2020 French Wine between $75 and $100

Based on the 2020 vintage, and incorporating some 5% still red wine, Renoir's debut NV Extra-Brut Rosé d'Assemblage Les 2 Terroirs bursts with notes of orange zest, cherries and plums. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy... Read More

Again a prospective sample blended from several barrels the 2020 Cote Rotie Les Journaries (labeled Maestria outside the United States) is a blend of fruit from La Landonne and Côte Brune. It's full-bodied rich and tannic... Read More

A muscular youthfully structured wine the 2020 Gazin unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries cherries vine smoke spices and licorice. Medium to full-bodied layered and concentrated it's deep and powerful with ample... Read More

The 2020 Domaine de Chevalier is a touch more tightly wound than the brilliant 2019 out of the gates but it seems likely to equal that vintage with a bit of time. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of minty blackberries and cassis... Read More

A fresh, ripe and subtly complex nose combines notes of just crushed red currant and plum that is laced with discreet earth wisps. The rich, delicious and attractively vibrant middle weight flavors conclude in a mildly austere... Read More

A 35000-bottle cuvée derived entirely from Faiveley's own holdings the 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes unwinds in the glass with aromas of red berries cherries loamy soil and spices. Medium to full-bodied textural... Read More

Ripe but nicely cool and restrained aromas of red currant plum and earth are trimmed in wood and menthol nuances. There is both good vibrancy and focused power to the attractively textured medium-bodied flavors where the moderate... Read More

Real powerful black purple. Brutally concentrated nose. Much firmer tannins black fruit a little less acidity built more around the tannic structure. Powerful stuff but not unbalanced.

Some time ago Vincent Dureuil began replanting his holdings in Mercurey with higher-quality massal selections of Pinot Noir and with the 2020 Mercurey those new plantings are beginning to bear fruit. The result as I remarked to... Read More

Isabel Ferrando informed me during my visit that she planned to eliminate the Reserve Auguste Favier and Collection Charles Giraud bottlings folding those lots and the "tradition" Saint-Prefert Châteauneuf into a single combined... Read More

This plot forms the upper part of the island separated by two small roads. The change between terres blanches and terres rouges happens right in the middle of the vineyard. Replanted late 1990s with good pinot plants. Pretty mid... Read More

Firm reduction blocks an evaluation of the nose though there is good verve to the sleeker but not necessarily denser medium-bodied flavors that display noticeable rusticity on the slightly more structured finish that also exhibits... Read More

Toasted grain and grilled pineapple appear on the nose of the 2020 Hermitage Blanc les Dionnières. Made from 70-year-old vines barrel fermented and with the malolactic fermentation completed this is a rich full-bodied Hermitage... Read More

Wafting from the glass with aromas of pear orange oil baking spices fresh bread and toasted nuts the 2020 Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses Vieilles Vignes is medium to full-bodied ample and layered with a satiny attack that... Read More

A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc the 2020 Vray Croix de Gay has 14.1% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color it gives up wonderfully pure notes of black and red cherries mulberries and fresh blackberries plus suggestions... Read More