Cornas & St-Péray 2020: report and top-scoring wines

A wine that fizzes and sparks with crackling berry fruits and dried herbs. Full-bodied but not massive in the mouth, this has soaring power and energy. Perfectly balanced, with searing, mouth-coating, super-fine tannin. A wine like a thunder crack that takes you by surprise, it shocks the palate. Long finish. This is an exceptional vintage for Vincent Paris. 100-year-old vines. No destemming. Five-day cold maceration, then fermented with wild yeasts. Twice daily remontage, no punching down, then aged for 16 months in two to eight-year-old barriques. Grown on the granite slopes of lieu-dit La Geynale, one of the finest of the appellation.

A vibrant, focused and intense style of Cornas, a return to a classic style after the richness of 2018 and the power of 2019. Their Renaissance will be made this year, so both wines will need to be bottled before a more precise evaluation of each blend can be made, but the outlook is good. Whole-bunch fermented in unlined concrete tanks, matured in small old foudres.

A touch of cold ash to the herbal berry fruits. A very fine, elegant style of Cornas, with remarkably smooth, buffed tannins. Lovely concentration of dark, velvety fruit, good acidity and length and a deep saline edge. The oak is a little forthright for now, so give this time. Attractive and smart, this will take on much more complexity with time. A barrel selection of lieu-dit La Geynale fruit, whole-bunch fermented, aged in barriques and demi-muids used between three and eight times.

There are herbal depths here, but they're currently filled by the intense, powerful berry fruits. Medium- to full-bodied, this has good concentration and intensity of fruit, coupled with powerful but very ripe tannin. There's good energy here, the wine is upright and not as soft and easy-going as some other Cornas this year. Great vitality and salinity, this is well-balanced, fresh and classically Cornas. A satisfying and energising wine with a long finish. 50-year-old vines on very steep slopes, 70% destemmed. No pigeage, natural yeasts, then spending 16 months in two to eight-year-old barrels.

Fresh, stemmy oregano and marked blackcurrant notes. A fine and elegant style of Cornas with quite driving acidity. Bright, saline and granitic finish. Very accessible, this is a clear depiction of the vintage and the terroir. From some of the finest lieux-dits on the Cornas slope. No destemming.

Rounded, mouth-filling fruit, the tannins are melting and not overly assertive. Bold in structure, textural and intense, with strong acidity which helps to rein in the fruit, tannin and alcohol. Peppery herbs add a little complexity. Destemmed, fermented in concrete, aged in barrels (10% new oak).

Charred meat and burnt herbs, this reminds me of a summer barbeque. There's rosemary and lavender on an appealing, complex nose that draws you in. Soft, juicy and mouth-coating fruit and ripe tannin make for a Cornas that's easy to enjoy young, but still with the concentration and power you'd want and expect. Very good.

Fresh, herbal nose that shows vitality and pep. Fairly light-bodied, but there's real energy and vitality on the palate, which is fresh and sinewy. Expressive and with better definition and clarity than some of the softer, riper 2020 Cornas wines. Long finish. A good value option. From 10-year-old vines planted on the plateau at around 300m.

Very herbal, with leafy herbs like tarragon alongside woody herbs such as rosemary. Blueberry and liquorice too. Middleweight style, good concentration of fresh, juicy berry fruit and good persistence. Fresh, intense, gently saline and well-balanced. A good value pick this year. From 10-year-old vines, all destemmed.

Lifted, spicy, quite intense aromas that suggest a wine that will be ready to drink young, showing black fruits, little balsamic notes and a resinous tang. Medium-bodied, this has some volume on the palate and it's shot through with pliable, ripe tannin. Not a massive wine, but an approachable one with a good sense of typicity and an enjoyable, tight and slender aspect to the palate. From 80-year-old vines grown on granite, fermented in concrete, matured in old barriques. Usually a good value pick.

This has good acidity and grip, with lively, serrated, saline fruit plus chocolate-covered black cherries. Textural and searching, not hugely concentrated, more of a structural style, but it feels very Cornas. South-east-facing granite site at 300m, which is late ripening. Aged in barrel, 10% new.

An appealing nose of blueberry and candied blackberry. Full-bodied, generous in fruit, soft and juicy on the palate. Tannins are ripe but very present and melted throughout the wine. Will be delicious young, but has enough power to see it though to the medium term. Powerful but well-balanced.

A new Cornas cuvée for 2020. The oak is immediately apparent, with its seductively sweet spices. Smooth, voluptuous and medium- to full-bodied. It's extremely polished and has that innate Reynards class and intensity. There's good length to the fruit and plenty of vibrant acidity. It's young but is likely to be very good in time. From 60-year-old vines.