1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier

A great showing, Bonneau's 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier has lots of garrigue, kirsch, truffle and spice to go with the classic gamy, bloody meaty-like quality that's always present in his wines. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and sweetly fruited, it has fine tannin and a beautiful elegance that keeps you coming back to the glass. There's no baby fat here and it's at full maturity, but will certainly hold for a decade.

Almost the star of the show, in very serious company, the 1998 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier is an extraordinary wine that possesses brilliantly perfumed, complex aromas of flowers, meat, blood, kirsch, and garrigue (how’s that for an aromatic profile?) on the nose. Certainly wild, with a touch of underlying funkiness, the wine is seamless and pure on the palate, delivering loads of full bodied texture and power, perfect balance, and a blockbuster finish. If I had bottles, I’d happily be drinking them over the coming decade.

A great showing, Bonneau's 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier has lots of garrigue, kirsch, truffle and spice to go with the classic gamy, bloody meaty-like quality that's always present in his wines. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and sweetly fruited, it has fine tannin and a beautiful elegance that keeps you coming back to the glass. There's no baby fat here and it's at full maturity, but will certainly hold for a decade. eRobertParker.com.August, 2015