Vinous (92)

Shimmering ruby color. Lively red and blue fruit and floral aromas are sharpened by a spicy suggestion of white pepper. Juicy and broad on the palate, offering appealingly sweet black raspberry and boysenberry flavors that become firmer on the back half. Supple, even tannins shape the finely etched, clinging finish, which leaves a suave floral note behind.

Vinous (92)

Vivid purple. Intense dark berry compote, anise and Indian spice scents show excellent power and depth. Stains the palate with sweet black and blue fruit flavors and picks up a sexy floral nuance with aeration. Atypically dense and complex for an entry-level bottling, this wine finishes with superb clarity and length and smooth, harmonious tannins.

Wine Advocate (93)

One of the wines of the vintage is the Grenache-dominated 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Chaupin. Coming mostly from a cool terroir in the northeast corner of the appellation (just to the east of Beaucastel), this wine is vinified with a small portion of stems and aged mostly in foudre (one-third is in demi-muids). It has gorgeous Grenache flair in its black raspberry, garrigue, spring flower and licorice scented bouquet. This gives way to a medium to full-bodied, elegant, and layered 2013 that has more texture and sweet fruit than just about every other wine in the vintage. I'd drink it anytime over the coming 4-5 years, but it will have 10-15 years of overall longevity.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Bottled end of February/early in March, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin is incredible stuff, and while I suspect it’s the best vintage to date, it’s going to be great comparing it to bottles of the 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2015 over the coming 15+ years. This beauty offers a thrilling blend of kirsch, blackberries, smoked earth, graphite, and licorice on the nose. It's full-bodied, deep, pure, ultra-fine, and powerful on the palate and flirts with perfection. It’s a tour de force in Grenache that readers need to snatch up!

Vinous (93-95)

Brilliant magenta. Ripe red and blue fruits, potpourri, incense and Moroccan spices on the deeply perfumed, expansive nose. Stains the palate with sweet boysenberry, black raspberry and floral pastille flavors, which are sharpened by building mineral and white pepper flourishes. Shows the depth and power of the vintage but comes off lively, even graceful. Delivers strong floral thrust on the extremely long, gently tannic finish.

Vinous (93)

Brilliant ruby. A highly expressive bouquet evokes Chambord, cherry cola, smoky minerals and licorice, and a floral note builds as the wine opens up. Sappy, penetrating and energetic in style, offering palate-staining raspberry, cherry pie and lavender pastille flavors that put on weight and become spicier with air. Delivers a suave blend of richness and finesse and finishes spicy, focused and very long, leaving repeating floral and red fruit notes behind.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

I was able to taste the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Chaupin on two occasions, rating it one point higher on one of those as well. Incredible notes of red and black fruits, violets, scorched earth, ground pepper, and Provençal garrigue notes define the nose, and it’s a darker, richer, slightly more powerful wine than usual, while still showing the inherent elegance and finesse this cuvée always shows. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following 15-20. Don’t miss it!

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

I was blown away by the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Chaupin, a 100% Grenache release that comes almost exclusively from the Chaupin lieu-dit in the northern part of the appellation. It's never as inky-hued or powerful as the Vieilles Vignes but always screams Grenache with its sexy, ripe, seamless, and remarkably elegant style. The 2020 offers a translucent ruby/purple hue as well as incredible aromatics of blackberries, black raspberries, peppery garrigue, herbes de Provence, and flowers, and it opens up nicely with time in the glass. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. I finished my note with "a Grenache lover's dream." This is up with the finest vintages produced and will evolve for 15+ years.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Prestige Blanc is pure gold and a magical, perfect wine from this incredible family estate. Based largely on Roussanne with smaller amounts of Grenache Blanc and Clairette, it was brought up in used demi-muids. Honeyed pineapple, caramelized white peach, mango, honeysuckle, and exotic rose petal notes all emerge from this full-bodied white, which has bright acidity, incredible depth of fruit, and flawless balance. This extraordinary white needs plenty of air to show at its best (you could even open it the day before and keep it in the refrigerator overnight), and I suspect it will have two decades or more of overall longevity.

Wine Spectator (94)

This is pure, driven and well-rounded, with a beam of kirsch, crushed plum and bright red currant fruit coursing through, backed by lingering red licorice, violet and sweet tobacco notes. The long finish is still tightly wound. Best from 2011 through 2025. 150 cases imported. -JM

Wine Advocate (96)

And a candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is always a rough blend of 85% Grenache and the balance Syrah, Mourvedre, Clairette and other permitted varieties, that has the Grenache aged all in foudre and the Syrah and Mourvedre aged in one-third new barrels (that’s less than 6% of the blend in new barrels). Exhibiting gorgeous black fruits, spice-box, toast, licorice and roasted meat-like qualities on the nose, it is full-bodied, concentrated and layered on the palate, with loads of texture, yet delivers no weight, heat, or ever puts a foot wrong. Shockingly good in the vintage, it should not be missed. Hats off to Christophe and Isabelle. Drink now-2027.

Wine Advocate (94)

While the cuvée Chaupin comes mostly from sandy soils, the 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes comes more from the rolled pebble soils the region is famous for, and always shows the richer, more powerful profile imparted from these soils. Mostly foudre-aged Grenache, it incorporates 20% Mourvèdre and roughly 10% Syrah (slightly more Syrah in 2013) that’s raised all in barrel. Exhibiting a deep purple color, it offers fabulous dark berry fruits, licorice, Provençal herbs and earthy/stony minerality on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, ripe and with impressive sweetness to its tannin, it's a fabulous wine that will have 10-15 years of overall longevity.

Vinous (93-95)

Bright ruby. Intensely perfumed aromas of fresh red and blue fruits, potpourri and incense gain vivacity from a smoky mineral nuance. Offers deeply concentrated blueberry, black raspberry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors, while suggestions of candied licorice and white pepper emerge on the back half. Finishes on a suave, alluringly sweet note of red fruit liqueur, featuring slowly emerging tannins and outstanding vivacity and focus.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes derives from parcels planted on classic clay and galets roulés soils. It's 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 5% other varieties. Tight, intense, even clenched, it's in need of several years' cellaring before it becomes truly enjoyable to drink. For now, those gorgeous black cherries are restrained behind a firm wall of tannins. Full-bodied and rich, this is ripe, it just requires patience.

Vinous (95)

Dark violet. A deeply perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red/blue fruits, incense and exotic spices, and a floral accent builds as the wine opens up. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering lush black raspberry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that are energized by a core of juicy acidity. Shows excellent clarity and solid, spicy thrust on a long, sweet finish framed by velvety tannins.

Wine Advocate (94)

The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape is forward and ready to go, with plenty of kirsch, blackberry, garrigue and cured meat aromas and flavors all emerging from the glass. Full-bodied and nicely concentrated, it’s a classic, elegant and complex red that can be enjoyed anytime over the coming decade or longer. As is common with a lot of 2006s, it has a traditional feel, yet offers solid fruit and texture.

Wine Advocate (95)

One of the few estates where the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape actually eclipses the 2016, this is a top-flight effort. Black cherries and red raspberries combine with dried spices in a complex swirl of fruity and savory elements, garnished with sprigs of garrigue. Full-bodied, round and rich, this velvety wine should drink well through at least 2035.

Vinous (94)

Deep, bright-rimmed ruby. High-pitched, mineral- and smoke-tinged red and dark berry and potpourri scents are complemented by notes of licorice and baking spices. Silky and open-knit, offering sweet raspberry, cherry, and lavender pastille flavors that show fine delineation and tighten up steadily with air. Shows solid, spicy thrust and energetic lift on the impressively long finish, which is given shape by harmonious tannins.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

I was able to taste the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape multiple times, and it’s the finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this estate, surpassing even the 2016. Lovers of classic, impeccably made Châteauneuf du Pape should back up the truck on this beauty. A wine of incredible richness and depth, as well as elegance, it has a gorgeous nose of peppery herbs, blackberries, garrigue, cured meats, and sandalwood. Full-bodied and concentrated, it builds incrementally on the palate and is perfectly balanced, with sensational purity, ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. There’s nothing over the top or out of place, and traditionally made Châteauneuf du Pape doesn’t get much better. It needs 2-4 years of bottle age and will shine for well over two decades. Bravo!

Indulge your senses with the impeccable 'Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020', heralding from the renowned vineyards of Southern Rhone, France. This red gem is expertly crafted by Le Vieux Donjon, a small-scale producer beholden for their expressive, opulent wines. Balancing tradition with innovation, this unique vintage traverses conventional vinification, expertly fermented in large oak foudres and aged in used barrels for a distinctive complexity.

The result is a robust, full-bodied blend where Grenache predominates, married with Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. Emanating aromatic richness of blackberries, kirsch, and peppery spices with a touch of garrigue, the Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020 expresses an elegant concentration of flavours, veiled in velvety tannins - a testimony to the mastery of winemaking. Limited production retains exclusive magnificence, making this wine, a real connoisseur's treasure.

Experience the quintessence of fine wine with the Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020. A symphony of taste awaits.

Indulge in the historical heritage of 'Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2021', a classic example of traditional French winemaking. Crafted in the esteemed Rhône Valley, this red wine exemplifies the revered estate's commitment to organic viticulture, displaying the terroir's richness in each sip. Its blend predominantly features Grenache and Syrah, harvested from 50-100-year-old vines that paint layers of complexity into the final product.

Produced by the esteemed parent estate owned by the Michel family, 'Le Vieux Donjon', this 2021 edition continues to uphold the virtuosity of its lineage. The vinification process harnesses indigenous yeasts for fermentation, breeding a rich tapestry of cherry, spice, and incense notes, elegantly amalgamated with a robust structure and appreciable tannins. With its meticulous production and balanced profile, Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2021 truly offers a luxurious embodiment of Provencal wine craft. A must-have addition to any discerning collector or consumer's cellar.

Wine Advocate (94-96)

The 2016 Gigondas Les Racines was in its foudres at the time of my visit, but I still think it is the equal of the Brunier family's Châteauneufs. Full-bodied and rich but silky and almost lacy in texture, it marries raspberries and apricots with lovely herbal nuances and a lingering finish. It's a tremendous Gigondas, made from 75-year-old vines (80% Grenache).