Southern Rhône
of white peach, poached pear and a hint of apricot purée. The palate is juicy and intense, rather warming, but well-balanced, offering nice fruitiness and suavity, a touch of liquorice and fennel that enhance the freshness. There is a light bitterness and spiciness on the finish. Heady and long.
Score : 14.5+/20 (88/100)
CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE WHITE WINES
Château des Fines Roches Blanc 2021
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a pale lemon straw colour. The nose is slightly smoky, reductive, revealing notes of gunpowder, silex, with a touch of dried herbs and fennel in the background. The palate is delicate, offering subtle notes of white apples and unripe apricots, a touch of garrigue, discreet minerality. A relatively light and aerial style of white Châteauneuf-du-pape with moderate alcohol and good sapidity. Discreet and restrained but with a nice tension, minerality and a lingering finish. Score : 14.5+/20 (88/100)
Domaine de la Charbonnière Blanc 2020
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a vivid, bright yellow golden colour. The nose is intensely spicy, showing nuances of cinnamon, cloves, saffron, a touch of nutmeg and vanilla, all complicated by the notes of ripe apricots and yellow apples. The palate is round, heady and powerful, offering a lot of concentration and ripeness. Notes of yellow apples and pineapples interlace with nuances of dried herbs, liquorice and gentian. The finish is powerful, warming, slightly bitter. Classic!
Score : 15.25/20 (90/100)
Domaine de la Janasse Blanc 2020
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a vivid, bright yellow golden colour. The nose is intensely oaky, revealing nuances of cinnamon and cloves, supported by notes of yellow apples, a hint of peach and apricot, a touch of pineapple in the echo. The palate is juicy and luscious, offering a lot of concentration, fruitiness and gourmandise. The richness of body is well-balanced by the freshness, the wine is bold but not heavy. The oaky notes persist well on the palate, giving it a spicy and warming character. Long, lingering finish with an attractive bitter, gentian note.
Score : 16.5/20 (93/100)
Comte de Lauze Blanc 2020
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a vivid yellow straw colour with a golden tinge. The nose is intense, revealing nuances of ripe yellow apples and apricots, complicated by nuances of sweet baking spices, garrigue and gentian. The palate is bold and juicy, offering good tension and roundness. It opens up with notes of ripe, even overripe apples, pineapples, a touch of bitter herbs and citrus zest. The finish is spicy with a medium length.
Score : 14+/20 (87/100)
Grandes Serres La Cour des Papes Blanc 2021
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a pale yellow colour, a bit dull. The nose is intense, revealing nuances of dried herbs, hay, gentian, a touch of yellow apples and apricots, a hint of ripe, even overripe yellow pear. The palate offers freshness and lightness, bordering to dilution, offering delicate notes of dried apricots, almonds, a touch of yellow pear and apple. Finishes quickly.
Score : 13.75+/20 (86-87/100)
Château Jas de Bressy Blanc 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a bright and vivid yellow golden colour. The nose is intense and opulent, revealing nuances of ripe and canned pineapples, a touch of passion fruits, a hint of yellow gooseberry, all complicated by sweet spices like cinnamon and cloves. The palate is juicy and luscious, offering refreshing acidity which balances well the textured, rich body, nice creaminess, opulent fruit concentration and good integration of oak. Definitely a very rich, generous style but balanced and well-managed. The finish has a nice bitterness adding to the freshness. Will age beautifully. Score : 15.5+/20 (91/100)
VENTOUX RED WINES
Domaine Vintur – Cuvée Le Gentleman 2017
Ventoux
(Organic) The wine shows a medium ruby colour with a garnet hue. The nose is perfumed and gourmet, offering nuances of fresh and cooked strawberries, crushed raspberries, red cherry compote, supported by notes sweet spices like vanilla and cinnamon and a floral touch in the echo. The palate is fresh and juicy, with elevated acidity, balanced alcohol, pulpy, gourmet structure and polished tannins. Notes of red cherries and strawberries dominate the palate, complicated by nuances of dried herbs and leather. The finish is slightly drying, juicy, packed with fruitiness. Score : 14.75/20 (88-89/100)
Vindemio – Terra 2020
Ventoux
(Organic) The wine shows a deep ruby purple colour. The nose is slightly restrained and dominated by black fruits and spices, offering nuances of blackberries, black cherries, plums and black pepper, complicated by notes of black olives and thorn. The palate is dense and concentrated, offering bold, grippy tannins, good freshness and sapidity, a lot of power and muscles. Notes of blackberries and black cherries interlace with nuances of tar, black pepper and cloves. A very powerful, dense and concentrated wine with good ageing potential.
Score : 14.5/20 (88/100)
Vindemio - Amadeus 2020
Ventoux
(Organic) The wine shows a bright ruby colour with a brightening rim. The nose is dense and concentrated, dominated by dark berries, like forest blackberries and blueberries, a touch of black cherries, supported by nuances of black olives and garrigue. The palate is powerful and spicy, offering bold, grippy tannins, moderate acidity and muscular structure. The wine opens up with intense notes of black and Kampot pepper, hints of blackberries and blackcurrant, a delicate bitter coffee-like touch. Moderate finish.
Score : 14+/20 (87/100)
Château Pesquie – Quintessense 2019
Ventoux
(Organic) The wine shows a deep ruby purple colour. The nose is slightly restrained, needs aeration to open up. It opens up with nuances of roses and violets, blackberries, black cherries, supported by nuances of black pepper, liquorice, tar and resin. The palate is dense and concentrated, with bold, grippy and assertive tannins, good freshness and bright fruitiness. The wine shows a dark fruit profile, offering notes of bramble, forest blackberries, blackcurrant and thorn, supported by nuances of sweet and pungent spices, liquorice and chocolate. Very young wine with bold structure and good ageing potential. Astringent, austere finish at the moment. Score : 15.25/20 (90/100)
Château Pesquie – Silica 2019
Ventoux
(Organic) The wine shows a deep ruby colour with a garnet hue. The nose is open, slightly oxidative, revealing nuances of roasted raspberries, cooked strawberries, a touch of cherry compote, nuances of cinnamon and cloves, a touch of almond in the echo. The palate is concentrated, round and luscious, offering moderate acidity, bold, grippy, very dense tannins and good balance between alcohol and fruitiness. The wine opens up with notes of red cherries, candied raspberries, strawberry yogurt, complicated by nuances of Mediterranean herbs, liquorice and black pepper. Savoury, warming finish.
Score : 15.25/20 (90/100)
Château Pesquie – Artemia 2019
Ventoux
The wine shows a medium ruby colour. The nose is intense and herbal, revealing nuances of garrigue, rosemary, a touch of liquorice and anise, notes of very ripe red cherries and cooked strawberries in the background. The palate is juicy and crunchy with bold, astringent but ripe and well-managed tannins, good freshness and intense fruit concentration. Notes of ripe bramble and black cherries combine intriguingly with nuances of wormwood, gentian and thyme. The wine is coating the mouth with its powerful texture, leaving a warming, but fresh, slightly bitter sensation in the aftertaste.
Score : 15.75/20 (91-92/100)