Tasting notes for special cuvées from Châteauneuf-du-Pape's 2018 vintage. For a guide to our coverage of the Rhône 2018 vintage, see this article. For a more in-depth look at the vintage, see Lifting the lid on 2018 in the Rhône.
This category of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is supposed to showcase particular winemaking intentions: single-varietal wines, for example, or individual cuvées from specific terroirs. However, it too often falls into the trap of thinking that more is better, and because the summer of 2018 was so hot, that has resulted in some overblown styles.
There are some great wines here, but an...