2016 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines is 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, all brought up in 50% new oak. It offers a deep ruby/plum color to go with terrific notes of blackberries, currants, smoked earth, and spiced meats. This cuvée shows some oak, but it's beautifully interwoven with its fruit, and it has a rich, full mid-palate and a great finish. This awesome wine will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 15+ years. There are few better run estates in the world than that of the Jaume Family’s Domaine Grand Veneur. Located in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and run today by brothers Christophe and Sebastien Jaume, the estate produces a quasi-modern style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (their Les Origins and Vieilles Vignes) as well as a growing number of negociant based wines from throughout the Southern Rhône. The 2017s whites are terrific across the board, and this vintage has produced charming, pure wines that are already drinking beautifully. The 2016 reds are some of the finest I’ve tasted from this estate.

About as sexy as they come, 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape les Origines features dark, chocolaty notes layered over plums and black cherries. Deep, rich and intense yet sleek and plush, it's a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah aged in vats (for the Grenache) and barrels (for the other varieties). It should drink well for over a decade. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.

Deep ruby. Ripe red berries, incense, licorice and smoky minerals on the nose, joined by slowly emerging floral and vanilla nuances. Juicy and expansive on the palate, offering intense raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors and a suggestion of candied lavender. Shows impressive energy for its heft and betrays no rough edges. Finishes sweet, broad and gently tannic, displaying impressive red-fruit-driven persistence.