Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2017

96-99 points Jeb Dunnuck: “Last of the whites, huge notes of buttered citrus, exotic flowers, pineapple, honeysuckle, and almond notes all emerge from the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, a rich, yet fresh, elegant, vibrant barrel sample that does everything right. You can’t find a wine like this anywhere else in the world, and it’s consistently one of the world’s great white wines. Drink: Before 2038. (8/28/18)”

96 points Matt Walls (Decanter): “100+-year-old Roussanne here gives very small yields, and it’s harvested around two weeks after the younger vines. This wine has notes of macadamia, mango, quince and rhubarb – a dizzying kaleidoscope of scents. It’s very full-bodied indeed, almost too rich, but it pulls back from the brink with a gleaming mineral edge and adequate balancing acidity. Almost too much this year, it tastes nearly sweet on the mid-palate but finishes dry, very long and absurdly opulent. It’s always an attention-grabbing wine, and some will love it all the more for its excess in 2017; some less. Drinking Window: 2021-2040. (Nov 2018)”

95.2 points CellarTracker.com community score.