2007 Chateauneuf du Pape

The brilliant 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition (made from 80% Grenache and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and other assorted authorized varieties) is brilliant. Gorgeous notes reminiscent of an open-air Provencal fruit and vegetable market jump from the glass of this deep plum/purple-colored wine. The wine is expansive, savory, very fleshy, and totally disarming in its explosive aromatics and lush, opulent flavors. The better-than-average acids, due to the cool growing year, give it uplift and vibrancy, which nicely buttress the wine’s full-bodied power and substance. This is a beauty to drink over the next 15 or so years. One of the hallmark and legendary estates of Chateauneuf du Pape, having first estate-bottled wine in the early 1930s, Clos du Mont Olivet is a reference point for traditional, long-lived Chateauneuf du Pape. The estate is certainly one of the larger ones of the region, with nearly 70 acres under vine. In the very finest years, they produce their renowned Cuvee du Papet, whose composition varies, but it comes from their oldest vines, and usually has a minimum of 75% Grenache, although in some vintages, such as 1998 and their first vintage of this wine, 1990, it can be as high as 95% Grenache. It is aged completely in concrete vats and older demi-muids. Robert Parker. Wine Advocate # 185