2010 Chateauneuf du Pape La Gardine Immortelle

Sadly, fewer than 125 cases were made of the magnificent 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape l’Immortelle. Made from equal parts Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah from 65+-year-old vines. It boasts an opaque inky/purple as well as incredibly rich blackberry fruit intermixed with hints of fudge, charcoal, camphor and acacia flowers in addition to sweet, well-integrated tannin. This sensational 2010 Chateauneuf is one of the great classics of the vintage. It should drink well for at least three decades. One of the largest estates in Chateauneuf du Pape, Chateau de la Gardine (which has a history dating back to the late 1600s) owns over 120 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape, where they enjoy a long track record of exceptional success. Remarkably, the Brunel family that owns this estate has been vineyard owners since 1670, acquiring La Gardine in 1945. Little has changed in the thirty years I have been covering Chateauneuf du Pape other than the fact that they have introduced a totally unsulphured cuvee, Peur Bleu, and their blockbuster l’Immortelle. The intention is to use small oak casks and make a more modern-styled wine with aging potential of three decades or more. Despite the use of their own bottle form (that varies considerably from the type of bottle used by most Chateauneuf du Pape producers), they age the l’Immortelle in a truncated oak vat and the unsulphured cuvee in 600-liter demi-muids. The 2010s are of high quality across the board. Except for the Traditional cuvees, they are long-term propositions for serious connoisseurs who have the necessary wine storage facilities to give these wines some time to come into full maturity. Importer: Shaw-Ross, Miramar, FL; tel. (954) 430-5036.

Sadly, fewer than 125 cases were made of the magnificent 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape l’Immortelle. Made from equal parts Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah from 65+-year-old vines. It boasts an opaque inky/purple as well as incredibly rich blackberry fruit intermixed with hints of fudge, charcoal, camphor and acacia flowers in addition to sweet, well-integrated tannin. This sensational 2010 Chateauneuf is one of the great classics of the vintage. It should drink well for at least three decades. Oct 2012, www.robertparker.com