Châteauneuf du Pape, Clos des Papes, 2015
Gorgeous texture, rich, suave and hauntingly long. Wonderful cherry, kirsch, crème de mure, and cherry stone notes with a lifting salty edge and a savoury black olive touch fortified by gripping satin-textured tannins. The blend is a classic Clos des Papes one, comprising approximately 65% Grenache 20% Mourvèdre and never more than 10% Syrah with a dash of other permitted varieties.
critic reviews
Bottled in May, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape is a floral, elegant, unbelievably complex wine. Roses and violets, cherries and stone fruit, cinnamon and allspice and more are carried across the full-bodied yet almost weightless palate, finishing in a swirl of silky tannins and lingering spice. Drink it over the next two decades.
(raised in foudres) Deep ruby. Hugely aromatic red and dark berry, potpourri and floral scents are underscored by smoky minerality and an exotic suggestion of Asian spices. Sappy, focused and impressively deep yet lively, offering alluringly sweet raspberry, cherry compote and spicecake flavors and a refreshingly bitter touch of blood orange. Puts on weight and spreads out steadily with air, acquiring a succulent herb note that carries through the strikingly long, mineral-laced, gently tannic finish. This beauty is shaping up to be among the standouts of this extremely successful vintage.