This amazing Chateauneuf-du-Pape squares the circle of southern richness and spring-like freshness in spite of coming from a very warm and dry vintage. The stony minerality, saltiness and dried flower character wind together to form a dynamic whole, driving this gracefully across the palate. But I must also mention the savory and licorice richness that is so deftly wrapped around them. Very long, salty and velvety finish. Drink or hold. - Stuart Pigott

Full, generous and broad. Acids are bright and vibrant, and there's a fine but dense weft of tannins through the wine. Great energy and salinity this year, this is particularly fine and balanced, with plenty of concentration and a long finish. All from La Crau and fermented in tronconic wood barrels. Élevage in foudre. Oldest Grenache bunches aren't destemmed.

Flowers and cherries with a touch of spice form the core of the wine. On the palate. there is softness and elegance that you feel instantly. The fruit is polished, silky and elegant with a purity to the fruit on the mid-palate and in the finish. Produced from a blend of 60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault, along with other, assorted red and white grape varieties. 60-70% of the harvest is destemmed. Drink from 2023-2037.

(WA 93-95 points) Tasted as a tank sample of the final blend, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a blend of approximately 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties, with about 30% whole bunches used in the ferments. Marked by ripe cherries and hints of complex garrigue notes on the nose, it's full-bodied but also really elegant, with fine-grained, silky tannins, ample concentration and a long, surprisingly crisp finish. - Joe Czerwinski

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape also showed well, with a lighter, elegant style that still brings plenty of intensity. Black cherries, mulberries, dried violets, and loamy earth define the bouquet, and it's medium-bodied, balanced, and finesse-driven on the palate, with ripe tannins as well as a terrific sense of salinity on the finish. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 15+.

The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau was vinified from partially de-stemmed grapes and aged in foudre. The 2020 La Crau displays pronounced aromas of rose petals, redcurrant, red and black cherry, raspberry, strawberry and hints of smoke. Full-bodied, refined and built like a brick wall, it will reward bottle age. -- Nicolas Greinacher

This shows a lot of aromatic appeal, with dusty earth and singed incense covering a well of fresh cherry and red currant. A gutsy, grippy style on the palate, with a cast iron spine bringing firm shape and underlying power. Slightly old-school in style, this still needs time to unfurl. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Best from 2025 through 2035. — K.B.