2012 Chateauneuf du Pape le Grand Pin
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Tasting notes
Bright ruby. Sexy, mineral-laced aromas of fresh red berries and potpourri, with a smoky element emerging slowly. Juicy and precise on the palate, with sweet raspberry and cherry flavors that put on weight with air. Fine-grained tannins give shape to the fruit-driven finish, which hangs on with real tenacity.
Critic scores
Josh Raynolds
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Coming from sandy soils next to Rayas, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape le Grand Pin is a fresher, more focused and linear example of this cuvee. Showing sappy pine bush, Christmas spice and mint in its core of kirsch and blackberry fruit, it flows onto the palate with a seamless, elegant profile that carries fine tannin and bright acidity. It’s a finesse-drive effort, and while I’d like more backend depth and richness, it should evolve nicely through at least 2022.