2022 Chateauneuf du Pape

Lavender, white flowers, and dried roses kick off the perfume before you jump into all the sweet, ripe, kirsch, cherries, and raspberries, with their herbal edge. Fresh, vibrant, elegant, and aromatic, the finish continues the theme here with its layers of refined, soft, elegant red berries, with endnotes of kirsch that linger on the palate. The wine was made from 100% old vine Grenache. Give it just a year in the bottle and this beauty will be good to go. Drink from 2026-2038.

Reminding me of the 2020, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape is based on 60% Grenache, 16% each Mourvèdre and Cinsault, and the rest Syrah. Its medium ruby hue is followed by a gorgeous perfume of black raspberries, white pepper, Provençal garrigue, and crushed stone-like minerality. With medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and ripe, polished, yet building tannins, it's an absolute gem in the vintage that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and cruise over the following decade or more.

Less exuberant than the F601, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape from Famille Isabel Ferrando is a blend of 60% Grenache Noir, 16% Mourvèdre, 16% Cinsault and 8% Syrah. It exhales a complex, shy bouquet of dark berries, spices, licorice, violet and dark cherries. Medium-bodied, fleshy and round with a textured mid-palate, it's enrobing and suave with structured tannins that segue into a long, penetrating and racy finish with lots of vertical energy. It matured for 18 months in a combination of foudres (34%), concrete tank (33%) and terracotta jars (33%).