2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Signature

Opaque ruby. Ripe boysenberry, cherry and plum on the intensely fragrant nose and in the mouth. Big and expansive but surprisingly lithe, with a sexy floral pastille quality gaining strength with air. Shows intense spiciness and power on the gently tannic finish, which clings with superb tenacity.

A sensational effort, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits jammy black raspberry and black currant fruit intermixed with licorice, camphor, incense and hits of truffles as well as pepper. With velvety tannins, abundant glycerin, a nicely delineated mouthfeel, a sumptuous texture and a long finish, this 2010 should drink well for 12-15+ years. The brilliant Julien Barrot has decided to produce only two cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape from the family’s nearly 32 acres of vineyards. It is amazing what Julien has accomplished since he began working at Domaine La Barroche in deluge-plagued 2002, the year when historical floods inundated Chateauneuf du Pape on September 8 and 9. The water could not have come at a worse time since prior to that it appeared to be a superb harvest. The first great vintage produced by Barrot was 2005, and he has continued with a remarkable succession of riveting wines. One of the world’s greatest red wines is his 300 or so cases of Pure that come from a lieu-dit called Grand Pierre next to the famed Chateau Rayas. The two cuvees called Signature and Terroir are now combined into one simply called Chateauneuf du Pape (the name may change in the future). It includes an intriguing component of less than 10% 70-year-old Cinsault, which gives the wine an extraordinary fragrance as well as a delicacy that can be missing in these southern Rhone wines. The Pure is 100% Grenache from 105-year-old vines. Importer: The Sorting Table, LLC, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724