Domaine L'Abbe Dine Chateauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Cieux 2018

The hyper-talented, one-woman show that is Nathalie Reynaud (who trained under Southern Rhône’s most famous, multi-100-point winemaker of all-time, Philippe Cambie) is back with a stunning CdP Réserve!! 93 POINTS is just scratching the surface on this layered, fresh, and powerful old-vine grenache! Super-limited and magnums too!

Wine Advocate smartly called L'Abbé Dine out as “an estate that seems to be turning out better and better wine every vintage” with Jeb piping up a similar sentiment when he declared, "... the quality here has been on an upward trajectory, and this is an estate readers should keep on their radar." Understatements ALL, but trust us, this house simply CRUSHES it! One of our most epic French finds, bar none. Tasting in February at Nathalie’s winery in Châteauneuf du Pape was one of the greatest wine tastings I’ve ever had – in no small part because of the sheer quality and dedication revealed in each of her wines. (Her lovely children playing on pallets while we tasted, and her mother breaking out a decadent spread of baguettes, house-cured olives, cheeses, and foie gras didn’t hurt the experience, however.)

This stunning reserve wine is 100% grenache from 95+ year-old vines in the exclusive La Janasse vineyard in the very north of the appellation. This was a tightly wound, densely packed beast of a wine back in February, that nevertheless opened beautifully over about 30 minutes as time and air worked its magic. Ripe, dark berries of all sorts kick things off, with a luscious creme de cassis note, elegant florals of lavender and hibiscus trailing, and a classic, peppery garrigue carrying throughout. Handmade, elegant, stylish, flavor-packed, and just impeccably gorgeous juice that has opened up considerably over these past few months. Without question, its best days still lie ahead of it, as this is a wine to enjoy over the next decade.

Nathalie worked hand-in-hand with CdP’s most LEGENDARY winemaking consultant – PHILIPPE CAMBIE – who guided this estate to glory from its first vintage in 2012 all the way until his passing at the end of 2021. This was the last CdP he saw from bin to bottle for L'Abbe Dine and we couldn’t think of a more lasting tribute to his lasting impact on this unbelievably tiny producer. Nathalie is carrying on and building on all she learned in her time with Philippe, and we agree with the critics here – this is surely an estate to keep an eye on! Less than 20 magnums to start, and only a bit more of the 750s, so be sure to grab a few of each while they last – you will not be disappointed!

PAIRING IDEAS: When tasting with Nathalie, I was served these amazing, local olives from last Fall that had just been pulled from their brine...they were meaty, savory, salty, and sublime...especially with this wine. So let’s do a play on that – Pork Medallions with Olive Caper Sauce.