2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve
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Tasting notes
With a serious depth of color, the wine exudes dark spicy, ripe, lush fruit. Power and purity, length and freshness, character and complexity all combine, leaving you with layers of ripe, fresh, pure, peppery kirsch. There is a purity to the fruit that stands out. The wine expands in the mid palate and the length in the finish is incredible! The wine is produced from a blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Mourvedre.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre from the lieux-dits of La Guigasse and Pignan, I'm happy to say the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve has come in at the top end of my expectations for it. They produced 6,136 bottles of this elixir, which offers magical aromas of mixed berries, roses and exotic spices. It's full-bodied and weightless at the same time, boasting waves of silky, caressing, seductive tannins and an incredibly long finish. Despite its light touch, it seems assured of evolving over a couple of decades. Sheer gossamer perfection!
Some sexy, smoky complexity across ripe, dark-cherry, blueberry and dark-plum aromas. This is seductive. Tannins engulf the ample, fleshy, ripe, dark plums and cherries with sleek, silky, caressing style. Thrilling Châteauneuf! From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
Full bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe red and dark berries, incense, Moroccan spices and candied flowers on the expansive, seductively perfumed nose; a smoky mineral accent adds vivacity. Sappy, alluringly sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering pure, deeply concentrated cherry, Chambord, cola and spicecake flavors that become more energetic as the wine opens up. Densely packed and seamless in texture, finishing with remarkable power, resonating spiciness and building but discreet tannins. As is the case with its Quartz stablemate, this wine is among the standouts of this exceptional vintage.