Coming from smaller-than-normal yields of 18 hectoliters per hectare, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape is drinking well. According to proprietor Paul-Vincent Avril, it`s a `normal blend` for the estate. Scents of leather, pressed flowers and black cherries emerge from the glass, while the in the mouth, the wine is full-bodied and silky, and it adds a complex note of Mourvedre-derived truffle-mushroom-tree bark on the finish. Drink now and over the next decade. 93 points

One of the stars of the vintage and coming from absurdly low yields of 18 hectoliters per hectare, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape is a full-bodied, seamless effort that exhibits copious kirsch, ground pepper, dried flowers and underbrush as well as incredibly fine tannin, great mid-palate concentration and ample length on the finish. Relatively forward by this estate’s standards, it will be approachable at an earlier age than normal. Nevertheless, it will have 20+ years of evolution and is an awesome effort in the vintage. Drink 2015-2030. 96 points