2023 Chateauneuf du Pape

Rocking levels of kirsch, peppery garrigue, Provençal spices, and flowers all emerge from the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape. Medium-bodied and balanced, it has a beautifully textured, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Drink bottles over the coming 15 years. Drink 2025-2040. This is another brilliant lineup from the Maurel brothers, who continue to produce some of the greatest wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Following the passing of consultant Philippe Cambie in 2021, the estate has continued to fire on all cylinders. The estate makes five separate red cuvées: a traditional cuvée based largely on Grenache from all the estate parcels; a Vieilles Vignes cuvée that's slightly more Grenache-dominated and from older vines (this cuvée is only for the US market, with less than 1,000 cases produced); the Combes de Fous based on 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and the rest Cinsault and Vaccarèse; the Sanctus, which is 100% Grenache from a single parcel of old vines in the La Crau lieu-dit (released only in magnum with just two demi-muids produced); and the Deus Ex Machina, which is a 60/40 split of Grenache and Mourvèdre, with the Grenache aged all in concrete and the Mourvèdre in barrel. The whites here are some of the most under-the-radar, great whites of the appellation, with the Grenache and Roussanne fermented in barrel and the Clairette and Bourboulenc vinified in stainless steel and concrete egg. These wines possess that rare mix of incredible power and richness paired with a sense of weightlessness and elegance, and any of the three special cuvées would suffice as a desert island wine for yours truly.