After tasting more than 1,200 Rhône 2020 en primeur samples, Matt Walls has given his full verdict on the new vintage.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the 98 Northern Rhône wines that scored 94 points and above.
Wines are listed white then red in score order.
| Producer | Appellation | Vintage | Score | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domaine du Monteillet, La Grillette | Condrieu | 2020 | 98 | Great salinity and tension here, even more noticeable acidity than his Chanson. Fleshy, keen, focused, very long. Straight, intense Condrieu. Stéphane Montez says the cuvée is called La Grillette because it always has 'grilled notes (grillé), and notes of violet (violette)'. However it does so happen to border Château-Grillet! Drinking Window: 2023 - 2037. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine JL Chave | Hermitage | 2020 | 98 | The 2020 vintage is 'an amazing surprise', according to Jean-Louis Chave. 'It's like the vines adapted to the heat of the vintage - so it's full of hope for me.' A tasting of the different lieux-dits confirms that although this is a hot, dry vintage, the whites have a great sense of freshness, balance and vivacity. This doesn't have the same sense of power and extract as the 2017 or 2019; it is slimmer and more precise, will offer a lot of pleasure early on and will age well, too. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, De l’Orée | Hermitage | 2020 | 98 | The nose is quite savoury, almond is the presiding aroma, with apple and quince in the background. It has the roundness of De l'Orée but without excessive opulence - this vintage is a little straighter than some. Well-balanced, with a more clearly visible mineral line than a classic vintage of this cuvée, which can be veiled by intense richness when young. Fresh, balanced, more thirst-quenching than a typical De l'Orée, its propensity to opulence slightly tempered. I think this works particularly well this year. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, L'Ermite | Hermitage | 2020 | 98 | Plenty of richness on the palate and all the intense mineral facets you would expect from L'Ermite, both on the nose and the palate. Intensely fresh, driving, tense and salty. The oak is very present in this sample, but it's integrated nicely. I love the steely, uncompromising texture of this wine, it's edginess just tempered by the glycerol softness. Very direct and long, if not as long as some recent vintages. Aromatically this has abundant meadow flowers at this early stage. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2052. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Monteillet, Chanson | Condrieu | 2020 | 97 | Florality, citrus and fleshy stone fruit flavours. It's got a lovely mineral expression, perfect balance, great acidity and a long finish. What more could you ask for? 22 months of maturation in demi-muid (with a small percentage of new oak) in order to ready the wine for long ageing in bottle. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Les Vieilles Vignes de Jacques Vernay | Condrieu | 2020 | 97 | On the nose alone, this is clearly something special. Great intensity on the palate, it's focused and deeply saline. Concentrated, very fresh, with great energy and precision. Moderate alcohol and balanced acidity. To be released on the market in two years. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| André Perret, Chéry | Condrieu | 2020 | 96 | This Chéry cuvée certainly has greater aromatic intensity than André's cuvée classique. It's very well balanced and vibrant, with surprising concentration on the palate. Lovely, bright acidity and a mineral touch leads to a long finish. A very promising Chéry at this stage. 20% new oak. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Clos de la Bonnette, Légende Bonnetta | Condrieu | 2020 | 96 | With a clean, fresh and aerial style, this is softly generous and juicy but not excessively full-bodied. Beautifully balanced acidity, it's soft and flowing. A natural, poetic style of Condrieu that's perfectly balanced, not as powerful as 2019 but so beautiful and classic. Just a touch on the light side perhaps, but so good. One year in 228-litre ex-Viognier or ex-Chardonnay barrels, at least two wines old. No enzymes added, a little battonage, malolactic completed, no fining, with some filtration just to remove the larger particles. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2025. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Monteillet, Candice | Condrieu | 2020 | 96 | A delicious, sweet Condrieu, with lemon posset and lemon curd notes. Full-bodied but with firm, balancing acidity. Three passes through the vineyard in October and November to pick the grapes. The alcoholic fermentation finished naturally, leaving 60g/L of residual sugar, so about half that of a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, for example. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| François Villard, DePoncins | Condrieu | 2020 | 96 | Full-bodied, with quite noticeable oak at this stage. Wonderful sense of freshness, however, and great precision. Long, lush and generous yet defined, this is a very classic Condrieu in all its resplendent flamboyance. Cooling almond and coconut on the finish. From 25-year-old Viognier grown on granite soils in the villages of Chavanay and Vérin, fermented at low temperatures with indigenous yeasts. Spends 11 months in barrel, one third new, six months of which sees weekly lees stirring. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2031. Click to see full details | |
| François Villard, Le Grand Vallon | Condrieu | 2020 | 96 | Plenty of rich, ripe apricot and peach fruit, with lemon thyme and lemon verbena. Not overly full-bodied, this is more measured on the palate than some, well-tailored, with plenty of salty extract and scintillating acidity. With such a long finish, it's exceptional this year. Aged in oak barriques, 35% new. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, Le Méal | Hermitage | 2020 | 96 | Almond, quince and a touch of rhubarb at this early stage; you sense the ripeness, but it's not exotically fruity in 2020. The silkiness and glycerol on the palate are quite present, this sample shows plentiful oak, lending matchstick and cashew to the finish. An elegant vintage of Le Méal. Well-balanced, far from massive, not as powerful or concentrated as the past few vintages, this will drink well young and age into the medium term. Not a hugely-long lived Méal I suspect, but a delightful one nonetheless. There is generous alcohol, but it’s not unbalanced. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre Jean Villa, Jardin Suspendu | Condrieu | 2020 | 96 | Now this is good - it has serious fruit intensity, which helps to find balance when placed with the seriously rich, fulsome palate. It has freshness, length and intensity; a very good, classic Condrieu. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Château-Grillet | Château-Grillet | 2020 | 95 | Noticeably more oak than their Condrieu (10% new oak here), but this should settle - the score assumes that it will. Rounded, a touch of bubblegum to the jasmine and coconut fruits. Distinctly more saline than the other two wines in the range, it's voluminous but not heavy, with less alcohol than recent years, making for a nicely balanced vintage. Doesn't have the concentration and intensity of some recent vintages, but a very drinkable vintage of Château-Grillet with a long finish showing plentiful oak spice. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Château-Grillet, La Carthery | Condrieu | 2020 | 95 | Good concentration of white peach, this is rounded but not overly fat. It has more complexity, better balance and better acidity than their Côtes-du-Rhône - a big step up. Gentle, easy sweetness to the fruit. A very fine, well-balanced Condrieu. Compact and finishing on subtle peach and yellow plum notes. Made from a few rows of Viognier in AOC Condrieu that are situated at the top of the Château-Grillet amphitheatre and owned until recently by another producer. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2024. Click to see full details | |
| Christophe & Maryline Billon, Les Matisses | Condrieu | 2020 | 95 | Jasmine and meadow flowers, this is an aerial and very attractive style of Condrieu. Full-bodied, but not gloopy. The acidity is well-balanced. Good intensity and pleasingly dry, despite the intensity of sweet fruit on the tongue. Finger lime on the mid-palate, lime leaf on the long finish. From lieu-dit La Caille, which is south and south-west facing, this was fermented then matured in barriques. 1,200 bottles made. Not expensive for a Condrieu of this quality. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Belle | Hermitage | 2020 | 95 | The nose is compelling - crushed almond, lilies, pear - just gorgeous. Rolling, generous juiciness on the palate, but a firm beam of acidity underneath. This has concentration but no excess fat, alcohol or oak - it's well-balanced and has great freshness. Fermented then matured in oak (75% new) for 20 months. 1,500 bottles made. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Les Diognières | Hermitage | 2020 | 95 | Almond nougat, dried pear and fresh quince. This has serious intensity and minerality on the palate, with pinpoint acidity. Plenty of glycerol but no gloopiness, this is upright, searching and bright. A 0.18ha plot of 70-year-old Marsanne at the foot of the Hermitage slope. Malolactic was completed. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Laurent Habrard, Les Rocoules | Hermitage | 2020 | 95 | A fresh, floral style, relatively light for a white Hermitage. It has a remarkable mineral seam on the palate however, which, with the tense acidity, makes for a refreshing and piercing style. Long, slender, tapered finish. An elegant wine, very well-balanced. it's fermented in stainless steel, then spends a year in one to three-year-old barriques. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Gonon, Les Oliviers | St-Joseph | 2020 | 95 | Vibrant nectarine notes on the nose, you just know this is going to have some tangy acidity on the palate even before you taste it. Medium-bodied, not quite so opulent this year, a touch of citrus flavour and snappy, citrusy acidity. Rich mango on the palate, it's mineral and long, with great cut and precision. There is a touch of glycerol roundness on the finish. Great balance here this year. Fermented in fûts and old barriques, it also spends a year on the lees. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Niero, Héritage | Condrieu | 2020 | 95 | Orange blossom and subtle lime hints over apricot fruit. It's silky with plenty of glycerol fat on the palate. Good acidity and a subtle saline seam. The oak is well-integrated and there's some length here - if this continues to take on weight it could be very good indeed. A selection of the best barrels and tanks of the domaine. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| E Guigal, La Doriane | Condrieu | 2020 | 95 | Full-bodied and very rich, but there's plenty of salinity to balance the oak work, which is robust but very high quality. Fresh and drinkable already, as flamboyant as ever and with a long finish. From lieux-dits Chatillon, Chéry, Vernon, Colombier and Château de Vallon in Malleval (where soils are granite with iron oxide). 100% new oak barriques. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Ferraton Père & Fils, Les Miaux | Hermitage | 2020 | 95 | Beautifully perfumed, so pure, with a floating floral aroma. Apricot and pear on the palate, this has power, definition and a focused, long, tapered finish with an intensely saline, mineral skein. Typically a well-priced Hermitage cuvée and the quality is very good this year. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| André Perret, Chanson | Condrieu | 2020 | 94 | A little plumper than this producer's Chéry, not quite so fresh and direct. Well balanced, even if the alcohol is just a little more noticeable. Soft white floral notes on the nose and a long finish. This promises to be the best Chanson in some time. 20% new oak. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2026. Click to see full details | |
| Cave de Tain, Au Coeur des Siècles | Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | Full, broad and mouth-coating, this has power, richness and definition on the palate, a good sense of intensity and focus. A long, shapely wine, tapered and precise, the oak is well-integrated and doesn’t dominate. This has some natural class, you feel the quality of the terroir and the age of the vines. An 80-year-old parcel of Marsanne grown on loess and alluvial terrasses. Aged on fine lees in 400-litre barrels, 45% new, 35% second-use, 20% third-use, for eight months with regular bâttonage. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2037. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bernard Gripa, Le Berceau | St-Joseph | 2020 | 94 | A little honeycomb oak on the nose, the palate is broad but not overly fat. There's a good sense of intensity and energy in the glass and this finishes long, with well-integrated oak. Classic Saint-Joseph in a fresh style, showing mouthwatering salinity. An exceptional wine. Hand-harvested old vine Marsanne grown on granite. Fermented in 228-litre oak barriques then left on fine lees until the malolactic is finished. 4,000 bottles made. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2026. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Bernard Gripa, Les Figuiers | St-Péray | 2020 | 94 | Almond nougat on the nose, medium-bodied, with a soft, pillowy, rounded texture. Really defined and precise, but still quintessentially Saint-Péray - like the Saint-Pérays of 10 years ago before the hot, dry weather of the past few years. Long, gently tremulous finish, not hugely deep, but tender and delicious. Hand-harvested Marsanne and Roussanne grown on clay limestone soils. Fermented in barrel then left on fine lees until the malolactic is finished, with some stirring of the lees. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2024. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Clape | St-Péray | 2020 | 94 | Starts soft and gentle, then the sparkling, bright acidity spreads over the palate. Great purity, balance and roundness; very satisfying. A mix of 60-year-old and seven-year-old vines, vinified in oak. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Bonserine, | Condrieu | 2020 | 94 | Lifted peach and jasmine notes, with an appealing touch of sweet ripe peach nectar on the palate. Unctuous, but the bright acidity helps to cut through it and creates a long, piercing, intense finish. The oak is liberally applied and it works well. Fermented then aged for 10 months in new demi-muids. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2025. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Remizières, Cuvée Emilie | Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | Full-bodied for the vintage, this is deep, rounded and creamy. Acidity is good, however, and the alcohol is a little raised. Rich, powerful and concentrated, with plenty of glycerol fat, makes for an opulent Hermitage blanc, but with the freshness of the vintage. Clay limestone soils. Fermented in barriques, 60% new. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2029. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faury, La Berne | Condrieu | 2020 | 94 | More complexity than Faury's cuvée classique, this has some deep-set spice to the mango and nectarine fruit. Richer and fuller still on the palate, this is extremely concentrated and full-bodied. The oak is quite noticeable, but only on the finish, and is needed to rein in the incredibly opulent fruit. Powerful and quite potent in alcohol. Will need a year in bottle to come together. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2032. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Les Diognières | Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | There's some five-spice oak that is the first thing you encounter, then crunchy, fresh berry fruits underneath. A mouth-filling, full-bodied example this year, with perfect ripeness, generosity of fruit, ripe tannin and alcohol to see it age for some time. The alcohol is a little on the high side in fact, but this is very hard not to like, it's so sunny and easy-going and the oak is well-integrated on the palate; this is a stylish wine. From a 0.28ha plot of 60-year-old vines in lieu-dit Les Dionnières at the foot of the hill. All destemmed the vinified in open demi-muids, with manual punching down two or three times a day, followed by malolactic fermentation and 12 months ageing in barriques. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2038. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Niero, Les Ravines | Condrieu | 2020 | 94 | Coconut, banana and lychee on the nose. Silky on the palate, no great extract or concentration of fruit, but there is enough to bring balance and a fresh juiciness. Acidity is low but balanced and the wine feels authentic and well-balanced overall. From 20-year-old vines on average, across five excellent lieux-dits. 40% of the wine was aged in barrel, the rest in stainless steel. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2024. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, Haut Chamblard | St-Péray | 2020 | 94 | Good sense of lifted freshness on the nose and a fine balance between the fruit and oak. It isn't as concentrated and ripe as some of Chapoutier's previous single-vineyard Saint-Pérays, and it's all the better for it. There is clarity to the fruit, a gentle tension, good balancing acidity, a floating finish and it retains that petal-soft mouthfeel that marks it out as Saint-Péray over Saint-Joseph. This is a really exceptional Saint-Péray, one of the best I've ever tasted from Chapoutier. I would drink this young, but there's no pressing rush. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2026. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, Les Granits | St-Joseph | 2020 | 94 | A relatively brisk and fresh style of Les Granits this year, with an upright mineral spine. The acidity is spot-on, giving the wine edge and length. Oak is well-judged and doesn't occlude the fruit. A little less fat and ripeness than some recent years, but it has a good sense of intensity if not generosity - you really feel the granite in the granular, slightly serrated mouthfeel. A return to a more classic, measured style. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Paul Jaboulet Aîné, La Chapelle | Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | Agreeably fresh nose. Detailed floral notes mingling with tobacco, brioche, subtle spice and bitter orange. Concentrated without a huge body; certainly powerful, but all reined in at present. Quite marked grapefruit bitters on the long, dry finish, with a little tannin. A good vintage of La Chapelle blanc, but give it time. No oak maturation, just concrete eggs now. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, La Combe de Malleval | Condrieu | 2020 | 94 | Round, generous, tangy and sappy in style, yet it retains its freshness. More depth than many this year, but no excess weight, alcohol or oak. All vinified in Stockinger demi-muids, 40% new, malolactic completed. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2025. Click to see full details | |
| Tardieu-Laurent, | Condrieu | 2020 | 94 | Open, exotic and immediately recognisable, this has gorgeous peach aromas and a touch of vanilla. Full-bodied, rounded, rich and totally classic. Acidity is bright and sharp, it's gently oily, coating the mouth. Unctuous but with that fresh peach and apricot. There's a long finish, which is just a touch on the dry side. Very classic, flamboyant and unabashedly Condrieu. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Vignobles Chirat, Chays d'Oeuvre | St-Joseph | 2020 | 94 | Pear and honeysuckle, the Roussanne really stands out in the blend. Rich, gently oily in texture, this has more intensity and concentration than most this year and a firm beam of acidity. Very long, revealing Macadamia nut on the finish. A white Saint-Joseph for the dinner table. Ten months spent in a variety of sizes of oak barrel, 20% new. Malolactic was blocked. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Xavier Gérard, Côte-Châtillon | Condrieu | 2020 | 94 | Full-bodied, good concentration, with an enjoyable sense of drinkability and it's not overly fat. Gentle tension on the palate, balanced acidity, finishing with sweet pear fruit. Neat, precise finish. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine JP Jamet, Côte Brune | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 99 | Beautifully fragrant and floral, showing rose and violet characters. Super-fine, silky tannins and lovely acidity, this is an eminently classic Côte Brune, with flowers, cinnamon, black olive, rosemary and perfectly ripe, bright blackberries. It has a tapered finish - not the same concentration and power as 2019 - but with great finesse and elegance of expression. Beautifully balanced and very hard to fault. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Rostaing, La Côte Brune | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 99 | A compelling rose fragrance, then such wonderfully rounded, juicy tannins in the mouth. Perfectly balanced and fresh, but explosive, long, flamboyant and captivating, with pliable, springy tannins. What a stunning wine. Picked on the 26th august. It had four weeks in tank, 18 months in oak (limited new oak), fermented with natural yeasts and with as many stems as possible. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2038. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, Le Pavillon | Hermitage | 2020 | 99 | This has that tell-tale touch of soy to the plum and blackcurrant fruit so reminiscent of this cuvée. Fluid and juicy on the palate, this has great intensity and salinity without feeling heavy or overripe. Plenty of sweet, ripe tannin and balanced acidity. Only medium-bodied, there's a touch of pepperiness on the finish, great freshness, harmony and balance. Sometimes a wine seems a bit too easy, a bit too effortless, and it can lull you into a sense that it lacks seriousness; this wine tries to do that, but I'm not inclined to underestimate it. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2052. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine JL Chave | Hermitage | 2020 | 98 | What you find in the whites, you find in the reds,' says Jean-Louis Chave, alluding to the natural freshness and balance in the 2020 Hermitage lieux-dits. This shows a good sense of finesse, with discreet, elegant tannins and intensity without great power. It is a concentrated but restrained vintage of elegance and great precision. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Vincent Paris, La Geynale | Cornas | 2020 | 98 | A wine that fizzes and sparks with crackling berry fruits and dried herbs. Full-bodied but not massive in the mouth, this has soaring power and energy. Perfectly balanced, with searing, mouth-coating, super-fine tannin. A wine like a thunder crack that takes you by surprise, it shocks the palate. Long finish. This is an exceptional vintage for Vincent Paris. 100-year-old vines. No destemming. Five-day cold maceration, then fermented with wild yeasts. Twice daily remontage, no punching down, then aged for 16 months in two to eight-year-old barriques. Grown on the granite slopes of lieu-dit La Geynale, one of the finest of the appellation. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, L'Ermite | Hermitage | 2020 | 98 | Fresh, flinty aroma with blackcurrant underneath - an enlivening nose. Great harmony, incisive freshness and remarkable drive, the fruit is fresh, pure and concentrated. Totally seamless on the palate, with incredible textural finesse and length. A profound Hermitage in the making, perhaps not one of great weight and authority, but one of incredible tension, freshness and precision. If 2019 was Thor, 2020 is Loki. Like all of the 2020 reds, its fruitiness and approachable structure will make many want to drink this young. You can, but this has serious ageing potential. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2055. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Lancement | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 98 | Particularly compelling, this might be worthy of a higher score once bottled. Perfect acidity, great aromatic expression and amazing precision. Raspberry, olive and bay leaf, with a tremulous finish, this is a great expression of Lancement. Very special indeed, this is an elegant, beautiful wine. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Clape | Cornas | 2020 | 97 | A vibrant, focused and intense style of Cornas, a return to a classic style after the richness of 2018 and the power of 2019. Their Renaissance will be made this year, so both wines will need to be bottled before a more precise evaluation of each blend can be made, but the outlook is good. Whole-bunch fermented in unlined concrete tanks, matured in small old foudres. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2039. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine JP Jamet | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 97 | A combination of separate lieux-dits which show a classic, fresh and focused vintage, with each component reflecting its origins with great clarity. It's an aromatic style, with slight tannins and fairly low but balanced acidity. All whole-bunch fermented, matured mostly in old demi-muids. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2042. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Rostaing, La Viallière | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 97 | Beautifully detailed, floral, violet-scented nose; totally classic, tender and charming. Medium- to full-bodied, with cooling, fresh blackberry fruit. Super-fine, plentiful but elegant tannins and the little bitter kick is classic Viallière. This is exceptional and will provide a lot of pleasure. Four weeks in tank, 18 months in oak (limited new oak), with natural yeasts and as many stems as possible. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Yann Chave | Hermitage | 2020 | 97 | Introverted on the nose, but smooth and bold on the palate. A little more generosity and weight than some Hermitage this year, also slightly higher alcohol. Harmonious, with good acidity and integrated oak, it is detailed and defined on the palate. A large-framed but calm and collected wine with a good sense of purity and typicity, this is a serious Hermitage. Vines of nearly 50 years of age, grown organically on lieux-dits Beaumes and Péléat, matured in demi-muids with malolactic fermentation in barrel. Drinking Window: 2029 - 2043. Click to see full details | |
| E Guigal, Ex-Voto | Hermitage | 2020 | 97 | Fresh and dense, displaying great substance and depth. Robust oak work here and it's very tannic; a powerful, driving wine of great size and grandeur. Long and complete, it will swallow its oak in time I suspect. At the start of its 40 months in new oak barriques. Old vines from Les Bessards, Les Greffieux, L'Ermite and Les Murets. Drinking Window: 2032 - 2046. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Bertholon | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 97 | Peppery rose aromas flow onto a seriously weighty, deep, rounded, powerful and dense palate. Muscular yet fresh, this is very similar to a classic Les Grandes Places in style. Lots of clay in this lieu-dit, which is only owned by Gaillard and Ogier. 80% whole bunch. Drinking Window: 2029 - 2039. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, La Belle Hélène | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 97 | Beautifully floral expression, bright acidity and great upright thrust. So juicy and powerful, but such finesse and lightness of touch, also. Big, driving, burly tannins and just a touch of raised alcohol peeping through, but this is forgivable given its excellence. Tannins still a touch green on the finish, but such a big, powerful and rich wine. 100% whole bunch from Côte Rozier. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2038. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Montmain | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 97 | From an old-vine parcel, this is peppery, fluid and fresh, showing bay leaf, rose and fine tannins. Not as powerful as his Champon or Bertholon, but elegant and complex. 100% whole bunch. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Xavier Gérard | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 97 | 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. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Delas, Les Bessards | Hermitage | 2020 | 96 | Full-bodied, fine and tightly wound, but with a good sense of harmony and typicity. Stretching skywards, this is a tense, saline style but with sufficient fat around the bones to make for a long-lasting wine. You can really feel the granite. From their oldest parcel of lieu-dit Les Bessards, fermented in concrete, then aged for 12 months in new and one-year-old barrels. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Monteillet, Les Grandes Places | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | Very promising and dense, with great freshness and muscular tannins. Bold and intense, this is better than the 2019. Tannins are saturated with juice, all very fine, with piercing acidity. 100% new oak and aged for 36 months. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2038. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faury, Revinescence | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | Intensely herbal, with rosemary, thyme, lavender and juniper. Medium-bodied, with plenty of concentrated black fruit and saturated, super-fine tannin. Long finish, well-balanced acidity, even if it's on the low side, there's a deep-set smokiness which completes the package. All in all, this is perfectly balanced, concentrated, structured and complex - a remarkably good Côte-Rôtie. The oak spice works well and frames the herbal fruits perfectly. Lieux-dits Le Plomb, l'Arselie and Fourvier, 65% whole bunch, natural yeasts, 18 months in demi-muids, unfiltered. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Garon, Les Rochins | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | Intense on the nose, there's some rich, plum scents that points to its Brune origins. Medium-bodied, it's nicely weighted and there's good palate presence. The acidity is firm and balanced, as is the alcohol. A fairly rich style of 2020 Côte-Rôtie, which is a good thing - some are a little on the light side this year. Oak is well-balanced and integrated, to the fore for now but will settle. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2031. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Rostaing, La Landonne | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | Classically dark, brooding fruits, this has length and depth, with good balance even though the acidity is quite low. With its intense and muscular tannins, this is for the long term. Four weeks in tank, 18 months in oak (limited new oak), with natural yeasts and as many stems as possible. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| E Guigal, Ex-Voto | Hermitage | 2020 | 96 | This is looking very good, it's very oaky for sure, but there's good intensity and vibrancy. Long and with no excess alcohol, it's nicely balanced beneath the oak, but it will always be dominated by it. 80% lieu-dit Les Murets (20-year-old and 60-year-old vines), 20% L'Ermite. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| E Guigal, La Turque | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | This feels like a classic, with the weight and tannins necessary to help this age, but it's not as massive as some recent vintages. Star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg - very much about the spice this year - this is bold and sweetly fruited, with juicy, pliable tannins and a long finish. Vines are on the Côte Brune, planted by Marcel Guigal in 1980 (first vintage 1985) after being abandoned since 1935. La Turque is a central part of Côte Brune, less than 1ha. This is only at the beginning of its 40 months in new French oak barriques. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2045. Click to see full details | |
| Ferraton Père & Fils, Le Méal | Hermitage | 2020 | 96 | Good sense of purity and definition on the nose. Tasted blind, this was unmistakably Le Méal. Slender, fine, elegant on the palate, with fine tannin and well-integrated oak. The alcohol is a little raised but overall the wine is balanced, long and shapely, with a tapered finish and excellent freshness; this is authentic Hermitage. A south-facing parcel of Le Méal, all destemmed, fermented in concrete, it then will be aged for around 18 months, 30-50% new oak. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2037. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Cognet | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | Dense, powerful tannins which are grippy but ripe, this is a very long, fresh and deep wine. 100% whole bunch from a hillside parcel of Cogent. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2037. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Côte Bodin | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | Fresh, sappy and complete, with fresh berry juice acidity and sweet tannins. Beautifully delicate and floral. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Le Champon | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | Very closed and extremely dense for now, this fresh but tight. The wine is long and powerful, with a great cut and dark chocolate tannins. Perhaps not the most elegant of his single vineyard wines this year, but great structure and power, especially for 2020. East-facing parcel of Le Champon. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2042. Click to see full details | |
| Tardieu-Laurent | Hermitage | 2020 | 96 | Good sense of weight, volume and depth here. The acidity is marked and nicely integrated, as is the alcohol and the oak for that matter - a harmonious, though certainly a sizeable and mighty wine. Concentrated, intense and long, with a good sense of firmness and intensity, the tannins are plentiful but all saturated in fruit. This will be good in time, but wait. Drinking Window: 2030 - 2042. Click to see full details | |
| Tardieu-Laurent, Vieilles Vignes | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 96 | An immediately enticing nose, with intense crispy bacon notes, ripe blackberry and toasted spices. Medium-bodied despite its intense concentration, the acidity isn't terribly high, but it does feel balanced. Very ripe, pliable tannins, this is a rich, potent, concentrated style. Plush and seductive. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2031. Click to see full details | |
| Benjamin & David Duclaux, Coteaux de Tupin | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 95 | Fresh, smoky, sparky style on the nose, the rosemary and oregano notes are well-integrated and add to the freshness. Smooth, well-balanced and easy-going, this is deceptively approachable, but it has a mass of super-fine tannin waiting in the wings. Long finish. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2032. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine A&E Verset, Signature | Cornas | 2020 | 95 | Made entirely from lieu-dit La Geynale this year. Clean, fresh and pure, with dark chocolate and cassis. Has the great searing crystalline power of the site, with a salty acidity. Full of life and energy, with fine but gently serrated tannins. Not hugely concentrated or weighty, but it really attacks the palate with thrilling impact. Whole-bunch fermented, matured in barriques and demi-muids of between three and eight previous uses. This cuvée is a selection of their best barrels. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2049. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Monteillet, Bons Arrêts | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 95 | Dark fruits and cassis are wrapped up in fine tannins. No huge depth here, but good freshness, tension and lovely acidity. The oak has been swallowed well. From a 1ha, east-facing parcel and a monopole. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2029. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faury, La Gloriette | St-Joseph | 2020 | 95 | Not as explosively aromatic as Faury's Hedonism cuvée, this has a deep aromatic presence that's more herbal and smoky, with lifted violets and smoky bacon. Medium-bodied, with super smooth tannins that coat the palate. Perfectly balanced acidity and just slightly warming alcohol. An exquisite Saint-Joseph. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine JL Chave, Clos Florentin | St-Joseph | 2020 | 95 | Le Clos exhibits its usual exceptional balance this year: it's very ripe in fruit but slender on the palate, with tannins like 100% cacao. Bright, firm acids bring a perfect sense of balance. A panther of a wine. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2033. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Vincent Paris, Granit 60 | Cornas | 2020 | 95 | There are herbal depths here, but they're currently filled by the intense, powerful berry fruits. Medium- to full-bodied, this has good concentration and intensity of fruit, coupled with powerful but very ripe tannin. There's good energy here, the wine is upright and not as soft and easy-going as some other Cornas this year. Great vitality and salinity, this is well-balanced, fresh and classically Cornas. A satisfying and energising wine with a long finish. 50-year-old vines on very steep slopes, 70% destemmed. No pigeage, natural yeasts, then spending 16 months in two to eight-year-old barrels. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| E Guigal, La Mouline | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 95 | Sticky damson and plum fruit, just a little touch of prune in the mix. Medium-bodied with fresh, fine tannins; quite an ethereal style of La Mouline, with floral hints and plentiful spicy oak among the roses. A compact style of wine for the vintage that suits what this vineyard delivers - good expression of terroir. I would drink this young, though it will no doubt age fairly well. From lieu-dit Côte Blonde and at the beginning of its 40 months in new French oak barriques. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, Le Clos | St-Joseph | 2020 | 95 | Dense black fruit overlaid with violets - very much in the Mauves style of Saint-Joseph. Peppery and spicy, full-bodied without heaviness, this feels dense but not overly thick. Tannins are chalky but melting, like 100% pure cocoa. The oak is a little more pronounced than with this producer's Les Granits cuvée, but it's nicely integrated. There's intense concentration and deep, dark tannins before the lifted finish. May prove to be the best vintage yet of Le Clos. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Martine & Christian Rouchier, La Chave | St-Joseph | 2020 | 95 | Rising aerial freshness, this gently hovers out of the glass, with a petrichor note on the nose. Light-bodied, but no lack of impact or intensity. Deeply textural, with a mass of ripe tannin, it finishes dry and saline. Great freshness and energy. Whole-bunch fermented with natural yeasts, followed by 16 months élevage in old barrels. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Pierre Jean Villa, Fongeant | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 95 | Considerably more interesting on the nose than most other 2020s, this has lifted mint, vanilla pod and white pepper aromas. Medium- to full-bodied, this also has much better concentration than many, without substituting freshness. The alcohol is just a little raised, but it's a small price to pay for creating this level of concentration and complexity. Not a big one, but a genuine, classically styled Côte-Rôtie within the context of the vintage. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Stéphane Ogier, Leyat | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 95 | Fresh, upright and direct, this is charming and full of energy. Powerful, dark, intense and driving, with ripe and springy tannins. 60% whole bunch. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Delas, Domaine des Tourettes | Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | The oak spice is quite forthright on the nose, then you sink down into the plush, juicy fruit. Like sitting into a well-stuffed leather armchair, it's comfortable on the palate, but there's some pleasing resistance. Juicy and ripe, with a slick of soft, pliable tannin. This is opulent and finishes long. The oak spice is generous, but it works well with the rich style. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2040. Click to see full details | |
| Delas, La Landonne | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | Juniper and warm herbal notes behind berry fruits on a fresh nose. Rounded and juicy on the palate, this is a ripe, well-shaped wine with fine tannins, a good sense of energy and true focus. A slick of ripe, fine tannin in reserve gives this some ageing potential. Fermented in open-top concrete tanks for 20 days, then matured in new and one-year-old barrels for 14 months. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine A&E Verset, | Cornas | 2020 | 94 | Fresh, stemmy oregano and marked blackcurrant notes. A fine and elegant style of Cornas with quite driving acidity. Bright, saline and granitic finish. Very accessible, this is a clear depiction of the vintage and the terroir. From some of the finest lieux-dits on the Cornas slope. No destemming. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2036. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Barge, Les Côtes | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | A fresh nose before a plump, juicy expression on the palate. The alcohol is just a little on the high side, but this is nonetheless very appealing, generous, ripe and expressive. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine du Monteillet, Fortis | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | A blend of of various lieux-dits reveal a wine with a very dark fruit character that is taking well to the oak. The general style is compact, fruity, fresh, expressive and accessible. 80% gneiss soils, 20% schist. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Faury, Hedonism | St-Joseph | 2020 | 94 | I love the nose! It bursts out of the glass, so distinctive, so complex - tangy blackberry, juniper, burnt herbs and pine resin. Only light-bodied, but great impact and intensity, pinpoint acidity, tight, textural tannins that provide plenty of grip. Explosively aromatic, so lip-smackingly delicious that it puts many a Côte-Rôtie to shame. From the northern part of the appellation, with a large proportion of whole bunch. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Garon, Les Triotes | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | Great purity and flinty freshness on the nose. There's some gentle weight and concentration, the acidity is good and there's a fine mineral line. Alcohol is present but not excessive. The finish isn't terribly long, but this is authentic Côte Blonde style Côte-Rotie. Feathery and pure. Very well-balanced. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2028. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Guy Farge, Passion de Terrasses | St-Joseph | 2020 | 94 | A savoury, mouthwatering aromatic expression of bay leaves and juniper berries ground into smoked sausage. Medium weight, this is an appetising style with perfectly balanced acidity and tannins that really take root on your tongue. Long, textural, dry finish. Excellent. From 100-year-old vines with no destemming. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine JL Chave | St-Joseph | 2020 | 94 | All the lieux-dits I tasted that make up this domaine's Saint-Joseph were showing well and expressed their typical characters, this promising to be a precise style with clear, complex aromatics. It's possible that the rose-scented lieu-dit Bachesson component might be bottled separately this year - in which case you should buy it without hesitation. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Rostaing, La Côte Blonde | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | A flinty kick lifts the fragrance, before a touch of cedar and sandalwood rises up. Beautifully fine and fragrant, the tannins are just a little drying perhaps, but very fine nonetheless. This is hard to read now, it may well soften and improve in bottle, so the score is conservative. Four weeks in tank, 18 months in oak (limited new), natural yeasts and as many stems as possible. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| Ferraton Père & Fils, Les Miaux | Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | The oak use feels quite dominant here, it sits above the fruit, although improves on the palate which is soft and perfectly ripe. Powerful, with slightly raised alcohol, which is disguised a little by the firm beam of acidity. Persistent fruit with a robust tannic structure, dark chocolate tannins and flavour on the finish. Clay limestone subsoil overlaid with alluvial pebbles. Destemmed, fermented in concrete vats and aged in barrels, 10% new. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2039. Click to see full details | |
| Ferraton Père & Fils, Montmain | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | Sits between earthy and mineral on the nose, with a little oak polish and violets around the edges. Bold, juicy and rounded on the palate, there's impressive tannic weight and extraction, but they're super-fine, mouth-coating and ripe. A strong wine for the vintage, this is well-balanced despite the gently warming alcohol and will age with interest. Very much on the 'Brune' side in style. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| Ferraton Père & Fils, Patou | Cornas | 2020 | 94 | Rounded, mouth-filling fruit, the tannins are melting and not overly assertive. Bold in structure, textural and intense, with strong acidity which helps to rein in the fruit, tannin and alcohol. Peppery herbs add a little complexity. Destemmed, fermented in concrete, aged in barrels (10% new oak). Drinking Window: 2026 - 2034. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, Les Varonniers | Crozes-Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | Graphite, plum and blackberry aromas. Beautifully silky, this has a good sense of fluidity but also remarkable intensity and concentration. Energetic and driven, with deep fruit and sweet tannin, there's a mineral straightness that helps to temper that ripe fruit and ripe tannin. The alcohol is quite raised but not unbalanced; this is a cut above most Crozes-Hermitages, more serious in style and texture. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2035. Click to see full details | |
| M Chapoutier, Neve | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | A little spicier, earthier and more savoury than La Mordorée this year. Medium-bodied, precise and dry, packed full of dense, ripe tannin. With a good sense of harmony, integration and excellent balance before a long finish. Seductive without overt oak influence, the alcohol is high but doesn't feel unbalanced thanks to the concentration of fruit. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2038. Click to see full details | |
| Maison Les Alexandrins | Hermitage | 2020 | 94 | Full-bodied - there's some sweetness to the fruit here - it's bold, juicy, straight, long and harmonious. This is very well made, with the quiet majesty you'd want from Hermitage. There's sweet oak spice throughout the long finish. A classic wine that will be long lived. This is the best wine I've tasted to date from Les Alexandrins. Vines are from Les Grandes Vignes (30%), Les Greffieux (60%) and Les Murets (10%). Drinking Window: 2030 - 2050. Click to see full details | |
| Vignobles Chirat, La Rose Brune | Côte-Rôtie | 2020 | 94 | Deep-set herbal stem notes along with well-integrated oak, this presents a harmonious aromatic profile. Medium-bodied, fresh and luxuriously textured, this classic Côte-Rôtie is deep, long and should age well. From lieu-dit Côte Rozier. 80% destemmed, natural yeasts, 18 months in barriques and demi-muids with 25% new oak. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2030. Click to see full details | |
| Xavier Gérard, Le Blanchard | St-Joseph | 2020 | 94 | Fresh oregano, then deep blackberry fruit on the palate. There's a deep menthol side to the wine, focused acidity and great freshness. The alcohol is gently warming on the long, saline finish. This is excellent - lean and defined, but so vibrant and intense. Le Blanchard is a small vineyard in Chavanay Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2027. Click to see full details |