Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes 2019 (750ML)

95 JD / 95 WS / 93-95 WA

A bigger, richer wine, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes has a similar style in its peppery garrigue, lavender, scorched earth, and licorice aromatics. It’s slightly darker fruited than the base cuvée and has a rock star of a mid-palate, building, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It’s one stunning bottle of wine to drink over the coming 10-15 years.—Jeb Dunnuck

Rich and seductive in style, featuring waves of warmed plum sauce and blackberry purée flavors laced with singed alder, licorice root and tobacco notes, with flashes of ganache and warm earth in the background. Everything stays well-defined through the finish, which offers a late echo of minerality. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Vaccarèse and Muscardin. Best from 2023 through 2038. 900 cases made.-James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Intoxicating scents of ripe plums, dried spices and dark chocolate emerge on the nose of the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes, a rich, full-bodied effort that's undeniably impressive as a pre-bottling sample. Dense and concentrated, it somehow manages to retain a sense of freshness, perhaps the influence of the long, anise-tinged finish.—Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate