95/97

Not yet bottled, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Spéciale Vieilles Clairettes comes all from very old vine Clairette and is brought up in demi-muids. It's year in, year out one of the greatest whites of the appellation and 2018 looks to be no exception. A beautiful perfume of ripe peach, brioche, honeysuckle, toasted nuts, and white flowers all flow to a fat, opulent, textured white that has good acidity, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. Don't miss a chance to try this wine.

Rich, lush, opulent, slightly oily in texture, the wine explodes with white peach, vanilla, lemon curd, tropical fruits and honeysuckle. This is quite long, intense and leaves a big impression. Only produced in magnum, this is probably going to be better and perhaps deserving of a higher score when it matures.

96 point

Pure and racy, with pink grapefruit, lemon peel, jasmine oil and honeysuckle notes streaming through in unison, laced with a subtle quinine note through the long, beguiling finish. Has a kiss of shortbread at the very end to lend a flattering note to boot. A beauty.