“The 2020 Saint Joseph François De Tournon is on another level, with gorgeous intensity in its red and black fruits, smoky, meaty, sweaty saddle leathery nuances, obvious minerality, and beautiful finish. This complex, nuanced Saint Joseph picks up more violet and granite-like minerality with time in the glass and shines on all accounts. It's the finest vintage of this cuvée I've tasted, and this should be snatched up by savvy readers. It would easily pass undetected in a lineup of top Hermitage. ”

“The 2020 Saint Joseph Sainte-Epine is another Hermitage look-alike, with a slightly Bessards-like character in its ripe blue fruits, liquid violets, burning embers, and leather-slanted aromas and flavors. It's more inward, reserved, and focused compared to the François de Tournon but is beautifully concentrated and balanced, with ripe, polished tannins. The purity of fruit here is seriously impressive. It offers plenty of pleasure today yet has another 10-15 years of prime drinking and, I suspect, a gradual decline thereafter. It's slightly more plush and soft compared to the 2015, yet I think at the same quality level.”

“The 2020 Cornas Chante Perdrix comes from a mix of parcels and was brought up in a mix of new and used oak. It's another stunning 2020 from this estate that has so much to love. Revealing a deep plum hue as well as classic Cornas notes of red and black fruits (black cherries, fresh figs), smoked meats, leather, bay leaf, and graphite, it's rich, medium to full-bodied, has ripe tannins, and terrific overall balance. As with just about all 2020s, it has ample up-front charm and character, yet this beauty is going to evolve gracefully over the coming 15-20 years. ”

“Moving to the single vineyard 2020 Côte Rôtie La Landonne, this beauty is 100% Syrah that spent 16 months in a mix of new and used barrels. It's similarly deep purple/plum-hued yet has a more mineral-laced, focused, full-bodied style as well as classic La Landonne notes of smoked meats, liquid violets, creosote, blueberry, and black raspberries, with a gorgeous, sappy, floral character that you don't find in every La Landonne out there. Deep, rich, and seamless, I love its overall balance, and it has perfectly ripe, integrated tannins, good acidity, and a blockbuster of a finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it gained richness and depth and, even after three days of being open, didn't show a hint of fatigue or oxidation. Nevertheless, it's a modern-day Côte Rôtie that already offers incredible pleasure yet will have 25+ years of overall longevity if well-stored. Bravo. ”

“Of the two Côte Rôties, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Seigneur de Maugiron is clearly the more forward and charming, with a gorgeous nose of black raspberries, blueberries, spring flowers, and bacon fat all defining this deep purple-hued, medium to full-bodied 2020. All Syrah from a mix of terroirs, aged in new and once used barrels, it has the vintage’s ripe, voluptuous, sexy style yet has sound underlying tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. Drink this incredibly pleasurable Côte Rôtie over the coming decade or so. ”