Wines

94 Points! A well-rounded. textural and succulent white with notes of fresh lemons, blanched almonds, sage and some stones. It’s medium-bodied with a mineral drive. Succulent green apple character, with a positive bitterness throughout. It’s precise, lively and textured with a salivating, floral finish. Drink or hold. - jamessuckling.com

93 Points! Prominent quince, white peach, vanilla, melon, candy, apricot jam, cedar and pastry introduce the 2022 Condrieu Invitare. Viscously textured and offering excellent purity of fruit, the 2022 is neatly balanced by moderate levels of soft acidity. Offering a little more ripeness and expression than the 2021, this complex 2022 Condrieu should drink well over the next three years. - Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous Media

94 Points! Stunning nose of ripe mirabelle with delicate candied citrus aromas. Wonderful mineral freshness that picks you up and carries you into the sky. So clean and bright at the long finish. From organically grown grapes. From the eastern side of the appellation with gravelly sedimentary soil. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

91 Points! A fruity and delicate red with sour cherries, blueberries, violets, black pepper and hints of smoke. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. Precise and fresh with crunchy berries towards the salivating finish. From organically grown grapes. - JamesSuckling.com

90 Points! This savory, gentle-styled red shows the hallmark of the leaner vintage. Wild berry and smoked meat notes cruise alongside dried herbs, crushed iron and white pepper. Harmonious and elegant, with well-integrated, salty tannins and a floral perfume. - Wine Spectator

99 Points! From a warm site and a hot vintage, the 2009 Ermitage le Meal Blanc was harvested on the August 28, and aged in 100% new French oak. Flirting with perfection and a full-bore, exotic, almost over-the-top expression of Marsanne, it has less minerality than the 2010, yet more of everything else with boatloads of caramelized fruits, buttered citrus, white flowers, honey and crushed rocks all soaring from the glass. Rich, layered, exuberant, unctuous and exotic, with stunning freshness despite it's thickness and weight, drink this incredible white anytime over the coming 30-40 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

98 Points! Coming from the warmest terroir on Hermitage Hill, the 2006 Ermitage le Meal is a killer wine that oozes Hermitage notes of black raspberries, saddle leather and bloody meat. Complex, full-bodied, and textured, yet with surprising elegance, it’s an awesome wine to drink anytime over the coming two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck, robertparker.com

96 Points! Superdense but really fresh, with a wild array of zesty blackberry, loganberry, linzer torte and briar notes laid over perfectly embedded tannins. Long and pure through the finish, with lots of minerality waiting in reserve. Great length. - Wine Spectator

90-92 Points! Lots of black and blue fruits, burning embers, and candied flower notes all emerge from the 2020 Crozes-Hermitage. Medium to full-bodied, it has a pretty, elegant, seamless texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

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

97 Points! A strong candidate for the title of the wine of the vintage, the 2022 Hermitage Le Greal is gorgeous. Evoking a perfumed, complex and vibrant bouquet of blackberry, rose petal, violet, flowers and dark cherries mingled with lovely notes of lead pencil, it's suave and sappy, complete and deep, with a multidimensional core of fruit and beautifully refined tannins enhanced by an energetic mid-palate that segues into a long, perfumed and ethereal finish due to the use of whole bunches. Truly gorgeous. It should gain raciness with age. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

97 Points! A towering effort, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes soars from the glass with pristine crème de cassis, raspberry jam, black plum, scorched earth, incense, mint, exotic spice and white pepper aromas. The precision of the individual perfumes has a laser-like quality rarely seen in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Full-bodied and framed by ever-so-velvety tannins, it reaches a spherical dimension in the mouth. The recent adoption of 3,000-liter Austrian oak barrels beautifully contributed to the shape of this wine, giving it terrific poise and tension. - Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous Media

97 Points! One of the world’s greatest expressions of Grenache year-in and year-out, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is all varietal that was brought up in larger foudre. This cuvée comes from the Charbonnieres and Les Esqueirons lieux-dits, which are mostly more sandy soils. Its deeper purple color is followed by a concentrated, medium to full-bodied, powerful yet elegant Grenache offering ripe cherry and darker berry fruits, notes of ground pepper, garrigue, and licorice, ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. Reminding me slightly of the 2006, which is drinking brilliantly today, it’s going to offer incredible pleasure over its lengthy life. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Impressive depth of colour for the vintage, this is extremely round, fresh, clear and well-defined. Tannins are present and fairly strict in style, but they're ripe, and all in all this is exceptionally promising. Not huge in fruit or body, but well-balanced and precise. from 120-year-old vines planted on north-facing clay and sand lieux-dits of Charbonnières and Esquières. Fermented in concrete, aged in foudre. - Matt Walls, Decanter Magazine

From the importer: 55+ year-old vines. East of Erôme and Gervans, two of Crozes-Hermitage’s granite terroirs, lies Les Picaudières, perhaps the most singular terroir within the entire appellation. An unexpected fusion of Côte-Rôtie-like elegance with penetrating mineral textures and Hermitage’s rich, upfront earthiness and darker fruit, it is indeed unique, especially to its own appellation of humble terroirs. A small hike is required to reach the vineyard tucked a few kilometers on the backside of Hermitage, back into a forest that surrounds the vineyard on all sides, except the ridgeline.

98 Points! A bigger, richer wine based mostly on Grenache from a single parcel around the estate on the lower plain of Gigondas, the 2023 Gigondas La Louisiane shows darker blackberries and kirsch intermixed with ground pepper, sappy garrigue, and some meaty, spicy nuances that give this an ultra-classic Gigondas style. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate and has a pure, focused mouthfeel, ultra-fine yet building tannins, and integrated acidity. It's a brilliant effort that will stand toe to toe with anything in the vintage and should drink well over the coming 15+ years. - Jeb Dunnuck

#SAINT-DAMIEN

98 Points! Based on 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre and aged 12 months in foudres, the 2023 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is possibly the most exotic of the lineup from Saint-Damien. Kirsch liqueur, blackberries, exotic flowers, and sappy, garrigue-like nuances all define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, layered, seamless mouthfeel, an incredible mix of richness and elegance, and a gorgeous finish. It's another absolutely riveting Gigondas from this estate that readers should snatch up! - Jeb Dunnuck

#SAINT-DAMIEN

100 Points! Even better (as well as a perfect wine), the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Collection Charles Giraud checks in as a nominal blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre that was brought up in demi-muids. It reveals a deep purple color as well as heavenly notes of blackberry and currant fruits intermixed with loads of cured meats, spice box, Asian spices, and a distinct loamy soil and minerality. Always more structured and powerful than the Reserve Auguste Favier release (no doubt due to the Mourvèdre component), it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building yet polished tannins, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. Pure perfection in a glass, it’s as good as wine gets. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Hats off to winemaker Isabelle Ferrando for yet another thrilling wine! - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! Fabulous nose of red fruits, summer flowers and licorice. The very complex interplay of huge fine tannins and richness reminds me of Grand Cru Burgundy, but this has a southerly personality. Great velvety finish that goes on and on. Doesn't want to stop. 80% grenache, 10% mourvedre and 10% cinsault. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Great red fruit aromas, but also wet earth and tar. Rich, concentrated and very suave on the full-bodied palate, this Chateauneuf has extremely fine tannins and terrific balance. Extremely long, velvety finish with great spicy complexity. A vineyard on sandy soil planted mainly with grenache plus small amounts of mourvedre and counoise. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink from release. - JamesSuckling.com

94+ Points! Crafted from 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Counoise, planted on safre soils in the commune of Courthézon, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Saintes Vierges exhales a delicate, refined bouquet of peony, rose, flowers, dark cherries and fresh thyme. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and tense with a textured, fine mid-palate, it possesses fresh, bright acids. This wine exudes a lot of vertical energy. It is best kept in the cellar for the next decade and will be enjoyable for the following 15–20 years. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Saintes Vierges is another beautiful wine. Ripe cherries, blueberries, rose petals, spice, and hints of spring flowers all emerge on the nose, and it shines on the palate for its beautiful elegance and purity. Medium to full-bodied, with ripe, polished tannins and notable freshness, it's going to evolve for 15 years with no issues. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! Offers a seductive, refined nose of potpourri, currant and fresh plum notes. Finely grained tannins encase the smooth palate, firmly grounded with bolts of iron. Heady incense and perfume notes carry through the medium palate, tightly packed with mouthwatering acidity and smoke. - Wine Spectator