2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet

The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet carries a bit more dark fruit and concentration than the regular bottling, but it remains a silky, fine and elegant wine for drinking over the next decade or so. Subtle toast and vanilla notes frame ripe cherries in this full-bodied yet supple, easy-to-drink wine.

Limpid ruby-red. An expansive bouquet evokes ripe dark berries, lavender, cola and exotic spices, and a bright mineral quality builds in the background. Velvety and seamless on the palate, offering appealingly sweet black raspberry, cherry-vanilla and floral pastille flavors that become livelier as the wine stretches out. Finishes spicy and very long, displaying lingering florality and smooth tannins.

Cask sample. Dark black fruit, as if it has been condensed and concentrated. Wonderful purity on the palate, with supple tannin and rich cocoa aromas. Finishes with a lighter touch than expected, but that's no bad thing for Châteauneuf! (RH)