"Looking at the wines, and a new release for this estate, the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape La Belle Voyageuse is made from 90% Grenache, 4% Mourvedre, 4% Syrah and a splash of Counoise and Vaccarese that was raised mostly in stainless steel tanks, with 15% of the blend aged in barrel. Due to the forward nature of the vintage, this cuvée functions as a second wine and is made in a more forward, charming style than the more structured and serious La Reine des Bois release. Nevertheless, while a second wine for this estate, it’s still a huge success in the vintage and offers youthful, forward, and jammy notes of cassis, sappy flowers, violets and graphite to go with a mouth filling, medium to full-bodied style the palate. It has plenty of mid-palate depth, chewy tannin on the finish, and is already hard to resist. Nevertheless, I suspect it will have upwards of a decade of longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck""
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue# 221, October 2015), 90-92 pts
"Deep ruby. Intense blackberry and cherry liqueur aromas are complemented by suave floral and smoky Indian spice flourishes. Full, velvety and plush, offering appealingly sweet, deeply concentrated black raspberry and blueberry flavors and a touch of cola. An extroverted, polished wine that deftly marries power and finesse, finishing with impressive persistence, lingering smokiness and round, even tannins. - Josh Raynolds"
"Ripe and mouthfilling, with a core of raspberry pâte de fruit and plum cake flavors kept lively by anise and violet notes. Shows brambly structure on the finish. Best from 2017 through 2024.-James MOLESWORTH"
"Savory smoked nut, spice and leather complexities juxtapose bright blackberry and cherry fruit in this luscious red. It's rounded and supple on the palate yet freshly composed—not at all brooding or hot. The finish is long and peppery, accentuated by firm, enveloping tannins. Sure to improve through 2030 and hold even further. - Anna Lee C. Iijima"
"Brilliant ruby. Intense red fruit liqueur and floral pastille aromas pick up suggestions of licorice and smoky minerals in the glass. Sappy and concentrated yet lively as well, offering palate-caressing raspberry and cherry compote flavors that are given lift and cut by a core of juicy acidity. Shows a suave combination of richness and elegance and finishes very long and sweet; velvety tannins sneak in to add shape and grip. - Josh Raynolds"
"This 2016 'La Dame Voyageuse' is a simply sensational release in this vintage. It instantly beings to impress with its fantastic aromatic profile of blackberry, dark cherry and strawberries along with garrigue leather, bacon fat, black pepper and hints loam and tar. On the palate this displays a wonderful elegant character, with soft, polished tannins making for a gorgoeus mouthfeel. Layered and complex, this brilliant red goes on to impress with incredible purity, along with a gorgeous combination of earthy and meaty characteristics that continue through the long supple finish. While the 2016 is nothing short of outstanding now, it also shows incredible promise to become even more compelling as it evolves. - J. D'Angelo"