Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine

Enjoyed with venison. Fruit fading but tannins resolved.

Oh my, delicious!!! I popped the cork, which broke in two, and immediately had a delightful whiff. Light colored and medium bodied. Tasted great from the first pour. Lots of spiced fruit flavors. Tannins resolved. Last bottle.

Medium bodied and easy drinking. Tannins fully resolved. Missed the smokiness, etc. typical of chateauneuf.

Opened 3 hrs, decanted 1 hour before drinking. Much sediment. Initial stink was very off putting, as many CdP drinkers have noted. Early hints of volatile acidity. Drank against a rare ribeye steak, mushrooms and broccoli so a tough test. Flying colours - dignified thoroughbred with a well resolved mix of fine earthy Rhone flavours. Not overly assertive but not tired, and showed well against meaty food. Shame it was a one-off bin end!

It is the right time to drink. Multi layered rhone that makes everyone say yummy. This wine is not over the hill, can still advance but very enjoyable.

Licorice and light smoke preceded by a hint of dried cherries. Smooth finish but not long. Tannins and acidity in balance. Very good wine that aged perfectly. No signs of brett or other flaws.

Showing much worse than 5 years ago, this wine seems to have passed it's prime. Slight notes of oxydation are present in this brick edge colored wine. Drink now.

Popped and poured after the two Burgs. I can appreciate a little brett in my Rhone wines, but this was a bit beyond my comfort level. The nose was totally obscured with brett. In the mouth this had a nice weight and a certain elegance. Would probably be a very enjoyable wine without the brett.

Delicious with the traditional smokey nose and flavors of CdP. Ready to drink but likely to age for years to come.

Red fruits, leather, and animale-type rustic notes. A heady, warm feel. Very nice surprise - excellent with a truffled lamb dish.

Oak quite prominent on the nose, but followed up with some nice red fruit, spice and flowers. Palate initially very tannic, dominated by the oak. Even after two hours, the over-oaked palate shows no signs of subsiding. This has, over the past few years, become dominated by too much oak. In the end: decent nose, awful palate.

We had this for dinner with Toni and Tim. The last time I had this it exhibited more grenache character, this time it seemed a bit more more syrah-like, and was somewhat tight -- maybe a bit foursquare, as some might say. Still very good, but not quite up to the quality of the previous bottle.

an hour after opening: big, musty, mushroom, earth, dirt, tannins, some fruit -mostly dark berries. 24 hours after opening: The wine has mellowed, the fruit opened well. Still the pungent, mushroom, earth nose, but balanced better with fruits of dark berries, currants, hints of violet, dusting of espresso, and a long finish of sweet mixed berries interlaced with dark chocolate. this wine will cellar nicely for years. side note: on Parkers note of "Extremely rich and full-bodied": this wine has …

This note is written almost a month after tasting this wine. I recall that it was quite nice, well balanced, true to the appellation. Some folks have said they've noted a certain mustiness in the aromas of 1999 southern rhones. Certainly wasn't present in this wine. It was very well liked (Dan, in particular, really enjoyed it). Terrific wine.