2018 Chateauneuf du Pape

I‘ve always loved the base cuvée from this reference point estate and I still remember being blown away by the 1990 when I was just starting to learn about wine. The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape checks in as 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, and 5% Cinsault that was all destemmed and had a traditional upbringing with vinification in concrete tanks and 18 months spent primarily in concrete tanks, with 15% in a mix of older barrels. This cuvée is never the biggest or richest of the vintage, but it excels on its purity and elegance, and I always find a Burgundian style in this wine. The 2018 has a great nose of kirsch liqueur and framboise intermixed with lots of flowery incense, white pepper, and Provençal garrigue-like aromas. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has silky tannins, terrific overall balance, and a great finish, all making for a great example of this estate as well as the vintage. Give bottles 2-3 years in a cold cellar, then enjoy over the following 15+ years.

Always one of the more garrigue-scented Châteauneufs, the Brunels' 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape includes hints of lavender and bay leaf on the nose, alongside ripe cherries and hints of plum, cola and mocha. It's medium to full-bodied, silky-textured and elegant, with no rough edges at all, so it goes down easily, even at this young age. I'd opt for drinking it over the next decade. Because of low yields, there's no Cuvée Centenaire this year, with fruit from those vines being included here.

80% Roussanne, 15% Clairette, 5% Grenache Blanc. Aged for five months in concrete. Tasted blind. Spicy nose with a strong oyster-shell aroma too. Richly fruited palate giving melon, apricot and cooked citrus. Lots of concentration and complexity, with the typical full structure of the southern Rhône. Classic, prototypical style. (RH)