Domaine de La Janasse CdP Vieilles Vignes 2020 (1.5L)

98 FS / 97+ JD / 95-98 WA / 97 WCI / 96 DE / 95 WS / 17+ JR

Strong ruby colour, purple reflections, broad brightening on the rim. Delicate hints of candied violets, black wild berries, some lavender, a touch of dried herbs and lime zest. Taut, finely-meshed, with depth. Ripe cherries, exquisite fruit, ripe, supporting tannins, fresh and mineral. Has great length; a perfect marriage of the different soils and varieties, certain ageing potential.-Falstaff

Much more powerful and closed, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes comes more from the La Crau and La Janasse lieux-dits and is the usual blend of mostly Grenache with a touch of Syrah. Blackberries, graphite, scorched earth, pepper, and sappy garrigue all emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, has beautiful concentration, polished tannins, and a great finish. Nothing is out of place, and this perfectly balanced, authoritative, powerful, and incredibly impressive 2020 will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and evolve for 15-20 years in cold cellars. - Jeb Dunnuck

Not as rich or concentrated as I was expecting, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes still delivers ample layers of dark fruit, hints of cola, mint and spice elements. It's full-bodied, silky and long, but it looks to fall short of the quality heights reached by some other recent vintages. - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate

Dark in color, the wine exudes a hint of jam along with black cherries, flowers and spicy plums in the nose. On the palate, the wine is lush, polished, balanced and fresh merging its naturally powerful, full-bodied style with elegance and polish. Clearly, this is one of the wines of the vintage. The wine is a blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre. Drink from 2023-2038.-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider

Immediately impressive, densely fruited, with dark brooding blackberry and plum which make you sit up and take notice. It follows through onto the palate which is intense, juicy and fresh, this has more concentration than most this year, but without over extraction. Perfectly ripe, chunky and powerful, but not heavy. Fermented in concrete, matured for 12 months in foudre and demi-muid. - Matt Walls, Decanter

This is brimming with dark cherry, blackberry and boysenberry compote flavors that spill forth, laced with generous licorice snap, tar, graphite and black tea notes. A nice tug of iron appears very late on the finish, as the fruit lingers on. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2024 through 2040. 1,500 cases made, 392 cases imported. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Powerful, weighty, dark-fruit character. Intensity on the palate combined with powerful tannic structure and spice. This is a wine which needs several years to reach its peak. All the components are there but need a bit more time to come together. Love the vibrant character here.-Andy Howard MW, JancisRobinson