Very young, still a bit tight. With a couple years more aging will be ready. Concentrated, earthy. Forward red fruit. A bit of oak shows through. Floral notes. Nicely done

Excellent, classic Beaucastel. Nose of forest floor, barnyard, cigar, meaty, prunes. On the palate the barnyard and forest floor step forward, with flavors of dried fruits, plums and figs, cigar smoke, meaty. In its prime and drinking great. (Doris felt the wine might be after-prime)

Beautiful bouquet of dark red fruits, forest floor, smoke. On the palate, silky and elegant flavors of ripe red fruit, cassis, earth and spices. Flavors coming together well in this young wine. Medium bodied. Needs at least five years before reaching prime.

The 2004 White CdP had an off-taste, almost oxidized. I asked our guide about that and he explained that the Beaucastel white Chateauneuf du Pape wines develop nicely for 5-6 years and then go into a shut down phase when they become oxidized and then open up again in about 6-7 more years. This wine was in the oxidized phase and should blossom in a few more years. In the meantime it was the first white CdP I had tasted from Beaucastel so I could only believe what I was told. All in all, an interesting phenomenon and wine.

Tasted with Isabel Sabon. Aromatic Bouquet of dark fruits, earth, spices. On the palate, big, forward dark fruits, cassis, smoke, earth. Isabel recommended 7-8 years aging. Should be worth the wait.

Tasted with Isabel Sabon. Concentrated flavors of dark berries, cassis, bramble, meat, spices. This is a solid, velvety wine with a long life in front of it. Isabel recommended 5-7 years aging.

Tasted with Isabel Sabon. This wine started off with a bouquet of rich dark fruits, smoke and earth. I was enjoying the aromas so much I didn't want to taste the wine. But I did, and it was wonderful. Deep, concentrated flavors of dark fruits (forward from the youth), bramble, forest floor, minerals, spices. Big, powerful mouth-filling tannins. This is obviously very young. Isabel recommended cellaring up to 10 years before drinking. It should be amazing.

Tasted with Isabel Sabon. Pretty average CdR. Light flavors and tannins. Easy drinking.

Tasted with Isabel Sabon. Beautiful nose of dark berries, cassis, spices and forest. Forward and concentrated flavors of dark berries, cassis, woods and spices. A bit jammy but balanced by acidity. This is drinking well right now but Isabel recommended up to 2 more years aging. I had read some rave reviews by media, and they are not off base. This is an excellent wine and amazing value at $20.

Tasted with Isabel Sabon. Dark fruits, cassis, a sweetness to the wine. 100% Syrah. Jammy, but balanced by the acidity. Medium tannins. A nice quaffing wine, nothing outstanding, but it would be reliable.

Tasted with Claire Michel. Concentrated fruit, very fresh and forward. This wine was bottled just two weeks ago. Dark fruits, Woodsy, earth, minerals, cloves. Claire recommends to be laid away for 8-10 years before drinking. Very nicely done.

Tasted with Claire Michel. Fruity, with balanced tannins and acidity. Well structured. Earthy, brambly. Mouth filling tannins. Needs 5-10 years.

Tasted with Claire Michel. Earthy, a bit sweet, medium-ligjt bodied. Citrus, steely. needs 5-10 years

A powerful, aromatic wine, the 2010 VV is 100% Grenache. Flavors of dark fruits, cassis, spices, stone. Well balanced and structured, this wine should be laid away for eight years. Sticky tannins, mouth-filling yet soft enough to enjoy the wine now (but don't). This bottle was popped and poured at the tasting. Emmanuel, the owner's cousin, was our guide and gave us the bottle of VV to take with us after the tasting. We drank the remainder over the next two nights. The tannins smoothed out and the flavors became more concentrated. Score remained 93 over the two evenings.

The "classic" Cristia CdP. Aged in concrete vats; no oak, no steel. 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. Still closed, big tannins and needs at least 3 more years aging Fruit is forward, fresh dark berries with flavors of earth, minerals, stone and spices. All of the CdP's we tasted for 2010 Cristia were excellent.

This is the wine of the vintage for Domaine Cristia in my opinion. It is an amazing wine, concentrated, deep colored and rich. Flavors of fresh dark fruits, smoke, cassis, flowers and earth. Silky and elegant, tightly wound. This should be laid away for at least five years and up to ten.

Domaine Cristia's "classic" Cote du Rhone. 100% Grenache. A fruity wine, well balanced with acidity. Very nice. Bottled two months ago. Medium to light bodied. Flavors of sweet dark berries, spices and earth. Aged in concrete vats. From 50 year old vines.

100% Grenache. Very nicely done. Fruity, blackberries, flowers, earth, spices, floral. Low tannins, easy drinking now but would prefer up to two years in the cellar. Aged in concrete vats.

A good basic table wine. Forward fruit, sweet dark berries, cassis. Obvious tannins, but not sure further aging will benefit this wine.

A good table wine. Great for company parties. Fruity, easy drinking, nothing memorable, just a decent and reliable wine.

A blend from the domaine's small plots around the CdP appellation, this is a rich and concentrated wine. Forward fruit flavors of dark cherries, smoke, minerals, earth. Mouth filling tannins. Wine is closed and just needs a few years cellar time to blossom. A high quality wine for an extremely reasonable price.

Single vineyard wine (Mourre des Perdrix plot). Medium bodied with big, mouth filling tannnins. Will need a few years to resolve. Light nose of cherries, earth and spices. On the palate flavors of dark cherries, smoke, stones. Well structured. Not as deep and delicious as the classic CdP though. Needs 5 yrs aging.

I am generally not a big fan of white CdP wines, but this one from Charbonniere caught me by surprise. A delicious blend of 40% Grenache blanc, 40% Roussanne and 20% Clairette. Flavors of stone fruits (peaches), vanilla, citrus, minerals. Caroline, from the domaine, explained that the wine will age well and transform to a deeper and more flavorful profile. The tannins from the Grenache grapes will allow extended aging, possibly for decades.

Light nose and medium bodied. 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah. Soft flavors of blue fruit, cassis, earth. Vines grown in clay soil. Not impressive and I preferred the CdP for just a few euros more.