2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Folie

The deepest colored of the trio and a true “Wow” wine, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Folie is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre that was completely destemmed and brought up 10% new barrels, with the balance in demi-muids. An insane bouquet of black cherry liqueur, blackberries, crushed rocks, and pepper garrigue gives way to a full-bodied, incredibly polished, seamless Grenache. This beauty does everything right and possesses a vibrant, sexy texture, no hard edges, and a blockbuster finish. It will most likely merit a triple-digit score in a few years and cruise for a decade or more. The gregarious Nicolas Boiron continues to produce an incredible lineup of wines that span the gamut from staunchly traditional in style, with plenty of stems and mostly concrete tanks aging, to close to 100% Grenache cuvées that are destemmed and aged in small amounts of new oak. Regardless, the wines today are impeccably made and show classic Southern Rhône characters. It’s worth noting that while the wines have always been solid, the quality soared around the 2010 vintage and today this estate unquestionably produces some of the top wines in the appellation.

The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape la Folie is a special cuvée that has only been made three times: in 2007, 2015 and 2016. As Nicolas Boiron points out, it's a "modern style" of Châteauneuf, completely destemmed and aged in demi-muids and barriques, with a fair proportion of those barrels being new. Mocha cedar notes mark the nose at this early age, while the flavors resemble caramelized cherries and baking spices. Full-bodied, rich, creamy and undeniably plush, it's still recognizable as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, showing velvety hints of chocolate on the long finish. The assemblage is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre.