James Suckling (97)

Very dense black-fruit aromas, but also licorice, an entire microcosm of spice and a whiff of smoked bacon. Very dense and meaty with an incredible tannin structure that enables this to be simultaneously very big and elegant. Super-long finish with enormous mineral freshness. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (100)

Marvelously complex, deeply fruited and massively concentrated yet wonderfully drinkable, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin challenges the number of superlatives that can be thrown at it. Scents of violets, tree bark, truffle, purple raspberries and blackberries all appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, dense and velvety, and the finish shows enormous richness and length. Breathtaking stuff.

James Suckling (99)

Enveloping nose of super-ripe orange, pomegranate and cigar leaf that’s still very youthful and needs time to reveal its myriad nuances. Also notes of licorice, dried herbs and rose petals. Enormous concentration, silkiness and finesse on the expansive palate. Extravagant in the best sense of that word! The finish gets finer, the closer it gets to infinity. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.

Vinous (91)

Bright red-ruby. Brooding aromas of plum, gunflint, hot stones, mint, nuts, charcoal and woodsmoke. Rich, dense, silky and very ripe; a wonderfully fleshy Crozes that really spreads out to coat the palate. As round, sweet and plush as this rather massive wine is, it's still youthfully unevolved. Finishes long and aromatic, with big, tongue-dusting tannins and hints of espresso and nutty oak.

Wine Advocate - Robert Parker (100)

The 2011 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree comes from a lieu-dit known as Les Murets planted with 80- to 90-year-old Marsanne vines. The bouquet offers up scents of Asian spices, lychee nuts, white currant liqueur and peach and apricot marmalade. This stunning, honeyed, flamboyant white is perfection in a glass. Drink it over the next half century.

Wine Advocate (99)

The 2012 Ermitage Cuvee de l'Oree is still firing on all cylinders, sporting heavenly notes of powdered rock, white flowers, honeyed orange blossom, white currants and a saltiness that keeps you coming back to the glass. Full-bodied, voluptuous and decadent, drink it anytime over the coming 2-3 decades.

Decanter (100)

This immediately exhibits the spellbinding, rich complexity that characterises this Hermitage cuvée. A really special, luxurious aromatic display that includes mango and raw cream. It’s full-bodied, with all the puppy fat that you might expect from de l'Orée. The oak is well integrated, contributing silk and spice notes, adding to the complexity. This is sublime. So long and fresh, just a perfect expression of white Hermitage. It’s rich, but somehow without heaviness. Just absolutely gorgeous.

Wine Advocate (100)

Marked by sensationally deep notes of crushed stone, cassis and blueberry, the 2019 Ermitage l'Ermite is a tremendous effort and a worthy rival to the wines produced in the past four vintages. Full-bodied, it's rich and restrained, expansive yet structured—just a complete wine from mouthwatering aromas to velvety mouthfeel and long, stony finish. While delicious now, I'd expect it to close up shortly, yet still be going strong two decades from now. Wow!

Vinous (93+)

Full ruby-red. Granitic aromas of gunflint, minerals and licorice. Lush, rich and seamless but very backward, with very dark flavors of blackberry, licorice and spice. Less obviously sweet than the extraordinary Pavillon bottling, but this, too, dusts the entire palate. A wine of great structure and power. Explosive, gripping finish.

Wine Advocate (95)

When a so-called entry-level wine performs at this level, you know that producer has had a stupendous year. The 2015 Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne is full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with loads of cassis fruit and masses of ripe tannin. To top it off, some meaty, savory notes creep in on the long finish, imparting some intriguing complexity.

Wine Spectator (96)

Lots of taut sinew here supporting the beam of black cherry, plum, tar and mineral flavors, with sweet earth, tobacco and cocoa powder on the finish. This wine has gotten progressively bigger over time and still seems in its ascendancy. Terrific focus and purity.--1995 Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Drink now through 2020. 8,330 cases made. -JM

The Wine Cellar Insider (99)

Rich, supple, deep, intense and complex, this is stunning from the get go. One sniff of all that gorgeous, spicy kirsch, herbs, peppery spice and mélange of red fruits and you're hooked. If that wasn't enough, the silky, supple, elegant, fresh palate presence will seal the deal, finishing with its layers of deep, red fruits. This wine should age and evolve for 2-3 decades with ease. The wine is a blend of 45% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and the remaining 5% consists of various, allowable grape varieties. The grapes are as always 100% destemmed.

The Wine Cellar Insider (98)

Flowers are the first thing you notice before discovering all the spice, cloves, kirsch, and dark cherries on the nose. On the palate, the wine is silky, elegant, fresh, supple, and refined. The kirsch shows a beautiful purity and spicy character, along with its refined tannins and peppery strawberries that kick in at the end of the finish. The wine is a blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah with the remaining 5% consisting of various, allowable grape varieties. The grapes are as always 100% destemmed. The production is quite low this year at only 25 hectoliters per hectare. The wine is 15.2% ABV, but you do not sense any heat.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Leather and spiced notes, pure with good fresh vivacity on the nose. The palate is ripe and seductive, layered with forest fruits, dark spiced figs. Attractive refreshing acidity, red fruits and a wild garrigue savoury Mourvèdre note – the tannins are supple and silky – dark forest-fruits finish which is broad, ample and opulent but always with a finesse of tannins and a savoury liquorice mineral note.

Wine Advocate (95-97)

The utterly profound 2015 Cornas La Sabarotte comes from a terrific lieu-dit located in the heart of the appellation and is brought up all in new French oak. Its deep purple/blue color is followed by incredible notes of black raspberries, blueberries, spring flowers, caramelized meats and licorice. Deep, full-bodied, utterly seamless and profound on the palate, with building, sweet tannin, it's a tour de force that will have two decades or more of longevity!

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

I loved this cuvée from barrel in 2017, and the 2016 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Celestins certainly impresses from bottle today. Purchased while I was in the Rhône, it offers a liquid Provence-like vibe in its garrigue-laced red and black fruits, candied flowers, pepper, saddle leather, and who knows what else aromatics. Rich, powerful, and concentrated on the palate, it brings serious ripeness, sweet tannins, and a slightly lifted, exotic style that opens up beautifully with time in the glass. It will evolve for over two decades.

Wine Advocate (96)

One of the more charming and forward efforts from Chave, the 2012 Hermitage sports a mostly opaque purple color to go with classic creme de cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with notions of lead pencil shavings, violets and powdered rocks. Deep, full-bodied and sumptuously textured, with good freshness, this pure, elegant Hermitage shows more and more definition and cut with time in the glass, but never loses it's more fruit forward, charming profile. I suspect it will drink nicely for most of its life.

Vinous (96-97)

(this wine is the final blend and was resting in holding tanks in preparation for bottling, "probably in March," according to Chave): Inky ruby. Vibrant black and blue fruit aromas are complicated by suggestions of candied flowers, incense and licorice, and a bright mineral nuance adds lift. Sweet, fleshy and focused, offering palate-staining cherry compote, black raspberry and violet pastille flavors accented by smoky Indian spices and a hint of cracked pepper. Shows impressive depth but comes off surprisingly lithe, finishing with superb focus and length and fine-grained tannins that sneak in slowly.

Discover the exquisite Louis Cheze Saint Joseph Caroline Prestige 2019, a hallmark of creative viticulture. This aromatic Syrah blend from the Northern Rhône valley pays homage to the skilled craftsmanship of Louis Cheze, renowned for his innovative approaches in winemaking. Nurtured on the terraced slopes of Chavanay, the wine is matured 18 months in French oak for added depth and complexity.

On first blush, you will be greeted with notes of dark berries, followed by subtle, peppery undertones that reflect the characteristic granitic soil of Saint Joseph. The finish is smooth yet full-bodied, offering a striking balance of power and finesse. Internationally acclaimed, critics laud Louis Cheze Saint Joseph Caroline Prestige 2019 as one of the finest from this winery, beautifully exemplifying its dedication towards excellence. Revel in this exceptional wine's captivating essence; an unparalleled experience for discerning connoisseurs.

Matthew Jukes (18+)

Following on from the terrific 2018 vintage, this is another exuberant wine with an inky dark hue and masses of swirling, black fruit notes. This is certainly the most exotically perfumed Thalabert I can remember and this reflects the unique fruit concentration and ripeness found in this vintage. Once you taste this wine you see that it is not all about the luxuriously appointed nose because the palate is packed with spice and tension and the finish is positively electric. In terms of accessibility and also potential, this wine is a conundrum – how can something so young and attractive also seem so compact and age-worthy? This is the key to all of Jaboulet’s 2019s. The exquisite balance between ravishing fruit and refreshing, robust tannins is mesmerising. This is a stupendous Thalabert and I think it is a notch up on the brilliant 2018.

Matthew Jukes (18+)

Yet another beautiful 2020, Thalabert is deep, dark and brooding in this vintage, and it has an almost Italianate liquorice and black-fruited theme underpinning its Syrah characters. This makes it an indulgent treat, and the palate is more velvety and forward than any young Thalabert I have tasted. In addition, it has the stuffing to age well, too. What more could you ask for?

Vinous - Josh Raynolds (92-95)

Dark ruby, almost opaque. Assertively fragrant nose combines pungent violet- and lavender-accented cassis, blueberry, cherry pit and graphite. Spicy dark fruit and mineral flavors shows an impressive sweetness that carries into the solidly tannic and very long finish. This boasts great depth and chewy texture, but the dominating impression today is of rich, powerful fruit.

Jancis Robinson (17)

A little animal on the nose. Then sweet and salty Syrah with medium intensity. I wonder why such a mature vintage is available? But it’s fully developed and is not such poor value compared with some of these wines.

James Suckling (97)

A gorgeous intensity of plum, spice and grilled meat on the nose. Cloves and hints of dried spices. This is a big, structured La Chappelle. Full and powerful with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. A bit austere and muscular but gorgeous. Tar, spice, dried meat and asphalt. Needs to be aged for at least another five or six years. This is another 1991 in the making.

Wine Advocate (100)

A deeper, richer version of the Cuvee Reservee, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo is one of the more youthful, concentrated wines of the vintage. Coming primarily from the la Crau lieu-dit and over 90% Grenache, aged in an old foudre, its deep ruby color is followed by a bonafide smorgasbord of Provencal aromas and flavors of garrigue, cured meats, incense, beef blood, black currants and pepper. While a full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, rich and unctuous wine, it carries its wealth of fruit and mid-palate density with incredible elegance and purity, with a seamless texture, no hard edges and a finish that won't quit. The 2007 is more elegant and seamless than both the 1998 and 2003, with an incredible sweetness of tannin. Nevertheless, it still needs another 2-4 years of bottle age and will blow your mind over the following 10-15 years.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

I was also able to taste the 2016 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Da Capo, which comes mostly from older vines in the La Crau lieu-dit and spends an additional year in a large foudre. The 2016 vintage was truly magical for the region, and this Cuvée Da Capo is unquestionably one of the finest vintages for this cuvée ever made, in the same league as, if not surpassing, the 1998, 2003, 2007, and 2010. Sensational notes of cured meats, crème de cassis, crushed violets, ground pepper, tapenade, truffle, and sweet herbes de Provence all soar from the glass and it hits the palate with a massive, full-bodied style that stays seamless, weightless, and as pure as they come. Traditional, classic Châteauneuf Du Pape doesn’t get better. I hate to be the guy who throws out the “best to date” line very often, but this is truly magical stuff.

Wine Advocate (98)

Looking at the 2010s and a brilliant vintage for Laurence, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape offers up classic Pegau aromas and flavors of ripe dark fruits, garrigue, cured meats, tobacco leaf, saddle leather and hints of game. Full-bodied and beautifully concentrated, it offers a seamless, layered profile on the palate with thrilling mid-palate depth, sweet, yet substantial tannin, and a blockbuster finish that stays fresh and beautifully focused. Quite polished by this estates standards, it nevertheless screams southern France and I doubt it’s possible to have too much of this beauty in the cellar. It will absolutely thrill over the coming 2-3 decades. Drink 2016-2030.

A true embodiment of craftsmanship, the Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvee Lopy 2020 is a magnificent display of superior winemaking. Produced by Sang des Cailloux, an iconic estate nestled in the Southern Rhône Valley, this spirit hails from the sun-soaked terroirs of Vacqueyras. This stunning vintage is born from 70% Grenache and balanced with Syrah and Mourvèdre, matured meticulously in large oak foudres for 18 months. The result is an elegant, full-bodied delight presenting an aromatic complexity with its rich flavours of red fruits, spice, and earthiness.

The Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvee Lopy 2020 is a testament to the dedication of winemaker Serge Férigoule, who has pioneered biodynamic practices to craft wines that deeply express their unique terroir. This incredibly layered and beautifully crafted treat is set to astound wine connoisseurs and enchants with an enduring, satisfying finish.