2001 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This bottle started out very funky, roasted, bloody and down right stinky but a short stint in the decanter worked magic on it and by the time we got around to drinking, there wasn’t a hint of funk or roasted aromas to be found. The nose shows killer levels of ripe raspberry and cassis fruit with candle wax, raw meat and spice aromas showing up with more air time. There’s plenty of intensity and also a nice balance between the fruit and background aromas. The palate is full bodied with seriously impressive fruit, a lush, rich texture, solid underlying structure and plenty of fine grained tannins on the long finish. (95 points)

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