2016 Château de Saint Cosme Châteauneuf-du-Pape
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Tasting notes
Brilliant ruby-red. Smoke- and mineral-accented dark berries, licorice and garrigue on the highly perfumed nose. Sappy, expansive blackberry and bitter cherry flavors unfurl and become sweeter with air, picking up a sexy floral note on the back half. Combines power and finesse with a sure hand and finishes very long and spicy, with rounded tannins lending gentle grip.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Scheduled to be bottled in October, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape checks in as a mix of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and 10% each of Syrah and Cinsault. Rounded, beautifully textured, and full-bodied, with terrific complexity in its incense, dried flower, cedarwood, and assorted red and black fruits, it should benefit from short-term cellaring and offer over a decade of prime drinking.
Blended, but still aging in barrel, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape will likely be bottled in March 2019. Brandied cherries and dried spices mark the nose of this full-bodied, plush wine. It's slightly warm, and certainly rich, but it remains fresh and long on the finish. It should be a beauty.
Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache. Oak to the fore on the nose, but the palate rescues itself with delicious red fruit and a serious, savoury finish. Loads of layered fruit intensity on the finish. Full, powerful, substantial and delicious. (RH)