2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes

A blend of 45% Grenache Noir, 45% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes from Domaine Grand Veneur exhales aromas of dark cherries, violets, spices, cassis and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, round and enveloping, it's dense and tense with a fleshy core of fruit framed by structured, velvety and fine-grained tannins, concluding in a long, elegant finish. Matured for 16 months in 55% new barrels and 45% concrete tanks, the new oak is barely noticeable. It's a stunning wine.

Blackberries, roasted garrigue, licorice, and spice notes all define the aromatics of the 2022 Châteauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes, a broad, expansive, opulent Châteauneuf du Pape that has velvety tannins and a huge finish. Based on 40% Grenache, 45% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, with the Grenache brought up in concrete tanks and the Syrah and Mourvèdre in barrel, it shows a kiss of the modern style found in the Les Origines but is just pure Châteauneuf du Pape magic with its purity, opulence, and elegance. It's a gorgeous 2022 that should benefit from just a few years in the cellar and evolve gracefully over the following 15+ years. If you see a bottle, buy it.

45% Grenache, 45% Mourv è dre, 10% Syrah. Vinified in stainless-steel tanks. Aged for 16 months in new oak barrels (55%) and concrete tanks (45%). Tank/cask sample. Tasted blind. A creamy and lactic nose. The palate is very tight and sleek and has an earthy tobacco note. Dense and rich and has good energy beneath as well. (AC)