2018 Chateauneuf du Pape

The base wine, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape has a healthy ruby/purple color to go with its classic Southern Rhône notes of ripe red and black fruits, lots of earthy garrigue, some ground pepper, and a touch of minerality. All this carries over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a great mid-palate and sweet tannins. It certainly shows the upfront, charming style of the vintage, but I love its mid-palate, it’s beautifully balanced, and is just a seriously classy wine from this estate, which deserves more recognition today. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 15 years or more. An estate that has been on the upswing, Mont-Redon covers a large portion of the Mont-Redon plateau, which is in the northwestern sector of Châteauneuf du Pape.

Limpid ruby-red. Mineral-tinged aromas of raspberry, cherry liqueur, garrigue and exotic spices show excellent clarity and take on a minerally nuance as the wine opens up. At once rich and lively in style, offering penetrating red berry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors and a touch of candied lavender. Shows superb definition and finishes smooth, spicy and impressively long, leaving behind a bright mineral note.

55% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette, 15% Roussanne, 10% Picpoul Blanc. Tasted blind. Neutral nose, soft and simple palate. Probably quite a good food-matching option, because of its neutrality, but quite ordinary otherwise. (RH)