2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Signature

(66% grenache, 15% syrah, 13% mourvedre and 6% cinsault): Bright ruby-red. Ripe cherry and dark berries on the nose, complicated by smoke, licorice and lavender nuances. Fleshy and deeply pitched but surprisingly lithe, offering juicy black raspberry and cassis flavors and a hint of exotic spices. Closes with excellent clarity and grip, the dark berry and licorice notes echoing.

Checking in at 15.8% alcohol and showing more fruit and intensity than the Terroir bottling, the 2009 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Signature is a beauty. A blend of 66% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 13% Syrah, and 6% Cinsault that’s aged primarily in large foudre, the wine shows a slightly exotic profile with perfumed notes of bing cherries, rose petal, and spiced meat on the nose, a medium-bodied, supple, silky mouth feel, and ripe tannin on the finish. Certainly lighter styled with elegance and finesse being the buzzwords, this should benefit from a year or three in the cellar, and have upwards of a decade of longevity.

Dark ruby. Ripe cherry, blackcurrant, garrigue and anise on the slightly medicinal nose. Supple and smooth on entry, then chewy and firm in the middle, with smoky minerality keeping the dark berry flavors tight. A serious, deeply pitched wine that seems destined for slow evolution; the finish is long, spicy and offers notes of bitter cherry and licorice. Julien told me that this was made from 66% grenache, 17% syrah, 12% mourvedre and 5% cinsault; this syrah would usually go into the high-end Fiancee bottling.