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...

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...

There are two new demi-muids of the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum, pure Grenache grown on red clay soils, the only Grenache in the cellar that goes into wood for aging. Cedar and menthol notes accent black...

(97+ points) The 2020 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru has a refined bouquet, beautifully poised with brambly red fruit, hints of sous-bois and incense. This is utterly seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy...

The 2020 Franc-Mayne has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, spices and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless palate of real class and purity. Vibrant...

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...

The 2020 Lascombes has a discrete, finely delineated bouquet that unfolds in the glass with blackberry, bilberry, crushed violet and a touch of iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with sour cherry and brown spices on the...

The 2020 L'Évangile has a riper nose than the Clos l'Eglise: blackberry, wild strawberry and floral notes of rose petal and iris flower. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well balanced and fleshy, yet there...

The 2020 L'Hêtre has a more restrained and nuanced bouquet that unfolds in the glass, with more mineralité and terroir expression than the preceding d'Aiguilhe. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins and...

The 2020 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert seems to have put on weight since last tasted from barrel, improving with its élevage. Faint herbal notions and a bit of crushed stone accent black cherries on the nose. In...

(VN 96-98 points) Glass-staining purple. Assertively perfumed cassis, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and floral aromas take on espresso, olive and smoky bacon accents with aeration. Juicy, chewy and energetic on the palate...

The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Mon Aïeul has an edge over the 2021 and 2019. Enticing aromas of raspberry liqueur, ripe forest strawberry, red and black plum, black olive tapenade, licorice, abundant exotic spices and a...

(98+ points) Almost pure perfection, the 2020 Côte Rôtie La Landonne just about jumps out of the glass and offers up utterly classic La Landonne aromatics of smoked black fruits, cassis, scorched earth, cured meats, and...

A fresh, smoky and reduced bouquet prefaces the 2020 Savennières Clos de la Hutte, a dense, full-bodied, concentrated and fine-grained wine. It concludes with a saline, mineral finish. This wine is a terrific success for...