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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

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91 Points! Gorgeous aromas of black cherries, violets, berries and raspberries. Full-bodied, with a solid core of tannins and a long, silky finish. Serious stuff for this appellation. - Wine Spectator (reviewed on release).

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PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

93-94 Points! Blackberry, hazelnut and tar aromas and flavors follow through to a medium body, with firm and savory tannins that run the length of the wine. Savory finish. Excellent structure. - James Suckling

92-94 Points! The 2022 Château Fontenil is a beauty, and as with the Castillon region, Fronsac has some true gems that compete with the top wines. Black cherries, currants, spicy oak, and graphite all emerge from the glass, and this is full-bodied, with a layered, concentrated texture and ripe tannins. It's going to need 3-5 years of bottle age, but this brilliant 2022 is well worth seeking out. - Jeb Dunnuck

92-94 Points! The 2022 Fontenil is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, evocative notes of baked black plums, boysenberry preserves, and dark chocolate-covered cherries erupt from the nose, followed by nuances of menthol and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, with very firm, grainy tannins and soft acidity supporting the dense, muscular fruit, finishing long. Note that no Defi was produced this year due to some hail damage in June. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

91-93 Points! Silky, soft, and fresh, the sweet, creamy, mineral-edged cherries and plums are long, lifted, supple and creamy. There is length, energy, complexity and a lot of pleasure here. You can enjoy this on release for its fruit and freshness, or age it for more complexity and mineral essences. Either way, this is going to be delicious! Drink from 2025-2040. - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

 

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95 Points! Opaque ruby. Bright and energetic on the highly perfumed, finely detailed nose, displaying fresh black and blue fruit, incense and floral scents that pick up olive and exotic spice accents as the wine gains air. In a vibrant, fruit-driven style, offering appealingly sweet cherry-cola, blackberry, mocha, botanical herb and allspice flavors, along with suggestions of licorice and smoky minerals. Finishes extremely long and smooth, with a whisper of fine-grained tannins and an asstertive echo of minerality. - Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

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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

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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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The 2000 Chateau Saint Nicolas Fronsac is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc from 45-year-old vines, two grape varieties that are well-suited to the excellent terroir of the vineyard. After harvest, the wine is aged in temperature-controlled vats and aged in French oak (40% new) for 14 months. After bottling, this particular wine was aged in the estate’s cold cellars until Kyle and I selected it. The wine is a deep ruby brickish color, with aromas of plum, spice, and cedar. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied and well-structured, with precise flavors of black currants, cherry, and tobacco. The tannins are firm but well-integrated, giving the wine a long and elegant finish that has many years ahead of it.

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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

 

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95+ Points! A blend of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot, the 2020 Les Perrieres is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock earthy/broody scents of tar, black truffles, smoked meats, and crushed rocks, leading to a core of black cherries and stewed plums, plus a waft of chalk dust. The full-bodied palate is wonderfully bright and energetic, featuring vibrant black fruits with great tension and very fine-grained tannins, finishing long and minerally. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

96 Points! In comparison to the Grand Village, the 2020 Les Perrières De Lafleur comes from more limestone soils, and the blend is more Cabernet Franc-dominated, checking in as 71% Bouchet (Cabernet Franc) and the rest Merlot. It has an absolutely head-turning bouquet of red and blue fruits, fresh tobacco, truffle, and spring flowers, and it shows this incredible sense of chalky minerality on the palate. Focused and medium to full-bodied, with both power and richness, it shows a much more finessed and elegant profile compared to the bigger, more opulent Grand Village. Give bottles just 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

 

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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

93 Points! The 2018 Château de la Dauphine was a knockout when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it has a very clean, precise bouquet of shimmering blackberry and wild strawberry aromas, underlying blood orange notes coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, plenty of graphite-tinged black fruit and a very elegant yet long finish. Superb! - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! A delicious wine that has been well handled comprising vibrant fruits with brambles and hedgerows keeping things on the right side of slick. A good job done here with the estate retaining biodynamics even through a tough vintage. Drinking Window 2022-2032 - Decanter Learn More

94 Points! The 2019 Dalem offers almost Burgundian purity on the nose, where blackberry, bilberry, crushed stone and pressed iris petal commingle. The palate is beautifully proportioned and quite saline, with fine tannins and an almost pixelated finish, which delivers superb grip and density. This is an outstanding Fronsac that will live long in the bottle. Excellent. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

94 Points! Readers looking for a smoking deal in the vintage should grab bottles of the 2019 Château Dalem. This rich, medium to full-bodied, mouth-filling effort has lots of ripe darker cherry and blackberry fruit as well as tobacco, cedar pencil, and violet nuances. Rich, textured, balanced, and with a real sense of purity and class, it's ideal for enjoying over the coming 10-12, if not 15 years or so. - Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com

 

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