Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz Clos du Caillou 2018 (750ML)

95 Points, Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Detailed, intricate herbal shadings mark the nose of the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Quartz, adding extra nuance to the ripe cherry and berry fruit and combining nicely with hints of warm stones and dried spices. Full-bodied and silky, it's elegant and complete, ending with a gentle wash of silky tannins and ample persistence on the finish. Not the most intense or tannic vintage, it's approachable now and should drink well for up to a decade." 9/20

96 Points, Matt Walls, Decanter: "This is dark, savoury, potent and concentrated. It has great vibrancy of fruit coupled with real depth of integrated structural tannins and all matched with a gently throbbing acidity. It’s very ripe but not oversweet, and the finish is very long indeed. It's very well-tailored, and expertly fashioned, a real essence of Châteauneuf - very silky in style, and clearly a very crafted expression rather than a 'natural' one - but crafted with consummate skill. Grown half on large pebbles, half on sand in lieu-dit Les Cassanets, destemmed, then fermented mostly in concrete, then matured mostly in demi-muid except for 10% in amphora." 9/19

94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com: "Coming from more pebbly soils and 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz is more exuberant and Provençal, with a monster nose of red and blackberry fruits, peppery garrigue, game, candied orange, and loads of spring flower-like nuances. Slightly closed on the palate, it’s still medium to full-bodied, has solid spine of acidity, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles 2-3 years (which is rare for a 2018) and enjoy over the following decade or more. I don’t think it matches the 2001, 2007, 2009, or 2016, but it’s certainly a rock-solid vintage for this cuvee." 10/20