2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes

The quality of the Cuvée Vieilles Vignes has soared over the past 4-5 years, and while older vintages has a touch of austerity and rusticity, new releases show more balance, polished tannins, and finesse, while still showing classic old vine Grenache power. The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes (90/10 Grenache and Mourvèdre) boasts a deep purple color to go with full-bodied richness, building tannins, lots of cassis and black raspberry fruit, and complex notes of garrigue, pepper, and violets. I’d put this up with the top wines in the vintage. One of the finest run estates in Châteauneuf du Pape is the Maret family’s Domaine de la Charbonnière, which is in the heart of the appellation, just off the route to Courthezon. They produce four Châteauneuf du Pape (readers should read last year’s report on the 2016 and 2017s for a description of each of the cuvées), all meriting attention. In addition, they’ve added two new Vacqueyras releases, bringing the total from that appellation to three cuvées. The 2017s aren’t far off what was achieved in 2016, and the 2018s all showed beautifully, with more depth and richness that most in the vintage.