2016 Chateauneuf du Pape le Grand Pin

On the day of my visit this year, the 2016 La Guigasse was in full voice, while the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Grand Pin was singing quietly. Rosemary and pine notes accent dark fruit in this wine, which comes from 35-year-old Grenache vines in the Rayas lieu-dit. Boysenberry notes flood the full-bodied palate, bringing a smooth, velvety feel on the long, slightly warm finish. Winemaker Baptiste Grangeon opines, "For me, the 2015 is one of the best wines of my life, but Peter [Weygandt, the owner] says the 2016 is better." What fun it will be to see how this pair develops over the next decade or more.

Even better, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Grand Pin is as always 100% Grenache that will spend two years in demi-muids. Rayas-like notes of rose petals, strawberries, and Asian spices all flow to a full-bodied, incredibly silky 2016 that has a tight, vibrant, structured feel that’s going to require patience. Buy a case of this elixir, give bottles 3-4 years, and enjoy over the following two decades. It’s sensational juice! Owned by importer Peter Weygandt, with the wines made by Baptiste Grangeon (of Domaine Cristia), Chapelle Saint Theodoric focuses on two terroirs (Pignan and Guigasse) of sandy soils. The wines are never destemmed and spend upward of two years in neutral demi-muids. These are classic, elegant, singular wines, and if there’s anything out there coming close to the style perfected by the Reynaud family at Rayas, this is it.

Deep brilliant red. Ripe red berries, Asian spices and potpourri on the highly expressive, mineral-accented nose. Juicy, sharply focused raspberry and bitter cherry flavors show excellent precision and vivacity, and a hint of white pepper contributes cut. Steadily becomes sweeter on a clean, seamless and wonderfully persistent finish that's given shape by silky, harmonious tannins.