2023 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes

Killer stuff that I'd put up with anything in the vintage, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes offers blackberries, darker cherries, roasted garrigue, pepper, and stony minerality. Based on 85% Grenache with some Syrah and Mourvèdre, it was partially destemmed and aged 12 months in 70% foudre and 30% demi-muids. It's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish that builds beautifully with time in the glass. This riveting 2023 will offer incredible pleasure over the coming 20 years or more. There are roughly 1,500 cases produced. Drink 2025-2045. You'll be hard pressed to find a better run estate than Domaine de la Janasse, which has been in the Sabon family since 1967. Today it's the brother and sister pair of Christophe and Isabelle Sabon at the helm, and they continue to produce a bevy of sensational Côtes du Rhônes and Châteauneuf-du-Papes from their vines in the northeastern region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and around the village of Courthézon. The range is extensive and includes several Côtes du Rhône bottlings (the classic cuvée, Terre d'Argile, and the all-Grenache Les Garrigues), the classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape (65% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Cinsault), the Vieilles Vignes (primarily Grenache with small portions of Syrah and Mourvèdre), Chaupin (sourced mostly from the Chapouin lieu-dit with smaller parts from La Crau and Janasse), and the XXL, which is only produced in exceptional vintages. While the XXL used to be the biggest, richest wine, its style has shifted to one of both elegance and power. The estate has also started using more whole cluster fermentations in recent vintages. The whites are also brilliant and deserve serious attention, with the Prestige Blanc consistently one of the finest whites in the appellation. While they've pulled back on the pedal-to-the-metal style of the early and mid-2000s, their wines today offer more purity, precision, and elegance while still possessing ample hedonistic fireworks. In short, these are brilliant wines that readers need to snatch up. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, the 2023s are very much in the more ripe, forward style of the vintage and already offer pleasure. They still have beautiful depth and richness, and these are easily some of the top wines in the vintage. Christophe loves the 2024s, and while I might not be quite as excited about the vintage as a whole, his 2024s are beautiful, elegant wines that remind me of an improved 2021, with maybe even a hint of 2001.