2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum
Buying options
Tasting notes
Lurid ruby-red. A heady, assertively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, incense, Indian spices and smoky minerals. A suave floral pastille nuance builds in the glass, adding to the wine's exotic character. Deeply concentrated yet energetic black raspberry and boysenberry flavors unfold slowly, picking up star anise, black cardamom and licorice qualities that expand on the back half. Shows superb clarity and mineral thrust on a sweet, seamless, endless finish that's given shape by smooth, harmonious tannins. Mar 2017, www.vinous.com
Critic scores
Average Score
Josh Raynolds
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The pure Grenache 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum was matured in a combination of clay amphorae and new demi-muids. It's an enormous yet fruit-driven wine, endowed with masses of raspberries and stone fruit yet featuring complexity in the form of dried spices, like cinnamon, clove and allspice. Creamy and intense, it's a roller coaster ride of exuberance, yet it's ultimately elegant as it glides into a nearly never-ending finish. The only thing that kept me from going higher was the slight bit of warmth on the finish, which I think limits the wine's aging potential. Oct 2017, www.robertparker.com