2010 Chimere Chateauneuf du Pape (Clos St Jean)

Another amazing offering is the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Chimere, a blend of 93% Mourvedre, 5% Grenache and the rest white varietals. Packaged in a distinctive Italian glass bottle, this inky/purple-colored 2010 exhibits notes of blueberries, charcoal, roasted herbs and scorched earth. The complex aromas are followed by a full-bodied, super intense, young, unevolved wine that was bottled April 26, 2012, but still resembles a barrel sample. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of blueberries, licorice and graphite emerge. While the tannins are sweet, they are abundant. This remarkable effort came from one 300-liter foudre. Forget it for 4-5 years and drink it over the following 3 decades. By the way, it is about 16% natural alcohol so it is actually less powerful than the 2011. Kudos to Manfred Krankl, Pascal and Vincent Maurel, and Philippe Cambie for this remarkable effort. Oct 2012, www.robertparker.com