2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois

The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Croix De Bois showed beautifully, with the upfront, perfumed style of the vintage. Revealing a ruby/purple color as well as a smorgasbord-like array of kirsch liqueur, Bing cherry, candied violets, and assorted Provençal spices, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a polished, elegant, almost Burgundian texture, ripe tannins, and a beautiful finish. It’s beautifully done and up with the top wines in the vintage.

All Grenache, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois comes from the Bédarrides (eastern) portion of the appellation, grown on clay soils with an overlay of galets roulés. While the nose and attack deliver open, voluminous notes of ripe cherries and raspberries, the wine seems to tighten on the full-bodied midpalate, building in structure and salinity while adding taut flavors of cranberries and orange zest framed by silky tannins. There's a lively tension in this wine, which should give it more than a decade of longevity.