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The French wine region known as the Rhone straddles the Rhone river valley from just south of Lyon and ending 125 miles later just south of Avignon near the Mediterranean. There are well over 20 grape varieties used in the production of Rhone wines with each appellation having rules permitting the use of only certain grapes. The major red grape variety in Southern Rhone wines is Grenache followed by Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvedre. The major white grape varieties in white wines of the Rhone are Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.
The major appellations (or AOC's) in the Southern Rhone wine region are: Cotes du Rhone (the lowest classification and allowed for use in all 171 communes in the Northern and Southern Rhone), Cotes du Rhone Villages, Cotes du Rhone Villages (with the name of the particular village placed after), Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, and Gigondas. Most of the red wines in the south are dominated by the Grenache grape. The sweet wines called Beaumes de Venise or Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, and dry rose; wines of Tavel should also be noted.
The major appellations (or AOC's) in the Northern Rhone are: Condrieu, Cornas, Cote-Rotie, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph. The major red grape variety in all Northern Rhone wines is Syrah.
VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Oct 2021 Saturated ruby. Deep-pitched red/blue fruit liqueur aromas pick up suggestions of licorice, pipe tobacco and pungent flowers and herbs with air. In a lush, weighty style, offering expansive black raspberry, cherry cola, singed plum and fruitcake flavors sharpened by a jolt of spiciness on the back half. For all this wine’s richness, it’s energetic as well, showing solid, spice- and floral-driven persistence on the finish, which is framed by velvety, even tannins.JD94+94+ pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/3/2021 The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape is ruby/purple-hued and has the classic translucent color of the domaine. It’s more precise and focused than the Télégramme and will need more time, but it offers a complex, gorgeous bouquet of red and black fruits, crushed stone, wild fennel, and ground pepper. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and elegant, do your best to hide bottles for 5–7 years and it’s going to keep for two decades. (Jeb Dunnuck)
VN9494 pts. - Vinous - Oct 2021 Bright ruby. Vibrant, spice-accented aromas of raspberry and cherry liqueur, incense and pungent flowers are accompanied by a smoky mineral nuance that builds in the glass. Deep-pitched yet impressively lively as well, offering intense red and dark berry liqueur and floral pastille flavors that stain the palate and show superb clarity and minerally lift. Closes extremely long, focused and lively, with silky tannins framing the wine’s sweet fruit. This is about as good as a "basic" Châteauneuf gets.JD92+92–94 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 10/6/2020 The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape showed beautifully, with a deeper ruby/purple color as well as incredible Provençal notes of peppery garrigue, dried flowers, and jammy red and black berry fruits. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has a great mid-palate, loads of building tannins, a solid spine of acidity, and a big finish. This is one smoking good, classic cuvée that savvy readers should snatch up. It will have 10–15 years of prime drinking.
VN9292 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Saturated magenta. Displays expressive red and dark berry, smoked meat, olive and floral qualities on the spice-accented nose. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering gently sweet cherry-cola, blackberry and baking spice flavors that show fine detail and a mineral, back-end lift. Finishes very long and subtly chewy, with repeating smokiness, harmonious tannins and strong persistence. (Josh Raynolds)
JD94+94–96 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - August 16, 2019 Incorporating 30% stems and brought up in foudre and demi-muid, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Chaupin is just a gorgeous wine that offers a perfumed bouquet of kirsch, blueberries, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed rocks. It’s elegant and medium to full-bodied, with the purity of the vintage and a great finish. It’s not going to match the top vintages of this cuvée, but it’s going to drink spectacularly well in its youth and evolve nicely for 10–15 years.VN9393 pts. - Vinous - Oct 2021 Brilliant ruby. A highly expressive bouquet evokes Chambord, cherry cola, smoky minerals and licorice, and a floral note builds as the wine opens up. Sappy, penetrating and energetic in style, offering palate-staining raspberry, cherry pie and lavender pastille flavors that put on weight and become spicier with air. Delivers a suave blend of richness and finesse and finishes spicy, focused and very long, leaving repeating floral and red fruit notes behind.
VN9292 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Dark violet color. Assertive, mineral- and spice-accented blackberry, bacon, olive and woodsmoke aromas pick up a floral quality with aeration. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering pliant dark berry, spicecake, black pepper and floral pastille flavors and a hint of botanical herbs. Closes with repeating smoke and olive notes, even tannins and strong tenacity. (Josh Raynolds)
VN92+92–94 pts. - Vinous - Jan 2023 Deep magenta. High-toned cherry and blackberry aromas show very good clarity with black pepper and smoky mineral accents. Shows firm tension and a spicy cut to its gently sweet red and dark berry, bitter chocolate and succulent herb flavors. Youthfully gripping tannins lend framework to a long, smoky finish that echoes the spice and floral notes. This is textbook Gigondas, raised in a combination of one-third concrete tanks and two-thirds large oak barrels, 20% of those new. (Josh Raynolds)JD90+90–92 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/16/2023 Leading off the 2021 barrel samples, the 2021 Gigondas is a juicy, elegant, medium-bodied beauty with lots of red and black fruits, some floral and violet notes, fine tannins, and kiss of salinity on the finish. It’s clearly an outstanding wine in the making and a great effort in this more challenging vintage. (Jeb Dunnuck)
VN9393 pts. - Vinous - Jan 2023 Bright ruby. Displays vibrant, sharply focused raspberry, cherry, potpourri and baking spice aromas, with hints of cola and succulent herbs. Shows fine delineation and spicy lift to its bitter cherry and red berry flavors, which become sweeter as the wine opens up. Echoes the floral and spice notes on a long, penetrating finish that’s framed by subtle, fine-grained tannins. (Josh Raynolds)JD9292 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/16/2023 As to the 2020s from bottle, these are all beautiful wines as well. The 2020 Gigondas Tradition Le Grand Montmirail has a round, supple, quintessential Gigondas style as well as notes of red and black fruits, Provençal garrigue, sandalwood, and leather. Medium-bodied, soft, and ready to go, it’s going to evolve nicely for 7–8 years, probably longer, although I see no need to delay gratification. The blend is 70% Grenache and 10% each of Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, aged 60% in vats and 40% in used demi-muids. As with all the wines here, it was completely destemmed. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD95+95–97 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - August 16, 2019 The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (only 30% destemmed) is more powerful than the Chaupin cuvée and has a rocking bouquet of blackberries, cassis, scorched earth, graphite, and licorice, that develops beautifully with time in the glass. Rich, full-bodied, concentrated, and layered on the palate, it has integrated acidity, present yet ripe tannins, and a beautiful finish. Pure class, it’s going to benefit from 2–4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. (Jeb Dunnuck)VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Oct 2021 Dark violet. A deeply perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red/blue fruits, incense and exotic spices, and a floral accent builds as the wine opens up. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering lush black raspberry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that are energized by a core of juicy acidity. Shows excellent clarity and solid, spicy thrust on a long, sweet finish framed by velvety tannins.
JD9797 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 10/6/2020 The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Reserve comes from a single terroir (which is closest to the Les Trois Sources terroir) and is always a tiny production cuvée that’s just about impossible to find in the market. The 2018 shows the more elegant, seamless style of the vintage beautifully and has a gorgeous bouquet of cassis, blueberries, crushed violets, smoked game, ground pepper, and black licorice. This carries to a seamless, full-bodied wine that has no hard edges, flawless balance, and silky tannins, as well as a great finish. This is just about as good as 2018 gets and is a singular, gorgeous wine that’s going to evolve gracefully for 15+ years or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)VN9696 pts. - Vinous - Oct 2021 Inky ruby. Expansive red and dark berry preserve, licorice and potpourri aromas are complemented by an exotic spice flourish and a suggestion of smoky minerality. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated black raspberry, boysenberry and cherry cola flavors, along with five-spice powder and candied lavender nuances. Slowly firms up with air and shows superb clarity, building tannins and outstanding, floral-driven persistence on the finish.
VN9696 pts. - Vinous - Jan 2023 Dark magenta. Vibrant cherry, raspberry and lavender aromas show excellent clarity and a spicy white pepper hint. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, it displays expansive red fruit and spicecake flavors with a subtle touch of candied licorice. Closes sappy and impressively long, with resonating floral and red fruit notes and gentle tannins that build slowly. (Josh Raynolds)JD91+91–93+ pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 1/25/2022 I always find the wines of Domaine du Cayron to be singular and exotic, and I love them, but admittedly, they’re not for everyone. Their 2020 Gigondas checks in as 78% Grenache, 14% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault and Mourvèdre that was destemmed and aged all in very old foudre. Cassis, blueberries, bay leaf, basil, and exotic flowers notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with wonderful purity of fruit and a notable sense of freshness. It’s a beautiful barrel sample from this family. (Jeb Dunnuck)
VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Saturated ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of ripe dark berries, cherry, olive and pungent flowers are sharpened by a suggestion of black pepper. Supple and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated black raspberry, cherry-cola and violet pastille flavors and a suggestion of star anise. Finishes pliant, sweet and focused on the penetrating finish, showing smooth tannins and excellent tenacity. (Josh Raynolds)JD9494 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 12/15/2022 The base Côte Rôtie from Rostaing seems to always deliver, and the 2020 Côte Rôtie Ampodium might be the best yet. Deep purple-hued, with a brilliant nose of black raspberries, spring flowers, camphor, scorched earth, and graphite, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, lush mouthfeel, and building tannins. I’ve always thought the 2010 was the greatest vintage for this cuvée, but this is going to give it a run for its money. (Jeb Dunnuck)
VN95+95–97 pts. - Vinous - May 2020 An assertively perfumed bouquet displays an array of ripe red and blue fruit preserve, floral and spice qualities, along with suggestions of licorice, smoky bacon fat and mineral notes. Effortlessly marries depth and energy and offers sweet cherry, crème de mûre and candied violet flavors sharpened by building mineral and spice flourishes. Shows noteworthy clarity and mineral cut on a long, penetrating finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes with real authority.
JD98+98–100 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - August 28, 2018 The usual blend of 60/40 Grenache and Mourvèdre, the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Collection Charles Giraud is unquestionably the more powerful and concentrated in the lineup and gives up a rocking bouquet of chocolaty dark fruits, ground pepper, earth, licorice, and cured meats. Massively concentrated and opulent, yet also layered and nuanced, with polished tannins, it should be reasonably approachable on release, yet be at its best with 2–4 years of bottle age and cruise for 10–15.VN95+95–96 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2019 Saturated ruby. Explosive, smoke- and mineral-accented black raspberry, cherry cola, exotic spice and candied lavender aromas show outstanding delineation and pick up a succulent herb nuance with air. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated red and dark berry preserve, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors and hints of star anise and musky rhubarb. The strikingly long, energetic finish shows strong minerally cut, an echo of sappy blue fruit and molten tannins that sneak in late.
VN9292 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Brilliant violet color. Smoke-accented aromas of cherry, blackberry, violet and olive show very good freshness and are joined by a spicy nuance that builds in the glass. Silky in texture and sharply focused, offering spice-laced red and blue fruit flavors and a deeper licorice note. The peppery quality comes back on the long, clinging finish that’s shaped by discreet, even tannins. (Josh Raynolds)
VN9191 pts. - Vinous - Jun 2023 The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Bernardine is full-bodied, concentrated and well-structured. Mingling aromas of cooked strawberry, raspberry jam, crème de cassis, licorice, dried herbs and a dash of mint. There’s a touch of heat on the long finish, undermining the freshness. (Nicolas Greinacher)JD9191 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/11/2022 The entry level release from Chapoutier, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Bernardine (80% Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvèdre) shows the supple, charming, pretty style of the vintage and has medium-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe cherries, framboise, and peppery herbs. This rounded, forward, front end-loaded beauty is perfect for drinking over the coming 7–8 years or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)
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Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage
Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chaupin
