2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins

The 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins is nowhere near its prime drinking window, demanding several hours in the glass to start revealing some of its nuances. Brooding and sophisticated, it gradually releases ripe blackberry, wild strawberry, dried lavender, tobacco, forest floor and a little beeswax. Oddly, there’s also a touch of mocha, yet Bonneau always claimed to use old oak with a minimum of four years' age for his red Châteauneufs. Closing with compelling length on the powerful finish, the 2010 is a roaring Réserve des Célestins that will reward patience.

Vivid ruby. An expansive, highly perfumed bouquet evokes dark fruit preserves, smoky Indian spices and lavender, and a mineral element gains power with air. Fleshy, sappy and concentrated, offering intense blackberry and boysenberry flavors braced and lifted by juicy acidity. The spice and mineral notes repeat emphatically on the extremely long, focused finish, which is framed by velvety tannins that meld effortlessly with the plush dark fruit. The combination of richness and vivacity here is awfully impressive. This was the last wine bottled by Henri Bonneau before he passed away on March 21, 2016.

Schedule to be bottled next week (I suspect it will be in bottle by the time you read this), the 2010 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins is a sensational effort. Deeper, richer and more concentrated than the Marie Beurrier, it reveals an unusually inky ruby/purple color to go with overflowing notes of kirsch liqueur, roasted meats, crushed flowers, garrigue and just about every other Provençal spice you could name. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, layered and a blockbuster-styled effort, it should surpass the 2007 and possibly rival the 1990. This is a tour de force in Châteauneuf du Pape!