Deep bright-rimmed ruby. Deeply perfumed, smoke-accented aromas of cherry liqueur, boysenberry and garrigue are complicated by potpourri and allspice flourishes. Juicy and appealingly sweet, offering concentrated red and blue fruit and spice cake flavors and a touch of candied flowers. Supple tannins build slowly on a long, focused finish that leaves floral and spice notes behind.

Shimmering violet. Ripe red and blue fruit and floral qualities on the highly perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sweet Chambord and blackberry flavors that take on baking spice, cola and candied lavender nuances as the wine stretches out. Shows wonderful energy as well as depth and finishes impressively long and smooth, with subtle tannins making a late appearance.

The classic cuvée in bottle, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 66% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties. This cuvée is brought up in a mix of stainless steel, wooded tanks, foudre, and barrels, with just 5% new oak. Deep ruby purple-colored, with beautiful black cherry and blackberry fruits, it has loads of licorice and garrigue aromas, medium to full body, beautiful concentration, and considerable elegance and purity. I always find a Burgundian style in the wines from this estate and this is no exception....

Full, generous in fruit and body, opulently textured. Satisfying, with understated complexity. Faint nuttiness in the background. It has a little more body and depth than some this year, a very classic expression of white Châteauneuf. Organically grown Grenache Blanc 20%, Picardan 1%, Picpoul Blanc 2%, Bourboulenc 25%, Roussanne 22%, Clairette 30%. It's mostly vinified and aged in stainless steel, with 15% in old barriques and 3% in new ones.

A fruit-driven style, with lush black currant, raspberry and boysenberry pâte de fruit flavors, carried by velvety tannins. The long finish features a graphite edge and lingering anise and apple wood notes. Delicious, and showing a bit more depth than most '17s. Best from 2020 through 2035.

This gushes with dark plum and boysenberry compote flavors, backed by a light graphite edge and gently singed mulling spice accents on the fleshy finish. A crowd-pleaser. Drink now through 2021.

Fresh and racy in feel, with a focused beam of red currant and raspberry coulis flavors entwined with red licorice details. The finish picks up extra shiso leaf, garrigue and iron notes. Solid. Best from 2020 through 2035.

Dark raspberry and plum paste notes mix with singed alder and vanilla flavors. Reveals a solid graphite edge on the finish. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2022.

Both the 2017s showed brilliantly. The 2017 Rasteau offers a raspberry and blackberry core of fruit as well as complex notes of sappy garrigue, mint, and even a hint of basil. Based on 80% Grenache, 17% Syrah, and 3% Mourvèdre, brought up in foudre, drink this medium to full-bodied, seamless Rasteau any time over the coming 5-7 years.

Even better, the 2017 Rasteau Argiles Bleues (80/20 Grenache and Syrah) just screams Rasteau with its ripe, chocolaty dark fruit and scorched earth aromas and flavors. It’s rich, has tons of minerality, medium to full body, and a great finish. It’s capable of lasting for over a decade.

A similar blend, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard checks in as 66% Grenache, 12% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, and the balance a mix of permitted varieties, that saw 10% new oak. It has a thrilling bouquet of black cherries, cassis, bouquet garni, scorched earth, and graphite. Tasting like a Grand Cru Burgundy with its tension, purity, and elegance, it has building tannins, terrific concentration, and a great finish. Still tight, backward a

The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc is similarly colored compared to the 2017 and has a fresh, clean, nicely balanced profile as well as classy stone fruits, crushed citrus and white flowers. It's medium-bodied, has integrated acidity, and terrific purity, as well as the fresher, more moderately concentrated style of the vintage. As with most of the wines here, it’s a field blend of just about every permitted variety.

Tart peach, pineapple, white flowers, and spice notes all emerge from the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard Blanc, which has a more concentrated style compared to the classic white, yet still plays in the fresh, lively end of the spectrum. With subtle background oak, terrific balance, and a great finish, it's going to gain weight with another year in bottle and keep for over a decade.

Toasted spices and a wealth of intense plum-paste, as well as tarry notes. The tannins are assertive and gently chewy, right at the limit of ripeness and extract. Drink or hold.

Good fruit-definition in terms of aromas and flavors here. Fresh, brambly, summer berries with blood-orange and wild-herb threads. The tannins are firm, but polished. Enjoy now or hold.

Brilliant violet. A sexy, expansive nose evokes smoke-accented dark berries, candied licorice and a hint of potpourri. Sappy, well-delineated black and blue fruit preserve flavors show vibrant mineral lift and no rough edges. In an ample but surprisingly energetic style, finishing sweet, floral and extremely long and revealing just a whisper of fine-grained tannins.

Deep ruby-red. Highly perfumed red fruit preserve, incense and Asian spice aromas show excellent clarity and pick up a smoky mineral element with air. Sappy, sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, cherry and lavender pastille flavors and a touch of spicecake. Closes on a vibrating mineral note, delivering well-knit tannins and floral-driven persistence.

Beaurenard has excelled this vintage. The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape is no slouch, with ample richness, bold cherry and apricot fruit and attractive hints of dried spices and garrigue. Complex, full-bodied and supple, it finishes long and silky. It's two-thirds Grenache Noir, with the rest composed of the 17 other permitted grape varieties.

Just like the regular cuvée, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Boisrenard includes all 18 of the appellation's permitted varieties, although it's mostly (66%) Grenache Noir. Strawberries and raspberries shine on the nose, followed by a full-bodied palate that's creamy-silky and lush but also bright, lively and long. It's a super effort, at what should be a realistic price.

Solidly built, with a sappy core of kirsch, blackberry paste and red licorice flavors tightly coiled together and backed by roasted apple wood, warm stone and tobacco leaf notes through the finish. The beautiful fruit should develop nicely with extended cellaring, as this has serious grip and drive. Best from 2020 through 2040.