Crunchy bright fruit, delicious brambled griotte cherry and violet flowers, pulses of white pepper, sage, slate, crayon, black tea. Depth and character, easy to love, ready to drink. Stainless steel ageing, unoaked...

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...

The 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion has an opulent bouquet of black cherries, blueberries and violets, with just a patina of new oak to be fully subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, ripe tannins. Very well...

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 black olives and dark fruit come through on the nose with violets and wet earth. Full and very chunky and powerful. Yet it’s lively and vivid with excellent energy. Fantastic. Pure merlot. Leave it until 2030.

The 2020 Malescot Saint-Exupéry is oaky on the nose. At the moment, the wood occludes the fruit profile, but it will assimilate with time, and there is satisfying delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweeter...

The 2020 Bélair-Monange has a more backward nose with dense black fruit. There is a very noticeable cedar/Cabernet element here that indicates that it might be Lafleur. The palate is medium-bodied with fine...

Here too there is a Chablis-like hint of quinine adding breadth to the decidedly cool and citrusy green apple-scented nose. There is excellent cut and energy to the delicious medium weight flavors that exude a subtle...

A bright straw/yellow hue, the 2020 Champagne Les Fortes Terres Extra Brut is entirely composed of Meunier and sourced from the single lieu-dit of LFT. It was vinified in stainless steel tanks and aged on the lees for 40...

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 Lafleur lies in marked contrast to the 2019. This is far less expressive and, as I remarked last year, shows a little more reduction. You can immediately tell this is a very serious, almost stentorian Lafleur...

(94+ points) The 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Le Clos is tighter and more focused, with a more blue-fruited perfume of cassis, graphite, violets, and peppered meat-like aromas and flavors. The polar opposite of the broad, ripe...

The 2020 Grand Mayne has an earthy, savory nose, a bit more rustic than its peers, with black truffle and antique bureau infusing the black fruit. There is plenty of charm and character here. The palate is medium-bodied...

Inky violet color. High-pitched cherry and black raspberry scents are complemented by building floral and mineral notes. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering intense red and blue fruit liqueur, licorice and olive...

Disgorged in December 2023 with a dosage of two grams per liter, Moussé’s 2020 Blanc de Noirs Terre d’Illite is composed of 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Pinot Noir, grown on clay-rich soils where 80 centimeters of black clay...

A sultry, extroverted style, oozing raspberry coulis and smoked red currant flavors set against cigar box and iron underpinnings. This has a suave texture, with plenty of decadence reined in by the fine tannins and notes...

Stating 15.5% alcohol on the label, the modern-styled 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition is a blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre. Pale ruby-colored, swirling the glass unveils aromas of cooked red and black...

Perfumed and appealing, with pretty violet, hibiscus, fresh plum and red currant notes that turn supple and mouthfilling on the palate. A harmonious wine, with singed alder and oak spice sweetness in perfect balance. The...

The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru does not fully have the verve and focus of its peers. It is tertiary and more stemmy in style, yet still appealing. The palate is medium-bodied with sapid red fruit, a little chewy and...

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...

Bottled after 24 months' élevage, much of which took place in large foudres, the 2020 Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion offers up aromas of dark berries, plums and spices complemented by hints of rose petal and licorice. Medium...

2020 Léoville Barton has a very concentrated and opulent bouquet with lavish blueberry and bilberry fruit and a veneer of new oak that will be subsumed in the near future. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, ripe...

An earthy aroma dissipates with air, revealing pure black cherry, black currant and violet flavors. Silky yet dense and solidly structured, this balanced red lingers with fruit, spice and light vegetal accents. Drink now...

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...

The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Galimardes aged for 18 months in a combination of new oak barriques and concrete vats. It offers up intense aromas of rose petals, very ripe red fruits, exotic spices and a dash of white...

The 2020 Pichon Baron has a delineated, slightly conservative but brilliantly focused bouquet that opens gloriously with time in the glass: black cherries, blueberry and cassis tinged with graphite. The palate is...

Drawn from old-vine Grenache in the sandy soils of Pignan, Charbonnière and Mourre de Gaud, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Grenaches de Pierre features veritable bushels of black cherries, plus complex notes of garrigue and...