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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.
Premier SelectPremier Select wines are handpicked by our staff from amongst thousands of wines for their exceptional quality. They're made by a top producer and comparable to wines at twice the cost.
JD9292 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 1/25/2022 Moving to the reds, the 2020 Vacqueyras Les Hauts De La Ponche is 50% Grenache and 25% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre. It actually reminds me of a Pomerol with its red and blue fruits as well as bouquet garni, damp earth, and floral nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, I love its balance, and it has silky tannins and remarkable purity of fruit. Drink bottles over the coming 7–8 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)Premier SelectPremier Select wines are handpicked by our staff from amongst thousands of wines for their exceptional quality. They're made by a top producer and comparable to wines at twice the cost.
JD90+90–92 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/8/2021 The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is downright classy, with impressive darker berry fruits as well as peppery garrigue and spice-driven aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has wonderful purity, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD95+95–97 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/3/2021 Due to yields, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes doesn’t include any grapes from the Gallimardes lieu-dit, so this vintage only includes Charbonnière and Esqueirons grapes. As always, it’s 100% Grenache brought up in a mix of concrete tank and foudre. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by a brilliant array of blueberries, violets, and pepper, and it’s full-bodied, has a seamless, elegant mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. I’d put it up with the top handful of wines in the vintage. (Jeb Dunnuck)SP9595 pts. - Wine Spectator - Web only – 2022 This has power and concentration to the graphite- and smoke-edged black fig and currant flavors, with a steely mineral undercurrent and charred aniseed. In spite of the decadent fruit profile, this has a nice framework and lovely salinity driving freshness and impressive length. A blockbuster red with staying power. Best from 2024 through 2035. 490 cases made, 120 cases imported. (Kristen Bieler)
SP9696 pts. - Wine Spectator - Web only – 2022 Pumps out heady raspberry, mulberry and blackberry compote notes that keep form and direction, thanks to a roasted apple wood spine and flanking ganache, garrigue and warm earth notes. Seriously grippy finish. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Vaccarèse. Best from 2025 through 2040. 500 cases made, 43 cases imported. (James Molesworth)JD94+94–97 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/3/2021 The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Combe Des Fous is a normal blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and the rest Vaccarèse and Cinsault. Beautiful, full-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe black raspberries, violets, ground pepper, lavender, and herbes de Provence all emerge from this gorgeous barrel sample, and it shows the pure, fresh, yet still concentrated style of the vintage brilliantly. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD94+94–96 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 1/25/2022 The 2020 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is more structured, with notable acidity as well as tannins. Full-bodied aromas and flavors of blackberries, cassis, ground pepper, and violets give way to a rich, concentrated, focused Gigondas that’s going to benefit from a handful of years in the cellar. All of these 2020 barrel samples are brilliant. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD9191 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/8/2021 A year-in, year-out smoking value, the 2020 Côtes du Rhône Les Becs Fins offers a vivid purple hue as well as a great, classic Côtes du Rhône nose of peppery black cherry and framboise fruits, garrigue, spice box, licorice, and even a hint of violets. Soft, medium-bodied, fruit-driven, yet wonderfully pure and far from a simple red, it’s going to put a smile on your face over the coming 3–5 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)
SP9797 pts. - Wine Spectator - Web only – 2022 Beguiling, with a plume of black tea and incense leading off, followed by warmed black cherry reduction, cassis, melted black licorice, warm earth and 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. (James Molesworth)RP96+96–98 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 5th May 2022 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. (Joe Czerwinski)JD9696 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/11/2022 The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape showed brilliantly and is certainly one of the stars in the vintage. Based on 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and the rest Syrah and other permitted varieties, it shines for its elegance and purity, offering a wonderful core of red and black fruits, medium to full body, silky, incredibly polished tannins, flawless balance, and already complex notes of flowers, sappy garrigue, Provençal spice. It has the estate’s incredible ability to bring wonderful intensity and richness while staying graceful and seamless. It reminds me slightly of the 2012, possibly the 2006, and while it already offers pleasure, it will evolve for 20+ years in cold cellars. (Jeb Dunnuck)
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)
RP95+95–97 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 5th May 2022 Beaucastel’s 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is shaping up as a blend of 30% each Grenache and Mourvèdre, with 10% each Counoise and Syrah, plus 20% other permitted varieties, including a healthy proportion of white grapes. Complex and red-fruited, with hints of flowers and garrigue, it’s expansive and richly textured on the palate, finishing long and silky. (Joe Czerwinski)JD94+94–96 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/11/2022 The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape was scheduled to be bottled the week after this tasting, and it’s the usual blend of 35% Mourvedre, 25% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, Counoise, and other permitted varieties. While the estate compares this to their 2016, it reminds me slightly of their 1990 and has a wonderful perfume of red, blue, and black fruits, as well as sappy garrigue, saddle leather, and ground pepper. It’s beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, has a good sense of freshness, and fine tannins, as well as a tight, focused style on the palate that bodes well for longevity. It deserves 7–8 years of bottle age and should be long-lived. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD92+92–94 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/3/2021 Moving to the Châteauneuf du Pape releases, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape checks in as 70% Grenache with the balance Syrah and Mourvèdre. It shows the classic, more elegant style favored by the domaine today as well as the fresher, pure style of the vintage. Black raspberries, blackberries, herbes de Provence, and peppery garrigue give way to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet elegant 2020 that’s going to evolve for 15+ years. (Jeb Dunnuck)
SP9494 pts. - Wine Spectator - Web only – 2022 Enticing and pretty, this boasts a pure beam of raspberry, rooibos tea and singed garrigue, with notes of baking spices and dried lavender. A pretty yet substantial wine, with chalky tannins lining the finish. Vibrant and fresh, with good drive. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Drink now through 2032. 7,000 cases made, 1,200 cases imported. (Kristen Bieler)JD92+92–94 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/3/2021 From an estate that seems to have hit another level over the past 5–7 years or so, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape reveals a deeper plum/purple color as well as charming, complex aromas and flavors of ripe blackberries, mulberries, peppery garrigue, flowers, and orange blossom. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the more charming, mid-weight style of the vintage, has silky tannins, wonderful overall balance, and outstanding length. It’s not going to match the top vintages from this estate, but it’s going to put a smile on your face any time over the coming 15 years or so. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD9090 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 1/25/2022 A great Côtes Du Rhône readers should seek out, the 2020 La Bouveau is up-front, balanced, and ready to go, with the purity and freshness of the vintage as well as lots of Southern Rhône character in its garrigue, pepper, strawberry, and black raspberry aromas and flavors. Drink it over the coming 3–4 years or so. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD91+91–93 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/3/2021 The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape, which is still resting in foudre, is primarily Grenache from the sandy portion of the La Crau lieu-dit (although it now also includes grapes from a new parcel in the northern part of the appellation). Kirsch, flowers, spice, and peppery garrigue notes all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, nicely structured 2020 that’s going to benefit from 2–3 years of bottle age. It’s clearly an outstanding bottle of wine in the making. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD9090 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/11/2022 All the 2020s showed beautifully at this address. Black raspberries, peppery herbs, garrigue, and graphite notes all emerge from the 2020 Côtes Du Rhône, a medium-bodied, rich, structured wine that has plenty of structure and depth. It will keep for 4–6 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)
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Rive droite, rive gauche Côtes-du-Rhône
Domaine Font Sarade Vacqueyras Les Hauts de La Ponche
Maison du Midi Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
