The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve is certainly one of the greatest Chateauneuf du Papes I’ve tasted and represents the essence of this fabulous terroir. From a cool and windy growing season, this work of art offers incredible creme de cassis, peppered steak, garrigue and bouquet garni to go with a flawless, massive, layered and seamless mouthfeel that carries serious amounts of fruit and tannin. When all is said and done, this beauty will have 3-4 decades or evolution. - Jeb Dunnuck

A recipe for a classic? Marry flavors of dark fig bread, currant paste and plum reduction with grippy tar and licorice snap notes. Lay that over racy graphite elements and add in smoky black tea, Christmas pudding and blueberry sauce notes. Back it all up with vibrant acidity. This is an awesome combination of power and definition, and it’s remarkably youthful today.—2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape non-blind retrospective (November 2011). Drink now through 2026. –JM