France

100 Points! The 2010 Hermitage Ex Voto continues to top out on my scale. This extraordinary Hermitage has more minerality and delineation than the 2009, as well as overflowing aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, jammy blackberries, violets, graphite and wood smoke. Massively concentrated, full-bodied, decadent, layered and sexy, it needs short-term cellaring but should be just about immortal in the cellar. - Jeb Dunnuck, robertparker.com

97 Points! Wonderfully fresh and expressive, with a touch of black pepper hiding among the menthol and deep, dark berry fruits. Medium- to full-bodied, this has stacks of rich, sweet berry fruit and driving acidity, then ends neat and precise. Very well-integrated oak brings a spicy complexity, but the site is more prominent than the method. Arguably not as deep as 2015, but this is nonetheless a hugely enjoyable wine. A blend of lieux-dits Le Mollard (near Côte-Blonde), La Viallière, La Brosse and La Landonne. Tasted non-blind. - Deacnter Magazine

97 Points! Opaque ruby. Vibrant blackberry, cherry, incense, Moroccan spice, potpourri and smoky mineral qualities on the expansive, seductively perfumed nose. Offers vibrant black and blue fruit, spicecake, olive and floral pastille flavors that show bright detail and energetic mineral lift. The floral and spice notes recur strongly on the youthfully gripping finish, which features mounting tannins and lingering smokiness. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

96 Points! More density and depth, as well as precision, emerge from the 2020 Cornas Empreintes, a smaller production cuvée from 30-year-old vines. Its deep purple hue is followed by a beautiful perfume of black and blue fruits, bloody meat, pepper, and spring flowers. I love its focus and length on the palate, and it's medium to full-bodied, with plenty of tannins, a great mid-palate, and a salty, bloody finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It's a “wow” Cornas for sure. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! The flagship 2020 Cornas is a beauty! Clearly in the same league as recent top vintages, it has a wild bouquet of black and blue fruits, liquid violets, game, and iron, with some incense and spice thrown in for good measure. It's slightly more round and sexy compared to the more powerful 2019, but it’s perfectly balanced, with ripe tannins and a great finish. This heavenly Cornas will be drinkable in just 3-4 years and evolve for two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2020 Crozes-Hermitage is classic, with medium-bodied aromas and flavors of red and black fruits, dried herbs, flowers, and saddle leather. It's balanced, with fine tannins and outstanding length, as well as the capacity to keep for 7-8 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! The base Côte Rôtie from Rostaing seems to always deliver, and the 2020 Côte Rôtie Ampodium might be the best yet. Deep purple-hued, with a brilliant nose of black raspberries, spring flowers, camphor, scorched earth, and graphite, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, lush mouthfeel, and building tannins. I've always thought the 2010 was the greatest vintage for this cuvée, but this is going to give it a run for its money. - Jeb Dunnuck

93-95 Points! I tasted barrels from a couple of the lieux-dits that will go into Faury's 2020 Cote Rotie, both of which impressed for their rich yet silky textures, floral overtones and concentrated fruit. Faury believes that 2020 is a great year in Cote Rotie, and these samples seem to support his theory. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

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.

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

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

93 Points! Packed with dark fig, boysenberry and blackberry fruit, this pumps along with ample depth and drive, picking up licorice snap, roasted applewood and dark tea notes along the way. Nice energy through the finish too, thanks to an underlying iron note. Drink now through 2030. - Wine Spectator

96 Points! The 2019 Cornas is one hell of a base Cornas that should be snatched up by readers. Full-bodied, concentrated, and flawlessly balanced, with a texture like silk, it offers a kaleidoscope-like array of red and black fruits, tapenade, smoked game, black olive, and Asian spices. It’s a thrilling wine to enjoy over the coming two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! This is really packed, offering dense waves of cassis, plum compote and blackberry reduction flavors that stay well-defined as they rumble through, with ample cast iron, sweet tapenade, lavender and bay leaf accents. There’s loads of grip on the back end, but it’s well-integrated, so just let this unwind in the cellar. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,000 cases made, 100 cases imported. - Wine Spectator