The polished and sleek 2016 Petpetual has more of the slate character from the Priorat soil, with notes of graphite, berries and Mediterranean herbs. It's an old-vine blend of 80% Cariñena and 20% Garnacha that fermented in stainless steel vat with indigenous yeasts and an élevage of 18 months in new French oak barrels. It doesn't feel like there's a lot of new oak here, which is good in my book. The palate is medium to full-bodied with abundant, slightly dusty tannins, some rusticity and a dry, serious finish. It was bottled June 2018.

A complex and dialed-in style that has fresh pastry and apples with apple-pie flavors and sot, baked-apple flavors at the finish. Drink now.

This is a rich and dark-fruited style with a very fresh and sleek, fruit-soaked tannins that offer a long, smooth run on the finish. Drink or hold.

The 2016 Forcada is a new white from Penedès, produced with a recovered grape variety that names the wine. The wine has 12.5% alcohol and a pH of 2.98 with 8.5 grams of tartaric acid—really cold-climate parameters, quite unusual in a zone like this. The full clusters were pressed and the juice fermented at low temperature in stainless steel and kept with the lees until bottling. They like the evolution in bottle, so they tend to bottle it earlier and give it some time in bottle before it's released...

The only 2019 white I was able to taste (the 2018s were also reviewed last year), the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard Blanc is a richer effort, yet still stays chiseled and focused, with classy notes of pear, white flowers, crushed citrus, and hints of honeysuckle. It shows a kiss of salinity on the palate and is medium-bodied, has bright acidity, and a beautiful finish. This is going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and will keep for a couple of decades or more in cool cellars.

A smaller production cuvée, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard Blanc offers more richness and depth, with terrific notes of tart pineapple, mulled stone fruits, spice, and a touch of caramelized peach. With medium to full-bodied richness, a touch of background oak, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it’s beautifully done and capable of evolving for over 15 years or more. My money is on it being one of the longest-lived whites in the vintage.

A classic beauty, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape has textbook notes of red and black currants, black cherries, scorched earth, and roasted garrigue to go with a medium-bodied, lively, elegant style on the palate that’s very much in the mold of the vintage. With solid mid-palate depth and moderate tannins, it’s already approachable, yet this wine will certainly have 10-15 years of prime drinking ahead of it. It’s a terrific, classic cuvée that I would be happy to have in the cellar.

The more limited-production flagship cuvée is the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard, which is based on two-thirds Grenache, with the balance mostly Syrah and Mourvèdre. Not far off the style of the classic cuvée, only deeper and richer, it has a smoking bouquet of ripe redcurrants, smoked blueberries, roasted garrigue, ground pepper, and scorched earth. Beautifully concentrated, medium to full-bodied, with building tannins and a great finish, this is one seriously good 2018. It’s worth giving it 2-3 years of bottle age then enjoying over the following 15 years or more.

Aromas of camphor and sweet pipe tobacco give way to cherry, tar and wild scrub flavors in this densely structured red, which is elegant and sinewy, with a lingering, chewy finish. Best from 2023 through 2045

A bright and delicious albarino suggesting fresh herbs and yuzu. Full-bodied with a waxy core of preserved lemons, but the acidity is cutting and pure. So delicious to drink now.

The aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate and tar are persuasive. Some walnut and smoke, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, lightly chewy tannins and an intense, flavorful finish. Very structured and powerful. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. Needs time to soften. Better after 2022.

Grapefruit, white rose and botanical herb aromas almost jump out of the glass. The aromas march on to the tangy palate along with ripe apricot and peach. Bright acidity keeps it crisp, while a hint of saline marks the close.

White rose, citrus and yellow stone fruit aromas lead the nose on this vibrant white. The aromas carry on to the savory, tangy palate along with grapefruit and crushed thyme.

Purity of fruit in this red, from plums and red berries to ripe strawberries. It’s full-bodied with firm, tight tannins that are polished and soft. Lovely tension and focus. Extremely well done. Try after 2020, but hard to resist now.

The 2009 Moulin-à-Vent is in an ideal place for drinking now. Sweet red cherry, tobacco, spice, earthiness dried herbs, mint and licorice are the signatures of a wine that is starting to show the signs of aromatic and flavor maturity. Even so, the 2009 retains a good bit of freshness and punch. Readers who look to explore Beaujolais with bottle age will adore the 2009. It was done with destemmed fruit and aged 80% in oak and 20% in stainless steel.

The 2010 Moulin-à-Vent is fabulous. Vibrant, fresh and beautifully translucent, the 2010 is magical. Red berry fruit, mint, orange peel and spice all emerge from the glass, with lively acids and persistent beams of supporting tannin that give the wine its shape and overall sense of energy. Yields were 22 hectoliters per hectare, which is lower than average. The 2010 has a very bright future. This is a terrific showing.

The 2011 Moulin-à-Vent offers an intriguing combination of pliant fruit, nervy acids and aromatic complexity. Sweet tobacco, leather, game and earthiness all open up over time. It is a wine that really benefits from aeration. Overall, the 2011 is a vintage defined by its energy.

The 2014 Moulin-à-Vent is one of the standouts in this vertical. The combination of fruit richness, bright acids and energy give the 2014 a sense of vitality that is impossible to miss. Sweet red berry fruit, bright acids, white pepper and mint all come alive in the glass. The 2014 really sizzles with energy and tension. Effusive and energetic, with terrific cut, the 2014 is compelling.

The 2015 Moulin-à-Vent is a real showstopper. A burst of dark cherry, spice, leather, menthol, licorice and leather literally races out of the glass. The 2015 is an atypically rich Moulin-à-Vent, but all the elements are so well balanced. It has serious depth and the intensity to age for many years. I would not touch a bottle soon.

The 2016 Moulin-à-Vent comes across as a more subdued version of the 2015. It has tons of richness and power, but at the same time, it is bright, delineated and full of energy. Sweet red cherry, blood orange, white pepper, mint and spice all meld together effortlessly. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2016 retains striking translucence. There is plenty of potential here.