Clos des Papes is frequently namechecked as one of the more consistently excellent producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and its singular rouge cuvée is a standout red of the region. Winemaker (and CNdP legend) Paul-Vincent Avril aims for no surprisesjust benchmark wine, every vintage. He achieves this using meticulous sorting of tiny yields, ensuring the best quality fruit every time. This rouge is full-bodied and velvet textured. While the blend changes slightly vintage on vintage, it generally contains percentages of Gremache, Mourvedre, Syrah, and minority other varietals. Aged in foudres, it is highly perfumed and concentrated, with rich dark fruit and herb flavours, alongside spicy nuances.

Domaine Pierre Usseglio et Fils is located in the village of Châteauneuf du Pape, has built a solid reputation over the years as producing rich, ripe red wines, so it's interesting to see that Thierry Usseglio and his son, Gregory, are experimenting with the use of whole bunches and an entirely new wine style that combines a large proportion of white grapes and use of amphorae. A wine you don’t see often (there’s only one barrel made), the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Not For You is 100% Grenache from the 100+ year old vines in the Les Serres lieu-dit, only made in the best vintages, 100% Grenache, mostly destemmed, with 3-5 week concrete vat vinification, before being aged in new 600-litre oak casks 24 months. An array of red and black fruits, pepper, lavender and spicy oak. Incredibly unique, full-bodied and concentrated.

Domaine Pierre Usseglio et Fils is located in the village of Châteauneuf du Pape, has built a solid reputation over the years as producing rich, ripe red wines, so it's interesting to see that Thierry Usseglio and his son, Gregory, are experimenting with the use of whole bunches and an entirely new wine style that combines a large proportion of white grapes and use of amphorae. 100% Grenache from Charbonnières, mostly destemmed with 3-5 week concrete vat vinification. Aged in 80% new 228-litre oak casks and 20% 600-litre oak casks for 14 months. Ample, concentrated, this cuvée develops aromas of black fruits, liquorice as well as smoky notes. The texture is unctuous and the tannic structure requires a few years of aging.

Domaine Pierre Usseglio et Fils is located in the village of Châteauneuf du Pape, has built a solid reputation over the years as producing rich, ripe red wines, so it's interesting to see that Thierry Usseglio and his son, Gregory, are experimenting with the use of whole bunches and an entirely new wine style that combines a large proportion of white grapes and use of amphorae. 100% Grenache from vineyards in Les Serres, Les Bédines and La Crau. Partially destemmed with 3-5 week concrete vat vinification, with aging occurring in aged 80-90% concrete vats and 10-20% oak casks for 12-14 months.

Lucien Le Moine is a small House of Grands Crus in Beaune, run by Mounir and Rotem. They established the cellar in 1999, driven by their fascination with the "old way" of growing, vinificating and aging wines. The cellar produces only Grands and Premiers Crus from Côte d'Or, selecting the most beautiful crus in each village and renewing their selection every year. The cellar produces a maximum of 100 barrels (30,000 bottles) to allow them to do everything "by hand" and "by ourselves," which allows them to apply their technical perception and respond to each vintage and wine. Rotem and Mounir Saouma are the owners of the renowned micro-négociant Lucien Le Moine in Beaune, and they have been highly sought-after producers of 1er and Grand Cru Burgundy for several years. Driven by their passion to own their vineyards, they decided to purchase exceptional terroir in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and start Clos Saouma. INOPIA, which means "made from nothing" in Latin, is a terroir located in Orange, one of the five villages producing Chateauneuf du Pape. The land was empty and abandoned when Rotem and Mounir purchased it in 2011. The terroir features clay soil with many little river stones called "Grès," which provides a nice humidity for the dry south climate and adds mineral elements from the stone. To maximize the potential of the land, they decided to plant 11 varietals, with a high density of 4700 plants per hectare. The soil is very poor, and they decided not to bring any food to the roots, aiming for low yield and high quality, rather than quantity. The vineyard work is done entirely by hand, with minimal intervention and a lot of respect for nature. The wine is primarily made from Grenache Noir, with smaller amounts of Mourvèdre, Counoise, Syrah, and Cinsault. It is aged for 18 months on lees in 500-liter casks, foudre, and concrete eggs. The wine is bottled without fining or filtering. The grapes are pressed firmly using small presses from the late 1970s. They are then left in a tank to macerate at relatively cool temperatures for eight days before being transferred to various vessels. The wines are never punched down, racked, or sulphured until a light addition is made a month before bottling. The resulting wines are stunning, with precise, intense, complex, and expressive flavours that showcase the unique characteristics of Chateauneuf. Clos Saouma Inopia Cotes du Rhone Villages Rouge 2020 is a blend of mostly Grenache, along with smaller amounts of Mourvdre, Counoise, Syrah, and Cinsault. The wine has a pale to medium ruby garnet edge and immediately opens up with wild violet and lavender flowers, sour cherry, tar, juicy black cherry, raspberry, white pepper, wet stone-like minerals, and a hint of farmyard. The wine is fresh with sweet grainy tannins and gains weight with air, expressing more dried red berries, leather, and gamey characters. The wine is mingled with transparent minerality and potpourri, showcasing its complex and expressive flavours. It offers a perfumed, medium-bodied, elegant, and beautifully balanced style with attractive strawberry and floral aromas and flavours. The wine shines for its purity and should easily be an outstanding Cotes du Rhone.