2018 Chateauneuf du Pape

Saturated garnet. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red berries, exotic spices and candied flowers, and a vibrant mineral note emerges as the wine opens up. Alluringly sweet and lively on the palate, offering juicy Chambord, cherry and lavender pastille flavors complemented by hints of star anise and white pepper. Smooth and seamless in texture, showing impressive finishing energy, polished tannins and sharp definition.

Dark glistening red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and dark berries, baking spices, garrigue and candied flowers, and a smoky mineral flourish appears as the wine opens up. Sappy, sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy black raspberry, cherry and lavender pastille flavors joined by hints of allspice and bitter chocolate. Smooth and seamless in texture, showing superb finishing clarity, gently gripping tannins and strong, spicy persistence. This is a somewhat more brawny wine than usual for Laurent Charvin, but it still retains the domaine's trademark balance and energy.

82% Grenache, 5% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 4% Vaccarèse, 4% Counoise. Aged for 21 months in concrete. Tank sample. Tasted blind. Attractive combination of stemmy, herbal aromas with rich black fruit. Lots of pepper and clove character too. Strongly spiced, possibly at the expense of fruit, but I like its distinctive and definite character. (RH)