Wines

95 Points! A fragrant nose of spiced cherries, ripe blackberries, dried herbs, baking spices and hints of earth follow through to a medium body with finely grained tannins. It has precision with a slight bitterness on the mid-palate. Layered and funnelled with a mineral edge. Long savory and spicy finish. Best after 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! I think the finest vintage for the classic cuvee ever, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape is a sensational blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 12% Syrah and the balance other permitted varieties. Aged mostly in tank, it offers a massive array of smoked herbs, lavender, black raspberries, toasted nuts, truffle and garrigue. Full-bodied, ripe, decadent and concentrated, it has slightly less structure than the '09, but has more raw material. This flat-out awesome Chateauneuf will have 20 years of longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck, robertparker.com, 2015

95 Points! It's full-bodied, fairly concentrated, and generous. There’s wonderful freshness, a particularly strong mineral expression. Finishes on a touch of toasty oak. A great vintage of Les Granits. A very granitic expression from an east-facing plot in lieu-dit St-Joseph, near Mauves.- Decanter Magazine

95 Points! The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape is some serious Provençal goodness, with just about overflowing aromas and flavors of sweet raspberries, blackberries, peppery garrigue, and Provençal spices. It has the sunny, expressive, complex style of the vintage, medium to full-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and a great finish. As with most 2022s, it has plenty of upfront charm yet solid underlying tannins as well. It reminds me slightly of the 2009 and will have two decades of longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! The 2017 Chimère reminds me a little of the 2011 with its more elegant yet still powerful style. Beautiful notes of black cherries, blueberries, cured meats, pepper, tree bark, and new leather all emerge from the glass, followed by a rich, medium to full-bodied, tight, backward and unevolved Mourvèdre that needs forgotten for 4-5 years. As always, this cuvée is primarily Mourvèdre (it’s normally blended with Grenache and other varieties, even some white varieties) and there are a scant 100 cases made. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! Mainly Grenache, with the balance a blend of Mourvèdre and Syrah, the 2019 Cotes du Rhone offers up notions of ripe cherries, garrigue and even a few modest hints of pine sap. Medium to full-bodied, it's concentrated and ripe yet silky and reasonably elegant. Drink it over the next several years. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95 Points! Reminding me of a classy Hermitage, the deep purple-hued 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Des Grands Chemins offers up a brilliant perfume of redcurrants, blackberries, saddle leather, lavender, and bouquet garni. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, richly textured, balanced Crozes that has velvety tannins, some classic northern Rhône gamey, peppery nuances, and a great finish. It needs a decant if drinking any time soon, but the tannins are supple and ripe, and this beauty will have a broad drink window. I wouldn't be surprised to see it still going strong at age 20. Bravo. - Jeb Dunnuck

94-96 Points! It features stunning aromas of licorice, blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied, creamy and lush on the palate, it finishes long and silky, with hints of black olive lending a welcome savory edge.- Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

93 Points! The 2022 Cairanne L'Estevenas offers red and black fruits, spring flowers, game, mint, and rose petals in a Côte-Rôtie look-alike. Medium-bodied, focused, and elegant, with beautiful tannins, this 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah includes 30% whole clusters and was aged 18 months in concrete, bottled without filtration. Drink bottles over the coming 7-10 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

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90 Points! The 2022 Cairanne Vieilles Vignes is incredibly floral, with notes of rose, red fruits, raspberries, spice, and some minerals all defining its aromatics. Medium-bodied and elegant on the palate, if a touch mid-weight, it’s nevertheless nicely balanced and seamless. This 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, and 10% Carignan blend was aged 18 months in concrete vats and will drink well for 5-7 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

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99 Points! Forget the world and fly into this incredibly concentrated and subtle recreation of a Chateauneuf from two centuries ago. A cornucopia of gingerbread, dried cherries, bitter chocolate and wild herbs on the nose. The quality of the tannins is as unique as the aromas. Endless layers of flavor in the super-refined finish. A cuvee of 23% grenache, 22% syrah, 20% counoise, 20% mourvedre, 7% cinsault, 3% clairette, 2% clairette rose and 1% each of bourbelenc, picpoul and roussanne. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Lastly, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude checks in as 25% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, 20% Counoise, 7% Cinsault, 2% Clairette Rose, and the rest a mix of varieties. It has a more medium-bodied, elegant, silky profile as well as remarkable complexity in its savory red fruits, pressed flowers, savory garrigue, and spicy nuances. I love its overall balance, and it has fine yet building tannins and a great finish. As always, this cuvée is more about complexity and elegance than power. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! This offers a gorgeous kaleidoscope of fruit -- kumquat, yellow plum, starfruit and quince -- atop a bed of silky-fine mineral notes and subtly bitter tannins. Honeyed, full and rich, with a refined texture and a very long finish edged in piecrust and toast, showing acid verve and impressive structure. Drink now through 2030. 130 cases made, 50 cases imported. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! I loved the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude Blanc, an exotic, floral white based on 30% Clairette, 20% each Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, and the rest Clairette Rose, Picpoul, and Bourboulenc. Ripe melon, honeyed orange, toasted bread, and minty herbs all emerge from this complex, nuanced, medium-bodied beauty, and it has good depth and richness, a great sense of freshness, and outstanding length. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! This offers a gorgeous kaleidoscope of fruit -- kumquat, yellow plum, starfruit and quince -- atop a bed of silky-fine mineral notes and subtly bitter tannins. Honeyed, full and rich, with a refined texture and a very long finish edged in piecrust and toast, showing acid verve and impressive structure. Drink now through 2030. 130 cases made, 50 cases imported. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! I loved the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vin De La Solitude Blanc, an exotic, floral white based on 30% Clairette, 20% each Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, and the rest Clairette Rose, Picpoul, and Bourboulenc. Ripe melon, honeyed orange, toasted bread, and minty herbs all emerge from this complex, nuanced, medium-bodied beauty, and it has good depth and richness, a great sense of freshness, and outstanding length. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! Black cherries, blue fruits, bloody meats, and roasted herbs all emerge from the 2022 Cornas Empreintes, a rich, meaty, mouth-filling Cornas that brings beautiful fruit, a stacked mid-palate, and velvety tannins. It's slightly broader and more textured compared to the more inward, structured Confidence release and will need just a few years of bottle age. Drink 2027-2042. - Jeb Dunnuck

90-92 Points! Blackberries, spicy garrigue, herbes de Provence, and some peppery nuances all emerge from the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Sinards, a medium-bodied, supple, elegant red with tons of character. - Jeb Dunnuck

93-95 Points! The 2020 Gigondas Clos Des Tourelles should be a step up. Medium to full-bodied, pure, and remarkably well-balanced, it has a terrific mix of red and almost blue fruits as well as peppery herbs and flowers. Already complex and nuanced, yet concentrated and rich, it’s a serious effort from the Perrin family that’s going to have 15+ years of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! A destemmed blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and the rest Carignan, the 2023 Côtes Du Rhône is ruby/plum-hued and offers a beautifully pure, medium-bodied, elegant profile in its red and black fruits, peppery herb, and leather-like aromas and flavors. This juicy, vibrant, balanced Côtes Du Rhône will drink well for at least 4-5 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! Juicy red berries, herbes de Provence, pepper, and a hint of sandalwood lift from the 2023 Côtes Du Rhône Mon Coeur. Medium-bodied and nicely balanced, with savory tannins and tons of personality and charm, it's perfect for drinking over the coming 4-6 years. Drink 2025-2031. - Jeb Dunnuck

95 Points! The tannic, full-bodied 2018 Hermitage Les Dionnieres boasts ebullient aromas of blueberries and boysenberries, leavened by hints of peppery herbs, black tea and star anise. Expansive on the palate but structured and dusty, with a lingering finish of salted licorice and blackberry pastilles, it ideally needs a few years to settle down, but it should then drink well for more than a decade. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95+ Points! Recently bottled, the 2021 Hermitage Blanc is a brilliant wine that shows a fresher, more mineral-driven style while still clearly being in the classic Jean-Louis concentrated, textured style. White currants, crushed citrus, flowers, green almond, and a kiss of reductive-like minerality all define the aromatics, and if you called this a great Grand Cru White Burgundy in a blind tasting, I wouldn't hold it against you. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and beautifully balanced, with a terrific salinity on the finish, it's going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age and I suspect evolve for 20-25 years. - Jeb Dunnuck