2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Chante le Merle Vieilles Vignes

Elegant, plush, soft and fresh, with a strong floral essence which is accompanied with a nice sweetness to all the red fruits. Silky, refined, soft and generous with a gorgeous sense of purity to the fruits in the finish. The wine blends 85% Grenache with 15% Mourvedre .

In the same mold, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Chante Le Merle Vieilles Vignes offers loads of Provençal garrigue, smoked game, ground pepper, and traditional Châteauneuf du Pape goodness on the nose. It displays the vintage’s more forward, soft, supple style on the palate and is medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannins, moderate mid-palate depth, and a great finish. Based on 85% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Syrah that was not destemmed and was brought up all in concrete, this is a classic Châteauneuf du Pape to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years. Built like an NFL linebacker, Nicolas Boiron is nevertheless a gentle giant and produced a bevy of brilliant wines in 2018 and 2019. While many estates stick to a single style (whether that be modern, traditional, etc.), the wines from Bosquet des Papes span the full spectrum. His classic cuvee and the old vine Chante Le Merle releases are classic, old-school Châteauneuf du Pape, his A La Gloire de Mon Grand-Père is more quasi-modern in style with partial destemming and aging in demi-muids, and his La Folie cuvee is full-on modern with destemming and plenty of new oak. Regardless of the style, the quality is brilliant, and these are beautiful wines. In addition, while I used to find a certain rusticity in the tannins in these wines, today, these wines show considerably more elegance and purity.

The perfumed, floral, cherry herbal tea-scented 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Chante le Merle Vieilles Vignes isn't overly dark or dense, but captures the more fragrant, silky side of Grenache. It's full-bodied and ripe, with some faint, chocolaty overtones yet retains a sense of elegance and—dare I say it, in a wine that's labeled 15.5% alcohol—delicacy, finishing with silky tannins and ample length. It's a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Mourvèdre, aged in foudres.