2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins
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Tasting Notes
The 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins (still in barrel) is rich, deep and concentrated. It's also noticeably fresher tasting than the Cuvee Marie Beurrier from the same vintage, with ample cherry fruit and a touch of chocolate on the long, silky finish.
Critic Scores
Average Score
Josh Raynolds
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Celestins is a head turner that’s showing just as beautifully as last year. Full-bodied, sweetly fruited, layered and sexy on the palate, with good concentration, it’s almost overflowing with notions of Provencal garrigue, saddle leather, peppery herbs and sweet fruit. It’s a terrific 2011 to drink anytime over the coming 15 years or so. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com
Bright ruby-red. Far more expressive than the Marie Beurrier, displaying a wild array of candied red fruits, flowers and Asian spices, along with an intense mineral overtone. Silky, sweet and pure on the palate, offering intense raspberry preserve and spicecake flavors and a jolt of lavender pastille. Closes long and sweet, with building spiciness and smooth, harmonious tannins that sneak up late. Apr 2015, www.vinous.com
Lastly, the 2011 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve des Célestins will be bottled probably sometime next year, but you can never be too sure. It’s a classic 2011 that’s put-on weight since I tasted it last year and offers terrific notes of lavender, garrigue, kirsch, fruit cake and pepper. Full-bodied, opulent and incredibly sexy on the palate, with a similar, yet even more open, style than the 12, it’s a wine that’s going to drink nicely right out of the gate yet also evolve beautifully. This iconic estate is no doubt in a transitional phase following the loss of Henri Bonneau in 2016. The young Marcel Bonneau is now at the helm and is receiving help from both Daniel Combin on the business side and Régis Charmasson in the vineyards and cave. The 2016 will be Marcel’s first vintage on his own, and the barrel samples are certainly promising.
About the producer
This very old-school property makes the most unique Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The wines are fantastically complex and Boneauu made it as it would have been produced 100 years ago in the commune, using methods that familiar to any of the 11 generations of vignerons in his family who preceded him.