CDP Cuvée Chaupin, Domaine de la Janasse 2009

One of my favorites was already the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Chaupin (which is always aged in foudres and 600-liter demi-muids, two-thirds in the former and one-third in the latter) and this wine has really put on richness and intensity since I tasted it last year. An absolutely magnificent wine, it scored a good four points higher this year, and it is unusual for me to vary that much from one tasting to the next. Tipping the scales at 15% natural alcohol, this dense purple wine has noble sweetness and an extraordinary concentration of lavender, black cherry liqueur, licorice, and minerality. Full-bodied, with silky tannins, a multi-dimensional, unctuously textured, voluptuous palate and a stunning finish, this wine is outrageously delicious and a phenomenal expression of old-vine Grenache. It should drink well for up to 20+ years.

Sweet black cherries, Provençal herbs, leather, dried flowers, and incense-like notes all shine in the 2009 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Chaupin, a medium to full-bodied expression of this cuvée that's shed its youthful baby fat and is beautifully balanced today. Coming all from the Chapouin lieu-dit (there might be a splash from La Crau and La Janasse) and based on 100% Grenache vinified in concrete and aged in a mix of 70% foudres and 30% demi-muids, it’s drinking at point today yet will continue evolving gracefully through 2034. Drink: 2025-2034.