2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Cotes Capelan

A big, powerful wine based on 80% Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvèdre, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Côtes Capelan sports a deep purple hue to go with ample, ripe darker fruits, smoked meats, spicy oak, and ground pepper. With notable purity, a juicy, medium to full-bodied style, and fine tannins, it's a touch gangly at the moment (the 2020 vintage wasn't a vintage that handled oak very well), yet this certainly has potential. Give bottles another 2-4 years and it should evolve gracefully through 2035. These releases from Stephane Vedeau are richly concentrated, at times extracted wines that are mostly destemmed, with small amounts of new oak used for the élevage. It seems that the oak profile is slightly more prominent in these latest Chateauneuf du Pape releases, so I suspect the cellar will be your friend.