Cuvée du Vatican Réserve de l'Abbé Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the southern Rhône’s most celebrated, sought-after red. Cuvée du Vatican Réserve d’Abbé is one every fan needs to try.

The world’s leading wine critic (and Rhône fanatic) Robert Parker has been a devoted follower of Cuvée du Vatican since their 1970 vintage—the first case of Châteauneuf he ever bought! Pope John XXIII blessed Cuvée du Vatican in 1958…and they still send a case to Rome each year. These days, the Diffonty family’s at the helm—“helping lead Châteauneuf-du-Pape to new levels of quality,” says Wine Spectator. Proprietor Jean-Marc “has been doing a fabulous job here for over a decade,” raves Parker.

A previous vintage of this beauty scored a slew of acclaim from critics, like 91 points from Jeb Dunnuck plus 95 points from Wine Spectator, who wrote: “This has the vivid, intense ripe fruit of the vintage, with plum, boysenberry and blackberry flavors coursing through, underscored by licorice snap, apple wood and fruitcake accents. Dense, showing terrific cut and drive on the finish. Built for the cellar, revealing a buried iron note.”

You can expect all that (and then some) in the 2020 release…but stocks are limited, so order soon.