A co-fermented blend of 55% Grenache and 45% Mourvèdre, matured in demi-muids (about 10% of the volume is in amphorae this year), the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve is a strong candidate for perfection. Sourced from the lieux-dits of Guigasse and Pignan, the nose delivers the essence of sandy-soil Grenache, with notes of rose petals, lavender, thyme, cherries and raspberries. Full-bodied and lush, silky and long, it adds hints of toasty oak and salted licorice on the finish.

I tasted two bottles of the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve at the domaine. While it doesn't exhibit the knockout florals and intricate complexity of the 2020 version, it's still a wonderfully rich, decadent wine. Super ripe and dark-fruited, it offers up scents of cola, black cherries and blackberries on the nose, is full-bodied, concentrated and velvety on the palate, then finishes long and dusty, with notes of dark chocolate joining the mix. A second bottle showed more red fruit notes and lacked the chocolaty finish, while seeming a bit fresher and firmer. The rating represents a composite score; I wouldn't turn down a glass of either one.

Hints of cedar and vanilla appear on the nose of the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve, which is aged in demi-muids (20% new), adding a human-derived aspect to the mouthwatering notes of cherries and raspberries. It's full-bodied, silky and even almost lacy in texture, delivering intense pleasure on the palate without excess weight, then lingering on the finish, where the red-fruit flavors come to the fore, practically vibrating in intensity. Because of the effects of mildew on the Grenache, this vintage is just over 50% Mourvèdre.

In case readers were wondering, it is possible to be disappointed by a wine that rates "only" 97 points. I had such high hopes for the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve after tasting it last year, but this year the bottled wine is only extraordinary, not potentially perfect. Hints of cedar and vanilla from aging in 20% new demi-muids accent ripe black cherries in this full-bodied, silky-textured but concentrated wine that once again manages to combine richness with airiness, power with elegance and features a finish that lingers while being refreshing at the same time. It's still a major-league contender for wine of the vintage.

A 60-40 blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre from the lieux-dits of La Guigasse and Pignan, I'm happy to say the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve has come in at the top end of my expectations for it. They produced 6,136 bottles of this elixir, which offers magical aromas of mixed berries, roses and exotic spices. It's full-bodied and weightless at the same time, boasting waves of silky, caressing, seductive tannins and an incredibly long finish. Despite its light touch, it seems assured of evolving over a couple of decades. Sheer gossamer perfection!