2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvee Tradition

Starting with the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc, this is a racy, lively, juicy white that offers plenty of white grapefruit, crushed citrus, and sappy garrigue notes as well as a medium-bodied, bright, clean style on the palate. Nicely balanced, it’s going to shine on the dinner table, and it should have a solid decade of longevity as well. Built like an NFL linebacker, Nicolas Boiron is nevertheless a gentle giant and produced a bevy of brilliant wines in 2018 and 2019. While many estates stick to a single style (whether that be modern, traditional, etc.), the wines from Bosquet des Papes span the full spectrum. His classic cuvee and the old vine Chante Le Merle releases are classic, old-school Châteauneuf du Pape, his A La Gloire de Mon Grand-Père is more quasi-modern in style with partial destemming and aging in demi-muids, and his La Folie cuvee is full-on modern with destemming and plenty of new oak. Regardless of the style, the quality is brilliant, and these are beautiful wines. In addition, while I used to find a certain rusticity in the tannins in these wines, today, these wines show considerably more elegance and purity.

Imbued with scents of white flowers, white peaches, pear and white grapefruit, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is a fragrant example of the appellation, a mostly tank-aged blend of Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Bourboulenc. It's medium to full-bodied, but remains tense and structured throughout, ending with a citrusy flourish.