2007 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Papet

Fresh and lively. Very sweet but with a refreshing streak of something vaguely mineral too. Well balanced despite the high alcohol. Well done. (JR)

Flirting with perfection, the utterly profound 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape la Cuvee du Papet is up there with some of the greatest Chateauneuf du Papes ever made. A huge, classically styled and Provencal wine, it offers layers of garrigue, black currants, licorice, beef blood and leather, as well as building tannin, a stacked mid-palate and a finish that just won’t quit. Made from 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah that was not destemmed, it was aged in equal parts concrete tanks and ancient foudre. It’s still an infant, with sweet tannin, and needs another 2-3 years to hit full maturity, and it will keep for upwards of two decades.

Deep red. Explosively perfumed, captivating bouquet of red and dark berries, smoky Indian spices, pungent herbs and iron. Much more powerful, weighty and extroverted than the graceful 2006, with palate-staining dark berry and cherry-cola flavors and a late note of candied licorice. The echoing dark berry qualities refuse to quit on the aftertaste.