ebullient aromas of blueberries and boysenberries, leavened by hints of peppery herbs, black tea and star anise. Expansive on the palate but structured and dusty, with a lingering finish of salted licorice and blackberry pastilles, it ideally needs a few years to settle down, but it should then drink well for more than a decade. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

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100 Points! In comparison to the La Mouline, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Turque shows a darker, more Côte Brune-like character (which is where this is from) in its broody black fruits, scorched earth, smoked meats, graphite, and exotic flowers. As with the other single vineyards in 2018, the purity of fruit is off the charts, it's full-bodied, has incredible tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that won't quit. It shows that classic 2018 ripeness with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It too has some up-front appeal but won't hit maturity for another 7-8 years, if not a decade, and is a 30-year-wine. - Jeb Dunnuck

98-100 Points! Does the scale go higher than 100? Guigal's 2018 Cote Rotie La Turque is a sure candidate for perfection down the road. With more concentration and richness than the aromatic 2017, it seamlessly blends grilled cherries, espresso, black olives and even exotic hints of black truffle into a full-bodied, powerhouse that should drink well for at least two decades. Tasting at Guigal is always one of the highlights of my Northern Rhône trip. Because of the family's breadth of production and hallmark long élevage, it provides a chance to look at several vintages together, along with commentary from the knowledgeable patriarch, Marcel Guigal. This year, I was joined by Marcel, his son Philippe and Jacques Desvernois, hired away from Jaboulet in the summer of 2018, for a five-hour marathon in the chilly cellar beneath the company's headquarters in Ampuis. Despite the cool temperatures, there were smiles all around at the quality of the samples on the table. "Global warming has been fabulous for the Northern Rhône," said Marcel at one point. - Wine Advocate

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98-100 Points! The 2018 Cote Rotie La Mouline is immensely seductive, offering up enticing notes of floral potpourri and red berries on the nose. Those strawberries and raspberries persist onto the full-bodied palate and through the long, lush finish, buoyed by supple, creamy-textured tannins. This is the most complete, compelling vintage of La Mouline I've tasted. - Wine Advocate

99 Points! Just about pure perfection as well as a desert Island wine, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mouline comes from a tiny parcel in the Côte Blonde lieu-dit and spent four years in new barrels. Incredible notes of black raspberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, smoked game, violets, and pepper all emerge on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied, round, supple, sexy Côte Rôtie offering ultra-fine tannins, an insane level of purity, no hard edges, and a monster of a finish. As with the other 2018s here, it leads with its fruit and has a supple, ethereal style on the palate... - Jeb Dunnuck

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98+ Points! Just about pure perfection as well as a desert Island wine, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mouline comes from a tiny parcel in the Côte Blonde lieu-dit and spent four years in new barrels. Incredible notes of black raspberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, smoked game, violets, and pepper all emerge on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied, round, supple, sexy Côte Rôtie offering ultra-fine tannins, an insane level of purity, no hard edges, and a monster of a finish. As with the other 2018s here, it leads with its fruit and has a supple, ethereal style on the palate. - Jeb Dunnuck

98-100 Points!  Subtle hints of fresh pea shoots accent characteristic dark notes of roasted meat, espresso and black olives in the full-bodied 2018 Cote Rotie La Landonne. Rich, concentrated and velvety-textured, with ample length and plenty of ripe tannins on the finish, it should benefit from a decade or more of bottle age—once it gets there. It's a brooding beast of a Cote Rotie that serious collectors will want to have in their cellars. - Wine Advocate

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Also known as Cuvee Amethyste, 93 Points! An expansive bouquet evokes ripe black/blue fruits, potpourri and olive paste, and a mineral flourish lends vivacity. Shows impressive depth and energy on the palate, offering sharply focused blueberry, cherry preserve, spicecake and candied violet flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Shows an appealingly light touch for its heft, and finishes on a gently tannic note, displaying fine delineation and firm mineral thrust. 70% whole clusters; raised in demi-muids, most of them neutral. - Josh Raynolds, 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

94 Points! Always one of the leading whites in the appellation, the 2017 Les Oliviers Blanc from the Gonon Brothers comes from a single terroir located just outside of Mauves, in the southern part of the appellation. Sporting a vivid gold hue as well as killer notes of quince, buttered citrus, honeyed minerality, and white flowers, it’s full-bodied, has bright acidity, and is perfectly balanced. I’d be happy to put this stunning white in a blind lineup of top Hermitage Blancs. Drink it any time over the coming decade or more. - Jeb Dunnuck Learn More

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