2018 Domaine La Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Pure
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Tasting notes
Glistening violet. Vibrant, spice-tinged cherry, raspberry and candied lavender scents pick up potpourri and mineral qualities with air. Densely packed red fruit liqueur, cherry cola, star anise and floral pastille flavors stain the palate and deepen steadily through the back half. Fine-grained tannins lend shape to an impressively long, focused, floral-dominated finish that echoes the red fruit note and betrays no rough edges.
Critic scores
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Coming from incredibly old vines and sandy soils located at the intersection of the Grand Pierre, Rayas, and Pointu lieux-dits, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Pure is as always 100% Grenache raised in a single, ancient foudre. This was a difficult vintage for the more sandy soils yet Julien has fashioned a beautiful wine that offers lots of strawberry and raspberry fruits as well as notes of spring flowers, white pepper, and sappy garrigue. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it’s nicely balanced, has silky tannins, and a beautiful sense of elegance and finesse. It’s going to benefit from a year or three of bottle age and cruise for a decade in cool cellars.
From old-vine Grenache in sand, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure is a full-bodied beauty. Fully ripe, boasting notes of black cherries, wild herbs and hints of dark chocolate, it nevertheless comes across as silky and almost airy on the palate, while showing real intensity and length on the licorice-tinged finish.