Looking better than it did from tank, Cristina's 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is ripe and rounded, with ample amounts of black cherries and plums, an exception to the overall red-fruited nature of the vintage. Full-bodied...

Just a step behind the La Chapelle this vintage, the 2020 Hermitage La Maison Bleue expresses the non-granitic side of Hermitage, in its opulent fruit and early accessibility. Ripe cherries and raspberries dominate the...

The pale ruby-colored 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape opens with rose water, raspberry, strawberry, dried herbs and licorice aromas. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and built around a smooth tannic structure with absolutely...

This youthful Loire red has a touch of funk on the nose that slowly dissipates with aeration to reveal a wealth of red-berry fruit and some wild herbs. On the fresh, medium-bodied palate there’s plenty of depth and some...

(94+ points) Aromas of rich cherries, cassis, burning embers, violets and dark chocolate introduce the 2020 Pape Clément, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine that's ripe, layered and generously extracted but...

Aged in wood for 10 months, this wine has weight and richness that are underlined by the density and juicy acidity. It provides a fine example of Pinot Noir from Sancerre, with intensity and a promising future. Drink from...

The 2020 Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour is a blend of 53% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with vivacious notes of stewed blackberries, raspberry...

A lush wave of boysenberry, blackberry and black cherry reduction notes unfurls slowly over a refined spine of chalk, while sweet tobacco, violet, iris, licorice and apple wood notes fill in liberally. Everything stays in...

The 2020 Pommard Jarollières 1er Cru has a refined bouquet with redcurrant, raspberry, tobacco and cedar, quite classic in style. The palate is well-balanced with good depth. There is more black fruit in the mix here...

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...

(92+ points) The flagship cuvée from Denis Barraud, the 2020 Lynsolence comes from a tiny 2.5-hectare vineyard of gravelly soils over clay and limestone located on the lower plains of Saint-Emilion. As always, it’s all...

Evoking aromas of dark berries, cassis, violet and spices, the 2020 Clos Puy Arnaud possesses a medium to full-bodied texture on the palate, lively acidity, structuring tannins and a long, saline finish. This vintage...

A lovely wine, with a high-toned strawberry and pomegranate fruit, alongside a distinct mineral note. This is closer in style to Gevrey than to Morey and is made from purchased fruit from this village lieu-dit that lies...

A fresh, pure and vibrant style, with abundant flavors of just-ripe plum and smoked cherry, bolstered by snappy, pepper-edged acidity and highlighted by beautiful violet notes. Shows a supple palate, with savory acidity...

The 2020 Haut-Brion has a well-defined, quite cerebral nose—a mélange of red and black fruit, black olive, subtle estuarine scents. The oak is very well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent, almost...

Supple and high-toned, with a rush of smoked cherry, lavender and plum paste flavors. Heady and warm, with succulent acidity and savory details of salty mineral and forest floor. Packs serious power and density on the...

The 2020 Beychevelle has an open-knit, very well-defined bouquet with pure black cherries, bilberry, veins of blueberry and crushed violet. There's just a touch of new oak still waiting to be assimilated. The palate is...

Plenty of currants and flowers with crushed stone. Slate and iron, too. Lead pencil. Medium-bodied with racy and polished tannins that show intensity and length. Linear and focused. 44% merlot, 33% cabernet sauvignon, 22%...

The 2020 Pavie, which oddly is the first time that I have tasted it in bottle (likely due to Covid) has a lovely touch of shucked oyster shell on the nose that is extremely delineated and focused. The oak is (again)...

The 2020 Dame de Montrose does not quite have the horsepower of its peers on the nose—quite floral and Margaux-like—though it is nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a ripe, sweet entry. Marmalade- and...

The blue fruits and flowers with some dark chocolate come through clearly. It’s medium-bodied with firm tannins that are integrated and long. Savory finish. Needs three or four years to soften. Drink after 2026.

On the stony, austere side, the 2020 Cotes de Provence Rose Chateau La Mascaronne is a blend of Grenache and Cinsault, with small additions of Syrah, Rolle (Vermentino) and Mourvèdre. Scents of crushed stone are joined by...

The 2020 Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude outperforms the 2022 in a landslide. Precise black cherry, red plum, cedar and pencil shaving come alive in the glass. Full-bodied, polished and complex, the 2020 engages the palate...

The 2020 Pinot Noir Clos de la Faille Monopole is from vines planted in 1998 next to a geological faultline at 280m altitude on a mix of Triassic sandstone and limestone topped with iron-rich tertiary conglomerates. The...