2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau

We are thrilled to offer the last few cases of one of our most popular releases of 2016 Chateuneuf-du-Papes. From the most pedigreed vineyard of the appellation, La Crau, and one of our favourite producers, Raymond Usseglio, this is a beautiful example of terroir, pedigree and rarity. We have said it before, but it bears repeating: the 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhone is one of the greatest in recent memory. Leading Rhone critic Jeb Dunnuck describes the wines as "beautifully concentrated and structured…the tannin quality is beautiful, the wines have noticeable freshness and purity and the alcohol integrated… This is truly an extraordinary vintage." He goes on: "Save up for these 2016s as this is an incredible vintage.” This wine is from a tiny parcel of the La Crau vineyard made famous by Henri Bonneau and also closely associated with Vieux Telegraphe. The stony La Crau plateau is emblematic of Chateauneuf du Pape's finest terroir, where sandy, pebbly soils and 70-80 year old vines mean only the smallest amounts of exquisite fruit are farmed; the domaine produced a mere 600 bottles in 2016. At a tasting of a selection of blends made by Raymond Usseglio, this was the real stand out in terms of power and depth and what you would hope to expect from a wine entirely coming from very old vines (70-80 years old). A lovely fragrance of lavender, herbs and liquorice oscillates from the glass. The palate has a wonderful layered mouthfeel, ripe and opulent with roasted strawberries and red berry fruit flavours with an underlying dark chocolate richness. The wine has a good tannic structure, well integrated but well framed and a long finish. A fine example exemplifying the positive attributes from one of the finest vintages in the Southern Rhone in decades.