1996 Chapoutier Collection (1999 VDF Coufis, 2010 Ermitage Vin de Paille)
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Starting with the 1996 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac, this single vineyard effort is 100% Grenache that comes from a site in the western portion of the appellation. Starting out a touch funky, it cleaned up beautifully with time in the glass and offers a perfumed, complex and sweetly fruited bouquet of ripe cherries, black raspberries, rose petals and flowers. Pure, fully mature, silky and perfectly balanced, it is a fabulous example of mature Grenache to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 1996 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac displays an exotic nose of barbeque spices, burning wood, and sweet cherry fruit. The plum/cherry color reveals some lightening at the edge. The wine is full-bodied and dense, with copious spice, tobacco, and earthy notes. This rich, chewy, outstanding Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the finest wines of the vintage. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900|| Wine Advocate.February, 1999
Starting with the 1996 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac, this single vineyard effort is 100% Grenache that comes from a site in the western portion of the appellation. Starting out a touch funky, it cleaned up beautifully with time in the glass and offers a perfumed, complex and sweetly fruited bouquet of ripe cherries, black raspberries, rose petals and flowers. Pure, fully mature, silky and perfectly balanced, it is a fabulous example of mature Grenache to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years. Sep 2016, www.robertparker.com
Medium red-ruby. Cherry, coffee, tobacco and damp earth on the nose; slightly port-like and very grenache. Exotic flavors repeat in the mouth; concentrated but not especially vibrant. Perhaps in a dumb phase today. The tannins today seem distinctly drier than those of Chapoutier '96 syrah wines.