Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020: report and top-scoring wines

Fresh and a bit closed, but starting to transform now with some subtle sous bois notes. Such an elegant, fine and juicy wine, with real depth and pinpoint acidity. Like a fur coat, this is ultimate Châteauneuf elegance, showing extraordinary length, balance and tension. All destemmed, matured in old oak foudres.

Full-bodied, generous in fruit and glycerol. The tannins and acidity seem to meld together into a single vertebral column. The alcohol is present, lending sweetness rather than heat. Remarkably elegant for a wine of these dimensions, with great, rising, upright flavours and structure. This is a very special wine with a long finish. Parcels of Grenache planted on lieux-dits Chapouin, La Janasse and La Crau, the oldest planted in 1912.

Closed for now, but very Mourvèdre in style: dense, dark and brooding. Great intensity but not as tannic as some vintages, showing lovely acidity, freshness and purity. This is a classic, compact and fresh style of Hommage, with great energy, plus endless length and depth. Around 60% of the blend comes from old vine Mourvèdre from their Courrieux vineyard. Grapes are destemmed, fermented in tronconic wooden vats using natural yeasts after a brief cold maceration, with regular punching down.

A tasting of the Coeur, Couchant and Levant parcels reveals a very classic vintage; light and feathery but with clarity and precision. Nonetheless, Emmanuel Reynaud believes it will be a vintage with a long life. It's particularly pale in colour this year, relatively light in body and tannic structure, too. There is a good sense of sucrosité at its heart, balanced with fresh acidity. A vintage of delicacy and charm rather than power.

Pure, lively black cherry, liquorice and violet; not huge in the mouth, but extraordinary concentration for the vintage. It's dense, with sweet tannins and great surging acidity. Clearly the alcohol is high, but you don't taste it as it's remarkably well-balanced, elegant, fine and incredibly intense: opulent without oak or artifice. Selection from Les Trois Sources, their oldest Grenache, and only produced when the Grenache is good enough.

A fine fragrance; tea leaves, plum and floral flourishes. A fine palate too, showing exceptional tannic finesse, expressive fruit, and lovely acidity. Well balanced, elegant and drinkable. Not overly concentrated or full-bodied, this shows great energy and vibrancy. Very old-vine pure Grenache, fermented in concrete, aged in foudres.

Interesting and unusual aromatic display, with liquorice, dark chocolate, woody herbs, raspberry and a touch of spice. Generous and flowing on the palate, the acid is piercing, precise and there's plenty of textural interest. Promises to be complex and fascinating in time, and the wait shouldn't be too long. Largely sandy soils, a small lieu-dit to the west of the village. All fermented and aged in tronconic vats.

An experiment 'to see how people made wine in antiquity,' says Mounier Saouma. From lieu-dit Bois de la Ville, made in unwaxed clay amphora, whole clusters spending 12 months inside, then pressed to stainless steel for four months before bottling. Very cloudy, yet to be settled, it possesses liquorice and cherry, extraordinary tension, intensity, incredible freshness and texture. An early stage to make a judgement on the wine, but this looks very interesting indeed.

Fresh and bright nose, then a palate with exceptionally smooth and fine tannins, lovely acidity and notes of blackberry and raspberry juice. Particularly fine, elegant and balanced this year. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre.

<p>Spicy southern Syrah, but one with a distinctly nordiste character this year. Medium-bodied with firm acidity, the tannins are ripe, all well-integrated into the fruit, giving a strong skeleton to the wine. A good vintage for this cuvée. A property close to the Massif d'Uchaux, north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, owned by Emmanuel Reynaud of Château Rayas. No destemming.</p>

Beautifully fragrant nose of star anise, cedar and cigar tobacco. Full-bodied, rounded and seductively plump and juicy, showing clarity, precision and focus on the palate, the fruit melds well with the considerable oak element, and it finishes long, tight and saline. Best Gigondas of the vintage. Very old vines, all whole-cluster fermented in concrete, no destemming, indigenous yeasts, and matured 100% in barriques; one third new, one third second use, and the rest third use.

Vibrant strawberry and raspberry expression with a little animal touch underneath. Not the fullest or most concentrated vintage of Pignan, but a juicy, fresh and rounded one, with a little bitter nip on the finish. Grenache grown mostly on galets along with some young vines from Rayas. No destemming, short maceration, aged in old demi-muids.

A touch reticent on the nose, but pure velvet on the palate and displaying great energy. Iodine notes, liquorice and blackcurrant, very tense tannins and loads of them. Distinctly saline, this is will be an incredible wine when it’s ready. Very tightly wound for now, with great purity and freshness, and lovely acidity. Huge length, it has everything it needs for greatness. Boisrenard is an old-vine cuvée grown across a mix of different soils and aged in foudre and concrete. The grape blend changes each year depending on the plots, but is typically 70%-80% Grenache and always contains all the permitted varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Not terribly dark in the glass, but this has real power and concentration yet no heaviness. It's very well judged, not too much, no over-extraction, just a really classic Châteauneuf imprint that's balanced and charming without being forced or exaggerated. It's young but drinkable already, and will age well too. That's balance for you. From very old vines, fermented in concrete, matured for 12 months in foudres and demi-muids.

Full, generous and broad. Acids are bright and vibrant, and there's a fine but dense weft of tannins through the wine. Great energy and salinity this year, this is particularly fine and balanced, with plenty of concentration and a long finish. All from La Crau and fermented in tronconic wood barrels. Élevage in foudre. Oldest Grenache bunches aren't destemmed.

Full-bodied and powerful, but not over the top and with a great sense of freshness. It's expansive, with gently sweet, vibrant black cherry and kirsch notes within soft, pliable fruit tannins and a long finish. A remarkably precise and balanced wine, not the most powerful this year, but one of the most drinkable. Mostly grown on sand, fermented in stainless steel then aged in tronconic wooden vats.

Aromas of rose, raspberry, thyme and pine needles. Fine, full-bodied but not fat, showing super-fine tannins, lovely berry acidity and a long finish. Could be excellent in time, but already dangerously drinkable. Rich sandy soils of La Crau Ouest, 85-year-old vines, all aged in amphora.

Liquorice, tar and a slightly animal note lurking in the background from the Mourvèdre. Full-bodied, slick and lithe on the palate which is cut through by juicy acidity. Bold and juicy with no lack of depth, this has freshness and plentiful sinewy tannin to hold everything together. A remarkable wine. Vineyard planted in the 1950s in lieu-dit Les Bédines in galets roulés and sand. Fermented in stainless steel and then aged in stainless steel and demi-muids. 4,000 bottles made.

Good depth of colour, really quite dark. Showing ripe berry fruit, and violets come with air. Full-bodied, rich and powerful. This has real concentration, and the alcohol is balanced for the style. With its big tannic frame and well-balanced acidity, this is a genuine Châteauneuf that really delivers the power and drive. Has structure and stuffing, but the alcohol is commensurably high, the finish long. Pure sand, from lieu-dit Pignan (nord), pure Grenache, all stainless steel to ferment and mature.