97

Jeb Dunnuck

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

We finished the tasting with the 2007 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve des Célestins, which had been recently bottled. It’s a classic 2007 that has overflowing kirsch, sweet black cherry, garrigue, incense and ground pepper aromas and flavors. Sexy, supple and hedonistic, it’s one mouthful of a Châteauneuf that has no shortage of sweet fruit, texture or length. And given this showing, there’s certainly no harm in drinking this in its youth either.I continue to be baffled by this estate, and given the cellar conditions, I've no idea how what comes out of these filthy barrels tastes so sweet and heavenly. Nevertheless, that's part of the magic that is wine, and as always, it was a fabulous visit with the charismatic, witty and sharp Henri Bonneau. For this visit, I was able to taste through single barrels for each of the two cuvees (Marie Beurrier, which is represented by the letter "G" on the barrel, and the Celestins which is designated by the letter "P") starting with the 2013s and going back to the 2009s. Given that the '13s and '12 won't be seeing the inside of a bottle for quite some time, I opted to just include reviews starting with the '11s.