Vinous - Josh Raynolds
(60% new and 40% used barriques) Limpid ruby. Displays highly aromatic scents of ripe black and blue fruits, Moroccan spices and garrigue, along with subtle olive and mocha qualities. Plush, smooth and animated on the palate, offering densely packed, spice-tinged blackberry, cherry liqueur, candied licorice and bitter chocolate flavors that are complemented by sweet oak tones. Impressively powerful yet lithe, finishing with steadily building tannins, superb length and an echo of lavender pastille. Drink 2027 - 2037.
Jeb Dunnuck
A different beast, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Réserve Secrète checks in as 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah that will spend two years in foudre. It offers a wonderful bouquet of spiced black fruits, smoked herbs, saddle leather, and lead pencil shavings. Deep, rich, full-bodied, concentrated, and brilliantly balanced, it's another heavenly wine from this estate, which knocked it out of the park in 2017.
Jeb Dunnuck
Reminding me a little bit of the 2006 with its beautiful balance and incredibly Provençal character, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Reserve Secrete boasts a deeper ruby/plum hue to go with a killer bouquet of Provençal garrigue, mulled red and black fruits, new saddle leather, Asian spices, and black licorice. Full-bodied, concentrated, and powerful on the palate, it nevertheless has an incredible sense of elegance as well as silky tannins, no hard edges, and one blockbuster of a finish. As with most 2017s, it’s already drinking nicely today, yet it’s going to evolve gracefully for 15-20 years or more.
Domaine de la Solitude
