Châteauneuf du Pape, Colombis, 2018
Sweet seductive floral fruit, a mix of black cherry, cherry blossom and kirsch with a twist of strawberry. Headily scented and very stylish, this floats seamlessly across the palate to a long finish. The elegant side of Chateauneuf. From Grenache vines located in the sandy Rayas sector, fermented with whole bunches and aged in demi muid barrels.
critic reviews
Shimmering ruby. An expansive bouquet evokes ripe, spice-tinged red/blue fruits, potpourri and incense, and a smoky mineral nuance builds in the glass. Shows impressive depth and energy to the sappy black raspberry, boysenberry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors, which are braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Impressively lithe for its heft, finishing on a gently tannic note, with fine delineation and floral lift.
At the risk of not being literal enough, tasting Isabel Ferrando's 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Colombis is like drinking purple flowers. Deep rose and violet notes are seamlessly joined to purple raspberries in a full-bodied wine that seems almost weightless on the palate. There's terrific inner-mouth perfume, near-ethereal tannins that support the wine's girth via a taut, gossamer structure, and a finish tinged with star anise and black cherries that just won't quit. A tour de force of pure Grenache, it should drink well for a decade, perhaps longer.