2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Boisrenard

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard is a Grenache-dominated field blend (80%) that also includes 15 other varieties. Brought up all in foudre, it boasts a dense purple hue to go with a sensational, full-bodied, multi-layered array of red and black currants, toasted spice, peppery garrigue, and new leather-like aromas and flavors. Slightly tighter and more backward than the classic cuvée, this warrants 4-6 years of bottle age and will be incredibly long-lived. Is this even better than the 2001 and 2016? Readers looking for a more Burgundian styled, elegant, yet still concentrated and classic Châteauneuf du Pape should jump on these latest releases from Domaine de Beaurenard, which are made by the Coulon family. While I found the wines to be slightly narrow and moderately concentrated in the past, they appear to be back on track, making richly textured, concentrated, yet still incredibly elegant wines today, and you can’t go wrong with either of these new vintages. Their 2019 Cuvée Boisrenard might just match the 2016 and 2001 (and don’t miss the 2017), which remain the benchmark vintages for this estate in my mind. In addition to their great reds, the estate fashions an incredibly impressive, ageworthy set of whites.

Saturated ruby. Red and dark fruit preserves, candied licorice, violet and exotic spices on the expansive nose. Stains the palate with sweet blueberry, cherry cola, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors that become livelier as the wine stretches out. Blends depth and energy with a steady hand and closes impressively long and youthfully chewy, with building tannins and a strong echo of cherry liqueur.