2013 Chateauneuf du Pape

(raised in a combination of concrete tanks and old foudres and barriques ): Vivid red. Intense red fruit and floral scents are complicated by suggestions of allspice, smoky minerals and garrigue . Vibrant raspberry and bitter cherry flavors show superb clarity and very good depth, picking up a bit of lavender pastille and an exotic blood orange nuance with aeration. Juicy acidity adds spine and lift; fine-grained tannins shape a strikingly long, focused finish that leaves behind sweet floral pastille and red berry notes.

Grenache mainly, with Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Syrah. 12 hl/ha. Lots of concrete and a bit of barrique for the Syrah. Sinewy and much tougher than 2014. More ambitious than the 2014. Much stricter and tougher than the 2014. Less obviously Grenache. (JR)

While 2013 was a difficult vintage, this estate produced a charming, classic 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape that has tons of character and will drink nicely for upwards of a decade. Possessing lots of black raspberry, blackberry, wild strawberry and peppery herb aromas and flavors, this beauty has medium-bodied richness and depth, solid mid-palate concentration and a great finish. I don’t think it will be the longest lived wine, but it will certainly drink nicely through 2023.