Chateau de Vaudieu, Val de Dieu Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2017 (1.5L)

95+ Jeb Dunnuck
"The 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Val De Dieu is always the most modern style wine in the lineup and in 2017 is a blend of 66% Grenache and 34% Syrah that had the Grenache brought up in demi-muids and the Syrah in new barrels. Deep, saturated purple-colored, with notes crème de cassis, ground pepper, bouquet garni, and crushed flowers, it's medium to full-bodied and concentrated, with subtle background oak and a great, great finish. It's another brilliant example of this cuvée that will benefit from short-term cellaring and cruise for 15 years or more."

95 points Vinous
"Bright violet. Oak-spiced cherry, dark berry and lavender scents show excellent clarity and pick up suggestions of licorice and rhubarb with aeration. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering appealingly sweet Chambord, cherry preserve and floral pastille flavors that show a suave marriage of depth and energy. Fine-grained tannins come in late on the impressively long finish, which strongly echoes the red fruit and floral notes."

Jancis Robinson
"66% Grenache, 34% Syrah. Cask sample.
Tasted blind. Liquorice and leather on the nose, edged with clove spice. Sweetly-spiced palate with furry tannins and a fairly short finish. Attractively tasty without being severe. 17/20 points. (RH)"

Vinous Reverie Notes
"The team at Château du Vaudieu, led by Laurent Bréchet as well as consultant Philippe Cambie, is firing on all cylinders and continues to produce a bevy of truly world class wines in every vintage. The estate is located not far from Rayas and the wines are rich and powerful, yet never show any signs of rusticity or coarseness. These are elegant, seamless, singular wines. Looking at the two vintages reviewed here, the 2017s showed brilliant with most rating at the upper end of their barrel reviews, which is always a good sign. These are incredibly Provençal, sexy, balanced wines that make the most of the vintage. All the 2018 reds were tasted out of barrel and shows beautifully, with the ripe yet pure style of the vintage. These will certainly be approachable in their youth, yet I suspect also age gracefully given their inherent balance." ~ Jeb Dunnuck