Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009

96 points Wine Spectator: "One of the more endowed 2009s, this is packed with dark smoldering cocoa, mesquite, tobacco and roasted fig notes, all inlaid with pure cassis and plum preserves fruit flavors. Long and authoritative on the finish, with singed vanilla bean and tar notes adding length and dimension. Best from 2015 through 2026. (2/29/12)"

96 points Jeb Dunnuck (Rhone Report): "The 2009 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape had just been bottled at the time of the tasting but you wouldn't know it by tasting it. A blend of 30% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and 20% assorted varieties, the wine delivers a superb aromatic display of kirsch and black cherry-like fruits to go with a solid dose of underlying meat, truffle, earth, and leather. Full-bodied and gorgeously concentrated through the middle, with fleshy, ripe fruit, good acidity, and an abundance of structure, this will ideally be left alone for 7-8 years and then consumed over the following two decades. (Sep 2011)"

94 points Robert Parker: "The 2009 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape is reminiscent of their brilliant 1985. It will be one of the rare Beaucastels that is drinkable upon release. Made from this estate’s classic blend, it possesses soft tannins as well as a silky, open-knit seductiveness, a dense plum/purple color and a beautiful perfume of smoky Provencal herbs intermixed with grilled steak juices, garrigue, kirsch and blue as well as black fruits. The wine is full-bodied, unctuously textured, and silky smooth (the latter characteristic being somewhat atypical for a young Beaucastel). If it performs like the 1985, it will drink well young and continue to do so for 25 or more years. (Oct 2011)"

94 points James Suckling: "A very warm year, this has extremely expressive grenache fruits, raspberry, some honey and a lithe juicy core. There's a late creeping wave of smooth tannins. Darker plum fruits exude power through the finish. Stunning wine from a very ripe vintage. (8/14/17)"

94 points (17/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "The red Beaucastel offers a nose of very ripe fruit (fig, plum); it has the sunny side of the millesime, at once dense and abundant on the palate, but also a little one-dimensional. (2012)"

93 points Josh Raynolds (International Wine Cellar): "(30% each of grenache and mourvedre and 10% each of counoise and syrah, with the balance spread across the other nine permitted varieties): Bright ruby. Perfumed, expressive aromas of red and dark berry preserves, smoky herbs and lavender, with a touch of licorice adding depth. Fleshy and supple in texture, offering intense black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors lifted by a spicy quality. Shows the richness of the vintage but carries no excess fat. The finish lingers with impressive tenacity and echoes the floral and smoke notes. (Jan/Feb 2012)"

93 points Falstaff Guide: "This wine will not leave the high-security wing for another five years at the earliest, its bouquet is currently so closed. But you don't have to be a prophet to foresee its greatness and potential. A complex aroma of dark forest fruits, black chocolate and Mediterranean spices. The palate is already full of rich, generous fruit and, despite its powerful substance, is blessed with a grandeur that can only be found in a great Chateauneuf-du-Papes. (6/4/13)"