The 2016 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Papesse is brilliant stuff, and just about jumps out of the glass with its bouquet of both red and blue fruits, lavender, herbes de Provence, and ground pepper. A wine that just about screams "Provence" with its complex, satisfying aromatics, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, incredibly elegant mouthfeel, fine-grained tannins, and a great finish. It's powerful yet shines more for its polish, elegance, and complexity, and is a complete, nuanced Châteauneuf du Pape that will continue drinking fabulously well over the coming 15-20 years. This is 100% Grenache that was aged in one-third each of truncated vats, concrete tanks, and stainless steel, with a small portion in 200-liter barrels.
95 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Nov 2022)
The full-bodied, voluminous 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Arcane La Papesse shows a surprising degree of elegance for such a big wine. Remarkably dark and youthful in appearance, it gives up hints of leather, cedar and dried spices, all set against a backdrop of black cherries and plums. The tannins are fine and silky on the mid-palate, fading gently into soft dustiness on the lingering finish. Impressive, with at least a decade of aging potential still ahead of it.
94 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (Sep 2020)