2020 Emmanuel Darnaud Crozes Trois Chenes

full, shiny red; nutshells, cherry liqueur, chocolate, oak on the nose, very clearly still on its raising. The palate is close-knit, has a constructed style, with gras central to it, the oak ruling the final third. The fruit quality inside is decent, but oak runs the show, is a bit limit on that. Prune comes through on the finish, an indicator of ripeness. The finish shows cellar effort, isn’t relaxed, neds to be rounded. Air helps the oak to drop, so all is not lost. 14°. Bottled March 2022. From mid-2024. 3.5 stars

Dense, concentrated style of Crozes-Hermitage. Not heavy, but quite extracted. Well-balanced acidity and quite assertive use of oak, but it all comes together well, or certainly should do in a few years. Long finish. 92 points