Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2020: report and top-scoring wines

Amazing aromatic expression, a kind of black olive caramel, with hints of cardamom. I could smell this all day. Medium- to full-bodied, but no excess...

A little closed at first, but there’s great clarity on the nose. Rich, mouthfilling, intense and fresh. There’s bright, precise acidity, the alcohol is high...

Great freshness, purity, brightness and liveliness, showing lovely, vivid fruit expression. Bay leaf, olive, cassis, blackberry and leather, you really sense the Mourvèdre. From a...

Deep, succulent and unctuous, with a touch of Carignan adding a little texture and structure. Gently warming alcohol on the finish, and the fine tannins...

An oaked cuvée with a very fine texture, the spice is intense, with cinnamon and clove running through the wine. Exceptionally fine structure, the oak...

Blackberry, bacon and roasted spices. Rounded without excess weight or extraction and fine tannins. An exceptionally elegant Vinsobres that will age well on its fine...

Rich, full and deep, with softly ripe but bold tannins. More depth than most Cairannes this year, showing concentrated, unctuous, powerful berry fruit, and it's...

A new cuvée. Spicy, fine, aerial impression but with plenty of intense, ripe berry fruits underneath. Deep, driving, searching tannins and a saline nip on...

Plump and juicy in style, with lots of fruit. Exuberant violet-tinged fruit, but the tannins need work, so give this time to soften. Alcohol feels...

Full-bodied, oaked style that's very concentrated. It works well and once it's come together will provide some good drinking. There's enough rich plum, blackberry and...

Great freshness, purity and definition on the nose, with a rising aerial impression. Smooth tannins and a velvety, approachable style, with a shining beam of...

This has good weight and bags of juicy fruit, plenty of berry acidity and a touch of liquorice in the background. Much better weight and...

Juicy and well balanced with plenty of fine tannin, it finishes dry but not overly drying. This really delivers what you want from a Rasteau:...

Succulent, ripe brambly fruit. Good concentration, soft and gently chewy tannins, all matched with good acidity. Very Rasteau, this has lots of personality and is...

Good density, freshness and intensity here, with genuine Rasteau creamy-clay tannins. Powerful but not excessive, the alcohol is better balanced than expected. Relatively dark-fruited in...

A fine, elegant style of Rasteau, with super-fine tannins and expressive berry fruit. Remarkably well balanced, with good acidity and no excess alcohol, this will...

Full-bodied, concentrated, this has those tight, serrated Vinsobres tannins and balancing acidity. It's a big wine that will take a little while to come round....

Touch of maltiness on the nose, along with some oak-derived spice notes such as star anise. Good weight and intensity to the fruit, a firm...

Fresh, rounded, fully fruited and well-balanced style of Rasteau, with all the varieties playing their part. Gentle grip to the ripe tannins and enough acidity...

Gorgeous Mourvèdre violets on display, with strawberry and raspberry notes. Generous but not overly full or over-extracted. Chalky tannins, a touch green on the finish....

Good intensity, drive and concentration of spicy fruit. The tannins are fine and deceptively plentiful. Not as long as some this year, but nonetheless has...

Ripe, juicy, easy-going style of Vinsobres with blueberry and blackberry fruit. Soft, blackberry skin tannins and a good jot of bright acidity make for a...

Expressive and pure blackberry fruit, this has plenty of brightness and cut, with enough fruit to match the tannins which are big, driving and will...