2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Saouma Omnia

Dark red. Deeply pitched aromas of blackberry, cassis, smoky minerals, garrigue and fruitcake. Impressively dense and velvety in texture, with a surprisingly light touch to its sweet dark fruit and peppery spice flavors. Stains the palate without giving any suggestion of excess weight. The energetic finish features sexy notes of Asian spices and candied violet, with chewy tannins buffered by the sappy fruit.

The 2011 Châteauneuf du Pape Omnia is a smoking blend of 80 Grenache, 10 Syrah and 10 Mourvedre that was fermented with 100 whole-cluster and aged two years in barrels, on lees, and never racked. It offers up a gorgeous perfume of sweet black cherries, kirsch liqueur, garrigue, crushed flowers and toasted spice that gives way to full-bodied richness, solid mid-palate depth and building tannin that emerges on the finish. While this has the vintage's more supple nature, I love the depth and richness on the palate, and it will evolve gracefully for at least 10-12 years.