Southern Rhône
Les Grandes Serres - La Combe des Marchands 2020
Gigondas
The wine shows a deep ruby colour with a garnet hue. The nose is spicy, offering nuances of ripe red cherries, forest raspberries and wild strawberries, complicated by nuances of leather, cloves and cinnamon. The palate is juicy, warming, with bold, drying tannins, moderate weight and acidity. The wine offers nuances of red berries, combined with notes of sweet spices, an animalistic touch and a hint of dried herbs. Spicy and fruity, rather astringent finish.
Score : 14+/20 (87/100)
Les Grandes Serres – Cuvée Romaine 2020
Gigondas
The wine shows a deep ruby garnet colour. The nose is profound, revealing nuances of garrigue, rosemary and thyme, supported by nuances of roasted raspberries and cherry compote in the background. The palate is juicy, fresh and exuberant, offering intense fruit concentration, good acidity and bold but ripe and velvety tannins. Juicy notes of red berries intermingle with nuances of Mediterranean herbs, gentian and lavender. Slightly astringent on the finish. Well-balanced. Score : 14.75/20 (88-89/100)
Domaine le Clos des Cazaux – Les Souiras 2019
Gigondas
The wine shows a deep ruby garnet colour. The nose is deep and ripe, revealing nuances of cooked red and black cherries, blueberry pie, complicated by hints of milk chocolate, cocoa and sweet spices. The palate is juicy, dense and concentrated, offering warming, heady structure, moderate acidity and ripe, polished tannins. The wine opens up with ripe notes of red and black cherries, kirsch, a hint of crème de cassis, supported by hint of cloves and cinnamon. Juicy, lingering finish with a light astringency.
Score : 15+/20 (89-90/100)
Domaine le Clos des Cazaux – Préstige 2019
Gigondas
The wine shows a medium ruby colour. The nose is slightly restrained, needs aeration. It opens reluctantly with nuances of bramble, blackberries, some ripe red and black cherries, nuances of sweet and pungent spices, a touch of liquorice. The palate is dense, concentrated and warming, with massive, drying tannins and intense oaky spiciness. A very powerful wine that reveals notes of ripe forest berries, complicated by nuances of cedar wood, cinnamon, black pepper and cloves. Still very tight and austere, needs time to opens up. Astringent finish.
Score : 15.25+/20 (90-91/100)
Olivier Ravoire – Armatura 2019
Gigondas
The wine shows a bright ruby colour. The nose is intense and gourmet, revealing nuances of fresh rose petals and lavender, with juicy red cherries and strawberries in the background. The palate offers a lot of juiciness and concentration, fresh acidity, bold and grippy tannins, a bright and perfumed fruit. The wine opens up with exuberant notes of red cherries and raspberries, cherry blossom, a touch of garrigue, rosemary and lavender. The tannins cover completely the mouth. Needs time, very astringent and tight at the moment. Like armour!
Score : 15.25/20 (90/100)
CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE RED WINES
Olivier Ravoire – Caparaçon 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a bright ruby colour. The nose is floral and delicate, revealing nuances of dried red cherries, strawberry compote and forest raspberries, as well as nuances of Mediterranean herbs and dried rose petals. The palate offers nice freshness and juiciness, while the tannins are bold and firm. Notes of juicy red fruits interlace gracefully with nuances of garrigue, pomegranate and a delicate floral hint. Astringent finish that needs time to soften.
Score : 14.75/20 (88-89/100)
Les Grandes Serres - La Cour des Papes 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a medium ruby colour. The nose is restrained and slightly smoky, needs aeration to open up. The wine reveals aromas of red cherries, a touch of raspberries, a hint of savoury herbs and spices. The palate is heady and spicy, with moderate acidity, drying, bold tannins and powerful structure. The flavours are muted as well, grudgingly delivering nuances of wild strawberries and forest raspberries, completed by nuances of sweet spices, liquorice and balsamic. The finish is astringent, lingering with a light bitter note. Score : 14+/20 (87/100)
Les Grandes Serres – Cuvée Bargeton 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a pale ruby garnet colour with a brightening rim. The nose is floral and fruity, revealing nuances of overripe strawberries, red cherry compote, a hint of cloves and dried rose petal, a touch of violets in the background. The palate is fruity, offering a kind of sweet sensation of very ripe berries, drying, a bit rustic tannins, moderate concentration. The wine opens up with nuances of red cherries, poached strawberries, a touch of forest raspberries, combined with notes of dried herbs and sweet spices. Warming and drying finish with a light bitter note.
Score : 14.5/20 (88/100)
Domaine Paul Autard 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a bright ruby colour. The nose is delicate, floral, revealing notes of rosehip and fresh rose petals, nuances of ripe red cherries and cooked raspberries, a hint of cloves and cinnamon in the echo. The palate is juicy, round and powerful, offering fresh acidity, elevated alcohol and chalky, slightly drying tannins. The wine reveals notes of cherry compote and confiture, hint of Mediterranean herbs, pungent spices like black pepper and nutmeg, a hint of liquorice and cocoa. A hint of balsamic on a juicy finish.
Score : 15.5+/20 (91/100)
Domaine Paul Autard – Jules et Pauline – Juline 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a bright ruby colour. The nose is very smoky, showing a lot of oak impact. Notes of ripe red and black cherries, as well as some bramble and forest blueberries, appear slowly. The palate offers intense fruit concertation, massive structure, a lot of oak sweetness and polished, well-managed tannins. This modern style of Châteauneuf-du-pape reveals bright and juicy notes of blackberries and blueberries, along with dark cherries, complicated by sweet notes of vanilla and cinnamon. Very well-balanced, polished and suave, this wine shows good ageing potential. Score : 16.5/20 (93/100)
Vignobles Lucien Gabriel Barrot - La Sousto 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a bright ruby colour. The nose is slightly smoky, with aeration revealing nuances of red and black cherries, hints of black pepper, cloves and cinnamon, a savoury touch of laurel and sage. The palate is powerful and heady still with a good freshness, nice gourmandise, bold, grippy tannins and a certain roundness. Nuances of red cherry compote and confiture interlace with savoury notes of black olives, pomegranate sauce and garrigue. Long finish and nice persistence. Score : 14.75+/20 (89/100)
Domaine du Grand Tinel 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a vivid ruby colour. The nose is oaky, revealing serious oak ageing that frames perfumed notes of red cherries and strawberries, a hint of black pepper and sage, nuances of roses and cornflowers. The palate is juicy and vibrant, offering nice freshness and balance, grippy and bold tannins, roundness and gourmandise. The wine offers juicy nuances of red berries, pomegranate, a hint of red currants and red plums, complicated by nuances of sweet spices, a hint of pepper and nutmeg. Moderate finish with a light astringent note.
Score : 15+/20 (89-90/100)
Château des Fines Roches 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a medium ruby colour. The nose is spicy and gourmet, offering nuances of ripe red cherries, cooked raspberries, strawberry compote, complicated by nuances of balsamic, savoury spices and liquorice. The palate shows a nice freshness, combined with a bold, powerful structure and grippy, slight a bit rough tannins. The notes of red cherries and strawberries are combined with spicy hints of black pepper and nutmeg, nuances of garrigue, sage and gentian. Oaky, astringent finish. Moderate length. Score : 14.75/20 (88-89/100)
Domaine de la Charbonnière 2019
Châteauneuf-du-pape
The wine shows a deep ruby colour. The nose is slightly restrained, needs aeration to open up, later revealing nuances of cooked black cherries, blackberries, combined with hints of black olives, some earthy notes and savoury notes of black pepper, thyme and liquorice. The palate is dense, concentrated and tight, offering bold, grippy tannins, elevated alcohol, nice roundness and volume. The wine is dominated by nuances of black cherries and blackberries, supported by pleasant saline notes of tapenade and soya sauce. Juicy finish and good length. Score : 15.25+/20 (90-91/100)