Jeb Dunnuck (95)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape is flat-out brilliant, and readers looking for an incredible wine that will drink well for upwards of two decades should back up the truck on this one. Incredible black cherry, Provençal garrigue, pepper, and licorice notes give way to a full-bodied, perfectly balanced, seamless 2019 with ripe tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. You could safely put this up with the crème de la crème in a blind tasting and it would do just fine. The blend is 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 12% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault, aged mostly in concrete tank, with 12% brought up in old barrels.

Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)

Even better and a monumental wine in the making, the profound 2010 Les Cailloux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire (tasted just prior to bottling) smells of a Provencal street market and offers up gorgeous aromas kirsch, raspberry, dried flowers, spice-box, roasted meats, and licorice on the nose. Coming from a single plot of very old Grenache (there is a touch of Mourvedre in the blend) and aged all in tank, this exuberant, hedonistic-bent Châteauneuf-du-Pape is full-bodied on the palate and delivers a voluptuous, mouth filling texture, brilliant concentration, and a blockbuster finish. Eclipsing the ’07 and up there with the ’90 (I think even better), this is monumental stuff that every Châteauneuf-du-Pape lover needs to have in the cellar!

Vinous (94)

Saturated ruby. Expressive blackberry and cherry compote scents are complemented by hints of exotic spices, smoked meat and olive. Round and fleshy but energetic as well, offering intense black and blue fruit and spicecake flavors that are underscored by a core of juicy acidity. A smoky bacon note lingers on the youthfully tannic finish, which shows strong, spice- and mineral-driven persistence.

Decanter (98)

I think it's the best vintage I've ever made', says Marc, and you can see why. It's 100% whole-bunch fruit, harvested at a yield of 25hl/ha from lieux-dits Les Greffieux and Le Méal. It has resinous rosemary notes on the nose, and it's so fresh, vibrant and full of energy. The palate is beautifully concentrated, with lovely berry acidity. It's a totally natural and unforced expression of Hermitage with real length and persistence. It has slightly softer tannins than the 2015, but is just as good. So refreshing and enlivening.

John Livingston-Learmouth (5)

(used 228-litre cask, 17 casks this year, not had so many since 1999) deep robe. There is a bull’s blood intensity on the nose, concerted black fruits, black olives – it is sleek and profound, a real Child of the Night, is slinky, with most welcoming fruit beckoning you in. The palate engages with a wavy black fruit offer; the pleasure is sensaround, and there is naughty raciness in its svelte fruit. I find it has more hidden depths than 2017, is wholesome, and very, very persistent, flourishes on the close. It has subtleties, perhaps more than 2017, carries some Burgundian tendencies, most sexy fruit, silky and savoury, very long and sensuous. 14.1°. 2053-56 Nov 2018

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

An absolute blockbuster of an Hermitage that tastes like the blood of Syrah, the 2019 Hermitage Le Greal sports a saturated purple hue to go with insane aromatics of pen ink, smoked meats, burning embers, currants, and ground pepper. Massively concentrated, full-bodied, structured, and yet also flawlessly balanced, this legendary Hermitage is going to need a decade or more to get close to maturity, and I suspect it will have 40-50 years of overall longevity. I wouldn't be surprised if the 1961 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle tasted similar to this on release.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Even better, the 2020 Hermitage Le Gréal showed brilliantly, and this powerful, concentrated Hermitage is going to be one for the cellar. Revealing a dense purple hue as well as great aromatics of blackberries, new saddle leather, truffle, roasted herbs, and peppered meat, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, mouth-filling texture, building tannins, and a great finish. It's going to take a decade to hit maturity, but this brilliant Hermitage will have 30 years of longevity. Bravo!

Decanter (96)

A particularly fruity Gréal, much more open than usual at this stage. It has weight and presence and a seriously mineral edge. Less concentration and structure than a typical year, but it should last well thanks to its energy, tension and strict tannins, and end up very Pinotesque in style with age. It’s pure and elegant and with good ripeness of fruit and tannin. Impressive, but don't expect a huge wine. Very true to Bessards, like sucking pencil lead. Vines partly grown on Le Méal, partly on Les Greffieux, and 10% whole bunch used.

Vinous (97)

Saturated ruby. A heady, impressively complex bouquet evokes ripe red fruits, candied flowers, garrigue and incense, along with exotic spice and mineral notes that build with air. Utterly stains the palate with vibrant raspberry liqueur, cherry cola, licorice and fruitcake flavors that are sharpened by a jolt of spiciness on the back half. Polished tannins add gentle grip to the strikingly long, floral-dominated finish, which shows no rough edges.

Jeb Dunnuck (95)

I was able to taste two wines from the 2017 vintage, and I suspect that no Quet cuvée was produced. The 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape checks in as a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre that was brought up mostly in concrete tank, with 20% in older barrels. This powerful, ripe, incredibly sexy beauty should be snatched up by readers. Blackcurrants, black cherries, ground herbs, graphite, and licorice notes all flow to a deep, full-bodied, rockingly textured base cuvée that more than delivers the goods. Expansive, layered, and concentrated, it competes with most special cuvées out there. It's not for wimps. Drink this terrific wine over the coming decade.

Vinous (92-94)

(aged in concrete tanks for the Grenache and barriques for the Mourvèdre) Deep ruby. Heady, smoke-accented aromas of black and blue fruits, incense and potpourri gain vivacity from a zesty mineral flourish. Densely packed black raspberry and blueberry flavors open up and turn spicier with air. Shows a suave blend of richness and finesse, offering outstanding focus and tenacity, subtle tannic grip and no excess fat.

Vinous (91)

Lurid ruby. Pungent red berry, cherry liqueur, incense and lavender aromas are sharpened by a suggestion of white pepper and a smoky mineral quality. Intense raspberry and bitter cherry flavors show very good clarity and slowly gain sweetness as the wine stretches out. Youthful and seamless in texture, finishing very long and smooth, with a strong, repeating raspberry note and slow-building, harmonious tannins.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

2016 marks the first bottling of de Nalys under the Guigal umbrella and this intensely ripe but pristine wine makes a promising debut. It's luscious but elegant, loaded with rich black-plum and cassis flavors firmed by piquant hits of licorice and pepper. Silky tannins make it approachable already but the wine should improve through 2036 and hold further still.

Vinous (93)

Deep, lurid violet. Potent, mineral- and spice-accented red and dark fruit preserve aromas take on hints of olive and licorice as the wine opens up. Shows very good depth as well as energy in the mouth, offering gently sweet raspberry, cherry and floral pastille flavors and a touch of spicy black pepper. Distinctly suave and focused on the impressively long finish, which features sneaky tannins and a late, sweetening jolt of candied violet. For an entry-level Côte-Rôtie, this wine is awfully impressive. 10% new oak.

Vinous (96)

Inky ruby. Powerful, spice- and smoke-accented aromas of fresh black and blue fruits, candied violet, licorice and cola, along with a hint of exotic spices that builds in the glass. Sweet, palate-staining cassis, boysenberry, floral pastille and licorice flavors turn livelier with air. Impressively concentrated but surprisingly energetic, courtesy of its spine of smoky minerality. Finishes sappy, youthfully chewy and extremely long, with steadily mounting tannins and lingering florality. 25% new oak.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2017 Cote Rotie Domaine des Pierrelles is full-bodied but exceedingly elegant, with silky, fine-grained tannins. Charming notes of violets, raspberries and black olives lead the way, backed by hints of dried spices and mocha, finishing long. It's a complex and compelling example of Cote Rotie, and it's great to see all of the Jaboulet team's hard work in the vineyards paying off.

Wine Advocate (94)

Bearing more than a passing resemblance to an actual Hermitage, the 2017 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure comes from granitic soils, and it comes across as darker, more concentrated and sturdier than Jaboulet's other Crozes bottlings. Cassis and black olive notes abound in this full-bodied, structured wine, which finishes long and velvety, picking up hints of baking spices along the way.

Jeb Dunnuck (94)

This terroir always delivers a wild, opulent, gamey style of wine, and the 2017 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert doesn’t disappoint. Loads of chocolaty black fruits, ground pepper, truffle, and smoked game, as well as a hint of black olives, emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a rocking texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s a classic example of this wine and terroir. Drink it over the coming 15 years or so.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

Although the fruit sourcing has changed from the old days, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert remains a solid offering in the Jaboulet lineup. Violets accent blackberries and plums on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, lush and velvety, underscored by doses of salinity and licorice on the lengthy finish.

Matthew Jukes (18+)

Following on from the terrific 2018 vintage, this is another exuberant wine with an inky dark hue and masses of swirling, black fruit notes. This is certainly the most exotically perfumed Thalabert I can remember and this reflects the unique fruit concentration and ripeness found in this vintage. Once you taste this wine you see that it is not all about the luxuriously appointed nose because the palate is packed with spice and tension and the finish is positively electric. In terms of accessibility and also potential, this wine is a conundrum – how can something so young and attractive also seem so compact and age-worthy? This is the key to all of Jaboulet’s 2019s. The exquisite balance between ravishing fruit and refreshing, robust tannins is mesmerising. This is a stupendous Thalabert and I think it is a notch up on the brilliant 2018.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Lastly, and a legendary wine in the making, the 2015 Hermitage La Chapelle is reminiscent of the 1990 with its full-bodied, opulently, sexy, yet concentrated style. Offering sensational notes of blackcurrants, smoked herbs, beef blood, and chocolate, it’s a huge yet elegant wine that has masses of sweet tannin, incredible purity and finesse, and a killer finish. It’s the finest wine from this estate in close to 30 years. Hats off to Caroline Frey and Jacques Desvernois!

James Suckling (97-98)

Very spicy and peppery with blue-granite aromas plus hints of grilled and smoked meat. Cloves and nutmeg. Full body, round and juicy tannins and a super spicy finish that almost burns with so much character yet turns fine and focused at the end. A beauty.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2017 Hermitage La Chapelle showed incredibly well and is a brilliant wine that's reminiscent of a richer, denser 2011. Loads of sun-kissed dark fruits, leather, graphite, and flowers, with ample spice and sandalwood nuances, give way to a full-bodied, pure, deep, multi-dimensional Hermitage that’s just about as good as it gets. The balance, length, and depth of this is something to behold, and while it unquestionably offers pleasure today, it has another 20-30 years of prime drinking ahead of it.

Wine Advocate (98-100)

Jaboulet's 2018 Hermitage La Chapelle features scents of crushed stone, violets and cassis. It's a classic trio, backed by a wine that's full-bodied, rich and powerful yet also airy, somehow carrying intense plum and black olive flavors without any sense of heaviness or excess weight. Then the wine finishes long and softly dusty, with tannins that accentuate its savory character, picking up delicious hints of licorice at the very end. The proportion of new oak has been trimmed back to a very reasonable 20% and is hardly noticeable in the wine.

Matthew Jukes (20++)

Like La Maison Bleue, La Chapelle barely moved an inch over the five days that it sat open (and gradually oxidising) on my tasting bench. This is a monumental wine with the finest Syrah nose I have seen since the ethereal and intriguing beauty of the remarkable 2016 vintage and also the monolithic stance of the legendary 1990. However, this is not to say that this vintage can be directly compared to either year. There is a latent power about this wine that is as elusive as it is impressive. This solaire vintage has certainly given La Chapelle a sense of foreboding power and yet there is so much grace here, too. You could be sniffing a handful of granite and gravel, a bouquet of freshly picked herbs, a mortar of freshly ground pepper or a punnet of juicy black fruit and yet there is so much more to discover here. What I find so remarkable about this wine is that it does not show any trace of over-ripeness nor does it have any unwanted oiliness or excessive alcohol. In spite of its richness and depth, this is a pristinely refreshing wine with crunch and crackle of filigree tannin which enlivens every sip. In this regard, it is a far less obvious superstar than the preening 1990 and it is a more erudite and statuesque model than the esoteric 2016. In short, this is one of only a handful of vintages of La Chapelle to which I have awarded a perfect score and who is to say that this will not happen again before too long? The care and attention in this entire portfolio of wines are evident and the hard work and holistic approach are not only paying off in the vineyards but also in the glass, too, and this makes 2019 another phenomenally successful vintage for Jaboulet.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

While there are faint roasted coffee bean notes here, which hint at the warm summer, and exotic rose and musk characters that only ever emerge in concentrated vintages, this is a masterclass in restraint and self-awareness. While this 2020 perhaps lacks the overall gravitas and high-rise tannins of the majestic 2019 vintage, this is a very seductive La Chapelle and one that will appeal to lovers of textural, velvety Syrahs. I am certain that everyone who drinks this wine will fall for its charms.

Vinous (94)

Inky violet color. Deeply pitched cherry, blueberry, licorice and candied violet aromas are complemented by hints of baking spices, incense and smoky minerals. Succulent and penetrating on the palate, offering deeply concentrated black/blue fruit, spice and floral pastille flavors that become more energetic as the wine slowly stretches out. Weighty and broad yet lively as well, finishing with sharp delineation, mounting tannins and outstanding, floral- and mineral-driven persistence.

Matthew Jukes (19++)

I fell for this wine in a microsecond – the very moment the first molecule of perfume exploded on my receptors. This is a step-change vintage for La Maison Bleue because I have not seen this degree of single-mindedness and overriding intention before in this wine. 2019 La Maison Bleue seems as if it has realised that it does not need to sit behind La Chapelle in Caroline Frey’s portfolio. It signals, loud and clear, that it ought to be seated alongside its more renowned stablemate and be accorded the opportunity to address the masses as an equal, not a subordinate. This is a bold move from this honed, sleek wine. In 2019, with just that little bit more power and ambition under its belt, it has broken free and it looks absolutely sensational. The fruit is regal and layered and the tannins are precision-cut and perfectly positioned making it every inch a superstar. By the end of day five of my tasting these amazing wines, La Maison Bleue seemed as if it were saying, let’s keep going! While this is a ‘finished barrel sample’, this wine wanted to be tested to its limits and I cannot fault its enthusiasm and excellence. You simply must track it down!

Matthew Jukes (19+)

There is extraordinary equilibrium in this sensational wine. It is so finely balanced it is baffling, and the depth and richness is offset with the most dramatic acid and strident minerality I have seen in a wine of this style. There are profound meadow-flower and stone fruit flavour here which enchant the senses but they are marshalled brilliantly by the citrus pith and green apple skin raspiness on the finish. This is the most exciting Chevalier I have ever tasted and it rivals the very best whites from this region and others besides.