2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Les Sinards

Limpid ruby. Ripe red and dark berries, cola, succulent herbs and a building floral quality on the fragrant nose. Spice-laced bitter cherry and black raspberry flavors deepen and take a sweeter turn with air. Fine-grained tannins build slowly on a long, subtly chewy finish that echoes the floral and spice notes.

Made mostly from young vines at Beaucastel. 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. Harvest: August 2018. Fermented in concrete tanks, aged two years in oak foudres. RS 1.5 g/l, TA 2.99 g/l, pH 3.7, SO 2 total, 52 mg/l, free 16 mg/l. Mid crimson. Inviting, sweet-fruited but not simple. The Syrah and the Mourvèdre seem to have given a firm structure to contain the Grenache, or maybe this is a well-structured Grenache. Both firm and smooth and beautifully balanced and fresh. The alcohol not evident. More elegant than stereotypical CNDP. (JH)

Brilliant violet. An expressive bouquet displays aromas of ripe, mineral-accented red fruits, candied flowers and garrigue . Fleshy and broad in the mouth, offering raspberry, bitter cherry, lavender and spicecake flavors that turn livelier on the back half. The mineral note drives a long, smooth finish that features well-knit tannins and repeating florality.