Description
Southern Rhone Valley
Domaine Galevan 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape
Wine Advocate 95 Rating
The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the finest traditional cuvees I have tasted as well as a sleeper of the vintage. Made from 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre from 55-year-old vines, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as a stunning perfume of creme de cassis, kirsch, incense, licorice and a vague notion of beef blood and roasted Provencal herbs. All of the fruit comes from vines planted in the northern end of the appellation. This exquisite, full-throttle Chateauneuf du Pape should drink well for 15 or more years. It is a major star of the vintage, and probably is reasonably priced as well.
Domaine Giraud 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape les Grenaches de Pierre
Wine Advocate 96 Rating
Shockingly good given that it’s 100% Grenache (which struggled in the vintage), the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Grenaches de Pierre comes all from sandy soils in La Crau and Pignan. Aged all in concrete, it’s more focused and concentrated than the Gallimardes, with beautiful minerality, dark fruit, roasted garrigue and assorted Provencal nuances. Serious stuff, with full-bodied richness and chewy tannin, it will have a broad drink window. Count me a fan. Drink 2015-2027.
Domaine Roger Sabon 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige
Wine Advocate 96 Rating
An absolutely profound offering, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige requires 5-6 years of cellaring given its massive concentration and tannic structure. The wine was relatively closed the day I tasted it, but it did display an inky/purple color along with hints of camphor, graphite, creme de cassis, kirsch, licorice and espresso beans. Full-bodied and moderately tannic with gorgeous freshness, glycerin and a skyscraper-like texture, this superb cuvee should be at its finest between 2018-2030+.
Domaine De Cristia 2010 Chateauneuf Du Pape Renaissance
Jeb Dunnuck 97 Rating
In contrast, the 2010 Domaine de Cristia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Renaissance – a 60/40 blend of Grenache and Mourvedre – is aged all in barrel, with the Grenache seeing only neutral oak and the Mourvedre aged all in new oak. Showing spectacularly, it offers a thrilling array of blackberry, cassis, wild herbs, flowers, and roasted meats, with only a hint of graphite showing from its stint in barrel. Every bit as good on the palate, with brilliant freshness, fantastic purity, and a powerful, yet focused overall mouth-feel, this knockout offering needs a solid 4-6 years of bottle age, and will have upwards of two decades of overall longevity.
La Ferme du Mont 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cotes Capelan
Wine Advocate 98 Rating
The prodigious 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cotes Capelan boasts abundant notes of acacia flowers interwoven with blackberries, black raspberries, licorice, incense and a touch of graphite. The wine hits the palate with tremendous authority, impressive purity, a skyscraper-like texture and a full-bodied, layered finish that lasts for nearly 50 seconds. This remarkable Chateauneuf du Pape has a natural yet seductive feel. Drink it over the next two decades.
Domaine de la Janasse 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Chaupin
Wine Advocate 98 Rating
The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Chaupin rivals the 2007 Chaupin (to date the best Chaupin I have yet tasted). Made from 100% Grenache (3/4 destemmed), it boasts a dense black/purple color as well as unbelievable notes of raspberries, black cherries, licorice, truffles, camphor, forest floor and garrigue. This wine is stunningly concentrated, incredibly noble, precise and expansive on the palate with mouth-saturating intensity, glycerin and extract. It is an amazing example of impeccably grown old vine Grenache translated into a natural yet full-throttle red.
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