Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

A tasting of the final blend in barrel; very dark in colour. This is deep, wild and introverted; full-bodied and fully ripe with velvet tannins....

Some of Reynaud's Grenache barrels were still fermenting during my visit in October 2024, so this is a provisional score. A tasting of Le Coeur...

Deeply coloured and quite dark in character, with damson and liquorice notes. It’s generous, full-bodied, quite spicy and fairly potent, with lovely bright, sappy acidity...

A tasting of the constituent parts this year, so this is a provisional score. The Terret Noir, Muscardin and Vaccarèse were fermented together; they provide...

Impressively structured, long-haul tannins. It’s fresh and well balanced, with good acidity and alcohol that warms without excess heat. This is a serious, savoury style...

A tasting of the pre-blended constituent parts. The first sample, taken from an old foudre, is a medium-bodied, fresh, tense and lively style, with grippy...

<p>There's a bit more spice and smoke to the whole bunch fruit compared to the Chapelle St Théodoric La Guigasse this year. It's a little...

This is so rich and ripe, with high alcohol and glycerol. The acidity is surprisingly punchy and really quite intense; there’s some limestone tension, too....

This has considerably more fruit, ripeness and concentration compared to the standard Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge, and slightly higher alcohol – this is pure (100%) Grenache after...

This has a lovely nose of nutmeg, violets and liquorice. It’s full-bodied, generous and silky on the palate – fresh too, with the structure to...

A very good wine and the most impressive yet from this under-the-radar grower. There’s herbal freshness running through it and it has great energy and...

Fairly pale in colour and highly atypical in its aromas, with an extraordinary array of herbs and spices, including rose petals, orange peel and garrigue...

A smoky and spicy style, with some juniper-smoked bacon and violets. Fine and fresh on the palate, with deep blackberry fruit from the Syrah –...

Gorgeous spicy aromatics, with floral violet and rose notes, surprisingly powerful acidity and very fine tannins; the alcohol is slightly higher than in the other...

The 10% Mourvèdre really makes itself known here, with violets, blood orange, flowers and herbs. This has serious volume, weight and generosity, with fine but...

A soft, juicy and approachable wine, only medium-bodied, with good acidity and freshness. It’s remarkably crisp for a pure Grenache. Not the most concentrated in...

An elegant and smooth style of Châteauneuf, ripe but not overly concentrated, with balanced (if gently warming) alcohol and acidity, some sandy mineral notes and...

Very dark in colour. A compelling aroma of menthol, iodine and woody herbs – rosemary and thyme. Spicy, peppery and very concentrated, with driving acidity,...