Simon Field | Slightly less intense hue than some, ruby red with a little fade at the edges. The nose is attractive, flowers and dark fruit evidenced, primary and resourceful, reticent for the time being. On the palate, there is Grenache indulgence, plush and poise somehow juxtaposed, then herbs and soft spice, cardamom, and maybe a little cinnamon. Complexity unfurls, the future etched into the rigor of potential. | 88

Andrew Jefford | Perhaps it’s the year of extra age, but this wine is definitely a little lighter than its 2016 Châteauneuf peers. Sweet and warm in scent with some resin, some raisin, and some leather. Deep, sweet, savory, and vivid, though the vintage gives the impression of being slightly warmer than ’16. (Not so in reality; 16 just had cooler nights.) Ample, savory, with some drying notes to finish. | 88

David Williams | A gushing jet of very ripe strawberry fruit leads to an expansive mouth-filling palate and then a Calvados spirity character, red cherry, and subtle aniseed, and a lingering finish. Another Châteauneuf that seems to me more digestif than table wine, but which, in this case, has leavened the density and heat with complexity and detail. | 89