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The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape from Laurent is the usual blend of 82% Grenache and the rest nearly equal parts Syrah, Mourvèdre, Vaccarèse, and Counoise that was brought up all in concrete tank. It shows the sunny, spicy, Provençal style of the vintage beautifully while still having incredible freshness in its red and black fruits as well as garrigue, ground pepper, spring flowers, and incense aromas and flavors. Gorgeous on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied Châteauneuf du Pape is balanced and has terrific tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. Rhône lovers need to have this beauty in their cellar, and it’s going to offer pleasure for a solid two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a success. A Grenache-led blend with some Mourvèdre, Syrah, Vaccarèse and Counoise, this 2019 aged for 21 months in concrete tanks. It bursts from the glass with a fragrant perfume of rose petal, blood orange, ripe forest strawberry, raspberry compote, dried herbs and hints of mint. Firm tannins structure the full-bodied palate, kept in check by fresh acidity. Laurent Charvin crafted a splendid wine, which demands a few more years in bottle to allow the tannins to soften.Vinous Media | 94 VMA ripe and almost opulent Chateauneuf-du-Pape with very ripe plum and blackberry aromas, plus notes of old balsamic vinegar and savory. The serious tannin structure holds it on track and keeps the palate decisively dry. Builds to an impressive crescendo at the ample dry finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSFresh aromas of berries, herbs, anise with aromatic violets and lilies. Elegant on the palate, with firm tannins and a medium body, fresh yet concentrated.Decanter | 93 DECCharvin’s gorgeously aromatic 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape—sourced from the sectors of Cabrières (Nord) and Maucoil—features scents of lavender, garrigue and purple raspberries. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied and concentrated, with ample, ripe tannins, then seems a bit warm and rough, with a wooly-tannic finish. Give this tank-aged blend of 82% Grenache, 5% each Mourvèdre and Syrah and 4% each Counoise and Vaccarèse a few more years to come together and settle down.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

Captivating nose of subtle red berries, licorice, mint and many spices. Extremely concentrated and powerful, but also very straight and refined, this Chateauneuf masterpiece is just beginning a very long life. Stunning crescendo, powered by the very fine tannins. The finish doesn’t want to stop. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSBeautiful violets, wildflowers, Asian spices, lavender, and Bing cherry fruits all soar from the glass of the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape. This full-bodied, beautifully textured, seamless 2019 brings the richness of the vintage while staying light on its feet, elegant, and perfectly balanced. While the acidity is quite low (I’m sure the pH is quite high), this will age on its balance and concentration. Hats off to Philippe Bravey for another singular Châteauneuf du Pape that readers will love to have in their cellars. As usual, the blend is 85% Grenache, with the balance other permitted varieties, brought up completely in tank. It can be drunk any time over the coming 15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape almost reaches the same high altitude as the 2020 and potentially the 2021. This 2019 mingles bright aromas of rose petal, juicy red and black fruits, garrigue, licorice and cured meat. Velvety tannins glide across the full-bodied palate, which is wonderfully balanced by lively acidity. It concludes with excellent freshness on the persistent finish.Vinous Media | 94 VMAn assemblage of 85% Grenache and bits of Bourboulenc, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah, Ferrand’s tank-aged 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape features attractive notes of star anise, roses, lavender and ripe cherries. It’s full-bodied, rich, concentrated and rather extracted and tannic—give it a few years in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RP

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

At the moment, the 2020 Gigondas Hominis Fides looks to be the standout of the three single vineyards, although all three are beautiful wines in the making. It certainly offers the most power and concentration, with lots of ground pepper, Provençal garrigue, violets, and loamy soils notes, as well as a darker cassis and berry-driven core of fruit. It builds beautifully on the palate, with ample structure, incredible balance, and a great, great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-100 JDRipe, figgy blackberry fruit, with a touch of menthol. Full-bodied, rich and generous palate, quite potent and powerful. Dense, thick tannic base and the alcohol is high. Grenache planted sometime around 1902 on Miocene calcareous sand, in a single vineyard. No destemming, 12 months maturation in French oak barriques: 30% new, 30% one-year-old, 30% two-year-old. Unfiltered. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2038Decanter | 94 DEC

Glass-staining purple. Assertively perfumed cassis, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and floral aromas take on espresso, olive and smoky bacon accents with aeration. Juicy, chewy and energetic on the palate, offering densely packed, alluringly sweet black and blue fruit preserve, floral pastille, licorice and mocha flavors that become deeper and spicier as the wine slowly stretches out. The floral and mineral notes repeat emphatically on a wonderfully long, juicy and mineral-dominated finish that’s framed by building, well-wrought tannins.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMAt first this feels like you’re standing in front of a set of locked gates. Huge power and structure without that much weight, thanks to the wonderful freshness that’s intertwined with the tarry depths of this Hermitage masterpiece. As it aerates smoked bacon, menthol and licorice notes develop, but I’d need much more space to give you all the aromas! The huge tannins at the finish are finely chiseled, suggesting this has decades of life ahead of it. From 40 to 100-year-old syrah vines. From biodynamically grown grapes.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe flagship 2020 Hermitage La Chapelle was bottled in June and, as usual, comes mostly from the Le Méal lieu-dit but also includes portions from Bessards as well. Deep purple-hued, with wonderful notes of crème de cassis, graphite, incense, and spice, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a supple, elegant texture, fine tannins, and a great finish. It doesn’t have the sheer density or power of, say, the 2010 or 2015, but it shines for its purity and balance and is a gorgeous Hermitage. While the Maison Bleue is more opulent and expansive, this is the long-distance runner. Give bottles 4-6 years at a minimum and enjoy over the following two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDAfter the past several vintages, the 2020 Hermitage La Chapelle will need to add significant richness and concentration if it is to compete at that level. That said, it is still an excellent wine, with classic aromas of crushed stone, cassis, espresso and black olives. It’s full-bodied, fine and silky, giving an impression of great elegance on the lingering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPMeasured, fresh and harmonious in 2020, this Chapelle is potent, fairly concentrated and quite savoury in style. Tannins are fine, plentiful, a touch dry, but they give plenty of support for medium- to long-term ageing. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2036Decanter | 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

The 2020 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is also utterly brilliant. Giving up lots of kirsch liqueur, orange blossom, ground pepper, and herbes de Provence-like aromatics, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness and a layered, seamless, elegant mouthfeel that has awesome tannins as well as purity of fruit. It’s another sensational Gigondas to enjoy over the coming two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDDeep magenta. Suggestions of garrigue and baking spices complement vibrant boysenberry, cherry and floral scents. Juicy, palate-coating red and blue fruits and candied lavender flavors show fine definition and smoothly blend depth and energy. Echoes the spice and floral notes on an impressively long, chewy finish framed by slowly building tannins.Vinous Media | 95 VM

I’m not sure the 2020 Côte Rôtie La Mouline will match the 2019, but it’s still early to be making any final conclusions, as these wines have an uncanny ability to gain in richness and depth over their élevage. Cassis, violets, spring flowers, and scorched earth define the bouquet, and it’s more reserved, focused, and elegant on the palate. This full-bodied, concentrated, pure, beautifully balanced effort is loaded with potential.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDDominated by dark notes of espresso, black olive and pumpernickel, the 2020 Cote Rotie La Mouline was missing the vineyard’s normally expressive floral aromas on this occasion. Full-bodied and rich, it’s an atypically muscular and closed vintage of La Mouline right now. It will be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years of élevage.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPSticky 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.Decanter | 95 DEC

The 2020 Côte Rôtie La Turque reminds me of the 2018 with its pure, seamless, full-bodied, and elegant profile. Blueberries, smoked meat, scorched earth, graphite, and black cherry notes all show on the nose, and it’s full-bodied, has a concentrated, powerful mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a seriously good finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDNotes of espresso and barrel char ride above notes of purple raspberries in the 2020 Cote Rotie La Turque. It’s full-bodied, with ample concentration and length, but it seems to lack a bit of depth compared to other recent vintages. Let’s see what next year brings.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96This 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.Decanter | 96 DEC

The 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape is a richly concentrated effort, dark-fruited and loaded with black cherries and blackberries, yet it’s not without nuance, as it includes hints of asphalt, truffle and dried spices. Full-bodied (15.4% alcohol), deep and velvety, with a long, softly dusty finish, it looks to be a real beauty, capable of aging up to two decades.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97-99 RPThe 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape reminds me of the 2007 with its incredible sexiness and seamless, elegant texture. Black cherry liqueur, Provençal herbs, flowers, and licorice are just some of its nuances, and it’s full-bodied, with a layered mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and a great, great finish. Tasted from multiple foudre, this is unquestionably up with the finest in the vintage, and as I’ve written in the past, it’s almost impossible to have too much Clos des Papes in the cellar!Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDA touch less Mourvèdre this year, but not enough to change the profile of the wine, which is fairly classic albeit pretty bombastic in 2022. Raspberry and black cherry, ripe and exuberant. Full but not massive, the alcohol is present, slightly warming the finish. Tannins are a little grainy, so I would give this time to settle before broaching. Succulent and juicy, with a touch of liquorice. Vincent Avril believes the wine could close down quite early on. So drink young, or (even better) wait until 2030. All destemmed, aged in old foudres.Decanter | 96 DEC