1996 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac

The 1996 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac displays an exotic nose of barbeque spices, burning wood, and sweet cherry fruit. The plum/cherry color reveals some lightening at the edge. The wine is full-bodied and dense, with copious spice, tobacco, and earthy notes. This rich, chewy, outstanding Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the finest wines of the vintage. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900|| Wine Advocate.February, 1999

Starting with the 1996 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac, this single vineyard effort is 100% Grenache that comes from a site in the western portion of the appellation. Starting out a touch funky, it cleaned up beautifully with time in the glass and offers a perfumed, complex and sweetly fruited bouquet of ripe cherries, black raspberries, rose petals and flowers. Pure, fully mature, silky and perfectly balanced, it is a fabulous example of mature Grenache to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years. Sep 2016, www.robertparker.com

Medium red-ruby. Cherry, coffee, tobacco and damp earth on the nose; slightly port-like and very grenache. Exotic flavors repeat in the mouth; concentrated but not especially vibrant. Perhaps in a dumb phase today. The tannins today seem distinctly drier than those of Chapoutier '96 syrah wines.