Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Clos du Mont-Olivet 2005

The 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition exhibits a dark ruby color (darker than 2006) and a lovely, ripe nose of sweet black cherries, raspberries, pepper, loamy soil, and spice. The wine is medium to full-bodied, relatively soft for a 2005, with light tannin in the finish. It should drink well for 10-15 years.

Mont-Olivet did well in this classic, structured vintage. The traditional Châteauneuf du Pape offers old-school notes of ground pepper, roasted herbs, cedar plank, dried spice and sweet cherries that flow to a medium-bodied, fresh, focused profile on the palate. This still has a firm edge to its tannin, but has outstanding fruit and density, all suggesting it will continue to evolve gracefully.