More closed, yet still loaded with potential, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Reserve offers a tight, reserved bouquet of cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with ample spice box, mineral, and meaty notes developing with time in the glass. Full-bodied, concentrated, and straight on the palate, it has beautiful depth and richness, yet needs 4-5 years of bottle age.

Deep, dark and spicy, with lush, fresh, dark cherries, earth, herbs and peppery kirsch. The wine is fresh, concentrated, lush and full, with layers of dark spicy, earthy, peppery fruits in the finish. The wine is produced from a blend of 55% Grenache and 45% Mourvedre. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2017&wine=Le%20Clos%20du%20Caillou%20Chateauneuf-du-Pape%20La%20Reserve

In case readers were wondering, it is possible to be disappointed by a wine that rates "only" 97 points. I had such high hopes for the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve after tasting it last year, but this year the bottled wine is only extraordinary, not potentially perfect. Hints of cedar and vanilla from aging in 20% new demi-muids accent ripe black cherries in this full-bodied, silky-textured but concentrated wine that once again manages to combine richness with airiness, power with elegance and features a finish that lingers while being refreshing at the same time. It's still a major-league contender for wine of the vintage. - Joe Czerwinski

(VN 96-97 points) Opaque ruby. Explosive red berry preserve and spicecake aromas are complemented by hints of smoky minerals, incense and candied lavender, and a subtle licorice note emerges with aeration. Juicy and impressively concentrated yet surprisingly lithe, offering sweet raspberry, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors and an exotic five-spice powder flourish. The extremely long, energetic finish features resonating florality and smooth tannins that merge quickly with the wine's clinging, sweet fruit. -- Josh Raynolds

Grown on sand in lieux-dits La Guigasse and Pignan, the fruit is destemmed and fermented in tronconic vats, then matured mostly in demi-muid, and 10% in amphora, for 14 months. It has very precise loganberry fruit with a hint of balsamic lift on the nose. It's medium- to full-bodied with no heaviness, and there's a pleasing lightness of touch despite the fact it's built on a firm foundation of ripe tannin. A very long finish shows off the wine's great finesse, with a gentle mineral undertow. Intense, elegant and textural.

A really impressive Châteauneuf with rich and ripe summer-berry aromas, as well as a fragrant array of spices and fresh flowers. The palate has a very rich and deep-set feel with smooth, fresh tannins on offer and a succulent, lithe and juicy feel. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Juicy and focused, with a long beam of cherry, plum and raspberry puree flavors running through, flanked by light apple wood and red licorice details. The fresh and sleek finish makes this accessible now, but there’s plenty of fruit in reserve. Drink now through 2035. — J.M.