1996 Nine Popes

The 1996 Nine Popes, a satirically named wine that pokes fun at France's Chateauneuf du Pape, is made from dry-farmed vineyards, ranging in age from 30-130 years, planted with Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre. The deep ruby/purple-colored 1996 is a blend of 68% Grenache, 30% Shiraz, and 2% Mourvedre. This big wine (14.5% alcohol) should offer immensely pleasing and mouthfilling drinking for a decade or more. It offers a knock-out nose of black fruits intermixed with new saddle leather, spice, and earth. Expressive, with gobs of fruit, this intense, chewy, yet impeccably balanced and pure wine is a thrill to drink. Think of it as Australia's Chateauneuf du Pape, but fruitier.