2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape 'blends tradition with modernity'
Modernity meets tradition in the 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Speciale, according to the Wine Spectator's senior editor James Molesworth.
Maison Tardieu-Laurent's wine is open and accessible in spite of its youth, the critic noted, and is composed entirely of old-vine Grenache from the La Crau region, where its producers do not destem the fruit in a nod to traditional winemaking methods.
Mr Molesworth, who gives it a 98-point rating, praised its "silky, perfumy raspberry and shiso leaf notes along with lavender, iron and gravel hints".
He added: "The polished, toasty edge of modernity weaves perfectly with the traditional hint of underlying stemmy grip, resulting in a great mouthfeel and a long, long finish."
The most highly-regarded appellation of the southern part of the Rhone Valley, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape's soil benefits from distinctive round rocks which retain the day's heat and release it at night, ripening the region's grapes faster than usual.