“From one of my favorite estates, the 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape offers a beautiful ruby/plum color as well as a stunning bouquet of red and black fruits, Provençal herbs, lavender, and pepper, with some exotic, meaty nuances. The purity here is straight-up brilliant!...and the wine is medium to full-bodied, with ultra-fine tannins, a supple, elegant mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's one HEAVENLY, CLASSIC cuvée readers will be absolutely thrilled to have in their cellar!”

Aromas of roses, dark cherries, flowers and garrigue preface the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape from Clos du Mont Olivet, a medium to full-bodied, layered and textured wine with a dense, fleshy core of fruit, supported by an abundance of sweet, velvety tannins that pave the way to a long, expansive finish. Composed of 75% Grenache Noir, 10% Mourvèdre, 9% Cinsault and small equal parts of Terret Noir, Muscardin, Picoult Noir, Vaccarèse and Counoise, this wine stands out as one of the finest red wines I have encountered at this address. With its structure and complexity, it promises to cellar well for over a decade.

The 2022 Chateauneuf-du-Pape has the slight edge over the preceding vintage. Melted licorice, raspberry compote and jammy black fruits are front and center. The palate does not reflect the signs of over-ripeness shown on the nose. Round and concentrated with perfectly integrated tannins, even at this early stage, the 2022 is a triumph and should drink well after release.