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The lightly hued 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc checks in as 70% Grenache Blanc, 28% Roussanne, and tiny percentages of Bourboulenc and Clairette, brought up in equal parts demi-muid and tank. It has a beautiful bouquet of ripe white peach and melon that shows a touch of spice and hazelnut with air, and it’s medium-bodied, beautifully pure, textured, and balanced on the palate. It’s a stunning white that will shine on the dinner table.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

Proprietor Paul-Vincent Avril expects to bottle 100,000 bottles of something approximating this "final blend," tasted out of foudre. A blend of 55% Grenache, 35% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah and other permitted varieties, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape looked exceptional on this day, offering up scents of framboise and kirsch alongside dried flowers and Asian spices. Full-bodied yet weightless, silky and long, this is special stuff, complex and balanced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96-98 RPA very Clos des Papes vintage,’ says Vincent Avril, and I know what he means - a vintage that naturally delivers the kind of fresh, elegant wines that this estate is famous for. A tasting of several foudres point to a wine with natural, easy balance. The Mourvèdre is excellent here this year, and adds great depth to the fresh and delightful Grenache that has notes of black tea, black cherry and iron. Elegant and very fine. (Drink between 2023-2042)Decanter | 98 DECBeguiling, with a plume of black tea and incense leading off, followed by black cherry reduction, cassis, melted black licorice, warm earth, singed tobacco and garrigue accents. Offers breadth and depth with a seamless feel, capped by a subtle mineral edge that lingers lengthily amid the beautiful fruit. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2024 through 2040. 8,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSLooking at the reds, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is a silky, elegant wine that shows the vintage to a T. I was able to taste through all the foudres of the cuvée as well as one that’s a final blend, with all showing beautiful red and black fruits, peppery garrigue, and floral nuances. The purity of fruit is remarkable, and this will be a medium to full-bodied, finesse-driven, yet still concentrated vintage for this cuvée that readers will love.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JD

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Vieilles Roussannes is also terrific, with a deep, rich, concentrated style that carries classic Roussanne apple and stone fruits as well as honeyed toast, spice, and subtle floral nuances. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and fabulously well-balanced, it’s going to drink well for 4-5 years, then probably shut down, only to re-emerge in another decade with a more mineral, honeyed, nutty, complex profile.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDBarrel-fermented and matured in 50% new oak, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Vieilles Roussanne boasts layered, nuanced aromas of toasted grain, ripe pear and mouthwatering pineapple. Full-bodied and lush, it finishes long, with a silky texture and sexy vanilla overtones. Like the other white wines at this estate, I’ve lengthened the drinking window, as they appear to age so well.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Now the flagship of this estate, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 75% Grenache and the rest Cinsault, Mourvedre, and a little Syrah. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue, it offers a beautiful array of black raspberry and darker cherry fruit as well as lots of graphite, chalky minerality, Provençal garrigue, and spice. Beautiful on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, rock-solid underlying structure and concentration, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years (although it certainly offers incredible pleasure even today) and will keep for two decades. Tasted twice.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDIsabel Ferrando informed me during my visit that she planned to eliminate the Reserve Auguste Favier and Collection Charles Giraud bottlings, folding those lots and the "tradition" Saint-Prefert Châteauneuf into a single, combined wine under the Famille Isabel Ferrando label. The resulting blend she showed as the 2020 Famille Isabel Ferrando Chateauneuf du Pape is a fine effort, with layers of cola-like spice and hints of garrigue layered against a lush backdrop of cherries and raspberries. Medium to full-bodied and almost creamy in texture, it finishes long, silky and mouthwatering.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPThis cuvée replaces the three historical red cuvées of the domaine (Classique, Auguste Favier and Charles Giraud). Quite introverted for now, seems to have everything required but needs time to knit together. Freshness, energy, fine and plentiful tannins with good acidity. While the alcohol is warming it is balanced. Could be very good in time, hard to judge now, but early signs are good and I’d like to see this again in bottle. From the galets roulés of lieu-dit Les Serres, fermented in concrete and then aged in concrete, old oak and amphora. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2036Decanter | 95 DECApproachable out of the gate, with gorgeous red fruit, wild strawberry, licorice root, dusty earth and lavender flavors joined by floral highlights. Beautifully textured and silky on the palate, with mineral intensity building on the palate, imparting nice persistence and length. A polished yet honest, characteristic wine. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2032. 3,300 cases made, 1,007 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

One of the gems in the vintage is the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Barbe Rac, a 100% Grenache that was destemmed and brought up all in concrete tanks. Darker berries, ground pepper, graphite, and savory garrigue are just some of its nuances, and this beauty is full-bodied, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and an awesome finish. It’s a brilliant bottle of wine that readers will love. It deserves 3-4 years of bottle age and will shine over the following two decades. Bravo.Jeb Dunnuck | 98+ JDA seductive 100% grenache with cherries, mixed berries, licorice and sweet spices on the nose. Full body with creamy tannins. Round and velvety with a caressing touch of strawberries and raspberries at the center. It has volume and texture with a succulent and precise long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSThere’s an appealing high-toned spice over the very ripe blackberry fruit here, like star anise. Very rounded and generous, but with some good intensity and freshness at its core. Concentrated and ripe but with good acidity. The alcohol is warming on the finish, but it’s not overly unbalanced. A fruity and immediate style of Barbe Rac.Decanter | 93 DEC

On another level, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Grand Vin Blanc is a deeper, richer white that still stays incredibly focused, pure, and balanced. White peach, toasted brioche, spice, honeysuckle, and more stone fruits define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has just about flawless balance, a gorgeous texture, and the depth, balance, and class to evolve for 15 years in cold cellars.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe oak is present and integrated but not excessive and it doesn’t rub out the fine definition and terroir expression. Long and straight, this is bold but drinkable, with a good sense of fluidity and freshness to the wine, but enough salt and extract to age well. The wines from Nalys are improving quickly, which is not surprising given the quality of the terroir: Bois Sénéchaux, la Crau and Grand Pierre. Fermented and aged in a variety of sizes of oak barrel, including 18% new oak.Decanter | 95 DECWith a higher proportion of Roussanne than the Saintes Pierres bottling, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Grand Vin Blanc should drink well through 2030 or so. Scents of toasted grain, roasted cashews, grilled pineapple and pear emerge on the nose of this medium to full-bodied effort. Open, lush and long, it’s a fine example of this appellation, whose white wines are steadily gaining in quality. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPSleek, spicy and dense, with an inviting display of ripe, juicy pear and warm apple interwoven with dried thyme and garrigue that add a nice savory detail, with a kiss of meringue on the lush palate. Shows a salty beam of flinty minerality that cuts through the richness and concentration. Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Picpoul and Picardan. Drink now through 2028. 600 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS