CDP Cuvée Papet, Clos du Mont-Olivet 2007

The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape La Cuvee du Papet may will turn out to be their finest example since the 1998 and 1990. Stylistically, it probably comes closest to resembling the legendary 1990. Notes of roasted meats and smoked duck, with Provencal herbs, truffle, incense, licorice, and pepper, are all there, plus enormous quantities of red and black fruits. This is one heck of a complex wine, with a bouquet that is the essence of southern France, in particular Provence. Full-bodied, powerful, with the glycerin and level of richness covering some lofty tannins, this wine is already accessible and nearly impossible to resist, but my instincts suggest it will be absolutely glorious in another 4-5 years and keep for 15-20.

Flirting with perfection, the utterly profound 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape la Cuvee du Papet is up there with some of the greatest Chateauneuf du Papes ever made. A huge, classically styled and Provencal wine, it offers layers of garrigue, black currants, licorice, beef blood and leather, as well as building tannin, a stacked mid-palate and a finish that just won’t quit. Made from 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah that was not destemmed, it was aged in equal parts concrete tanks and ancient foudre. It’s still an infant, with sweet tannin, and needs another 2-3 years to hit full maturity, and it will keep for upwards of two decades.