2020 Vosne-Romanee, Cros Parantoux, Emmanuel Rouget

The king of the cellar this year is the 2020 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux, a powerful but balanced wine that offers up aromas of cassis, cherries, sweet spices and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, layered and vibrant, it's a serious, structured wine with a concentrated core of fruit framed by firm but powdery tannins. ~ (95) William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 1-20-2022

The 2020 Vosne-Romanee Cros Parantoux 1er Cru, matured in seven new barrels, is beautifully-defined on the nose with precocious, penetrating dark cherry, raspberry and violet aromas that envelop the olfactory senses. The palate is harmonious and intense, silky-smooth in texture with better acidity and tension than some of Rouget's other cuvees. Layers of penetrating, sorbet-fresh red fruit are lavish yet very focused with a long and persistent peacock's tail finish. Wonderful. 14.5% alcohol according to Emmanuel Rouget. ~ (98) Neal Martin, Vinous 11-1-2021

A slightly fresher and cooler nose displays its aromas of mocha, plum liqueur, exotic tea and sandalwood. There is almost painful intensity to the almost as dense, stony, tautly muscular and powerful flavors that possess a completely different texture before culminating in a bitter pit fruit-inflected finale that goes on and on. I would make the same observation here that this 2020 Cros is like no vintages I have ever seen from Rouget, yet it manages to 'work' anyway. ~ (95) Allen Meadows, Burghound 1-10-2022